The Serpent’s Volatility and a Priceless Gift

Once the small cup was filled with dragon blood, the Deep Sea Winged Serpent’s hand gently brushed over Elaine’s wound. Instantly, the wound on Elaine’s body healed.

“Alright, Lord Deep Sea Winged Serpent, you have obtained Elaine’s dragon blood. So, what will you do next… uh…”

Seeing that the Deep Sea Winged Serpent had indeed kept its promise, taking only a small amount of dragon blood, Ai Ou’s vigilance lessened considerably. Just as he was about to inquire about the serpent’s purpose for the dragon blood, the creature’s true intentions became clear.

The Deep Sea Winged Serpent appeared utterly captivated, taking a deep, intoxicating breath from the dragon blood within the cup. It was as if it were savoring an unparalleled delicacy, a divine nectar.

“Is this truly pure dragon blood? This aura, this flavor, this purity… Ah! I can’t take it anymore!”

With that, it excitedly swallowed the dragon blood from the small cup in one gulp. However, not long after, the Deep Sea Winged Serpent’s mood turned volatile. The initial playful grin on its face abruptly transformed into immense fury. It violently hurled the empty cup to the ground, where it shattered, leaving Ai Ou utterly dumbfounded.

Then, the old man, who was the Deep Sea Winged Serpent in disguise, surprisingly fell to his knees and began to weep. Had Ai Ou not known that this individual was the Deep Sea Winged Serpent, a great magical beast close to the Saint-tier, he might have thought he’d encountered a madman.

The Deep Sea Winged Serpent knelt on the ground, wailing uncontrollably, and cried out inexplicably:

“Why, why? It still isn’t enough! Why, even with dragon blood, is the rank still insufficient? Damn it, I was so close to crossing that heavenly ladder!”

As it cried, it suddenly began to laugh, muttering to itself:

“Forget it. Thousands of years have passed; how could I not endure just a little more time? I can wait! Haha, I can wait!”

Witnessing the Deep Sea Winged Serpent’s erratic emotional shifts—crying one moment, laughing the next, then joy, then rage—Ai Ou suddenly wondered if all magical beasts suffered from schizophrenia. Why else would it fluctuate so wildly?

“Um, Lord Deep Sea Winged Serpent, are you alright?”

Hearing Ai Ou’s words, the Deep Sea Winged Serpent, still laughing hysterically, suddenly looked at Ai Ou. It then pulled a small pouch from its robes and tossed it to him.

Ai Ou quickly caught it and opened it, instantly stunned by what he saw.

“Lord Deep Sea Winged Serpent… this… this…”

“I didn’t bring any gifts, so these magic cores will serve as my token of greeting. Those previous challengers were all devoured by me, but I did keep their magic cores. These ten ninth-tier magic cores and three eighth-tier magic cores are useless to me now, so I’m giving them to you, human!”

“Lord Deep Sea Winged Serpent, this… isn’t this far too valuable?”

Ai Ou’s hands trembled as he received the thirteen magic cores. Good heavens, what immense generosity! These thirteen top-quality magic cores represented a super fortune on the continent, a kind of wealth that was priceless. A single eighth-tier magic core alone was enough to purchase an entire town and support a hundred thousand people.

Needless to say, the value of ninth-tier magic cores was even greater. At least one ninth-tier magical beast’s core could buy an entire city and sustain a large metropolis for about thirty years.

Across the entire continent, only the Imperial Capital’s Magic Academy and the imperial family could possibly rival Ai Ou’s newfound wealth.

Even an ordinary Saint-tier mage might not possess such a collection. Only ninth-tier magical beasts or Saint-tier magical beasts could easily hunt and successfully kill ninth-tier magical beasts.

Saint-tier mages could only hunt weaker ninth-tier magical beasts. It was important to remember that every high-tier magical beast possessed special skills. Should they encounter danger and employ their innate abilities, even a Saint-tier mage could easily be defeated.

After all, mages were formidable in magic but physically frail. Any innate skill targeting the physical body could easily lead to their destruction. As for how to overcome physical frailty, one would need to consult a mage of Saint-tier or higher to learn that secret.

In essence, even an ordinary Saint-tier mage would be tempted by these thirteen magic cores. Yet, the Deep Sea Winged Serpent before him gave them away so readily, showing immense sincerity.

“You deem them valuable because of your limited perspective. For me, such things are as plentiful as dirt. My home holds countless magic cores from challengers over these past thousands of years. These mere thirteen cores are like a chicken’s rib to me—not enough to be worth eating, yet a waste to discard. Consider it an investment from me to you!”

Having said this, it gazed meaningfully at Ai Ou before letting out a long roar toward the sky, shouting:

“Human! Speak your name! Since you have been fortunate enough to encounter a true dragon and forge a contract with the Dragon Race, you possess the qualifications to become a powerhouse on this continent. You are worthy of being remembered by me! Come! Speak your name! I acknowledge you!”

“My name is… Ai Ou!”

“Ai Ou, AO, a good name! You are still too weak now! You are not yet capable of fulfilling my expectations. Strive for growth! You must reach at least the ninth-tier to fulfill my wish! I hope that when we meet again, you will be strong enough!”

With that, the Deep Sea Winged Serpent’s body expanded, transforming back into its hundreds-of-meters-long winged serpent form, and plunged into the sea.

Was this truly the end?

Ai Ou noticed a mysterious object flying towards him. He reached out to catch it and found it was a single scale.

At that moment, the voice of the Deep Sea Winged Serpent, who had submerged into the sea, resounded once more across the waters:

“This is my reverse scale. You can contact me through it. Should you encounter any danger, infuse your magic into it, and I will come to your aid! Ai Ou, heed my advice: until you have fully matured, you must not reveal that you possess a true dragon. You can only say you command a pseudo-dragon. As you are now, you are far too weak for this world, hahahaha!”

The voice gradually faded, and with its disappearance, the severe storm and torrential rain slowly began to clear, giving way to an overcast sky. Then, the waves gradually calmed, revealing a tranquil sea surface beneath a clear, boundless blue sky.

Ai Ou held the wrapped magic cores in one hand and the Deep Sea Winged Serpent’s gift of the reverse scale in the other. He glanced at Erza and Elaine, who had seemingly made an appearance for nothing, and offered a wry smile.

“It seems there’s still a long way to go before you two can openly live on this continent! I am still too weak.”

Suddenly, Ai Ou realized that with the Deep Sea Winged Serpent’s departure, the immense pressure that had enveloped this sea region gradually faded. Provence, who had been knocked unconscious by the pressure, twitched a finger, indicating he would soon awaken. If even the strongest, Provence, was about to awaken, the others would surely follow soon. If they discovered the current situation, it would be difficult to explain.

Thus, Ai Ou quickly returned Erza and Elaine to Dragon Island. After hiding the magic cores and reverse scale he had acquired, he found a spot, lay down, and pretended to be similarly unconscious from the lingering pressure.