109 - Dungeon Growth Log

When you can't win, running away is almost a primal instinct. Knowing she couldn't win, Xia Ge took off running. The Green Dragon's response was immediate, a furious roar, and an unstoppable torrent of fiery flames surged towards Xia Ge! In an instant, any surface that barely touched the flames vaporized, leaving not even dust. Xia Ge was quick; just as the flames were about to engulf her, she dashed into a stone cave. But she was naive, the flames swept through the cave, and almost immediately, the rocks constituting the cave turned into gas amidst the blazing fire. Bats hiding within the cave vanished into the flames without a chance to scream. Just when Xia Ge thought she was done for, the ribbon tying her hair slightly loosened. In the next moment, the thin red ribbon intertwined and woven together into a dense red wall, blocking all the flames from reaching her! The scorching flames passed, leaving everything in ashes. In the aftermath, a huge clearing of a few hundred meters lay around Xia Ge, with the charred land still exuding white smoke from the intense heat. Despite Little Thought blocking the fierce flames, Xia Ge could still feel the deadly scorching heat. Little Thought held off the attack, slowly transforming back into a thin ribbon and then drifting to the ground. When the ribbon fell, Xia Ge reached to pick it up, but it floated away lightly just as her fingers neared it. She was momentarily stunned, and the burning sensation at her fingertips made her understand why it had dodged. It was very hot. For a moment, she felt a pang of sorrow. She paused and looked up, meeting the furious gaze of the Green Dragon, whose eyes were as big as bronze bells. Although its fire-breathing skill was formidable, it seemed to need some time to recharge. System: “Do you want to fight it?” Before Xia Ge could respond, the system continued, “I don't think that's a good idea.” Xia Ge: “...” Xia Ge glanced at the unconscious Chu Yi on her back, then at the enormous Green Dragon, dozens of meters long, ready to spew fire above her. Honestly, she didn't need the system to tell her; she already knew she stood no chance. System: “However, there might be a way.” Xia Ge: “Hm?” System: “There's a dragon pearl in the store. You did earn quite a few points after leveling up to a Xuan-rank alchemist, right? Here’s the deal: it’s normally five thousand points, but I can give it to you for one thousand. How’s that for loyalty?” She’d worked tirelessly for days and nights to make just over a thousand points by creating Hundred Soul Pills, and now she had to spend it all on some dragon pearl?! Was this a scam?! Before Xia Ge could respond, the angered Green Dragon had already recharged. With a wide-open mouth, another blazing beam of fire erupted towards Xia Ge! After a brief rest, Little Thought sprang up again, morphing into a dense shield to fend off the fierce flames! Hiding behind Little Thought, enduring the scorching heat waves, Xia Ge inquired, “What does the dragon pearl do?” System: “Once you consume it, you can understand dragon speech.” Xia Ge: “…” Spend a thousand points to learn dragon language? I’d have to be out of my mind! The system kindly added, “Regardless of whether it’s human or beast, communication is key. Proper communication can resolve misunderstandings, right?” Communicate, my foot! Frustrated by its repeated failures to incinerate this resilient flea, the Green Dragon lashed its tail in agitation. It felt its dignity was being heavily challenged. With a furious roar, accompanied by the sound of rushing water, the stone-structured cave began to shake violently, as if it might collapse! The system continued to coax: “You see, you don’t understand what it’s saying, right? Although I don’t either, if you understood, maybe you could resolve things peacefully?” Xia Ge: “...do you know what you sound like right now?” System: “What?” Xia Ge: “A con artist selling fake medicine.” System: “…” Where the flames reached, nothing remained. The spot Little Thought shielded was the only untouched piece of land. The rest of the stone ground had vaporized into a deep pit. Soon enough, water from the stone pond flowed down in torrents. With Chu Yi on her back, Xia Ge stood on a mere square foot of land, with the original stone cave now a couple of hundred meters away, a distant memory. At her feet, water heated by the intense flames rolled in ripples. “Rumble!” The Green Dragon stretched its massive, incredibly tough body, surrounded on all sides by water. In that moment, Xia Ge felt an overwhelming sense of being cornered. System: “Buy the dragon pearl. It’s your sliver of hope.” Xia Ge: “…” Xia Ge truly doubted there was anything meaningful she could discuss with such a ferocious dragon. What do you talk about with an enraged beast whose territory you’ve invaded? Discuss if you taste good? The store interface was open, and the dragon pearl option was right there. [Dragon Pearl: A dragon's inner core, granting one similar powers of deterrence as a dragon and the ability to speak dragon language.] Powers of deterrence similar to a dragon? Intimidation, perhaps? Xia Ge felt something was amiss but couldn’t pinpoint it. The system’s persuasive tone was always suspicious, but this time, she really seemed to have no other choice. As the flames dispersed, Little Thought fell to the ground. The Green Dragon seemed particularly irritated, slapping its tail and sending water splashing, then lunging towards Xia Ge with its head raised! Ignoring the scorching heat, Xia Ge grabbed Little Thought and leaped into the air. Little Thought stretched out, lifting her straight up into the sky! “Roar——” The Green Dragon missed its target. Xia Ge flew to its head, fiercely waving Little Thought, which swiftly extended and coiled around the dragon's horn. Clenching tight, Xia Ge climbed onto its head, grabbing its horn! “Roar——” How could the dragon tolerate someone on its head? It roared furiously, raising its head and aiming for the crisscrossing stone pillars on the cave ceiling! Little Thought coiled around both the dragon's horn and Xia Ge’s wrist, stretching long, Xia Ge let go, sliding down the dragon’s neck like a slide. With a crash, the dragon shattered the ceiling, debris raining down. Little Thought coiled into a shield, protecting Xia Ge from the falling stones. She clung tightly to the sleek, slippery dragon neck, almost slipping multiple times, but managed to hold on, thanks to Little Thought’s support. As she pondered her next move, she suddenly heard the sound of chains. Instinctively looking down, she glimpsed a glow from the green stone pond. As the dragon lunged, it revealed ancient, seaweed-covered but still formidable dark iron chains. Massive iron spikes had pierced its tail, securing the dragon in place. The dragon’s current thrashing caused the spikes to slowly ooze green blood. Xia Ge suddenly understood why the pond water was green. Perhaps a long time ago, the pond was filled with water. But now… It was the dragon's blood. “Roar——” The Green Dragon’s pain-fueled roar echoed, but it was futile. Who had imprisoned this dragon? As the dragon violently swung her around, Xia Ge pondered the question amid the roller-coaster-like experience. System: “Didn’t Mao Qing say the Baimeng Cavern is the residence of the Dream God? It must be the Dream God. After all, it’s a deity.” The system began giving bad advice: “Hey, why don’t you just buy the dragon pearl and offer to help it break free? It’s a great deal.” Dizzy from the dragon’s thrashing, Xia Ge clung to Little Thought and Chu Yi, gritting her teeth, and bought the dragon pearl. [Host’s points -1000, balance 108] [Ding! Congratulations on acquiring {Dragon Pearl}] A green pearl materialized in front of Xia Ge. The Green Dragon’s movements suddenly halted. Without hesitation, Xia Ge grabbed the green pearl and swallowed it. The pearl tasted awful. As soon as she consumed it, a warm power spread from her dantian. Simultaneously, a formidable pressure emerged from this power! The pressure expanded forcefully, startling bats out of their hiding spots. They fled in alarm, as if encountered a terrifying predator! This was the power of deterrence from the dragon pearl— A thought struck Xia Ge. This question pierced through her previous dissonance, widening her eyes. [Dragon Pearl: A dragon’s inner core, granting one similar powers of deterrence as a dragon and the ability to speak dragon language.] But— The bats fled from her deterrence. So… “This dragon… doesn’t have deterrence?!” Right, it had no deterrence! Xia Ge had a moment of ominous realization. The power from the dragon pearl continued to spread within her, transmitting an ancient language in her mind along with the green pearl… and the Green Dragon before her… Xia Ge: "Little Gui, you..." The System sounded a bit guilty: "...The store never questions the origins of its goods." Suddenly, the Green Dragon roared furiously! "Thief who stole my inner core! How dare you appear before me!!" Xia Ge: "???!!!" I bought it legitimately!! In the next moment, the Green Dragon, consumed by rage, breathed an overwhelming torrent of flames towards its own neck! "I'm not a thief!!" Xia Ge decisively let go, grabbing Chu Yi. Using her Phantom Mirage technique, the two of them slipped off the dragon's neck, barely dodging the scorching flames. With a splash, they fell heavily into the stone pond. "Roar——" The flames were menacing. Even the dragon itself seemed to suffer, as its neck, with relatively sparse and fragile scales, burned. The once green scales now charred black, leaving the Green Dragon panting heavily, eyes fixed on Xia Ge in the water. The beast seemed to have lost all reason in its rage. But such a self-damaging tactic for the sake of attacking an enemy was something Xia Ge had truly never witnessed before. Before addressing that though— "Little Gui, you owe me an explanation." System: "..." Xia Ge, sputtering out water, coldly sneered: "This is the first time I’m learning that the store’s items come with such curious origins." System: "I'll tell you now, this dragon pearl has been shelved for hundreds of years. If it wasn’t sold soon, it would’ve expired..." Oh, so that’s why it was fifty percent off? No, that’s not the point!! Xia Ge felt as if she was choking: "Did you have to choose now to scam me?!" System: "But you usually don't fall for it." Xia Ge: "..." The System laughed awkwardly: "Haha, I didn’t know this dragon pearl was from this particular dragon..." Lousy system!!! Author's Note: Revealing the truth, still Mao Qing, this, is a dilemma.