Chapter 108
Chapter 108
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 108
Chapter Title: Chapter 35 - Child of the Dragon #2
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"Where is the Land of the Yellow Dragon?"
As they exited the underground shelter, Luther asked the question. Mina pursed her lips briefly before speaking in an anxious tone.
"The Four Guardian Beasts consist of the Eastern Azure Dragon, Northern Black Tortoise, Western White Tiger, and Southern Vermilion Bird. True to their titles, they protect the four directions of this land... the Ashanta Continent. The Yellow Dragon isn't one of the Four Guardian Beasts. But it's a mythical being believed to guard the center of the Ashanta Continent."
In the world of Dragon Hunter Origin, where young dragons—and even the sacred beasts themselves—existed in reality, the Four Guardian Beasts were no longer confined to myths or legends; they were real entities.
The Yellow Dragon, however, seemed different.
[It's similar to dismissing the Hecatoncheires as mere myths.]
[Like legends of the sacred beasts?]
That was probably the case.
But that wasn't what mattered right now.
What they needed to find out was the location of the Land of the Yellow Dragon.
"Does that mean the center of the Ashanta Continent?"
Since the Yellow Dragon symbolized the center, perhaps the Land of the Yellow Dragon referred to the heart of the continent?
Mina furrowed her brow at Luther's question and replied.
"That's the general assumption. But... I suspect it's referring to somewhere else. There are all sorts of codes and secret phrases between Doju and Lady Black Tortoise. Like... Ka, Kallapachyu."
Integra narrowed her eyes as Mina stammered slightly, looking a bit embarrassed.
[I get the embarrassment, and the codes make sense, but so where is it exactly?]
When she voiced this through Schwarz, Mina flinched in surprise before responding calmly.
"It's probably referring to the Crystal Palace."
"The Crystal Palace?"
"Yes. Lady Black Tortoise's secret base... no, more like a vacation home."
Integra narrowed her eyes again at the hasty word change.
[The woman called Black Tortoise might have the mental age of a child.]
It was far more likely to be a kids' secret hideout than a real secret base.
Luther agreed but chose not to press the point and instead asked about the location again.
"Is it far from here?"
"Yes... it's quite a distance. We'd have to head pretty far north."
With that, Mina set Doju and the bundle down on the ground and pulled out a map from the bundle, unfurling it.
[The spot marked with an X... Master, that's over 200 km north from here.]
Moreover, it was right in the middle of the vast ocean, making it hard to approach by conventional means.
"Lady Black Tortoise took me there once. She said that once Doju becomes the Azure Dragon, he could visit anytime, and encouraged him to climb to the top of the Dragon Gate."
From the story, the Black Tortoise seemed to have a kind and affectionate personality.
Either way, now that they knew the location, all that was left was to hurry there.
"But Mina, how were you planning to get there?"
Once they were fully out of the underground shelter, Mina covered Doju's eyes with a foxfire veil to shield him from the sight of the young dragons' corpses, then turned toward the beach and said.
"There's... a boat."
Her tone carried an inexplicable resolve, but Luther soon understood why.
[Master, isn't this more of a raft than a boat?]
It was a raft made by lashing logs together.
It had a mast and sail, but sailing out into the open ocean and covering over 200 km on something like this was suicide, no matter how you looked at it.
"I-it's sturdier than it looks."
Mina's face flushed red at Luther's skeptical gaze, as if she were embarrassed.
But it was impossible, no matter how he thought about it. They probably couldn't even navigate the reef zone in front of the island properly on this thing.
[This woman Mina seems... a bit too pure-hearted.]
'Let's call it innocent, innocent.'
Letting out a long sigh, Luther pointed at Schwarz to reassure the flustered Mina.
"Let's ride Schwarz instead."
"Huh? The horse?"
When Mina's eyes widened in surprise, Luther snapped his fingers instead of answering. Integra transformed Schwarz into Sky Beetle mode.
"Ah!"
Mina gasped in admiration, perhaps recalling its first appearance. Doju, who had been sitting on the ground, also stood up with wide eyes.
"Kallapachyu!"
Luther had no idea what it meant, but it was probably an exclamation.
With a wry smile, Luther pointed to the front seat of Schwarz.
"Please sit in front."
The structure had no backrest, making it possible.
Mina sat in front, cradling the bundle and Doju. Luther positioned himself right behind her, essentially embracing her.
[No choice. The seats are narrow, so I'll close my eyes to it.]
[But just this once, got it?]
Luther cleared his throat instead of replying and set Schwarz into motion.
"W-we're flying!"
As Schwarz took off in earnest, Doju shouted in excitement.
Mina tensed up in surprise at first but soon blushed and smiled.
[Activating navigation mode to the destination.]
[Estimated time of arrival: 1 hour and 50 minutes.]
If it were just Luther, he could have made it in under an hour, but with Mina and Doju aboard, he had reduced the speed accordingly.
And about two hours later.
Doju, who had been excitedly repeating "Kallapachyu," fell asleep leaning against Mina. Mina herself began to nod off.
[Master, we've arrived at the destination.]
[They must be exhausted now that the tension has worn off.]
[But since we're here, we should wake them.]
[Besides, we don't really know how to proceed from here anyway.]
And rightly so, for Sky Beetle had come to a stop in the literal middle of the vast ocean.
No matter where they looked, there was only sea—no small islands, structures, or even floating debris in sight.
"Mina, Mina. Wake up. We're here."
"Mmm... Huh?! Oh, yes. Y-yes."
Mina jolted awake, mumbled incoherently for a moment, blinked, and then spoke.
"H-have we arrived?"
"Yes, at the spot marked on the map. Where do we go from here?"
At Luther's question, Mina shook her head to shake off the sleep and peered down at the water below.
"Lord Luther, um... c-can you breathe underwater by any chance?"
"Yes."
"Really? Phew... That's a relief."
[From the way she's talking, it seems she didn't properly prepare for Master's breathing issue.]
[I've noticed it before, but she's really sloppy.]
Luther gave a wry smile as Integra spoke with a hint of pity.
Truth be told, even Luther found her reliability lacking.
'Still... she must have been in a real rush.'
It called for some leniency.
Oblivious to Luther and Integra's thoughts, Mina let out a long sigh of relief and looked down at the water again.
"The Crystal Palace is underwater. I'll guide you there."
"Understood. Integra?"
[Deploying nanosuit.]
[Transforming to Aqua Beetle.]
And a few minutes later.
Now underwater, Integra narrowed her eyes again and said.
[There's a carp inside a giant water bubble.]
Indeed.
Doju had transformed into a carp inside a large water bubble, and beside him stood Mina, who had turned into a mermaid, holding the bundle.
'Why are you a mermaid?'
[Matching the vibe.]
Integra, who had previously transformed into a mermaid maid, looked downward and continued.
[Detecting a seafloor cliff approximately 200 meters below... and a sunken ship wedged between them.]
[No way that's the Crystal Palace, is it?]
The name didn't match at all, but Luther thought it seemed plausible enough.
It was a secret base, after all.
'Anyway, let's get going.'
As Luther said this and remounted Aqua Beetle, Mina clutched the water bubble with Doju and the bundle in each hand, then took her seat in front of him.
"Alright, let's go."
Instead of speeding up, Luther activated Aqua Beetle's headlights and proceeded slowly.
It was about 100 meters down when it happened.
[Master! Multiple life signs detected!]
[It's a school of Baros!]
The giant piranha swarm they had encountered while searching for Schwarz.
But this time, the situation was different.
The number of Baros was secondary; their size itself was far larger.
[Master! They've spotted us!]
He hurriedly turned off the headlights, but it was too late.
Luther gripped Mina's waist firmly as she tensed in fear and shouted.
"Integra! Intercept them!"
[Laser!]
[Firing missiles!]
The Gatling beam cannon, specialized for wide-area mass destruction, couldn't be used effectively underwater.
Thus, Integra fired off dozens of micro-missiles, consuming an entire missile cartridge attached to Schwarz.
-Kwagagagagang!
The missiles streaked toward the Baros school, triggering chain explosions.
These were pure missiles without any scrolls, optimized for underwater combat with shockwaves over raw explosions, and they proved highly effective.
[Eliminated over 60% of the Baros school!]
The dark blue seawater instantly turned into a misty fog of dark red blood.
"Good! Integra! Let's break through while we can!"
Even ferocious Baros would shrink back from an bombardment like that.
But the moment Luther accelerated Aqua Beetle—
[Master! Baros schools are swarming from all directions!]
[Young dragons are mixed in too.]
[The explosions' shockwaves and the blood scent from the Baros school must have drawn them!]
It was a reaction he had somewhat anticipated.
But when Luther checked the life signs in the surrounding area via HUD, he involuntarily swallowed.
The numbers were overwhelmingly high.
[Master! The Baros are charging!]
Not from afar—the Baros that had just been bombed charged straight through the blood fog toward Luther.
It was unnaturally aggressive behavior.
"Integra! Intercept again!"
[Understood!]
[Master! Only two cartridges left. Please be mindful!]
Integra shouted and fired off another barrage of micro-missiles from a cartridge.
They had stocked up before leaving Malkuth Kingdom, but burning through dozens per fight made ammo feel scarce.
-Kwagang!
The hastily fired missiles exploded again, halting the Baros.
This time, the proximity meant the shockwaves reached Aqua Beetle, and Luther's vision filled with red blood mist.
"Integra! Charge straight through!"
[Understood!]
Aqua Beetle accelerated.
Vision obscured by blood mist, but sonar and life sign checks allowed Luther and Integra to grasp the surroundings perfectly.
"Eek."
As Mina swallowed an involuntary scream amid the chaos, Aqua Beetle burst through the blood fog.
And in that instant, what Luther saw was a massive octopus camouflaged in hiding.
-Paah!
The octopus spewed ink, spreading like a smokescreen.
But there was no time to stop—Luther accelerated once more.
"Going through!"
-Kwang!
Aqua Beetle plowed through the sticky ink, slamming into the octopus's head. No—the blade that had extended from Aqua Beetle's front cleaved the octopus's head in two.
"Urk!"
Though it split the octopus, the impact shook Aqua Beetle violently.
Luther used the shake to correct course and charged toward the sunken ship. It was ghostly piloting skill.
[It was hiding its life signs with special camouflage— Master!]
Integra's cry had cause.
Giant octopuses clinging to the seafloor cliff rose en masse and lunged.
"Integra! Missiles!"
No time to conserve.
Integra emptied the last underwater missile cartridge, igniting another chain explosion before them.
"Eek!"
Mina screamed, clutching Doju's water bubble tightly.
Luther roughly embraced Mina's waist and plunged Aqua Beetle into the barrage.
[Master! Sunken ship dead ahead!]
But upon arrival, entering it was the question.
And right then—
[Langi?]
[Is that Langi?]
A woman's voice echoed in his mind.
It was filled with exhaustion, but unmistakably the Black Tortoise's.
"Sister Kaldea!"
[Come in quickly!]
Right after she responded to Doju's cry, a circular hole opened in the sunken ship's bow—likely the entrance.
[Master! Young dragons closing in from the rear!]
No time to hesitate.
With missiles depleted, Luther shoved Aqua Beetle into the hole without regard.
And immediately after.
"Cough?!"
The surroundings changed completely.
Not underwater, but a place with air.
Yet not inside a ship either.
The ceiling, walls, and floor were all filled with crystals—a vast space.
"Lang!"
Luther barely halted Aqua Beetle and turned toward the voice.
Atop a jade throne made of crystal far away sat a black-haired, red-eyed woman, half-reclining.
"Sister Kaldea!"
Doju cried out again, bursting from the water bubble and reverting to child form.
Mina also returned to normal and rushed to the Black Tortoise with Doju in her arms.
[Master, let's go too.]
"Yeah."
He'd only glimpsed her from afar, but the Black Tortoise's condition looked dire.
Luther instantly transformed Schwarz to Iron Horse mode and raced toward the throne.
"Sister Kaldea! Sister Kaldea!"
Doju wailed and clung to the Black Tortoise's leg.
The Black Tortoise weakly stroked Doju's head, breathed raggedly, and turned to Luther.
"Who... are you?"
Instead of answering her wary tone himself, Luther glanced at Mina, who hurriedly spoke.
"Lord Luther from Malkuth Kingdom. He saved me and Doju."
"Malkuth... Kingdom?"
Sweat beading on her forehead, the Black Tortoise looked back at Luther.
Speaking itself seemed laborious.
[Need a precise scan, but she seems to have internal injuries.]
[Urgent treatment required.]
Luther agreed.
Black Tortoise Kaldea.
Her jet-black hair, like ebony, reached her knees. White snakes coiled one each around her neck and waist.
She wore a black ao dai embroidered with gold thread, accentuating her pale skin and red eyes.
"I'm Luther. Your injuries look severe—may I treat you?"
Kaldea furrowed her brow, bit her lip, and nodded.
"Please... do."
That was it.
As if she'd been holding on by force until then, the Black Tortoise went limp and lost consciousness.
"Sister Kaldea!"
"Lady Black Tortoise?!"
Amid Doju and Mina's screams, Luther rushed to her side and placed a hand on her abdomen.
[Nanomachine injection required.]
[Severe internal bleeding.]
[Treating external wounds hastily seems to have worsened the internal damage.]
Luther nodded and laid her on the floor, slicing open the clothing over her abdomen.
"Lord Luther?!"
Mina reflexively raised her voice in shock, but there was no time for explanations.
Luther pressed his palm to the Black Tortoise's exposed white abdomen and injected nanomachines.
[Sealing internal wounds.]
[Expelling internal bleeding externally.]
A small hole appeared on her abdomen, dark red blood flowing out.
Mina and Doju paled in horror, but only briefly.
The Black Tortoise's face grew incomparably more serene than before.
"Wh-what...?"
Mina had never seen treatment like this.
Luther's methods were incomparable to magic, shamanism, or even conventional medicine.
And a few minutes later.
Having neatly sealed the Black Tortoise's wounds with nanomachines, Luther wiped sweat from his brow and turned to Mina and Doju, unwittingly smiling.
[A sight we've seen plenty in Malkuth Kingdom.]
Eyes sparkling with awe and gratitude.
Not just Mina—Doju too now regarded Luther almost as a god.
"For now... the crisis is averted. She'll need rest. Is there a suitable place?"
"Th-there are beds further in."
Mina pointed to a passage beside the throne dais. Luther nodded, lifted the Black Tortoise, and headed there.
And ten-odd minutes later.
After laying the Black Tortoise on the ebony bed, Luther stepped out and waited for Mina.
"Doju fell asleep beside Lady Black Tortoise too."
It must have been an exhausting day for the young child.
Luther nodded, and Mina expressed fresh gratitude before furrowing her brow.
"It's a bit strange. There were some young dragons around the Crystal Palace, but... not that many. And the Baros school felt off too. They seemed much bigger and fiercer."
Luther didn't know the usual state of the Crystal Palace, but he agreed with that.
The Baros he'd seen today were far larger than those at the sea temple.
What could have happened?
Was this another scheme of the Hecatoncheires?
And right then—
[Um... Master. I think I know the cause?]
Integra tentatively raised her hand. Luther tilted his head.
Her expression was oddly subtle.
Like she felt a bit guilty?
'What is it?'
To Luther's question, Integra gave an awkward smile and replied with a video instead of voice.
An augmented reality 3D map of the area, a red arrow for their position, and a blue arrow pointing elsewhere.
Young dragons clustered around the blue arrow.
[Doesn't... this ring a bell?]
Young dragons mutating and growing violent.
Abnormal density.
A situation they'd encountered multiple times.
"Ah."
Now Luther got it.
Something he'd forgotten amid the southern incidents for a while.
[Definitely spaceship fragments down there.]
The fourth fragment piece.
The Galactic Federation emblem appeared above the blue arrow.