Seeing Lan Qing, who was almost completely hidden under his hat, Shu Bao was stunned for a while before realizing that Lan Qing wasn’t actually growing pimples but was about to grow horns.
No wonder Lan Qing always wore a round top hat. It must be that after entering the Chaotic World and the dragon moon vine soup started to take effect, Lan Qing began to transform into a dragon.
However, in this world, there are no Eastern dragons or creatures like the Jiaolong, so Lan Qing was understandably flustered.
“Lan Qing, it’s okay. It’s not pimples,” Shu Bao said, looking at Yinzi. At this point, Yinzi’s large head completely blocked Lan Qing’s form, only showing a black top hat, indicating that Lan Qing had entirely shrunk inside it.
On the other side, Fu Qing was equally puzzled, frequently glancing over with a mix of confusion and curiosity.
Hearing Shu Bao’s reassurance, Lan Qing finally peeked out from under the hat, lifting the hat slightly. Lan Qing’s muffled voice came from beneath, “Thank you for the comfort, but if it’s not pimples, then it’s even worse. I might have a brain tumor, or even two. With the development level of the base, it’s far from being able to cure it. I’m sorry, but it looks like I can’t help you finish the quest. After I die, you can have everything in the system space and the tavern, and…”
Clearly, Lan Qing thought that the two lumps suddenly appearing on his head were either pimples or something more serious. Now that Shu Bao said it wasn’t pimples, Lan Qing was preparing to make his final arrangements.
Shu Bao sighed heavily and directly interrupted Lan Qing’s sorrowful speech, “You’re not sick. You’re just growing horns!”
Lan Qing’s voice immediately ceased. The next moment, the round top hat, which had previously lifted at an angle, snapped shut again.
Shu Bao: ???
Soon, the sound of muffled crying came from under the hat, along with Lan Qing’s slightly distressed voice, “Am I growing feet?”
“Yes!” Shu Bao quickly responded.
After receiving the confirmation, Lan Qing couldn’t help but cry loudly, “Why are my feet growing on my head? Other snakes don’t grow like this! There must be something wrong with me!”
Shu Bao: “…”
Fu Qing, who had been completely confused, finally couldn’t hold back and asked what was going on. Although Shu Bao didn’t expect Fu Qing to understand, he briefly explained the situation.
To his surprise, Fu Qing was very astonished and said, “Are you talking about transforming into a Jiaolong? Does that mean this not-so-ugly fellow might eventually transform into a dragon?”
Shu Bao was also surprised, as he hadn’t mentioned that Jiaolong could turn into dragons, so how did Fu Qing know?
Both the mouse and the butterfly were stunned and stared at each other for a few seconds.
“King of the Sky and Earth Tiger!” Shu Bao shouted.
Fu Qing: ？？？
Shu Bao felt a bit disheartened, had he mistaken Fu Qing for someone else?
After a moment of hesitation, Fu Qing spoke up, “What is the first basic requirement of the Demon Management Association?”
Shu Bao: ？？？
After a moment of mutual confusion, they finally found a connection and spoke in unison, “You’re a transmigrator too?”
Both sides nodded instinctively, confirming that the other was not a native of this world.
Through a brief exchange, they learned that although their original worlds were not the same, they both had demons and Eastern dragons, with ancient traditions that were very similar, and they might even share a common origin.
Fu Qing mentioned that he had a friend who was a Jiuying1I tried searching about this. However, the pics I saw were pics of Hydra., who used nine heads to handle work but only received one salary and worked year-round without a break.
Shu Bao reflected that he had a dormouse friend who slept all the time, only awake during the summer to eat and store energy for sleeping through the other three seasons.
While the two not-quite-local travelers were enthusiastically exchanging stories, Lan Qing stopped crying and quietly lifted his hat at an angle again. It was clear he had realized from Shu Bao and Fu Qing’s conversation that what he had heard about “growing feet” wasn’t quite accurate, and he might even turn into a dragon in the future!
Lan Qing looked around with wide eyes, shifting his gaze left and right until the two others’ eyes simultaneously fell on him, causing him to instinctively shrink back into his hat.
Seeing this, Shu Bao quickly interjected, “Lan Qing, you heard it too; what’s on your head are horns, like deer antlers, not legs or feet! And you might even turn into a dragon in the future!”
Driven by his unwavering trust in his fluffy teammate, Lan Qing finally emerged from his hat. “Really? I’ll turn into a dragon in the future?” He reached up with his tail to touch his head, puzzled by the thought that dragons don’t have horns, so why did he have to grow them?
Shu Bao and Fu Qing both nodded affirmatively. “Yes!”
Transforming a Jiaolong into a true dragon is indeed challenging and highly dependent on luck, but seeing that his snake teammate was already in this situation, Shu Bao felt he had to offer some reassurance.
Fu Qing, on the other hand, found it simpler; since there were no Eastern dragons in this world, it was no problem for his not-so-ugly companion to become one.
After receiving confirmation, Lan Qing sighed with relief and happily circled around Yinzi’s head a few times. “That’s great! That’s great!” Soon he’d have a pair of impressive wings! “Can I fly too?”
“Of course.” Shu Bao nodded. Even if he doesn’t fully transform into a dragon in the future, with enough training, a Jiaolong can still fly.
Lan Qing, who was extremely excited, clearly didn’t realize the difference between the majestic wings he envisioned and the kind of flying Shu Bao had in mind. But that was a distant concern; for now, Lan Qing had accepted the fact of the two lumps suddenly appearing on his head.
However, Lan Qing still didn’t like having the lumps exposed and kept his round hat firmly on his head. Clearly, having the two lumps visible did not align with Lan Qing’s traditional snake aesthetics.
Shu Bao said nothing about it. He also found the two lumps on the snake teammate’s head a bit strange and decided to wait until the horns truly grew out before making any comments.
After the “fellow traveler” recognition, the atmosphere within the trio’s team became even more harmonious. Lan Qing accepted Shu Bao and Fu Qing’s identities as transmigrators well. In the vast universe with countless peculiarities, having two transmigrators as companions was no stranger than the lumps on a snake’s head.
Fu Qing, acknowledging that Lan Qing might become a dragon in the future, developed a greater appreciation for his not-so-ugly companion. Clearly, under similar ancient traditions, Fu Qing was also fond of the Eastern dragons.
Since the live-streaming system was ineffective in the Chaotic World, Shu Bao and Fu Qing could speak freely without worrying about others finding out. However, given their current situation, even if the viewers did find out, it likely wouldn’t matter much.
With the three of them idly floating in the air, they started discussing their emergency landing location. Determining their coordinates in the universe was crucial, as it was the prerequisite for their eventual return to their own universe.
“I’ve been in this world for many years and am quite familiar with it. Based on our current situation, it’s highly likely that we’re no longer in our original universe but have entered the Chaos Universe.” Fu Qing had already analyzed the situation regarding their current time-space.
The live-streaming system worked normally in the real world, indicating that their spatial coordinates were consistent, but after entering the Chaotic World, time became chaotic. The live-streaming system couldn’t sync with the time and thus couldn’t continue broadcasting. However, the recording function was still operational, though Fu Qing had no interest in recording a live broadcast.
“I think so too. This place is vastly different from the universe I know.” Lan Qing nodded while standing on Yinzi’s head. “If that’s the case, it’s dangerous. It’s said that the Chaos Universe is the stronghold of the Mechanoids. If we don’t develop quickly, we could be wiped out.”
“Currently, it seems the only way to defeat technology of a higher tier is through magic. This is our advantage right now. The Mechanoids, are they robots? They surely wouldn’t use magic,” Shu Bao, lacking understanding of the Mechanoids, couldn’t grasp Lan Qing’s concern.
“The origins of the Mechanoids are mysterious. You can think of them as a combination of indestructible steel bodies and artificial intelligence. They possess many powerful thermal weapons, including atomic, ion, and anti-matter weapons…”
Listening to Lan Qing’s explanation, Shu Bao also felt a headache coming on. It sounded like some advanced life forms had created mechanical entities. But if such advanced technology exists in this universe, did they also know the reason for the chaos in this universe?
“If we could find the origin of the Mechanoids, given their advanced civilization, we might be able to find a way to counter the Chaotic World’s engulfing of the real world,” Fu Qing’s thoughts clearly aligned with Shu Bao’s. No matter which universe, the more advanced the technology, the more likely it is to uncover and utilize cosmic laws.
“That’s a rather wild idea. Others are probably trying to avoid the Mechanoids in every possible way,” Lan Qing thought Fu Qing’s idea was somewhat risky.
Shu Bao, stroking his chin, spoke up, “High risk, high reward. I also think the Mechanoids hold many secrets of the universe.”
Lan Qing, sitting upright, replied, “Yes, Shu Bao has a point!”
Fu Qing: “…” This snake really doesn’t seem to have much brains.
The three of them continued discussing their ideas, and the otherwise mundane flight became less dull. Their conversation shifted from survival games to the birth of the universe, and from there to what they would eat later.
The three dragonlings also engaged in occasional roars and playful flights, sometimes crossing paths or swiftly catching some snacks. Jinzi even flew at low altitude a couple of times, catching two mutated grasshoppers for Shu Bao!
Shu Bao, thrilled, rubbed Jinzi’s head repeatedly and praised him. Yinzi, feeling envious, caught two grasshoppers as well.
Lan Qing pushed the grasshoppers away with the tip of his tail, saying, “I’m a vegetarian, thanks!”
Yinzi let out a low growl. Lan Qing didn’t understand, so Fu Qing explained, “It said those aren’t for you.”
Lan Qing: “…”
Soon, Yinzi tossed up two large wild fruits. Lan Qing blinked in surprise, and Yinzi let out another roar from below.
Fu Qing translated, “It says these are for you.”
Lan Qing eagerly took a bite, using his sharp fangs to sink into the giant fruit and savor the juice. “Delicious, thank you.” He then patted Yinzi’s head with the tip of his tail as a reward.
Yinzi continued to growl softly.
Fu Qing translated again, “It says you’re welcome, father.”
Lan Qing immediately choked, coughing and swaying from side to side.
Shu Bao, who had been considering if he could use the dragon’s head to roast grasshoppers, froze momentarily. “…It’s not what I thought, is it?”
After a while, Fu Qing stroked his chin and said, “So it’s true that snakes and mice are from the same nest!”
Two piercing gazes shot his way, but Fu Qing seemed oblivious. “Though you’re just not too ugly, and Shu Bao is a beautiful friend. You should marry someone equally beautiful.”
