The player forum was in an uproar because of that post.
[“Is the game really going to close? I don’t believe it!”]
[“With such a huge cash flow, even a few hours of maintenance are losses. I can’t believe someone would just give up on all that money.”]
[“There’s reliable information that says a high-ranking person in the empire (military) got into trouble while playing this game and had to shut it down.”]
[“I was wondering why the cow was flying in the sky, so it was you who was bragging.”]
[“Haha, recently, the Zerg is causing trouble. Even the War God, who’s been in the background, is getting involved. Does the military and big shots have time to play this time-consuming online game?”]
[“Didn’t they already debunk it? General Jing didn’t go to the battlefield because his son had some issues, right? Didn’t you read the official announcement?”]
[“I have to laugh at this. Are both generals taking leave from the battlefield at the same time? And it’s the generals from the Jing family? Last time, General Jing lost a hand but went into the Zerg nest and killed the Zerg queen with just one hand before he was half unconscious. Are you telling me he would take a leave?”]
[“Yeah, I think maybe the situation on the battlefield isn’t good, and the two generals are injured. The leave of absence and temporary replacement is just to reassure people, right?”]
[“Really? I can vouch for it. I’m at the Imperial Military Academy (non-combat department, no military leaks, don’t scold me). Not only did the two generals from the Jing family take leave, but the third son of General Jing also took leave!”]
[“Oh my, you’re saying it like they might be looking after their two critically ill older brothers!!!”]
[“Don’t be too malicious upstairs! Why are you assuming they’re critically ill? I’d rather believe my male god really had something and took leave!”]
[“Hey, don’t change the topic, we’re discussing the game’s server shutdown, remember?”]
[“Right…”]
[“Quick, look, the official account of the Dragon Slayer game posted on Weibo. They’re apologizing and saying they’re temporarily closing the server. And the reopening time is uncertain!!!”]
[“I don’t believe it!!!”]
[“I don’t want to!!!”]
In the game world, after bidding farewell to his brothers, Jing Nian turned to the curious dragons outside the Dragon Palace. He took a deep breath and said, “There’s something I want to tell everyone…”
Jing Nian proceeded to explain in detail the reasons and consequences of his arrival in the Grans Continent and the situation with the outsiders, not omitting the fact that his brothers had gone to shut down the server to prevent players from entering Gransis.
“…So, that’s the situation. I apologize for all the deception. I’m truly sorry.” Jing Nian stood on the steps beneath the golden throne and bowed deeply to the dragons below.
As he raised his head, there was a hint of tears in his eyes. “But I want to say that during my time with the Dragon Clan, I’ve been very happy and grateful for everyone’s care. I really like all of you…”
As Jing Nian confessed, the usually lively and noisy dragons standing below the palace gradually became as quiet as statues. When Jing Nian reached this point in his story, even the telepathic communication went silent.
It seemed like the dragons had turned into stone statues.
Jing Nian knew that these revelations had hit the dragons hard. He had been wrong to keep the truth from them. He pursed his lips and slowly moved away from the golden throne.
The dragons were likely blaming him, which was understandable. After all, he had hidden his true identity among them and even pretended to be the Dragon Lord, receiving the adoration of all the dragons, much like an imposter.
On second thought, if in his own empire, there was a prince who had infiltrated from another nation and even ended up inheriting the throne… such a thing, even in an empire that prioritized human lives like his, would likely result in the death penalty.
With the game closing, and the game world temporarily safe, he realized that…
Jing Nian noticed Huo Yi standing by the door of the Dragon Palace. His heart stirred, and he made mental preparations to leave, even though he didn’t know where to go.
Perhaps he could travel with this person until he found a way to return to his own body.
Jing Nian slightly changed the direction of his steps and walked towards Huo Yi.
The next moment, the hem of his clothes was suddenly tugged.
“Daddy!”
Jing Nian turned around to see a chubby little dragon’s paw urgently grabbing his clothes. The little one had round, slightly flattened eyes that looked full of panic, as if saying, “Are you leaving again?”
Jing Nian took a deep breath, held the little dragon’s paw, gently patted the little dragon, and then turned back to look apologetically at the “silent” dragons. He said, “Seeing as my deception hasn’t caused any substantial harm to all of you, I hope you can allow me to continue being friends with Ao Ao…”
“Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!” The dragons, who had turned into statues, all knelt down in unison, in the most solemn bowing posture of the dragon race, and then raised their heads.
Jing Nian was unexpectedly gently lifted by a large dragon claw and placed on the high golden throne.
He sat dumbfounded on the massive golden throne, looking at the eyes below that seemed to say, “Are you abandoning us?” Half of the words he wanted to say were completely forgotten due to the surprise.
The dragons made the same eye expressions as little dragons. But due to their mature and mighty physical forms, they weren’t cute and adorable; they were somewhat terrifyingly comical. However, Jing Nian’s heart melted.
After placing Jing Nian on the throne, the elder dragon slowly retreated to the front of all the dragons and knelt down in the same posture.
Through their actions, they were telling Jing Nian that he was still their Dragon Lord.
Facing the kind and encouraging dragon face of the elder dragon, Jing Nian’s heart warmed. He stammered, “I’m not leaving.”
“Yay!” The little dragon standing behind Jing Nian let out a joyful cry.
Jing Nian saw the dragons smiling with their mouths open and joined in the laughter. Then, he was pounced on from behind by a soft and squishy little dragon.
The current little dragon, let alone a shrunken version of Jing Nian, probably could have knocked even the original-sized Jing Nian off his feet.
So, Jing Xiao Nian was bumped off the edge of the Golden Throne. The little dragon didn’t have time to think about his silly actions and immediately extended his little paws to jump down, following Jing Nian.
The laughing dragons below froze in their smiles.
They quickly spread their wings and stretched their legs to catch their Dragon Lord.
And then…
“Clang, clang, clang…”
The entire dragon palace made a sound as if it were being demolished.
A few minutes later, the dragons collided in a heap, and all the decorations in the palace were scattered. The palace floor, the dragons, and the broken furnishings formed a pile like a “junk mountain.”
Above the “junk pile,” Jing Nian was held around the waist by a man in black, and his shoulder was grasped by a chubby little claw.
Though he was accustomed to such scenes, it still took him a while to regain his senses. He looked at Huo Yi and then in astonishment at the little claw on his shoulder. Following the little claw’s gaze, he saw a pair of small wings flapping vigorously on the back of the little dragon.
Jing Nian was amazed, “You can fly, my little one!”
The nervous little dragon, clutching Jing Nian tightly, looked at its paws, then at Huo Yi, who was floating with Jing Nian. It confirmed that it had actually taken off by itself!
The little dragon’s pupils slightly dilated, and it exclaimed, “Wow!”
The next moment, Jing Nian felt a tug on his shoulder, and he barely had time to reach out his hand.
Just then, there was a “snap!” sound, and the chubby little dragon that had just been praised by Jing Nian fell into the “dragon junk pile.”
Even more astonishingly, because of Jing Nian’s words, the dragons below were all shocked and couldn’t close their gaping mouths.
Then the little dragon’s landing position just happened to be a perfect fit in one dragon’s mouth. Jing Nian could only see a pair of chubby little feet frantically kicking between the dragon’s teeth, unable to climb out.
Jing Nian: “…”
In less than two seconds, a muffled cry came from the dragon’s throat.
Jing Nian quickly looked at Huo Yi. But before he could speak, Huo Yi understood his intention. He carried Jing Nian and flew to the little dragon’s side, helping to grab the dragon’s leg.
The dragon that had “swallowed” its own Dragon Lord also quickly stood up on its companions.
“Bleah~yue~~~”
The little dragon was vomited out.
Covered in dragon saliva and… dragon stomach mucus.
Jing Nian took a step closer, pinching his nose, and used a water spell to wash off the little dragon.
The little dragon, looking all pitiful, opened its paws as if it wanted a hug. But it was drenched in cold water and was about to cry even louder.
Jing Nian quickly picked up a towel from the nest where one of the dragons had been kicked earlier and covered the “big baby’s” mouth, vigorously wiping it.
The little dragon: “…”
—
As predicted by Hesse, the dragons quickly accepted Jing Nian’s identity and continued to treat him with the same attitude as before.
Moreover, they were filled with curiosity about the world Jing Nian had described. One by one, they transformed into curious babies, lining up to ask Jing Nian questions.
“So, were those three bipedal creatures from the other day really your brothers? By blood?”
Jing Nian nodded.
“And were their bodies on that day ‘virtual’? Why did they look so real to me?”
“Holographic technology is…” Jing Nian felt a headache coming on and used an illusion spell in front of the dragons.
The illusion was then shattered by the dragon’s claw, disappearing.
Jing Nian: “…”
“It’s a more powerful illusion than the one you just shattered.”
“So, they’re not real, and even if we kill them, they can come back.”
“Yes,” Jing Nian suspected that this particular dragon was just trying to get closer. Because in the previous meeting, the magician had been very clear about the information regarding the outsiders.
Jing Nian was about to find an excuse to politely brush off the inquisitive dragons, but then he saw the dragons who had been chattering moments ago, all looking at him with concern.
“So, are you… stuck in this fantasy and can’t get out? Is your body in your world okay? What can we do for you?”
Jing Nian felt a lump in his throat.
These dragons were so adorable!
Jing Nian patiently explained some of the differences between the interstellar world and the Grans Continent: “In our world, it’s different from here. We don’t have magic or cultivation. We focus on developing technology… Technology is…”
The dragons were all captivated by Jing Nian’s description of the interstellar world. Their eyes grew wide and they appeared utterly stupefied.
Fragile humans who couldn’t use magic, in that world, could pilot gigantic steel suits just as large as dragons and unleash attacks that could rival dragons. If anyone else had said this, no dragon would believe it.
But coming from Jing Nian, the dragons saw it as a source of pride.
“He truly is our Dragon Lord!”
“He truly belongs to the race that gave birth to our Dragon Lord!”
“Our dragons are truly unparalleled in any world!1Referring to Jing Nian in his world”
After their admiration, the dragons looked at Jing Nian with eager “tell us more” expressions.
Jing Nian, though reluctant, began to narrate further. Fortunately, he was not bound by any “rules” except for not revealing game-related information. So he could freely speak about how he had traveled from another world. The information about the outsiders was all discovered by the inhabitants of the Grans Continent, not related to Jing Nian, and thus not restricted.
Time passed unnoticed, and suddenly, Jing Nian noticed that his brothers’ chat windows lit up simultaneously. Jing Nian, feeling a bit parched, said, “Well… I haven’t thought of any new differences for now. Let’s continue next time, how about that?”
The dragons were very obedient and never contradicted Jing Nian. They nodded in agreement, reluctantly left, and kept turning back as they went.
Jing Nian relaxed and opened his own window. Suddenly, his expression changed drastically.
The messages from his three brothers were all the same.
“The game server is malfunctioning, and we can’t shut it down!!!”
Jing Nian’s friend system had no offline function, so his brothers were all online at the dragon temple where they had last logged off.
Jing Nian was about to hurry over, but then Hesse, who was usually composed, walked over with a serious expression.
Jing Nian’s anxious voice and the elder dragon’s angry voice spoke simultaneously.
“My brothers are facing a malfunction, and the outsiders can’t be removed!”
“The Temple of Light has betrayed the continent!”
