Chapter 36 The Dragon's Courtship (3) Duplicate content has been replaced! ...

The passage into the Dragon's Dream seemed exceptionally long.

Xia Ying felt her consciousness plummeting in the darkness. After a long time, she fell into a dry, hot...

Is this a dragon's nest?

She was sitting among a pile of crunchy, dry branches when she unexpectedly came face to face with a dragon egg that was half her height.

Xia Ying carefully moved to the edge of the nest and looked out. The rising air currents, carrying the heat of the lava below, scorched her hair. Only then did Xia Ying realize that this dragon nest was built on a cliff above the lava, and she immediately retreated back into the nest.

“Judging from the location preference, this should definitely be a dragon's nest.” Xia Ying approached the dragon egg, raised her hand to touch it, “Then you wouldn't happen to be…”

Her fingertips touched the hard, cool eggshell, and then with a "crack," a crack appeared where she had touched it.

Xia Ying hurriedly withdrew her hand, but the cracking of the dragon egg continued. As fragments of the eggshell fell, a small monster covered in deep red scales appeared in front of Xia Ying.

Well, like most baby dragons, newborn dragons look rather ugly.

It tried to stand up, but its claws, not yet accustomed to walking, quickly tripped over a branch and fell with its eyes closed among the eggshell fragments.

If the baby dragon in front of her was indeed the one Xia Ying knew, then this scene was so ridiculous that she couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Upon hearing her voice, the young dragon suddenly opened its eyes, revealing a pair of brilliant golden dragon eyes.

The first image of the world that entered those eyes was that of a young girl.

The baby dragon spread its wet, membranous wings, flapped forward twice, and struggled to fly to Xia Ying's side. Xia Ying subconsciously opened her arms and caught it.

She carefully examined the baby dragon, then reached out and touched its scales, tail, and horns before confidently pointing at the other dragon.

“You, Fafnir.”

The young dragon tilted its head to look at her, awkwardly mimicking, "Fafnir?"

"That's right, that's your name."

Xia Ying nodded in satisfaction, then pointed at herself with ill intent.

"Me, Mom."

#####

"And so, I began my life of raising dragons."

Xia Ying wrote in the blank space of "The Dream Handbook".

"I'm beginning to understand what the drinker meant by the difference between deep dreams and ordinary dreams. The scenes here are incredibly realistic, almost indistinguishable from reality, but the sense of physical activity and the passage of time are almost nonexistent."

"This may be a terrible thing. For example, in reality, people may feel joy or sadness because of something, but changes in their physical state can distract them, and the passage of time will eventually fade their feelings."

"But in deep dreams, intense emotions are hard to fade away. Moreover, the dreamer's feelings dominate and influence everything in this world, including myself."

Her pen paused for a moment, then she wrote the next sentence with even more force.

"Therefore, I must write it down so that I will not forget why I came here."

As the last note came down, the sound of flapping wings came from outside the nest. Xia Ying quickly put away the manual, turned around and saw the little dragon flying over, rushing into the dragon nest, rolling several times on the dry branches, and rolling all the way into Xia Ying's arms.

Xia Ying was relieved that she hadn't managed to hug it, and couldn't help but laugh: "Do you still feel like you're as small as when you were just born, Fafnir?"

"Xia Ying, look!"

Xiao Long transformed into a petite and adorable red-haired boy, sitting in Xia Ying's arms, and presented her with a roughly polished emerald as if it were a treasure.

"This is for you!"

"You should call me Mom." Xia Ying pinched his cheek, but still accepted the gift. "It's very pretty. Where did it come from?"

"I stole it from the raven," Little Dragon answered readily. "We still didn't find the black spike Xia Ying mentioned today, but the gemstone is quite beautiful!"

"..." Xia Ying glanced at the beautiful stone in her hand again.

It's true what they say: you can tell what a child will be like at three and what they will be like in their old age at seven.

...

Under the blue moonlight that streamed into the dragon's nest, Xia Ying continued writing.

“Although I can’t feel how long I’ve been here, Fafnir is definitely growing up.”

"Influenced by his emotions, I even started to think that this kind of life was not bad, which is a bad omen. What's more, I still don't know where the 'virus's' stinger is..."

As I write this, I imagine the sleeping dragon rising up, slowly approaching, lowering its head, and staring at her very closely.

Xia Ying quietly put away the manual and asked calmly, "What's wrong, Fafnir?"

The little dragon has now begun to resemble a giant dragon, with its massive body, sharp horns, and claws giving it an imposing and intimidating appearance.

Fafnir squinted: "What's that?"

Xia Ying silently covered the spot where she was hiding the manual, but unexpectedly, the other party transformed into human form and trapped her in his arms with his slender and supple young body.

He lifted her wrist, and Xia Ying's ring shimmered in the moonlight.

"I've wanted to know for a long time, who gave you this stone?"

What he cared about wasn't the ring itself, but the black gemstone set in it.

Xia Ying blinked and followed his words, saying, "It's just a stone. Didn't you give me a lot of stones too?"

“This is different. Stones the same color as eyes are used for courtship,” Fafnir insisted. “Who gave it to you?”

“Uh…” Xia Ying’s eyes darted around for a moment, “Your father.”

Golden flames leaped in the dragon boy's eyes: "You really have other dragons!"

“How can you call it another dragon?” Xia Ying said patiently. “That’s your father, and I’m your mother.”

“You’re not, you’re not a dragon!” Fafnir retorted. “Who are you then?”

Xia Ying was greatly surprised: This child isn't stupid after all!

We can't just make something up to fool him.

She thought for a moment, then solemnly said, "I am not a dragon, but I am your mother."

"?"

"Look, I've known you since you were an egg, and I've always been by your side, watching you grow up... What else could I be but your mother?"

“Dragon mothers don’t do that,” Fafnir said. “After they lay their eggs, they leave the nest and never come back.”

"Huh? How did you know?"

“It’s my bloodline that tells me this.” The still-grown dragon lay in Xia Ying’s arms, resting its head on her knees. “My body… flows with the memories of the dragons connected to me by blood. They told me that every dragon should be born alone.”

“Okay, then I probably am not your mother.” Xia Ying gently stroked his hair and face. “But I can be your teacher, playmate and friend. After all, I came for you, Fafnir.”

What Fafnir didn't say was that he not only knew the circumstances of the dragons' birth through his bloodline, but also glimpsed their common fate.

Once mature, dragons are virtually unmatched in the demon realm. They crave the pinnacle of power more than any other abyssal creature, and in the end, without exception, they are consumed by their desires, becoming mindless zombies driven entirely by power, dying alone after burning themselves out without restraint.

Fafnir desired not only power itself, but a more glorious victory.

####

“Recently, Fafnir seems to have grown up completely.”

"In appearance, he has grown into a strong, beautiful, and majestic dragon. In terms of strength, our territory has never stopped expanding, and recently he defeated two of his kind who were trying to invade our territory."

Xia Ying thought for a moment and then added a line of small text in parentheses next to it:

"(Fafnir suspected they were dragons who had once courted me, which is why he was so brutal. I really don't know why he would think that.)"

"But there's bad news too. First, I still have no clue about the 'virus,' and second, a Titan has been roaming near my territory recently. That monster is taller than a mountain and is the largest abyssal creature I've ever seen since entering the dream world. It may also be the most powerful. Fafnir is eager to challenge it."

Xia Ying seemed to have vaguely heard a whisper of something. She quickly turned the notebook upside down, looked up warily, and after confirming that the dragon had not yet returned, continued writing:

"Another piece of bad news is that there's another very troubling aspect to Fafnir's growing maturity..."

Before she could finish writing that sentence, Xia Ying was pulled backward by a pair of arms, her back slamming into someone's chest.

"Xia Ying, you're writing strange characters again." The humanoid dragon buried its face in her neck, its body radiating an abnormal heat.

"Why are you so hot? Are you in heat again...?" Xia Ying squeezed out the words very softly.

"Well, I can't help it, it seems like I always feel this way whenever I'm with you lately," Fafnir replied, unconsciously stroking Xia Ying's abdomen with his arm around her.

Xia Ying suddenly jolted, slapped his hand away, and said righteously, "Sorry, I have to decline. Only a dragon can lay dragon eggs!"

The dragon stood there, stunned, looking slightly aggrieved.

"You're already my teacher, playmate, and friend, so why can't you be my partner?"

"Because I have more important things to do." Xia Ying looked at the dragon and reached out to touch its horns apologetically.

The next second, she shoved Fafnir out of the nest without any politeness: "And you can't sleep here tonight, go outside and calm down."

The dragon spread its wings and took flight, letting out a low howl, circling for a while before finally departing.

The cold wind at high altitude slowly cooled the high fever in his body. Fafnir patrolled the vast territory for an entire night, then crossed the mountains and arrived at the edge of the territory.

As dawn broke, he encountered the Titan that was wandering around.

A surge of fighting spirit erupted as Fafnir swooped down toward the Titan.

####

The massive tremor of the earth startled Xia Ying awake. As she got up, she had a premonition, and the scene she saw after flying out of the nest confirmed her guess.

Fafnir is fighting the Titans.

The battle ravaged the land, altering the very landscape. Towering mountains were flattened, while new hills of earth and stone rose from the plains. In the vast basin that appeared out of nowhere, the fierce battle between dragons and titans continued.

The magnificent weather magic and dragon language magic collided, blinding flashes and sparks continuously ripped through the sky, and the Titan's fist, carrying thunder, clashed violently with the dragon's sky-covering wings, unleashing a world-shaking roar.

In the midst of the deadly battle, Titan hurled a bolt of lightning that struck a scale on the dragon's neck. The indestructible dragon armor suddenly collapsed, and dragon blood rained down like scorching fire, burning the ground and creating plumes of white smoke.

This was the first time Xia Ying had ever seen so much blood flowing from a dragon's body. She dared not look away and imprinted this scene deeply into her mind.

But the severe blow to its weakness only fueled the dragon's fighting spirit to the extreme. It gathered all its strength and launched a deadly dive, cutting through the lightning and shattered rocks surrounding the Titan, piercing its claws into the Titan's chest like spears.

The Titan did not fall immediately, but stubbornly clung to the dragon's membrane, tearing it in half. Their blood mingled and flowed into a scorching stream on the parched earth.

This stalemate did not last long.

In the final moments, the dragon unleashed terrifying power, pinning the wounded Titan to the ground and completely breaking its spine.

Fafnir raised its head high and roared ecstatically at the dark sky.

victory.

This was an incredibly glorious victory.

The dragon's joy swelled and swelled, gradually exceeding the limits of its mind's capacity. But that satisfaction was short-lived, and it abruptly turned into a burning hunger.

Not enough, still not enough.

He needs more destruction and bloodshed to quench his hunger.

The instant this thought arose, pale dragonfire suddenly erupted, completely enveloping the dragon's body.

Fafnir's eyes widened.

He was familiar with this scene; it was the prelude to the dragons' demise.

When a dragon is about to die, its uncontrollable desires cause it to lose control of the destructive dragonfire. This pale flame, fueled by the dragon's life, can no longer be extinguished until death arrives.

Death itself was not enough to frighten Fafnir, but the desire to die first would continue to spread, like a black hole that could not be satisfied, slowly consuming his memories, thoughts, and everything else that constituted his soul, turning him into an empty shell with only the instinct to kill remaining, indiscriminately destroying everything.

That numb slaughter is an insult to victory.

That death is not death, but destruction.

The dragon felt deep hatred, humiliation, and rage at this.

Fafnir's turbulent emotions affected the entire dream, striking Xia Ying like a thunderbolt. She instantly fell into a murky vortex, sensing the dragon's wrath with crystal clarity and subtlety.

In that instant, their souls briefly merged. She seemed to become the dying dragon itself, suffering terribly from the burning pale dragonfire. But as the spikes appeared, Xia Ying suddenly remembered her identity and mission.

She flew toward the dragon with her sword. Fafnir's body gradually became transparent as it was devoured by the dragon's flames of destruction, which made the spike that had been hidden in his heart gradually exposed.

Her physical form vanished completely the instant it was engulfed by the white flames, but her soul remained steadfast. Xia Ying grasped the spike within the dragon's chest and snapped it off with force.

The destructive dragonfire swept across the entire world, turning the spikes into dust, and Xia Ying and Fafnir were also destroyed along with it.

Nevertheless, the dragon's soul gradually calmed down.

In his final moments of despair, he approached Xia Ying and placed something in her palm.

Xia Ying opened her palm and saw the dragon's heart, which had been melted into a black crystal.

####

The girl shuddered and sprang up from the soft mattress.

The scorching heat of being burned by the flames still lingered on her body. She tried to ignore the feeling and turned over to check on the dragon...

Fafnir looked calm and resembled a real Sleeping Beauty.

As Xia Ying watched, the dragon slowly opened its eyes.

Xia Ying blinked gently, and a tear suddenly fell from the tip of her eyelashes, landing on the corner of the dragon's eye.

The droplet of water slid slowly down her cheek. Fafnir raised his hand and gently touched the girl's eyelashes: "Were you crying?"

“No,” Xia Ying said. “Those were your tears.”

Even though it's just a dream, it feels like a long time ago that I was with a dragon like this.

“I always have the same nightmare over and over again,” the dragon said. “This is the first time it’s actually looked like a pleasant dream.”

Xia Ying proudly wagged her tail: "No need to thank me too much. I didn't really go to save you on purpose. If I hadn't left you alone, you would have gone crazy..."

"Go berserk?" Fafnir frowned slightly. "This thing will only weaken me temporarily; it will decompose on its own soon."

...I was scammed.

A sinister-looking ghoul flashed into Xia Ying's mind, and she was instantly enraged.

We absolutely must tear that tattered rag that loves to watch the drama unfold to shreds!

Suddenly, she grabbed the dragon's finger, which felt as hot as coal.

"What's wrong? Do you have a fever? Why are you so hot?"

The dragon gave her a smirk: "Don't you know why?"

ah?

Xia Ying immediately looked at him in horror.

"Are you in heat?!"

#####

Fafnir calmly replied to the terrified Xia Ying, "That's right."

Xia Ying immediately distanced herself and prepared to turn around, jump off the bed, and quickly leave this place of trouble.

However, Fafnir called out to her, "Wait, Xia Ying."

Xia Ying turned to look at him warily: "What are you doing?"

"Do nothing."

"The dragon said."

Xia Ying screamed, drowning out his voice: "Ahhh, don't say such vulgar things!!"

“In short, I won’t do anything, at least not for now,” Fafnir said slowly. “But you caused this heat, so you have an obligation to help me get through it.”

When the angel and the devil in Xia Ying's heart fought, the kinder side ultimately prevailed.

“Okay, then what can I do for you?” she compromised. “Let’s make it clear first, no excessive physical contact.”

“Alright.” Fafnir looked somewhat dissatisfied, but still accepted her suggestion.

He shifted to a more comfortable position and instructed, "Go and get me the doll you usually hug while sleeping."

It was a little dragon doll, placed at the other end of the bed.

Xia Ying glanced at the doll, observing the dragon's movements while cautiously approaching the edge of the bed.

Seeing that Fafnir really didn't intend to suddenly attack, she quickly moved over, grabbed the doll, and stuffed it into the dragon's arms.

Fafnir held the little dragon doll in his arm with one hand, using the lingering scent of summer fireflies on it to calm himself down.

That's not enough.

That's far from enough.

Desire stirred within the dragon's heart. He looked in Xia Ying's direction and saw her hiding behind the edge of the bed, only half of her face showing like an alert rabbit.

He couldn't help but say, "...That's strange."

Xia Ying's eyes widened, and she exclaimed in alarm, "What's strange? What's strange about it? Do you think you're going crazy? Should I start running away right now?!"

“What I find strange is that you’re a succubus, so why are you so wary?” Fafnir asked. “That kind of thing is practically your survival instinct, isn’t it?”

Under Fafnir's suspicious gaze, Xia Ying broke out in a cold sweat and desperately racked her brains.

"Because...because we succubi are almost extinct, as you know," she tried to fabricate. "I've been a wanderer since birth, with no other abyssal creatures of my kind with me, and no one to tell me what a succubus should be like, not even in terms of innate magic..."

Xia Ying knew the saying that the more you say, the more mistakes you make, so she quickly seized the opportunity to move on to the conclusion: "So, I'm not only particularly weak, but I also don't know anything about or am not good at that kind of thing!"

After she finished explaining, Fafnir did not respond immediately, but stared at him silently.

What's the meaning?

Xia Ying broke out in a cold sweat.

Did they believe it? Or did they not believe it?

After a long pause, he slowly said, "Really? So you also grew up alone."

Xia Ying instantly felt relieved: "That's right, just as you thought!"

Fafnir suppressed the surge of heat rising within him and lay back down among the sheets, blankets, and dolls filled with the scent of summer fireflies.

"Go get me some drinks."

Xia Ying hurriedly brought over some water.

"I don't want this, it has no taste."

The water was replaced with red wine served in crystal goblets.

"I'd also like to eat some fruit."

Xia Ying happily brought over the fruit basket.

"Feed me."

Xia Ying took out a small knife and began to peel and slice the fruit and arrange it on a plate.

Thanks to her efforts, the great Crimson-Crowned King finally settled into the wicked life of lying in bed, drinking wine and eating fruit.

"You're really hard to please." Xia Ying sighed first, then mustered her courage and assumed a ready-to-action posture. "What's next? Just tell me! What else do you need?!"

“…” Fafnir reached out from under the sheets and took her little finger. “From now on, stay by my side and don’t go anywhere.”

Xia Ying asked in surprise, "Is that all?"

"that's all."

So Xia Ying moved a chair over, sat on the edge of the bed, and looked at him with her chin in her hand.

The once arrogant Fafnir was now lying in bed, his hair disheveled, his eyes red, enduring discomfort...

They seem pitiful, but how should I put it?

Xia Ying thought to herself as she began to rethink the whole thing.

If Fafnir hadn't cheated in the first place to bring her, who should have been chosen by lottery for the internship zone, to the Crimson Crown Ring and forcibly become her mentor, she wouldn't be here.

If she hadn't appeared here, Fafnir wouldn't have taken her to see the Coronavirus. Without that trip, he might not have immediately encountered the "virus" or been struck by spikes while protecting her.

If Fafnir hadn't been struck by the thorn, she wouldn't have been tricked by the diner into infiltrating his deepest dreams, triggering Fafnir's estrus cycle.

all in all……

"Serves him right," Xia Ying muttered under her breath.

Fafnir slightly opened his eyes: "What did you say?"

Xia Ying teased, "I have to say, you actually look quite cute right now."

The dragon snorted and closed its eyes again.

“By the way, Fafnir,” Xia Ying asked, “why did you come to Cocytus?”

“…” he said, “A long time ago, the Lord of Demons found me.”

Did you two get into a fight?

Favrell tacitly accepted this.

The Demon Lord was the most powerful abyssal creature he knew, and he would not miss the opportunity to fight him.

Moreover, he could already vaguely hear the footsteps of impending doom, and faced with death that might come at any moment, he simply decided to indulge his desires even more recklessly...

Xia Ying's voice interrupted his recollection.

"And then, who won?"

“No victor has been determined,” Fafnir replied. “The fighting has been suspended.”

Tartarus was the one who interrupted the battle.

“The Lord of Demons told me, ‘Come to Cocytus, where your destruction can be delayed.’”

"Huh?" Xia Ying was a little surprised by how the story unfolded. "And then you obediently came?"

“Of course not. They were in the middle of a fierce battle, and the Demon Lord speaks like that, so who could understand what he was saying?” Fafnir frowned. “The Demon Lord immediately cast a massive teleportation spell and forcibly brought me here.”

"I see. So you were imprisoned here from the beginning."

Xia Ying recalled what Jormungandr had said about powerful abyssal creatures being half-willingly and half-trapped in Cocytus, and speculated about what happened next.

“Hmm.” Fafnir said somewhat reluctantly, “Later I became the King of the Crimson Crown and, along with the other Kings of the Ring Realms, took over some of the jurisdiction of Cocytus. It’s not all bad.”

"What does the Lord of Demons want you to do for him?"

“Some of our magic is used to maintain the stable operation of the Cocytus space, and the rest is used to repel invaders, such as ‘viruses’.”

"So, the Demon Lord's goal is still to protect Cocytus," Xia Ying muttered to herself. "Why would he do that? What does Cocytus mean to him?"

Since entering Cocytus, Xia Ying has pondered this question many times. Perhaps every abyssal creature here has had the same question as her, and they probably haven't found the answer either.

Perhaps only the Lord of Demons himself can answer her questions.

Her thoughts then turned to other powerful abyssal creatures.

Having witnessed the dragon's death, she now understands even more the meaning of "all creatures of the abyss die from desire."

Fafnir chose to stay in Cocytus because it would curb his uncontrolled desires and prevent him from dying from them.

Could Jormungandr and the other Ring Kings be the same?

What about the Lord of Demons himself?

He was so powerful and lived for such a long time, did he ever face the threat of being at his wit's end?

"I really don't understand the Lord of Demons..."

Xia Ying's words, spoken unconsciously, were interrupted by the giant dragon.

“Don’t think about other abyssal creatures,” he said. “Now just look at me, Xia Ying.”

Xia Ying couldn't help but smile.

"All right."

She reached out and gently stroked Fafnir's burning forehead.

“I must admit, Fafnir, from this day forward, you have become completely different to me.”

Fafnir listened quietly to her confession.

“We first met on the battlefield of [entertainment programs], and to be honest, I thought you were terrifying,” she said. “The second time we met was when you forcibly dragged me into the Corona Ring, and I hated you even more.”

The dragon raised an eyebrow, but did not speak.

"But in your dream, for a very brief moment, I almost completely became you."

She gently brushed across the tiny scar at the corner of the dragon's eye.

Her movements suddenly stopped.

"Of course, I also understand where your love for me comes from, and I understand what you are asking of me."

Fafnir couldn't help but hold her fingers in his palm, feeling their warmth and the coldness and hardness of the ring that hadn't been removed.

Finally, Xia Ying smiled and gently withdrew her hand, the black gemstone on the ring setting gleaming.

"Don't worry, Fafnir, I will give you an answer, but not now."

Her smile was deeply imprinted in Fafnir's mind, and for a moment, he couldn't even distinguish between reality and dreams.

A surge of passion suddenly welled up, and a voice from the depths of his heart screamed with the desire to ravage and invade, but the dragon, who was not good at restraint, still tried his best to suppress this impulse.

Because Fafnir knew very well that even if he gave in to his desires at this moment, he would not be satisfied.

The dragon wanted far more than that, and he was convinced that he would eventually obtain it.

But not now.

Not now.

#####

Xia Ying was startled when she fell into the white mist space, and then she realized, "Huh? Was I asleep?!"

But before falling asleep, the dragon's high fever had subsided, so there shouldn't be any problems.

Xia Ying felt relieved and turned her attention to another matter.

She raised her head and waited motionless for the uninvited guest to arrive.

A few seconds passed quietly, then the dream entrance opened, and the boisterous voice of the diner rang out energetically: "Good evening, Miss Succubus! It's so good to see you back safely!"

Before he could finish speaking, the diner saw a white, bulging fist flying towards him like a cannonball. He was instantly sent flying into the air, and then another fist appeared behind him, slamming him back to the ground.

He was being punched back and forth by two fists, just like a ping-pong ball bouncing back and forth rapidly.

After probably beating her a hundred or so times, Xia Ying finally felt a little relieved and dispersed her fists into white mist again.

The food, pounded into a flatbread, withered silently and pitifully, slowly drifting to the ground.

“Fafnir has already told me that the spikes of the ‘virus’ won’t drive him crazy at all.” Xia Ying stepped forward, crossed her arms, and lowered her voice, “What else do you want to argue?”

“This isn’t an excuse,” the eater said weakly, his voice barely audible as he remained pressed to the ground. “This ‘virus’ is truly different. That dragon said that because he doesn’t understand soul magic at all…”

Xia Ying thought for a moment, then squatted down: "Really? What proof do you have?"

The man in the tattered cloth shakily pulled a small, sharp spike from his pocket: "This is a sample I took from this wave of 'viruses.' You can go to an expert in the field of soul magic for identification."

How would I know who the expert in the field of soul magic is?

"In fact, I, in my humble opinion, happen to be one of them..."

Seeing Xia Ying's dangerous expression, the waiter quickly said something.

“I know you don’t believe me right now! So there’s another option! You know that person too, it’s Charybdis! You can go ask him now!”

"Oh, Mr. Siren! It's been a long time indeed!" she suddenly realized. "You're not trying to trick me into doing a dream-related request, are you?"

"Has Mr. Nachary's courtship period ended?"

At this point, Xia Ying couldn't help but sigh.

"Sigh, is this the springtime for Cocytus? The sirens and the dragons are both entering this phase."

“No, that’s not it.” The Eater slightly lifted himself up from the ground, denying her guess. “The more powerful the abyssal creature, the rarer its mating season. The reason they happened to enter this cycle this time is because they met you.”

Meeting Xia Ying's gaze, the flatbread quickly pressed itself back to the ground: "Of course I absolutely did not mean to blame the succubus! I was just stating the facts! And I guarantee that Charybdis's mating season is over!"

Xia Ying readily agreed.

The diner was taken aback: "Huh?"

Xia Ying took the spike from his hand and stood up: "I said, okay."

The drinker immediately has full energy and is fully revived.

"no problem!"

He quickly opened the passage as if afraid that Xia Ying would change her mind.

"This is definitely a very easy and enjoyable request... but as always, Xia Ying, I wish you the best."

####

Tonight, Charybdis's dream is still filled with raging storms.

But from the moment Xia Ying stepped into the dream, the gloomy sky suddenly paused and began to change without stopping.

The wind and rain stopped, the dark clouds dispersed, and by the time the summer fireflies were about to land, the world had been transformed. The sea reflected the clear sky, white waves surrounded the reefs, and a beautiful sea siren sat on the reef, her tail gently slapping the water, a scene as dreamlike as a fairytale silhouette.

Xia Ying landed on the sand, waving to the siren as she ran over: "Long time no see, Mr. Karl!"

Charybdis turned slightly to the side, and indeed looked much calmer than before.

Just as Xia Ying was about to tell him about the spikes of the "virus," the siren spoke up gently first: "Which do you think is prettier? Coral or white clam?"

"Huh?" Xia Ying looked at the two ornaments in his hand and carefully chose, "Coral, I like brighter colors."

He placed the coral in Xia Ying's hand, his eyes as pure as the ocean: "Could you please put it on me?"

If the diners saw this scene, they would surely start loudly complaining that the other person had meticulously planned every single detail of their movements for three days and three nights. But it doesn't matter, because Xia Ying herself quite enjoyed it.

She took the coral hair ornament and gently placed it in his hair.

The siren turned her face to meet her gaze; at that moment, the sound of the waves, the cool breeze, and even the speed at which the water droplets fell were all perfectly timed.

Xia Ying was indeed captivated by his beauty for a moment, but the siren did not enjoy the pleasure for long before Xia Ying returned to normal and took out a small spike.

"Actually, there's another thing I wanted to ask you today..."

She briefly explained what had happened and then stated her purpose.

“So, I want to know if this spike will have any negative effects on the souls of abyssal creatures,” Xia Ying said. “Also, I’m very interested in soul magic… Uh, Mr. Karl, what’s wrong with you? Your expression suddenly looks terrifying.”

"Huh? Maybe it's a lighting issue."

The siren quickly tried to regain control of her expression.

"I was a little distracted just now, could you please say it again?"

Xia Ying said, "Okay, where should we begin?"

The siren's pure and gentle smile remained unchanged, but the words she spoke were terrifying.

-----------------------

Author's note: Fafnir: Can't you be my therapist, my mom, my sex partner, my best friend, my worst enemy, and my life mentor all at the same time?

Xia Ying: Then this place can't hold so many people.

September 28th edit: The author of "Sunfish" was so panicked that they skipped the mouse a bit, so they came here overnight to replace it. Next time, they will definitely check the word count before sending it out. I'm so sorry!