Fragility and Vastness

Ruger knew it was time to make a choice. After all, he was not that tenacious little tree root that had endured countless hardships and crossed mountains and rivers just to take a sip of dragon piss. And judging by the effects of the black fruit, the effects of this whole pool of dragon piss were surely limited. But from another angle, that also suggested this giant creature's symptoms of pissing blood were not yet too severe.

He suddenly lowered his head to look at the cultivation pouch at his waist.

The pouch was trembling, growing increasingly frantic, as though it wanted to leap right off his waist.

"Y-you... want to drink that dragon piss?" He looked around and tried asking.

The cultivation pouch went still for a breath, then shook twice more in answer.

He did not act immediately. Instead, he stood there thinking for a while, then began circling around, carefully observing the giant creature from all sides within the cave. This colossal thing faced inward, its prone body tilted slightly. It was also simply too tall, leaving very little of it visible.

Not daring to get close, he made a huge circuit before reaching a spot where he could see the creature's back.

He frowned slightly, then walked on a little farther and confirmed it again from another angle.

This giant thing... didn't seem to have dragon wings? A flicker of surprise rose in his heart.

Whether it was the dragons Old Gold Tooth had spoken of or the dragons occasionally mentioned in Ka Liu's diary, all of them had wings. Their appearances might differ slightly, their temperaments might be strange and peculiar, and even their sizes might vary enormously—but so long as they were pure-blooded dragonkind, true dragons, they would certainly possess wings.

Then was it merely an underground beast with dragon blood? Like the former Saint Lord of the Red Horn Tribe—a false dragon, a drake beast?

Then another possibility occurred to him.

Since it had been beaten until it pissed blood, perhaps it had been injured and lost its wings.

He noticed that this giant creature only breathed once after a very long interval. He had not dared approach its mouth, but the sound of its exhalation was like a gale surging past.

Perhaps it was the naturally weak aura of a kobold, or perhaps he had been cautious enough since entering. In any case, the giant creature showed no sign of waking.

He continued circling and thoroughly inspected the enormous cave.

He could confirm that apart from the entrance through which he had come, there was no second exit. Thinking of the valley outside and its surroundings, the various traces and trees in the valley, as well as the appearance of the soil layers here, he could basically conclude that this giant creature had truly been sleeping here for a very long time—perhaps as long as the combined lifespans of several kobolds.

The gap between species was truly interesting.

Ruger stroked the few remaining hairs on his chin, a bold thought taking shape in his mind.

When a huge and powerful being was asleep—sleeping so soundly that it had not awakened for decades, so deeply that even pissing blood had failed to wake it—would it care about the bite of a tiny mosquito? What if that mosquito was very polite? What if that little mosquito was considerate, moving lightly and silently without making a buzz?

The more Ruger thought about it, the more impressed he became with himself. He even felt that his legs going weak at the beginning had merely been an illusion.

This giant creature, even if it was not a dragon, was still an exceedingly powerful dragon beast. So long as there was enough to go around, even an old kobold so ancient his teeth had fallen out and sprouts had grown from him could enjoy a second spring. In other words, Old Gold Tooth could be saved. His own path as a wizard could be saved too—at least, he could take his next steps with greater ease. Of course, he would not rush to consume dragon blood. What mattered more to him was gaining another choice.

He still remembered Half-Man's promise to solve the problem of short-lived species for him, but there had been no news ever since. With this new choice, he would be able to face Half-Man and his own wizard's path with greater calm in the future.

Mental Boil seemed to reach its optimal effect as his emotions surged, making him feel as though he had strength without end. He even wanted to sing aloud.

After thinking it over, he retreated toward the cave entrance.

Even if he wanted to be a mosquito, not now. At the very least, he needed to make some preparations.

Besides, Aisijin was still outside. If this giant creature happened to wake, she would certainly not escape unharmed.

Before leaving, he looked at the pool of water but ultimately did not touch it. It was not because he found it disgusting. He would wait until next time; this time, he would leave everything untouched.

He carefully climbed out of the cave entrance.

Making his way upward, he poured out more dirt and sealed the entrance shut.

Aisijin had already been waiting anxiously outside.

"Let's go back first. Old Gold Tooth can be saved," he said.

He would put Aisijin at ease first. If it failed when the time came, he would try stealing out a whole pool of piss and soaking Old Gold Tooth in it. Having an entire pool to himself should surely produce some effect.

The two began hurrying back.

Between feeling their way around and digging through the earth bit by bit, they had spent an entire day busy here.

"Oh, right. I have a gift for you!"

He took out the beast leg he had treasured for so long, personally roasted by a peak apprentice.

Smelling its aroma, he felt slightly reassured. The flavor had held.

Both of them were hungry as well, so they found a place to stop and rest along the way, then began sharing it. Tense emotions also consumed a great deal of energy. Ruger had spent the day climbing up and down, passing through joy and terror alike, while Aisijin had been continually worried and anxious. Thus, the beast leg that had originally included a portion for Big Silly Hum was quickly devoured clean by the two of them.

Upon returning to the kobold settlement, he instructed the kobold girl not to tell Old Gold Tooth the news yet.

Everything would wait until he had handled it.

He gathered himself. The day had brought gains, but it had also delayed his meditation progress.

Relaxing, he lay down in that familiar place, in that familiar spot. His eyes stared at the cave ceiling, blinking from time to time as he recalled the giant beast's towering body. Compared to it, the Gray Longneck Saint Lord was like an earthworm. That overwhelming presence, that impact upon both his eyes and soul, was precisely what had made his legs go weak for that instant.

And such an exaggerated giant might not even be a true dragon. How formidable, then, would a real dragon be? And how terrifying would the wizards who stood above dragons be? They must have already transcended the very concept of being human. Though they might still be as small as ordinary people, they surely possessed the power to make dragons tremble—just as he had today, his legs weakening for one instant.

He thought of the words in Ka Liu's diary.

Explore the mysteries of life, lift the veil over the river of time, possess mighty power and an immortal soul, see through all things in the world with a long life, and perceive the secrets of all creation with supreme wisdom.

Of course, that was merely Ka Liu's vision of wizards when he had still been an apprentice, and Ka Liu's understanding of wizards at the time.

Why did he say that? Because Ruger had discovered that this diary was likely only the beginning. There might be many more volumes after it, so he had no idea how far Ka Liu had ultimately gone.

However, everything rested on the premise that this diary had been picked up by Half-Man—and that Ka Liu had not yet died.

Through the diary, he had peered into Ka Liu's life, and without realizing it, he had developed a feeling toward this wizard apprentice he had never met, as though they were old friends.

Taking a deep breath, he rolled over and rose.

No matter how distant the goal, he had to walk toward it one step at a time. He would begin with daily meditation. So long as he moved forward step by step and never stopped, even if his steps were small, even if the road occasionally bent and twisted, that dragon would become insignificant—perhaps not even worthy of being called a goal upon the wizard's path.