Phosphorus, Airship and Silver Dragon Chronicles

15. If you save the boat but lose the people, you lose both; if you save the people but lose the boa

Mica Dragon is a new species discovered in the Merlin Passage in the last ten years or so, and it is speculated to be a descendant of the dragon race.

Because the new Spirit Burning Exploration Period is less than twenty years and there are no records of hunting live creatures, it has not yet been included in the latest version of the "Cloud Sea Spirit Burning Illustrated Guide".

Currently, blurry photos of the jellyfish have been taken by different hunters and published in several tabloids in Mewon County, and even reprinted by a major newspaper in the Blue Nest Dominion.

In addition, there have been several reports of hunters killing Mica Dragons, and it is said that the Arden Extraordinary Factory is also secretly breeding Mica Dragons and is already able to produce dragon crystals.

Roya had also personally witnessed hunters awakening their powers by consuming dragon crystals.

Overall, the legend of the mica dragon is highly credible.

Judging from the photos published in the newspaper, the Mica Dragon's appearance can be roughly regarded as that of a whale with lateral fins, wings, and a forked long tail.

Its characteristics include: it likes to flaunt itself by coiling a group of glowing jellyfish around its tail; its flight speed far exceeds that of other Burning Spirits of the same level; when attacked, it will spray blood energy and bioluminescence to obstruct vision; when surrounded and hunted, it will fight to the death, and there are even records of it self-destructing...

Wide-area silence signal.

The kerosene lamp went out.

Ahead of the airship, a dark sea of ​​clouds.

A streak of seven-colored light shot rapidly diagonally into the sky, like an arrow igniting the sea of ​​clouds, suddenly piercing the darkness.

Exceeding the speed of luminescent mica, coupled with its rainbow-colored tail, Roya almost instantly confirmed—

This is the legendary Mica Dragon!

As he steered the Wide-Range Silent Ship to catch up, he reminded Wendell to stay alert.

"dragon?"

In the darkness, Wendell barely came to his senses and looked up at the flowing light ahead.

"I only saw seven mica and a first-tier Burning Spirit that looked like a whale."

"That's right... Wait, is it only level one?"

"If it doesn't have a special method to conceal its blood energy, its level is only one."

Roya, piloting the Wide-Range Silent, gave chase at full speed.

As a result, the distance between them widened step by step...

Roya was excited inside, but feigned surprise and said:

"Is it just my imagination? My airship has four parallel Tier 3 steam boilers, which should be more than enough to catch up with a Tier 2 Burning Spirit. How could it not catch up with a mere Tier 1 Burning Spirit? Could the Mica Dragon be hiding its blood essence?"

"Based on my observation of the wind, the blood aura left behind by the Burning Spirit's flight cannot be concealed. The target is confirmed to be a first-tier Burning Spirit... unless the target's rank is far higher than mine."

"That's too fast..."

"Perhaps this is the special talent of the Dragonborn. It is said that the Dragon race possesses the purest and most cohesive blood energy, making them much faster and stronger in combat than other Spirits of the same rank!"

Wendell drew his sword from his waist and swung it backward.

A biting gust of wind howled from behind the ship, lifting the buoyancy pack and accelerating its flight.

Luo Ya instantly felt the ship swaying, its speed increasing by at least 30%. In a daze, he even had a feeling of being lifted up and floating by a favorable wind.

This is how you should use extraordinary abilities!

Roya could tell that when Wendell used his extraordinary abilities, he didn't need to chant or form hand seals, nor did he show any signs of blood energy rising up; he could do it almost with a wave of his hand, which showed how high his level was.

At the same time, Roya kept a close eye on Wendell's breathing rhythm and mental state to prevent her from losing control due to exhaustion.

With a whistle, the Blue Dragonfly Armor activated instantly!

The blue dragonfly moved from the storage room to the main cabin, left the ship through the bottom hatch, flew to the deck to wait, and was ready to strike at any time.

Then wrap yourself in horsehair worms to avoid revealing your outline.

In the dark, churning sea of ​​clouds, the Wide-Area Silent Ship closely followed the seven-colored streak of light at the three o'clock position, speeding along with the wind, getting faster and faster.

Compared to cave exploration in the Hillis Mountains, Roya prefers the aerial pursuit at this moment!

In the field of vision, the outlines of the colored fluorescent lights became clearer and clearer.

So much so that Roya could distinguish with the naked eye that it was exactly seven colors of fluorescent mica.

"Strange, does the Mica Dragon have a collecting habit?"

Luo Ya was completely puzzled.

The distance is gradually closing...

The fireflies are becoming increasingly vibrant and colorful.

Luo Ya suddenly frowned.

He turned his head to look at the two wings of the airship, using his mind to sense changes in the air through mechanical connections.

There were exhaust fumes left by steam engines on both sides!

There are traces left by a high-speed winged aircraft, a steam-powered flying armor, and a three-stage boiler with eight furnaces connected in parallel.

"Looks like we're not the only ones chasing the Mica Dragon!"

Wendell asked Roya:

"Can you go faster?"

"No need."

Unless it's to save her life, Roya won't let Wendell use too much force, lest she lose control and go berserk.

Mica Dragon, it's not that easy to catch.

Ten minutes later, the Wide-Area Silent Ship still hadn't caught up with the Mica Dragon.

Suddenly, a burst of dazzling, seven-colored firefly light appeared ahead...

Like fireworks bursting forth, it was breathtakingly beautiful.

By the time the airship approached, the mica dragon had vanished without a trace.

Only one airship, shaped like a giant shark, passed through the fluorescent light, floating in mid-air, having lost track of the Mica Dragon.

Bathed in the glow of countless fireflies, they seemed lost and disoriented.

Roya realized that, under the pursuit of the two ships, the Mica Dragon had abandoned its seven Mica heads and escaped.

Before escaping, it killed seven mica heads, instantly creating a dazzling, evenly distributed burst of colorful fireworks.

While obstructing their view, it also mocked their pursuers.

As a result, both the Wide-Area Silent and the Shark Airship lost track of each other.

Not far away, specks of luminescent mica drifted around, watching and laughing at the two foolish airships like onlookers.

The Wide Area Silent Ship immediately slowed down and stopped to observe.

Luo Ya stared at the gradually dimming glow, feeling very strange.

The seven burning crystals were instantly consumed, and after being eaten, the corpses exploded and lit up like fireflies, obstructing the view...

So elegant, so incredibly elegant!

"Can you still sense the presence of the Mica Dragon?"

Roya hurriedly asked Wendell.

Wendell sheathed his sword and shrugged.

"The moment the light burst open, it also released a massive amount of blood energy that interfered with the wind... Sorry, I lost track of it."

A massive amount of blood and energy...

Dragon blood is extremely precious, why would they throw away so much of it?

Luo Ya was puzzled, so he immediately closed his eyes and activated the mechanical connection, his mind slowly spreading into the sea of ​​clouds.

No traces were found left by the Mica Dragon as it fled at high speed.

Logically speaking, given the size and speed of the Mica Dragon, its flight trail should be detectable by Roya from several kilometers away.

However, the tail of the Mica Dragon only stretched for a few kilometers before disappearing without a trace.

Unfortunately, his mental focus could only observe the nearby inorganic matter, and he could not further observe the surrounding luminescent mica.

"Could you unleash your Wind Breath and observe the luminous mica cluster not far away...? I suspect the Mica Dragon is hiding inside!"

Wendell shook his head.

"The distance is too far, I can't be sure... Especially since the Mica Dragon seems to have detected my wind aura, which is why it threw out an excessive amount of blood energy interference. I need to get closer to make a judgment."

"I've detected your presence..."

Things have become more complicated than Roya had anticipated.

This also means that the Mica Dragon is genuine!

Luo Ya became even more excited, as if he had been injected with adrenaline.

The fluorescent liquid that burst open in the air gradually went out.

Not far away, the shark-shaped airship suddenly turned on its searchlight, emitting a gentle yellow light that shone on the Wide Area Silence.

Luo Ya turned his head to look over.

It was a biomimetic airship with eight parallel three-stage steam boilers.

Slightly larger than the Wide-Area Silent, its buoyancy chamber is made of dozens of shark swim bladders, and its keel is made of flying shark skeleton.

At the bottom of the ship, there is an armored vehicle and two bionic flapping-wing aircraft shaped like eagle wings mounted on the outside.

Four men dressed as hunters stood on the deck, along with a young man wearing a steam-powered flying suit who had just returned to the ship.

The middle-aged man at the head of the group wore an exceptionally large black robe and an eagle-feather pirate hat. He held a brass megaphone and shouted to the Wide-Area Silence ship opposite:

"We are the Sharkhawk Hunting Group from Lynn County, currently hunting the Mica Dragon. Are you hunters too?"

The sound carried a humming resonance with the amplified brass pipes.

A gentle breeze brushed against his ear, and Wendell whispered a reminder to Roya:

"The middle-aged man who is speaking is a second-tier transcendent, and he seems to have the blood of multiple beasts in his body; there is also a first-tier transcendent piloting a second-tier steam-powered flying armor; the rest are ordinary people."

A second-tier transcendent, a first-tier transcendent, and several second-tier steam-powered flying armor, armored vehicles, and ornithopters...

Having gained a general understanding of the enemy's combat strength, Roya went to the observation deck and raised the megaphone to respond:

"We are novice hunters from Mewtwo County, not yet officially formed a group, and we are also chasing the Mica Dragon."

"That's wonderful! The Mica Dragon is too cunning and seems to have the ability to become invisible; it's difficult for a single group to capture it. We can pursue the Mica Dragon together. If we are lucky enough to succeed, regardless of whether the Mica Dragon lives or dies, the prey is ours, and we will pay you five hundred gold coins. We can also have your names published in the newspaper along with ours!"

"Are you kidding me? This is a Mica Dragon! Eight hundred gold coins, one price. If you don't have the money, don't take the Mica Dragon."

"Alright. To verify my guess, we'll deploy both airships, along with all the ornithopters and steam-powered flying armor, to hunt down all the bioluminescent jellyfish in the vicinity from all directions."

After speaking, the middle-aged man used a mechanical pigeon to record the message as testimony, and the message automatically flew to the Wide Area Silence.

If the middle-aged man changes his mind, Roya can submit the recording to the Mica Hunting Grounds to increase the bounty on the Shark Eagle Hunting Group's head.

This is the most common method used by hunters to form contracts.

Wendell didn't quite trust this group and whispered a reminder to Roya:

"Deciding to cooperate so quickly? Be careful, there might be a trap."

Luo Ya obtained the mechanical pigeon with the recorded audio and probed its interior with his mind, but found no tracker or any unusual mechanism.

But this doesn't mean that Roya trusts this group of people.

The locator that the hunting grounds provided for the boat was itself a tracker.

"The mechanism is a minor matter; the mica dragon is the major matter. I'm 90% certain that the mica dragon is hidden among these mica trees!"

The Wide-Area Silence immediately distanced itself from the Shark Eagle Hunting Group, turned off all lights, and quietly pounced on the mica swarm from the side.

.

On the deck of the Sharkhawk.

The young scout approached the middle-aged man:

"These two are not old, and their words and actions reveal the clumsiness of newcomers. Even the boat has been roughly renovated. Only the woman is a first-level transcendent... Is the Beastmaster mistaken? How can they kill a second-level Corrupted Cloud Mother?"

The Beastmaster also said that they had illegally killed many Mica, so this time they didn't need to make up an excuse and could kill and hijack ships at will... It's a pity there are only two newbies, and the ship isn't worth much. Isn't it making a mountain out of a molehill for us to take action?"

"You're even dumber than the newbie!"

The middle-aged man, whose bloated belly was covered by a wide black robe, stared at the departing Wide-Range Silence, his eagle eyes narrowing slightly.

"Two people in a dilapidated boat dared to venture deep into the hunting grounds and sail the Cameron Whale-style hunting boat at such speed; they were no ordinary people."

The problem is that, under normal circumstances, a beast tamer will give up after a failed ambush and there is no need to risk attacking a suspected expert.

Unless, of course, they actually manage to capture the Mica Dragon.

My concern is... that the Beastmaster has ulterior motives and is merely using us to test the two of them.

"This is a great job! Boss, it'll be a perfect opportunity to try out the Tier 3 Shark Heart the Beastmaster gave you!"

"What do you know! I haven't fully integrated yet. If I test you, someone could die."

……

Wide-area silence signal.

After getting away from the Shark Eagle Hunting Group, Luo Ya immediately transferred the valuable burning crystals and fuel to the Blue Dragonfly storage compartment.

It's packed full!

A kilometer-long piece of iron wire was also crammed into the storage compartment, with the excess portion tied around the waist.

Seeing that Roya was no longer hiding the blue dragonfly and seemed to be moving house, Wendell asked curiously:

"Are you trying to expose the Blue Dragonfly?"

"Whether we expose ourselves or not is no longer important. This is a killing field, a graveyard for newcomers; we are just fodder!"

Based on information from several tavern patrons, Roya initially thought that as long as he became powerful enough to kill the second-tier Corrupted Mica, he could roam freely in the hunting grounds, discover the Mica Dragon, and then go out alive to spread the word about the Mica Dragon.

But clearly, he has been targeted.

Perhaps it was his striking appearance, perhaps it was the cool boost from Wendell's wind breath, or perhaps it was the luminous mica that discovered the remains of a blue dragonfly or a horsehair worm...

However, if the primary target is the Mica Dragon, being targeted will only bring him closer to his goal.

The narrow road meets the brave to win!

In the darkness, Wendell vaguely sensed Roya's solemn expression, calm breathing, and excited heart.

"With me here, there's no need to worry about those people from before, and there's no need to keep any promises made between hunters."

"They don't seem like hunters..."

Roya sat in the cockpit of the Blue Dragonfly flapping-wing aircraft, which was packed with aircraft.

"What I'm worried about is the person controlling the Mica Swarm behind the scenes. They have no way out now. Today, at least one of us—the Mica Dragon—will be captured. Get in the passenger seat!"

Confused, Wendell squeezed into the cramped co-pilot's seat of the ornithopter, clinging to Roya's arm.

To ease the tense atmosphere, Luo Ya smiled:

"You've gained weight, Wendell. Last time you sat in the passenger seat so quietly that I didn't even notice when I was in the driver's seat."

Wendell, who was always elegant and aloof and knew nothing of tension or seriousness, quickly touched his waist and hips.

She hadn't noticed she'd gained weight, but she didn't quite trust her intuition, so she could only mask her nervousness with an exceptionally cold and slightly reproachful tone:

"Where have I gained weight?"

Luo Ya was taken aback.

This was the first time he had seen Wendell lose his composure.

"I never imagined a woman like you would care about her figure."

Wendell's eyes sharpened, and he looked dazed.

She was almost forgetting her identity as a saint...

The saintess is a missionary representative of the Holy Spirit Church, and she has extremely strict standards for everything from her facial features and expressions to her figure.

She almost forgot that she was once a church saint, yet she still retains an almost instinctive body image anxiety.

She snapped out of her daze, her face regaining its usual indifference:

"What kind of woman do you see me as?"

"woman……"

Luo Ya's heart skipped a beat, and he suddenly thought of something.

"Hold on!"

He quickly left the driver's seat and took some of the wire to the airship's storage compartment.

Dismember all the mica carcasses and pack them into barrels...

Mix the skin, digestive juices, fluorescent liquid, excrement, etc. thoroughly.

Then, use a siphon hose to connect to the side external valve of the airship's rear exhaust pipe.

Luo Ya turned and went to the differential engine room, where he set the pre-programmed control valves...

After completing the operation, he returned to the flat deck at the rear of the gondola and jumped into the pilot's seat of the ornithopter.

Pull the lever and take off!

Wendell, puzzled, turned to look at the Wide Silence ship receding into the darkness...

"You don't want the airship anymore? This is a trophy we went through a lot of trouble to get."

The situation changed, and Roya added a small twist to the original arrest plan.

"If you save the boat but lose the people, you lose both the people and the boat; if you save the people but lose the boat, you save both the people and the boat."

I set the airship to an automatic flight mode that chases the brightest fluorescent cluster at full speed.

There's also a little surprise I prepared for the hunting grounds.

"If the people are saved but the boat is lost, both the people and the boat will survive..."

It was too profound. With only the mental capacity of his remnant soul, Wendell could not understand Roya's profound principles at all.

The Blue Dragonfly and the Wide-Area Silence split into two groups, joining the Shark Eagle Hunting Group, which split into four groups on the other side, to surround the luminous mica swarm from six different directions.

The luminescent mica swarm did not flee, but quickly dispersed.

Let the six groups of people rush into the sky full of fireflies...

Luo Ya instantly felt as if he were surrounded by stars.

It was as if the entire night sky was lit up for him.

"Now, what we need to do is simple: encircle and sweep through, and observe the following scenarios—"

First, there are mica that have reached a certain level, or mica that have not reached a certain level but are enormous in size, or mica that behave strangely.

Second, abnormal blood gas reactions.

Third, abnormal air disturbances.

I'll take care of the last item, and you'll take care of the first two. Can you manage that?

Wendell was slightly taken aback, not expecting that Roya could also be in charge of reconnaissance.

"certainly."