Chapter 47 Public Duel (1) Come on, Fafnir...
Upon receiving Xia Ying's affirmative reply, Cerberus's eyes lit up, and its tail swung like a propeller.
"That means we can stay together now, right?!" The demon dog was as excited as a schoolchild on the eve of a trip. "Let's not delay, before the new mission comes, let's move into our temporary accommodation!"
“Okay.” Xia Ying nodded first, then seemed to remember something and said to Cerberus, “However, Cerberus, I have to go back to the Crimson Crown Ring first. I left some things there.”
Cerberus replied without hesitation, "I want to go too."
“No, Cer doesn’t have permission to travel with the Crimson Crown Ring,” Xia Ying said quite naturally. “I’ll go by myself. Cer can go home and wait for me…”
"Well, there's nothing I can do then. I'll go back and prepare." The dog immediately perked up its ears and instructed, "But you have to be quick! As soon as possible! Don't delay at all!"
"good."
Xia Ying smiled and leaned towards Ke Er, but then suddenly stopped.
The other person asked, puzzled, "What's wrong?"
Xia Ying blinked: "Ker, I really wanted to kiss you just now."
"What's there to hesitate about!" Cerberus shouted, cupping her face and rubbing it against him before letting go. "Go and come back quickly!"
Xia Ying smiled and said goodbye to him before stepping into the teleportation magic.
She did not arrive at her destination directly, but instead entered a strange, dark space.
There was nothing there, except for a strange abyssal creature whose face was covered by a tattered hood, waiting for her.
Xia Ying stopped in her tracks, waiting for the mysterious monster to approach step by step.
The atmosphere gradually became tense and dangerous. Just as the monster was about to speak, Xia Ying suddenly spoke first.
The lights snapped on.
"You actually said this in this atmosphere?" the customer asked incredulously. "All the scene and lighting I worked so hard to prepare have been wasted!"
"I have no obligation to put on your weird little show. Say whatever you want." Xia Ying calmly stretched out her hand. "Hurry up and hand over what you promised me."
The diner feigned innocence: "What are you referring to?"
"It's the thing you promised me as a condition for me to complete the dream-entering request." Xia Ying narrowed her eyes. "I still have the agreement. Are you trying to renege on your promise now?"
"Of course not. I'm one of the most trustworthy creatures in the abyss. I just wanted to confirm your resolve."
The diner laughed.
"Then, Miss Succubus, I will keep my promise. Please state your request once again."
"Alright, eater."
"I demand that you provide me with magical tools capable of defeating the dragon."
“As you wish.” The diner nodded, then sat down on the ground and pointed to the open space in front of him. “Now, please present the necessary materials.”
Xia Ying also sat down cross-legged. She opened the storage magic tool [Horn of Abundance] and took out the raw materials one by one.
"First, there are the spoils from the five wilderness quests related to the Golden Apple."
These five magical artifacts are: [Proof of the Eleventh Great Deed], [Blessing of Eris], [Confession of Atalanta], [Pit of Eden], and [Forbidden Fruit].
"There are also six magical artifacts related to the legend of slaying dragons."
She then retrieved the Blood of Hydra, the Dragon Fang of Cadmus, the Redemption of St. George, the Golden Cup of Beowulf, and the Broken Golden Fleece.
Then, Xia Ying took the ring off her hand.
And the last magical artifact, the [Ring of Greed].
Xia Ying looked up at the monster opposite her and said, "It's your turn, Su Zhe."
The diner looked at the pile of magical artifacts on the ground and chuckled softly.
Dark matter flowed from under his hood, engulfing the eleven magical artifacts as if a giant maw had swallowed them all.
The swallowed materials began to change; their material form and energy essence were manipulated at will by an unseen hand, gradually undergoing decomposition, transformation, and recombination.
Xia Ying quietly watched these strange changes occur.
Finally, the dark substance faded away and was put back into the hood, leaving only two magical artifacts in front of Xia Ying.
A golden apple, and a golden sword.
"This is the magical artifact [Golden Apple]," the eater explained. "[Golden Apple] can make you immune to all damage for a period of time, even the highest-level Destruction Dragonfire... but unfortunately, its effect lasts for a very short time and it is a consumable."
"Understood, I will make full use of it," Xia Ying said. "What about the other one?"
The diner replied, "This is the [Dragon-Slaying Pact]. As the name suggests, it is a conceptual collection of fragments from dragon-slaying legends, possessing exceptionally powerful lethality against dragon-type abyssal creatures."
Xia Ying readily agreed, "Very well, I'll accept them all."
She tucked the two precious magical artifacts into her bosom, then got up and left.
She had only taken a few steps when she suddenly stopped, turned around and asked, "Where is the exit?"
"I'm sorry, I didn't open it." The diner lowered his head slightly and said inscrutably, "Xia Ying, a profound question has arisen in my mind."
Xia Ying said impatiently, "What's wrong with you now?"
"I'm wondering, is our contract 'to help you defeat the dragon' or 'to provide you with magical tools that can defeat the dragon'?"
"..." Xia Ying asked, "Is there a difference?"
"The difference is huge. If it's the latter, then I've already fulfilled the agreement, and whatever I do afterward won't be considered a breach of contract."
As the diner spoke, he stood up... or rather, his body began to flow.
Dark matter gushed out, quickly engulfing the entire space. In the darkness, Xia Ying could only see a pair of incredibly large and dazzlingly bright eyes.
Xia Ying stared coldly at the other person: "And then what? What do you want?"
“Miss Succubus, I first noticed you on the [entertainment program],” the monster said. “I became very interested in you, so I started to approach you... When you told me you wanted to defeat the dragon, I can’t even describe how happy I was.”
Those eyes, more intricate than the most colorful butterfly wing patterns, revealed even more chaotic designs, with mottled patches of color constantly pulsating, like an indescribable, magnificent nightmare.
It said with great fascination.
“I couldn’t wait to see all of this happen, so I made a contract according to your wishes to fulfill all the requests you made to me…”
"Isn't that what you're expecting me to do right now?" Xia Ying said patiently. "So, let me go quickly."
“But I’ve changed my mind now.”
The dark substance suddenly transformed into countless tentacles, wrapping around Xia Ying's body and pulling her close.
"Because, Xia Ying, I think I've fallen in love with you."
“Hahaha…” Xia Ying shrugged, unable to suppress her laughter. “I can’t even count all the abyssal creatures that have fallen in love with me. What’s so special about you? Besides, I don’t even know who you are.”
"You're right." A melancholy shone in his eyes, and the tentacles that were wrapped around Xia Ying slowly went limp.
But soon, the monster came up with a new idea.
"How about this, Xia Ying! Let's play a quiz game!" it said excitedly. "If you answer correctly, I'll let you go, but if you don't answer correctly, you'll stay here..."
"It seems I have no other choice." Xia Ying calmly raised her eyes. "But, can you really keep your promise?"
His eyes rolled tenderly in the muddy darkness: "I promise."
"Okay, go ahead and ask."
My question is...
The monster spoke slowly.
"Xia Ying, who am I?"
Upon hearing this question, Xia Ying lowered her head deeply.
"Fortunately..." she murmured to herself.
"What did you say?"
The dark substance clung to her even tighter, eager to hear her answer.
Xia Ying suddenly raised her face, and the golden sword in her hand abruptly pierced through the viscous darkness.
"Feasterner...or should I call you the King of Feasters!"
She pierced the "Dragon Slayer Pact" deep into her eyeballs.
She gazed at the other person and uttered the name she had seen in the [Abyss Dangerous Creatures Encyclopedia].
"Your name is Taotie."
The moment his true name was revealed, his eyeball froze.
It gradually became hard, dry, and brittle... Xia Ying slightly rotated the sword, and the eyeball was easily sliced open like cream.
Around Xia Ying, the dark matter boiled, venting its wild joy and sorrow at the moment when its essence was truly penetrated.
In the bizarre and fantastical scene, a handsome man with colorful eyes walked towards her and said in a clear and gentle voice, "Xia Ying, you have won. I will keep my promise."
This was exactly the appearance of the Feast King she had seen at the Ring Domain Conference. Xia Ying scrutinized him for a while and suddenly asked, "Which one is your real face, this one or the Feast King's?"
"Whichever one you believe to be real, that one is real. They are all me, and yet none of them are me," Taotie smiled. "I'm sorry, Xia Ying, to be loved by a monster like me..."
“To be honest, I’m starting to understand why succubi are on the verge of extinction. The ways you powerful creatures express love are all so twisted…” Xia Ying said. “But luckily, I’m relatively strong, so I can manage for now.”
"Really?" Taotie's smile widened slightly. "I can't go against my chaotic instincts, and that will only bring you more danger later. Is that alright?"
"Even if you refuse, you won't change anything."
Xia Ying said to him.
Taotie blinked gently, its eyes constantly shifting, as if giving birth to a trembling life.
This is not a description.
First, a pink moth flew out of his eyeball, followed by a large swarm that surged forth like a pink river formed by countless flower petals, as turbulent, terrifying, and beautiful as the monster's own twisted love.
The swarm of moths obscured the dark material, leading the fireflies towards the exit of the space.
####
After that, Xia Ying finally returned to the Dragon's Nest with the magical artifacts.
As soon as she landed, she belatedly broke out in a cold sweat.
I was faking it. Xia Ying admitted that she had actually been faking it a bit just now.
Thankfully, that was the question. Xia Ying thought with lingering fear, if Taotie had asked which drawer in the wardrobe he kept his striped underwear, who would have known!
As the synchronization rate increases, the number of equipable skills that abyssal creatures will unlock for you will also increase.
The skill set of the King of the Rings is generally quite good, and the range of options will be much wider in the future. How wonderful!
Xia Ying was happy to herself for a while, but then she finally realized that there was no dragon in the house.
Is he still cleaning up the mess in the tomb? Let's wait for him then.
So Xia Ying simply climbed onto the bed, hugged the little dragon doll, and lay down comfortably.
Looking back now, after arriving at the Crimson Crown Ring, I had a specific goal, and every day was incredibly fulfilling. Time seemed to fly by.
Xia Ying turned over and continued to think.
However, Xia Ying never entertained the idea of simply letting things take their course and settling down.
Not even for a moment.
But then again...
She held the doll high and stared at the little dragon.
Once they leave, who will get these dolls?
...
Amidst a jumble of random thoughts, Xia Ying fell asleep.
It was a very short but peaceful rest. Xia Ying didn't dream. All the hardships and dust she had endured along the way were washed away in this long-awaited respite.
Then, she will face an even more difficult and greater adventure.
The moment the dragon returned to its lair, Xia Ying opened her eyes.
Fafnir walked over silently and sat down by the bed.
He reached out, seemingly wanting to stroke her hair as usual, but Xia Ying raised her golden longsword at him before that could.
The dragon looked at the tip of the sword and revealed a faint smile.
“Have you forgotten, Xia Ying?” he said, almost gently. “As long as the Sisyphus Collar remains, you cannot be my enemy.”
"To be precise, it means 'cannot be an enemy of you without permission'."
As Xia Ying spoke, the golden sword in her hand shone even brighter.
“Therefore, Fafnir. According to the rules of the Crimson Ring, I am challenging you to a ‘public duel’.”
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Author's Note: Happy start to the work week! (Nobody's happy!)
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