Eldritch Horror Theatre - Ch. 138: Disorder (9)
The Duchess's intelligence work was undoubtedly quite mediocre.
Aside from the target being located in the deepest part of the prison, there was absolutely no other information.
"Then how will I know which one is the person I'm looking for?"
"It doesn't matter. As long as you see her, you will know she's different."
Is she that amazing?
The Duchess's answer added another point to Fu Qian's interest in the operation.
"Anyway, let's help you advance first. Come with me."
The Duchess said no more, leading Fu Qian forward.
After arriving at a rather hidden-looking room, she had Fu Qian wait in place while she hurriedly left.
Dragon Communion literally means dining on a dragon. Could she have gone to slay a dragon?
Looking at her retreating figure, Fu Qian couldn't help but wonder to himself.
Not long after, the door was pushed open from the outside. A pale-looking Duchess returned and directly handed him a crystal cup.
"Drink it."
Her aura was noticeably weak. Did she actually go slay a dragon?
Fu Qian's eyebrows twitched as he took the cup and examined it.
Inside the crystal-clear cup, a single drop of pristine, transparent liquid was tumbling about.
The silvery-white luster reflecting off its surface made one feel dizzy and mesmerized with just a glance.
"What is this?"
Fu Qian looked at the Duchess.
"Dragon Blood."
"Do creatures like dragons really exist?"
"They did a long time ago, but they gradually disappeared later on."
The Duchess took a deep breath, her voice low.
"Every advancement in the Dragon Communion Sequence requires devouring and digesting the flesh and blood of different types of dragons."
"As expected. But if dragons are extinct, where did this Dragon Blood come from?"
"A relic."
The Duchess slowly raised her other hand, holding something resembling a pocket watch in her palm.
However, the dial was already shattered, and the liquid inside rippled.
"This was left behind by the first generation of Dragon Communion, crafted from the blood of powerful dragonkin. Unfortunately, it has been damaged for a long time."
"Of course, if it weren't so, I wouldn't have been able to break it open."
"I see."
Fu Qian nodded.
"This is currently the only dragon-related item that can be found.
Although its age is far too ancient to confirm its specific effects, rest assured I will try my best to guarantee your safety."
What a pale and feeble guarantee.
"Alright. But since it's so ancient, why not give me a bit more?"
Fu Qian pointed at the pitiful single drop in the cup.
"Everything must progress step by step. You have just achieved Awakening and cannot withstand too strong a power.
Moreover, the digestion process of the Dragon Communion is extremely agonizing. The stronger it is, the more painful."
"It doesn't matter. When it comes to enduring pain, I'm already a seasoned veteran of a hundred battles."
...
Eventually, under Fu Qian's strong insistence, the Duchess reluctantly dripped one more drop into the cup.
Fu Qian didn't hesitate either, tossing the Dragon Blood into his mouth in one gulp.
It felt like swallowing a mouthful of boiling molten iron. Almost instantly, Fu Qian could no longer feel the existence of his mouth.
The next moment, a ball of scorching heat surged into his limbs and bones, boiling within every blood vessel and meridian.
The Duchess was right; it really did hurt!
But it was still bearable!
Amidst the agony of a body aflame, Fu Qian desperately controlled every nerve to keep his body from trembling in the slightest, even trying to keep his breathing steady.
When the pain subsided slightly, Fu Qian immediately opened his eyes.
"Is there any effect?"
With Fu Qian regaining his senses so quickly, the Duchess's expression turned somewhat grave.
Could it be that too much time had passed and it had lost its efficacy?
Fu Qian sighed and shook the cup in his hand.
"Another glass."
Another glass?
"Just as you thought, this thing has lost too much of its efficacy. The effect isn't very ideal."
Is that so?
Looking Fu Qian up and down, the Duchess finally took the cup.
One drop, two drops, three drops...
It wasn't until all the remaining liquid in the pocket watch was poured into the cup that Fu Qian reached out and took it.
Swirling it like red wine and confirming there were no impurities, Fu Qian raised his glass.
"Cheers!"
A pain several times more intense than before struck him, and his limbs and bones began to tremble.
This time, time passed exceptionally slowly.
When Fu Qian opened his eyes, he saw the Duchess staring at him in a daze.
Following her gaze, Fu Qian discovered that the scales on his body had actually disappeared.
In their place were wavy, mysterious stripes that covered his entire body from hand to foot.
"How do you feel?"
The Duchess stared at Fu Qian.
Feeling the surging power within his body, Fu Qian nodded.
"Strong and powerful!"
"If you've digested it completely, you might acquire corresponding dragonkin abilities. Try it yourself."
Corresponding abilities?
Closing his eyes and pondering for a while, Fu Qian took a deep breath.
The next moment, an illusory, grayish-white dragon head appeared in front of him.
The Duchess subconsciously took two steps back.
A transparent, invisible ripple sprayed out along the direction of the dragon head, blasting into the shelf ahead.
It wasn't until the dragon head vanished that Fu Qian reached out to touch it.
The wooden shelf collapsed instantly, silently turning to dust.
Corrosive effect?
Fu Qian shook his head.
It was more like accelerated aging, causing the object to be washed away by time and annihilated into dust.
Regardless, the effect was good!
Even the increase in pure physical strength was almost equivalent to the previous Tier 6 standard.
This blood was truly not consumed in vain.
The Dragon Blood certainly hadn't lost its efficacy. Fu Qian deliberately opened his eyes before fully digesting it just so he could swallow the rest.
The Duchess was very likely worried about losing control over him and was intentionally limiting his advancement.
This world was quite bizarre. The enhancement of one's own strength was crucial, and such an opportunity had to be firmly grasped.
"That's good then."
Looking at the wooden shelf decayed into ashes, the Duchess's face looked quite ugly.
But since things had come to this, she didn't say anything more and steered the topic back to business.
"Your strength should be enough to cope now. Next, how do you plan to find this person?"
"Find a Jailer, explain my purpose, and have it lead the way for me?"
Fu Qian blinked.
"Are you crazy! You don't have the Eclipse Curse on you. If they find out, they wouldn't allow you down there at all. How could they possibly lead the way for you?"
The Duchess looked somewhat dumbfounded.
"The target isn't afflicted with the Eclipse Curse either, right? But she is down there."
"That's because she is considered to have committed heinous crimes."
"As a Jailer killer, I guess I've committed heinous crimes too. We might even get locked up together!"
...
"No, it's still too reckless."
The Duchess shook her head repeatedly, completely disagreeing with Fu Qian's radical plan.
"I'm joking. I actually have a set of Jailer clothes and plan to wear them to sneak in secretly."
Fu Qian pointed at his temple.
"The routes inside are all in my head."
That's more like it!
The Duchess nodded, not asking about the origins of the clothes.
"Even so, you must be very careful. It will be very troublesome if you're discovered."
"No problem. If I'm discovered, I'll just physically infiltrate."
...
The Duchess was speechless once again, unable to help but doubt if her decision was a mistake.
Chapters 137 & 138 are wrong as of me posting this. The two current chapters are both for your other novel on the site. Please fix. Thanks in advance!
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