My Dragon Got Lost QAQ (Continued)

She always felt like she had done something superfluous. Or perhaps—

I was thinking about something unnecessary.

Miss Surtr opened her eyes.

What came into view was a dark, unfamiliar forest.

No, it wasn't dark. It was simply a lack of sunlight due to the lush foliage—because she could hear the vibrant sounds of birds and insects. At the same time, the grass beneath her felt exceptionally soft and yielding.

Not Lothric —this forest belongs to a prosperous dream world.

In the surrounding environment of this dream world, there seemed to be no special signs that could be easily identified.

"This doesn't seem like a place I've been before... Hmm, a new world?"

Miss Surtr raised her hand, and the slender arm of the girl she saw bore the marks of time. She could vaguely sense some kind of active energy in the atmosphere that she could control. However, she couldn't directly extract any memories from the instincts within this body that she could directly control—clearly, the body the Dream Realm had given her was a battle-hardened, but talentless, mortal body. And if she had ever been to this world, then this body would inevitably have been developed to the limits allowed by the world.

"It's a new world."

She struggled to her feet, examining her body—she didn't need to look at her face; it was definitely no different from the one she had in Terra. Touching her head, she saw that the Sarkaz horns had vanished as always, leaving only simple, smooth hair.

She examined her attire—the materials were ordinary, consisting of fine linen lining typical of times of low productivity, and tanned leather protective gear. However, the stitches were dense and neat, a level of precision that even in the 21st century would require a high-precision sewing machine.

There was a sword at hand—a two-handed sword, the kind that only exists in fantasy worlds, the kind that, including the protective gear, weighs at least thirty kilograms and would only be used as a ceremonial weapon in the modern Middle Ages world. Surtr raised her finger and tapped it; the crisp, resonant sound from the blade told her that the sword's material strength was enough to make ordinary high-carbon steel disappear without a trace of exhaust fumes.

She stood up, supporting herself with her sword. All four limbs were intact and her movements were unimpeded. Without using any skill, she held the sword horizontally with one hand, her body instinctively adjusting its center of gravity. And her seemingly slender hand did not feel any strain when holding the blade horizontally.

He took a step, charged forward, covering ten meters in less than a second. Using the momentum of his movement, the sword sliced a small tree, about the thickness of a bowl, cleanly across its surface, and it fell backward.

"The physique of an adult Vayf." Miss Surtr nodded. Then, she took a deep breath.

She has been to many parts of the world.

She knows many ways to access free energy from the outside world within the universe.

She could sense that this body was a flesh and blood body with normal internal organs, rather than a mere soul vessel like ashes.

This means that the energy control methods of other worlds may also be applicable to this world.

'Whoosh—hiss—'

With the first breath, the surrounding temperature rose slightly. The noisy woods suddenly fell silent, and a faint breeze gathered in the area where they were.

'Hush-hush-'

With the second breath, some restless little animals fled in panic into the distance, and the temperature rose again. Dry marks appeared on the grass at my feet.

'Huff—Hah—!'

With the third breath, a red light emanated from the greatsword held in one hand, which instantly transformed into flames. He spun around, delivering a downward slash that unleashed a fan-shaped burst of fire that extended nearly twenty meters forward, igniting a small patch of woodland. Just as the fire showed signs of spreading outwards, the fourth breath caused the flames to recoil inwards from their source.

They gathered around the swordsman, transforming into several small spheres that spun lightly. They took shape, forming armor, wings, shields, and other unique forms. After a period of time, they naturally dissipated, disappearing into the world.

"It's elements." Miss Surtr raised an eyebrow. She noticed the violent chemical reactions, similar to acid-base reactions, on the scorched tree trunks. "This world is made up of elements, not atoms. Elements react with each other and are mutually exclusive, which means I can't simultaneously control multiple properties, otherwise they would react directly within my body—could I build a fusion furnace in my heart?"

She shook her head, abandoning the spur-of-the-moment idea—since the foundation of the world is elements rather than atoms, it means that chemistry and physics in the atomic world are essentially worthless here. So, while the phenomena might be similar, the underlying essence would be completely different. Although she had tried to modify the Nine Yang Divine Skill into the Nine Yang Fusion Divine Skill before, she knew better than to recklessly court death before understanding the inner workings of this world.

As well as--

"I've never been to this world before. Hmm, do I have any identification on me?"

The girl checked her clothes—great, the answer was very easy. The clothes were so new, as if they'd just come off a spinning wheel. Look, there wasn't a speck of dust on them!

Since there was no dust on it, the foreign object had no way to hide in the clothes that hadn't been softened yet!

Very good.

—Searching for side quests failed; no key quest items found.

She turned her head and looked around. Even with such a grand display, there was no sign of anyone spying on her. Even at the moment she unleashed that blazing sword strike, she hadn't sensed Talulah's dragonfire.

It's obvious that Talulah isn't here. At least not in the vicinity.

Very good.

— Searching for the main quest failed; no critical quest objective found.

So Miss Surtr gave her own imagined system a voiceover.

"Main quest changed, project... tentatively named, My Dragon is Lost, content: explore the surrounding area and reunite with the lost companion."

"The currently discovered companions Talulah 0/1."

Miss Surtr sighed and then raised her voice a little.

"Perhaps I should just call you by your real name? Talulah Aterlias, if you're nearby, please at least say something. Or even just meow?"

She used a special method of vocalization, and the sound waves vibrated in the atmosphere, causing the surrounding trees and leaves to tremble slightly.

She waited for a full half minute.

But the woodland responded to her with silence.

This couldn't be better.

Sigh, it seems Talulah really isn't here—perhaps this trip to the Dream Realm didn't actually manage to bring her along. Or maybe she landed somewhere else?

—Well, according to the Fire Keeper's deduction, even if Talulah were to come, she would merely be a projection, like a second body, possessing genuine feelings but unaffected by the original. Furthermore, in a world without Originium, she could freely use the transcribed Originium Arts without fear of any backlash or corruption...

—While I don't know if Frostnova's case is an isolated one, it's quite likely. Hmm... Although Talulah's swordsmanship is terrible, given that she can freely use Originium Arts, I feel like I might not be able to beat her right now.

Well, she should be able to handle her own problems. There's no point in worrying about her... Anyway, there's nothing else I can do besides look for her. Now I just hope she's not too far away.

The red-haired girl rubbed her head. Since worrying about Talulah was useless, the most urgent task was to figure out what kind of world this was. If she could find the corresponding features in her memories and recall the 'plot,' then finding people and conducting experiments would be much easier. But if she couldn't—

"I hope it's not one of those old-fashioned online novels with a fighting spirit worldview—I really have no interest in fighting against half the world just to kill a weak and overpowered protagonist with a low intelligence aura."

Some unhappy memories flooded her mind. The girl rubbed her head, slung a two-handed greatsword roughly her own height over her shoulder, and headed towards the sunlight filtering through the gaps in the forest. As she walked, she regulated her breathing. And as her adaptation to this body continued to increase, the invisible, colorless fire surrounding her grew ever more intense.

She was quite certain that this world was a typical fantasy world, and a more child-friendly one at that. As she walked through the dense forest, she found neither the usual humid heat nor the various annoying but inevitable insects. She saw butterflies and bees, but the structures of these creatures were all similarly based on elements.

A wild boar darted out of the forest, and she slew it with a single sword stroke. But no remains were left—she saw the dead creature, after falling, quickly dissipate into the atmosphere as unclaimed elements. Only a small portion of sediment coalesced, transforming into two plump, tender pieces of meat.

Great, this is not only fantasy, it's even very much like an online game. But in terms of its worldview, its logic seems self-consistent.

She soon reached the edge of the woods.