"Friends"

Chapter 154

There hasn't been a dragon on the entire continent as well as for thousands of years.

All fantasy species, to be precise.

They don't disappear overnight, they are lost little by little over time.

Various speculations have been made, but no one knows the real reason for the extinction of the fantasy species.

With the disappearance of the dragon, the reputation of the dragon slayer bloodline is diminishing, and the number of people is gradually decreasing, and even those remaining Mu family members have already given up trying to find the dragon's traces.

Except for one.

He was not a member of the Mu family, and he was not skilled in combat, instead, he liked to study ancient books, which was an anomaly among the Mu family members who were known for their talent in combat.

After coming of age, he began traveling on the continent.

There is only one purpose.

--Write a book.

In his backpack was a whole set of heavy, heavy, ancient books.

This place recorded all the research and information of the Mu Family's ancestors about dragons, but unfortunately, perhaps due to the age, or perhaps it was just the recorder's mistake, many of the entries in it were imperfect, and some of them even contradicted each other.

For a continent where dragons have been gone for thousands of years, these mistakes seem harmless enough.

But it was different for him.

Correcting or even completing the only book on dragons on the continent is the greatest wish of a researcher who is a member of the Mu family.

So, he began to search for the remaining dragon ruins on the continent, one by one.

Scattered corpses, abandoned caves, and even catch-all rumors are worth exploring.

And so it goes, day after day, year after year.

From this fragmented information, he painstakingly pieced together, groped around, and tried to supplement and complete the contents of this set of books.

But ......

Not enough.

Far from it.

The information left behind by dragons on the continent was too little, except for a small number of primitive dragons, most of them would spontaneously combust after death, so there were very few relics related to dragons compared to the other fantasy species, and even if there were, most of them had already been disfigured under the erosion of the flames and time.

Even the most mature and sophisticated researcher can do nothing in the face of such a dilemma.

Until this one.

According to a legend in one of the primitive villages deep in the mountains, he had ventured into an area where few humans had ever ventured, and the only map that was available was a tattered piece of parchment with a sketchy labeling of the route forward.

The journey into the mountains was extraordinarily grueling.

Day 1, gale force winds.

Day 2, Penrhyn.

Day 3, torrential rain.

After three days of difficult trekking, that map was lost in a rainstorm.

However, facing the swamp with no recognizable way out behind it, advancing headlong became the only option left.

Under the pouring rain and pouring ink, the man hunched his spine and walked through the mud, one foot deeper than the other.

The dark hood gathered tightly around his entire body, like a torn-off cloud, hunting under the onslaught of the gale.

Finally, on the fourth day, the rain stopped.

The clear sky looked as if it had been washed with water, taking on an emerald turquoise color, as if it were a block of flawless gems.

Whoa--

The wet backpack was a handful of water when twisted, and although the ancient book was made of special materials after enchantment, it still wasn't suitable for prolonged soaking in water.

As he waited for the books to be dried, he stood and looked around at the treacherous and pristine mountains in front of him.

Losing the maps and electronic gear makes everything seem strange.

Where are we? It's hard to say.

Which direction is the destination? Unknown.

The best thing to do now would be to turn back the same way while the weather is still good and come back after reorganizing your gear.

But ......

He frowned, gazing at the books spread out to dry on the smooth surface of the rock, hesitating for a moment.

--It's always a shame to leave now.

The wind whisked through the dense leaves, making the soughing sound of branches and leaves rubbing together, but beyond ...... that there seemed to be a little something else.

It was as if a distant, low growl, or the hard sound of rock against rock, was wrapped into the wind and mixed into a strange sound.

What could it be?

Repacking his bags, he drew his weapon and walked cautiously in the direction from which the voice had come.

There was no road in front of them, only a messy gravel filled with rocks, big and small stacked together, making the way forward extra difficult.

The voices are getting closer.

It's also becoming clearer.

It was easy to distinguish the snarling sound mixed in with the wind, and the sharp sound of claws scratching the ground - probably some kind of demonic creature.

He told himself that in his mind.

But somehow, there was an odd feeling at work in the underworld, like some invisible force, forcing, pushing, pulling him forward-

Over the jagged rocks, there was a clear view ahead.

A heavy mountain rock with a height of more than a few people pressed heavily in front, the head of the mountain rock and the scorch marks by the mountain lightning, on the ground and on top of the mountain rock, you can see the traces of the fire burning, the air is filled with strange and unfamiliar magical fluctuations, the molten magma presents a semi-solidified state, but due to the angle of the problem can not be melted the mountain rock, but instead, it will be fixed even more solid!

And in the midst of that piece of broken rock, a strange-looking demonic creature could be seen.

Crimson scales reflected a metallic sheen in the sunlight, and filmy wings were crushed under the stone, where the blood had been baked dry and blackened, taking on an asphalt-like texture.

There was a piercing buzz in his ears.

His heart was beating more than it could bear, and he felt blackness in his eyes and difficulty in breathing.

Though he had never seen such a creature in his life, he had seen similar illustrations in books more than once, and every cell in his body shuddered and screamed madly in his ears.

...... dragon.

It's the dragon.

There's no other possibility.

Molten blood rushed through his veins, his fingers subconsciously tightened, and the blade of his sword trembled in the subconscious release of his murderous aura.

The instincts belonging to a dragonslayer were at work.

Kill it.

But ......

A heavy weight came from his backpack, like a silent reminder, pulling him back from this trance of extreme excitement.

The hot blood went cold.

He was not a direct descendant of the Mu family, much less a natural warrior, and was even more clumsy in terms of combat skills; to him, he still loved researching in the Book Depository more than slaying dragons.

And researching ...... requires samples.

*

The mountain rock moved.

A human form stepped cautiously out from behind the coverings -

"Boom!"

The fireball raced in that direction, but it smashed heavily on top of the rock, leaving deep, dark scorch marks.

"Ooooooohhhh--"

The dragon's growls grew more urgent and panicked, and its sharp claws scratched among the rubble as if trying with all its might to break free from its predicament.

"I meant no harm."

The youth's voice was clear, with unfeigned sincerity.

He slowly stepped backward, retreating to a place beyond the reach of the dragon flame, and then little by little, he revealed his body to the other party.

Hands raised in the air, showing that he was unarmed.

The body arched slightly, making a friendly gesture in accordance with the dragon's habits.

But the frightened fire dragon isn't buying it.

The fireball struck again, smashing several paces away.

A sudden explosion of flames rose up, a blinding blaze of light that almost made the sun seem dim, a dry heat wave coming at the humans, wrapped in undisguised ferocious hostility.

The youth hurriedly took several steps back, almost tripping over the gravel behind him, and it took a while before he could barely stabilize himself.

Immediately afterward, he lifted one hand and with a deliberate slowness removed the hood that sheltered his head from the wind and rain.

The short, messy silver hair reflected dazzlingly in the sunlight, the ends slightly damp and sticking above the pale side of her face.

His facial features were svelte and clean, well-defined, a full-on handsome look.

His eyes were a very light pale blue, gazing intently at the trapped fire dragon not far away, like a corner of clear sky.

The fire dragon, crushed under the heavy rocks, stopped its attack, blinking a pair of bright green, unworldly vertical pupils, gazing suspiciously at the unfamiliar species not far away, seemingly bewildered and confused by this creature it had never seen before.

The silver-haired youth settled down and took a slow, deep breath.

The ancient, complicated, and now nearly lost language of the dragons spewed from his mouth as he struggled to formulate words and stumbled trying to communicate with the other:

"...... Let me, to help you."

He pointed to himself, the corners of his mouth rising in a wide, unadulterated smile:

"Friends."