Chapter 298
Dragon… Draconic?
So the creature in front of them was really a dragon? And not just any dragon, but one that could swim in magma—a fire dragon?
Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi were both stunned.
Under their spiritual sense, the creature before them had a long, serpent-like body, covered in fish-like scales. It had eagle talons, deer antlers, and cow-like ears…
It looked exactly like the dragons from ancient myths!
Its body was at least fifty or sixty meters long, and its claws were much larger than a giant’s hand.
But…
Weren’t the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas water gods? Dragons were supposed to govern rainfall—they should be water-elemental!
Yet the dragon before them was overflowing with fire-elemental energy, completely unbothered by the scorching magma. It was clearly fire-aligned…
Tang Yu’an was puzzled for a moment, but quickly accepted it—this wasn’t their original plane of existence, after all.
Differences were to be expected. If everything were exactly the same, that would be strange.
Facing a giant dragon from myth, Tang Yu’an was filled with genuine curiosity.
Seeing that the dragon was still waiting for their answer, Tang Yu’an spoke up: “Hello, Mr. Dragon.”
They didn’t actually speak the dragon race’s language, but the system’s built-in translation module made communication effortless.
The dragon’s eyes widened slightly in surprise. “You really can speak Draconic?”
It sniffed lightly, as though catching their scent, then looked even more puzzled.
“You’re not dragons.”
“No, Mr. Dragon, we’re human,” Zhou Qi replied.
“That’s impossible,” the dragon said, perplexed. “Those simple-minded, muscle-brained creatures can barely even learn their own language. It takes them several Red Moons just to speak!”
This plane had no clocks or calendars—time was measured by the number and color of moons that appeared.
One Red Moon equals 24 Purple Moons, roughly two years. For human children to take years learning to talk was perfectly normal.
“Isn’t it the same for dragons?” Tang Yu’an asked curiously.
“Of course not! We dragons are an ancient and wise race—we’re born already knowing our language!”
The dragon’s deep voice suddenly rose with pride.
Tang Yu’an blinked and asked, “So besides humans and dragons, are there any other intelligent species in this world?”
“Of course,” said the dragon. “All high-level magical beasts are intelligent species. But… are you really human? I’ve never seen such small ones before.”
“Yes, we’re definitely human,” Tang Yu’an said with a smile. “We might be small, but we’re smart!”
The dragon nodded. “You can speak Draconic—definitely smarter than those brawny brutes.”
Judging by the tone, he’d probably been on the losing end of a fight with giants before—that would explain the grudge.
“So, why were you in my pool? What were you doing down there?”
Under the dragon’s gaze, Tang Yu’an calmly replied, “We accidentally stumbled in. Thank you for fishing us out of the magma.”
Even though they’d been scared half to death, the dragon had, technically, saved them.
“Mr. Dragon, is there anything you want? We’d like to give you something in return.”
“Something I want?”
The dragon’s mood suddenly dipped. After a quiet moment, he said, “What I want… you can’t give.”
“You should leave. The dragon clan’s territory does not permit other beings to linger.”
Tang Yu’an couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed—he had been hoping to strike a deal and turn this dragon into a customer.
He glanced at the message board—Zhou Qi was DMing him, offering ideas.
Perking back up, Tang Yu’an asked, “Mr. Dragon, may I know your name?”
“Shouldn’t you introduce yourself first before asking someone else’s name?”
“Ah! You can call me An An.”
“Hmm. I am Chi Yan.”
What a fitting name for a fire dragon.
Tang Yu’an smiled and nodded, then took out a bottle of basic healing potion. He wasn’t sure if the dragon would be interested, but he popped the cap open anyway.
A dense wave of life energy wafted out.
Even in this fire-elemental magma environment, the energy was impossible to ignore.
And the dragon noticed immediately.
He looked surprised. “What is that?”
Tang Yu’an beamed. “It’s a healing potion—it restores health and vitality. Thank you for saving us from the magma. Please accept this as a token of thanks.”
He bent down and placed the tiny bottle at his feet.
Since they were still standing in the dragon’s palm, that effectively meant handing it directly to him—and then:
[You’ve completed a loss-making trade with a new customer. EXP +3]
Yes!
It wasn’t a profitable deal, but he’d still recruited the dragon as a customer—and lit up his location on the map.
Tang Yu’an quickly jotted down a note with the dragon’s name.
Chi Yan, meanwhile, was already fixated on the healing potion. Though the bottle was minuscule to him—no bigger than a grain of sand—it radiated such concentrated life energy that even he could feel it.
That alone was extraordinary.
Seeing this, Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi took the initiative to fly up into the air to make it easier for the dragon to examine its claw.
After a long look, the dragon finally couldn’t resist sticking out its tongue and licking its palm—swallowing the tiny bottle of basic healing potion in one go.
It smacked its lips, then its eyes lit up.
The dragon looked up, about to say something, when it suddenly froze. Its eyes darted around, as if trying to find the two little humans.
“Chi Yan, we’re over here,” Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi flew up in front of its face.
“Ah! There you are! I thought you’d fallen into the magma again!”
The dragon thought for a moment, then scratched the stone pillar it was coiled around with a claw, pried off a chunk of rock, and placed it atop the magma.
The rock floated—neither sinking nor melting in the lava.
“Stand on this so I don’t lose track of you again.”
“Okay.”
Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi landed on the stone, which was even larger than the dragon’s claw and provided a stable platform for them to stand.
However, Zhou Qi kept his protective barrier up—the heat in the cave was still intense for them.
“An An, do you have more of that stuff?” the dragon asked excitedly.
Hearing the friendly nickname, Tang Yu’an knew the deal was in the bag!
He smiled and replied, “Yes, I do.”
The dragon quickly asked, “If I wanted to trade with you, what would I need to offer? And I’d need a lot more of it—one tiny bottle like that isn’t nearly enough for me.”
Tang Yu’an had already thought this through. He asked, “Do you have any fire crystal stones here?”
Given the intense fire-elemental energy in this place, there should logically be a lot of fire-element crystals.
“Fire crystal stones?” The dragon blinked. “You mean that one under your feet?”
0.0
Tang Yu’an froze, quickly looking down.
The rock they were standing on was red, but because of the intense surrounding flames, they hadn’t noticed anything special about it before.
He selected “Fire Crystal Stone” under his appraisal skill, and sure enough—a bubble appeared over the rock, labeled “Fire-Element Energy Stone.”
Realizing the dragon wasn’t bluffing, Tang Yu’an couldn’t help swallowing hard.
Such a massive crystal—how many points would this be worth?
Jackpot!
He cheered internally but maintained a calm appearance.
“Yes, that’s exactly the kind of fire crystal I meant.”
The dragon nodded. “I figured. You humans can’t use them yourselves but seem to really like these magic crystals…”
Then he suddenly paused, giving the two tiny humans a suspicious look. “Wait a minute. Did you two just fly?”
“Humans can’t use skills, right? And… you seemed really afraid of the magma?”
Tang Yu’an didn’t try to hide anything. “Yes, which is why we’re so small.”
The dragon tilted its head in thought, then nodded. “Seems I still don’t know much about humans. But if I may be honest, your size is quite adorable—I really like it.”
“Thank you,” Tang Yu’an said politely. “So, how many healing potions would you be needing exactly?”
“I’m not sure,” the dragon said. “But definitely a lot.”
“Are you injured?” Tang Yu’an asked. “If so, I can try healing you directly.”
He raised his hand and cast Light Healing.
A golden orb of light bloomed amidst the red firelight, radiating a sacred beauty.
Under Tang Yu’an’s control, the light’s radius could be expanded—though the larger the area, the weaker the healing effect. One meter was typically the optimal range.
Though still tiny compared to the dragon’s size, it was much more effective than a bottle-sized potion—at least enough for the dragon to clearly see it.
The dragon examined the glowing orb, then nodded. “Not as effective as the potion, but still usable.”
“I’ve never seen a skill like this before—how fascinating!”
It studied Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi, visible hesitation in its expression, then finally seemed to make up its mind.
“Wait here for a moment.”
Then the dragon dove straight into the magma and vanished.
Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi glanced at each other but didn’t move. Instead, they extended their spiritual senses to explore the space.
Although it was technically a cave, to them it felt vast.
The magma spread out like an ocean, radiating terrifying heat—ordinary creatures wouldn’t survive a second in such an environment.
Tang Yu’an fiddled with the map. Since the surrounding area was covered in fog, his field of vision was limited—but the vertical axis was unaffected.
Studying the 3D map, he muttered, “Brother Qi, I think we’re underground!”
The sky above the Flame Dragon’s domain was connected to an underground region of an alternate dimension—completely unexpected.
“How are we even supposed to get out of here?”
Before Zhou Qi could answer, a dragon’s roar echoed through the cave as Chi Yan resurfaced from the magma, returning.
In his two front claws, he was holding something carefully. He swam over to the crystal platform and extended his claws, presenting the object to Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi.
Staring at the fiery red, oval-shaped thing, the two of them froze.
That… that wouldn’t happen to be a dragon egg, would it?
