Chapter 44: Fragility and Enormity

Luge knew it was time to make a choice. After all, he was not some stubborn little tree root who had endured untold hardships, crossing mountains and rivers to come here just to drink a mouthful of dragon urine. And judging by the effect of the black fruit, the effect of this pool of dragon urine must also be quite limited. But from another angle, it also indicated that this might be a giant dragon's big thing, and the symptom of urinating blood was not yet too severe.

He suddenly lowered his head to look at the cultivation bag at his waist.

The bag was vibrating, and increasingly wildly, as if it wanted to jump down from his waist.

"You... you're not going to drink that dragon urine, are you?" He looked around and tried to ask.

The cultivation bag paused for a breath, then shook twice more, as if in response.

He did not rush into action, but stood in place thinking for a while, then began to circle around, tiptoeing around the big thing in this cave to observe. This colossal creature had its head facing inward, its prone posture slightly tilted, and being too tall itself, the places he could see were very limited.

Since he did not dare to approach, he circled a great distance before coming to a position where he could see behind the big thing.

He frowned slightly, then continued walking a stretch of road, confirming again from another angle.

This big thing... how does it seem to have no dragon wings? He was slightly surprised in his heart.

Whether it was the giant dragon Old Gold Tooth had spoken of, or the giant dragons occasionally mentioned in Kalu's Diary, they all had wings. Their appearances might differ slightly, their temperaments might be strange and peculiar, and even their sizes might vary greatly, but as long as they were Pure-Blood Dragon Species, True Dragons, they must possess wings.

Then it was just an Underground Beast with Giant Dragon Bloodline? Similar to the former Saint Lord of the Red Horn Tribe, that kind of Pseudo-Dragon, that kind of Sub-Dragon Beast?

He changed his mind; there was another possibility.

Since it had already been beaten until urinating blood, it might also have been injured and lost its wings.

He noticed that this big thing only breathed once after a very long interval. He did not dare go near its mouth, but listening to that exhalation, it was like a strong wind fanning and blowing past.

It might be the naturally weak quality of Kobolds, or it might be that he had been careful enough since entering; this big thing had shown no signs of waking up.

He circled around again, carefully touring this Big Cave once more.

It could be determined that, besides the cave entrance he had come from, there was no second exit here. Then as long as one thought about the valley outside and the surrounding environment, and thought about the various traces and trees in the valley, as well as the appearance of this soil layer, one could basically determine that this big thing had really been sleeping here for a very long time, long enough to equal the combined lifespans of several Kobolds.

The gap between species was truly interesting.

Luge stroked the few remaining hairs on his chin and had a bold idea.

Would a powerful existence of huge size, when sleeping, when sleeping most sweetly, even not waking for decades, even not waking while urinating blood, care about the bite of a tiny mosquito? What if that mosquito was very polite? What if that little mosquito was very considerate, tiptoeing without making a buzzing sound?

The more Luge thought about it, the more he admired himself, even feeling that the weakness in his legs at the beginning was just an illusion.

This big thing, even if not a giant dragon, was an extremely powerful dragon beast, so as long as the quantity was large enough, even an old, toothless Kobold sprouting anew could enjoy a second spring, meaning Old Gold Tooth could be saved. His Wizard Path could also be saved, at least he could proceed more calmly. Of course, he would not rush to take dragon blood; what was more important to him was having one more choice.

He still remembered that Half-Man had made a promise, saying he would help him solve the problem of the Short-Lived Species, but there had been no news. With this new choice, he could in the future face Half-Man more relaxedly, and face his own Wizard Path more relaxedly.

Spiritual Boiling seemed to reach its best effect along with his surging mood, making him feel he had inexhaustible energy, even wanting to sing loudly.

He thought for a moment, then retreated toward the cave entrance.

Even if he were to be a mosquito, it was not now; at least he had to make some preparations first.

And Aijin was still outside; if this big thing were startled awake, she definitely could not escape unharmed.

When he left, looking at this pool of water, in the end he did not move. It was not that he disdained it, but rather he would wait until next time to talk about it; this time he would not touch anything at all.

Tiptoeing, he crawled out of the cave entrance.

He went all the way up, and also dumped some soil to seal the cave entrance.

Aijin had been waiting anxiously outside.

"Let's go back first; Old Gold Tooth might be able to live longer," he said.

First let Aijin be at peace; then, if it failed, he would try to steal a pool of urine and soak Old Gold Tooth in it. Presumably, enjoying a whole pool alone would also have some effect.

The two began to hurry back.

Here, bit by bit, between exploring and digging soil, the two had been busy for a day.

"By the way," he remembered the treasure in the Storage Bag and hurriedly rummaged through it, "I have a gift for you!"

He took out a roasted beast leg, secretly made by hand by a Fifth-Rank Limit Apprentice, which he had treasured for a long time.

Smelling the fragrance, his heart settled a little; the flavor was still preserved.

Both were hungry, so on the way they found a place to stop and rest, and began to share it. Tension consumed a large amount of energy; Luge had climbed up and down, spending a day in both joy and terror, while Aijin was filled with constant worry and anxiety. So this beast leg, originally meant to include a share for Dasha, was quickly eaten clean by the two of them.

As for Aijin's evaluation of the beast leg, Luge had originally thought she was more happy than surprised, but in fact it was the opposite; the surprise it brought her far exceeded her expression of happiness.

Returning to the Kobold settlement, he told the Kobold maiden not to tell Old Gold Tooth the news for now.

Everything would wait until he had handled it.

He calmed his mood. He had gained something in one day's time, but it had also delayed his meditation progress.

He relaxed and lay down in the familiar place, the familiar position, staring at the cave ceiling, blinking from time to time, recalling the towering body of the giant beast. Compared to it, the Hui Chang Jing Sheng Zhu was like an earthworm. That assailing breath, that visual and spiritual impact—these were exactly what caused his legs to go weak for that instant.

And such an exaggerated big thing might not even be a true dragon. How powerful would a true dragon be? And the Wizards who stood above giant dragons—how terrifying would they be? They must have already transcended the concept of human. Although their forms might still be as small as ordinary people, one could believe that just by standing there they could make a huge giant dragon tremble, just like him today, with a moment of uncontrollable weakness in the legs rising from the soul.

He thought of the words on Kalu's Diary.

Explore the mysteries of life, lift the veil of the River of Time, possess powerful strength and an immortal soul, use a long life to see through everything in the world, and with supreme wisdom discern the secrets of all things.

Of course, this was just Kalu's fantasy about Wizards when he was still an Apprentice, and also Kalu's understanding of Wizards at that time.

Luge thought this way because he discovered this diary should only be a beginning; there might be many more volumes behind it, so he also did not know exactly how far this Kalu had ultimately gone.

However, the premise of everything was that this diary was picked up by Half-Man, and that Kalu had not yet died.

Through the diary he glimpsed Kalu's life, and unknowingly developed a feeling as if toward an old friend for this Wizard Apprentice who had never worn a mask.

Of course, this applied only to the young Kalu; some Wizards' personalities would become twisted in old age, turning them into different people.

Taking a deep breath, he rolled over and got up.

No matter how distant the goal, it had to be walked step by step. Start with daily meditation. As long as one kept moving forward step by step, never stopping one's feet—even if the steps were small, even if there were occasional bends—the giant dragon would become insignificant, and might not even count as a goal on the Wizard Path.

(Chapter End)