69novels Page 317
Page 317
[What?! You're going to get kicked by a dragon?! You're horrified, screaming inwardly, "Damn it, why are you being so petty, old man?!"]
Unfortunately, your words couldn't get through. In despair and terror, you felt a rough dragon claw, exuding the scent of a thousand-year-old being, slam into your head. Your head lolled to the side, and you felt yourself plummeting.
Just before you fall out of the dream, you vaguely hear the snickering of the "Mind Dragon." You are startled and suddenly realize that as a being with psychic abilities, he should be able to sense your thoughts and convey them to you...
["Damn it, a bunch of old idiots! I'm going to smash your nursing home to pieces someday!" you cursed in a fit of impotent rage, then lost consciousness.]
【…】
"Little Ra, look, isn't Serfal amazing?"
[Your own silly dragon's voice sounded in front of you. You opened your eyes, rubbing your face in slight pain. Following the hand that the silly dragon was still holding, you looked at her grinning, goofy face, and then at the direction she was pointing. You saw the dragon crystals filling half a pool in the valley.]
"...Never mind." You instantly forgave everything, your mindset calmed down, and even the spot where the "Space Dragon" had kicked you no longer hurt.
There was nothing we could do; they gave us just too much.
[Seeing Serfael's expectant gaze, you chuckled and gave her head a firm ruffled squeeze.]
Chapter 317 Enemies coming from the sky
[You spent half a day absorbing a piece of dragon crystal. After absorption, a surge of power began to coursing through your body, but it was immediately refined by your activated and powerful bloodline.]
[This is the second dragon crystal you've absorbed, besides the one you brought out in the previous simulation. In your perception, its effect is slightly less pronounced than the first dragon crystal.]
However, upon closer inspection, you'll find that while the amount absorbed isn't as high, it has slightly improved the quality of a certain dragon power previously stored within you, subtly giving rise to a unique characteristic within your body.
In other words, this makes you somewhat like a monster. As far as you know, the magic network at the monster port has potions that can be exchanged to increase the concentration of dragon blood. For monsters, the dragon blood within them can provide them with a special power, such as a low-powered version of dragon's might or dragon's breath.
You can't help but wonder, if monsters can absorb bloodlines to develop unique characteristics, can humans do the same?
The term "bloodline warrior" suddenly popped into your mind. However, since you haven't even studied the way of the warrior, you naturally know nothing about bloodline warriors. But judging from the name, you guessed that they should be able to utilize the power within their bloodline.
[Put your curiosity about the bloodline warriors aside for now. You'll definitely reunite with the little snake, Ge Ying, in the future anyway, so you can ask him then.]
Seeing that it was still early, you took another piece of dragon crystal. For some reason, you suddenly had a feeling of taking protein powder at the gym in your past life, but dragon crystal is much stronger than protein powder. If you have to make a comparison, it should at least be like steroids...
Wait, you subconsciously touched the top of your head. You wondered if it was just your imagination, but it felt a little pointed. Was it just your perception?
After digesting the second dragon crystal, you find that its effects are indeed diminishing again. At the same time, the characteristics of the dragon power within you seem to have become clearer.
After roughly integrating the logarithmic diminishing returns function of Dragon Crystals, you estimated that you would reach a bottleneck after using approximately twenty Dragon Crystals, and these twenty Dragon Crystals would propel you to a level close to a fifth-ring mage or a legendary warrior.
You couldn't help but wonder if dragons could absorb far more dragon crystals than you, so you immediately asked Serfal, only to receive a somewhat surprising answer.
[It turns out that most dragons only use one dragon crystal, and this is mostly used at birth to activate their dragon power. As dragons, they naturally generate dragon power within their bodies, and if they live long enough, this power tends to overflow. Therefore, unless they want to quickly reach maturity, dragons generally don't consume a second dragon crystal.]
However, dragon crystals are still very scarce. Although only a few female dragon eggs hatch in the entire Dragon Valley each year, male dragons often meddle with other monsters outside and frequently demand dragon crystals. Before running away... they want to add a little self-protection to their bloodline and cause some trouble in the monster world.
"Scarce? Not entirely..." You looked at the half-filled pool of dragon crystals in Serfal Valley and couldn't help but complain, "This could easily fill two hundred of me!"
[Then you realize you've fallen into the old dragons' trap. According to what they said in the dream, these things are meant to be repaid by your unborn child working, and you don't need that much at all. So, you've lost out big time!]
You told Serfal about your worries with a troubled expression, but she mysteriously told you, "These things are all part of Serfal's calculations!"
"W-what?" You were taken aback, then saw her pull a book out of her skirt and hand it to you.
"After realizing this wasn't the real world, Serfar studied it diligently and felt he could treat them with a forward-thinking perspective! Little Ra, think about it: we take the things and use them first, then when it's time to return them, we can just disappear from this world in a flash. Wouldn't that be awesome!"
Serfael's eyes grew brighter as she spoke, and after she finished, she put her hands on her hips and burst into laughter:
"At that time, no matter how they scheme against us, it will all be for nothing, hahaha!"
You looked at Serfal, whose mouth was still glowing with fire as he laughed, paused for a moment, and then looked at the book in your hands.
[The Great Beggar Gatsby...what the heck?]
With a speechless and numb mindset, you glanced at the first two chapters and found that it was about a young man named Beggarsby who was forced to separate from his girlfriend due to class differences. When he returned after amassing wealth through various means, he discovered that his girlfriend had become a materialistic noblewoman.
"This looks familiar..." You scratched your head, flipped to the last chapter to see their ending, but were startled by the chapter title.
[“An enemy from the sky?” You immediately flipped back a chapter, and sure enough, it was “Invincible Under Heaven.”]
"Wait, isn't this a romance novel?" You felt a chill run down your spine and remained silent for a moment before flipping back to the table of contents for a closer look.
[It turns out that the Beggarsby's love story was just the beginning. After being dumped by his girlfriend again, he was in despair but was unexpectedly tempted by the devil of greed. He gained the ability to become stronger the more wealth he had and embarked on a path of taking out small loans to get rich early and then using his power to intimidate his creditors.]
Finally, after he amassed the world's wealth through ruthless means, he discovered that his girlfriend was actually the greedy demon who had led him astray; it turned out that it was all a means for her to make him stronger.
After defeating the other demons in their plane who coveted the power of greed, the two discovered that angels from the divine plane suddenly descended and annihilated them, leaving only a chest of gold coins imbued with the will of greed hidden in the ravaged world.
"...You're planning to write a sequel, huh?" This plot, so absurd it leaves you speechless, is full of ridiculous twists and turns, yet you have to admit you're actually somewhat interested in seeing a sequel.
[But you've figured it out. This is a fantasy novel with a patriotic theme, warning people not to get addicted to small loans or they'll be used by demons. I don't know why Serfal would think being a demon is so enjoyable; maybe that's just how silly dragons are.]
The thought of the old dragons, whose minds are full of schemes to harm their young, being tricked by Serfal's cunning is unsettling. On the other hand, you, who unknowingly stepped into the abstract trap set by Serfal and the old dragons, may ultimately be the beneficiary, but you've also displayed a degree of remarkable wisdom.
This is a three-way standoff.
In short, you spoke very seriously to Serfar, telling her to read fewer novels smuggled from Hines City. Although these novels are supposedly anecdotes from other planes heard from bards during the Hines era, it's common knowledge that only stories that are outrageous enough to truly endure...
After Serfael solemnly promised that he would not learn anything indiscriminately, you somewhat worriedly accepted over a hundred dragon crystals, sighed, and left.
[I never expected that after consolidating my own mage territory, there would still be this variable, Serfal. The torrent of timelines is truly too complex... However, now you don't need Serfal to ask for dragon crystals in the real world anymore.]
You breathed a slight sigh of relief, deciding that you must prepare in advance to deal with the increased intelligence of Serfar in reality, otherwise your own intelligence would inevitably decline sooner or later.
[You returned to the mage tower and secluded yourself for half a week under the protection of the half-elf.]
Everything is progressing smoothly according to your plan. Your goal is clear: in this simulation, you must figure out in advance which forces you will be facing.
[Over the past two weeks, you and Ateliers have had some minor interactions that stimulated your magic power. While most of it was a bit risqué, the main purpose was to test whether she could experience this in reality.]
"I'm still good at finding legitimate reasons to be lewd."
Latis couldn't help but criticize himself, then ruffled Ateliers's hair and asked:
"Arte, do you have any perception of my simulated prophecy now?"
"Eh?"
The half-elf, who was holding his face in his hands and staring at Latis, paused for a moment, closed his eyes and carefully sensed it, then shook his head uncertainly.
"It seems it's not the right time yet." Latis stroked his chin and pondered for a moment before continuing to look at the simulated text.
[During this period, you managed to consume the total amount of dragon crystals you calculated you could absorb. Although you haven't finished absorbing them yet, you've already reached the peak of a fourth-ring mage and a sixth-level warrior. You just need to undergo a significant transformation to enter the ranks of high-level mages and legendary warriors.]
[At the same time, you unexpectedly discover that the dragon crystals you consumed have actually fused together, causing you to exhibit traces of dragon characteristics.]
[That characteristic, you guessed it was actually the bloodline of a dragon. Logically, the bloodline of a dragon should suppress other bloodlines within a demon and exist independently, but in your body, it inexplicably merged with your Titan bloodline, exhibiting the characteristics of fusion.]
[When you control the flow of this fused bloodline, it seems you can unleash "Heaven and Earth Transformation - Dragon" to transform into a giant dragon for combat. You can also utilize a certain attribute within your body to unleash corresponding dragon breath and other abilities.]
[You suspect that this lingering attribute within you is related to the girls you've had intimate relationships with, because you can now unleash dragon breath imbued with life energy.]
The only inconvenience is that after you activate your bloodline ability, your head will truly become pointed. Although your reason tells you that it's a dragon horn, you still can't accept the single horn that your half-baked dragon bloodline displays.
While you were still reflecting on the changes in yourself, the examiners sent by the capital had already arrived in Lundia.
Although the Queen's Academy will not provide guidance to the shortlisted noble candidates, you have already learned about the format of the noble assessment from Princess Slinger, who is actually the mole, so you have enough confidence.
The assessment of newly promoted nobles begins with an evaluation of the organizations under the nobility's name. Most of these are profit-making establishments such as casinos, guilds, bars, and restaurants, gifts from their parents. A smaller number include institutions like magic research institutes, material warehouses, and apprentice halls. In short, these are things that commoners could not possibly possess at will.
Secondly, the examiners will not simply test the candidates' skills in aristocratic rituals and magic. Instead, they will choose an area where a situation is unfolding to assess the candidates' decision-making and negotiation abilities.
Of course, the range of areas to choose from varies greatly. Some are simple towns frequented by ordinary criminals, while others are complex areas bordering monster-infested zones. The potential for improvement is vastly different.
However, you don't intend to bribe the examiners. After all, to truly solidify the impression of your power as a descendant of the Titans, you must complete the assessment with overwhelming force.
Finally, all the selected nobles who passed the assessment will return to the capital to receive their investiture from the Queen.
[Have you considered this last point? After all, in your simulated state, if you were to encounter the Queen, you would undoubtedly confess without warning. And you don't want to expose this identity to the Queen. Ever since she started paying attention to the time-space flow, she will definitely do everything she can to remember information about you if she meets you again.]
Fortunately, Slinger tells you that there is one situation where you can receive a remote investiture: if your achievements are so outstanding that the Queen directly grants you the power to establish a fiefdom. Of course, this situation is extremely rare.
You donned Ateliers' hooded coat, and spent half an hour intimately with her, who was dressed similarly. Then you set off, casting "Heaven and Earth Transformation: Dragon" to transform into a one-horned forest dragon, and flew to your floating island.
Although you haven't built the Mage Tower yet, the "Emperor's Palace," which you moved there after gaining access, and the forest city that Arte helped you build, are both ready to go.
As you soar through the vast sky, gazing down upon your new, unknown floating island, a surge of heroic emotion wells up within you.
[Let those forces who come here see for themselves, let them be deeply awed by your mysterious and unpredictable existence! You haven't fought such a successful battle since arriving in this other world!]
Thinking of this, a signature toothy grin involuntarily appeared on your moss-covered dragon face.
[It must be said that, faced with the dragon's sharp teeth, even your ridiculously stupid grin now carries a chillingly menacing aura.]
You suddenly remembered Serfal, who had begun his reclusive life in the valley, working diligently to improve himself. After a moment's thought, you had to admit that engaging in advanced consumption within the simulation might indeed be a good idea.
Chapter 318 Various forces make their appearance
"So you're... Silver Hugh, pfft, cough cough, the Latis that Teacher Silver recommended?"
At the entrance of the Queen's Academy, a noble examiner in full regalia looked at you with a flippant expression and asked, "Alright, sir, how about we show you your 'properties'?"
You frowned. The examiner's dismissive attitude towards Teacher Yin and his sarcastic remarks towards you made you extremely uncomfortable. Moreover, the disdain in his eyes when he looked at your hooded coat made you feel that he was already courting death.
[To the examiners responsible for assessing the candidates for noble status, a combination like yours—a "commoner recommender" plus a "commoner candidate"—is essentially equivalent to "outsiders begging in the capital." These vested interests in the capital discriminate against all commoners equally.]
Having figured this out, you calmed down. You didn't really intend to compete with these arrogant but incompetent nobles of the capital, so there was no need to waste too much energy on them.
"Latis Titania, Your Excellency. As for my 'property'..." You emphasized those two words, then smiled slightly and said casually, "It might be a bit far from here. I would appreciate it if you could accompany me."
"Titania...?" The examiner's face turned serious. He quickly took out the list of candidates for this noble examination from his pocket, and after confirming several times that your surname was not on it, he couldn't help but ask, "Is this your surname, sir, no, Your Excellency?"
"Whether it is or not, you are welcome to investigate." You sneered and said, "Alright, Your Excellency, let's not waste our time. I have many other matters to attend to."
"...As you wish." A bead of cold sweat trickled down the examiner's forehead. He paused for a moment, then replied politely.
[You traveled in the unique "Dragon-Horse Chariot" of Lundia, heading east towards the outer city. This chariot evolved from the original "Dragon-Horse Chariot" of Lundia, guided by the dragon reproductive data contributed by the "Father of Dragons." Not only is it more powerful, but the cost is also much cheaper.]
"Lundia truly lives up to its reputation as the capital of magic. Even the imperial capital doesn't have such robust tamed monsters. I wonder who this 'Father of Dragons' really is." After traveling in silence for a while, the examiner asked, trying to make conversation, "Your Excellency Titania, what do you think?"
You glanced at him and said indifferently, "He's just a lecherous pervert, nothing special."
"You...you lecherous bastard?!" The examiner was immediately taken aback. Your confident and nonchalant tone, coupled with such a sharp evaluation, made him instantly realize one fact: you know the "Father of Dragons," and you may have a close relationship with him. Perhaps your attitude towards him is based on a superior assessment!
This conjecture silenced the examiner instantly. He glanced at you cautiously, then quickly looked away, lost in thought.
As an examiner, he was quite experienced in tailoring his approach to different people. In his past experience, he had encountered candidates who appeared unassuming but possessed powerful backgrounds. These candidates were usually far superior to the second or third generation of nobles in the capital; they were true local tycoons.
He re-examined you in his mind. The nominee was a commoner teacher named Silvershur. A commoner meant that this teacher could very well have been chosen and manipulated by you. "Titania" sounded like an extremely ancient surname, possibly symbolizing some kind of chilling power. And your attire didn't resemble that of an ordinary Lundian mage, which further confirmed his suspicion that you had, to some extent, manipulated Teacher Silvershur.
You glanced at him briefly. From the magical energy emanating from him, your personal magic network detected fluctuations from a beacon communication spell, leading you to deduce that he was urgently instructing the capital's personnel to search for records related to "Titania."