"Mr. Kurose Akira~ why don't you sit down first?"
Nata extended her jade-like hand, gently looping it around Kurose Akira's arm as she guided him toward the chair beside the bed.
After Akira sat down, he lowered his voice and asked softly,"Here…?"
Here, of all places… wasn't this a little inappropriate?
After all, Marei Rhein was sleeping right beside them.
Was Nata really planning to conduct a life-magic ritual next to a slumbering Crimson Dragon?
"Mm."Nata nodded lightly, a trace of confusion flickering through her eyes."Is that… not allowed?"
Akira raised an eyebrow, pondering the question.
So Nata was the type who enjoyed excitement—bold enough to do something like this right in front of a sleeping red dragon?
While Akira's thoughts churned, Nata had already knelt gracefully before him. Her snow-white, soft hands gently clasped his palms as she spoke in a quiet, sincere voice:
"Mr. Kurose Akira, over the past few days… I've recovered fragments of my lost memories."
"Recovered… memories?"Akira's gaze sharpened slightly.
Nata's memories were finally returning?
"Mm~"
She nodded gently, her eyes tinged with a heaviness—as though those memories carried sorrow.
"I remembered the cause of my clan's destruction. That day, a young red dragon from our tribe returned with a fragment of a dark-golden dragon scale. It was that very scale… that brought annihilation upon my people."
"..."
Akira's eyes narrowed.
He asked quietly,"How did that red dragon obtain the heart scale? Did it explain anything?"
The Black Radiant Dragon had died at the hands of the Sanctifiers. Its corpse shattered into countless fragments, completely erased in a violent energy collapse.
As for the heart scale—it should have vanished without a trace.
Then why had it suddenly appeared in the hands of a red dragon?
Was it merely the innate perception dragons had toward their own kind?
And that mysterious witch—why had she involved herself in a conflict between dragons at all?
"No."Nata shook her head softly, helplessness filling her eyes."It never explained the origin of the heart scale. It only told the clan that the scale contained the power to ascend to demi-godhood. My father… blinded by the temptation of becoming a demi-god, decided to hide the heart scale within the clan."
Her voice trembled slightly.
"That single, mistaken decision… brought total destruction. That night, I managed to escape—but I still could not evade the witch's curse. In the end… I paid with my life."
Hearing this, Akira understood.
Everything traced back to the red dragon that had brought back the heart scale.
And the curse…
So the witch's methods revolved around curses?
Still, witches proficient in curses were hardly rare. That alone wasn't enough to identify her.
"As for the whereabouts of the heart scale…"Nata tried to recall it—but as the memory sharpened, a sudden, violent pain surged through her mind.
She clutched her head, biting her lip."It hurts… it hurts so much!"
"Nata!?"Akira hurried forward, steadying her wavering form.
"My head… it hurts…"
"Don't force it," Akira said gently. "If you can't remember, let it go for now."
He noticed her soul-body flickering unstably—the memory of the heart scale was clearly affecting her existence itself.
"Mm~"
Nata nodded faintly. After calming herself, her form slowly stabilized.
She looked up at Akira, guilt flickering in her eyes.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Kurose Akira. I'll remember the heart scale's location as soon as I can."
"Don't push yourself, Nata."Akira gently stroked her hair, his voice warm."Protecting your soul comes first. Understand?"
She fell silent for a moment, then nodded with a soft smile.
"I understand, Mr. Kurose Akira~"
As she spoke, she gently unveiled the veil of holy light.
Sacred radiance spread throughout the room, bathing her soul in warmth. Nata's face lit up with quiet joy.
"Then now…" she whispered,"…it's time for the soul to be nourished."
This feeling… was incredible.
"Mr. Kurose Akira~ will you look at me? Don't look at my child~"
"???"
(The following ten thousand words are omitted…)
The next day.
Akira woke up in bed, removed his VR headset, and rubbed his temples, finding it hard to calm his lingering excitement.
He hadn't expected doing that beside a sleeping Marei Rhein to be so stimulating.
Even less had he expected to pray to the Holy Light together with Nata until dawn—letting that radiance illuminate her draconic visage.
Sigh… Marei Rhein…
Akira let out a breath and headed to the bathroom.
After washing up, he left for school.
It was still early when he arrived; only a few students were in the classroom.
Akira glanced at Liu Xue—she seemed to be chatting with someone on her phone.
He walked over and asked with concern,"Has Sister Ling started looking for a new shop location?"
"Mm."Liu Xue put her phone away and looked up."She's planning to check around Zhejiang Sea University in a few days. But shops near the university district are basically all taken—unless you've got strong connections, it's hard to find anything suitable."
As she spoke, she lowered her head slightly, clearly not very optimistic.
Akira considered it briefly.
Indeed, opening a shop near a university hub wasn't easy—unless one settled for an obscure location.
"Oh, right—Akira," Liu Xue suddenly asked,"Do you know why some players receive quest commissions far beyond their player evaluation?"
"Probably a game bug," Akira replied."You saw that player's forum post, didn't you?"
"Uh… yeah."She nodded softly."I found it interesting, but also kind of sad. If a task appears that even all players worldwide can't complete… wouldn't that mean she'd be permanently stuck at her current evaluation?"
"Maybe."Akira wasn't entirely sure either.
Normally, quest difficulty matched a player's level. Even if a task failed, it wouldn't be impossibly harsh. Strengthening guild power or seeking help from others usually offered a solution.
But if an E-rank player received an A-rank or even S-rank quest…
That was an entirely different matter.
That would be…
Before he could think further, school was over.
Akira returned home and logged into the game immediately.
After entering the guild, he went straight to his bedroom.
To his surprise, Marei Rhein was still asleep on the bed.
Akira frowned slightly.
How long did dragons sleep every day?The entire day?
"Mm~"
As if Akira's presence flipped some hidden switch, Marei Rhein twitched her nose and slowly opened her crimson eyes.
"So sensitive?"Akira frowned. Was she pretending to sleep last night?
At that moment, Marei Rhein stood up groggily.
"I'm hungry."
"..."
Akira relaxed instantly.
So she was just hungry.
Good—very good.
"What kind of monster meat do you like? I'll buy some for you."
This was probably her first meal since hatching—he should get something decent.
"Meat?"Marei Rhein shook her head."I don't eat meat."
"You don't eat meat?"Akira froze.
If you don't eat meat, how did you grow that big?
He meant—tens of thousands of meters long big.
Wouldn't that take several dragons a day?
And isn't the Dragon of Destruction vegetarian, while the Dragon of Life eats Phoenix-feather birds?
"Mm."She nodded."I like beast milk. Get me some."
"Oh."
Now Akira understood how she'd grown so massive.
"Wait here. I'll get some. Is one ton enough?"
"One ton? Who do you think you're feeding?"
"…One hundred tons."
One hour later.
"Ha~"
Marei Rhein sat on the sofa, wiping milk from the corner of her mouth.
Akira sat beside her, watching as she drank several tons of beast milk. Luckily, it wasn't expensive—one silver coin per ton, and bulk purchases even got a fifty-percent discount.
At that moment, the teleportation array flashed white.
Lucia stepped out first, golden ripples spreading beneath her feet.
Seeing her arrive so early surprised Akira.
"You're early today," he said.
"There was an incident in the Church of Light," Lucia replied."Morning prayers were canceled."
She walked toward him, her gaze briefly assessing Marei Rhein, then sat down beside Akira.
"What happened?"
"A purple-robed priest died under mysterious circumstances within the Star Kingdom. The Overseers have been dispatched to investigate."
"A purple-robed priest… in the Star Kingdom?"
Akira found it strange, but didn't press further. The investigation had just begun.
Still, he felt this incident was deeply connected to the current situation in the Star Kingdom.
"Hey~ little girl from the Church of Light."
Marei Rhein suddenly turned to Lucia.
"Have you ever seen a golden dragon in the Church?"
"I haven't," Lucia shook her head.
But in that instant—
A complicated emotion flickered through her eyes.