Chapter 128 – Extinct
"I have a few questions for you, I hope you can answer honestly."
"Wuwuwu."
"Stop crying, if you cry again, I'll continue to beat you."
"Wuwawawa."
"Fine, you can cry. Do you want to eat something and take a break?"
"Wuwu. Um, what should I eat?"
The girl raised her head, tears glistening in the corners of her eyes.
Jiang Bei: "."
So the White Dragon girl started nibbling on the chocolate.
Jiang Bei didn't have anything else to eat, and Xiao Qi on the other side wasn't very happy with his decision because the chocolate was originally meant for her.
He promised to bring her an ice cream later when they returned, just to appease her.
"This, it's really delicious!"
The girl bit into the chocolate crisply, her eyes brightened at first, then immediately dimmed as tears started swirling in her eyes again.
Then she looked at Jiang Bei pitifully.
"Having something so delicious before I die is not a waste. But can I ask you one more thing?"
Jiang Bei: "?"
"Can you please kill me quickly, so that I can be cooked after I die? Otherwise, it will be very painful to be boiled. Wuwawawa."
She burst into tears again.
Jiang Bei: "???"
He couldn't keep up with her train of thought. Who mentioned eating just now? How did it suddenly jump to being cooked?
Unfortunately, the White Dragon girl was already confused to begin with, and when she cried, she became even more incoherent. She couldn't ask many questions or get any answers. Basic questions like where she came from, where this place was, and how to get out couldn't be understood.
But Jiang Bei understood one thing, she had a very poor impression of himself - or rather, all the "surface people" she referred to as outsiders.
Sly and cunning, full of lies, taking whatever they can get.
Well, looking at these descriptions, it seems like it's not entirely wrong?
"Where did you hear all this?"
"Arnold told me." The girl shook her head. "I've never been outside, he told me everything."
"Hmm?" Jiang Bei felt like he had finally found a clue. "Who is Arnold?"
".
After a while, Jiang Bei flew back into the palace, carrying the White Dragon girl who had a confused expression and a mouth full of chocolate.
He landed in front of a flight of stone steps and saw the old, yellowish lantern described by her.
"Is it inside here?" Jiang Bei looked skeptical.
"Yes."
The girl walked forward and knocked on the lantern shell a few times.
"Hey, come out!"
No response.
The girl tilted her head innocently and looked at Jiang Bei. "He doesn't want to come out."
Jiang Bei tried to see through the lantern and could only see a chaotic mess inside. He thought for a moment and asked, "What if I smash this thing open?"
"Well, that's probably impossible," the girl said. "This is made of Transcendent Obsidian from the deep sea, and it has a strong protective barrier. It was forged to be unbreakable."
"Let's give it a try, it doesn't cost anything anyway."
Jiang Bei said as he picked up the lantern.
The so-called indestructible shell immediately made a crisp sound, and the metal shell began to dent inward from where his fingers touched it.
The girl could hardly believe her eyes.
Ah, it turns out that there is nothing truly indestructible in the world.
If there is, it's just that it hasn't encountered a sharp enough spear.
Almost at the moment the sound was made, a black mist burst out of the lantern like a geyser, quickly condensing into the shape of a face.
"Stop! Stop!"
The face shouted.
Jiang Bei stopped, but his hands were still pressing on the lantern, ready to continue.
The black mist, known as Arnold, looked bitter and glanced at the innocent-looking girl beside him.
As if saying, Lady, spare me. Why did you have to bring the ghost to me?
But it seemed like he couldn't lose his dignity. After the black mist condensed into a form, it immediately put on a cold face and floated up high, speaking in a low and mysterious voice.
"My help is not free, each answer has its own price."
Jiang Bei's eyes immediately lit up with a red glow, and red lines spread across his eyes.
"Or maybe there doesn't have to be a price!" The black mist quickly changed its tone. "I just had a good meal today and I'm in a good mood, so there's no need for a price. Just tell me what you want."
The red glow in Jiang Bei's eyes faded, revealing a satisfied smile.
Indeed, ever since becoming a superhuman, he found that everyone was quite easy to talk to, especially when reasoning was involved.
There's nothing that can't be resolved through good communication.
"Who are you people?" Jiang Bei asked.
The black mist called Arnold sighed softly."Nothing more than a loser, a homeless dog." He pondered, then said, "I suppose it must have been over a decade in the outside world. Do you surface dwellers still know of this legend?
The city that was sunk to the bottom of the sea?"
Jiang Bei's expression changed: "Atlantis?"
"Oh, it seems some people still know." Arnold sighed, "Yes, that's where we came from. It was once our home."
"You are sea people?"
Jiang Bei glanced at the little girl blinking her big eyes next to him, suddenly realizing that this description might not be precise enough.
"Sea dragons?"
"Sort of. The place where we once lived is also known as the 'Dragon Palace', a sacred place ruled by the great sea dragon clan." Arnold said, "Atlantis never interfered with surface affairs and has had no contact for many years. So for surface dwellers, the Dragon Palace should also have become a mere legend.
Of course, I am no longer considered an Atlantean. I stole the 'Extinct', and since then I have lost the qualification to call myself a citizen of Atlantis."
"Extinct?"
"It's the place where we are standing right now." Arnold said, "A divine artifact with an independent space, it is also a treasure within the kingdom.
Knowing that Atlantis had no place for me, I had no choice but to flee to the surface world.
Of course, the kingdom has always been relentlessly pursuing me. Until one time, during a battle with the pursuers, I accidentally activated the 'Extinct', and the device was inadvertently started by me. Then, by the time I came to my senses."
A look of despair appeared on the face formed by the black fog.
"I was already here. And I was too badly injured in the battle, I couldn't get treatment here. So I had no choice but to use the second piece of equipment I stole.
'The Torch of the Captive', this lantern-like creation. Originally designed as an inescapable cage, it has now become the only thing that can keep me alive."
Jiang Bei thought for a moment, then looked at the white dragon girl next to him: "What about her?"
The latter still looked confused, as if she didn't understand the situation.
". Honestly, I'm not quite sure either." Arnold shook his head, "When I first came in, she was already here. It seems that she was already inside when I stole the 'Extinct'.
As for who she is and why someone would leave her here, I don't know. Asking her herself doesn't seem to help either."
Jiang Bei pondered briefly.
He was originally planning to ask where the missing people were, but now there was no need. During the battle just now, when he flew out, he took a quick look around and saw the town at the foot of a red mountain range with his enhanced vision.
Wangshan Town, right here in this subspace domain. He only took a quick glance, but it seemed that all the missing people were still there, and nothing had happened.
He even saw fresh water and food.
"Did you provide them with food?" Jiang Bei asked.
"Yes, yes, of course." Arnold hurriedly said, "Heaven rewards kindness, and we sea people have always been compassionate. We feel quite sorry for these people who accidentally entered the 'Extinct'."
Jiang Bei stared at him expressionlessly.
The black fog shrank back under his gaze, "Well okay, actually it was her idea."
He glanced at the white dragon girl next to him.
When he first heard that surface dwellers had come in, his first reaction was to kill them all just in case. But the girl disagreed, and he himself was trapped in the lantern and couldn't move freely, so he had to let it go.
Of course, he knew he couldn't say that now, so he quickly added, "Of course, I strongly agreed with her idea! All lives are equal, surface dwellers and sea people are the same. The lives of sea people are also lives."
"Quiet."
Jiang Bei had made up his mind. At his word, Arnold immediately shut up.
"Next question. How do we get out?"
Hearing this, the black fog immediately took on a crying-like shape.
"This... I'd like to know too." Arnold said helplessly, "If I knew, I would have left ten years ago."