Ch. 90 - Utterly Boring
New Event: Global Dungeons Daily Releases
"Could eating the eggshell actually be the right thing to do?"
Tang Qi blinked, momentarily unable to determine whether it was because Kuru had swallowed the eggshell that the Amethyst Dragon before him failed to display a dragon's instincts.
Or whether it was simply because it was malnourished and hadn't managed to awaken its [Breath] ability.
But either way, this was good news for them.
After all, it was just a newborn wyrmling, and it had lost its breath weapon—that wide-area destructive ability. Even setting Kuru aside, the three of them could easily handle it:
"I thought you'd have some real power, but you just let out a fart!"
Tang Qi strummed a chord, cursing along with the melody, then turned to look at Dawn.
"Hurry and deliver the finishing blow. I'll record your achievement!"
Bardic Inspiration also required methodology—
If one wanted to ignite Stonecrusher's fighting spirit, one had to mock him ruthlessly.
When he was angry enough to blow his beard and glare, skulls became like tofu to him.
When facing Dawn, you had to tempt her with glory.
Though it was just a wyrmling, it was a dragon species that hadn't appeared for thousands of years. Simply challenging it was enough to make for an excellent tale.
Curse at that one, give this one some encouragement.
Battle really couldn't be easier.
"Ah, we bards truly are too powerful!"
Tang Qi couldn't help but hum softly.
Honor was power.
That song seemed to invigorate Dawn's divine soul.
It made this headless knight vaguely recall her youth, standing atop a cliff, thrusting her sword through a griffin's throat and stripping its bones—that moment.
The passion and impulse of that time seemed to have traversed this long river of time, flowing along the grain of her muscles into her current body—
Wait, didn't she seem to have a single drop of blood in her entire body?
"Send me up!"
Dawn shouted and ran toward Stonecrusher.
The experienced warrior immediately understood her intent and raised his tower shield high above his head,
To a height Dawn could reach with one lifted leg.
"[Shield Charge]!"
The tremendous impact force surged up her calf, adding to her own strength, actually launching her over ten meters into the air in an instant.
The Amethyst Dragon's advantage of circling in mid-air instantly became meaningless.
"Yii-wu!"
It had already realized its breath had failed and wanted to flee without looking back, flying deeper into the forest.
But Dawn's shadow instantly covered its small body.
How could the small dragon have imagined that this two-legged creature, clearly without wings, could still jump right in front of it!
With no way to avoid it, it could only try to flap its thin wings, gathering a repulsive force to block that broken sword.
But the encouraged Dawn wouldn't miss this one opportunity—
The smooth blade smashed heavily into the small dragon's head, making it fall like a meteor to the ground. With a "boom" that shook the earth, it even created a sizable crater.
"Bang!"
She landed beside the dazed little dragon almost simultaneously.
Kneeling on one knee, left fist pounding the ground, right hand holding the broken sword horizontally.
She was so graceful she was only a wide, radiant cape away from being a timely hero.
Mm, the landing was also perfect!
"You can pose later, first catch it!"
Seeing that little dragon clearly dizzy but still able to use gravity's pull to try and distance itself from Dawn's 'heroic entrance,'
Tang Qi felt a sense of helplessness like babysitting.
Dawn also snapped back to her senses and hurriedly reached out to grab the small dragon's hind leg.
But just as she stood up, a crisp "crack" suddenly sounded from her ankle and knee—
Having lost the support of her lower limbs, she toppled over entirely, her helmet even clanging as it fell into the crater.
The black fog permeating her neck scattered in all directions, her thoughts turning panicked and flustered:
"My leg seems to be broken!"
"You have osteoporosis now too!?"
Although he'd known all along she was a glass cannon, Tang Qi hadn't expected her to be this fragile—
Though this was perhaps related to an ordinary [Flesh Golem] being unable to support her powerful soul.
But he still wanted to know if Dais might be able to crawl out and improve this assembled corpse!
But no matter what, Tang Qi didn't dare delay. He pointed his finger, the lute music continuing:
"The evening breeze suddenly blows gently, the night has already descended.
The bedside is covered with roses, the song urges you to sleep—"
Following the gentle trembling of low notes, the small dragon about to escape suddenly realized the ferns at its feet were beginning to sway with the wind.
Rose petals that shouldn't appear in this forest, pink and soft, in an instant along with the evening breeze and moonlight, tried to blow into its ears.
Clearly it had just awakened from an eternal slumber, yet drowsiness was again urging its eyelids to slowly droop.
It could only use its limited energy to find a broad fern leaf, treating it as a blanket, and sleep shallowly on the moist soil.
When an enemy target was exhausted to the point of fatigue, [Sleep], this kind of spell that ignored a creature's will and pulled at the instinct for drowsiness, became exceptionally effective—
Though they were separated by dozens of meters, so the spell's range also encompassed Dawn.
But fortunately, undead creatures were immune to sleep.
"Stonecrusher, watch the remaining eggshell, don't let that Kuru guy steal it!"
Tang Qi hurriedly ran toward the camp.
Stonecrusher grabbed Kuru who was slowly crawling toward the eggshell.
Gripping its neck so the kobold couldn't move, it could only "Rua" and flail its hands randomly.
Then he turned to look at Tang Qi: "What are you going to do?"
"[Sleep] only lasts one minute, I need to find something to soothe it!"
Though they had some friction with the small dragon now, it hadn't reached the level of hatred.
So there was still room for reconciliation.
With such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Tang Qi didn't want to slaughter it.
So he ran to the center of the camp with an uneasy heart and threw open the girls' tent.
"Tang Qi?"
Since Tang Qi had discovered Kuru secretly worshiping his 'ancestors' on the way back to camp,
Not much time had actually passed since their separation.
Seeing Tang Qi burst in without any greeting, the flush on Catherine's cheeks that hadn't completely faded instantly turned as red as cherries again:
"Wa—wash again?"
The sleeping Anbi was also awakened by Tang Qi. The little girl rubbed her sleepy eyes, her two drooping ears trembling:
"Wash what?"
"Cough cough, nothing."
Tang Qi pretended to be serious, walking to Catherine's side. Listening to her intense and throbbing heartbeat, he quickly said,
"Catherine, I was wondering if I could... presumptuously borrow something of yours?"
"What do you want?"
Catherine's voice was soft.
She didn't even know what else he could borrow.
And Tang Qi scratched his head somewhat awkwardly.
Time waits for no one. No matter how embarrassing it was to say, he had to say it:
"Your ring."
Only then did Catherine realize Tang Qi had urgent business this time.
The flush faded as she quickly took the ring from the crevice of her deep valley and placed it in Tang Qi's palm:
"Of course."
After all, it was a memento her parents had left behind. Tang Qi tried to explain:
"I might need to borrow it for quite a while."
"It's fine, just take it."
Catherine shook her head, not even asking the reason.
"You won't lose it anyway, right?"
"Of course, I'll keep it with me at all times."
"As long as it won't get lost, then it can surely have its greatest use in your hands, right?"
Since she couldn't help, the only thing she could do was not cause trouble.
A young woman's careful calculations were always so understanding:
"Besides, I've been wanting to take it off anyway. Otherwise, whatever thoughts I have, you'll hear them all clearly and distinctly—it's very embarrassing..."
Thinking of these past days' intimacy, she felt her cheeks about to burn with heat again, murmuring softly,
"If you know everything, isn't that like cheating?"
"Hiss..."
If it weren't for one minute not being enough time, and with a little girl lying beside them, Tang Qi swore he would definitely wash again.
But right now he was indeed busy, so he could only hastily grasp Catherine's fingers, saying solemnly:
"I'll definitely take good care of it."
Immediately after, he quickly lifted the curtain and ran back to the dragon egg's location.
In an instant, only two girls were left staring at each other in the tent.
"Elder sister."
Anbi looked at Catherine somewhat strangely.
"Your ears are so red."
Catherine separated a few strands of hair to cover her ears: "It's just the color of my hair."
The little girl squinted, finally asking the question that had been rooted in her heart for many days:
"Elder sister, you and Tang Qi-gege have been really strange lately. Before at the tavern, you didn't bathe every day..."
"That's because the tavern was too busy, there wasn't enough bathing time!
Alright, go to sleep quickly! Children aren't allowed to ask so many questions!"
Anbi blinked, feeling that elder sister's response was a bit too agitated, wasn't it?
Something's off.
Very off!
"Elder sister never taught Anbi to lie..."
She said, then quickly rolled herself tighter in the blankets before Catherine could scold her.
"Anbi is an obedient good child, going to sleep now!"
Seeing her well-behaved appearance, Catherine couldn't say much more in her embarrassment.
She just lifted the shoulder strap that had slipped down her snow-white shoulder back onto her shoulder.
Slowly standing up, lifting the curtain, gazing in the direction outside the camp.
An indescribable emotion suddenly welled up in her heart, making her unconsciously touch her own chest:
"Strange, just giving him the ring shouldn't be anything special.
But then why...
Do I feel less at ease instead?"
She still couldn't come up with an answer.
Tang Qi couldn't give her an answer either.
Because he had already placed the ring around the small dragon's neck—
It seemed to have received the enhancement of the magical effect's, making the [Ring of Mutual Hearts] become extremely resilient, firmly fitting against its currently still-soft dark purple scales.
From its current appearance, it should indeed be an [Amethyst Dragon].
Only as it aged would its scales gradually become as bright and crystalline as amethyst, refracting dazzling light:
"However, what are those patterns on its forehead... I've never heard of Amethyst Dragons having dark patterns on their bodies?"
Stonecrusher snorted coldly:
"If your academy knew everything, would bards be in their current sorry state?
And are you sure that using this ring to collar it will make it obediently obey?"
Tang Qi said matter-of-factly,
"Of course not—when could putting on a ring grant loyalty? Even marriage can't do that."
"I can do it." Dawn crawled forward on her knees one step.
"First fix your own legs."
Tang Qi couldn't help but point at her ankle.
"I order you to treat your own body better. In the past half month, you've already used up two bottles of [Restoration Gel]!"
As soon as economic difficulties were mentioned, Lady Money Pit would consciously turn her 'helmet' to the side.
As if that way she couldn't hear.
Tang Qi sighed. After all, it was his own selfish desire that led to the decision to capture the small dragon, so he really couldn't blame anyone. He turned to explain:
"'Blank paper is useful because it can create infinite possibilities.'
I don't think there's truly anyone in this world who can 'tame' a dragon.
But fortunately, right now it's still a newborn life.
Its values haven't been formed yet, and no one has taught it anything, so that it can still be curious about this world.
So this 'blank paper' has given me an opportunity to intervene in its growth.
And to seize this opportunity, 'a bridge that allows communication' is more important than anything else."
[Those who wear this pair of rings will unconsciously feel close to each other and sense each other's location and feelings.]
'Closeness' was the prerequisite for establishing a connection.
Tang Qi hoped to establish a deeper bond with this small dragon.
Even if a dragon's lifespan was extremely long, while his own might be short, destined to be unable to accompany it to the end of its life.
But at least he could help it get through its first fifteen years as a young dragon.
By that time, he wouldn't even be forty years old yet.
And once he raised it until its adolescence, the small dragon would be enough to become an indispensable combat power during his adventures.
Of course, the most important reason was still—
It would become a true dragon!
Tang Qi didn't dare imagine that many years later, when he rode a dragon soaring through the skies, crossing oceans, finally landing on the monument of the Poet's Academy,
How many bards would cast envious glances at him.
How far his fame would expand:
"Damn it, I can't help fantasizing again..."
...
Bruto was fantasizing once again.
Fantasizing that he was Tang Qi Weinberg.
Leaving the closed-minded, conservative Poet's Academy, embarking on an adventurous voyage, thereby beginning his own spectacular life:
"That wooden guy actually really did it?"
[Lost Calendar year 1000, July 4th, Dawnmist Forest, clear.
I only have two things to write today.
First, after 24 days, I finally led three hundred civilians from Starberry Town out of Dawnmist Forest.
Perhaps I'm finally about to say goodbye to this exhausting journey—
Longgold City is close at hand.]
Looking at the starlight-like text on the monument, Bruto felt his chest tighten, unable to tell if it was jealousy or envy.
If he had been the one to leave the academy, could he have accomplished the same righteous deed as Tang Qi?
He didn't know.
And this complex emotion completely vanished the moment he saw the next line of text—
Bruto opened his mouth, first examining the emerald green small snake coiled around his waist, swimming and moving back and forth.
Then he raised his eyes to look at the text on the monument.
His gaze wandered back and forth several times, finally unable to speak:
"Sure enough, whether you're happy or not depends on who you compare yourself to."
[Second, I raised a dragon.
A dragon!]
"Compared to him, do I even deserve to be called a bard?
Damn it, utterly boring now..."