Magic Farm 149

Chapter 149: Thus Should a True Hero Be

Almost the instant the dragon appeared, several beams of light flared across Ophelie’s royal city, converging above the duke’s mansion in a heartbeat.

“Is that… a dragon?”

“Whose household is this?”

“A junior branch of the royal family, I think… the current Duke Notting, isn’t it?”

“…”

Qi Yu, who had been speaking with Clarissa, stood up. He sensed several waves of spiritual power sweeping over him.

Remembering something, he walked over to Dan Xingyu and took his hand.

Dan Xingyu: ?

He, too, had sensed something unusual just now.

He was about to say something when his right hand was suddenly seized.

The local’s palm was incredibly soft—perhaps because he was using ice magic to play the part of an elf, his body temperature was noticeably lower than Dan Xingyu’s, and rather pleasant to the touch.

W-what are you doing?

A flash of silver light swept over him, and a spiritual barrier was formed.

Qi Yu quickly finished constructing the spiritual barrier for his friend, then turned his attention to the people who had suddenly appeared above the duke’s mansion.

A surprised voice sounded: “An elf… hmm? Or is he with the Mage Association?”

The latter half of the sentence was clearly much more relaxed.

Qi Yu sensed two even more forceful spiritual probes sweeping over him.

Two more voices, full of suspicion and uncertainty:

“There’s something odd about this elf.”

“He’s wearing a cloak that conceals his aura. That mage’s robe.”

The little dragon in the sky sensed these sudden, unfamiliar presences, and the oppressive power they carried made it deeply uncomfortable.

Its golden eyes fixed on them, it bared its teeth and let out a few disgruntled roars.

The duke and duchess hurried over, their hearts pounding at the sight of the scene.

“Honored sirs,” the duke said hastily, “these two guests come from the Forest of Stars and the Golden Desert. They are here for my daughter, Clarissa. I…”

He was panicking too!

He’d thought that having an elf visit was already the gods’ favor upon his daughter.

But where had this golden dragon come from?

And a dragon of such size—there was no way to hide it, nor did it seem inclined to hide itself.

As for the powerful figures standing in the air, even as a duke of the empire, he recognized not a single one.

Qi Yu glanced at Dan Xingyu, who immediately understood.

Whatever he did, the little dragon in the sky, though reluctant, flapped its wings hard twice, then dissolved into golden light and vanished.

Everyone could see clearly that the golden light disappeared into Dan Xingyu’s body.

“The dragon is connected to that human boy.”

A tremendous pressure surged toward Dan Xingyu, only to be intercepted midway.

Qi Yu saw it clearly: the one who intervened was the person who had mentioned the “Mage Association” earlier.

She wore a mage’s robe, a badge on her chest encircled by eight golden stars.

She was an eighth-level archmage.

She spoke: “Lucien, you’re an eight-star warrior. Isn’t it shameful to attack two juniors?”

“Colleen, spare me your lectures. An elf and a dragon—long vanished from the continent—appear suddenly in the royal city. For the city’s safety, I must take them in for questioning.”

“Such high-sounding words. Isn’t it just greed for the dragon?” drawled a lazy voice from the side.

The speaker was a youth in a bright red robe, but since he could stand in the air and so casually join the conversation, it was clear he was far older than he appeared.

Qi Yu and Dan Xingyu had already prepared their teleportation scrolls, ready to flee at the first sign of trouble.

The red-haired youth grinned, “I’ll be blunt—I couldn’t care less about the city’s safety. I’m only interested in the dragon and the elf.”

“In that case, I’ll be blunt as well,” Colleen, the archmage, retorted with a cold laugh. “These two are with the Mage Association. You cannot touch them.”

“She’s made it clear, Lucien,” the red-haired youth called out. “Let’s join forces and be quick about it. If the old geezers from the Mage Association show up, we’ll lose our chance.”

Scarlet and silver lights flared simultaneously. One streak shot toward the archmage, intent on blocking her.

The other came straight for Qi Yu and Dan Xingyu.

Qi Yu saw it all clearly. Though only three people had spoken, there were far more presences in the sky—many still watching, biding their time.

Watching for what?

It didn’t matter anymore.

He tugged lightly on Dan Xingyu. Dan Xingyu understood at once, and the two of them were just about to tear the teleportation scrolls from their packs.

“Wait!”

Qi Yu suddenly sensed a familiar presence and grabbed Dan Xingyu to stop him.

Boom!

The silver light rushing toward them was blasted back at a speed several times faster than it had come.

“Hmph.”

A faint, cold snort echoed in the void.

No blinding light, no visible movement.

Yet suddenly, the sky rained bodies like dumplings.

Whether they had spoken or were hidden, every one of the powerful figures was forced into view and crashed to the ground.

Except for Qi Yu, Dan Xingyu, and Clarissa beside them, even the duke and duchess nearby were pale and half-kneeling on the ground.

Qi Yu’s eyes lit up: it was Teacher Aegnor’s voice!

The duke and duchess were nearly too frightened to think.

They had never seen so many powerful beings at once!

To stand in the air required at least eighth-level power.

And now, so many formidable figures had been forced to kneel and silenced by a single voice.

Who, truly, were this elven lord and the dragon knight?

Fortunately, the purpose of that voice seemed only to intimidate.

A few breaths later, the pressure vanished.

Nearly ten figures who had just been sprawled most ungracefully on the ground now got up one after another.

Each face was full of awe and dismay, but no one dared say another word.

Several beams of light flew toward the two of them. Perhaps to avoid further misunderstanding, these beams moved at a snail’s pace, as if afraid to startle.

They drifted slowly over, and only then did the wary pair realize that each was a treasure box.

After tossing down the boxes, the figures said nothing, as if ashamed, and turned into spiritual light, vanishing one by one.

No one dared speak to Qi Yu and Dan Xingyu again. Only the poor duke and duchess heard a series of warnings in their minds.

The wording varied, but the message was the same: keep your mouths shut—not a word of what just happened is to be spoken.

Only the archmage Colleen remained behind.

Seeing the confusion on Qi Yu and Dan Xingyu’s faces, she smiled and said, “Take them. They’re apologies—no one dares play tricks with them.”

They were gifts for Qi Yu and Dan Xingyu, but more than that, they were offerings to whoever stood behind them.

She looked at Qi Yu, already half-guessing the identity of his backer.

With a smile, she invited, “If you have time, you’re welcome to visit the Mage Association.”

With that, she, too, turned into a beam of light and vanished.

In an instant, peace returned to the duke’s mansion, as if nothing had happened.

The duke and duchess, still weak in the knees, managed to walk over, trembling as they asked, “What’s wrong with Clarissa?”

Only then did Qi Yu and Dan Xingyu notice that the little girl in the wheelchair had, at some point, closed her eyes.

The duchess hurried to check her hand, then breathed a sigh of relief. “She’s asleep.”

That was for the best.

The scene just now had terrified even her and her husband—if the child had witnessed it, she would surely have been badly frightened.

Only then did they turn to Qi Yu and Dan Xingyu.

The duke took a deep breath. “How fortunate Clarissa is…”

To have such mighty beings come, all to fulfill her small wish.

Qi Yu sensed their anxiety and said softly, “As I told you, it is the guidance of fate.”

“Don’t overthink it.”

The message in the bottle had found him, and so he had come.

It was that simple.

The little girl, who had somehow fallen asleep, now opened her eyes in confusion. “Why did I fall asleep?”

Then her bright eyes turned to Dan Xingyu. “I think I just had a dream—a dream of a golden dragon.”

And it was this handsome, dashing big brother who summoned it.

Dan Xingyu smiled. “But what if it wasn’t a dream, little one?”

In Clarissa’s widened eyes, tiny golden sparks flew from Dan Xingyu, forming a palm-sized little golden dragon.

The little dragon seemed a bit dissatisfied with its current size.

Dan Xingyu soothed it, “Let’s keep a low profile. Didn’t you see how many people you scared just now with your mighty form?”

Qi Yu watched as the little dragon was coaxed into obedience.

It beat its tiny wings, tucked in its claws, and gently landed on the armrest of Clarissa’s wheelchair.

“So it really wasn’t a dream!”

.

A quarter of an hour later, two figures left the duke’s mansion.

After what had just happened, the duke and duchess were far too cautious in their dealings with the two of them.

Except for Clarissa, who knew nothing, everyone else felt ill at ease.

With their task complete and other matters to attend to, the two young men simply took their leave.

Once outside the duke’s mansion, Qi Yu dispelled his magical disguise.

He shook his head lightly, satisfied. “Short hair really is more comfortable.”

Dan Xingyu regretted that the survival game didn’t have a camera—it was a real pity he couldn’t capture the local’s elf look.

After asking for directions, their first stop was the largest bookstore in Ophelie.

Inside, they began flipping through adventure novels, hoping to find more information about the “Forest of Stars” and the “Golden Desert.”

Unfortunately, there were very few legends about the Forest of Stars in Ophelie.

As for the Golden Desert, it seemed only “The Adventures of Andrew” mentioned it at all.

Qi Yu reminded Dan Xingyu, “We still have time. You can check out the shops and see if you can buy anything useful for hot weather.”

Dan Xingyu immediately recalled, “You mean the temperature-regulating cloak you gave me, and the little dog air conditioner?”

Qi Yu nodded. “The ones I bought in Gold Cavern City, during our first exploration quest.”

Dan Xingyu’s first thought: The local’s first trip far from home, and he bought me a gift.

Second thought: That was ages ago. Qi Yu had left the Forest of Stars for the first time, all alone.

He couldn’t help but ask, “Weren’t you afraid, traveling alone to a completely unfamiliar world?”

Qi Yu had no idea what he was imagining, and answered honestly, “Not at all. The people in Gold Cavern City were very friendly. And I had teleportation scrolls—if there was any danger, I could go home right away.”

In truth, both of them were still buzzing with excitement and curiosity over what had just happened, their minds full of things they wanted to say. Even while shopping, they were a bit distracted.

But thinking of how many powerful figures there were in Ophelie, and worrying that someone might be secretly watching, there were many things they dared not discuss. Tacitly, they decided to wait until they got home.

Still, the memory of that scene left their hearts pounding.

So many mighty figures, standing high in the sky, speaking as if they were nothing.

Yet in the eyes of someone even stronger, they were as insignificant as dust.

Thus should a true hero be.