Brain bloom

……

I wish to leave my home and continue my journey.

Although she wanted to stay longer, chat with her adoptive father a bit more, and then go back to her room to rest for a while, ... time was running out.

She left the demon-inhabited world and returned to the sea, preparing to head to Silvermoon City—but where exactly was Silvermoon City? What kind of place was it? She had no idea.

She needs to ask someone... Hmm, since it's at sea, asking passing ships should be a good idea.

"Oh, perfect."

A ghost ship shrouded in thick fog is approaching from afar, and it's moving incredibly fast.

I should feel fortunate. If it were a human ship, there would be a lot of trouble explaining. If it were a ghost ship of a demon or ghost, then there would be no problem. But why would it appear during the day?

The ghost ship looked like a two-masted sailing ship, but it was full of signs of dilapidation and damage, and was covered with skeletons dressed as pirates.

I wished to step onto the side of the boat.

Is anyone home?

"……Who are you?"

A lone pirate ghost, gazing into the distance, asked. The pirate ghost was quite powerful, making Yuan think a fight would be troublesome. She thought for a moment, then released the black mist emanating from her body—a means of disguising herself as a demon.

Even the voice changed.

What do you think?

"...The power of the ancient demon king! So it was you! I salute you—to answer your question, I am on my way to Silvermoon City because I sensed an incredibly beautiful leg beckoning to me."

"……Uh?"

"It exudes incredible power and is enveloped in the sacred sweetness of wealth; it will surely bring you riches!"

The pirate ghost drew his longsword and tapped the iron prosthetic leg attached to his broken leg.

"I was looking for a replacement, so I was preparing to answer the call and cut off that leg."

Volume 1 #067 The Wonderful Tourism Industry

"Then give me a ride. I also want to go to Silvermoon City." As soon as she finished speaking, Yuan's feet were already on the deck. She was looking around, trying to find a suitable place to rest.

The ghost ship had a gloomy atmosphere, and perhaps because he grew up in a dark world, he actually had a fondness for ghost ships that were shrouded in fog and vehemently opposed to sunlight. The pirate ghost nodded, readily accepting a ride.

"What's your name?" Yuan asked, turning around.

“When I was alive, everyone, from bedbugs in the ditch to annoying flying dragons in the sky, called me First Mate Iron Hammer.” He laughed, and his translucent body trembled along with it.

"So, you're not the captain?"

"Indeed! You truly are the daughter of that ancient demon king! You are incredibly intelligent, far more so than the rats on our ship... uh, please forgive me, after all, the only living creatures on this ship are the rats..."

First Mate Ironhammer seemed to want to make a witty remark, but facing the highest-ranking devil, his tongue and mind were numb. The evil black mist emanating from the other was terrifying; he dared not touch it and could only take several steps back before daring to continue speaking.

“Captain Moss is recovering from his injuries, and I dare not disturb him, but now this ship obeys my orders... so I am going to take it to plunder.”

“Go and plunder a leg.” Yuan chuckled softly, but to the other person, the laughter seemed to crush their brain.

"No, that's right... that's definitely a great leg."

"Can you even see your so-called legs across the ocean?"

She looked in the direction the ghost ship was sailing, but saw neither the so-called legs nor sensed anything else. She couldn't help but think of the stories circulating among pirates: the ethereal sea theater, the underwater city of corpses, and the jellyfish that bite butts.

It seems that now, there's another one to these legends, perhaps called "Good Legs from Afar".

She burst out laughing again, thinking to herself how embarrassing the legend was.

“I can feel a calling, which is hard to describe to you... The calling also carries an aura of holiness and wealth that is nauseating, just like the Holy Coffin Kingdom.”

"Oh? It's the aura of the coffin bearers? Could it be some kind of sacred object?" Yuan squinted and asked, "How much longer until we arrive? The demons and the Holy Coffin Kingdom are mortal enemies; I won't let them get away with this."

"You should rest well. We'll be there in another half a day. If a fight breaks out, I won't hold you back. It's just... could you give me that leg?"

"Since you're letting me go that way, then the deal with the devil is done. I can let you have it—after all, my legs are still perfectly fine."

Although it was a bit slow, I hope they didn't say anything more, because this kind of trip was exceptionally pleasant.

……

Mori, who was at the end of the crowd, still felt that he might have misheard something.

The mage and warrior had indeed said they were going to slay a dragon, which is why Senshi followed. She wanted to secretly shoot the wealthy dragon and experience the joy of leveling up several times in a row. For this reason, she patiently crept behind, enduring the hardships of the journey, especially since seasonal creatures are particularly prone to attracting insects.

But how did it turn out like this when we got to the foot of the mountain where the dragon's lair was?

"Line up, ten silver coins each, pay first before you go up the mountain! We will provide water and food, but not life support. If you die later, we will not be responsible."

“Guide, we have a problem!” A man raised his hand. “We are a family, tourists from the Holy Coffin Kingdom, specifically—”

"Okay, okay, I know. I receive many tourists like you every day who come specifically to see the dragon."

The guide looked annoyed, but still tried to explain it clearly once more.

"Listen carefully, the mortality rate of Dragon Tourism is actually very low. I guarantee it with the reputation of Silvermoon City. As long as you listen to me, you won't die. But if you disobey, we will not be responsible for your death."

These words dispelled everyone's concerns, and so ten silver coins, ten silver coins, and then another ten silver coins rang out continuously.

There were probably hundreds of people in the queue, mostly tourists dressed in various ways and traveling with their families. They were tossing money to the tour guide and then receiving a booklet. Mori was at the end of the line, but he could still make out what was written in the booklet—"Things You Need to Know When Viewing Dragons."

Mori was trying hard to figure out what was going on.

At the time, he followed the two dragon slayers to the foot of the mountain, and then they joined the group of tourists. Mori thought there were more than a hundred people going to slay the dragon... but it turned out to be a group of tourists.

Seeing that there were many people, Mori simply mingled in and became a tourist as well.

Silvermoon City does indeed possess a dragon, and it is a very rare phantom dragon. She knew this because she had also paid silver coins for a manual, and upon opening it to the first line, she saw: "Welcome to Silvermoon City! This is a phantom dragon viewing tour!"

Using her knowledge from her previous life, she deduced the current situation: One day, a phantom dragon appeared here and harmed pedestrians. Silvermoon City sent powerful warriors to subdue it, spared its life, and then imprisoned it on the mountaintop for people to admire and earn more money.

This is truly a business plan worth considering; after all, the opportunity to observe rare animals up close is indeed very appealing...

Sen was extremely frustrated. How was she supposed to slay the dragon now? She hadn't managed to kill the tree demon, lost a precious gold coin, and wasted so much time. When she got back, Dandelion would definitely laugh at her.

She was dejected, but felt she shouldn't let the ten silver coins go to waste, so she went up to take a look.

At this time-

"Oh, this pretty little sister, all alone?"

Just then, the burly double-axe warrior she had been following spoke to Sen Shi, forcing a ferocious smile onto his face.

“…Hmm.” Mori nodded.

“I can’t believe someone would dare to come see the dragon all by themselves. It’s admirable, but it’s also a wise choice. Do you know why?” He gave a thumbs up and flexed his muscles. “Because this is the last day of the dragon tour.”

"Does this mean...you...are you going to slay the dragon?" Mori asked, suppressing his embarrassment.

"You actually guessed it? You're really smart."

"I'm from out of town and don't know anything about this place. Uh, so you mean the dragons here are both ornaments and can be killed by you? Does that mean dragon slaying isn't real dragon slaying, but rather a kind of... performance?"

Mori thought that these people might be actors, specializing in performing dragon slaying for people to watch.

“No, this is real dragon slaying, we’re serious.” He touched the two axes at his waist. “It’s a life-or-death struggle, not acting.”

"But...aren't dragons ornamental objects?"

"An ornament? It's ferocious! The dragon even threatened that if anyone could kill it, all the tourism fees it had received so far—those ten-dollar silver coins—would belong to the dragon slayer. I've seen it; they're all piled up in its lair."

Sen Shi finally understood: it wasn't the merchants of Silvermoon City collecting entrance fees, but Phantom Dragon himself… What a strange tourism industry! Sen Shi was speechless.

……

(Is my missing chapter really cursed?)

Volume 1, Chapter 68: Dragon Fang Gone Just Like That!

"Are you going to slay the dragon all by yourself?" Mori asked.

"Haha, I wish I could, but unfortunately I'm not that kind of legendary figure... Look, those are all my teammates."

The soldier pointed ahead, his finger landing on several people in turn.

The mage who had previously been with the warriors and seemed quite clever is now mingling in the crowd, in a semi-meditative state to ensure his power is abundant.

There was a thin man carrying a longbow on his back and a quiver at his waist. He was also a hunter of level 80 or above, and it was clear that he was used to walking mountain roads.

The last member of the team was a dark elf. If the warrior hadn't specifically pointed it out, Sen Shi probably wouldn't have noticed. True to his rank 87 assassin status, he moved with the agility of a float.

"Only four people?"

"Not bad... Although we can't compare to those legendary powerful teams, we can still accomplish something great." The warrior rubbed his nose with his thumb and said proudly, "Beautiful maiden, after we slay the dragon, would you like me to give you a dragon scale as a souvenir?"

"Okay, then I wish you success."

The warrior felt he hadn't been rejected and was about to continue trying to win over Sen Shi—but the magician in front of him turned around and waved to him.

"Oh dear...sir, I'm sorry, I have to go now. That guy might need to tell me the tactical arrangements."

"Go."

The warrior ran forward, his burly body pushing aside the tourists, who grumbled incessantly. Reaching the magician, he turned back, giving Sen Shi a sinister, grotesque smile.

As for Mori, he slowly followed at the back of the tourists, when he suddenly realized something—had I just been flirted with? I was actually flirted with?

Sen Shi remained calm and even felt a little amused, thinking that this person was just trying too hard to flirt and that his methods were clumsy.

A muscular man who isn't particularly good-looking shouldn't try to use his "smile" as a weapon. It would be wiser for him to portray himself as a taciturn but incredibly reliable person to gain a woman's dependence.

So along the way, Mori analyzed flirting strategies from the perspective of the woman being flirted with.

……

"It's fine for everyone to observe up close, but please don't show any hostility—by the way, anyone want to touch it? Fifty silver coins per touch, but we won't take responsibility if it dies."

The tour guide stood in front of the dragon, skillfully performing his duties and introducing the secondary-charge items.

Occasionally, the chatter of children could be heard, pestering their mothers for fifty silver coins to touch the Phantom Dragon, only to be spanked by their fathers who said it was very dangerous—only a few were willing to pay and muster the courage to touch the Phantom Dragon.

Sen simply stood there, looking up at the phantom dragon.

[Level 94 - Snow Child - Phantom Dragon]