"Little guy, what ability did you use just now?"
A doubtful voice resonated, causing Demacia, who was about to reach for something else, to freeze.
His mind raced through the myriad of [dangerous] options, quickly settling on one he deemed reliable.
He turned and replied respectfully, "Dear Ms. Lixtin, my brother and I come from Blue Star, a distant realm known as the God-Created Star. Our unique trait is that we lack souls, but we possess the ability to banish any non-living things to a random space."
Lixtin's eyes narrowed with skepticism. At nearly three thousand years old, how could she have never heard of these so-called Blue Star people? The power of death began to fill her gaze, confirming that these two truly had no souls.
She frowned and commanded, "Use your ability again."
Demacia bowed deeply. "As you wish."
He approached a massive skeleton that nearly spanned the entire mountain.
Checking it with his panel, he read:
[Name: Lava Snake Bone.]
Attributes: Material.
Introduction: The bones of an extremely rare lava snake, a creature that thrives in active volcanoes. Even in death, it retains some elemental power.
Price: 400 gold coins.
Demacia's heart raced. Oh no, gold was about to flow in!
The barrage of comments flooded the screen.
[What?!]
[400×30! The anchor made a small profit of 12,000 yuan—so jealous!]
[Selling!]
With a swift motion, a special force enveloped the massive snake bone, causing it to vanish instantaneously.
Demacia turned to Lixtin, bowing deeply. "Look, great Lady Lixtin, we Blue Star people have powerful talents, but we can only reach the upper bronze level, which is my current status."
"We have survived in that federation, yet they exploit us, claiming we cannot grow stronger. Upon learning of your location, we immediately sought your guidance. Compared to being exploited by capitalists, I prefer to pursue strength and be protected by the powerful."
Lixtin's eyes held suspicion, but she couldn't discern the nature of his power.
Boom boom boom.
Suddenly, black-feathered eagles with dragon horns soared overhead, carrying meat in their talons.
With a wingspan of about thirty meters, they appeared majestic.
Lixtin glanced back, pointing a finger as the almost cooked food vanished before Xiahou Fuxing, who was busy cooking.
The colossal black dragon smacked her lips. "Feed him, then you may leave."
With a series of eagle cries, the birds dropped the carcasses of various unknown giant beasts, still dripping with blood, then swiftly retreated to the pit where Demacia and his companions had rested.
Xiahou Fuxing stared at the five massive corpses, swallowing hard. The smallest was nearly ten meters long—an easy kill for a dragon, but far too much for them to handle.
He looked at Demacia and gestured for help.
Demacia ignored him, seizing the opportunity while the dragon's attention was elsewhere. He quickly began collecting the bones.
[You sold a gold-level skeleton for 200 gold coins.]
[You sold flesh and blood tainted by death's power for 100 gold coins.]
Xiahou Fuxing felt embarrassed. He was about to explain that he couldn't move the food, but then he noticed the barrage of comments.
He glanced at Demacia's live broadcast room, and jealousy washed over him. In such a short time, this guy had made tens of thousands of RMB! It was more lucrative than robbing!
He dismissed Wei Lu's warnings about the black dragon's habits of intimidating others.
"Great Ms. Lixtin, I can't cook this food alone. Please allow my foolish brother to assist with the preparations," he pleaded.
The black dragon regarded the Blue Star man frantically sifting through the debris and replied indifferently, "Hurry up. I want to see my food before sunset; otherwise, there will be no need for you to exist."
Demacia's face fell. Seeing the black dragon close her eyes, he spread his hands helplessly toward Xiahou Fuxing. "My foolish brother, why don't you hurry up and clean up this mess? We only have four hours left. You don't want to die, do you?"
Xiahou Fuxing's face lit up with determination. Noticing that the black dragon had closed her eyes without further comment, he quickly joined in the cleanup.
The two of them rapidly cleared away the so-called "garbage" and then eyed the five enormous corpses, communicating through their panels.
Xiahou Fuxing: [How about a beggar's chicken recipe? We're going to eat it raw anyway; with enough seasoning, it shouldn't taste too bad.]
Demacia: [I have one good piece of news and three bad ones. Which do you want to hear first?]
Xiahou Fuxing: [Bad news?]
Demacia: [We're dead!]
Xiahou Fuxing: [Anything else?]
Demacia: [These beasts are likely gold-grade, which means even if you used your fireball for three hours, the food wouldn't cook. We're doomed.]
Xiahou Fuxing: [.]
Demacia: [On top of that, we can't stay online for long, meaning our hellish mission is practically a dead end.]
[It doesn't matter. We made a profit just now. We can give up the mission.] Xiahou Fuxing shrugged, indifferent. [What about the good news?]
Demacia: [Picture.]
[Tip: Dragons love exquisite treasures.]
[Who doesn't know this? Rubbish tip.] Xiahou Fuxing pouted, dawdling in front of a corpse while fiddling with his seasoning.
Demacia raised an eyebrow. [No, this is the best hint. My plan is this: since we can't capture the dragon, we won't. Let's save our logout point and log off directly. Your task is...]
Xiahou Fuxing: [Is this really useful?]
Demacia: [Unconventional tasks often require unconventional methods. Stop wasting time and get to it.]
Xiahou Fuxing hesitated, but seeing Demacia's enthusiasm—and that it wouldn't be a waste of his money—he decided to follow suit.
As they exchanged glances, Xiahou Fuxing picked up the mixed seasoning and approached the black dragon. When they reached a suitable distance, Xiahou Fuxing vanished instantly.
Lixtin, who had been closely observing the two Blue Star individuals, was taken aback.
She opened her eyes, bewildered, and turned to the spot where Demacia had been. Before she could react, he too disappeared.
Only the black dragon remained, staring at the spot where they had vanished. What just happened? There were no signs, no energy fluctuations—just as mysteriously as they had appeared, they had vanished.
She scanned her surroundings, unable to find any trace of them. The legendary dragon's eyes filled with anger.
With a casual wave of her hand, she sent the food brought by the eagle crashing away. Lixtin lay down again, frustrated.
These two nuisances had truly angered her, but it hadn't reached the level of fury since she had lost nothing—merely harboring a grudge.
Blue Star people, right? No souls, right? If they dared to play tricks on the black dragon, they would regret it if they crossed her path again.
As night fell, Demacia reappeared in the realm of death.
In an instant, the legendary dragon opened her eyes, and a dark wave began to spread.
[You enter the realm of death; your health will be deducted by 30% per second.]
Demacia gasped and shouted, "I'm sorry, Lady Lixtin! I didn't catch my foolish brother. To make amends, I offer my treasure to the great dragon."
As he spoke, gold coins began to tumble around him.
Bathed in moonlight, the newly minted gold coins gleamed brightly, quickly enveloping Demacia's form.
The murderous intent in Lixtin's eyes faltered. Watching the Blue Star man showering in gold, she instinctively halted her domain.
After all, what dragon could resist a weakling who could explode with gold coins?
Demacia glanced at his remaining health—40%—and breathed a sigh of relief.
He spoke sincerely, "Dear lady, you know our power is limited. My brother couldn't cook the food earlier because he feared death, so he used our ability to escape.
I hope you will spare my life for the sake of these gold coins."
Lixtin extended her hand, and thousands of gold coins materialized before her.
"This is Federation gold?" she asked, narrowing her eyes. "Then why not run?"
Demacia's eyes were filled with earnestness. "In this godless age, we have nowhere to go except the Federation. I am captivated by the power of the great black dragon Lixtin. I am willing to be your servant.
My power will serve as your finest treasure collector. It took me only half a day to gather these gold coins.
If you forgive my brother's insolence, he will spend his life atoning for his cowardice, delivering gold coins daily to the Great Dragon of Destruction!"
Lixtin examined the glimmering gold coins in her grasp, then regarded the weak Blue Star man.
After a moment of contemplation, her anger began to dissipate.
Who could refuse a subordinate whose weakness generated gold coins?
She nodded lightly. "You are quite clever."
Hiding the gold coins beneath her belly, she let them merge with the mountain. The magical light shone brightly. "If you can present these gold coins daily, you need not fear death."
"Oh, great Dragon of Destruction! Your most loyal servant is astounded by your generosity. I feel fortunate to have returned. Perhaps all my luck in this life has been spent in meeting such a magnificent master as you." Demacia continued to flatter her, knowing it was what she adored.
Suddenly, the black dragon narrowed her eyes, her voice regaining its laziness as she gazed at the night sky. "You have four hours remaining. I expect to see new gold coins by sunrise."
A flicker of anxiety crossed Demacia's face. He urged the guards to gather the gold coins quickly; the cost would rise if he delayed.
Meanwhile, he noted the popularity of his live broadcast room. Ever since the dragon's appearance, viewership had soared.
His fan base was rapidly expanding. Completing the task now would yield far more than what he had invested.
With great respect, he declared, "Great Lady Dragon of Destruction, please rest assured. My brother is diligently seeking more gold coins to atone for his mistakes. You must trust us, Blue Star people."
Lixtin remained silent. She adored gold and shiny treasures. How could she allow a flimflam artist to survive? The day he failed to deliver gold coins would be his last.
Demacia pulled out a brush, addressing her respectfully. "Great Dragon of Destruction, I see some dust on your scales. May I help clean them? I want to make amends for leaving without saying goodbye while chasing my brother."
Lixtin said nothing, lying on the gold coins and closing her eyes.
"As expected of you, the great Dragon of Destruction and creator of death, Ms. Lixtin. Your scales are so beautiful, each one a supreme treasure. Humble Demacia will take great care of them."
As Demacia brushed her scales, he noticed the live stream's popularity soaring. His investment of nearly two million RMB was finally paying off!