Chapter 409: Valentina Made Me Eat (6K Subscription Request)

Legend has it that in a mysterious village shrouded in perpetual mist, there lived a group of kind-hearted villagers.

They lived in peace, untouched by the world.

But this peace did not last long—one day, they were suddenly targeted by a terrifying beast.

That beast had always sought to destroy this harmony!

After several Shitan , it finally launched its attack!

And at the moment of crisis, as all that was beautiful faced annihilation by the monstrous beast, the righteous prince appeared!!!

At the cost of his own life, he summoned a demonic dragon that effortlessly destroyed and killed the beast.

In the end, the evil dragon abducted the pure prince—the prince sacrificed himself!

The dragon lady was too hungry.

The ravenous dragon repeatedly swallowed the little prince.

Like a game, she swallowed him and spat him out, swallowed him and spat him out… until both were utterly exhausted, then finally swallowed him whole.

Thus, the dragon lived a happy and peaceful life!

Hmm, the prince did too.

Though the little prince was tired, his life was still happy and peaceful…

…

After abducting Herbert, Valentina couldn’t wait long before she prepared to take him right there, in some corner, and devour him on the spot.

Devour him fiercely!

But Herbert barely managed to hold her back, suppressing his urge, and brought the corpse of the three-headed chimera to its former territory.

After ensuring the spirit pool fragment was safe and no one would steal it en route, Herbert finally relaxed and entered the pool water with Valentina.

Since this battle was unavoidable anyway, and he had no intention of fleeing, he might as well choose a good place.

He could’ve picked any grassy spot, but he preferred soaking in the pool.

Very smooth.

And less tiring.

Though the spirit pool was a sacred place unsuitable for such acts, who cared?

Besides, no one would ever interfere.

Oh, wait—not “people,” but not entirely “gods” either.

【“Hey! That’s my spirit pool! Don’t get too carried away!”】

The Harmony Goddess voiced strong displeasure, complaining in Herbert’s ear as Valentina lunged and pushed him into the pool:

【“You did it in my temple before—now you won’t even spare my spirit pool?”】

Damn it, are you even human?

What exactly are you planning?

I wasn’t asleep this time!

Don’t do this in my spirit pool right in front of me!

Excessive!

Absolutely excessive!

Neshana protested Herbert’s desecration with fierce condemnation.

But Herbert paid no heed to her complaints.

While resisting Valentina’s assault, he mentally replied to the Harmony Goddess’s protest.

“Hey! Why are you so worked up? I’m just using your spirit pool—be generous! It won’t cost you a thing.”

Besides, you don’t even have a body to lose anymore…

【“No!”】

Neshana gritted her teeth, weeping:

【“How can you be so shameless as to commit such desecration? You, a disgrace to the Holy Knights—”】

“Desecration?”

Herbert’s lip twitched as he retorted: “What are you talking about? This is mutual consent—pure, no coercion whatsoever.”

Though to outsiders it may look like she’s forcing me, in truth… I’m enjoying it too.

This is our little private game—don’t meddle, okay?

“Besides, why are you lecturing me about desecration now? We already did it in your temple—what’s one more spirit pool?”

It’s done—why dwell on it now?

What about before?

Why didn’t you complain then?

Had Neshana been standing here, Herbert would’ve given her a look that screamed: “What the hell are you even saying?”

【“Wahhh… my spirit pool, wahhh…”】 The Harmony Goddess wept, lamenting Herbert’s desecration.

“…Tch.”

After a moment, Herbert rolled his eyes and grunted: “Enough already. Are you done playing?”

【“Wahhh… pfft—haha!”】

The convincing sobs vanished, replaced by a cheerful giggle.

【“Not bad~”】

Would Neshana cry over something like this?

What nonsense.

She’s far too resilient for that.

She didn’t care at all what Herbert did in her spirit pool—this tiny detail meant nothing to her.

She was merely in the mood to play a little “play the victim” game with Herbert.

【“Did I act well?”】

Neshana asked proudly: 【“Did my brilliant acting fool you?”】

“Yes yes yes! Perfectly!”

Herbert rolled his eyes, nodding vigorously, deadpanning: “I’m so scared! Please don’t ever do that again, okay?”

【“Hehe~ We’ll see how I feel next time~”】 Neshana hummed happily, thoroughly pleased.

She could hear the sarcasm in Herbert’s reply.

But she didn’t care~

The master doesn’t care!

Whether Herbert was being sarcastic or sincere, Neshana didn’t care either.

He said it himself—that’s all she needed to be happy.

They were an inseparable whole—shared glory, shared ruin.

This passionate interaction was merely a small game to deepen their bond.

Many believe gods influence mortals, shaping their thoughts with divine power.

But few realize that while gods influence mortals, mortals influence gods too.

After spending so long with Herbert, she had been influenced by him—picked up some bad habits: a little mischief, so fun!

Especially after Herbert’s sarcasm, she said contentedly: 【“Alright, you two have fun—I’m off to study this spirit pool fragment~”】

Once the Harmony Goddess, that troublemaker, left, Herbert could finally focus all his energy on defeating the ravenous dragon.

This epic battle was fierce!

Back and forth, neither yielding.

Valentina had become harder to kill.

In the past, they’d barely matched each other.

Now, having both advanced, each intended to seize this chance to crush the other.

Both believed they’d finally win—but neither expected the other to advance too.

Just as Herbert thought he’d finally break through, Valentina advanced as well!

High Rank versus Legend—neither gained advantage.

Legend versus Epic—still evenly matched!

After a long, brutal battle that nearly turned the spirit pool murky, victory tipped toward Herbert.

He hadn’t outlasted her physically—trying to exhaust an Epic dragon was too difficult.

He won by applying hard-won experience and technique, seizing one fleeting opportunity to deliver a decisive technical knockout!

Won!

In the end, the righteous Holy Knight defeated the evil dragon!

Applause!

Clap clap clap—

…

“Hah! Hah…”

Valentina collapsed into the now-clear pool water, leaning back against Herbert’s chest.

She looked up at him with suspicious eyes, muttering: “Why are you so experienced?”

Why?

Is this my imagination?

I feel like you’ve become even better at this.

“Of course, because I’ve advanced—I now have greater power to support more refined techniques.”

“Really?” Miss Hungry Dragon expressed skepticism.

“Of course it’s true, hehe.”

Herbert merely smiled, placing his palm on her head and gently stroking her blood-red hair.

“By the way, your hair has changed.”

He hadn’t noticed before, but now that he had time to rest, he realized Valentina’s hair had grown darker.

No longer blazing like fierce flame, it had become more subdued, appearing deep crimson as blood.

“Hm?”

Valentina herself hadn’t noticed—she now pulled a strand of hair before her eyes and looked closely.

“Oh! I get it—it’s what He mentioned… Bloodline Awakening! He said my bloodline has improved again, drawing closer to the primordial Ancient Dragon? Something like that.”

“Ah well, it doesn’t matter—he wouldn’t harm me, obviously.”

Herbert’s brow twitched—he caught the details in her words: Bloodline Awakening? Ancient Dragon? He?

“Did you dream of anything during your ascent?” Herbert asked softly.

Knowing Valentina as he did, she could never know such specialized terms on her own.

She wouldn’t read books—not in this lifetime.

Since she hadn’t learned them from books, someone must have told her.

With reasonable inference, the truth was already within reach.

Herbert guessed Valentina had encountered a new presence within the Epic’s inheritance space during her ascent.

According to her previous account… one of her ancestral dragons?

“Dream? What dream? I didn’t… oh!”

Valentina blinked her uncorrupted eyes, recalled, then suddenly froze.

Valentina suddenly remembered something and flipped over, pouting.

Splash!

She leapt from the water, but the surging waves crashed over Herbert, knocking him against the pool’s edge—twice!

“Hm? You, uh!”

Valentina pinned Herbert down, leaned forward, and bit his shoulder fiercely!

Leaving only a… faint tooth mark.

She hadn’t truly bitten—just mimicked the motion with her teeth.

“...Hmph!”

But Valentina seemed slightly wounded, occasionally tapping her fangs lightly, as if hesitating whether to bite.

She wanted to punish this wicked thing, yet couldn’t bring herself to.

In the end, she turned her conflict into affection, clutching Herbert tightly, squeezing his body with force.

“Hm?”

Herbert paused, sensing her complex, tangled emotions—surprised.

Why did she suddenly start acting affectionate?

He raised his hand, gently stroking Miss Hungry Dragon’s head, and asked softly: “Did you have a nightmare?”

“Mmm…”

Valentina pouted, let out a soft huff, and muttered: “I had a strange dream—you were so cruel to me!”

“You yelled at me! Called me a phantom and told me to get lost!”

“I was crying so hard, and you still wouldn’t comfort me—only at the very end did you finally hug me!”

The more she spoke, the angrier she became, and her Weiqu vanished—she let out a fierce, angry huff.

“Hmph!”

“That’s just too much!”

Valentina had vented—Herbert, held in her arms, fell silent.

At first, Herbert hadn’t taken her words seriously, thinking it was just a nightmare.

But as he listened further, his tension grew—he sensed something was deeply wrong!

Is this right?

This can’t be right!

Sweat broke out.

Guys, I’m sweating!

Why does Valentina’s nightmare sound so familiar?

Why does it increasingly resemble that scene from the [Silence and Noise] illusion?

…No, it’s not just similar!

This is literally it!!!

“...Gulp.”

Herbert swallowed hard, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

Was that real?

That potion truly pulled Valentina’s consciousness into my illusion?

Isn’t it just a legendary potion? How could it possess such power?

Did something go wrong?

And if Valentina’s experience was real, then others’ were too?

Freyme and Eliza were fine—but the final one… my dear Ash Bishop, Lady Aphidia.

If even she was real… then… damn.

Herbert had vaguely sensed something in the illusion—otherwise he wouldn’t have known the Ash Bishop’s name.

But he had no concrete proof; he’d suspected he’d merely invented the name based on his impression, planning to test her later.

Now, he finally had an answer—yes, it was all real.

Aphidia is truly the Ash Bishop’s name!

“...Excellent.”

Herbert’s lips curled slightly—he suddenly had many intriguing ideas.

But now wasn’t the time. First, he needed to soothe this gullible dragon girl.

He held the pouting Valentina, his hand gliding gently along her spine, tracing her smooth, pale skin, soothing her: “Don’t be sad, don’t be upset—those were only dreams.”

“It’s fine. In my hometown, there’s a saying: what you dream is the opposite of reality.”

“If I was cruel to you in the dream, then in reality, I’m gentle with you, right?”

Valentina released her grip, propped herself up on his shoulders, and stared intently into his eyes: “Really? You won’t leave me, will you?”

Herbert nodded gently, smiling: “Do you even need to ask? I’ll never leave you. I’ll never let you go.”

“Valentina, I’m greedy—I won’t let you slip away from me.”

I won’t leave you. I won’t let you leave me.

This was Herbert’s promise—and his greed.

Binding others to oneself—some call it love, others call it control.

Herbert didn’t care what others called it.

He simply didn’t want to lose anyone.

“What are you talking about?”

Valentina rolled her eyes, huffed: “What are you thinking? How could I ever leave you?”

“Even if you kicked me out, I wouldn’t go!”

She lowered her head and pressed her lips firmly against Herbert’s.

Greedily demanding, as if trying to steal his soul.

If one party forcibly binds the other, perhaps it’s control.

But if both wish to bind each other… then it’s compatibility.

Locked.

Lips parted, Valentina licked her lips and gave Herbert a sultry smile.

“Hehehehe…”

Good.

She was hungry again.

Valentina felt she had recovered enough—it was time for round two.

“Hm!?”

Herbert suddenly sensed intense danger and raised his hand: “Wait, hold on!”

“It’s been a full day and night! We need to go back—others will worry… Wait! Uh!”

Mid-sentence, Herbert’s mouth was covered.

“Nooo~ wait~”

Valentina hugged Herbert, pressing her chest firmly against his face, smothering him completely.

“If they’re in a hurry, let them go look! After all… huh?”

But just before Valentina acted on Herbert, she suddenly froze, remembering something.

She let go of Herbert and asked curiously, “Herbert, you said dreams are the opposite of reality, right?”

“Ha, ha… yeah, so what?” Herbert gasped for air, his face free again, and unconsciously licked his lips.

Let’s be honest, facial cleanser is a real civilizing invention.

Valentina, however, spoke with uneasy hesitation: “But… I also dreamed you were kind to me. Was that fake too?”

Huh? Oh!

“No, that was definitely real,” Herbert laughed, shrugging easily. “If I was kind to you in the dream, I’m kind to you in reality too.”

Valentina: ?

“But… aren’t dreams the opposite?”

Herbert smiled softly. “Can’t figure it out? There’s a difference between the two.”

“Huh?”

The Hunger Dragon Young Lady finally made an effort to think—but ended up with nothing but confusion.

What’s the difference?!

“There’s a saying back home—anything that benefits me is real; anything that harms me is fake,” Herbert said with a radiant grin.

The people of Old China have always been pragmatic.

Left eye twitching? That means wealth is coming.

Right eye twitching? That’s just feudal superstition to be discarded.

A god who can actually help mortals is a good god—worthy of incense offerings.

A god who does nothing?

To hell with your mother’s fucking cannon!

“Oh… oh? Oh!” Valentina nodded slowly, feeling she understood a little—but also not quite.

But since Herbert said it, it must be fine.

He’ll always like me!

“Heehee!”

This interruption dampened Valentina’s ardor considerably. She no longer spoke of a second round, instead just hugged Herbert tightly, nuzzling him playfully.

Seeing this, Herbert quietly exhaled in relief and changed the subject: “By the way, don’t you think your current body’s a bit too big?”

Herbert had known Valentina’s body would grow after ascending to Shi Shi, but he hadn’t expected it to reach a kilometer scale.

Some might not grasp what a kilometer-long body means.

Valentina’s original hundred-meter form was already enormous, lying there like a small mountain.

Among all the Special Beings in the Discipline Hall, Valentina’s uniqueness was the most straightforward: her size dwarfed her own kind.

Greater size meant greater strength, purer destructive power—but even this power remained within acceptable limits.

Then, after ascending to Shi Shi, she leapt all the way to a kilometer scale.

Is this reasonable? Is this normal?

Clearly, it’s not normal!

Normally, even a Shi Shi Great Dragon is only about a hundred meters long.

Even a Saintly Great Dragon likely wouldn’t exceed five hundred meters!

But Valentina, merely newly entered into Shi Shi, had already reached a kilometer scale—and clearly, she was still growing!

How much bigger will she get?!?!

Ten kilometers?

In response to Herbert’s question, Valentina uttered a reply that left him utterly silent.

“Isn’t bigger better?”

The innocent question, softly spoken, rang like a bell.

“...Mm.”

Herbert nodded silently, then looked down at her chest, nodded again, and added, “Excellent. Very, very good!”

Though a smaller form has its own charm, bigger is definitely fine.

“By the way, who is this ‘He’ you mentioned?”

“He?”

Valentina blinked, then said, “Oh! You mean Him? He’s… hey, what’s His name again?”

The Sage silently reminded: ‘Mother of Ten Thousand Dragons.’

“Oh right, right! He said He’s the Mother of Ten Thousand Dragons, my ancestor and all that.”

The Hunger Dragon Young Lady shrugged indifferently. “He made me accept His inheritance, awakening my ancient bloodline.”

“Hmph. If He hadn’t been so powerful and promised I’d become like Him, I wouldn’t have listened—It hurt so much!!!”

At the end, Valentina pouted in Weiqu , grumbling softly.

“So that’s how it is…” Herbert nodded silently, understanding now.

That explained it—Valentina’s transformation was likely due to that ancient dragon’s inheritance.

She was evolving toward the form of ancient dragons, gaining a far larger body.

Herbert nodded thoughtfully and soothed gently: “That must have been hard for you.”

“Mm!”

Valentina’s eyes darted, then she clung tightly to Herbert and declared loudly: “I suffered a lot! So, comfort me again!”

Saying this, the hungry Valentina prepared to pounce once more.

“Hey hey hey! Wait, wait a minute—”

Just as Herbert was about to be devoured again by the Hunger Dragon Young Lady , from another direction in the mist, the Spirit Legion occupying another fragment of the Spirit Pool suddenly lifted their head slowly.

He gazed silently toward Herbert’s direction, lost in thought.

“...”

Through the gaps in his helmet, one could see his translucent eyes…

Empty. Lifeless.

(End of Chapter)