novelraw Chapter 252
Chapter 252
Chapter 252: Dangerous Dragon Riding
“Phew…”
High in the vast white sky, the powerful beat of dragon wings dispersed the thick, heavy clouds.
Dense raindrops fell like mist, coating the hard silver dragon scales. They gathered into beads along the gaps between the scales, then dripped down.
The silver dragon slowly exhaled a turbid breath.
Her breath carried billowing smoke.
It seemed as if she was about to unleash her breath attack a moment ago, but then changed her mind and opted for a different method of attack.
“Huff, huff.”
Lucia huffed twice, slowly exhaling the dragon breath mixed with magic from her lungs.
That was so dangerous just now! Good thing she flew fast!
Otherwise, Xia Li would have changed history.
Old Black Dragon said that what is happening now and what will happen have already become ‘history’ when they return to Azure Continent.
If they want to return safely, history cannot be changed.
“Are you okay?”
Lucia rolled her eyes, her golden-red eyes, more beautiful than the morning glow or the sunset, turning upwards to look at the man on her head.
Xia Li sat on top of the dragon’s head. The black robe he wore was completely soaked. Even the Earth-made softshell jacket, made of high-tech polymer material, felt a bit drafty in the strong, cold air.
Xia Li’s thoughts returned to the present, and he suddenly remembered that Lucia had asked him this question before.
That was before they adopted Little Cotton…
In the alley that morning, Xia Li beat up a group of hooligans, and Lucia asked him if he was okay.
Actually, Lucia was asking if the hooligans were okay.
At that time, in Lucia’s understanding, if the hooligans were hurt, Xia Li would be arrested by Uncle Police.
“…I made a clean cut. If they go to the city now and get their arms reattached, they should be fine. They just might have difficulty wielding a sword in the future,” Xia Li analyzed.
Lucia: “…”
After a moment of silence, Lucia raised her head and let out a soft roar. Then she turned her long, beautiful dragon neck and glared at Xia Li.
“I’m asking if *you* are okay!”
If Xia Li was hurt…
She would regret not breathing her dragon breath at the humans on the ground just now.
“…”
Xia Li, surprised by the concern, widened his eyes and shook his head. “I’m fine.”
He was indeed a little surprised.
A moment ago, he was still immersed in the grief of losing Lucia.
He thought Lucia had flown away…
Different races, different ways of thinking.
Dragons yearn for freedom. This instinct, ingrained in their bones, cannot be changed by a few words.
Xia Li actually didn’t have much confidence in keeping Lucia.
Especially after returning to Azure Continent, back under this free and vast sky.
He felt even more insecure.
Xia Li’s left hand was still holding the bouquet of flowers.
It was the most beautiful bouquet sold in the flower shop at the west gate of the Royal City.
As soon as the florist wrapped the flowers, Xia Li bought them.
The florist said Xia Li was lucky. She hadn’t seen this variety of flowers at the morning market for a long time. She said the young lady who received this bouquet would be very happy today.
Xia Li didn’t quite understand why girls liked flowers, but he knew Lucia liked white, and this bouquet happened to be white.
Lucia would definitely smile when she received this bouquet.
But now, the flowers had been completely destroyed in the fight just now.
The wind tore apart the delicate petals, and they quickly blended with the rain in the clouds, floating and falling to the ground.
“It’s good that you’re okay… I knew Xia Li was very strong, they couldn’t beat you!”
Lucia stared with her lantern-sized dragon eyes. She seemed to have noticed the bouquet in Xia Li’s hand.
Although the petals had been blown away by the wind, there were still strong buds and a few fragmented leaves.
“Did you buy these for me?”
Lucia let out a surprised “Eh?”
Then she turned her head and brought her large nose close to Xia Li’s hand.
“Sniff—”
She took a deep breath.
The remaining buds on Xia Li’s hand were sucked into her wet nostrils as if by a vacuum cleaner.
Her huge dragon nose twitched twice. Lucia blinked her eyes and praised.
“Mmm, smells good, kind of like the laundry detergent we use at home!”
“…”
Xia Li, watching this scene, was speechless.
He couldn’t help but sigh. This dragon always provided him with enough emotional value.
Even a minute ago, Xia Li was still in a state of despair and anger. And now, all the negative emotions were swept away, and he couldn’t help but smile.
As long as this dragon was willing to cast the line, the fish would bite soon enough.
Xia Li, the fish who took the bait, sighed.
“I thought you had left.”
He said, with a hint of fear.
After speaking, he felt it wasn’t enough. He wanted to elaborate on how he felt at the time, but he didn’t want to affect Lucia’s mood at the moment.
So he softened his tone and said in a different voice.
“I thought you didn’t want me anymore.”
“Hehe~”
For some reason…
When Xia Li said this, Lucia felt a sense of contentment, like her need for security had been met.
Xia Li saying this meant he was afraid of her leaving!
He really liked her!
“You said that to me before!”
The evil dragon said with a mischievous smile.
Unfortunately, she was too big now, and her focused vision couldn’t see clearly.
Otherwise, if Lucia saw the slightly red eyes of the man on her back, her tone wouldn’t be so light.
“Yeah, now I understand how you felt when you said that.” Xia Li nodded.
“Right, right~”
Lucia couldn’t help but wag her dragon tail. Her flight path would change with the swaying of her tail.
After thinking about it, she realized flying like this might make Xia Li dragonsick, so she obediently adjusted her posture and flew steadily.
“When we go back, you won’t be able to fly freely like this…”
Xia Li looked at the mischievous dragon below him and said in a melancholic tone.
He didn’t look forward to such an outcome at all, but he couldn’t help but imagine the worst-case scenario.
The silver dragon who yearned for the sky would stay in her own world.
And Xia Li would return to his own reality.
Two worlds that shouldn’t have intersected would go their separate ways after a chance encounter.
Lucia finally noticed the sadness in Xia Li’s tone and quickly turned her heavy head to look at him again.
Oh no!
Xia Li seems very sad now!
His expression is a bit like a human cub being sent to kindergarten in the morning, clutching the cold railing and looking out the window helplessly and pitifully.
So pitiful!
“Xia Li…”
Lucia’s emotions were easily influenced by Xia Li’s. She also lowered her head dejectedly, as if admitting her mistake to Xia Li.
She didn’t mean to run away.
When she left, she thought she would be back soon… She had already communicated with Old Black Dragon in the fastest way possible and then flew back without stopping.
But she was still a step behind Xia Li.
She must have scared Xia Li…
His heart must have been completely in turmoil.
This could be seen from the fact that he, a human hero, drew his sword against humans. The Xia Li just now was probably at his wit’s end.
But how could Lucia dare to say hello to Xia Li and then leave…
Xia Li wouldn’t let her go back alone.
Besides, Lucia couldn’t tell Xia Li why she went back.
Dragons have their own thoughts and considerations.
“I said, the freedom I want is the freedom to make the choices I want…”
◈◈◈
Lucia’s voice was calm, but when spoken through the dragon’s unique vocalization method, it sounded very heavy.
As if every word she uttered carried a certain weight.
At this moment, what Xia Li feared most was that she would leave.
But Lucia would never leave.
“Now, my choice is you,” Lucia said, turning her head.
“And… I want to eat fried rice cakes.”
Xia Li, touched, looked up and gently hugged the hard dragon nose that the big dragon stretched out to him.
Tears welled up in his eyes, but before he could say anything, Lucia’s next sentence completely deflated the emotions he had been building up for so long.
“…Fried rice cakes are that high on your list?” he asked in surprise.
“The ‘fried rice cakes’ here refer to all the delicious food on Earth. I also miss Aunt Fang and the dishes Aunt Fang cooks! And Little Cotton, and Anqi… and the little ones at the pet hospital!”
Lucia snorted.
Xia Li was sometimes so stupid, he didn’t even understand the metaphors she used.
“We’ve only been away from Earth for a few days, and I already miss them… How could I possibly fly away? Xia Li just thinks too much, my thoughts are clearly very easy to guess!”
“Mmm.” Xia Li nodded in response.
He admitted that he had indeed panicked.
If this happened again…
He would probably panic again.
“Also!”
Lucia emphasized her next sentence.
“I’m having withdrawal symptoms!”
“I haven’t been online for days! The anime I’m following should have been updated, and there are new movies, and those awesome netizens who are so sweet and charming! These are all reasons for me to stay on Earth.”
After speaking, Lucia still felt it wasn’t enough and solemnly added the most important point at the end.
“Of course, there’s you too.”
“You are the biggest reason for me to stay on Earth!” Lucia said loudly.
That’s how dragons are. Once they recognize their feelings, they don’t hold back.
They say what they want to say, and if they want to express something to the person they like at this moment, they say it openly.
In the past, she might have had a bit of a girl’s restraint and shyness…
But now, she was a great dragon whose roar could shake the mountaintops!
Besides…
The thing that bothered Lucia the most, she had already found a solution.
“…”
Xia Li was completely disarmed.
All the anxiety, tension, anger, and sadness… all these emotions dissipated at this moment.
Lucia was just too good.
So good that he couldn’t describe it in a single sentence.
If someone asked him why he liked Lucia, he could probably talk all night and still not finish.
This dragon was too attractive.
Irresistibly attractive.
“Why don’t you transform into human form now?” Xia Li said sincerely.
Lucia raised her wings and her majestic body passed through the clouds. After passing through the dark clouds and reaching the bright blue sky above, she asked Xia Li.
“Why?”
“Because I want to kiss you,” Xia Li confessed.
“You can kiss me now if you want!” Lucia said loudly.
Xia Li was right on her back, he could just bend down and kiss her.
“No, the size is wrong,” Xia Li shook his head.
Not only was the size wrong, but the position was also wrong.
Not only was the position wrong… he couldn’t use his tongue either.
Xia Li really wanted to kiss Lucia passionately now.
But this dragon was so big, how could he bring himself to kiss her?
“No… I’ll let you kiss me later.”
Lucia shook her dragon spine and descended a bit lower in the clear sky.
She had a place she had to take Xia Li to, and unfinished business to attend to.
Passing through the wet clouds, Lucia opened her dragon eyes and silently cast her Eye Magic over her vertical pupils.
She circled in the air on purpose.
Below her, outside the Royal City, where Xia Li had just left.
The group of bad bounty hunters had scurried back into the city.
The human man whose hands had been cut off had lost a lot of blood. If he didn’t get into the city and find a priest to stop the bleeding in time, losing his hands would be a small matter, losing his life would be the big one.
And the mother and daughter who were trampled under the feet of the bounty hunters had also escaped during the chaos.
The gold coins Xia Li secretly gave them were enough for them to cultivate a small piece of land in a remote place and live for a long time.
If the land could sustain them, they could even hide in the mountains and live their whole lives.
Of course, that was assuming they weren’t affected by monsters or war.
Seeing this scene, Lucia was finally completely relieved.
The white-feathered dragon that was locked in a cage by the bounty hunters was actually released by her.
She thought it was a small matter, but she didn’t expect it to involve the little girl.
Lucia thought the little girl was very good. Even though she couldn’t afford to eat, she was willing to share her only dried sweet potatoes with her. She admired that.
“Xia Li, let’s go somewhere!”
No longer lingering, Lucia let out a low roar and spread her wings, soaring into the higher clouds.
Passing through the gray clouds, the sun shone brightly above.
She flew straight ahead, discerning her direction, and said casually.
“Where to?”
Xia Li sat down cross-legged.
The purpose of coming to Azure Continent, the things he had to do, were all done.
But Xia Li wasn’t in a hurry to go back now.
It wasn’t easy to come here, it would be good to accompany Lucia and see this sky again.
“Did you buy the two-way teleportation scroll?”
Lucia turned her head and looked uncertainly at the backpack behind Xia Li.
Xia Li seriously doubted whether this dragon’s habit of looking back three times while flying would cause her to crash into a mountain.
Being distracted while driving is dangerous driving, being distracted while flying a dragon is dangerous dragon riding!
“I bought it,”
He patted the bag behind him and said in a proud tone.
“I bought two!”
Although this kind of magic scroll was rare, it wasn’t difficult to find in the Royal City. For the royal family and nobles, it was a daily necessity.
The old coachman introduced Xia Li to a high-level chamber of commerce. Xia Li easily purchased a large amount of high-quality crystals and two two-way teleportation scrolls in the chamber of commerce.
He had almost spent all his money.
But after all, they came to Azure Continent empty-handed, and now they were returning fully loaded.
“That’s good!”
Lucia chuckled and deliberately relaxed her voice.
“Then we can go to another place with peace of mind!”
“What place?”
Xia Li asked curiously again.
Lucia flapped her huge dragon wings and soared into the vast expanse of the sky.
She only answered Xia Li with two words.
“Battlefield!”
Double monthly tickets start tonight,
Remember to vote, you can get double fan value!!!
Cat Repairer will also add more updates recently, striving to release the following plot in one go!!