High above the sky was a truly colossal figure.
The anti-flight magic enveloping this area seemed completely non-existent to this massive beast.
With just a gentle flap of her black dragon wings, a gale-force wind swept through the area.
Even the raindrops falling from the sky seemed to halt.
This was not because the rain was blocked by her massive body, but because the dark clouds themselves had been blown away by the hurricane-like winds kicked up by her wings.
This adult black dragon, who usually spent most of her time sleeping, was showing her true might in front of Irene for the first time.
The overwhelming, terrifying Dragon Fear had practically materialized into something tangible.
Had any other creature been here, they would likely have been pinned to the ground, unable to rise.
Even the aftershocks of the explosion were suppressed by this immense Dragon Fear, quickly dispersing into nothingness.
For Mother Dragon, dealing with this residual blast was probably about as difficult as blowing away a speck of dust.
“Is this... the power that comes with age?”
Irene stared into Mother Dragon's golden, slitted eyes and couldn't help but gulp.
She could see a trace of displeasure in those eyes.
After all, Mother Dragon did not like being woken up from her sleep.
“Heh, heh...”
Daviel scrambled up from the ground at that moment. Catching sight of Mother Dragon's ominous glare, he immediately pretended not to have seen a thing.
He awkwardly turned his head to look at a rock on the ground.
“Ah... the moon sure is round tonight...”
The two sides faced each other in awkward silence for a few seconds.
Then, Mother Dragon snorted two streams of white steam from her nostrils. After glaring at her two troublesome hatchlings, she flapped her wings and flew off in another direction.
“Whew...”
Irene let out a quiet sigh of relief, her eyes following Mother Dragon's receding figure.
That was not the direction of the dragon nest.
Mother Dragon was probably planning to vent her morning anger on the other magical beasts of the Great Gana Forest.
Drawing a cross over her chest with a dragon claw, Irene then pressed her claws together and muttered a low prayer to the Infinite Heavenly Lord.
A perfect fusion of East and West.
Consider it a silent prayer for the magical beasts about to suffer.
There was no such thing as familial affection among chromatic dragons.
Mother Dragon rushing over certainly wasn't out of concern for the lives of her offspring.
She had simply been woken up and came out to blow off some steam.
Saving them was merely a convenient way to fulfill Aunt Tiamat's regulations.
Just as Irene was sighing in her mind, Daviel's startled cry caught her attention.
“Sis, look over there! Isn't that something shiny?”
With that, Daviel scrambled forward on all fours.
Dragons were naturally fond of shiny things, and Daviel, as a pure-blooded black dragon, was no exception.
Once the residual shockwaves of the explosion dissipated, Mother Dragon withdrew the barrier.
This area had now become a basin resembling a meteor crater.
Smoke drifted from the glowing red ground, a clear sign of the scorching temperature.
But with a dragon's physical constitution, this level of heat was nothing.
Daviel rushed into the center of the basin, stopping at the spot where the dwarf had self-destructed. He began digging into the ground with his claws.
“It's probably the magic gear from those adventurers.”
Irene thought to herself.
She walked over at a leisurely pace.
Although she was also a dragon and had an innate fondness for shiny things, she wasn't as obsessed as other dragons.
Compared to inedible gold coins and gems, Irene preferred all kinds of delicious food.
In that sense, Irene might be the only dragon in this world who didn't value wealth above life itself.
Then again, it was hard to say for sure.
The dragon race was so vast; it was bound to produce a few oddballs who didn't care for treasure.
Arriving at Daviel's side, Irene leaned in to take a look.
She saw him holding a blue gem about the size of half a quail's egg, carefully wiping away the dust on it.
“This is...”
Irene reached out with her claw, wanting to take the gem, but Daviel dodged her.
“What are you doing? I found this first, you can't steal it!”
Like a protective mother hen, Daviel hid the gem behind his back.
He stared at Irene warily with eyes as wide as copper bells.
He was terrified she would suddenly make a move and snatch his gem away.
Irene covered her face in exasperation.
“Don't worry, I don't want it. Just let me have a look, and I'll return it to you in a bit.”
“Really?”
Daviel looked at his sister skeptically.
“Have I ever lied to you in your entire life?”
Irene stood up on her hind legs, placing one claw on her hip while extending the other.
“Be good! Let me see!”
“Uh...”
Daviel's eyes darted around. He couldn't help but recall how, years ago, she had promised him a large share of the prey they hunted, only to knock him unconscious the moment they got back.
But when he thought of Irene's combat prowess, he could only reluctantly hand over the gem.
After receiving the gem, Irene tried to probe it with her mental strength.
It was exactly as she had suspected.
Inside the gem was a space of about ten square meters, filled with quite a few items.
Clearly, this was a storage ring.
Or rather, the gemstone from a storage ring.
This kind of gem was known as a space gem in the Draconic Inheritance.
Because of its high spatial affinity and extreme hardness, various races often used it to craft spatial equipment.
The other parts of the ring must have been obliterated by the energy of the self-destruction just now.
Thus, only the hardest part, the space gem, remained.
“Hey! We hit the jackpot!”
A slight smile tugged at the corner of Irene's mouth.
They were a Silver Rank adventurer party, after all. Perhaps she could find some useful items inside the space gem.
Seeing the change in Irene's expression, Daviel quickly snatched the gem back.
“This is mine!”
“Yes, yes, yes, it's yours, it's yours.”
Irene gave a perfunctory reply and began searching the ground.
There were four people in this adventurer party, so they should all have had storage rings.
The one Daviel found was likely the dwarf's, which meant there were at least three more rings.
Relying on a dragon's keen sense of smell for treasure, after searching for half the day, Irene found the remaining three storage rings.
Or rather, three space gems.
Holding the three gems in her hands, Irene took a deep breath.
Now, it was time for the thrilling and suspenseful mystery box opening.
As she probed the space gems with her mental strength, Irene pulled out item after item.
A lady's mage robe?
Useless. Next.
A lace dress?
Useless. Next.
Gold coins?
Useless. Next...
Wait, no.
Gold coins are useful. Next.
...
Most of the contents in the first space gem were women's items and clothing.
Without a doubt, this must have belonged to that female mage.
Fortunately, at the very bottom of the storage space, Irene unearthed a few books.
《Magic for Beginners: From Introduction to Mastery》
《The Wandering Knight Fell in Love with Me!》
《Illustrated Guide to Magical Plants》
《Illustrated Guide to Magical Creatures》
Rate on N.U.
