Chapter 17 The Collar of Sisyphus (3) Who wouldn't love you? ...
In the strange and dangerous atmosphere, Xia Ying glanced down and said, spoiling the mood, "We're about to land. If we don't slow down soon, we'll meet at the Fountain of Life."
Jormungandr cast a spell with the tip of his staff, and a teleportation circle immediately appeared beneath the two of them. Xia Ying passed through the circle and then landed in a broad embrace.
Her face bounced against the snake demon's firm yet supple pectoral muscles. Xia Ying instinctively covered her nose, and then a hand cupped her face, examining it from left to right: "Are you injured again? Do you need treatment?"
Xia Ying checked her hands to make sure there was no blood, and replied in a muffled voice, "No this time."
Despite her words, Jormungandr lingered on her face for a while before feeling reassured. Then, he used his left wrist to protect Xia Ying's head and neck, and his right arm to support her waist and hips, carrying her forward in an overly intimate and protective manner.
...Although this baby-carrying posture was indeed safer and more comfortable than the Cerberus-style rice bag transport method that involved carrying rice bags by hand or shoulder, Xia Ying still felt a little awkward.
She struggled slightly: "I can walk by myself..."
Jormungandr lowered his head and gently advised, "Listen to me, you'll get your clothes wet."
Xia Ying looked down and saw a calm, clear body of water reflecting reeds and drifting clouds.
She then discovered that the teleportation array had brought them to a beautiful and vast wetland.
Jormungandr walked silently through the swamp, his white robes, submerged in the water, resembling the delicate tail fins of a mermaid, gently swaying the irises and lotus leaves. Ripples spread gently with his movements, touching the slender, glossy leaves of irises, and immediately a dewdrop rolled off the blue-purple petals, creating a small, charming eddy.
Xia Ying's gaze lingered on the sunlit, golden surface of the water for a long time. Noticing her reverie, Jormungandr spoke up, "You..."
Before he could speak, Xia Ying jumped out of his arms and leaped into the water without a care in the world.
The splashing water soaked her clothes and hair, but she didn't mind at all. Instead, she plunged into the bushes and quickly disappeared into the swaying reeds.
Where did she go?
Jormungandr closed his eyes, and instead, one wet footprint after another appeared before him.
The girl pushed aside the reeds taller than a person and ran freely in the swamp. The wind she created swayed the soft water plants, and the vibrations she caused startled the frogs croaking from beneath the leaves. Tiny flower spikes fell into her hair, and overripe berries rolled into the folds of her clothes.
The once quiet wetlands were suddenly revived by her arrival. The misty water vapor, the hovering dragonflies, every puddle and every patch of sediment burst forth with joyful vibrations in response to her presence.
All of this constitutes Jormungandr's breath at this moment.
When Xia Ying was found by Jormungandr, she was observing a white egret standing on one leg.
The egret bent its long neck, its eyes fixed on the water, its focused expression making Xia Ying hold her breath.
In a flash, the egret's sharp beak pierced the water like a dagger, snatching out a fresh, wriggling fish.
Xia Ying couldn't help but let out a short, delighted laugh, but the egret didn't have time to swallow its prey. It quickly flapped its wings and flew away from where it was. The fish that had survived the ordeal fell into the water and immediately swam away with its tail.
Xia Ying thought she had disturbed the hunters and prey, but then she heard a rustling sound from the reeds. She turned around and saw the fluffy white stems and leaves falling to either side in clusters.
Ripples spread across the water, and the giant python slowly swam out, stopping an arm's length away from Xia Ying.
"Jormungandr..."
Xia Ying slowly approached him and carefully touched the scales next to the snake's snout.
The scales had a cold, slightly slippery feel to them. When calm, they lay smoothly on the giant snake's body, gleaming with a dark blue luster, like a row of neatly arranged, beautiful spinels.
At her touch, the giant snake began to move again. It coiled its body and sank slightly into the water. Xia Ying suddenly felt something lightly bump against the back of her knee. It was the snake's body rising from the water and lifting her up.
The giant snake hissed and flicked its tongue, miraculously conveying its meaning to Xia Ying: "Do you like it here, Xia Ying?"
At this point, she suddenly remembered something and immediately asked warily, "Speaking of which, what exactly are you planning to do by coming here specifically to teach the basic courses?"
"The Demon Lord has strengthened the restrictions on me. I assure you that I have no ill intentions this time."
The giant snake dilated its pupils, adjusting them from narrow slits to round openings, making its emerald green snake eyes appear harmless.
It turned its head and gently placed it in front of Xia Ying, its tail tip swaying happily from side to side, creating waves on the water: "I just wanted to see you."
Xia Ying thought to herself: It looks a lot like a puppy being affectionate.
“At least for now, I don’t think you’re lying.” She reached out and touched the snake’s head, then looked around at the scenery. “Where is this?”
Jormungandr replied, “This is my dwelling, like a dragon’s cave… or rather, my cell.”
"Solitary confinement?" Xia Ying asked. "Who imprisoned you, Lord of Demons?"
“Strictly speaking, everything in Cocytus belongs to Tartarus,” Jormungandr said. “But unlike you who entered here as students, many other powerful abyssal creatures have been imprisoned here, voluntarily or involuntarily, by the Demon Lord to help him maintain the Academy of Cocytus.”
"But why would he do that?" Xia Ying casually guessed. "He felt that eating one soul at a time was too slow, so he wanted to build a school to gather all the abyssal creatures together and devour thousands upon thousands of them in one go?"
"Although I don't think so, we can't completely rule out that possibility."
The giant snake slightly opened its lower jaw, revealing a strange expression that resembled a smile.
"Tartarus's mystery lies not only in his terrifying power, but also in the fact that he must have a grand plan, one that each of us can only glimpse."
"Alright, I can't worry about the Demon Lord right now." Xia Ying touched the ring around her neck, then started worrying about the dragon and the [Sisyphus Collar].
Oh, by the way, during class, she came up with a way to remove the collar... which is to complete the [Circular Domain Internship] task.
It must be that dragon's doing again!
The only information she had at the moment was… Her gaze fell on the giant snake and froze.
Only Jormungandr said in class: "As a prerequisite for passing [Circle Practice], you need to pass the final exam of this course, 'Basic Principles of Magic'."
Xia Ying scrambled up from the snake's back and met the snake demon's green eyes.
"Jormungandr, do you know what the requirements are for completing the [Circular Realm Internship]?"
"Generally speaking, to complete the [Environmental Internship], two conditions need to be met. One is the 'academic assessment conditions' set by the instructors, and the other is the 'practical conditions'."
"Jörmungandr said."
“The practical conditions faced by each batch of freshmen are different, and their respective mentors will usually inform them of the specific situation. So I'm sorry, Xia Ying, I cannot answer this question for you.”
Xia Ying deflated rapidly like a balloon with a hole punctured, so the snake demon couldn't help but add, "However, I think you have someone better than me who is in a more similar situation to you to ask."
"You mean..." Xia Ying's eyes lit up little by little, "...the other abyssal creatures participating in the Crimson Crown Ring internship!"
The giant snake shook its head up and down in a very small arc.
"You're absolutely right! How come I didn't realize that sooner!" Xia Ying said excitedly. "Even if it's not exactly the same, there must be some useful information in it... I'll give it a try!"
She couldn't help but lean closer to it, wrapping her arms around the snake's head: "Thank you, Jormungandr!"
The giant snake froze, even missing two beats when it tried to flick its tongue.
After a while, it slowly, slowly coiled itself up and sank into the water, leaving only a vague, huge, and shy, winding outline.
Xia Ying used her calves to wrap around the snake's body, submerging her upper body in the water, and staring at the pair of emerald snake eyes underwater.
Jormungandr saw a smile on her lips, her long hair rippling in the water, casting a serpentine shadow.
The girl opened her mouth, and a small string of bubbles overflowed from her lips.
She said to Jormungandr:
You love me, don't you?
Her eyes were terrifyingly bright, and her gaze was so intense that Jormungandr could neither resist nor hide from her, and even his deepest, most chaotic thoughts were pierced through by her.
Yes, I love you.
He opened his heart, which should have been cold, and revealed the answer to her.
Who wouldn't love you, Xia Ying?
All you need is a little sight, touch, and sound...
You will be able to get everything you want.
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The dragon awoke from its slumber and found that, apart from itself, the golden dragon's nest still contained only those dazzling coins and treasures.
Ever since he started keeping that succubus as a pet, he has become increasingly annoyed and bored with it.
So the dragon activated the Sisyphus Collar once again. This time, the magical artifact took effect, and the cursed chains formed by magical energy brought his succubus back to the cave, but for some reason, she looked soaking wet.
Did you lose a fight outside? Were you bullied by other abyssal creatures?
This conjecture caused the dragon to feel displeasure, but the emptiness it felt was swept away, and it immediately became full of energy.
In any case, this was an important moment for him to demonstrate his authority as the master.
"Wait, Fafnir, let me check the information first." Xia Ying ruthlessly pushed away the dragon's face that was coming towards her and unlocked the [Student Handbook] with one hand.
Cerberus must have also fallen into some kind of predicament.
In short, they will probably have to rely on themselves to solve these problems for the time being.
Xia Ying took a deep breath, put away her phone, and looked at the giant dragon in front of her.
They sized each other up, secretly trying to figure out what the other was thinking. Suddenly, Xia Ying leaned forward and lightly kissed the scar on the dragon's eye.
Xia Ying said slowly and deliberately, "Don't be so surprised. I just suddenly felt that arguing any longer won't do either of us any good."
She tilted her head and gave a bright smile: "Regardless of what we each have in mind... let's get along well from today onwards."
A note from the author:
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Xia Ying's opinion on Frenil: Big and irritable, with extremely tasteless home decor.
Fafnir's view of Xia Ying: She's small and temperamental; I feel like she'll get into fights outside.
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