The Tears of Dragons

Ai Ou chuckled, pulling out an enormous syringe from who-knew-where. The syringe was about half a meter long, its needle gleaming brightly. Holding it, Ai Ou turned to Erza and Elaine, a smile playing on his lips.

“Which one of you wants to go first?”

Staring at the thick, gleaming needle under the sun, Erza and Elaine instinctively recoiled. They shook their heads frantically, utterly refusing Ai Ou’s proposition.

“Don’t refuse,” Ai Ou warned. “You both have to donate blood! Dying sooner or later, it’s all the same death. Not a single one of you can escape!”

The two dragons exchanged a glance, a silent understanding passing between them. Confirming they were ‘the right ones’ for each other in this predicament, they turned and flew off, seeking refuge in their respective lairs.

Ai Ou merely chuckled. ‘Little rascals,’ he thought, ‘do you really believe you can run away on my territory?’

Ultimately, Ai Ou utilized the power of Dragon Isle, binding both dragons in place. As they watched him wield the half-meter syringe, they shook their heads with desperate frenzy.

‘Help!’ they cried internally. ‘They absolutely did not want to have their blood drawn!’

Ai Ou looked at the two dragons, pondering for a moment.

“Erza is the elder sister,” he declared, “so it’s better to draw from Erza first.”

Upon hearing Ai Ou’s words, Erza struggled with even greater ferocity. Meanwhile, Elaine looked on, a mocking smirk gracing her features.

Ai Ou tapped Elaine with his hand.

“Don’t get cocky,” he admonished. “You can’t escape either.”

Instantly, Elaine’s smile vanished. Like a wilted eggplant, she drooped her head, utterly deflated.

However, Ai Ou soon encountered an issue. A normal syringe simply couldn’t pierce Erza’s skin. Even through her scales, the needle would snap if he pushed too hard.

“Hee hee hee hee! Ya-yi-ya-ya!”

Seeing that the needle couldn’t penetrate her skin, Erza laughed mockingly, as if to say, ‘It’s not that I’m unwilling; it’s that you’re incapable.’

“Erza, I know you can control the hardness of your skin! Do you want me to forcibly break through your defenses, or will you do it yourself?”

Dragonkind’s physical fortitude was renowned. Even without the added protection of their scales, the skin beneath was incredibly tough; ordinary sharp objects simply couldn’t puncture it. However, this toughness was under the dragon’s own control. A dragon could make their skin as soft or as hard as they wished, much like a man’s—unpierceable by a needle.

Observing the broken needle, Ai Ou immediately knew Erza was behind it.

Faced with Ai Ou’s gaze, which was both terrifying and serious, Erza could only let out a mournful cry. She then bowed her head, nodding at Ai Ou, signaling that she would no longer control her body’s defensive capabilities.

Ai Ou nodded in satisfaction. He then produced another syringe and plunged it towards Erza’s body.

This time, Ai Ou met no resistance. The syringe slid in smoothly, and he began to draw blood. Before long, the test tube within the syringe was filled with Erza’s dragon blood.

Once Ai Ou withdrew the syringe, the wound where the needle had pierced immediately healed, as if it had never been there. Indeed, such a minor injury had little impact on a dragon; their terrifying regenerative abilities ensured a swift recovery.

“Wuu wuu wuu wuu!”

At this moment, Erza resembled a little girl who had been forced, crying mournfully. A crystal-clear tear glistened at the corner of her eye, on the verge of sliding down her cheek.

Ai Ou’s eyes widened in alarm. He quickly interjected, “Don’t cry yet!”

Hearing this, Erza’s heart felt a warmth. ‘It seems,’ she thought, ‘that Master still cares about me.’

She sobbed a few times, her tears almost receding.

Just then, Ai Ou produced an enormous container, roughly a meter in size, from who-knew-where. He brought it over and announced, “Alright, Erza, you can cry now. Dragon tears are also treasures, possessing effects like detoxification, calming the mind, and enhancing spiritual refinement. How could such an invaluable treasure be wasted like this?”

Erza froze at Ai Ou’s words. ‘So,’ she realized, ‘I’m not even as valuable as my own tears.’ She grew even sadder, and tears streamed down her face.

Ai Ou immediately held the container, collecting Erza’s tears.

Soon, a large bottle-like container was filled with Erza’s tears. Seeing that Erza was still weeping, Ai Ou hastily pulled out new containers, placing them beneath her eyes. Watching Ai Ou’s actions, Erza felt herself unable to cry anymore.

‘So love dies, right?’ Erza felt deeply wronged.

“Why aren’t you crying? Keep crying! Didn’t you want to cry? Just keep going; don’t mind me.”

At Ai Ou’s words, Erza’s heart turned utterly cold. The desire to cry vanished instantly. Seeing Ai Ou like this, she knew that if she continued to shed tears, it would only fulfill his wishes. How could she let him have his way?

Erza sniffled a few times, then let out a fierce growl at Ai Ou, expressing her anger. She then flew off, returning to her dragon’s nest to sleep.

‘Dreadful Master! He’s infuriating this dragon to death!’

He gazed at the bottle and a half of tears, estimating there to be several liters. The glass bottles were still scalding hot, brimming with Erza’s warmth. Under the sunlight, they gleamed crystal-clear, transparent as water. It seemed enough for a good while, so he didn’t press Erza to cry further.

After all, as long as Erza was around, the raw material would always be available, wouldn’t it?

At this moment, Ai Ou looked at Elaine and smiled.

“So, you know what’s next, right? I imagine, Elaine, you’ll cooperate nicely.”

Though Ai Ou was such a handsome and sunny person, Elaine now saw him differently. It felt as if horns had sprouted from his head and a pair of demonic wings from his back. His smile now appeared terrifyingly sinister.

Elaine felt lonely, weak, and helpless, yet she was bound here. Furthermore, Dragon Isle was Ai Ou’s territory, making escape impossible. Dependent on him, breathing at his whim, she was not her own master. She could only let out a few mournful cries and meekly nodded, signifying her agreement to cooperate fully.

Subsequently, Ai Ou obtained a tube of fresh dragon blood and a large bottle of tears. Elaine, having had her blood drawn, cried even more dramatically than Erza. In the end, she simply ignored Ai Ou and went home.

Seeing the two dragons sulking, Ai Ou scratched his head awkwardly. He eventually went to apologize to them, showering them with sweet words. Soon, the two dragons forgot their earlier displeasure and clung to Ai Ou once more. After finally managing to get away, Ai Ou began to tally his recent gains.

“Two large tubes of fresh, pure dragon blood, each containing several liters, and then over ten liters of tears. Blast, I forgot to collect saliva! Oh, right, their dragon scales are also rare magical materials. Never mind, the tears’ effects can substitute for saliva, and they’re even better. As for scales, I’ll just collect the ones they shed. Dragons do shed their skin, so I’ll just remind them not to litter with their discarded scales.”

Ai Ou muttered to himself, looking at the other materials on the table.

As he observed the materials, a new idea sparked in Ai Ou’s mind. Dragon tears possessed properties for detoxification, calming the mind, elevating one’s state of mind, and enhancing meditation. If mixed into an intermediate mental power potion, they could significantly boost its efficacy. He planned to devise a new formula, primarily based on dragon tears.

Ai Ou closed his eyes, beginning to deduce the new formula. The intermediate mental power potion’s recipe, in his eyes, still held many points for optimization. For instance, when to add which ingredients, what inexpensive materials could substitute for certain effects, and what could increase yield—these were all areas for improvement. As Ai Ou examined the intermediate mental power potion’s formula, the knowledge within his mind began to churn, calculating.

After a long while, Ai Ou opened his eyes, a glint of brilliance flashing within them. He had successfully deduced the mental power potion recipe incorporating dragon tears.

“Five grams of daisy root…”

“One lizard eyeball…”

“Thirty grams of ground magic stone…”

As he spoke, he began to process the various magical materials. His movements were far from those of a novice; his technique was remarkably steady.

In Ai Ou’s new formula, he had modified many magical materials, replacing numerous expensive ones with more common alternatives. The only drawback was that more materials were required. Fortunately, they were all common ingredients that Ai Ou had stored in his magic laboratory, eliminating the need for procurement.

According to Ai Ou’s calculations, the new mental power potion would be significantly cheaper to produce, much faster to concoct, and would also see substantial increases in both effectiveness and yield.

As Ai Ou worked, the materials on the tabletop dwindled, and the liquid in the reagent bottle grew increasingly turbid. It resembled bubbling mud, appearing quite disgusting.

When only the final material remained on the table, Ai Ou paused, wiping sweat from his brow. By now, the liquid in the potion bottle was completely opaque.

“Next, comes the most crucial part: dragon tears… fifty milligrams…”

Taking a deep breath, Ai Ou slowly dripped fifty milligrams of tears into the reagent bottle.

As the fifty milligrams of Erza’s tears were added, the entire reagent bottle underwent a dramatic transformation. The murky liquid rapidly began to clear. The turbidity dissipated, and the liquid took on a dark red hue, like a hidden gem.

No explosion; it was a success!

Joy welled up in Ai Ou’s eyes.

However, it was too early to celebrate; he still needed to test its effects.

Ai Ou was already a Rank Four mage. Basic mental power potions no longer had any effect on him. He had previously allocated his free attribute points to his profession, elevating his mage rank to Rank Four. Now, only intermediate mental power potions would be effective for him.

Carefully, he took out a cup, poured a small amount from the large reagent bottle, and drank it.

Instantly, Ai Ou felt his entire body grow warm, and mental energy surged continuously from within him.

He seized the opportunity to meditate.

Soon, Ai Ou opened his eyes, a look of delight spreading across his face.