Chương 167: Reborn as the Dragon — Chapter 167 - A Little Girl's Heart Is Hard to Guess

He'd have to get up close and personal with players from other countries at some point. Otherwise he'd never have a clear read on their faction skills. Based on what he knew about the nations of his home planet, Su Nian's best guess was that Heavenly Dynasty players got either boosted infrastructure and farming capabilities, or something cultivation-related. But comparing that to what he'd just seen. The A-san players' faction skill was kind of pathetic. A hidden Starter Village location. That was it.

Completely useless for combat or development. Then again, Su Nian thought it over and wasn't really surprised. The A-san on his home planet were about that low too. Apparently, every 100 milliliters of their holy river water contained E. coli at MPN levels. Fecal coliform counts hitting MPN. The allowable limit for both bacterial groups in normal water was only 500 MPN. And that wasn't even the worst stretch of the river. What does that mean in practical terms? Pretty much the same as drinking sewage.

On top of that, the water was loaded with heavy metals from factory runoff. People dumped their household garbage into it daily. They bathed in it too. What really took it to another level: A-san bottled that holy river water and sold it as mineral water. Su Nian had seen a video once. A woman who'd married into an A-san country, trying to show off her luxurious new life, trying to paint the whole grimy mess in a flattering light. She'd scooped a cup of water straight from the holy river and drunk it on camera.

Then declared it was every bit as divine as advertised. So sweet. So fragrant. She was in the ICU that same night. A country that produced F4. A country that filthy and chaotic. Its parallel-world counterpart probably wasn't any better. So having a garbage faction skill tracked perfectly. Hide themselves. Live inside their own bubble. Believe whatever they need to believe. Su Nian checked the levels of the two A-san players. Neither had hit ten. Absolutely trashy. Worth raiding their Starter Village?

He turned it over for a moment. No. He'd circle back on the return trip. Going after these A-san players right now would be dropping a watermelon to pick up a sesame seed. A Starter Village with over six thousand players and a decent average level would generate far more system points than anything these guys had to offer. While he was still thinking, the struggle on the riverbank had escalated. At least the sound of tearing fabric had stopped. The girl's screams were getting worse.

The A-san players' jeering laughter was getting louder. Su Nian frowned. He didn't have much sympathy for the girl, but his contempt for A-san players was the real thing. He didn't bother showing himself. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. His massive body shifted with casual ease. His broad wings beat once and sent a wall of water surging toward the riverbank. BOOM. The violent surge swept both A-san players clean off the bank.

The girl got caught in the current too and was carried across to the far side. The two players went airborne, shrieking. Their landing point was dead center in the river. Su Nian was already there waiting. He opened his jaws underwater. Scorching dragon breath turned the water to steam. The temperature spiked fast. Both players hit the surface and immediately started blistering from the heat.

Then a column of dragonfire erupted straight up from the river, and the two A-san players, still confused about what was happening, were reduced to ash before they had time to process it. Done. Su Nian curled his tail, sent a lazy ripple through the water, and turned back upstream toward where he'd come from. What he didn't know was that the girl who'd nearly been assaulted was lying flat on the far bank and had seen everything.

She'd seen the vast shadow of his body shifting beneath the surface, half-visible in the dark water. She'd seen that terrifying head. The jaws, the dragonfire, the column of flame shooting into the sky.

"It was... it was the Dragon God who saved me..." Relief and gratitude flooded through her. She pressed her forehead to the ground several times in the direction of the river, then stood and watched the black dragon's wake until it faded from sight. Only then did she straighten her clothes and hurry away.... By the time Su Nian made it back to the stretch of riverbank where the monsters were camped, the sun was already going down. Dusk settled soft and wide across the land.

The distant shrubs were dense and deep green, holding the stillness of a summer evening, wrapped in the cool breeze that came in after sunset. The whole riverbank had gone pleasantly cool. Su Nian noticed Anna sitting on a flat rock near the water's edge, bare feet dangling, listlessly kicking the surface. Her elbows rested on her knees, head bowed, mouth in a small pout. Her soft hands cupped her pink cheeks.

Her pale little feet stirred up light splashes, and the droplets caught the evening light, each one a tiny ruby hanging briefly in the glow before it fell. It was a genuinely beautiful scene. Su Nian was in no mood to appreciate it. Because he could feel it. He'd been gone a little too long.

"Anna..." He eased half his head out of the water, eyes sliding sideways with unmistakable guilt. The moment Anna heard his voice, she came alive all at once. She spun toward the sound. Her fox ears, which had been drooping flat and lifeless, shot upright and started twitching happily. Her fluffy tail swayed side to side behind her. She was thrilled. Completely, wholly thrilled to see her dragon. That lasted about one second.

Then Anna caught herself, schooled her expression, and snapped her face into something severe. Her cheeks puffed up like a little steamed bun. She turned her head to the side. Hands on her hips.

"Hmph! ╯^╰""Ah..." Su Nian was stuck. He paddled over to her side, doing his best to look pitiful and harmless. His dragon face angled toward her cheek, aiming for a nuzzle. His head was too big. He didn't manage to nuzzle her. He nearly knocked her off the rock. SLURP. He reconsidered his approach. Different strategy. He tried again. Anna wasn't interested. She rotated her face to the other side and crossed her arms.

"Hmph! ╯^╰""Okay — Anna, just let me explain. This afternoon I saw you weren't feeling well. You'd had your bath and you were all drowsy, so I went out to find you a gift. I wasn't out enjoying myself, I promise..." Su Nian kept talking. His tail was doing something else entirely underwater, thrashing in frantic circles while his Insight ran a rapid sweep of the riverbed. [Ordinary Shellfish] [Crab with a Broken Leg] [Piranha with a Fishhook in Its Mouth] [Uncle Sam's Worn-Out Boot]...

[Overlord Clam Leader (Contains Pearl)]...

"Really?" Anna's face turned back, just slightly. Her eyes moved over the black dragon's body in careful inspection. No wounds anywhere. She exhaled quietly. She'd been annoyed, yes. But he was back. He was safe. And honestly, the moment she'd seen him, most of the annoyance had already gone. Still. She couldn't just let it go that easily. He was a weakened black dragon. He wasn't supposed to be wandering off on his own. What if something had happened? He never let her stop worrying for even a moment!!

"Really!" Su Nian nodded hard. His tail curled, hooked the Overlord Clam off the riverbed, and lifted it into his claw. He squeezed, gently but firmly. The clam shrieked and cracked apart. The pearl inside tumbled free.

"Anna, look — I found this for you. Isn't it beautiful?" He held it up in front of her, presenting it like something precious. A milky-white pearl, big as a baby's fist, caught the last light of the sunset. In its smooth surface, the reflections of a dragon and an elf looked back at each other.

"It's so pretty~" Anna giggled and took it, cradling it carefully in both hands and turning it slowly, studying every angle. Then her expression shifted. She straightened up, small face composed and solemn.

"Well... okay, brother. Anna forgives you. This once. Don't let it happen again."

"You can't run around by yourself until you're better. If you need to go somewhere, that's fine — you don't have to bring Anna. But you have to take Grey Wolf and the others with you."

"They can help if something goes wrong, okay?" By the end her voice had gone soft, and something in her eyes had shifted into something close to pleading. Su Nian felt it land somewhere in his chest. A girl's heart was a hard thing to read. He'd assumed she was angry because he'd left without telling her, because he hadn't been there beside her. It turned out she was scared he'd gotten hurt.

Since everyone's not quite used to it, I'll keep asking for support the old-fashioned way 0-0 Please, please send some love, boohoo ➤ Next: A Unique Method