Chapter 177 - 177: The Mutation of the Fire Dragon Anna

Just as Edward left Dr. Aaron's house, the messenger bird tore through the air, wheezing as it landed. "A moment ago…there was…a terrifying creature…lurking near the spirit world. I-I didn't dare move. The friend without a head also left her usual spot—I couldn't find her!" "…I'm sorry!" It could even apologise now? "I understand. It's not your fault." That was the Brainless Abomination—Suah, corrupted by the Mother Tree of Desire, a Sequence 1! Edward paused for a moment and then said, "Go check on Danitz for me. Confirm whether the Golden Dream is safe." "Okay!" After the appearance of the Rose School of Thoughts demigod, that guy had been chasing Edward the entire time. He probably didn't have the energy to deal with Edwina and Tracy. Later, Ouroboros appeared and scared him off; there's no way he'd dare run back so soon. As for Ouroboros—he shouldn't be looking to cause trouble for the Golden Dream, either. Before long, the messenger bird flew back. "They're fine. That blond guy told me to tell you: the ownership documents for the Bayam Seawind Avenue's property are hidden in the wall of Basement 13. You can go retrieve them anytime." It dropped a black crystalline object. "That preachy woman gave this to you. She said Senior drowned, and this is the Beyonder characteristic extracted from his body." Uh…Senior drowned? Edward was speechless. In the original plot, his death was already miserable enough. This time, not only was it worse, it was downright pathetic! "A Wraith's Beyonder characteristic, huh? I could probably sell this to Maric." He weighed the black crystal in his hand. "But judging from this pirate gathering, gold pounds are becoming less and less useful in the field of mysticism. Hm…I suppose they're still good for buying Beyonder materials and traits before advancing to demigod." Tsk, I guess now I can rightfully say—I don't love money, I'm not interested in money! Worst case, I'll just offer it all up to Mr. Fool's…followers. I've already had to borrow the Black Emperor card every few days. (Note + minor spoiler: Money will definitely still be useful.) "Alright, time to pay a visit to the Medici Trio." ——— [8 Williams Street] A faint light dispelled the darkness. Edward appeared in the basement, wand raised and glowing with Lumos. "Lord Medici, I've returned." After a brief silence, words formed in the dust on the ground: "Have you gathered all the blood?" Edward took out a test tube filled with Helene's blood. "Just missing the direct descendant of the Einhorn line." At this, the dust twisted into jagged, angry lettering: "So for my descendants, you wiped out an entire family, but for Sauron's you bring me just a drop?" Edward was exasperated. "It was…circumstantial. Aren't there very few living descendants of the Sauron family left? It took me forever to find even this one." "Hahahahaha! Good! Serves them right!" "Medici, what the hell are you so happy about? That brat just wiped out your bloodline." Edward quickly defended himself, "I didn't! That's not true! Don't slander me!" The two distinct sets of writing on the floor bickered back and forth for quite a while before finally calming down again: "Leave the Sauron blood here. Once you get the final one, you can obtain the Card of Blasphemy." "But, Lord Medici, will you really give me the Card of Blasphemy?" "Of course. That thing's useless to me." Edward shrugged. "That's not what you said last time after I left, though." "Tch, crafty brat. What, you want a contract now?" "Eh, I figured it's probably hard to find a contract that could actually bind you." "Then shut up already." The letters danced mockingly on the ground: "I heard a term from one of the intruders before—'sunk cost.' You've already gone through all this effort and are just one step away. Giving up now would be a waste, right?" "…True enough." Edward sighed and placed the test tube down. "Alright! I'll get the blood of a direct Einhorn descendant and help the three of you break free from your seals." He stepped back and gave a small bow. "Until next time." The underground chamber fell back into darkness, silent once more. ——— Meanwhile, at No. 29, Severas Street in Empress Borough. A man in his early forties, with greying temples, sagging eye bags, and prominent wrinkles, suddenly opened his eyes from where he lay drunk on a couch. After a brief moment of confusion, something seemed to dawn on him. He quietly got dressed and walked out the door. ——— At the same time. Hartlarkh Village. A seemingly ordinary rural village in East Chester County of the Loen Kingdom. Audrey, under the guise of a Disillusionment Charm, landed her Flying Broomstick in the woods near the edge of the village. A moment later, she emerged from the forest holding Lilith, followed by Susie and carrying a suitcase. The peaceful little village came into view. The Hall family visited East Chester County every April. The weather was mild, and the scenery picturesque—perfect for vacations and relaxation. But this time, Audrey wasn't here for leisure. "Anna, the kindred calling you sensed—is it coming from here?" She addressed the suitcase. "Raaawr." Anna's voice came from the suitcase. "But this is just a small village…" Audrey glanced at Susie. "Susie, do you sense anything?" Susie sniffed the air. "Nothing at all." "What about you, Lilith?" Lilith stared seriously toward Hartlarkh Village. After a long moment, she also shook her head. "Nope~" "Hmm, let's head in and take a look around." One girl, one dog, and one cat quickly walked through the entire village. It seemed to be just a perfectly ordinary rural mountain town. Most of the villagers had never set foot outside East Chester County in their entire lives. They appeared utterly oblivious to the extraordinary world. But curiously, a tradition of dragon worship had apparently existed here for a very long time. Dragon statues and motifs could be found all throughout the village, and even the children chasing and playing in the streets were humming a dragon-themed nursery rhyme: "The monsters dwell in your dreams; The dragons dwell in your dreams; The great palace imagined and floating in the air also dwells in your dreams. There, you shall have everything, until you wake. Oh curious children, brave adventurers— Go now, and seek the dragon in your dreams." As a Beyonder on the Spectator pathway, Audrey had only just reached Sequence 7, but she had already learned much about the higher sequences from Edward. Upon hearing this nursery rhyme, she immediately understood—perhaps the "kindred" Anna spoke of was a powerful Mind Dragon. The reason they hadn't been able to find it…was because it was hiding within the villagers' mind world. Edward had mentioned it before—that was something called the collective subconscious, an extraordinary ability possessed only by demigods of the Spectator pathway at Sequence 4. "Anna, are you sure it was your kindred who called to you?" "Raaawr." "Then why won't it come out to meet you?" "Raaawr…" Anna the fire dragon seemed to grow agitated. Audrey immediately soothed her with one calming placate after another. "Easy now, don't worry. Take it slow." "Raaawr~" After a few moments, Anna quieted down and let out a low, rumbling growl. Audrey was surprised. "You want to stay here?" "Raaawr." Audrey thought for a moment. "Alright, I'll hide the suitcase somewhere safe. If anything happens, you can retreat into it." "Raaawr." Nearby, Lilith could no longer contain her curiosity. "Susie, Susie! How is Audrey able to understand what that big lizard's saying?" Susie replied softly, "She's not actually 'understanding'—Anna's transmitting her thoughts directly into Audrey's mind." "That's amazing! Miss Lilith wants to learn that too!" "Um…that's a unique ability of the Spectator pathway." Lilith looked confused. "But that big lizard…doesn't seem to be on the Spectator pathway." Susie blinked. "That's true~" At that moment, Audrey chuckled and said, "Anna only just gained this ability last night. Ever since she first sensed the call from her kindred, she's been undergoing some kind of…unknown transformation." Susie pondered a moment. "Is it evolution?" "No," Audrey shook her head. "Anna told me it feels more like she's reclaiming powers that were originally hers." ——— That evening. In a small villa Edward had rented in the Empress Borough. After listening to Audrey recount the day's events, Edward was rather astonished. "You actually flew all the way to East Chester County on a broomstick? Didn't you always say flying on broomsticks was unladylike?" Audrey narrowed her eyes and smiled. "But it's so fast! You've no idea how much trouble it is every year when the Hall family goes to East Chester County. With a broom, I got there in just two or three hours." "Well, fair enough." Edward nodded and recalled the village from the original story—the one with the dragon-worshipping traditions. "You guessed right. That Mind Dragon is indeed hiding in the collective subconscious. The Psychology Alchemists faction has been searching for it for a long time, trying to obtain some secrets from it…or perhaps something else." "What kind of secrets?" "Can't say. Even if I told you, you wouldn't understand." Audrey puffed up her cheeks in protest. "More than the village or the Mind Dragon, what I'm more curious about is that fire dragon's transformation." Edward furrowed his brows slightly. "You must realise—it's not a normal transformation. Although she looks quite similar to a dragon, she's fundamentally different. A fire dragon is a magical creature, while a true dragon is a mythical creature. The difference between them is like…" He glanced at Lilith. "…like Lilith and an ordinary housecat." "Meow?" Lilith looked up curiously. "Miss Lilith is the smartest cat!" "Yes, yes, of course." Edward patted her head. Audrey spread her hands. "But the fact is—she just suddenly gained the ability to share thoughts with me, and she's even developed some Spectator-pathway abilities." She paused, then added thoughtfully, "She said it all began when she first sensed the call from her kindred. Could it be that the Mind Dragon is the one who changed her?" Edward thought for a while. "If it were a Sequence 1: Author…then perhaps. Authors can 'write' powers into existence—that's plausible." But currently, there was only one Sequence 1: Author in the world. Why would "He" do that? What would be the purpose? And if it wasn't "Him"… Then what was going on? ——— [Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.