Chapter 171

Chapter 171: The Male Fire Dragon and the Cāng Huǒ Lóng’s Suspicion.

After returning from his wild excursion, the Smoky Snow Weasel curled up in a corner intending to rest, but a Chef Cat came running over and led him to an empty cat nest.

The brand-new cat nest was lined up with other small nests of the Ailu Cats from the Investigative Corps. There were also carefully padded cotton cushions inside, along with a ball of yarn tossed into it.

Jié Jié happily accepted this arrangement, curling up on the cotton cushion and falling asleep.

Before drifting off, he thought about gradually moving the various trinkets he had collected into the nest.

Over the following period, apart from continuing his usual wild adventures, the contents of the Smoky Snow Weasel’s nest began to increase.

Bizarre red masks, weapons crafted for Ailu Cats from bones, several ancient-looking jars that seemed to be from the Ancient Dragon People, and numerous unidentified Origin Pearls.

All these treasures were stored away by Jié Jié in various corners. Unfortunately, many items were lost during monster activities. However, the Odd-Faced Tribe mask and the Raiding Knife were safely hidden due to his special care.

Clearly bearing traces of civilization, the mask and the Raiding Knife drew the attention of the Investigative Corps, prompting the Commander, Team Leader, and Chief Chef to gather around him, gesturing inquiries about the origins of these objects.

Innocently blinking, the Smoky Snow Weasel placed the mask on his face and mimicked the Odd-Faced Tribe’s body-shaking dance.

“From the size, there should still be beastmen natives deep within the New Continent.”

“Meow meow meow~ (This weapon has a style very similar to feline beastmen, but much more primitive and crude.)”

The Chief Chef carefully examined the Raiding Knife and reached a conclusion.

After cleaning the mask and the Raiding Knife, they returned them to Jié Jié’s nest. As for the Origin Pearls, when the Commander showed interest, Jié Jié simply handed them over.

“Just giving them to us? Some of these pearls look to have pretty good quality, eh.”

The Commander took out a few pearls to examine them. These pearls were often crystallized forces formed within monsters’ bodies. When embedded as jewelry on armor, they could provide some special effects.

Different monsters produced different types of pearls, and the size of the pearls was related to the amount of power they could contain.

Origin Pearls would circulate in nature through various means after a monster’s death. Many birds liked collecting shiny pearls, and some animals had similar habits.

But a Smoky Snow Weasel?

The Commander was a hunter, though not a Compiler, and did not fully understand, but this did not stop their growing fondness for the little creature before them.

Jié Jié didn’t pay much attention, but the investigators exchanged some small items, clearly not wanting to take without giving something in return.

For the investigative team, while exchanging, they hoped to encourage the little creature to continue collecting, thus providing them with a long-term source of ornaments.

Jié Jié climbed onto the Chef Lady’s shoulder, watching as she stirred the pot of soup.

Dull pearls floated and rolled with the spoon in the nutritious broth, the dormant power within awakening and infusing the soup with various hues of light.

One by one, the pearls were scooped out with the slotted spoon, their shapes irregular, perhaps requiring further polishing by craftsmen later.

“Ho, I smelled the Alchemy Soup from here, let me take a look.”

The Captain of the Technical Team stepped forward to help sort the pearls:

“This one is likely a Stamina Pearl, this one is a Guard Pearl, Endurance, Fire, Specimen, Heavy Strike, Defensive Boost and Liberation…”

“Ultra Heart Pearl! Cannon Pearl? This size, ho! It’s a Level Two Cannon Pearl!”

The diminutive Dragon Person suddenly held up a shining pearl, slightly surprised.

“Monsters capable of producing such pearls should be quite powerful, can you really find them everywhere in the New Continent?”

Although the Captain of the Technical Team had been busy with infrastructure at the base and hadn’t gone out much, he knew this was unlikely.

“It might have been collecting them for a long time, or even passed down through generations.”

Watching the Smoky Snow Weasel observing them, the Team Leader shrugged.

“Leader, Leader! Master Yánnüè is back!”

Just as they were conversing, a Hunter rushed into the cave, shouting excitedly.

“Hmm? Good news keeps coming, let’s go out to welcome her!”

The Team Leader raised an eyebrow, wrinkles appearing on his face from the joy he couldn’t suppress.

Stepping outside, many investigators had already gathered around the weary woman, welcoming the investigator’s return.

Climbing the mountain, Master Yánnüè saw the blond man halfway up the slope, nodding and smiling more freely.

Finally, they gathered on the Starship at the mountaintop. Master Yánnüè’s Compiler’s Book was spread out on the table, displaying the trajectory of her travels.

Several maps alternated to form a three-dimensional Giant Tree, the movement trajectories piercing through the Giant Tree and reaching the mountains.

For Master Yánnüè, the return journey was faster than exploring the unknown. Yet, in just two seasons, a large portion of the known environment had become unfamiliar.

The speed of this natural transformation was astonishing, and the Dragon Scholar climbed onto the table, spreading out his records to make immediate revisions.

“And mine too, Master, look, a Fire Dragon approximately twenty-four meters long, surpassing the largest anomalous Fire Dragon ever recorded on the Original Continent!”

The gluttonous Compiler couldn’t wait to show off his records.

The future Anomalous Male Fire Dragon crowned with Black Flames, whose name would be bestowed by the Dragon Calendar Institute, measured 2263.56 cm. Yet, the Fire Dragon transformed by Jié Jié had already surpassed this anomalous individual.

“Hmm… Coincidentally, when was that? I encountered a similarly sized Fire Dragon and a Cāng Huǒ Lóng during my journey.”

“Eh?”

The gluttonous Compiler paused momentarily.

“You see, what’s most peculiar is that the sizes of the Male Fire Dragon and the Cāng Huǒ Lóng were extremely close, leading me to suspect they might be the same creature.”

“Tsk, but shouldn’t the standard size of a Cāng Huǒ Lóng be smaller than a Male Fire Dragon?”

Looking at Master Yánnüè’s data and then his own, there was a significant probability that the Fire Dragons they had witnessed were the same, but the Cāng Huǒ Lóng?

According to existing records, the Cāng Huǒ Lóng species emphasized wingspan over body length, making it less agile on the ground. It could be considered a specialized variant of the Male Fire Dragon for aerial combat.

“That’s correct, but in terms of wingspan, the estimated data for both Fire Dragons is highly similar.”

A Male Fire Dragon with the wingspan of a Cāng Huǒ Lóng?

Or a Cāng Huǒ Lóng with the body length of a Male Fire Dragon?

Considering the sighting times and directions of travel, anyone would easily think of the rumor that the Cāng Huǒ Lóng is the post-middle-age form of a Male Fire Dragon.

Because, this rumor fits the current situation. That Male Fire Dragon and Cāng Huǒ Lóng— they are the same creature!