Karma Fire Talisman
"Merlin won't be much help to you here."
Jiang Yu put the gold coin back and turned to Hermione. Half joking, she said, "You'd probably have better luck calling on your teacher a few times instead..."
"Zheng Qing above!"
Hermione took the advice at once and corrected her prayer.
Jiang Yu suddenly found it hard to laugh.
She shook her head and returned to the subject. "...In short, your job is to make contact and communicate. When you meet the Dragon Monster, try speaking to it calmly and respectfully first. But remember who you represent. Don't embarrass the school. If it's rude, just kill it."
As she spoke, a jade talisman about an inch long rose from the table and floated silently to Hermione. It bore no writing, only a small Red Lotus emblem. Tiny stars adorned its edges, linked by Gold Thread.
"...This is a Karma Fire Talisman. Once activated, it ignites the target's Karma and burns it with the calamities it has incurred. The Xuanhuang Small World once bore the remains of a Legend, but its standing was too low, and it suffered a backlash that afflicted every living thing in it. Until we reconnect the Earth Veins and set the Earth Qi in order, no new life can be born here. I don't know what opportunity gave that Dragon Monster Spiritual Intelligence, but as a native creature, it must still carry the lingering backlash. This talisman can draw it out easily. Killing it won't be difficult."
As Jiang Yu explained, she untied a red cord from her wrist, threaded it through the talisman, and hung it around Hermione's neck.
"What if the Dragon Monster is as powerful as a Grand Wizard?" Hermione asked quietly, uneasy.
Jiang Yu pointed toward the sky. "...This world hasn't