"Humanity"

Chapter 155

It's hard to get close to a dragon.

Especially a wounded dragon.

But the last thing he needed was patience.

Slowly, step by step, he cautiously moved forward, stepping back the moment the dragon stirred, little by little letting the other get used to his presence, making it clear that he was not hostile.

The process lasted all day.

The fire dragon stared at the human in front of him with its emerald green pupils, its sharp claws clasped in the ground, its tail and wingtips struggling and swaying uneasily, perhaps it had really removed some of its defenses, or perhaps it was because of its physical strength that had been greatly depleted, and finally, for once, it didn't attack, letting the human come to the place a few paces away from its side.

His heart thumped inside his chest.

The creature of fantasy and legend lay alive just a few paces away, so close that he felt dizzy and breathless.

He wanted to take a few more steps forward, but was hardened by reason.

The massive rock levitated a little under the spell, and immediately the fire dragon charged out from underneath as fast as it could, one of its wings injured, and flying off into the distance in a crooked fashion, almost slamming headlong into the rocky peaks to the side as it sprinted.

Dust and debris flopped to the ground.

He raised his hand in front of his eyes, choking and coughing.

By the time he raised his eyes again, the dragon's form had disappeared into the turquoise blue sky.

But it doesn't really matter.

After so many years of searching the continent, what he lacked was a concrete direction.

And now, he's finally found it.

Once he knew what he was looking for, the rest was no longer difficult for him.

After all, this mountain range may be large, but it's by no means never-ending.

*

He searched patiently and meticulously through the vast no-man's land, following all the clues related to the dragon.

With deliberate searching, these clues are growing.

These are minor details, but they are crucial for a researcher.

He was almost stoned with such intense joy.

For the first time in a long time, his own work is progressing.

--He can finally start working on revising the set regarding this section.

As time went on, he could feel himself getting closer to the dragon's habitat.

The traces of the dragons' life here become gradually more distinct - scratches in the rocks, scorched jungles, the carcasses of magical creatures eaten up ......

Although he hadn't seen the fire dragon one way or the other since that day, he was able to clearly and distinctly realize the presence of another intelligent creature in this jungle.

Even ......

There were times when he had a strange, meditative feeling as if he was being watched.

He couldn't tell if it wasn't an illusion caused by being alone for too long, or if there really was some kind of presence that was secretly watching him from the shadows.

I don't know when it started, but things started dropping in the campsite for some inexplicable reason.

It started with a money pouch containing a handful of gold coins, then a silver book holder, then some small shiny souvenirs ......

Since none of it was terribly important, he didn't pay much attention to it.

Maybe it fell somewhere during the march.

The night is gloomy.

Dense branches and leaves were woven into a thick dome, and dim starlight trickled in through the cracks.

The silver-haired youth's eyes were closed tightly as he fell asleep with the ancient book in his arms.

In a sleepy haze, a rustling sound faintly reached his ears, and the vigilance cultivated over years of traveling immediately woke him up.

The youth's eyes snapped open, and subconsciously reached out to press the hilt of his sword on his pillow, looking in the direction from which the voice had come.

In the next second, he locked eyes with a pair of emerald green vertical pupils.

Only half of the fire dragon came poking into the camp, standing on one leg with the pouch of binoculars in his mouth, the shiny lenses hanging down wobbly and reflecting shimmering light in the dark night.

It didn't seem to expect the other party to awaken at this time, the entire dragon froze in place, its pupils dilated and rounded, actually looking a little dull.

"......"

The human blinked those light blue eyes, then lay back in a pretense of composure, calmly closing them-

It's like nothing happened.

After a brief moment of dead silence, the sound of panicked wing beats quickly moved away.

Everything is silent again.

In the darkness, the human's eyelashes fluttered slightly with his eyes closed, obviously not asleep, and the corners of his lips couldn't help but curve up a tiny bit.

*

For the rest of the day he was blind and deaf to the nocturnal rattles in the camp, even sometimes deliberately setting out bright things and happily finding that they disappeared without a trace before the next day came.

With the indulgence of the humans, the fire dragons also became more and more careless.

It was leaving more and more trails and getting closer and closer to the camp, and there were even times when he woke up in the morning with vague glimpses of the dark shadows left by the dragon's wings as they swept through a corner of the sky.

Unfortunately ......

Peaceful times are always too short.

He quickly realized why this area had remained untouched and uninhabited for such a long time.

The peace that had prevailed for some time was like a bubble, and in an instant it was torn to pieces by the violent hurricane. The sky and the earth were shaking, wrapped up in the howling winds, and the only thing that could be seen was the curtain of rain that could not be seen to the end, and the trees were being shaken and pulled as if they were fragile bowstrings that would be snapped in the next second.

The raindrops here carry a faint magic in them, smashing into the ground with a crater and landing vaguely painful on the body.

The rocks rolled and a torrent of mud brewed.

The power of mankind is so weak before the fury of nature.

Struggling to maintain the balance of his magic shield in the rushing and roaring oncoming mudslide, there was a crunching and horrifying sound from above his head, and he looked up as the crooked canopy of trees came crashing straight down on him.

Immediately afterward, there was nothing but an endless blackness before his eyes.

......

I don't know how long it's been.

Consciousness awoke from the darkness little by little.

His eyelids were heavy as if they were crashed with stones, and just simply opening his eyes took all of his breath.

A sharp pain came from the back of his head, his ears buzzed, and sensation slowly returned from his limbs.

In front of him was a huge dark cave, and the sound of the raging wind and rain, though blocked from the outside of the rock walls, was still shaking and pounding the surroundings at all times, bringing a disturbing sense of terror.

Here it is ......

He slowly rose to his feet, frowning slightly from the wounds on his body as he surveyed his unfamiliar surroundings.

The next second, he froze.

Not far away in the darkness, a dragon with a fiery red body was nestled in the corner, it seemed to have heard the loud noise over here and raised its head, opening those round turquoise eyes and looking over with vigilance and curiosity.

Those eyes were clean and pure, except for the lack of hostility.

*

Fire Dragons, one of the most numerous and common types of dragons in the ancient times.

Not as large as a rock dragon, not as fierce as a black dragon, and nowhere near as tough as those rare dragons of legend.

They are agile, slender and tend to prefer to live in groups.

Based on the lines on the scales, it was probably only nearly a thousand years old - which was considered young for its race - and had never left the area.

The silver-haired, shiny human in front of it was the first intelligent species it had ever seen.

And what's more, he speaks dragon.

It wasn't very accurate and it stumbled, but it was a first for it.

The silver-haired youth pointed to himself, speaking in the less-than-skilled language of dragons:

"It won't ...... hurt."

The human raised his hand, his white fingertips slowly, a little, carefully reaching out.

The fire dragon blinked in confusion and leaned down slightly.

Cold, hard scales touched against warm, soft fingertips.

Gazing into the green eyes that were as pure as the green leaves of spring, the human youth solemnly repeated:

"Friend."

*

This book, bequeathed from the distant past of the Mu family, is being rapidly corrected and made up.

"The number of scales on a Gargoyle" ... "Detailed classification and habits of Gargoyles-Fire Dragon Class Addendum" ... "Gargoyle's bathing style-Fire Dragon Class Additions"... "Colors preferred by Gargoyles-Fire DragonsAdditions"......

Even adult fire dragons are very slender.

It spreads its filmy wings and soars gracefully and soothingly through the skies.

On the ground, the silver-haired human sat on the rock with one leg crossed and the other hanging naturally, his posture relaxed and idle.

His soft silver hair was tousled by the wind, his light blue eyes were slightly narrowed, and he had heavy ancient books spread out on his knees, their pages rattling in the wind.

Now he should have written down the posture and information about the giant dragon's flight, but for some reason, although he was holding a pen, he didn't have any half-hearted urge to write it down.

In his life, everything related to this book will always be the highest priority.

But now ...... something seems different.

He preferred to lift his head and watch the dragon glide gracefully across the sky than to bury his head and write down all the information.

The youth pressed one hand on the book and raised his eyes toward the sky, the tiny shadow of the fire dragon reflected in the bottom of his eyes.

He smiled.

At least ...... he wanted to be quiet and enjoy the moment alone.

*

Time passed quickly, and the entries related to the Fire Dragon were added little by little.

The silver-haired youth stuffed the heavy books into his backpack and set off on his journey once more.

"You're going to, leave?"

The fire dragon wilted and hung its head, inquiring in the not-so-fluent human language.

"Yes."

He raised his hand and gently stroked the slender neck of the fire dragon, the scales felt hard and cold, rubbing bluntly against his palm, "My book is not yet complete, and there are still many relics left to explore."

The fire dragon's tail drooped in frustration.

"Don't worry, we'll see you soon."

The youth raised his hand and gave it a solid hug.

Though he knew his journey was difficult and long, he had resolved to come back and visit every so often, no matter where exactly he was.

He said in a slow voice:

"Remember what I said before about the food and all those interesting things in the human world? I'll have to get out there before I can bring them back to you."

Fire Dragon hesitated for a few seconds, then reluctantly nodded, "Alright then."

The youth inquired, "What about you? Do you remember what I cautioned you about earlier?"

"Remember!"

The fire dragon flapped its wings and replied quickly, "Don't leave here, stay away from all creatures that look like you."

It cocked its head quizzically, "But why?"

He hesitated and said, "Humans ...... are too complicated, this will be a little safer for you."

The fire dragon blinked those clean, clear green eyes and nodded with seeming understanding:

"...... Oh."

It sends humans to the edge of the jungle.

He handed it a crude, homemade magic prop, "See this hourglass? When it flows all the way to the bottom, I'll be back."

"You promise?"

The silver-haired youth put on his traveling hood and waved at the fire dragon:

"I promise."

*

After returning the volume that had been added to and revised in its entirety to the Mu family, he set out on his journey once more.

He is found wherever there are remnants of dragon-like relics.

Having had a close encounter with real dragons, much of the information and clues remaining in the ruins that had once baffled and puzzled him finally became clear.

Although the mending has been difficult and slow, it has been quite productive.

He climbed over mountains and rivers.

Everywhere he went, he collected a bit of shiny souvenir that the dragon should be interested in, placing it properly inside his backpack in anticipation of the other man's reaction the next time they met.

Every time he goes back in time.

It went on like that for years.

With a month left before the agreed upon meeting date, he learned of the discovery of a recent site on the other side of the continent.

The distance is too far, and if you go forward, it may make the return trip less time-consuming ......

But it will be a couple days late at best.

After a long hesitation, he finally decided to make the trip.

On the way back, a sudden change occurred.

A tsunami that erupted without warning blocked the shallow strait, making an entire area impassable.

"When can I leave?"

He wrinkled his brow and asked impatiently.

The fisherman looked at the inky black clouds not far away and said, "Just wait for the rain to stop."

That wait was half a month.

After getting away, he rushed to the other end of the continent as fast as he could.

He set off into the mountains apprehensively.

The backpack was heavy and filled with souvenirs and interesting human-made contraptions he had promised to bring to the fire dragon, which would normally make the dragon very happy, but ......

This time he's late.

A whole month late.

The silver-haired youth kept his head down and picked up his pace as he pondered how he should apologize.

But ......

What awaited him was an empty cave.

Everything was no different than it had been before we last left.

The rock walls were heavy with claw marks from the fire dragon's landing, and the corners of the cavern were stacked with shiny trinkets that shimmered in the dim light.

Slowly, step by step, he came in, stooped, and picked up one of the binoculars.

A thin layer of dust fell on it.

......

It was at this point that a flash of light not far away caught his attention.

In the depths of the cavern, where the fire dragon normally curled up and slept, rested a crude, homemade magical prop that looked like an hourglass, but with all the grains of sand leaking out of the uppermost part of it, lying quietly in the darkness.

*

He frantically searched for the dragon.

But everything is useless.

As if scooping water out of a bowl with no bottom, all the information drains away as you watch, leaving only the soon-to-be-thirsty traveler.

The young fire dragon that was less than a thousand years old disappeared over the entire continent.

There was no more silence.

All of them were taken aback severely when he returned to the Mu family.

They hardly recognized him.

The silver hair was dirty and knotted, and while the silhouette of Sven's handsome face could still be vaguely glimpsed on his tired and labored face, his eyes were brightly lit, as if endless extremes and paranoia burned under them, as if they were ghostly fires lit up in the darkness of the night.

He stayed in the Book Depository, flipping through all of the Mu Family's mission logs and records over the years, day and night.

"What exactly are you looking for?"

Someone asked.

He shook his head and said nothing.

All information has been trawled through and there are no leads.

He slumped, slowly sliding to a sitting position, his thin, pale fingers digging into his hair a little, then twisting it in a death grip, his fingertips twitching, the veins popping out on the back of his hand.

Finally, he buried his head in his knees and let out an almost inhumanly miserable wail, as if his throat had been slit, with an almost sobbing bitterness and indignation that had no outlet.

The youth's withered body curled up, his shivering spine crashing against the desk as a flurry of papers fell.

A pamphlet slammed at his feet.

Slowly, little by little, he raised his head, his eyes burned red, and looked steadily in that direction.

That's a ...... loan record.

If any other family other than the Mu Family wanted to borrow the books within the Book Depository, they would have to leave a message here.

An idea struck him lightning fast.

Trembling, he reached down and picked up the booklet, searching page by page to find the ancient book he had added to the revision - only one loan record in all these years, from an unknown organization.

*

"I didn't realize that you were the one who revised and added to the set, what a loss of respect."

"I have to say that without the help of your writings, there is no way we could have accomplished this mission."

"We have been monitoring that area for a very long time, but there has been no way to actively enter it, and even if we did, it would be difficult to hold on for too long, there is no way to search for it, I originally thought that the hope was very slim, but what I didn't expect was that this time, it actually took the initiative to leave that dangerous area that humans can't enter - speaking of which, it was really really lucky. it's really really lucky, hahaha."

"One thing is quite interesting, one of the team members who was on the mission at that time, quite coincidentally, was also silver-haired like you yet, said that he was almost hit by a stone when he entered the danger zone, but it turned out that the dragon came out when he didn't expect it and helped him block it - I guess the storm was so big that the team member saw it wrongly , or maybe he wanted more than one talking point to brag about while drinking ......

But thanks to this interlude, we've confirmed its location."

"Speaking of which, since you're an expert on this aspect of dragon research, it just so happens that I have a question for you-"

"Presumably the word pronounced, what does it mean?"

The man in front of him had his upper and lower lips touching, his tongue curling with difficulty as he let out an odd syllable, "It was repeating itself until that dragon was killed, but none of us understand the language of dragons, so we don't know exactly what it was saying."

His words fell and the air fell into dead silence.

After a long time. A hoarse voice rang out.

It was as if his throat had been burned by fire and smoke, so coarse that it was almost impossible to make out the original timbre or to recognize the age of the speaker.

Like a broken and torn pipe, it jutted outward in thick, black, viscous blood.

"...... 'Friends'."