Chapter 121: First the Daughter, Now the Granddaughter
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 121: First the Daughter, Now the Granddaughter
My precious scales and the Golden Winged Great Peng's feathers were set to become the Snake Queen's weapon.
That took care of the items from Argentavis. Now, all that remained was the inner core I’d obtained from catching the Jian Bird.
One was for Swish-Swish, and the other was for me.
It was a type of inner core I had never seen before, so it was bound to be more potent than any I had consumed.
But just like the Cockatrice's inner core, I probably couldn't swallow it right away.
I would need the Snake Queen's help to refine it.
Of course, my body had a unique constitution, different from others, so I could probably swallow it without much trouble.
Besides, opening my middle dantian had given me some leeway.
But there was no reason to rush eating the Jian Bird's inner core.
I just needed to refine it with her help and consume it before we struck the king of birds.
The Snake Queen slowly examined the two inner cores.
Flash!
Her eyes glinted.
It seemed she was using the power of her Demonic Eye.
I didn't know the exact principle, but she was probably using her petrification power.
Something like turning the impure energy completely into stone.
…Though I wasn't sure if that was even possible.
Swish-Swish was perched on my shoulder, her mouth wide open.
It looked like she wanted to eat the inner core.
But refining an inner core wasn't an instantaneous process.
It had taken some time with the Cockatrice's, and this one was of a higher grade.
I felt bad for Swish-Swish, but she had no choice but to wait.
Munch, munch.
Munch, munch?
Swish-Swish was swallowing something.
"Gekek!"
Gulp.
I quickly grabbed Swish-Swish's tail and lifted her up.
"Piiik?"
Swish-Swish dangled in the air.
She tilted her head up, giving me a "what's wrong?" look.
"Gekekek!"
This is no time for that!
How could you just swallow it?
Spit it out.
I held her by the tail and shook her gently.
"Pii-ek!"
Hey, why didn't the Snake Queen stop her?
"Gekgek!"
What if Swish-Swish's body explodes?
I was about to stick my finger in her mouth to pry it open.
"There's no need for that. The refinement is already complete."
"Gek?"
Slither.
Swish-Swish landed gently on the ground.
"Piik…"
Swish-Swish looked hurt.
From her perspective, I had offered her a gift, and when she ate it, I grabbed her by the tail and tormented her.
"Gekgek…."
I mean, who would've thought it would be done so quickly?
Swish-Swish curled her body into a ball.
I was about to touch her to offer a sincere apology but stopped myself.
I had a good idea why she'd taken that posture right after eating the inner core.
Qi Cultivation.
A snake with no legs can't sit in the lotus position.
So she must be cultivating her qi by curling up into a ball like that.
…Does that mean the Snake Queen also curls up like that?
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Gekgek."
It's nothing.
"Just like you, the princess won't immediately reach a higher realm just by eating an elixir. It's more accurate to say she's storing it in her body. The qi cultivation she's doing now is to prevent her internal energy from becoming distorted."
Swish-Swish's species was still Ball Python.
Pythons aren't exactly small snakes, but compared to the ferocious beasts I'd seen, they were a bit lacking.
I had also eaten many elixirs, but I wasn't able to use all of their power.
It was only after becoming a Gomodo and evolving into a Gomodo-Lania that I could naturally handle the internal energy from the elixirs.
It was the same for Swish-Swish.
The immediate effect wouldn't be huge, but the moment she evolved, the inner core she just ate would explosively accelerate her growth.
Would she become like the Snake Queen?
Train hard and evolve quickly.
Anyway, the refinement speed for that inner core was incredibly fast.
Doesn't that mean mine is ready too?
Chomp.
Then I can't just stand by.
Snap.
"Yours is not ready yet."
Instead of the Jian Bird's inner core, the Snake Queen's hand entered my mouth.
Not ready yet?
"The princess's body structure is similar to mine, so I can easily modify the inner core for her. But your body is different from mine. Therefore, it will inevitably take more time to refine my companion's share."
Right, if it were that simple, she would have fed it to me already.
It was a bit disappointing, but the inner core wasn't going anywhere, so I'd wait.
Nom, nom.
…
Out of habit, I started chewing on what was in my mouth.
That is, the Snake Queen's fingers.
The Snake Queen stared intently at me.
"Ge-ek…."
It's a misunderstanding.
"Who on earth taught you such a habit?"
The Snake Queen looked dumbfounded.
I cautiously spat out her hand.
"If you're going to do it, do it properly. What's with the fingers? Just fingers."
"Gekgek."
"Hmm, it seems it will take some time to teach you the proper habits."
…What's that supposed to mean?
The Snake Queen said something I felt I shouldn't dig into any further.
I quickly backed away.
"My companion."
But there was no escaping the Snake Queen.
Slither.
The Snake Queen's tail wrapped around my leg and pulled.
Why the sudden change?
Sure, I bit her fingers, but that was an accident.
"If you're going to bite, you should bite the neck, not the fingers."
The Snake Queen said, completely out of the blue.
She seemed to be misunderstanding something.
My habit of biting fingers came from Baek Yeon-yeong.
What the Snake Queen was talking about must be something related to hunting.
"Gekgek."
"And as it happens, the princess is cultivating her qi."
"Gek…?"
"You were the one who bit me first."
We are talking about hunting, right?
"I can take this as you being the one who started it, correct?"
No.
You can't.
I squeezed my eyes shut.
"…If I had my way, I would love to correct that habit of yours, but it's a shame we don't have the time."
"Gek!"
Thankfully, the Snake Queen knew how to separate business from pleasure.
I didn't know what she was planning, but now was not the time for other activities.
Saving even a little time would be for the best, no matter what.
"Because once we start, we won't be able to move for over a month."
Huh?
What on earth was she planning to do that would take over a month?
That's almost a whole month.
"We'll have to set a date after we catch Gaechalgoatal."
It was strange.
I could see the image of a dried-up lizard floating in mid-air.
It was probably an image unrelated to me, but I felt a sense of unease.
…It is unrelated, right?
"Don't worry about the inner core. I'll have it refined in time."
I could still see the dried Gomodo in my vision.
"To build up the stamina to last for over a month, we'll need ingredients…."
She's going to increase my stamina?
That sounds pretty good.
I don't know what it is, but if it'll help me last for a whole month, I have no reason to refuse.
The spirit of a dried Gomodo-Lania was shaking its head frantically, but I paid it no mind.
What could possibly go wrong?
She's doing something good for my body.
*
Right now, I was entrusted with a grave mission.
To go on an outing with Swish-Swish.
"Shhhriik…."
Swish-Swish was coiled on my head.
It seemed she was displeased with me walking around with my smooth, bare head exposed.
You should have stopped me sooner.
Still, seeing her tail wagging gently, she seemed to be in a good mood.
She looked excited at the thought of going out alone with me.
But Swish-Swish, we're not going out to play.
"Swish-Swish."
Soon, an all-out war with the king of birds would begin.
The Snake Queen had her tasks, and I had mine.
Her tasks were to forge the Golden Winged Great Peng's feathers, refine the inner core for me, and gather the remaining forces.
Just a glance told me these were no ordinary tasks.
In contrast, I had very little to do.
Evacuating Swish-Swish to a safe place was the only mission assigned to me.
And that safe place was old Compy's territory.
For some reason, it seemed the Snake Queen couldn't enter the Little Dragon's territory.
Since I could move around freely and was acquainted with old Compy, I was the perfect candidate for this mission.
I was also carrying a stone tablet with illegible writing on it.
It was probably about an alliance.
Seeing as she was entrusting Swish-Swish to old Compy, it might be that the Little Dragon wouldn't be participating in the war.
But if Gaechalgoatal were to target Swish-Swish, it would complicate things in many ways.
Neither I nor the Snake Queen would be able to attack if Swish-Swish were taken hostage.
Therefore, using a high-level asset like the Little Dragon to protect Swish-Swish seemed like a good choice.
Of course, Swish-Swish didn't know any of this.
Having eaten the inner core, I could see she was planning to cling to my shoulder and join the battle.
Swish-Swish's combat power wasn't something to be completely ignored, but I still couldn't take her to the battlefield.
"Piiyak!"
Zzzzzzap!
Overflowing with energy from the inner core, Swish-Swish fired a beam into the air.
I worried she might pick a fight with another beast, but with her gentle nature, Swish-Swish never aimed at living targets.
Though occasionally, an innocent tree would end up riddled with holes.
"Piiyak!"
Zap!
She seemed very excited.
If I had to pick two things Swish-Swish loves, one would be going out, and the other would be me.
An outing with me.
Favorite thing + favorite thing.
It was understandable why Swish-Swish was so thrilled.
"Piiyak!"
Zing!
Okay, that's enough now.
It's been fine so far, but someone could get hit.
"Gekgek."
"Piik."
Swish-Swish nodded as if she understood.
"Piiik!"
Fwoosh!
Then she fired one more tiny beam.
Seeing its small scale, it seemed she considered that one the last.
It was like she was just shaking off the last bit of her remaining energy.
This was a good enough way to wrap things up.
Swish-Swish got to use her excess energy, and it didn't seem to cause any harm to our surroundings.
"Some…"
I thought I heard someone sobbing in the distance, but it must have been my imagination.
And so, I walked with Swish-Swish toward the Little Dragon's territory.
"Gekek!"
I let out a "gekek" as soon as I reached the entrance.
"Gekgek!"
"Gekekek!"
Geckos came scurrying over.
They greeted me, their plump tails trembling.
"Gek."
Have you all been well?
"Gekekek!"
"Gekgekgek!"
A gecko stretched out its short legs, showing them off.
A few of them clung to my claws, rubbing their tails against me.
Their welcome was a bit over the top.
"Saaaaak!"
Swish-Swish glared at the geckos, her face triangular with aggression.
They were gentle creatures that posed no threat, but since this was Swish-Swish's first time meeting them, her reaction was understandable.
"Gekekek!"
"Saaaak!"
The geckos also adopted a wary stance.
But they only remained wary of each other and did nothing more.
The geckos clung to my legs, and not to be outdone, Swish-Swish slithered around my neck.
"Gekek."
I spoke to the geckos.
That's enough of a welcome. Could you call old Compy for me?
That was the meaning behind my call.
"Kekek!"
I heard a familiar cry.
In the distance, old Compy was running over barefoot.
Aigoo, even if he's happy to see me.
There's no need to be so dramatic.
"Gekgek."
Good to see you, old man.
I brought your granddaughter, too.
"Gek."
Swish-Swish, say hello.
"Piiyak!"
Old Compy's eyes went wide.
Is this the first time he's seen his granddaughter?
"Krwararak…."
He must be so happy he's making a dragon's cry.
…Huh?
Why has the old man's face turned triangular?
"Krwaaaak!"
Old Compy, unable to contain his fury.
Hey, why is he so angry?
What did I do wrong?