Glintstone and Crystallization's Negative Effects?

On an ordinary day, a statement arrived from the Imperial Capital of the Warrior Country. The spirits of their ancestors had finally agreed to continue the War Festival. The countdown to the festival's reopening had begun, requiring a complete repetition of the procedures. Specifically, this involved lighting beacon fires in each city, followed by sacrificial performances and ceremonies, after which the interrupted War Festival could resume. The entire process would take approximately one week, during which the people would travel to the Imperial Capital to witness the festival. Whether the Warrior Country's ancestors truly agreed was unknown; the truth remained unknown until the King confirmed the outcome. Let's assume the spirits agreed. They couldn't afford to delay such a vital national event indefinitely, lest they become a laughingstock for other nations. Adventurers initiated the Battle Festival. The War Festival commenced. A raging dragon attacked, forcing the War Festival to a halt. These three major events occurred almost simultaneously within a week, plunging the people into a dramatic existence. During the interruption of the War Festival, several significant events also unfolded. Two of the most notable were... The first thing is that rumors have been circulating that the magic in the Zane Dungeon might be harmful to people. And there's even some evidence to back it up. For example, regarding Glintstone Magic, research shows that excessively pursuing its origins can lead to terrible mutations, as evidenced by the Magic Academy's Magician Ball. Another example is Crystallization Magic; scholars have discovered that improper handling can cause the body to crystallize, and crystallized individuals have appeared near the Crystallized Old Man on the Road of Sacrifices. Furthermore, other spells by Professor Raya Lucaria have also been found to have safety hazards from various angles; even the slightest, almost negligible risks have been uncovered. It's safe to say that this is definitely intentional on someone's part. You might ask if there are any real-life victims of these potentially harmful spells? The rumor doesn't specify, but there are already proven cases of harm within the Zane Dungeon, albeit from ancient times. Believe it or not, the spread of these rumors has caused concern about the safety of magic in the Zane Dungeon. Suddenly, magic students everywhere have begun to abandon learning Zane Dungeon magic and seek safer alternatives. You thought this would happen, right? At least that's what those who deliberately spread these rumors and anxiety thought. However, things didn't turn out quite as they imagined. Some magic students were indeed affected by the rumors, as some of them were true—Origin Magic really could turn mages into spheres. However, those easily swayed by rumors weren't the target audience of the Zane Dungeon. The true Zane Dungeon audience didn't care about such things at all, and their reasoning was simple. "Those who can turn spheres and crystallize are masters of this kind of magic, right? We're just using it casually; what do we care about such profound harms?" This kind of thinking was prevalent in the Zane Dungeon's core territory— the Arnor Kingdom. Adventurers there had a very realistic attitude, not worrying at all about things that might or might not happen. Some extreme mages even got excited after hearing about the dangers of Sien's magic, studying it even more deeply; it seemed that courting death was in the nature of mages, no wonder so many mages liked to keep cats. The spread of these rumors was limited, barely affecting even Black Rock City, and by now almost no one cared anymore. Perhaps this was the first wave of attacks against the Zane Dungeon by certain individuals, but its effect was very limited. However, while the rumors were spreading, the revered Great Court Magic Sage the Warrior Country, Master Yuenka, announced a new invention, which was greatly welcomed by his supporters. It was an oral potion that, after consumption, could amplify the Qi conversion technology for a certain period, reaching a terrifying conversion rate of 70-80%. Combined with the continuously improved Qi conversion technology and the Reform Ring, this technology could now be truly applied in actual combat. Quite talented, Master Yuenka. However, there were also rumors that Yuenka's improved magic was plagiarized from the Magic Association. If such "rumors" were to spread, they would surely cause a great damage to his reputation. So someone intervened, and such news has been almost completely silenced. This is an invisible struggle. The second matter, still related to the Zane Dungeon, is the recently popular Dragon Communion. Even now, many people still seek out the Dragon Communion, though it has become commonplace and isn't as popular as it was initially. The Dragon Slayer Warrior, a tale heard since childhood by the Warrior Country, is incredibly popular, and everyone wants to try their luck when Dragon Communion opportunity arises, making its popularity understandable. Even the "Thirty Heroes" of the Glory Dungeon launched a hero character with the Dragon Slayer Warrior label, which, while suspected of riding the wave, was very well-received. The number of people who successfully passed the Dragon Communion test and became Dragon Warrior has now exceeded one hundred, but after being punished by the authorities, they no longer dare to disturb the peace with their dragon roars in the city. So far, two special Dragon Communion Offering prayers have been discovered: "Agheel's Flame" and "Smough's Glintstone," which are superior versions of "Flame Breath" and "Magic Breath," respectively. While their power is considerable, the currently popular Dragon Communion Offering prayers are actually the simplest: "Dragon Bite" and "Dragon Claw." Only adventurers capable of defeating dragons and performing Dragon Communion would consider which prayers are most practical. The reactions of the laypeople were uniform. "This one's cool! This one's cool too! Wow, that one's even cooler!" Seemingly because the public so enthusiastically welcomed Dragon Incantation, the Dragon Warrior and adventurers were now incredibly flamboyant, practically conjuring Dragon Claw claws as they walked to elicit screams and cheers from the crowd—somewhat like the teenagers Gong Qiying often saw in his past life who would suddenly do a backflip jump shot while walking. Interestingly, the dragon race, or more precisely, the Bipedal Dragon, also highly valued Dragon Communion, especially after E'luo's first return from the Zane Dungeon. This chieftain now went to the Zane Dungeon every few days, staying for a whole day, returning to rest, and then going back in the next day, as if he were fascinated by something inside. And within the Bipedal Dragon race, the adult dragons with considerable strength even followed E'luo's pattern, venturing into the Zane Dungeon, only their recovery time after each trip was much longer. The entire Bipedal Dragon herd seemed to have reached some unspoken consensus, all heading towards the Zane Dungeon. Some tried to secretly find out what they were up to, but the Bipedal Dragon's mouths were sealed shut, refusing to divulge anything, fueling much speculation. Over time, people noticed that the dragons returned from the dungeon soaking wet, as if they'd been swallowed and regurgitated by some enormous monster. While anyone would find this sticky state repulsive, these Bipedal Dragons all wore satisfied smiles, some even displaying expressions of love, making them appear utterly corrupted. This was... this was terrifying. Rumors spread that "the Bipedal Dragon seem to be having some kind of wild time lately." And yet, no one came forward to refute them. Even Mor was warned by his family not to get too close to Abei, lest he be led astray by those Bipedal Dragons and his dragon life be ruined. But to the despair of Mor's family, Mor eventually ended up hanging out with Abei, going into and out of the Zane Dungeon together every day, covered in sticky residue and sometimes bearing many wounds. It was terrifying, truly terrifying. Feeling that their main character had been ruined, the Mor couple had begun considering starting a new game and creating a new account. The Battle Festival to defeat Radahn had been held two or three times under the organization of various powerful figures, but unfortunately, each time the results seemed unable to surpass the first one; that one's setup was simply too luxurious. Recently, the fourth team to challenge the Battle Festival was about to take action, led by the eager Prince Lan Le. These were the major events that had recently occurred: Dragon Communion, Battle Festival, Great Rune Contest, Thirty Heroes, Beinal teaching Weapon Skill, the mysterious Two Fingers and Unraveling Finger, and the Level-Scaled Invasion from Caelid. It's unclear when it started, but many new things had appeared in the Warrior Country. This country, which was considered serious and rigid in every aspect, had suddenly been injected with quite a few trendy elements in a short period of time, and these elements often carried an atmosphere that didn't quite fit with its traditional staidness. A drop of green dye was added to this stagnant pool of land. The green of the Zane Dungeon spread outwards in all directions of the Warrior Country, injecting a new element called "funny fun" into the otherwise serious and rigid atmosphere. There were lighthearted and humorous antics, magnificent and passionate ones, and even people from the Arnor Kingdom engaging in playful antics—everyone could find something they needed here. Unbeknownst to many, the atmosphere of Black Rock City, and even the surrounding cities, was quietly changing. Whether this was a good thing or not, no one knew, but from Gong Qiying's observations these past few days, more and more people were smiling on the streets of Black Rock City, and a joyful atmosphere permeated every alley. He was very satisfied with this situation. After all, he wanted to design a dungeon that would make people laugh. Whether it was a happy laugh, a moved laugh, or a laugh of resigned acceptance, as long as people laughed, Gong Qiying could feel the reality of life. He felt that he was influencing the world. He hoped to maintain this state. Inside the house rented by the Skyrim Strategy Team as their base in Black Rock City. "I'll give this to White Mask tomorrow. What will happen next? I'm really looking forward to it." Lu Lu Wo looked at the blood-stained [Blood Monarch's Oath Cloth] in her hand, eagerly anticipating tomorrow's journey. Suddenly, there was a knock on her door, and then Ta Mi peeked out from the crack with a slightly nervous expression. "Ta Mi, how was today's harvest? How many conquest guides did you sell?" Lu Lu Wo asked cheerfully. Ta Mi hesitated for a moment, then finally said, "Never mind the conquest guides for now, Captain." "On the way back... we picked someone up." "And now we're entangled with them."