Chapter 134: Farewell, Dragon Soul

"Reinforce the magic and stability of the B12 and F24 ritual sites! We cannot let the dungeon tremble any further!"

The elf Lady Kali made an immediate decision.

All the mages obeyed the command and began chanting spells.

For a moment, the surging magic and the resentment fire from afar formed a standoff.

The preparations made over nearly a week were not in vain; combined with their large numbers, they could indeed suppress the dungeon for an instant.

However, the open-air dungeon was still in an unstable state, and it was unclear how much power the dungeon consciousness within could exert.

"Do not spare the spellcasting materials!"

The witch Dimia, standing at the central ritual site, floated off the ground and immediately increased the operational efficiency of the ritual site.

It seemed she intended to suppress the dungeon all at once.

The resonance of magic reached its limit above the Sha Liu District.

Even the air seemed to become viscous, and the sound of magic friction drilled into the ears of everyone present.

Some with slightly weaker constitutions even began bleeding from their ears.

Do not look down on the small fry present here; aside from the elves and witches, the highest rank was only the Fifth Tier.

Yet, the ritual site acting as the magic array was the crystallization of thousands of years of research by various intelligent races; it took the blood, sweat, and will of countless people to achieve this feat of overcoming the strong with the weak, using a single fulcrum to lever the dungeon.

At this moment, the dungeon's resentment fire was indeed suppressed.

"ROAR!!!"

In the gaps of light and shadow, a huge black shadow rose up behind the wind and sand.

A twisted body, multiple proliferating limbs, and a nauseating, fleshy ball-like form were all sufficient to prove this was a terrifying monster.

"A dragon's roar?"

Aside from Dimia and Lady Kali, most of the mages spewed blood from their noses and withered at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Concentration during spellcasting is especially important for mages, as it directly determines the success or failure of the spell or ritual.

And at this moment, a powerful mental shock was enough to destroy the entire ritual site.

"You all must die!!!"

A stiff, hoarse, and sinister voice propagated through the air, drilling into everyone's ears.

The suppression of magic rapidly plummeted.

"It's going to fail."

An experienced mage stated as much.

Indeed.

The dungeon's consciousness gradually gained the upper hand; it would not allow a part of itself to leave its native land.

Dimia gritted her teeth.

She drew upon all the magic in her body and circulated it frantically.

She intended to make a final struggle.

"Those unable to cast spells, hand over all ritual permissions to me!"

"Don't be reckless, Dimia."

Lady Kali warned, "Overloading your spellcasting will affect the magic pathways in your body; in severe cases, they may even burn out, and you will be unable to advance further for the rest of your life."

The elf seemed to give up as well.

After all, for long-lived races, time is always the cheapest price.

Moreover, her persuasion had the opposite effect.

Those words instead stung the witch Dimia.

She increased the circulation of her magic.

Deep blue magic light burst forth from her body, piercing through her tender, thin skin, turning her directly into a human-shaped light bulb.

"Fool!"

Lady Kali cursed angrily, threw away the spellcasting materials in her hand, and rushed forward in a single stride.

But someone was faster than her.

Rod arrived at the center of the ritual site in an instant.

His palm pressed against Dimia's face, and the energy of the 【Mirage Net】 smoothly drilled into the other party's head.

The illusion strongly interfered with her concentration, causing her to recover from her human-shaped light bulb state.

Rod supported her slender waist with one hand, letting her lean softly against his shoulder.

There was no time to savor the witch's softness.

He looked into the distance, at the huge, twisted dragon shadow behind the wind and sand.

At this moment, the ritual came to a complete halt.

The dungeon became intensely unstable, and its range was shrinking at a speed visible to the naked eye.

If this continued, not only would the grafting ritual fail, but the spatial barrier here would also become abnormal.

And just as everyone was helpless.

Rod in front lightly uttered a sentence, pressing the pause button on all movements regarding the grafting dungeon—

"Naulin, it's me."

The next moment.

The huge dragon shadow shrank rapidly.

It directly turned into a small girl figure wearing a dress; beneath the hem of the skirt, there was also a thick dragon tail.

"M-Master?"

And the originally hoarse, stiff evil voice suddenly changed its tone, becoming a shy, coquettish girl's exclamation.

Everyone present stiffened in unison.

Their gazes toward the forest warden ahead grew increasingly strange.

Lady Kali, after recovering from her shock, looked at him as though he were garbage.

"Ahem."

Rod shifted the conversation into the 【Far Voice Chain】.

The long-range communication spell was far clearer now, and the call with Nao Lin had become completely smooth.

After briefly explaining the situation to Long Hun Nao Lin, she gladly agreed.

She would soon stabilize the transplanted labyrinth within the Death Desert.

"Alright, I'll come find you later."

Rod, noticing the gazes of those behind him growing ever more off, was about to sever the connection.

"Oh oh, Master, wait a moment!"

"What is it?"

"Th-that person in Master's arms is…"

"Her? She's a friend, the witch Dimia."

"Waa waa waa, she's a girl, I don't believe it… Master, you're cheating again."

Nao Lin said in a teary voice.

"You should know that on the continent, people are either men or women. Does that mean only an all-male lineup can be friends? Even with that, you still don't believe me?"

"…N-no, it's not that. It's just that we haven't seen each other in two months, I missed you."

She said pitifully.

"Wait until I finish dealing with these and I'll come find you. We're closer now, aren't we?"

"Really?! You promised!"

Having soothed the dragon-soul girl.

Rod smiled and waved off the mages who were looking at him, then handed Dimia over to the elf.

He nonchalantly returned to the viewing area from before.

"Nao Lin? Who's that?"

Miss Xiao Ke demanded indignantly, then seemed to realize her own position.

She ducked behind Vivian again and said, "I was asking on Vivian's behalf!"

"Vivian, not, mind. As long as, Rod, happy."

The tree spirit said expressionlessly, indicating she didn't care about such a trivial matter.

Miss Xiao Ke grew flustered and hurriedly pinched her little cheeks, explaining the importance of monogamy.

As she spoke, her confidence faltered, and she slumped to one side dejectedly.

Seeing the elf Lady Kali bring the witch Dimia over, she was about to step forward and cast a healing spell.

"No need, she's fallen into an illusion. I've already given her a potion."

Having said that, Lady Kali looked toward Rod.

"I heard you've been studying magic lately. Not bad—mastering illusion so quickly."

"It's not a spell, just a little trick."

She gave a light hum and said nothing.

Rod simply asked about Dimia's condition.

"You should know that a witch's internal organs are composed of magical power. Many people don't realize that human organs actually secrete various elements, which directly or indirectly influence thought and emotion—even when external causes arise, they self-regulate. But magical organs are different: their composition exists to cast spells better and faster, so their self-regulation of emotion is relatively weaker."

"Then what should we do?"

Miss Xiao Ke asked with concern. Though she hadn't had much interaction with Dimia, she also regarded what the other had done for the forest.

"The best method is external adjustment—that is, going along with her whims. You can actually look at her diary or handwritten notes; these can directly show you her outlets."

(End of this chapter)