A dull longsword and a heartbroken villager

Could it be that there are more places like this outside the Imperial Capital Safe Zone?

Nia opened her small arms, displaying an expression full of anticipation.

Just then, Xiao You, dressed in a long black dress, caught the dancing fluorescent light.

Although it actually caught a firefly, visually it could be said that it caught the fluorescence.

Then Xiaoyou stuck out her pink tongue and touched the fluorescent light.

"Mmm." Xiao You put the firefly in her mouth expressionlessly and ate it with a smacking sound.

“0A0?” Nia’s eyes, which had been shining brightly, were instantly filled with question marks.

"Sister Xiaoyou, is this edible?" Nia asked.

Insects...are they edible?

“Nia can’t eat this. Even if she did, it would be some other kind of insect.” Xiaoxue suddenly broke out in a cold sweat, and the gentle smile on her lips became even more stiff.

Oh no, I don't know why, but Xiaoxue always seems to think things are heading in some unknown direction.

"Hey, can we eat other insects?" Nia asked again. She had never heard her parents say that insects were edible.

"No, no, I can't." Xiaoxue's eyes started to dart around, looking a little lost.

Actually, it doesn't matter what a dragon eats; if it really wanted to, it could even chew up a stone.

However, Nia is a perfectly normal human being, so how could she possibly eat this thing?

Even though, even if she gets an upset stomach, I can use my blessings to heal Nia.

But Xiaoxue was certain that Mr. Bray knew that Nia had been persuaded by them to taste the fireflies, and that they would be made into dragon meat sashimi.

Good heavens! Dragon meat sashimi?! They're still young dragons, not even a hundred years old yet, and don't want to be on the dinner table anytime soon.

"This stuff doesn't actually fill you up, so there's no need to eat it."

"I just treat them like peanuts, something to pass the time," Xiao You said, blinking her eyes in a very ethereal voice.

"Yes, that's right, don't worry about it. Nia can't eat bugs, okay? If she has to eat them, they can only be fried." Xiaoxue's eyes were filled with tears, and she was already incoherent.

"Xiaoxue, you're acting strange. Are you feeling unwell today?" Xiaoyou said, and then picked up Nia.

"Sister, don't worry, I'm not... I'm not feeling unwell," Xiaoxue said, feeling dizzy and terrified.

"Sister Xiaoyou~" Nia was picked up and then hugged Xiaoyou.

"Mmm," Xiao You murmured softly.

"..." After seeing Xiaoyou pick up Nia, Xiaoxue immediately stopped feeling dizzy, her eyes stopped spinning, and two red hearts appeared on her face.

"Ah, the way my sister is holding Nia is so sweet." The cold beauty holding the cute girl was exactly what Xiaoxue wanted to see. She just wanted to etch this image into her mind.

For a moment, He forgot what He had been afraid of in the previous episodes.

"Don't teach Nia anything inappropriate. Humans and dragons are different," Nicol Bolas cleared his throat and said solemnly behind the twin dragons.

He was genuinely afraid that his descendants would teach Nia some nonsense, since children of lower races learn things very quickly.

“Little Nicol Bolas.” Nia smiled adorably when she saw Nicol Bolas and stretched out her little hand to her.

Nia felt an extraordinary sense of kinship with this girl who was only a head or two taller than her.

Because she had no idea, nor could she imagine, how long the girl had lived.

"Hello, Nia." Nicol Bolas didn't mind the girl's way of addressing him and responded with a smile.

Nia wasn't so lively at first. Looking back, she spent the two days after Bray left basically crying.

This was a novel place, and also completely unfamiliar to the girl who had left her parents.

Initially, Nia was highly wary of everyone here, like a little wolfhound.

Fortunately, Nicol Bolas played Nia's long-treasured "Break Adventure" for her, which improved his relationship with her.

After that, Nia gradually became less wary.

Nia likes the Twin Dragons, the Ancestral Dragon, and the Spring Wolf very much now.

Although Nicholas and the others occasionally transformed into giant lizards and startled Nia, they brought her more novelty than anything else.

As for Spring Wolf, Nia loves to sleep with him. He has no odor and is fluffy, making him better than any toy.

"Oh, right, Nia, your father is taking you back." After saying this to Nia, Nicol Bolas pointed to Bray behind him.

Bray stood there, looking at Nia with a very complicated expression.

Nia's expression wasn't so complicated anymore; the first thing she did upon seeing her father was to cry.

"..." She paused for two seconds.

"Waaaaah!!!!!!!!!" Then tears burst out.

For some reason, seeing her own penis makes Nia want to cry.

I didn't feel like crying before, but I couldn't help it when I saw Baba.

Nia cried and struggled in Xiaoyou's arms.

"Hey..." Xiao You sensed the girl's struggle and let go.

"Bang!" After breaking free from Xiao You's embrace, Nia nimbly jumped to the ground and clumsily ran towards Bray.

She rushed forward like a little rabbit and then clung tightly to Bray's leg.

"Dad has taken you home." Bray's previously complicated expression softened considerably as he knelt down to wipe away Nia's tears.

He finally returned from the expedition and, after many days, saw his daughter again, his heart filled with emotion.

Although she will eventually need to be independent, it's still hard to bear seeing her leave.

"I'll take you to see your mother in a bit."

"Mmm," Nia mumbled, burying her face in Bray's arms.

"Nia is leaving. Goodbye, little Nickbolas, little sister You, little sister Xue, and Favarona." Nia, who was being held by Bray, waved her hands vigorously.

"Stop arguing and hurry up," Favarona said in a nonchalant tone, her forelimbs coiled up.

"Can Nia come again next time?" Nia looked at the furry giant wolf and asked expectantly.

“No.” Favarona answered without even thinking.

This is His territory, not a playground for children to wander in and out.

He felt it was necessary to emphasize this point to Nia.

"But Nia loves this place and she loves Favarona. Can't we really come back?" Nia adores this talking giant wolf and loves this unknown world.

"Favarona is soft, fluffy, and very strong. Nia wants to hold you while she sleeps." Nia opened her arms, as if to hug Favarona.

“…” Favarona was silent for a few seconds.

He has lived for so long, and has heard countless compliments.

He had heard of both the lower and the silver species.

But for some reason, he couldn't resist Nia's strange compliments.

Was it because Nia's words were without any ulterior motives and were simply a compliment to Him?

It's amazing that He admitted it, but what's with the furry thing?

"Hmm... well... if you want to come, just go and call Nicol Bolas yourself." After saying that, Favarona closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep.

"Hehe, thanks Favarona =V=" So Nia really likes Favarona.

Despite its fierce appearance, the giant wolf never actually became ruthless.

When Nia held Him to sleep, He did not refuse; when Nia asked questions about the world, He would answer them kindly.

"Bye-bye." After saying this, Nia was carried away by Bray through the spatial rift.

After Brey and Nia had completely disappeared, Nicol Bolas waved his hand to cancel the teleportation.

"Ah..." Xiaoxue then felt that her entire dragon was completely exhausted.

"Sister, it's so good that we're still alive," Xiaoxue said to Xiaoyou out of the blue.

"Huh? What's wrong?" Xiao You looked at Xiao Xue, puzzled, wondering why she would suddenly say such heavy words.

While it's good to be alive, why say something like that at a time like this?

"If I hadn't stopped you from feeding Nia fireflies in time, we'd probably be used as hot pot broth by now," Xiaoxue said, glancing subtly at the spot where Bray had left.

It's not that Xiaoxue dislikes Mr. Bray that much; the twin dragons still think Mr. Bray is a good person.

Moreover, the relationship is actually quite good.

However, after being beaten by Bray, there's always a lingering shadow... When they become stronger than Bray, they probably won't be so trembling anymore.

But then again, do they really have a chance to surpass Mr. Bray? Grandma Nicolboras seems to be getting completely thrashed by him right now.

"Huh? Hot pot base?" Hot pot base was very appealing to Xiao You, but being turned into hot pot base was a different story.

"Isn't it supposed to be sashimi?" I remember they said they'd make dragon meat sashimi...

"Sister..." Hearing this, Xiaoxue could only hug her sister tightly. It seemed that her sister Xiaoyou had a deeper psychological trauma than she did.

"It's okay, Xiaoxue will stay with you."

"Hmm?" Unfortunately, Xiaoyou still has no idea what Xiaoxue is saying or thinking.

He simply wanted to ask why it wasn't served as sashimi... without thinking much of it.

"Smack." Nicol Bolas slapped his forehead hard. As an elder, he was speechless at the thought of these two young dragons.

How long will it take before they stop feeling so regretful?

"Hmph." Favarona snorted sullenly after Nia and Bray left.

"Oh ho, why did you hum?" Nicol Bolas looked at Favarona with interest after hearing her voice.

“That brat is much more pleasing to the eye than her father,” Favarona said, and then fell silent.

---

The sunlight and familiar scents made Nia feel dazed.

"Mommy!" Nia rushed over to Naruko as soon as she saw her.

After finishing with the mine-laying, it's time to pounce on Naruko.

"Aha! Nia!" Naruko, who had already assumed a ready stance, spun around as Nia rushed over.

"Wow~" Nia felt like she was about to fly away and couldn't stop laughing.

"Is Favarona fun?"

"Fun!"

"They are all very nice people, aren't they?"

"Uh-huh."

Bray just watched as Naruko and Nia left him standing there.

Fine, let them play together then.

Bray silently left the house, stood in front of the cabin, and looked up at the setting sun.

The expedition was less eventful than he had imagined; he had genuinely thought it would last one or two months.

Unexpectedly, the expedition was not like that at all.

That makes sense, times have changed, expeditions can no longer last for months like they used to.

Their return journey took about six days, much faster than their outward journey.

Perhaps it's because there's no need to investigate too much along the way; we just need to keep moving forward.

"The area outside the Imperial Capital Safe Zone looks completely different from what I imagined," Bray murmured.

He had left the capital's safe zone many times, but he never thought of actively looking for anything; he mostly went to remote, desolate areas.

Moreover, he doesn't pay attention to many details, such as the silt pools, which he has seen but hasn't thought about in detail.

This expedition made Bray realize that the world had changed far more profoundly than he had imagined.