Starlight’s heart softened. He quickly stepped forward and gently embraced Lian, speaking softly. “Don’t cry, Lian. I promised I would protect you, and I will. What you see before you isn’t a hallucination; I’m really here.”
Lian clutched Starlight’s collar tightly, as if terrified he might vanish if she let go.
After a long while, her sobs gradually subsided, but her body continued to tremble slightly. She clearly hadn't fully recovered from her previous terror.
Moen stood by and watched the scene, a flash of heartache in her eyes.
She reached out to stroke Lian’s silver hair, comforting her in a low voice. “It’s okay now. You’re safe. We’re all here with you.”
As she spoke, a gentle flow of energy emanated from Moen’s palm and slowly sank into Lian’s forehead. Like a beam of warm sunlight, it gently soothed Lian’s soul, dispelling the fear and unease within her.
Lian’s body gradually relaxed, and her trembling slowly ceased.
She looked up at Moen with tear-filled eyes, her voice still carrying a hint of a sob. “Thank you, Sister Moen...”
Moen smiled slightly and gently wiped the tears from Lian’s face, saying softly, “You are the Night Elf Princess; you can’t just go shedding tears whenever you like.”
“Mm... I understand.” Lian nodded obediently and buried her head back into Starlight’s chest.
“Alright, alright, you youngsters. Stop acting like it’s a life-and-death parting. Aren’t you all still alive and well? Hiss...” Yserazor strode over to the edge of the pool as he spoke. He intended to look down and check the medicinal liquid, only to witness a sight that made his jaw drop.
The medicinal liquid that had been glowing with rainbow colors just moments ago was now completely spent. The originally vibrant surface of the water had returned to its initial milky white color.
“This... how is this possible?!” Yserazor’s eyes bugged out. “This pool of medicinal liquid cost me a massive amount of rare materials! How could it have been completely absorbed in such a short time?”
Even if he were to use it himself, the medicinal power in this pool would have lasted several sessions. He couldn't possibly believe these youngsters had physiques comparable to dragons, could he?
The others present also noticed the change in the pool, and their expressions turned to surprise.
Starlight looked down at his hands and murmured, “Could it... be because of us?”
Yserazor strode to Starlight’s side, leaned down to examine him, and then plucked him and Lian out like they were two little chicks. “Brat, just how much medicinal power did you two absorb just now?” he barked.
Starlight shook his head, replying uncertainly, “I’m not entirely sure. I just feel like the power in my body is very full. I feel better than ever before...”
Lian blinked somewhat blankly and added in a low voice, “I... I also feel like some changes have happened to me, but I can’t say exactly what they are.”
Po Kong stood to the side and couldn't help but tease, “I say, Rift Dragon King, did you put some fake goods in that medicine? How did it get sucked dry so fast?”
Yserazor glared at him and snapped, “Shut your mouth, brat! But still, this shouldn't be happening...”
Starlight set Lian down gently and scratched his head sheepishly. “Sorry, Yserazor. We didn't expect this either...”
Yserazor waved his hand, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness. “Sigh, forget it. This medicine was meant for you anyway. I just didn't expect your absorption capacity to be so high. Since you’re all fine now, I should go check on Aidanach.”
With that, he walked over to Little Gold’s side and sat down heavily.
In truth, saying Starlight and Lian had sucked the entire pool dry wasn't entirely accurate, because Little Gold had also absorbed a massive amount of energy before they finished.
It was now apparent that Little Gold’s body had expanded by another circle. Compared to the dragon the size of a dog they had first met, he was now on an entirely different level.
At this moment, Little Gold’s size was close to that of a war horse. His smooth scales shimmered with a golden luster under the light of the magic crystals, his body lines were sleek and powerful, his limbs were thick, and his tail had grown longer.
Although he hadn't completely digested all the energy he just absorbed, his breathing had stabilized. With every breath, a hint of scorching aura could be seen puffing from his nostrils.
Po Kong also walked over. Seeing Little Gold’s changes, he couldn't help but marvel, “It’s only been a few days. How did Little Gold get so big? The growth rate of the Dragon Race shouldn't be this fast, right?”
“Of course not,” Yserazor snorted, his tone sounding somewhat disdainful. “If our kin could all grow as fast as him, would there be any room left for you humans on this continent?”
He paused before continuing, “I suspect he was influenced by the Dragon Ancestor's Legacy Scale, combined with the massive amount of energy he’s been drawing in lately. That would explain such a significant change. Besides, the potential contained within a pureblood dragon is not something ordinary dragons can compare to.”
“Oh... I see...” Po Kong nodded in realization, then asked, “So, where exactly are we right now?”
“Where else could we be? Dragon Valley, of course!” Yserazor raised an eyebrow and replied as if it were obvious. “We are currently in a side chamber of my cave. It’s specifically used to store things I don't use often and trade goods for the House of Red.”
“No wonder...” Po Kong looked around the room and teased, “So this is just a junk room? I was going to say, aren't dragon lairs in novels always glittering with gold and piled high with treasure? This place is a bit shabby by comparison.”
Hearing this, Yserazor couldn't help but roll his eyes. “You brat, stop reading those nonsense novels! Our lairs aren't places to show off wealth. We collect treasure more to study the magical energy and historical value within them, not to put them on display for people to see.”
“Alright, alright, I’m a shallow man!” Po Kong just chuckled, seemingly unbothered.
“Ah, right. Since we’ve reached Dragon Valley, does that mean we can go meet up with Senior You and the others?” Starlight suddenly thought of this and asked.
Just a few hours ago, Moen and he had released communication birds from the Crimson City-State. But given their current position, they might actually arrive faster than the birds.
If they could successfully find the elven team, it would save them a lot of trouble. Moreover, now that they had successfully rescued Lian, more than half of their original mission was complete.
Hearing this, Moen also nodded. She took a map of the continent out of her storage space and asked Yserazor, “Rift Dragon King, if it’s convenient, could you tell us roughly where your cave is located? We need to plan our route.”
Yserazor didn't hesitate at Moen’s question. He reached out and tapped a spot on the map at random. “There, roughly in this position. That... I usually don't like staying with my brothers, so the place I live is relatively remote.”
The group followed his finger and realized that their current location was at the easternmost edge of Dragon Valley.
In truth, the name 'Dragon Valley' was just a collective term humans used for the area where the Dragon Race lived; it wasn't actually as simple as a single valley.
In terms of pure area, Dragon Valley was likely larger than two human city-states combined, covering almost the entire northwest of the continent.
In ancient times, the name of this region was actually the Coldridge Mountains, but since the Dragon Race retreated here, that name had gradually been replaced by the more direct 'Dragon Valley.'
With the massive size of dragons, having enough space was essential for them to live comfortably. After all, dragons capable of taking human form like the Dragon Kings were few and far between.
Their current location was still several hundred kilometers away from the central region of Dragon Valley. It certainly couldn't be considered close.
Rate on N.U.
