Chapter 126: I’m Watching You.
The golden grace sprinkled by Dì Mǔ Shén was picked up by humans, and Smoky Snow Weasel saw green buds sprouting the day after the land was swept by scorching winds.
Wilted branches and leaves lay on the ground, crisp yet soft, while tender seedlings poked their heads out from the destruction.
It was breathtaking.
Jié Jié shifted his gaze from the seedlings to the gold nearby.
The Totem of the Glittering Dragon had indeed been unlocked, but just like the Totem of the Steel Dragon, no matter how much gold it consumed, there was no progress.
And this gold wasn’t just ordinary gold; it was a collection of minerals that had adhered to and been smelted into the body of the Glittering Dragon as it traveled underground.
In other words, it was part of the Slaying Dragon’s recipe.
“Hmm?”
A hunter bent down, patted his thinking head, and picked up the piece of gold in front of him.
“Zhi!”
Jié Jié raised his head and shouted angrily at the investigator.
“Eh? Eh?”
The female hunter scratched her head and returned the gold she had just picked up to the Smoky Snow Weasel.
?
Was he concerned about this?
There was plenty of gold, not to mention the long strip cut from the skirt of the Glittering Dragon.
Thinking about this, Jié Jié darted off in a flash, leaving the female hunter scratching her head where she stood, silently picking up the gold again.
Flying birds crossed the sky, spotting the team leader and others lagging behind, and then seeing the small figure on the fallen tree branches ahead of them.
Their fluttering wings paused momentarily before sharply turning back towards them.
—Meanwhile—
Compared to the enthusiastic investigators, several leaders of the investigation team were far behind, chatting idly.
“Ah, it’s already been over two months, and Master Plains hasn’t returned yet.”
“She’s an even more reckless person than me. Just like a one-star master, exploring the wilderness is what she truly should be doing. I believe she’ll return with gains.”
The team leader wasn’t very worried about Master Plains’ safety. The Master Swordsman could face off against Ancient Dragons with his sword skills, and someone with the title of master wouldn’t be an easy opponent.
Unfortunately, the commander always liked to make arrangements. Management talents tend to want everything under control and risk-free.
The commander also had an aggressive side, but when such a big person says they’re leaving and disappears instantly, it’s hard not to worry.
“You guys, don’t you feel something watching us?”
A deep voice came from under the steel helmet as the Master Swordsman looked around, finally locking onto the short figure standing high up, observing them.
“Is this the one mentioned yesterday?”
“Yes.”
The group slowly approached the Ancient Dragon Person, reaching the base of the tree where he stood.
“Hello. (Dragon Person Language)”
A hunter from the Dragon People Tribe stepped forward and waved at the Ancient Dragon Person.
“…”
As if waking up from observation, the Ancient Dragon Person murmured, focusing his line of sight on the Dragon People hunter.
Just from this single glance, both parties confirmed their similarities.
Not only did they resemble each other physically, but there was also a sense that they shared common roots.
Perhaps the Dragon People of the original continent, long ago in history, should have also been like the Ancient Dragon Person before them, using leaves for clothing.
Primitive, yet closest to nature.
Without human restlessness, yet with a stronger desire for knowledge.
But strangely, hunters were quite rare among the Dragon People.
Dragon People who valued the balance of the natural ecosystem and had a thirst for knowledge often preferred to become scholars rather than roam all over as hunters.
Of course, as relations between Dragon People and humans grew closer, and many heroic hunters emerged, more young Dragon People began to walk the path of hunting.
“…”
The Ancient Dragon Person stared at the weapon in the hunter’s hand, making a confused sound, and showed his own little staff.
He was certain that the object in the Dragon People hunter’s hand was a weapon, suggesting these unfamiliar kin might be more aggressive.
“Hmm?”
Even though they were both Dragon People, the hunter still couldn’t understand what his New Continent cousin was saying.
He could only raise his weapon, hesitate for a moment, and then use Common Tongue to add the name of the weapon:
“Bug Control Stick.”
“Bug Control Stick.”
Although the ancient Dragon Person didn’t understand the meaning of each syllable, it didn’t stop him from awkwardly mimicking the term.
“Stick (Staff).”
The Dragon People hunter pointed at the Ancient Dragon Person’s staff.
“Staff.”
The Ancient Dragon Person looked at his own staff.
“You. Dragon Person.”
“I. Dragon Person.”
The Dragon People hunter then pointed to himself and the Ancient Dragon Person, using “Dragon Person” as a reference.
“Dragon Person… (followed by a string of Ancient Dragon Person language.)”
“Sasa sa?”
This time it was the Dragon People hunter’s turn to mimic.
“…”
The Ancient Dragon Person shook his head, correcting the syllables.
“Sasa what?”
The Dragon People hunter was trying hard to learn what might be the Ancient Dragon Person’s self-identification species name, but failed repeatedly despite the constant corrections.
“See, it’s still best for Dragon People to communicate with Dragon People.”
The team leader lightly bumped the commander and smiled as he watched the two Dragon People from different continents imitating each other’s speech.
Under the continuous head-shaking and corrections from the Ancient Dragon Person, the Dragon People hunter eventually gave up and instead pointed at the people beside him.
“Human.”
“Person Hunter.”
“Human.”
Now it was the hunter’s turn to correct the Ancient Dragon Person.
It was foreseeable that it would take a long time for the Ancient Dragon Person to learn the language of the investigation team.
At this moment, a familiar white figure darted to the foot of the Ancient Dragon Person.
The Ancient Dragon Person hesitated slightly, stepping aside to make room.
This small step made the investigators think, and they ultimately assumed it was the Dragon Person’s kindness.
“What thing is peeping at what?”
Suddenly, the Ancient Dragon Person said something the Dragon People hunter hadn’t mentioned.
“This is?”
The Master Swordsman was startled; this was something he noticed the Ancient Dragon Person say earlier, right at the same time he saw the Ancient Dragon Person looking at him.
“Hmm? Meaning, I, feel, you, watching, us.”
“Explaining this way, he won’t understand, right?”
The team leader raised an eyebrow, finding it amusing to see the Master Swordsman raise his hand to say something but then stop.
But looking at the Ancient Dragon Person again, he was repeating the words described by the Master Swordsman, connecting them with the scene.
“I, you?”
He pointed at himself, then at the Dragon People hunter.
The hunter blinked, then nodded happily.
“Watching. I watch you, you, you, you… (murmuring)”
The Ancient Dragon Person extended his finger, pointing at them one by one.
Four people nodded, marveling at the learning ability of the Dragon People.
Jié Jié was also nodding because he was following the Ancient Dragon Person’s pace to learn.
“I watch you, you, you, you, you, you, you…”
The Ancient Dragon Person pointed at the people in front of him, then at the direction of the base, and finally at the distant investigators.
“You. Us. Plural.”
The Dragon People hunter supplemented, drawing a circle with his finger around himself and his companions.
“Plural? You?”
“I watch you.”
This time, it wasn’t baby talk anymore but a declaration issued by the Ancient Dragon Person.
The members of the investigation team stared at each other, pondering whether the “watching” in this sentence meant surveillance.
Until the Ancient Dragon Person hung a jar on his staff, carefully maintaining balance as he offered it to them.
Goodwill.
“I think it means learning through observation.”
The Dragon People hunter took the jar, opened it to observe, and smelled a familiar scent.
Jié Jié, watching this gesture of goodwill, understood immediately—
The second contact between the investigation team and the Ancient Dragon Person ended perfectly!
However, the more the Ancient Dragon Person learned and shared intelligence with the investigation team…
Isn’t he getting closer to being exposed?
I underestimated this!
