On the way back, he happened to run into Lop.
Lop was quite disappointed to learn that the dragon-slaying mission was over and the dragon egg had been acquired.
This was a great undertaking, well worth witnessing and participating in.
But for Lop, perhaps it wasn't a bad thing.
If he had been there, Su Lin would have certainly made him act as a meat shield in the front, as this was the tacit understanding forged through many battles.
Lop-brand meat shield, everyone who uses it praises it!
— — —
Fourth-floor Adventure Town, Su Lin's castle backyard.
A group of people gathered in a circle, staring at the fire dragon egg on the burning Netherrack, as if performing some evil ritual.
All sorts of investigative magic were cast with full force onto the dragon egg, but nothing could be discerned, it was just like a rock.
If anything could be said... "It makes the Elf Race quite hungry."
Hilulele, as always, was good at saying things that ruined the atmosphere.
"Thump!"
A heavy fist landed on her head, and Su Lin said irritably:
"Don't say such bad things about my baby dragon!"
"It's the truth, though."
Hilulele rubbed her head, looking resentful.
"As soon as you came back, you put this dragon egg on the fire to roast, and it's already giving off a scent. Isn't this exactly how you cook?"
Uh... don't say it, it really did look like making a fertilized egg.
Ptooey!
Hilulele led him astray.
"This is a special hatching method for dragon eggs, you wouldn't understand. If you ask me, your Elf Race being born from fruit is even more outrageous."
That one sentence choked Hilulele. She wanted to retort, but it seemed to be true.
Could it be that the Elf Race really were those 'plant people' Su Lin mentioned?
Hilulele pondered the three great philosophical questions.
Aelita took the opportunity to push her aside and get a better view.
"Su Lin, are you sure this dragon only needs a few minutes to hatch?"
It always felt like the MC Dungeon was getting more and more abstract starting from the fourth floor.
Hippogryphs maturing in a day, Death Worms that could be summoned by dropping an egg... now it was even more absurd, a giant dragon going from conception to hatching in minutes?
Even hormones wouldn't make it that fast.
"That's why I said, next is the moment to witness a miracle. Besides, you've been in the MC Dungeon for so long, haven't you gotten used to this abstract style?"
"...You're right."
Aelita thought about it thoughtfully, and her eyes lit up.
"In that case, if this dragon wants to conceive new dragon eggs, it would probably only take one day?"
Heh... Su Lin gave Aelita a look of disdain.
Su Lin could guess with his feet what schemes Aelita was cooking up.
The success of the Hippogryph breeding farm had completely made Aelita treat the Law for the Protection of Underage Magical Beasts as a scrap of paper.
"Don't even think about it. Even if we wanted to breed new dragon eggs, we'd need to find another male dragon."
"...If a dragon can be raised in six minutes, is it really necessary to be so strict about such minor details?"
"What kind of talk is that!"
Su Lin was very displeased.
As the old saying goes, details determine success or failure.
His MC Dungeon was also a place that valued science and laws!
"Ailili, remember, even if tree trunks can float in the air, apples will definitely fall to the ground. That is the MC Dungeon's first law of Newton!"
Aelita didn't understand, but she always felt that what Su Lin said made a lot of sense.
There were still a few minutes left until the dragon egg hatched, and Su Lin had already had people prepare plenty of dragon food.
As soon as this fire dragon hatched, he could make it mature in minutes.
This dragon would also become the first giant dragon in ice and fire legend to have no childhood.
During this time, Lop also happened to inform Su Lin about the situation in the Elven Kingdom.
Perhaps the dozens of small Buddhist stories really worked, Tashiniya and her group had been quite well-behaved lately, staying in their place in the Elven Court, and even promoting civility and new trends.
Every now and then, they would go out to clear monsters for gold coins, and then continue to spend a wave at the Adventurer's Shop.
It seemed they had completely adapted to life in the Elven Kingdom.
"Also, Miss Tashiniya approached Miss Veronika today to express her sincere apologies for the trouble she caused in the Kingdom of Lucania previously."
This made Hilulele a bit confused.
"Who? The idiotic Archangel? Apologize? Grandpa Lop, can these words really be put together?"
"Although it sounds strange, Miss Tashiniya did express her apologies very sincerely."
Hilulele was beginning to doubt life itself.
The high and mighty Archangel from the Celestial Realm actually sought out Veronika to apologize for a mistake made years ago?
Was that right?
Was being polite part of her character?
Did Tashiniya really care so little about the rules of the Celestial Realm, with no sense of superiority as a Celestial being?
Su Lin, however, was not too surprised.
"It seems the reference materials I provided were quite valuable."
"You mean... those hypocritical stories of yours that sound so grand and empty, can make that idiotic Archangel learn how to behave?"
"Tsk... let alone learning how to behave, if she comprehends them and applies her knowledge, she could even achieve Buddhahood."
"What nonsense! That busty, brainless fellow probably wouldn't even understand those things, would she?"
Su Lin raised an eyebrow, looking meaningfully at Hilulele.
"Such words... it's hard to blame Tashiniya."
"Are you mocking this Queen for being brainless? I am the one who signed a contract with you on behalf of the Elven Kingdom, thereby leading the Elven Kingdom back to greatness in a short period of time, hailed as the most outstanding Elven Queen of all generations!"
Facing Hilulele, who was excitedly jumping up and down, once again making the MC Dungeon's tremors noticeable, Su Lin merely smiled subtly.
"I don't deny your wisdom, but..."
Hilulele wasn't stupid; from Su Lin's downward-guiding gaze, she understood what Su Lin meant.
"Pervert!!!"
...After a long commotion, Hilulele, whose anger came and went quickly, continued to ask:
"So... do you really intend to bring Tashiniya and her group to the MC Dungeon? Are you not joking?"
Although Hilulele had no standing to dissuade Su Lin from choosing who to recruit, still... Tashiniya and her group didn't seem like trustworthy individuals.
Even if Tashiniya seemed to have reined herself in a lot, her thoughtless style made it hard for people to trust her.
Su Lin pondered for a moment, then asked:
"How much do you know about the Celestial Realm?"
"Successive Queens have always hidden in the temple beneath the roots of the Ancient Elven Tree, exploring the secrets of the Celestial Realm."
Hilulele didn't answer directly, but the meaning was self-evident.
Lop also added some information... the time of an Elven Queen's abdication was not based on whether they were old, but on their strength.
Once their strength reached the limit of the Aetheram Continent, they would declare abdication and ascension, disappearing from the eyes of the world.
This explanation could fool most people, but the high-ranking officials of various countries remained highly skeptical.
This was also why Doragon dared not reveal their true, world-destroying capabilities.
If they did, the Elven Queens would risk being discovered by the Celestial Realm to come out and stop them.
"So, the successive Elven Queens are like undocumented residents who overstayed their visas and illegally remained on the Aetheram Continent?"
Although Hilulele and the others didn't understand these words, they could roughly grasp the meaning.
"That's right."
"Why?"
Su Lin was very curious.
"Is it possible that in your Aetheram Continent, there's also a saying like 'ascension is a scam, and the Celestial beings feed on us'?"
This novel and conspiracy-filled theory made Hilulele's eyes light up.
But after thinking carefully, she still shook her head and said:
"The Queens never said that, but they told me that it's not just the Elven Queens who refuse to ascend, but also the Dragon Emperor of Dragon Island, the Great Sage of the Magic Dynasty..."
"As for other reasons, the Queens didn't say, they just told me that the Celestial Realm isn't as beautiful as imagined, especially for us beings who ascend from the Nether."
Su Lin understood a little.
No matter how complex or professional it was, he could understand it in his own way.
Perhaps in the Celestial Realm, there was also a natural pecking order and hostility between local residents and outsiders.
Could it be similar to that abstract country across the ocean, currently busy deporting immigrants?
Of course, this was Su Lin's own guess.
Those old and cunning beings certainly thought more deeply, but it had nothing to do with him, and he didn't want to ponder it too deeply.
"What about the gods of the Celestial Realm and the native beings? How much do you know?"
"Not too clear, information about the gods is also classified in the Celestial Realm, but..."
Hilulele pouted, saying weakly:
"Just look at Tashiniya and her group, and you'll know what kind of character the Celestial gods and native Celestial beings are."
To be fair, the high and mighty Celestial beings look down upon the many worlds under their jurisdiction as if they were their own property.
And they, the Nether dwellers, even if some might be more powerful than the local natives, are still country bumpkins, outsiders.
Simply put... [Even the poorest slave worker in London's East End, upon thinking of the wealth and glory of the British Empire, would involuntarily puff out his chest.]
But this was not what Su Lin was concerned about; he found a blind spot.
"You just said... 'her and them'? Besides Tashiniya, who else?"
Hilulele was silent for a moment, then whispered:
"Weini..."