NOVEL WEB Chapter 335 "Recruitment Plan"!
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A new era, a new atmosphere!
Finally, with regard to the "Source Fire Civilization" relics, an all-around, high-spirited "Scavenging Plan" was set in motion!
More than eight thousand divers were screened from the public!
The Sky Fortress was deployed, along with 12 large insects capable of swimming in the sea.
Since most of the scavenging sites were under the sea, the Mirage Cloud Dragon would turn a blind eye, though sometimes it grew angry... Damn it, why are so many people rushing into my territory?!
What are you trying to pull? Getting greedy, aren't you?
But Old Lu, clutching a spirit rune, vigilantly watched (in reality, he was stealing), while the zoologists held purple dumplings, laughing as they fed it.
Thus, the Mirage Cloud Dragon occasionally exhaled cold air from its nostrils.
Damn reptile, as long as you don't break the seals, I'll tolerate you!
And so, the "Mirage Cloud Dragon Taming Plan" was executed following the plan.
The spirit of a civilization can be contagious, and after spending time with the young people, the Mirage Cloud Dragon gradually began to look forward to feeding and playtime each morning.
"Want to eat? Want to eat?"
It felt some anger. What kind of creature am I to accept food given out of pity?
It pretended to yawn, and in the instant it opened its mouth, the humans intuitively tossed the purple dumplings inside.
You guys fed me.
Disgusting, tastes awful!
Then, it pretended to yawn again, coaxing the people to feed it.
Every evening when the zoologists left, it appeared somewhat forlorn... Despite its proudly raised head, its tail was no longer held as high as before.
It exhaled white mist, reminiscing about the past, and began to slowly yearn for it less.
Occasionally, it would soar high into the sky, looking toward where Sky City was.
It grew curious—how exactly did the human race live?
What was different between human civilization and the Source Fire Civilization?
...
So, in the sixth month after the humans arrived, the zoologists felt the timing was right and finally launched the long-planned "Recruitment Plan"!
They wanted to persuade the Mirage Cloud Dragon to leave this place and travel with Sky City.
But the result was predictable...
"It's bad! Mr. Lu, the old dragon has lost it and injured many people!"
Lu Yuan, who had just been secretly transporting an "ice chest" onto the island, heard Miss Conch's panicked voice.
"Roar!" From not too far away came a thunderous roar.
The island was surrounded by the heat of the volcano and the chill of the white mist.
Lu Yuan shivered all over and quickly jumped down from the "Flying Dragon" insect, focused his gaze, and saw several soldiers lying scattered hundreds of meters away, spitting blood.
Lu Yuan was furious; he rushed over in a few strides and helped a soldier up, finding several of his bones broken.
Fortunately, the old dragon had shown mercy and spared the soldier's life.
Several other ability users with animal affinity also lay frozen stiff on the ground, their faces tinged with the gray pallor of death.
Humans are not like the Undying Giant Turtle; to be frozen like this—if not dead, they're wounded!
Lu Yuan panicked and quickly took out an anti-freeze jade pendant and a vial of extraordinary medicine, instructing Conch to treat the people.
"Roar! Roar!" The Mirage Cloud Dragon bared its teeth fiercely. Seeing Lu Yuan, its eyes flickered with malevolence.
Lu Yuan and it locked gazes, faced off, and his body radiated red light.
"What happened?"
Miss Conch also ran over, using her healing ability on them.
She said, feeling somewhat aggrieved through telepathy, "Haven't we been discussing these past few days that it might be time, that it was ripe to recruit it? After more than six months."
"As soon as we suggested this, it flipped out and injured all of us."
"It's good... It's good I learned Different Space and managed to hide..."
Lu Yuan's forehead throbbed with veins as he thundered, "You Brat, you seriously need a beating! After feeding you every day, you're like an ungrateful cur!"
"Roar!!"
The Mirage Cloud Dragon seemed insulted, breathing furiously, and flew directly to the Bird's Nest-like structure, roaring loudly at Lu Yuan to state its determination.
Lu Yuan could sense its willpower, but he was worried and annoyed that it had injured his people.
He drew his sword and shield and took a defensive stance, also roaring back, "Taking you to the humans, you'd eat and sleep well! You could live a few more years! What's the point of living like this, braving the elements and staying here?"
"Roar!!"
The Mirage Cloud Dragon roared loudly as if its vital scales had been touched, its head raised defiantly, seeming to explode with anger.
"I've been applying medicine to you every day, healing your wounds—is this how you repay us?"
"Damn it, I really think you want to be stripped of your dragon sinew. I'll kill you myself, and I'll make scale armor from your skin."
"Roar!!!!!" The old dragon could not speak; it just roared furiously, cursing loudly, as if venting all its rage.
Silently, the two sides confronted each other.
Soon enough, more human armies got word, and some flying Insect Race members and high-level soldiers appeared in the sky. This time human weapons had significantly improved; Jin Dongliang and others held spirit runes, and ordinary soldiers carried engraved rifles, loaded with the bullets that Lu Yuan had collected.
However, without orders, the soldiers did not dare to act recklessly.
Lu Yuan sighed deeply, spoke up loudly, "With your intelligence, you ought to understand some things by now. Is it worth it to keep staying here?"
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"You can guess some of the truth now, when will you be able to accept reality?"
The Mirage Cloud Dragon grew increasingly angry, its claws pounding the ground and making it roar thunderously.
As if it would launch an attack the next second.
The next second, it exhaled a mass of white fog.
Lu Yuan frowned and quickly stepped back several paces.
One by one, vague human figures appeared in the mist, drilling into ice coffins, carried underground by mechanical puppets.
Before parting, some waved goodbye to the Mirage Cloud Dragon.
Others lingered in a reluctant farewell.
Some were nervous, uncertain of tomorrow's fate.
Others comforted it, saying they would wake up soon. Your next chapter is on My Virtual Library Empire
In the end, meteors fell from the sky, and everything was destroyed.
It was waiting...
Waiting for the people in the cavern to awaken!
One day, they would rise from the depths! They would wake up!
You understand nothing?!
The apparitions in the mist shattered one after another, and the face of the Mirage Cloud Dragon revealed a hint of ferocity.
How long have you humans been here? And how many years have I been waiting?
They will wake up!
I wish to show my proud disdain, to show them I've completed my mission!
I have always been suppressing the volcano, prolonging it through this epoch, I have stood guard here!
This is my mission!
This is my glory!
You... How dare you tarnish my honor!
"Roar!!" That earth-shaking sound caused the pebbles on the ground to tremble incessantly.
"They..."
"Have long since..."
Lu Yuan suddenly saw a shiny teardrop falling from the eye of the Mirage Cloud Dragon, landing amidst the coarse volcanic ash.
"They..."
"Ah, forget it, let it be..."
Lu Yuan suddenly realized that this dragon was, in fact, untamable.
For it was this sliver of obsession and fantasy that had sustained it until now.
And because of this delusion, it was untamable.
It... would forever remain loyal to the Source Fire Civilization.
Deep down, it probably knew there was little hope left, the volcano on the verge of eruption, waves surging one after another, everything in ruins and decay—where was there any hope?
The Source Fire People had not survived the Epoch Disaster, they had long since died.
But it still had to stand guard, this was its meaning of life!!
As long as it did not enter that cavern, it still held that small remembrance.
Lu Yuan let out a deep sigh, ultimately choosing not to reveal the truth.
Suddenly, he heard the experts, reviving from their frozen state, weakly say, "Mr. Lu, don't force it. It has its own persistence; this time we were wrong."
Another younger girl, shivering all over from the cold, her purple lips trembling, said, "Should we continue with the taming plan... like, by feeding it food..."
After all, feeding required resources, and since the dragon was unwilling to follow humans, it seemed like all efforts were in vain.
Lu Yuan glanced at the Mirage Cloud Dragon turning back to guard that grave and felt a tinge of sympathy.
Seeing no soldiers had died around him, his anger gradually subsided.
He knew these experts felt mostly pity for the old dragon, and even if they were injured, there were not many complaints.
He sighed and said, "Let's keep feeding it, then. We are a civilization with a sense of humanity, and since everyone likes it, and the public is concerned about it, I won't order for it to be slaughtered..."
"Besides, compared to the resources we've obtained here, a little food is just a drop in the bucket."
The experts clearly breathed a sigh of relief.
They really liked this old dragon.
The atmosphere fell silent for a moment.
The Mirage Cloud Dragon watched from a distance as the human teammates received treatment, exhaling a few turbid breaths.
No one dared to come and play with it anymore, and it felt a bit awkward and annoyed.
It felt it had indeed been too irritable and couldn't help but lick its paws.
Meanwhile, Lu Yuan was quietly discussing with Miss Conch on the side: "What to do? I, Old Lu, am too kind. I don't want to slaughter it for meat."
"I don't want to either..." said Miss Conch.
"This damned creature, I thought of spending money to control it, but the funds are too much, I can't afford it."
Miss Conch was silent for a long time before speaking through telepathy, "According to our assessment, it doesn't have much life left, probably because of suppressing the volcano, it has exhausted much of its life."
"At its peak, the Mirage Cloud Dragon was much stronger than now... even if you tamed it, it wouldn't live much longer."
"Are you suggesting, we might as well see it to its end?" Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow.