Chapter 2 (continued)

The creature's entire body shone like starlight in the night.

Perhaps only a creature from legend could possess such dazzling radiance.

Telingewei stared at him, taking in every change in his expression.

This sacred creature looked a little surprised?

Did it not know there was a dragon here?

No, he should say "he."

Telingewei knew full well that the other party was a sentient being too.

Telingewei wanted to say something, but for a moment, he couldn't find the words.

He looked up in silence.

The other party was the first to speak. "Hello?"

It wasn't any language he knew, but something that acted directly on mental power.

Just as he'd thought, he wasn't a creature from this plane.

"Hello," Telingewei replied in a deep voice.

After a pause, Telingewei said, "My name is Telingewei. I assume you aren't a hero who came to slay me."

Xie Juanhan had originally had plenty to say, but hearing the local dragon's conclusion, he felt inexplicably more relaxed. His voice grew a little lighter. "I don't look like one?"

"You don't look like the kind of creature who would be tempted by fame and fortune into plundering a dragon," Telingewei said with certainty, staring at him.

Such a sacred creature truly didn't look as though he harbored ill intentions.

Sure enough, Xie Juanhan said, "As things stand, I don't have that particular habit. Actually, I just got lost."

Telingewei said, "Lost your way here from another plane?"

Plane.

Hearing that keyword, Xie Juanhan felt a flicker of excitement.

This dragon knew about planes and had some understanding of space and time!

"Yes!"

Xie Juanhan unconsciously spoke faster. "My name is Xie Juanhan. I come from another major spacetime. Do you know how I can get back?"

Xie Juanhan.

Telingewei silently repeated the name to himself.

What an awkward yet beautiful name.

Hovering in midair, Xie Juanhan asked hopefully, "Or do you know where there's a spacetime rift?"

"No." Telingewei shook his head. "Perhaps the thunderstorm and the explosion of a forbidden spell two days ago briefly created a spacetime rift, but everything has long since returned to normal."

Xie Juanhan immediately asked, "Then can another spacetime rift be created?"

"I'm afraid not," Telingewei said regretfully. "Spacetime is very stable now. You should be able to feel it too."

Spacetime really was very stable now.

Xie Juanhan thought in disappointment that otherwise, he wouldn't have had to go around asking for information.

Xie Juanhan looked up at the sky.

If it really was the forbidden spell explosion the local dragon had mentioned that opened the spacetime rift, perhaps they could set off another explosion?

As though he had guessed what Xie Juanhan was thinking, Telingewei said, "Forgive me for speaking frankly, but a forbidden spell can't open a rift between planes. The thunderstorm was what did it."

Xie Juanhan turned to stare at the sky.

The weather was especially fine today. The thick white clouds looked soft and bright, with no sign of thunder at all.

He could summon clouds and rain, but he couldn't bring about a thunderstorm.

There were constraints on the use of magic too.

"Not an ordinary thunderstorm, but an enormous one. I've only seen a thunderstorm powerful enough to crack a plane once in my life."

Telingewei added, "I'm already over a thousand years old."

Xie Juanhan, who had been trying to come up with a solution, looked at Telingewei instinctively.

In fact, he was over a thousand years old himself.

Telingewei's tone was serious, and he showed no sign of lying.

Xie Juanhan considered it and admitted that there really was little chance of creating a thunderstorm on an apocalyptic scale, powerful enough to rupture spacetime.

At least, not with his current abilities.

Xie Juanhan felt a wave of disappointment rise in his heart.

Disappointed and at a loss, he looked into the distance, barely having the strength left to float in the air.

Telingewei glanced at him and shifted to the side, clearing a little space.

Xie Juanhan didn't stand on ceremony. He descended straight onto the soft, thick green meadow.

Xie Juanhan stared at the grass before him, lost in thought.

Telingewei didn't disturb him, settling silently on the other side.

After a long while, Xie Juanhan had more or less sorted out his thoughts.

He looked up at Telingewei.

The local dragon's body temperature was a little high. He felt like a cat.

His temper was pretty good too.

Xie Juanhan looked at him and said, "Thank you for telling me all this."

Telingewei said, "You're welcome."

Xie Juanhan had no intention of staying longer. He nodded to Telingewei, rose, and flew away.

Creatures like them didn't much like staying in another creature's territory, even if that creature had a good temper.

This was clearly Telingewei's territory.

Xie Juanhan could smell Telingewei's scent.

The local dragon's scent was rather unusual, carrying a faint fragrance of hay, a little like a field after the rice harvest in autumn.

The scent felt clean to Xie Juanhan.

At least it smelled much better than the greasy scent of certain creatures.

Xie Juanhan picked a direction at random and flew.

Once he had left Telingewei's territory, he looked down from the sky, found a stream, and landed beside it.

He had thought he would be able to return soon. He hadn't expected to hear news like that.

Xie Juanhan stared wearily at the clear water trickling past.

Sunlight filtered through gaps in the leaves and scattered spots of light across the ground. Whenever the wind blew, the spots began to dance.

The white dragon curled up on a rock by the stream, held his tail in his arms, and stared blankly at the spots of light.

His instincts told him Telingewei hadn't lied to him.

Now he had to consider where to go and what to do next.

He had already explored most of the surrounding area.

Over the past few days in human society, he hadn't managed to gather any more information either.

Next, he should go farther afield to ask around.

But would there be any information farther away?

Xie Juanhan thought that was far from certain.

He had come here through a nearby spacetime rift. If he wanted to return to his original plane, he would probably have to go back through a nearby rift too.

If he went too far away and a spacetime rift really did appear here again, he wouldn't make it back in time.

Perhaps he should find a place nearby to stay for the time being, gradually learn about this world, and wait for an opportunity?

Rustle, rustle-

A sound reached him.

Xie Juanhan turned and saw a dozen or so deer emerging from the woods.

The deer had sleek coats and large eyes. They were very beautiful.

When they saw Xie Juanhan, the herd stopped and stared at him warily.

Back in his original plane, Xie Juanhan hadn't seen deer near his home for a long time.

A few hundred years ago, there had been quite a lot of them near his home.

He watched the deer, changed back into human form, sat up, and moved to the side so the herd could come over and drink.

A few fawns took two steps forward, keeping their eyes on Xie Juanhan as they walked.

Xie Juanhan watched them, a nostalgic look in his eyes.

The fat, sturdy deer at the head of the herd met Xie Juanhan's gaze, then suddenly lowered its head and charged a few steps toward him.

"Yow-yow-"

The powerful deer stopped, snorted heavily, and let out an extremely loud, threatening call at him.

"Hm?!" Xie Juanhan stood up and narrowed his eyes at the deer.

The natural order has been turned upside down!

A deer is actually threatening a dragon!

Xie Juanhan wondered if he had been an auspicious beast for so long that his demeanor had grown too peaceful, leaving him unable to intimidate small animals.

The deer was still bellowing at the top of its lungs.

The noise made his ears hurt.

At a loss for words, Xie Juanhan got up and silently walked to the side, intending to avoid the herd.

To his surprise, the moment he turned around, the lead deer suddenly lowered its head and charged at him.

A sneak attack too?!

Xie Juanhan dodged to the side in disbelief.

The deer in this world are way too bad-tempered, aren't they?!

Before Xie Juanhan could completely dodge, the deer charged up beside him, jerked its head up, and blasted him with a searing breath of flame.

The searing breath was practically a blowtorch.

Xie Juanhan felt the moisture in the air being rapidly sucked away, and the membranes in his mouth and nose tightened instantly.

If an ordinary person failed to dodge in time and was even slightly singed, they would surely suffer severe burns.

Xie Juanhan's expression changed slightly. He turned aside to avoid the fiery breath, then reached back and pulled the deer's antlers, deftly using leverage to throw it far away.

The leader of the deer staggered forward several steps, enraged by Xie Juanhan's move.

Once it had steadied itself, it didn't retreat. Instead, it lowered its head and ran at Xie Juanhan again, trying to gore him.

Xie Juanhan grabbed its antlers and swung it away twice, but each time the deer quickly turned back, trying to gore him.

The third time.

Thoroughly out of patience, Xie Juanhan pulled a dagger from his dragon-scale space and finished off the oblivious deer on the spot.

It took only one strike.

Thick deer blood spurted out, spraying across the ground like water from a high-pressure hose.

The deer's charge had not yet run its course. After Xie Juanhan released it, it ran forward a few more steps before collapsing.

The rest of the herd, which had been preparing to charge, skidded to a halt and let out sharp, uneasy cries of "Yow! Yow!"

Xie Juanhan raised his head and stared at the herd expressionlessly.

The deer froze, then quickly scattered and fled.

The forest fell quiet again.

Xie Juanhan crouched down and stared at the fallen deer.

So this was the magic forest's true face.

No wonder adventurers were the only humans who came here.

This deer was most likely one of the legendary magic beasts.

The deer's throat had been cut while it was moving at high speed.

Its blood had almost completely drained out.

Surprisingly, the deer blood had hardly any gamey smell.

The venison should be good quality.

After finishing off his prey, Xie Juanhan didn't look pleased.

He was even more tired.