Chapter 14 Dragon Games and Dragons Playing House? That's not a question...
"You're back!" Rat Zach exclaimed with delight. "The Dragon Warriors' camp is up there, I just saw it."
Ashley and Lucas were both panting, and neither spoke for a moment. Lucas remained in his cat-like posture.
"Hey, are you two alright?"
“Very well,” Lucas said reluctantly, without even glancing at Ashlin. “Let’s go.”
“Nothing happened just now,” Lucas said. “You didn’t see anything, that’s all.”
"Okay. But we're friends, and if you really have something you want to talk about, I'm always here for you."
"Don't worry, my mind is completely blank."
However, he still walked with a trembling gait.
Ashlyn wanted to tell him about the forest goddess's warning, but she didn't want to give Lucas any more trouble.
Judging from his fear, he seems to have a deep psychological trauma related to becoming a beast. If he knew that a god had warned Ashlin that he would soon completely lose his human mind and become a cat forever, would he become like the creature Ashlin just saw, completely insane?
Imagining Lucas in human form displaying that manic appearance was harder for her than imagining a rabbit eating a tiger.
Perhaps that warning was false.
Perhaps it really was just Ashlin's fear, nothing more.
However, its appearance clashes with Ashlin's overall fearful hallucinations, making it difficult to distinguish between reality and illusion. According to Silvina, it does indeed belong to Ashlin's fear, and it is indeed a warning from God.
More importantly, Knox is also searching for these four items.
Ashlin took a deep breath.
Don't be anxious, don't overthink.
The most important thing now is the dragon.
This is one of the few flat areas in Dragon's Breath Mountain, and it is relatively secluded due to a forest further up. Several woolen tents stand in front of the forest, with banners of different lords hanging on them.
Most of the dragon warriors' camps were destroyed by the dragons, but this place remained unscathed, probably because the protective magic was more powerful.
Ashlin had always lived in the remote river bend, and the Dragon Wars were a distant dream for her. After all, Dragon's Breath Mountain was located on the border of the kingdom, and for most of the people of Dias, it was just a legend.
But now, she felt once again with a profound sense that everything had truly happened. The traces of war, the influence of magic, the shadows of life.
The tent was quite dry, with a few rickety chairs and tattered blankets. Some torn notebooks and books were scattered on the chairs and the floor.
Fantastic! It seems this is an ancient text of dragon magic!
Ashlinn excitedly picked up the first book.
Dragon Training Basics I: Facing Death
Wait a minute, this is too exciting!
She opened the catalog.
Chapter 1: Are you ready to die a heroic death?
Chapter Two: Gravesite Booking Guide
...
At present, Ashlin is neither prepared to die heroically nor has she made any plans to move to the ground.
She felt the author must be a complete novice.
Or rather, she sincerely hoped the author was a novice.
"Meow." Lucas poked his head out, a thick book dangling from his mouth:
The Complete Guide to Dragon Taming Magic (10th Anniversary Edition)
“The first chapter is the dragon language communication spell,” Lucas said, “but I suggest you cast it a few times, after all, dragons aren’t cats.”
The time that followed seemed to take Ashlin back to the days when she was taking classes with Sanova.
To be honest, Lucas is a much more reliable teacher than Sanova. Sanova is very skilled in practical application, but knows nothing about teaching; while Lucas, although he doesn't know any magic at all, understands very well how to teach Ashlin.
Ashlin never liked reading long books, especially not in such a time-sensitive situation. So Lucas just grabbed a piece of paper and made an outline of the main points of "The Complete Book of Dragon Taming Magic (10th Anniversary Edition)".
Next, he asked Ashlin what she was good at and not good at, and listed all the magic she knew according to her level of mastery, compiling them into a clear table.
"Human magic is based on the four elements. Your magic is enhanced by the Forest Goddess, with earth element being particularly prominent. Most dragon training magic also uses earth element, with only the dragon language part using wind element."
"Your forte is staffless magic, which is also the most mysterious. It requires no incantations, no staff, only the connection of the heart. This is the focus of our practice today."
Ashlin frowned as she looked at the form.
Magical Form
Spell: General
Ritual: (Missing)
Wandless Magic: Excellent
Herbal preparation: General
Elemental Mastery
Water: General
Earth: Excellent
Wind: Excellent
Fire: Poor
"The first step is the dragon language incantation: Igniscale Cordis,Soni Veterum,Vox Mea Sit Tuba,Et Os Meum S Sicut Draconis. It's very simple, you just need to pronounce it correctly and not curse yourself."
Ashlin really wished Lucas would re-examine the definition of the word "simple".
Do you plan to become a teacher in the future?
"That's not something I can decide. Don't bring up other things."
However, everything was progressing relatively smoothly. By evening, she had recited the dragon language incantation to herself hundreds of times, and her staff was almost smoking; it was impossible for it to be ineffective.
She also learned about the dragon's character (brutal, cunning, fierce, unpredictable, etc.), its habits (such as eating people and plundering wealth), fire-prevention spells, and a whole host of other things that should have been interesting but were written in a way that was as boring as a religious textbook.
Unfortunately, no matter how clear and concise Lucas's teaching methods were, they were of no use when it came to inherently uninteresting knowledge.
As time goes by, knowledge slips through the cerebral cortex like a fish in a river, and Ashlin prays that some of it will remain.
Lucas's voice gradually lost its appeal, becoming reminiscent of a dry, old professor.
Why did she initially find Lucas interesting?
If Lucas gets a girlfriend in the future, her life will be truly miserable.
After the sun set, the green fluorite on the staff emitted a weak hum and went completely dark.
Ashlin had just closed her eyes, her consciousness already drifting into a dream, when she suddenly looked up: "What dragon scales?"
Lucas closed the book with a sigh, and Ashlind then realized that he had turned back into a human.
When did this happen?
“I’m very serious.” Ashlin propped up her eyelids. “Drowsiness is a sign of overworking the brain.”
"Let's review tomorrow's plan again. Zack, you come over here too. The first step of the plan..."
The first step of the plan was to greet Long politely.
It sounds easy.
But when Ashlin actually stood in front of that thirty-meter-long dragon, it wasn't so easy.
Her body was covered in red scales, as if flames might burst forth at any moment; her dragon horns curved gracefully, their tips sharper than blades.
At that moment, she was fast asleep, snoring loudly, and Ashlin was quite puzzled as to why there hadn't been an earthquake yet.
However, none of this matters.
The strangest thing is that the dragon was sleeping while hugging a doll.
There is more than one doll.
Yes... hundreds and thousands of dolls.
Made of yarn or hair, without hair, made of cotton, with one eye, without legs, carved, hand-sewn...
Squeezed in the very center was Lucy's doll, Princess Lina. Clearly, Lina was her latest trophy.
Ashlin remembered what she had read in the book yesterday: All dragons are obsessed with gold and silver treasures, and they love them so much that they will not give up until they have them for themselves.
These days, even dragons have become less discerning.
"What kind of quirks does this dragon have?" Lucas muttered.
Ashlin cleared her throat, silently praying that the dragon language spell would work.
Although Lucas, being a cat, could communicate with other ordinary animals, he couldn't understand the language of magical creatures, as could Zack. Therefore, Ashlin cast dragon language magic on them as well.
Hey! Good morning!
The dragon stirred and opened its golden eyes, as bright as the sun.
The first step of the plan has been completed.
Step 2: Patiently engage in deep communication, feel the dragon's bloodline, and command it to breathe fire.
This is the version refined by Ashlin.
In the initial version, Lucas meticulously broke down the second step into ten steps, even meticulously planning the topics and options for conversation with the dragon. For example, he advised against discussing the taste of human flesh, lest it arouse the dragon's appetite. Uh, honestly, who would talk about that?
He was heartbroken by Ashlin's simplification, as if he had killed a child that never existed, yet he was powerless to do anything about it.
"Who are you?" the dragon asked.
Before Ashlin could finish speaking, the dragon suddenly spread its wings, its pupils dilated, and it swiftly appeared before them. The dolls tumbled from the pile of toys like a landslide.
Ashlin nearly collapsed to the ground. She could see every dark red scale on the dragon's body and smell its unique scent.
Just as she was composing her last words in her mind, the dragon jumped up happily, shaking them all to the ground.
"Finally, visitors!" the dragon exclaimed excitedly. "My goodness, my goodness! You've come to play with me, haven't you?"
“Ah,” Ashlin was confused, but decided to go along with her, “That’s right! We are… um… dragon companions, yes!”
The dragon's smile was actually quite cute.
“That’s great! That’s great! Oh, by the way, let me introduce myself, I’m Aisusa.” She extended her huge paw for Ashlin to “shake” with. “Oh, I knew they would always send someone to celebrate my birthday!”
"Your...birthday?"
Aisuza nodded proudly: "Today is my fiftieth birthday! La la la la!"
"Fifty years old?" Ashlin was taken aback. Fifty years old for a dragon is equivalent to five years old for a human.
She had always assumed that the dragon remaining in Dias territory must be a huge, old dragon with extraordinary strength, which was why it couldn't be driven away.
Oh no, she didn't bring a birthday present.
"So, what would you like to play, Aisousa?"
"Hmm..." the dragon pondered deeply, "Role-playing, how about that?"
Ashlin smiled. "Wow, that's exactly what I'm good at. Swords and magic, princesses and princes... who will you play in this grand adventure?"
Role-playing is Ashlin's forte.
“I want to play the daughter,” Aisusa shouted, “and you’ll be the mother!”
Ashlin's smile froze on her face.
A note from the author:
Xiao Long's name is a tribute to a British TV series.
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