novelraw Chapter 235
Chapter 235
Chapter 235: Traces of the Brave Hero in This World
Taro City.
Located on the edge of the southern forest, following the carriage road further south will lead to where the continent meets the ocean.
Xia Li stood at the city gate, staring at a map posted outside the gate, lost in thought.
He could now confirm that, judging from the distribution of the continental plates and oceans on the map,
This was indeed Azure Continent.
But… every place name on the map felt unfamiliar to him.
Apart from simple and straightforward names like Dragon Homeland and North Pole Glacier, which had been popular for hundreds of years and remained unchanged, the rest, especially the names of the human kingdoms, were all unfamiliar to Xia Li.
Based on the time flow rate, the half year Xia Li had been away from Earth should have been one hundred and fifteen years on Azure Continent.
Had such earth-shattering changes already occurred in these one hundred and fifteen years? “…There seem to be one or two familiar names.”
Xia Li frowned, withdrawing his gaze from the parchment on the wall.
Unfortunately,
The Lachlan Kingdom that summoned him was no more.
Whether it had been destroyed or annexed by other forces, the Lachlan Kingdom, with its modest territory and average resources and population, had not survived these one hundred and fifteen years of history.
Xia Li didn’t have much attachment to the kingdom that summoned him.
The only thing he felt sorry for was that he hadn’t been able to properly bid farewell to his former teammates and the mentor who taught him swordsmanship and archery.
However… Xia Li had already mentally prepared himself for these possibilities before returning to Azure Continent.
Now, truly facing this outcome, he chose to accept it calmly.
“Xia Li, the way they look at us is strange.”
Beside Xia Li, a soft little hand tightly gripped his finger.
There were many merchant caravans coming and going outside Taro City, as well as backpackers traveling on foot.
These people carried bags made of unknown animal hides, wore hand-woven clothes, those with money draped in fur cloaks, those without wearing half-covering cloaks.
The humans of this world were smaller than those on Earth, and the biggest difference besides their clothing style was their mental state.
Regardless of their weight, they all gave off an air of listlessness and weakness, their skin condition was much worse, and their eyes held a variety of expressions…
Lucia saw not the order brought about by happiness in their eyes, but another kind of ferocity that held no hint of friendliness.
Their gazes were filled with vigilance, as if they would raise their thin swords or wooden staffs at their waists and attack at any moment.
Xia Li squeezed the little claw in his hand, turning his head to whisper in Lucia’s ear.
“The clothes we wear are strange, they haven’t seen them before… The people of this world are sensitive to the unknown, it’s normal for them to keep their distance from us, even to be hostile.”
“I don’t like them.” Lucia whispered back.
Earth was indeed better.
She had already shed her ‘wildness’ and become a law-abiding dragon on Earth.
But upon returning to Azure Continent and seeing these unfamiliar yet familiar faces, she felt her aggression rekindled. Before these humans could attack her, she wanted to be the first to breathe dragon fire.
“It’s okay, I’m here. Let’s go in and have a look.”
Xia Li rubbed the dragon’s head.
When it came to human nature, Xia Li had a certain ability to discern good from evil.
Even though the humans in this world were more cunning, without absolute order and rules, Xia Li was actually part of the dominant group. If they encountered any problems, he could ensure that he wouldn’t be the one suffering a loss.
The two entered the city along with the caravan.
Taro City looked quite small when viewed from the sky, but now that they were here… it was indeed quite small.
They didn’t even need to show any identification to enter the city.
Xia Li remembered that in the past, in the Lachlan Kingdom, regardless of the size of the human city, in order to prevent monsters and dragons disguised as humans from entering, everyone entering the city needed to use crystals to detect magic fluctuations.
Those with abnormal magic fluctuations were not allowed to enter.
But in Taro City, Xia Li didn’t see any magic detection devices.
Had Azure Continent become so open after one hundred and fifteen years?
Had the dragons gone extinct?
Xia Li couldn’t help but make these conjectures, but he didn’t share them with Lucia.
“Wow, fried Big Horned Beetles!”
Lucia had sneaked into human cities before, but each time she went alone to have fun, never like this… with a date.
“Poison Wing Cicadas!”
As soon as they entered, the pungent aroma of oil almost lured Lucia away.
She sniffed the air, standing in a daze in front of a frying pan more than three meters wide.
The oil used in Azure Continent was all animal fat, which made the fried food very fragrant and crispy.
Due to food shortages, they didn’t avoid any food, they were willing to eat anything.
This was very similar to Lucia’s eating habits as a dragon.
Lucia also ate everything （except fishwort and bitter melon）, so even when she saw insects, she wanted to try a bite.
“…So big.”
Xia Li glanced at the large frying pan at the entrance and sighed.
Perhaps due to the influence of magic, the races in Azure Continent were very special.
Here, insects that could absorb magic were called ‘Magic Insects’. Their size was somewhat similar to the insects of Earth’s Permian era, often larger than a human head, and as wide and long as a snake.
When meat was scarce, Magic Insects were the best substitute for protein.
That was why, when Xia Li first crossed over to Azure Continent, he was so desperate because of the terrible food that the first thing he did when he returned home was to eat the instant noodles he had been craving.
“Do you want to eat?”
Xia Li glanced again at the drooling dragon.
Her unwavering gaze seemed to wish she could swallow the freshly fried Poison Wing Cicada in one gulp.
Cicada: I am a cicada.
Dragon: I am also craving.
“Just a little bit.” Lucia nodded in response.
She searched her pockets and found that she didn’t have any money on her.
Without money, she couldn’t buy food.
This way of thinking had become ingrained in her at some point.
“Next time.”
Lucia said somewhat dejectedly.
Seeing her series of reactions, Xia Li found it amusing.
Wait a minute.
This dragon used to rob people all the time.
Remember her first words when she came to Earth?
‘Evil dragons never pay.’
Now she was concerned about paying!
“I want to ask about something.”
Xia Li walked up to a guard by the frying pan.
The guard was wearing a feathered hat and clothes in the same red and white color scheme as the roofs of Taro City. He was directing the newly arrived hunters to throw their freshly caught Magic Insects into the frying pan.
Seeing Xia Li approach, he first gave him a curious look, then extended a hand, palm up.
This meant, you can ask, but you have to pay.
Xia Li smiled mysteriously.
Of course he knew that any information in this world had value.
Even if it didn’t, it was impossible to freeload off these soldiers.
Here, greed was a very tangible thing.
Xia Li reached into his jacket pocket and took out a small, round object, placing it in the guard’s hand.
The guard glanced at it and was slightly stunned when he saw the writing on it.
The writing was extremely neat, each stroke seemingly meticulously crafted, the characters arranged in a neat and orderly fashion.
The person who wrote this must have been some kind of master.
“A…Alps candy?”
“Pi…Picture for reference only?”
He had a certain level of literacy.
But when he read these words, he clearly found it difficult.
Good stuff.
Anything he hadn’t seen before was good stuff.
◈◈◈
It must be some high-level magic item.
“You ask.”
The guard looked around, coughed, and secretly tucked the high-level magic item into his pocket.
When he looked at Xia Li again, his lifeless eyes had lit up.
“Do you know ‘Xia Li’?” Xia Li asked.
“What pear?”
The guard frowned.
“A person’s name.”
“It’s the name of a hero!” Lucia popped up to add.
The guard thought carefully, then shook his head with certainty.
“Never heard of it.”
“Hiss…”
Xia Li inhaled sharply.
Sigh.
He was the only one in this world who had pulled out the Sword in the Stone.
Although it didn’t need to be passed down through the ages, it should have been passed down for over a hundred years.
“Then, what about the Silver Dragon Queen?”
“Silver Dragon?”
“Yes, Pureblood Silver Dragon, Lucia Sivana.”
“Never heard of that name. There haven’t been any silver dragons around here for a long time… Speaking of which, when did the dragon race have a queen?”
The guard’s chapped lips formed an ‘O’ shape.
This surprised expression was quite genuine, you could tell it was a heartfelt shock.
“…”
Xia Li fell silent for a moment.
The information was completely asymmetric.
The difference was too great.
They couldn’t communicate at all.
He originally wanted to inquire about the situation of himself and Lucia after over a hundred years.
After all, the Silver Dragon Queen and the Brave Hero disappeared at the same time, the people of this world would have discussed it a little, right?
Maybe they even erected a monument to Xia Li, commemorating the day he slayed the dragon.
But it turned out that the people of this world had never even heard of him and Lucia.
“No relevant information at all?” Xia Li continued to ask skeptically.
“No, really haven’t heard of it.”
The guard’s answer was quite sincere.
He had received a great favor from Xia Li, so he would naturally answer any questions he could, unless he really didn’t know.
“…Alright, then let me ask another question.”
Xia Li took out another Alps candy and discreetly slipped it into the guard’s hand.
The guard’s face lit up, and his attitude towards Xia Li became extremely respectful.
“Please ask!”
“Where can I buy a Two-Way Teleportation Scroll?”
“About that… that kind of magic item is quite rare. Those noble dukes should have quite a few, but there aren’t many rich people in Taro City, and the only City Lord has gone on a long journey. Why don’t you try the black market? You might find the magic item you want there.”
The guard’s tone was sincere.
Xia Li breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, the other party knew about ‘Two-Way Teleportation Scroll’.
Otherwise, Xia Li would have doubted whether he had really returned to Azure Continent.
After briefly inquiring about the direction of the black market, Xia Li pulled Lucia away.
“It’s strange…”
“After over a hundred years, there’s no record of us at all.”
Xia Li walked ahead, pondering with his chin in his hand, while Lucia followed behind, looking at the surrounding buildings and shops in a daze.
When she was on Earth, she was curious about these strange human shops, and now that she was back, she was still curious.
All sorts of messy shops were filled with goods: armor, weapons, magic items, alchemist’s potions and scrolls…
Unlike Earth, there was very little food for sale here. Apart from two taverns, Lucia didn’t even see a dessert shop.
Not good, not good, this place wasn’t fun at all.
As she was thinking to herself, Lucia suddenly stopped.
She saw a mixed-race demi-human standing at the entrance of a brothel. The demi-human was a cow-girl, wearing black and white clothes, barely covering her huge assets that were about to burst out of her chest.
The cow-girl had horns on her head and a large golden bell around her neck. Her cow tail swayed provocatively as she twisted her body, trying her best to attract male customers passing by.
“What’s wrong?”
Xia Li was still pondering what had happened in the past hundred years when he suddenly felt the dragon girl behind him stop.
Just as he was about to follow her gaze towards the shop next door, his vision suddenly went dark.
“You’re not allowed to look!”
Lucia covered Xia Li’s eyes with her small hands, leaving no gaps.
Xia Li was confused.
“What is it?”
“Dirty things!”
“Huh?”
“They’re big, ugh, dirty, anyway, you’re not allowed to look.”
“Oh…”
After faintly hearing a few seductive voices saying ‘Come and play, guest~’, Xia Li immediately understood.
But following his instinctive reaction, he still tilted his head and peeked in that direction.
“You really like to look, don’t you!” Lucia was anxious now.
“That’s too exaggerated, not really my type.” Xia Li said honestly.
“I have them too!”
The dragon puffed out her cheeks, although embarrassed, she still said this with confidence.
Xia Li’s gaze swept over the small mountains on her chest, his hand clenched in the air as if imagining the curve and feel, then shook his head: “I like just the right size.”
“That’s not the look you had just now!”
“Then I was wrong.”
Xia Li suddenly changed his tune: “I like all kinds… as long as it’s you, Lucia Sivana, I’m okay with anything.”
“…”
Lucia was about to argue further, she even had her lines ready.
Now she was speechless.
She had nothing to say.
“Just so you know…”
Lucia wanted to release her dragon tail and smack Xia Li a few times, but showing dragon characteristics in a town would cause a commotion, so she could only grab Xia Li’s arm and cling to him, saying.
“This world is very open. I’ll protect you, don’t be seduced by those wild bulls and wildflowers out there.”
“…”
Xia Li smiled helplessly, letting her cling to him.
He was trying to figure out the current situation, and all Lucia could think about was this kind of worldly stuff?
Ugh, what a love-addled little dragon.
This perfectly illustrated the scenario where a man was thinking about a fighter jet battle in his mind, while the girl next to him was thinking ‘Does he not like me?’.