What's wrong with me, a mage, loving to farm?

Chapter 248. The Dying Dragon Egg, the Gaze of the Ancient Dragon

Kroa moved so quickly.

After defeating the armies of the two dukes, they joined forces and followed Lord Flame Mountain and his men to a secret realm deep in the southern border.

The couple had already prepared themselves. Since things had come to this point, they had to pay the price; otherwise, who knew if Kroya would take action against them?

It's worth mentioning that Chloe specifically gave Sean a small team to rescue his family and friends back home, and prepared a long-distance teleportation magic circle to the North.

His flamboyant approach meant he wasn't afraid of the two dukes coming to cause trouble, or rather... he was eager for them to come to the North and challenge him.

Once you're on his turf, how he handles things is entirely up to his personal preferences.

What he cares about now is that secret realm.

Through swift interrogation of the prisoners and information provided by the Lord of Flame Mountain, the apprentices marched at breakneck speed and quickly arrived at their destination.

Deep in the Southern Reach, at the crater of a seemingly ordinary extinct volcano, Nora had transformed back into her dragon form.

Her scales are the kind of crystal-clear, lustrous red jade, giving people a gentle feeling, completely lacking the ferocity of a dragon - before the Red Jade Dragon can master transformation, its dragon form is an ordinary red dragon, but after mastering it, it can transform into a true red jade form.

The giant dragon made of cinnabar opened its huge mouth, and the voice that came out was that of a young woman: "I will keep the secret realm open for ten hours. After you go in, try to take everything you can."

After saying that, she immediately spat out a mouthful of red dragon breath.

The dragon's breath went straight into the depths of the completely dormant volcano. Immediately afterwards, the originally gray-black volcanic magma lost its black color and became reddish and shiny.

It doesn't quite resemble lava.

Instead, it seems like...

"Strawberry jam?"

Lina couldn't help but blurt it out, and then she really smelled a sweet aroma that was unique to jam. The aroma was so strong that it made her stomach rumble.

"This is dragonberry syrup." Nora didn't know how she could speak while keeping her mouth wide open and maintaining her dragon breath.

As she spewed out, the rosy, slightly trembling, jelly-like fruit pulp began to flow in all directions, quickly submerging the surrounding stone walls, leaving only the stone they were standing on standing in the red sea of ​​fruit pulp.

"You should all eat as much as possible."

"Dragonberries are a special magical plant found only on Dragon Island, and they are beneficial for humans to eat more of them."

Nora spoke up again to remind her.

Now, the apprentices, who had already been attracted by the sweet and fragrant fruit juice, could no longer hold back and immediately took out all sorts of spoons to eat it.

Even magical beasts and magical plants were consuming the fruit pulp in their own ways.

Until the fruit syrup boils.

A massive portal, carved entirely from red jade, rises from the fruit pulp.

The two sides of the portal were carved with countless magical characters unique to the dragon race. These magical characters were filled with special magic power, and the characters themselves were the embodiment of magic.

Without saying a word, Lina immediately took out a magical device that could record images and photographed all the text on the portal.

Dragon language magic is a very magical type of magic.

Even Kroya was unable to acquire knowledge of dragon language magic—the illusory moon fish dragon in his moon sea was more of an innate magic, without a very special and systematic inheritance of dragon language magic.

Although I don't know what these dragon languages ​​mean, being able to record them and bring them back, and if they can be of some help to Kroya, then it will be a great gain.

After photographing these things, Lina put away her magical artifact with satisfaction and waved her hand: "Nut Squad!"

At her command, enormous nuts, four or five meters tall and resembling tower shields, slowly moved forward, their surfaces shimmering with crystal-like patterns.

It is already incredibly tough, and with the addition of the astral crystal enchantment, it is one of the best tanks, making it perfect for exploring unknown environments.

The Nuts team shielded everyone in the middle, and then, cautiously and slowly, they moved into the portal.

After a brief period of dizziness.

They then arrived in another world.

Completely different from the wild and untamed dragon world they had imagined, the world that appeared before them was surprisingly... orderly.

The first thing you see is a flat expanse of land.

The rock formation on the ground is a translucent gemstone color, like a solidified sea, bottomless, with a three-meter-high prismatic blue crystal pillar standing every three meters.

The world is a forest formed from crystal pillars.

The surface of the crystal pillars was engraved with magical patterns of unknown effect, which rippled outwards between the light and shadow, resonating and vibrating between the crystal pillars and producing a crisp and pleasant sound.

"Ding ding ding~"

It's a melody that instantly lifts your spirits, makes you feel exceptionally cheerful, and makes you unconsciously want to hum along.

Hanging in the sky is a huge gem, like a red dragon's eye, which takes the place of the sun, radiating light and heat.

It also bathed the entire world in a vibrant red glow, making people feel the warmth within the light and the boiling of their blood.

The apprentices had seen many strange sights before, and although this place was quite special, they quickly came to their senses and looked around warily.

Lord Flame Mountain, who knew the most about this place, was holding a staff in his hand and said solemnly, "Everyone, there are some dragon goblins here. They are in charge of the dragon eggs sleeping in the Crystal Tower Forest. We must find them."

"Nora said there's not much danger here, but we still need to be careful."

After saying that, he glanced at Lina, nodded, and then used a flight spell to fly off in a certain direction.

Lina knew he must have gone to find the Ruby Dragon's egg, but she didn't care, because she knew very well that her lord would definitely get a share.

So she simply waved her hand and instructed the apprentices to take the magical plants and beasts and search and explore, gathering everything they could find.

At first glance, this land appears barren, with only those towering crystal pillars visible. However, beneath these pillars grow orchids that are as translucent as blood marrow.

They stubbornly take root in the almost seamless rocky ground, growing with the magical power emanating from the crystal pillars, but they are not elemental magical plants.

In addition, there are some crystalline magical plants created by magic, as well as some ruby-like lizards and little fairies wandering in the crystal pillar forest.

Although they didn't know what it was, they all adhered to the principle of digging three feet into the ground, taking everything they could with them.

……

Half an hour later.

Lina and her people finally found the dragon goblin's hut.

It was a small house built of red crystals, which looked like a mound of earth. After pushing open the door and going inside, you could see that it was filled with all sorts of bottles and jars.

A humanoid creature, about half a person's height, with dragon horns on its head and a hunched back, was mixing and rummaging through a bottle, looking exactly like it was conducting some kind of evil experiment.

The apprentices' sudden intrusion had clearly startled it.

Instead of launching an attack, Lina waved her hand, ordering her apprentices to surround the dragon goblin in the cramped house and watch it quietly.

The goblin remained calm in the face of the sudden intrusion of humans, its hands still steady, and a deep, magnetic middle-aged male voice emanated from its throat.

"Human, please wait a moment!"

After it finished speaking, it continued to shake the somewhat rough beaker in its hand, watching several red liquids that looked completely identical mix together, before finally splashing it onto the ground—

"Sizzle sizzle sizzle!"

A plume of red smoke rose up, and the dragon goblin's body gradually deformed and twisted within the red smoke.

In the end... he actually turned into a handsome middle-aged man.

His hair was already a bit gray at the ends, and his face had some wrinkles and crow's feet, but the vicissitudes of time had not destroyed his handsomeness; on the contrary, they had made him even more mellow.

Even his naked body was similar to that of a young man, with a broad chest, well-proportioned abdominal muscles, and equally powerful arms and limbs, exuding masculine charm.

Simply put, he's like an older male escort who works in a tavern, telling elaborate adventure stories to win the admiration, tears, and gold coins of wealthy ladies and young women.

"Put on some clothes."

Lina didn't know whether what was in front of her was the result of a transformation spell or something else, but she still immediately threw out a large robe.

The middle-aged man politely accepted the cloak and put it on.

Then, he took the initiative to tell his story: "My companions and I were once dragon people on Dragon Island, but we were cursed by Lord Asathill and brought here to become dragon goblins."

Our mission is to wait until someone can take away the five jade dragon eggs and twelve ordinary red dragon eggs from the secret realm, and provide them with guidance in dragon language magic and potion-making.

He appeared exceptionally polite, speaking the common language of the mainland, yet possessing an indescribable aristocratic air.

It is the kind of temperament that is truly cultivated and nurtured by knowledge, far superior to those ordinary nobles who wear luxurious clothes but act like wild beasts.

How should I put it? Anyway, there's a strong sense of unease about it.

Even Lina was at a loss for words, and in the end, she could only ask, "Aren't you worried that we might be bad people?"

The man burst into laughter.

"You're so funny."

He turned and began tidying up the bottles and jars, saying as he did so, "The music of the Red Jade will suppress evil life. When you came in and did not die, you have already satisfied our master's request."

"The music of Ruby?" Lina asked curiously.

"Yes, it was set up by a bard from the Astral Plane. I will help you take it down."

The man quickly packed all the bottles and jars together with a cloth and then carried them on his back.

"Alright, let's go!"

He looked like a child who had been cooped up at home for millions of years and was finally able to go out, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

Lina remained silent for a moment, but decided to believe him and followed him to the other dragon goblins.

The dragon goblins had all transformed into handsome middle-aged men, each one unique, making it resemble a queen's selection of concubines.

The apprentices looked at each other in bewilderment, completely baffled as to why they had become like this, and dared not ask.

The men were very excited and immediately gathered together, taking out small metal hammers and tapping them against the base of the crystal pillar.

It seems they are disassembling something.

In a short while, the crystal pillar gradually shrank as it was struck, eventually becoming a crystal object the size of a palm.

They toiled tirelessly, like industrious ants dismantling the crystal pillar, while the apprentices followed behind, collecting magical plants and beasts they encountered along the way.

Looking down from the air, it looks like ants moving house, with not a blade of grass growing.

After much effort, just as the portal to the secret realm was about to close, they finally found the dragon egg and successfully left the secret realm with several cartloads of spoils.

Then came a round of bargaining.

Nora handed two Ruby Dragon eggs and five Red Dragon eggs to Lina, then quickly left with the remaining dragon eggs.

As for those dragon goblins, crystal pillars, and magical plants and beasts, she didn't want any of them; all she cared about were the three red jade dragon eggs.

Although Yanshan wanted to fight for something, he could only sigh helplessly when he saw his wife's excited expression.

"I'll talk to Chloe again in a while."

After saying that, he left with Nora.

Without delay, Lina returned to Han Reef Island with her bountiful harvest and sought an audience with Kroya.

After listening to Lina's summary of the matter, Chloe, who had been eagerly awaiting the apprentices' return with gifts, nodded:

"You've all worked hard this time. Now that we've reached the Southern Border, leave a few people behind to open a shop. That way, we can expand our reach there as well."

He paused, then continued, "Tell Miffy to keep an eye on the dukes' movements. I've slapped them in the face like this, and I doubt they'll let it go."

If they want to fight... then you'll be in charge of organizing the response.

After casually handing over this power to Lina, Chloe waved her hand, indicating that she could leave.

"I see!"

"Then I'll take my leave."

Lina, her face flushed with excitement, slowly left the mage tower, utterly bewildered that she had inexplicably gained such immense power.

She was even somewhat looking forward to the two dukes attacking the North.

……

After seeing Lina off, Chloe turned her gaze to the group of thirty handsome middle-aged men.

Ok……

The visual effects are truly spectacular.

He only glanced at it a few more times and his eyes started to blur – what was going on? Did the dragon not only like treasure, but also handsome men?

Otherwise, how can you explain that they are all handsome men, and not a single ugly one?

Kroa didn't understand, and couldn't understand.

He could only put the matter aside for the time being and asked directly, "Is there anything you want to tell me?"

There are just too many strange things about this matter, and even he couldn't figure it out for the time being. It seems that the owner of the Red Jade Cave is looking forward to finding a master for his descendants.

The dragon goblins looked at each other, and finally one of them stepped forward and said respectfully, "My lord, we will tell you everything, including our knowledge."

But now please look at the master's eggs, they are about to die!

"?"

"Can dragon eggs die?"

These words made Kroya frown. He glanced at the dragon egg placed to the side and activated the Celestial Body Imprint Technique.

This spell allows one to easily see the tiny red dragon curled up inside the dragon egg. It is already formed, with a small tail wrapped around its body, but its life force is extremely weak.

This is a very abnormal situation.

Although he had never raised dragons, he still knew about them; dragon eggs were arguably one of the most resilient and durable things.

Even if it is buried deep underground for hundreds of years, as long as there is a magical environment with enough energy for incubation, a baby dragon can still hatch inside.

Not to mention this is a red jade dragon.

The dragon that can bring back the dead has no life force?

Puzzled, he observed the strange dragon eggs again and found that they were all in the same state, as if their life force had been drained by something.

He immediately became interested and began to carefully study the structure of the dragon egg—with the help of the Astral Imprint Technique, he could easily analyze the structure of the dragon egg and the baby dragon inside.

The more he looked, the more surprised he became.

The structure of this dragon egg... is quite intricate.

Like a sophisticated magical device shaped like an egg, the eggshell can spontaneously absorb the surrounding magic and then transform it into the nutrient liquid needed for the growth of the baby dragon inside.

It's important to know that dragons are actually a type of magical beast with a very large appetite.

After hatching, dragons need to consume food rich in magic to ensure their physical development. If they can eat some rare minerals, they can also strengthen themselves.

Newborn dragons can eat food several times their own size.

So, where do dragons get the nutrients they need when they are inside the egg?

Is it just the liquid inside the egg?

Obviously not.

In the materials provided by the Oak Tree of Orpheus, Kroya read the experimental notes of a mage.

The powerful mage used some kind of magic to remove the dragon embryo from the egg while keeping it alive, and then placed it in a culture tank for further cultivation.

After a period of research, it was discovered that the magic and nutrients required to nurture a dragon from an embryo to a hatchling stage were beyond even his means.

In the end, we had no choice but to give up.

Although his experiment failed, his notes contained some ambiguous conjectures: he suspected that the dragon eggs' nutrition came from the eggshell, but he was unable to study the eggshell, so he could only record this information and wait for future generations to explore it.

Imagine, a cost that even a level 10 archmage couldn't afford could be achieved through the transformation of an eggshell...

If he could research this magical rune and apply it to the fruits of some plants, could he create some juice to feed dragons?

His curiosity and desire to study arose, and he immediately began to focus on observing and studying the magic patterns on the dragon egg.

Then, something unexpected happened—

In his vision, the patterns inside the dragon egg seemed to come alive, and he could see a giant red dragon with wings so large they blotted out the sky, its mouth wide open at him.

The terrifying crimson breath instantly expelled his mental energy, while the Celestial Spirit Body Imprint Technique provided an explanation:

[You have triggered the ancestral defense mechanism of the Red Dragon variant "Ruby Dragon Egg". The Ancient Dragon will cast a multiverse search spell on your location.]

Kroa: "!!!"

What? The ancestor of this dragon egg was able to sense that I was using magic to spy on it? Or was it an ancient dragon?

Thank you everyone for your monthly tickets and recommendation votes! I'll add an extra chapter at the end of the month!

(End of this chapter)