The Black Dragon Miss Refuses to Be a Mount Chapter 19

Nowadays, the nobles and generals all lived in the Imperial City. If anything happened, it could deal a considerable blow to the Empire, so strict precautions were necessary.

PS: Anyway, I've already killed off that failed plot. I absolutely won't let you see that kind of development again, qwq. Honestly, if you hadn't told me, I wouldn't have realized it was that ridiculous myself. Thank you, everyone.

Childhood Friend 012: Sensing Magic Power

Ailolin watched the lingering glow of the setting sun, her thoughts drifting far away. She had lived as a dragon for a long time now, yet she sometimes still dreamed of the days when she had been a human on Earth.

Vidian interrupted Ailolin's thoughts. "Ailolin, how do you think your combat ability is now?"

"Combat ability? I think it's all right..."

So far, Ailolin had only encountered two kinds of enemies—those she could completely defeat, and those she could not defeat at all.

The battles of recent days had already accustomed Ailolin to using her fangs and claws. From the perspective of her former human self, it was undoubtedly barbaric behavior, but it had now become instinctive to her.

"Most Dragonkind rarely use physical combat in battle. Although you haven't reached adulthood yet, you can already begin learning the basics."

"The basics of what?" Ailolin asked.

With a smile on her face, Vidian calmly replied, "Dragon Language Magic."

When people spoke of magic, most imagined elegance, wonder, and difficulty. Not everyone could learn magic, and humans were not the only ones capable of using it.

Many magical systems existed in this world, all explored by those who came before. Dragonkind, meanwhile, possessed Dragon Language Magic passed down from ancient times.

Unlike humans, where only exceptionally gifted individuals could awaken magic, every dragon was naturally attuned to magic power and could therefore use magic.

When Ailolin learned that she could study magic, she became extremely excited. This was another missing piece of information that had not been recorded in the Dragonkind inheritance.

The question now was, how was she supposed to learn Dragon Language Magic?

"You need to start with the most basic step: sensing magic power. But remember, this will be a very long process."

Vidian gave Ailolin a warning in advance, telling her not to expect quick results.

"How should I sense magic power?"

"Close your eyes, then feel your surroundings until you discover the magical elements in the air."

Ailolin closed her eyes as Vidian instructed. A long time passed, but she felt nothing.

"Don't rush. Take it slowly. Spend a few hours every day sensing it, and sooner or later, you'll succeed."

"Understood..."

Ailolin continued sensing with her eyes closed. She did her best to calm herself, cast aside every distracting thought, and gradually, she could no longer feel the things around her.

Then Ailolin suddenly sensed something indescribable. It seemed tangible yet intangible, and it came in different colors.

Vidian had patiently remained by Ailolin's side. When she heard Ailolin say that she had sensed something, she was somewhat surprised and asked, "Can you feel them? Tell me, what colors are they?"

"Um, red, yellow, blue... There are so many colors, I can't count them all."

Then Ailolin suddenly could no longer hear Vidian's voice. She opened her eyes and saw Vidian staring directly at her.

"Why did you stop talking?"

"You..." Vidian moved closer. For the first time, she was standing extremely close to Ailolin. "Are you sure what you saw was multicolored?"

"I'm sure."

Ailolin closed her eyes again to confirm it. Now, sensing those magical elements came rather naturally to her.

"Don't move. Let me examine your body."

Vidian placed a hand on Ailolin's head. Not long afterward, she sighed. "You have an affinity for every element, but the amount of magic power in your body is pitifully low."

"Um, can you explain that more specifically?"

"It means that with your current reserves of magic power, you can learn and use magic, but its power will be greatly reduced."

"Does that mean I'm not suited for using magic?" Ailolin asked.

"Don't worry. You can still use external means to cast magic."

Vidian explained in great detail the methods that could assist with casting magic. For example, she could use a staff that stored magic power to assist in casting spells. The magic power consumed during casting would come from the staff rather than herself.

However, Ailolin could not use a staff at the moment. Most staffs were made for humanoid creatures. She could only find a way to turn into a human, or simply tie a gem filled with magic power onto herself.

Then Vidian mentioned one final method. "There is a type of person in this world with a special constitution who can help replenish your magic power."

"A special constitution?"

"Yes. An individual of any race may possess it. It is called the Magic Spring Constitution. Those with the Magic Spring Constitution have enormous amounts of magic power within their bodies."

Hearing this, Ailolin had some doubts. "No matter how much magic power they have, it's still inside someone else's body. Could it be..."

"That's right! Magic power can be transferred, and after the transfer, it can remain in your body for a long time."

For some reason, Ailolin thought of a term—power bank.

"Then how do you transfer it?"

"Hehe..." Vidian revealed a wicked smile for the first time. "It's simple. You just need to mate with someone who has that constitution."

"Pfft! Mate, mate with what!?"

"Mate. And there are no restrictions on race or gender. As long as you do that sort of thing, you can..."

"Stop. Don't say any more."

Even hearing such words made Ailolin feel unbearably embarrassed. In both her past and present lives, she had never even dated anyone, and she was somewhat conservative by nature. Although she knew what that word meant, hearing someone say it aloud still made her awkward.

"Oh? Embarrassed already?" Vidian had discovered something very amusing. "It's just mating. It's something you'll experience sooner or later..."

"I have a question!" Ailolin immediately changed the subject. "You told me before that only Dragonkind can learn Dragon Language Magic, but you're preparing to teach me Dragon Language Magic. Does that mean you're a dragon too?"

It was time to ask this question. Ailolin had actually suspected for a long time that Vidian might be one of her own kind. After all, Vidian knew far too much about Dragonkind.

Since dragons could transform, could the woman before her really be a dragon in human form?

"About that question..."

Rumble!

A deafening sound suddenly rang out. Ailolin jumped in fright, and she could feel the ground shaking noticeably.

A gigantic pillar of light appeared in the distance, turning the dim evening sky bright and glaring once more.

The entire Southern Wilderness fell into chaos. Ailolin saw countless birds startled into flight from the forest, while the roars of magical beasts and wild animals echoed all around.

"Vidian, what is that pillar of light? Um, Vidian?"

Ailolin suddenly realized that Vidian had disappeared.

A Gleaming Light was flying toward the pillar, and as Ailolin watched it, she thought, Could that be Vidian...?

PS: This still counts as today's update. Tomorrow's update will proceed as usual, OVO.

Childhood Friend 013: An Outsider

Vidian flew above the pillar of light, confirming her suspicion.

This was a strategic long-range Teleportation Array, capable of transporting an enormous number of creatures. A magical beast lure device seemed to have been installed at its center, and Vidian could already see countless magical beasts rushing toward it.

Where would these magical beasts be sent? Vidian already had a guess.

She floated in the air and thought for a while before ultimately deciding not to interfere.

Whosever scheme it was, and whatever happened, had nothing to do with her.

She would never take either side.

Ailolin watched helplessly as that "Gleaming Light" flew back. As it drew closer, she finally saw clearly that it was Vidian.

"How exactly did you fly?"

To Ailolin, Vidian's flight was unbelievable. Was she using magic?

When faced with something she could not understand, Ailolin could only guess that it was the effect of magic.

"Let's continue discussing the earlier question," Vidian said, not answering Ailolin's question.

"Wait, what was that pillar of light?"

Ailolin had noticed long ago that ever since the pillar appeared, the magical beasts of the Southern Wilderness seemed to be rushing toward it, though they still avoided a certain area around Vidian's house.

"Don't worry about it. It has nothing to do with us."

"Um..."

"Didn't you say before that you wanted to be an egoist? Then let me tell you now: that pillar was the light emitted by a Teleportation Array. It is currently sending the magical beasts of the Southern Wilderness elsewhere."

"Where are they being sent?"

"I don't know, but most likely somewhere within the Empire."

Thinking of how the Five-Nation Alliance had dared to wage war against the Empire, Vidian guessed that they were probably behind this Teleportation Array. But strategic-grade Teleportation Arrays were enormously expensive, so the Five-Nation Alliance must have spent a fortune.

Although Vidian lived here, she could not monitor the entire Southern Wilderness. The Teleportation Array was far from where she currently lived, so she had not noticed it while it was being set up.

But none of that mattered. As long as they did not come disturb her, she would not care what humans did.

Ailolin, however, had not fully processed it yet. "Will those magical beasts attack humans?"

"Of course. What else do you think the Imperial Wilderness Legion is for? They probably never expected the magical beasts to bypass their defensive line in another way."

Ailolin immediately thought of that familiar face. This time, she was truly worried about Likaro's safety.

"Are you worried about that little friend of yours?"

"Yes, a little."

"She may indeed encounter danger. The soldiers in the Empire's interior have no experience fighting magical beasts. Faced with magical beasts appearing out of nowhere, they may not have any way to respond in the short term."

Vidian's analysis made sense. Many powerful magical beasts in the Southern Wilderness were not something ordinary armies could fight. Otherwise, the Empire would have colonized and developed this place long ago.

And no one knew exactly how many powerful magical beasts had passed through the Teleportation Array.

Rumble!

While they were speaking, the distant pillar of light suddenly vanished.

A Teleportation Array did not require no supervision after activation. It needed a large amount of medium and magic power to sustain its operation at all times. Its resources had likely been exhausted just now, forcing the array to shut down.

"Looks like it's over. Judging by the number of magical beasts I saw, at least tens of thousands of them must have been sent away."

"Tens of thousands!?"

Ailolin had fought many magical beasts in the Southern Wilderness. Some were creatures that even she could not defeat now. If they had been transported into the Empire's interior...

"All right, now there'll be a good show to watch."

Vidian treated this matter as entertainment. After the appearance of the Teleportation Array, this war-related "long-running drama" would probably continue for much longer and become even more exciting.

Ailolin, however, was different. She realized she could not stop worrying about Likaro and was afraid something might happen to her.

"It seems you're really worried about that little friend. What, do you want to go protect her?"

"If she's in danger, and if it's something I can do... I'll help her."

"Tsk, tsk. Friendship really is a wonderful thing."

Vidian sighed faintly, then said, "Don't forget, how would you return to Aidefalong now? Even if you went back, wouldn't people fear you as a magical beast and perhaps even attack you?"

Vidian's words immediately brought Ailolin back to reality. Yes, even if she returned to Aidefalong now, she could not help Likaro. Instead, she would cause plenty of trouble.

What was more, she could not even cross the border of the Southern Wilderness. The Imperial Wilderness Legion was still watching both land and sky.

"So, I advise you not to care too much about such feelings. Let time slowly fade them away," Vidian advised earnestly.

Ailolin completely disagreed with her. "I don't know what the future will bring, but the memories of spending time with Likaro are very precious to me now."

Even if time truly could wash everything away, Ailolin would still choose to cherish the present.

"It seems you two share a deep bond. But that makes sense. She accompanied you for more than two months after you were born. Those were probably very important days for you."

"Sigh, but now I know she may be in danger, and I can't help her..."

"You'll get used to it. Many things are like this. Some things are beyond your power to change."

"..."

Ailolin felt that Vidian was truly someone with a story, but she never revealed anything about herself, leaving Ailolin completely unable to understand her.