Chapter 1: The Ghostly Dragon Shadow in the High Tower

An old man dropped a fishhook into the river, his feet sinking into the water, and the cool stream felt as refreshing as white clouds on the horizon.

Ruiji watched the little creek that stretched from his tiny fishing rod; this stream was the well‑known Fuxi Stream of Kawa Village, and with enough patience even a seventy‑year‑old old man could reel in a plump, tender big fish to take home.

"We thank the great Shangtiya for granting us food to fill our bellies," Ruiji said, lifting his rod and admiring the fish he had caught.

Ruiji placed the fish into the basket; intending to catch another, he saw the sun's color growing dim and yellowish, hesitated, and then decided to lift the basket and head home.

Fuxi Stream lies within the forest, not far from Kawa Village, yet most villagers dare not linger nearby after nightfall.

Ruiji glanced toward a spot not far away, deeper in the forest, where a dilapidated High Tower stood, and a flash of fear crossed his eyes.

The rule against staying at Fuxi Stream at night has not always existed; in fact, its history spans only two years.

Two years ago, the first Kawa Village resident who saw "it" still feels uneasy to this day.

Ruiji vaguely recalled that day when Lao Jim ran back to the village, his voice panicked—"It's a dragon! I swear, it really is a dragon!"

"I saw it! White scales, wings, and those snake‑like demonic eyes! Shangtiya above, that's a dragon! I swear!"

"That thing swooped over my head and flew into that High Tower! Damn it, it must have been the evil Mage who lived there, the monster they left behind. Do you remember the pig Jack lost? I'm sure that monster ate it, and it even eats people!"

Lao Jim, who ran back to the village, was surrounded by villagers; with a threatening face he voiced his speculation, and from then on, to ensure they would not be devoured by that "evil monster," the villagers only ventured the forest's outskirts by day and never dared stay out late.

Upon Frelen's lands, humanity is not the sole intelligent species; like mysterious magic, extraordinary Monsters are dangers that ordinary people on this continent must avoid.

And the True Dragon is the most powerful and terrifying of them all.

Ruiji shook his head, refusing to recall further; the dilapidated High Tower nearby was exactly the place Lao Jim had mentioned. Though since then, no one besides Lao Jim has seen the white monster, Ruiji still had no intention of risking his life.

The old man was about to leave when a strange sound suddenly came from the nearby grass.

A tall, skinny man suddenly burst out of the grass, startling Ruiji.

The man wore tattered armor that looked like second‑hand junk salvaged from a grave pit, and he brandished an iron sword.

He pointed the sword at Ruiji, his face threatening as he said, "Don't be in a hurry to leave, old fellow, I'm a bit busy and want you to help me."

Ruiji's fish basket fell to the ground, and he stammered, "W‑what do you want! My son is the famous strongman of Kawa Village, don't mess around!"

In fact, Ruiji has no son; as an old bachelor, his greatest lifelong wish is to marry and have a child, but the great Shangtiya seems not to favor that desire.

The man spat, indifferent to the mess, "I'm just a drifter here; after I finish this I'll be long gone, who can find me!" "Stop the nonsense!" he growled.

"I heard that the High Tower used to be where those Mages lived. Do you know what's inside?"

"This—" Ruiji was at a loss; the other seemed not to intend robbery or murder as he had assumed, yet he knew nothing about the matter.

"Sir Warrior, that High Tower is no good place; no one in our village dares approach it, let alone know what's inside, I don't either!" Ruiji said with a flattering smile.

Although the man before him looked ragged and poor, unlike the professional adventurers Ruiji imagined from mercenary bands, it didn't stop him from flattering.

The man grew somewhat depressed at his words; despite his current destitution, he had indeed served in a mercenary band, though only as a handyman.

His strength placed him at the bottom of the food chain in the mercenary band, and with the market down, the captain had recently kicked him out.

However, he kept a plan; before leaving he secretly took a map from the captain's room. It was a treasure map he had coveted for a long time, marking the Yinbu Tu Kingdom on the Zhuixing Sea North Coast, where an abandoned Mage Tower stood, said to have belonged long ago to a very powerful red‑robe Mage.

And that is why he came.

He looked Ruiji up and down, then coldly said, "Since you don't know, take me there."

Ruiji's eyes widened; he didn't want to go near there! But before he could speak, seeing the man's threatening look and his clenched iron sword, he swallowed his words.

Shangtiya above, please bless me to return home safely.

The old man sighed, resignedly walking toward the High Tower—"Creak."

The dilapidated wooden door was pushed open, and dust drifted into the air.

The sky had sunk into a dim orange‑red, the setting sun emitting its last faint glow.

Ruiji glanced inside; the top of the High Tower seemed lost to ages, and the sun's final ray streamed into the tower, allowing the old man to see the vague outlines of some bookshelves.

"Get in quickly!" the man urged impatiently from behind.

Ruiji swallowed, trembling, and stepped into the tower; dust and cobwebs covered everything, and broken planks lay haphazardly on the floor.

There truly seemed to be no sign of any living creature.

The old man silently breathed a sigh of relief.

The man also entered, rummaging around, only to find that aside from the tattered bookshelves and their long‑decayed books, there was nothing else.

"Damned it, it's all junk!" the man shouted, pushing a bookshelf to the ground.

He looked up at the ceiling, which bore a large opening, hesitated, then decided to go up to the second floor to look.

At that moment, a sudden sound echoed from the shadows nearby; the man instantly raised his longsword and shouted, "Who's there!"

He paced slowly over, knocked down a bookshelf, and discovered a small creature staring blankly at him.

It had tiny, black‑crescent ears, large eyes surrounded by black fur, and limbs ending in long, curved claws.

"A Hu Meng?" the man smirked, speechless; he had thought it was some Monster and was startled.

One should know that in the forest, besides weak, filthy Goblins, many terrifying Monsters like to lurk in ruins, waiting for prey to walk into their traps.

Fortunately, the Hu Meng before him was just an ordinary animal that couldn't speak; though it likes to emit foul‑smelling farts, it is essentially harmless to humans.

He felt a surge of joy, his stomach rumbling, and thought of skinning and roasting the little creature to eat!

The man raised his longsword, about to strike, when the Hu Meng suddenly flashed a bizarre, human‑like grin, looked up at the ceiling, opened its mouth, and spoke.

"What a pity, you've woken him; his morning breath is extremely, extremely strong."

In an instant, a white dragon shadow flickered and vanished.

(End of Chapter)