Qiyana's Unwillingness

Chapter 39: Qiyana's Unwillingness

As vital units connecting all of Ixialia, the Road Protectors were themselves a powerful combination of Elementalist and warrior.

Under these circumstances, Kacang could clearly sense that the concentration of magic power emanating into the air from this unassuming village even surpassed that of the central tower in Yishuaoken!

And Yuan Chen, sitting there and sipping the blood curdled dish in small mouthfuls along the edge of the bowl, had a fine sheen of sweat covering his forehead.

It wasn't just Yuan Chen. Once the blood curdled dish cooled slightly and they confirmed their sensitive tongues could handle it, the Meat-toothed Beasts also gathered around the pot in small groups, enthusiastically tasting it.

Spicy flavors were not uncommon in Runeterra, but dishes that incorporated spiciness were rare. Some people hated it, while those who liked it found it irresistible.

Just like now, let alone the Meat-toothed Beasts, even the Blacksmith was eating with gusto, his thick beard covered in red oil.

"Haha! Audan's back! Come eat! And the honored Road Protector too!"

The Blacksmith said with a chuckle, holding up his bowl. "This is Dragonblood that Yuan Chen personally prepared, it tastes amazing! I feel like I'm filled with magic right now!"

As he spoke, it seemed he chewed on a Sichuan pepper. The Blacksmith couldn't help but sneeze, and then wisps of high-temperature flames spurted from his throat. Without paying attention, a good portion of his beard was scorched.

"Dragonblood?!"

Upon hearing the Blacksmith's words, Kacang's eyes narrowed slightly.

He didn't doubt it at first, because the Blacksmith's state was clearly one of excessive magic.

In a state of excess magic, the magic power within the human body would rapidly metabolize along with physiological activities or sensory stimulation. The flames the Blacksmith had just spurted out fit this perfectly.

Coming to the pot, Kacang looked at the Dragonblood curdled dish being simmered, and as he sensed the energy within it, he felt it was a terrible waste.

Although he didn't know where this blood came from, it was undoubtedly extremely high-quality Dragon blood. It could greatly enhance the quality of creations when used for enchanting and quenching. Yet, now, it had merely been made into a pot of food—

No.

Picking up a wooden spoon from the side and scooping out a piece of the blood curdled dish, Kacang quickly realized that the food in front of him was not as simple as it appeared... it had undergone secondary processing.

"Don't look. The apprentices made a mistake during the refining of these two pots of Dragonblood, and they can no longer be used normally. Making them into food is the best outcome."

Yuan Chen's voice came from the side.

Turning his head, Kacang's eyes fell upon a young man with fair skin, and a youth whose appearance was completely different from that of the Ixialia people.

His limbs were long and slender, his body strong and well-proportioned. His fair skin seemed to emit a faint halo under the sunlight, and the jade-like fineness made one unable to resist reaching out to touch and confirm.

The moment Kacang saw these characteristics of an outsider on Yuan Chen, his eyes widened. And the instant he felt vigilance and hostility, an inexpressible Fear pressed down on his heart—

Dragonblood User!

Legend had it that anyone who killed a Dragon and bathed in its blood would receive a blessing from the Dragon, thereby mastering the unique pressure and power of a Dragon.

Almost subconsciously, feeling the panic in his heart, Kacang instinctively summoned the Axiom Wheelblade and placed it by his side as a guard.

Although Audan had already said that they hunted a Dragon with the help of an outsider, when Kacang saw a real Dragonblood User right before his eyes, he inevitably fell into a state of disbelief and uncertainty.

What Kacang couldn't understand was how this Dragonblood User in front of him had entered Ixialia—why had the Concealment Spell covering the entire country given no warning?

And just as Kacang was controlling the Axiom Wheelblade to ask, he suddenly felt that the situation around him seemed a bit off.

As he controlled the Wheelblade to ascend into the air, the previously harmonious crowd suddenly fell silent.

Then, the Blacksmith decisively drew the Fire Tongs and Forging Hammer from his waist, spewing a hot breath mixed with Dragonblood Mana onto them, burning them red. He said with ill intent:

"What do you want to do? Esteemed... Road Protector?"

It wasn't just the Blacksmith; the Stone Masons attached heavy rocks to their arms using simple Yuan Chu Axioms—

Although it was just a simple Yuan Chu Axiom, it still allowed the Stone Masons to easily lift huge rocks weighing hundreds of pounds.

In terms of mastery of Yuan Chu Axiom, Kacang, as a Road Protector, was undoubtedly more powerful than these people. But the problem was that, having consumed Dragonblood, the villagers' magical abilities were far beyond normal.

The advantage in numbers... and, another Dragonblood User?

Glancing at Mordas, who had already stood up, holding a hunting knife, his body covered in torn scars, looking like a fierce ghost, a shocking guess arose in Kacang's heart...

They had really hunted a Dragon!!!

Just then.

"Don't worry, put it down, we're leaving soon, be friendly."

Yuan Chen casually waved his hand. Seeing this, the Blacksmith and the other villagers gradually relaxed.

But even so, the Blacksmith couldn't help but snort coldly, two streams of fire shooting from his nostrils, and sat back down to eat his blood pudding, his eyes never leaving the Road Protector.

After completing the dragon hunt, Yuan Chen's regional reputation in the village reached LV5, commanding absolute obedience.

In such a small village far from civilization, people were not just neighbors; they had blood ties to varying degrees. In this situation, outsiders were extremely easily rejected.

For this reason, the Lupe Family, who had just been exiled, had to go through immense hardship to truly become a member of the village and, through wisdom and experience, earned everyone's respect, becoming an Elder in the village.

Yuan Chen encountered the same rejection. But there was also a slight advantage: once accepted, the villagers would regard Yuan Chen as one of their own.

When outsiders came to oppress, even the most timid person would stand up to help out and fill the numbers. It had nothing to do with loyalty; it was their way of protecting themselves, far from civilization, similar to ancient Town Gangs and Hometown Associations.

Seeing Yuan Chen's reputation here, Kacang was also somewhat surprised, even unable to comprehend it.

The outside world was full of war, disease, conflict, and some upstarts who took advantage of the chaos. In such an environment, let alone villages deep in the mountains, even Commoners in Prefectures harbored hostility and rejection towards outsiders.

As a Road Protector, and as a close guard of the Prefect, Kacang had many matters to attend to, so he knew that the outside world was not as desolate and scorched as everyone imagined, but was instead giving birth to new civilizations.

But under isolationism, Ixialia maintained its Concealment Spell, keeping itself cut off from the world.

So... why would an outsider receive such high recognition?

"Lower your guard, Road Protector."

A voice, neither warm nor cold, came from a boat nearby. Leaning on a wooden staff, Master Lupe, clad in a Vydalian Robe, walked out of the mansion with a cold expression:

"You need to learn what respect is."

Seeing Lupe's attire, Kacang quickly crossed his arms over his chest, offering Lupe the Ixialian greeting, and said:

"Greetings to you, innovator of the Earth Axiom, esteemed Yuentar, Master Lupe."

"Enough, that's all in the past. There's no need to put on such a pretense."

Lupe shook her head with a hint of disgust. It was true that she longed for her family to regain its former glory. But when her family suffered calamity, the cold attitudes of the Nobles who had treated her with courtesy in the past made Lupe particularly disgusted.

Lupe wanted her family to be among the Nobles, but at the same time, she loathed that group of Nobles. Although this sounded contradictory, human nature was complex, and there was nothing more to say.

Even though Lupe said this, Kacang still meticulously maintained his etiquette.

As an Elemental Master who had reformed the Earth Axiom, even if Lupe was exiled, she was not someone a Road Protector could insult.

Every Elementalist who practiced the Earth Axiom inevitably studied Lupe's interpretation of it. In this situation, even if she was exiled, even if her title as Yuentar was stripped, Lupe could kill Kacang without bearing any responsibility.

She would only need to say, "He offended me," and that would be enough. This external status was also one of the reasons Lupe could become an Elder of the village.

The further they were from civilization, the more they needed protection that could resist civilization. Otherwise, the elemental taxes alone would be enough to overwhelm them.

Arriving beside Yuan Chen, to Kacang's disbelief, Yuan Chen merely sat there smiling without any reaction. Instead, Lupe bowed slightly and asked:

"What do we do next?"

"That depends on where we are going."

Yuan Chen said calmly, then turned his gaze to Kacang: "Where are you from? Who is your master?"

After a moment of silence, Kacang quietly replied: "I am from Tiklas, and my master is the Ninth Ailai, Lord Mara."

Although he didn't know why Lupe was so respectful to an outsider, his reason told Kacang that if he couldn't understand, he shouldn't dwell on it for now. For the time being, he should just complete his assigned task.

Hearing Kacang's words, Yuan Chen, after a brief silence, looked up and said: "Go and complete your mission. The dragon's corpse is on the cart outside the village. Once confirmed, take the Dragon Meat and Blood back. With proof, Mara won't make things difficult for you."

"And you?" Kacang asked suspiciously, "Aren't you going to Tiklas together?"

"We are not going to Tiklas, but directly to Yishuaoken," Yuan Chen said.

"Even the Yuenale has no right to stop the Dragon Slayers from going to Yishuaoken to present such a noble gift."

Hearing this, Kacang wanted to speak but stopped. This was not something he could decide.

A political prisoner of the Elemental Master level heading to the heart of the country was enough to make the elders in the prefecture scratch their heads in distress. For him to make the decision now felt a bit...

"This gift is more than just a Dragon," Yuan Chen turned to Milio, who was curiously observing the Road Protector beside him, and said:

"Milio, give us a Spirit Fire."

Hearing this, Milio couldn't help but pout and say, "It's a Fire Treasure, not some Spirit Fire... Teacher, you're so annoying."

"There's not much difference~"

Yuan Chen shrugged indifferently.

A small ball of flame with a soul and emotions, what else could it be but a Spirit Fire?

Although he disliked the name Spirit Fire, upon hearing Yuan Chen's request, Milio opened the furnace he carried on his back.

A warm, round flame burned within the furnace... It was hard to imagine flames being associated with the word "round." But regardless, that was the result.

Taking a small portion from the large flame, Milio hopped over to Kacang and offered him the flame.

And Kacang? His eyes were already filled with shock when he saw the large Fire Treasure.

As an Elementalist, Kacang was rated between LV3 and LV4 by Yuan Chen's standards. According to the data, Kacang's primary attribute was Wind, and his secondary attribute was Fire.

Elementalists typically cultivated two or more types of Elemental Magic, and the elements they cultivated in conjunction with their primary element often produced synergistic effects. This was the case for Kacang: Wind Aids Fire, Fire Boosts Wind.

Now, seeing this warm, peaceful, serene, and healing flame, Kacang quickly realized what it represented. For a moment, his gaze towards Milio was filled with shock.

A moment later, this shock transformed into reverence. He knelt on one knee and accepted the flame, saying, "As you wish... Elemental Master."

Milio was not yet an Elemental Master—at least, the central tower of Yishuaoken had not officially bestowed the honor.

However, as an Elementalist who had cultivated the element of Fire, Kacang was certain that Ixialia was about to welcome its youngest, and possibly the greatest, Elemental Master of this era.

Hearing Kacang's words, Milio seemed a bit confused—

When he was born, the Lupe Family had already fully integrated into the village, so he didn't understand why Kacang respected him so much, nor did he know what the title "Elemental Master" truly meant to all of Ixialia.

"Go take a look at the Dragon, bring back some souvenirs, and return with this flame. Don't forget to use magic to sustain the flame's burning."

Yuan Chen waved his hand, seemingly having no intention of continuing the conversation. Kacang felt no discomfort from Yuan Chen's actions.

He had clearly heard Milio address Yuan Chen as "Teacher" just now. Coupled with the reverence from Yuentar, regardless of whether the other party was from an outside land, it was no longer something he could handle.

Meanwhile, in the Deep Palace of Yishuaoken.

Qiyana stared at the appointment on the desk before her with unwillingness in her eyes.

[You cannot break the rules.]

Going on sale on Thursday... Speaking of which, the current competition on Qidian is too damn fierce.