Ancient Dragon in Arknights

After packing up, Nesario set off for the Sadion district, a route he had traveled countless times this semester. The gatekeepers even recognized him; initially, they disliked him and planned to catch him, but later, Nesario was commended and thus earned the gatekeepers' respect—now, they even nodded in greeting.

"Nesario, finally going out for a walk?"

"Ah, I'm practically rusting from staying in school all the time."

"Hehe, where's that girl, Feilin, today? Did they have a fight?"

"She must be busy with something. After all, she's a top student."

After being transported by the city's railway, Nesario stepped onto the streets of the Sadion district—several sun-drenched corners still had snow, the road surface was wet and somewhat slippery, and most of the surrounding shops had put away winter-related items.

Bakeries display their ovens, the gentle flames baking the bread thoroughly and bringing warmth to passersby. Ultimately, the freshly baked bread completely breaks down any defenses, making people willingly go in and make a purchase. Coffee shops also mostly serve steaming hot, freshly ground coffee and milk tea, which everyone enjoys warming up in winter.

Nesario, on the other hand, was completely different—he walked into a dessert shop and ordered an ice cream.

"Sir, are you sure you didn't choose the wrong one? It's winter outside right now."

"It's cold, so it melts slowly."

"..."

In the end, Nesario left with a strange "Thank you for your patronage".

Already eye-catching due to his racial characteristics and appearance, he now has another addition – someone is actually eating ice cream on a cold day.

"The Glasgow Gang... has arrived."

Nesario looked up—the decorations outside the boxing gym had become more gang-themed, with various graffiti and texts written on it. Unlike other graffiti that affected the city's appearance, the Glasgow gang's graffiti was clearly the work of a master. It not only did not affect the city's appearance, but even formed a unique landscape, making it a perfect location for a movie.

"good afternoon!"

Nesario pushed the door open and saw Vina, Indra, and Morgan gathered around the fire.

"Indoor fire starting? That's a bit over the top."

"Oh! Isn't that Nesario? Come quick! Freshly baked pizza."

Indra handed over a takeout box—it contained two pizzas, which looked to be authentic Syracuse style.

"Thank you, I've eaten. How's it going with what happened afterwards?"

"Thanks to you, the Ghostfire Gang guys retreated quickly; I heard their headquarters was attacked."

Morgan expressed her gratitude, because the battle with the Ghostfire Gang had dealt another heavy blow to the Glasgow Gang, which had finally started to turn a profit, and they were almost back to eating potatoes every day.

"And then? Did anyone else enter your territory?"

"Yes, but our master told us not to interfere."

Indra pursed her lips. Although nothing unexpected happened afterward, she was still very unhappy that someone had run wild on her turf.

Nesario turned his gaze to Vina.

His eyes held a questioning look, as if he were asking Vina if she knew the other person's identity.

Vina, who was lounging lazily on the sofa, nodded slightly, indicating that she fully understood and there was no need for any further complications.

Chapter 135 Farce

"Nesario meow! Long time no see!"

"How are you feeling? Has the Nergigante part increased?"

"..."

The three kittens reacted differently. The Craftsman Cat and the Scholar Cat were younger, so they were very active and energetic, and they were also very worried about Nesario's "injuries".

The follower cat became even quieter. It was experienced and mature, and all it could do for this indelible injury was to do its best to help Neltharion when he needed it. Verbal concern was not very helpful and could sometimes even hurt him.

"Good news—I've temporarily controlled the Nergigante's cells. Look—"

Nesario rolled up his sleeves, and then, under the curious gaze of the three kittens, several white thorns sprouted.

"Wow! It's Nergigante's power! How amazing!"

"Ne, Nesario! Can I take a closer look?"

Although she was still verbally applying, the scholar cat had already taken out a magnifying glass and started to observe carefully; obviously, the Nergigante spikes that had fallen to the ground could not satisfy the scholars' research desires. What could be a more attractive research subject than a live Nergigante?

Of course there are.

"That's not all—come, take a look at this 丠."

Nesario raised one hand—and with a thought, the previously calm air in the room began to stir. Fortunately, the Craftsman Cat's furnace was still burning, and the air was very warm.

"Is this...the power of the wind?"

The follower cat immediately saw the reason for this change. Many dragons can manipulate the wind, but most of them do so through specific bodily structures. However, someone like Neltharion, who can control the wind simply by spreading his arms...

"Steel Dragon?"

“You’re right. But for now, both can only go this far. Because of the lack of minerals, I haven’t grown armor yet; and the lack of energy prevents me from freely using both abilities, especially the Steel Dragon’s, which consumes too much energy.”

The Artisan Meow and the Scholar Meow were celebrating wildly, while the Follower Meow was more composed. It realized that Neltharion was now in an extraordinary position—once his energy problem was solved, he would become a unique and powerful hunter!

How did those ancient dragons maintain such a large energy output?

"Hmm... the difference between you and Gu Long probably lies in the Dragon Jade."

"Dragon Jade? What's that?"

A new term has suddenly appeared. Since the follower cat has made this judgment, then this is very likely the problem.

"Because you can craft equipment without monster materials, I didn't teach you that. Now, let's begin the lesson!"

"Oh!"

......

After some instruction, Nesario understood what "Dragon Jewel" was. Simply put, it's a magic stone commonly found inside monsters in fantasy stories.

In order to maintain high energy output, the ancient dragons must have an extremely powerful energy storage function—that is, dragon jade.

Rather, in the world of Monsters and Hunters, any monster of a certain age can produce Dragon Gems, which are pure high-energy aggregates; weapons made from Dragon Gems can usually restore most of the monster's abilities from its lifetime.

"So, because I'm not old enough and I haven't inputted enough energy, there's no Dragon Jade in my body?"

"The most crucial factor is age—dragon jade is not like scales that can grow quickly; it requires time to mature and accumulate."

"This is troublesome..."

Is age a problem for Nesario? Probably not—although there is no precedent for him, judging from the life energy he is currently displaying, a lifespan of a hundred or a thousand years is definitely achievable.

If we can survive for a century and then re-emerge, unifying Terra is not just a dream.

But... what's the point of that?

His family and friends are all short-lived Terrans. A hundred years from now, will he be discussing his great achievements with a bunch of tombstones? Moreover, given Terra's rapid pace of technological advancement, the strength of various countries a hundred years from now is uncertain.

"If time is of the essence... you could try hunting ancient dragons and seizing the dragon gems within them?"

Is there any precedent for this?

"No, but I believe the genes of Nergigante can be digested."

"Not yet... uncertain."

Let's include it in the alternative plan. Neltharion only possesses the power of Nergigante, but he hasn't received any inheritance, so he doesn't know the key points of Nergigante's predation on Elder Dragons to replenish its energy.

......

As if the heavens were sending Neltharion to share good news with everyone, he arrived in the new continent again that night. But this time, instead of fighting Nergigante, he visited the captivating research base: Starfall.

"......haven't seen you for a long time?"

"Um...maybe you can go down first?"

"sorry."

This time, Nesario appeared in Azure Star's room again, and it was nighttime when he was going to sleep—even more embarrassingly, this time he didn't fall on the floor, but fell straight onto Azure Star's big bed.

At this moment, Nesario was propped up on the mattress, while Azure Star, dressed in her underwear, remained silent beneath him—her silver hair was now unrestrained and scattered on the bed, her amber eyes so deep that they seemed to draw one in; although she often went on missions under the scorching sun and in torrential rain, perhaps due to the strong restorative power of various potions, Azure Star's skin had not suffered much damage.

If one had to point out her flaws, it would be that her muscle distribution is completely at odds with "delicate" features. Traditional male chauvinists would probably prefer a slender waist that could be encircled by one hand.

Nesario, however, was not cut out for this, and his closest woman—his sister Saria—was even more exaggerated than Azure Star, so he was able to appreciate this kind of physique.

Neltharion, who hadn't panicked at all while caught in the deadly battle between Nergigante and Kushala Daora, was now pounding with nervousness. What had he just done?!

Nesario quickly left the room to look at the night view—last time, he could appreciate this tranquil scenery; now he couldn't see the night view at all, and the stunning scene from just now kept flashing through his mind.

"Ahem...has the matter between you and Nergigante been resolved?"

The door opened again, and the neatly dressed Azure Star had returned to calm; Neltharion's arrival must have brought about some changes, as he appeared quite calm at this moment, without the ferocity and bloodlust of the Extinction Dragon.

"Hmm... it's been suppressed for now, but that guy is probably not dead yet."

“We’ve found traces of Nergigante during several reconnaissance missions. It’s been fighting something, and I suspect that it’s your doing.”

"Impressive, isn't it? Taking down Nergigante all by himself."

"That was too dangerous and reckless! Don't do that again."

"Yes Yes."

Chapter 136 The Agreement

As daylight arrived, the entire research base became lively, all because of Neltharion—the scholars practically surrounded him, repeatedly asking him to demonstrate Nergigante's abilities, each demonstration eliciting cheers.

As for Kushala Daora... everyone was very excited at first, but Kushala Daora is an old acquaintance after all, and scholars have already studied it very thoroughly.

What impressed them was that Neltharion explained certain behaviors from the perspective of the Steel Dragon. Previous studies, no matter what, were all speculations about the Steel Dragon's motives and purposes from an outsider's point of view; but Neltharion's research report was different—it was directly the Steel Dragon's autobiography.

"It's incredible that Nergigante's spikes can change into different states under oxidation, and it can even accelerate this process by investing too much energy."

"That terrifying regenerative ability is also terrifying. It's hard to imagine how terrifying this ancient dragon would be if it mastered elemental abilities."

To be honest, these scholars are a bunch of big-hearted guys—they are witnessing the birth of a forbidden monster, yet everyone is cheering and celebrating.

Didn't they develop any conspiracy theories? Like, what about the control issues after Neltharion...?

"Fortunately."

"It's alright... it's just that the crystals are a bit hard on my teeth."