This castle, five thousand years ago, was the palace of the Goddess of Wealth in the divine realm, boasting a vast array of architectural facilities and intricate, mysterious corridors. Without knowledge of the layout, entering recklessly could easily lead to being unable to find the way out. Even with Ye Chu’s [Map Navigation], he nearly took wrong turns several times as they proceeded.
Now, the remaining magic in his iPad spellbook was down to just 1%, at risk of shutting down at any moment due to depletion.
The trio passed through a dark tunnel, illuminated by the magic light in Green’s hand, and arrived at a spacious hall. This must have been where the goddess held meetings and banquets. Rows of low tables lined both sides, and the floor was covered with a carpet. Despite five thousand years, even divine creations had decayed terribly. The tables and carpet crumbled to dust at the slightest touch.
Yet, from this decay, one could glimpse the former glory of the divine clan.
Following the map’s guidance, Ye Chu led Debbie and Green to a raised platform at the back of the hall. There stood a golden chair, likely the seat of the Goddess of Wealth. Beside it was a heavily damaged door. Ye Chu cautiously pushed it, and the door swung open.
Inside, Ye Chu realised this must be the goddess’s bedchamber.
The room wasn’t large, nor was it richly decorated, but the walls, floor, and ceiling were all crafted from gold. Simple, weathered furniture stood about, and opposite the door was a golden bed with soft blankets. Perhaps because they were used by the goddess herself, the blankets still appeared soft.
However, what instantly caught Ye Chu and Debbie’s attention wasn’t the bed or the room’s golden splendour, but a translucent, radiant egg placed on the bed.
Scattered stone fragments surrounded the egg, which emitted a gentle white glow. Faintly, the silhouette of a coiling, struggling dragon could be seen within the eggshell. As Ye Chu and Debbie entered, the sound of dragon roars seemed to echo through the room.
“Is this the dragon egg you mentioned?” Debbie exclaimed, cautiously stepping into the room.
The dragon roars in the room seemed to grow more urgent, but perhaps sensing no hostility from the newcomers, the sound soon softened. Debbie approached the bed and picked up the dragon egg.
The process was surprisingly simple, almost unworthy of such a treasure, something that could drive the world mad. It fell into Debbie’s hands without any guards, mechanisms, or magical traps.
Five thousand years ago, after the Goddess of Wealth restored the Black Gold Flame Dragon to an egg, she hurriedly left for another battlefield, perhaps too rushed to set up protections, or perhaps… she foresaw who would claim the egg five thousand years later?
Debbie’s large eyes curiously examined the egg. Ye Chu and Debbie, while staying alert to their surroundings, leaned closer.
“What is this thing?” Green asked, astonished.
“The goddess’s war pet, the Black Gold Flame Dragon, killed by the red demon five thousand years ago, then restored to an egg by some mysterious means,” Ye Chu explained briefly, adding, “We saw this in the time shadow.”
Green nodded, his body trembling with excitement. Most had heard the legend of the Black Gold Flame Dragon, but it was just a legend. He never imagined he’d see it, even as an egg.
Ye Chu studied the dragon egg curiously, wondering how to use it as a medium to summon the Black Gold Flame Dragon from his iPad spellbook. Noticing Debbie’s thoughtful expression, he asked, “What are you thinking?”
“I’m wondering if this egg would taste better boiled or fried,” Debbie said blankly, seemingly licking her lips. Having depleted her magic earlier, the girl was now famished.
As if understanding her jest, the dragon roars filling the room suddenly grew urgent again, as though accusing Debbie of wanting to eat it.
Startled, Debbie quickly stroked the egg, soothingly saying, “I was just kidding, don’t be mad…”
“This is a dragon that’s lived for tens of thousands of years, not some cat or dog. Debbie, that’s not right,” Ye Chu said, sweating a little. Yet, the urgent roars calmed down… Did the dragon fall for it?
At that moment, Ye Chu’s spellbook ran out of magic entirely and vanished.
Ye Chu swayed, feeling a wave of weakness. He took the dragon egg from Debbie, examining it closely. The dragon inside seemed to be constantly striking the shell, trying to break free but unable to.
Ye Chu frowned. “How do we hatch this egg?”
“Who knows!” Debbie pouted, starting to look around the bedchamber, commenting on the golden decor.
“If Gilga came here, he’d be thrilled to death. This is the goddess’s bedchamber!” She pointed at the bed. “That’s the goddess’s bed.” Then at a golden vanity nearby. “That’s the goddess’s vanity!” Turning, she saw a decayed door and peeked inside, continuing, “That’s the goddess’s toilet!” Then, spotting a golden basin under the bed, her face lit up even more. “Wow, the goddess’s foot-washing basin!”
“Enough…” Ye Chu said. Girl, don’t you know this is blaspheming the goddess?
“What do we do next?” Green, surprised that Ye Chu and Debbie could still joke at such a time, asked.
“Rest first. With those magical guards, even the red demon will need time to get here,” Ye Chu said. “Debbie and I have depleted our magic. We need to recover it first.”
“Right, Green, got any food?” Debbie nodded.
“…I have some roasted mushrooms,” Green said quietly, pulling out food Jiji had prepared for him from his spellbook. He watched as Ye Chu and Debbie sat cross-legged on the goddess’s bed, eating while studying the dragon egg, as if trying to find a way to hatch it.
Ye Chu was certain that defeating the red demon required the Black Gold Flame Dragon’s help.
He summoned his spellbook again with the little magic it had recovered, attempting to summon the Black Gold Flame Dragon near the egg. Unfortunately, the summoning progress bar stopped at 9%, indicating the process was wrong. He also confirmed the red demon was still wandering the garden, seemingly wary of entering the castle. As for Cass and the others, Ye Chu glanced at the map. Their white dots had vanished, along with the portal.
Did Cass and the others close the portal after leaving the ruins?
After recalling the spellbook, Ye Chu and Debbie had barely filled their stomachs. They decided to sleep first, as sleep was the fastest way to recover magic.
“Gilga’s injured and can’t fight for now. Jiji could defeat the red demon, but she consumes a lot of magic. Debbie, can you handle it?” Ye Chu asked.
“No problem,” Debbie said, her mouth full, brimming with confidence. “My magic’s low, but I have a way to replenish it during battle. Don’t worry.” As she spoke, she seemed to steel herself for something.
She did have a way to restore magic, but it… wasn’t pleasant.
“Alright, I trust you,” Ye Chu nodded. Though his companion was habitually unreliable, her words carried some credibility. He turned to Green. “Keep watch for us. Wake us if anything happens.”
The iPad spellbook could detect hostility, so Ye Chu was certain Green was trustworthy.
Likewise, the dragon egg appeared white on the map, indicating no hostility toward Ye Chu or Debbie.
“Don’t worry, I won’t let you down,” Green said earnestly, looking at his spellbook to express his resolve. “Though my power is weak and I have no combat skills, I can keep watch. I have that much vigilance…” As he spoke, he glanced at the bed and fell silent.
On the bed, Ye Chu and Debbie had already fallen asleep, the dragon egg between them, glowing and emitting soft dragon roars.
“…”
After a long silence, Green couldn’t help but mutter, “Are you two planning to hatch that dragon egg yourselves?”
…
In the ruins’ garden, Bilis and Edel encountered a few other scattered adventure team members. They gathered, wandering aimlessly in the vast garden. They tried returning to the castle, but the magical guards at the entrances, poised for action, made them hesitant to move, leaving them in mild panic.
At that moment, a man in black armour, tall with a scarred face, appeared before them.
Thorne, the president of the Bullhead Magic Guild, a magic swordsman.
Thorne had previously been attacked by the red demon. Now, he seemed completely unaffected… except his eyes had turned red, the same red as the demon’s.
“Lost humans, do you desire great power?”
