Chapter 445: This is the Void Ferry I Want
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Gray Furnace Valley
Whoosh! A black dragon rushed down from the air. Because he was flying downwards at a slanted angle and was a bit uncontrolled, he kept rushing forward wildly from the momentum after landing.
All the flowers and grass were flattened under the dragon. Countless trees wider in girth than a few humans combined were snapped like corn stalks. When the dragon finally stopped, there was a 1500-foot-long, 300-foot-wide moat on the ground.
At the end of the moat, the dragon covered in black scales sprawled pathetically on the ground. After one full minute, he started moving. He flipped around and laid on his back. Though it was weird to lie there in his dragon form like that, the sunlight was warm and felt very comfortable on his stomach.
A while later, the dragon turned over. Taking a deep breath, his body started shrinking and returned to his human shape. It was Link.
Ah, flying is honestly a difficult skill.
He could fly a little unsteadily in the air now. But whenever he landed, it would be like a plane crash.
However, flying was just a pastime when he wasn't studying magic. He wasn't worried about it. After fully transforming back into a human, he returned to the stone house beside the creek.
Taking out the book Dragon, Link began reading earnestly again.
This book was very thick. It was titled Dragon, but it was actually a comprehensive spell. The entire dragonification technique was formed by countless small parts put together.
Link had been reading for three days now. There was still a long way to go before understanding the entire book, but this didn't stop him from modifying some outer details. For example, he wanted to remove the testicles from his dragon form.
After these three days, Link had many thoughts.
He'd run into something he didn't understand just then, so he went outside to fly around. Now, he had a new train of thought.
Link got into his seat and took out his notes to focus on his calculations.
Time flew by. As if in a blink of the eye, the sky outside started darkening. It was already evening, but Link didn't notice. He was at the most critical part of his calculations.
Scritch, scratch, scratch. The only sounds in the room came from the scratching of the pen on the scroll. Insects hummed outside the window. Tonight, the Gray Furnace Valley was as peaceful as before, but history was being made.
When the moon fell to the West, and a sliver of sunlight appeared, Link's pen stopped. A very beautiful Mana structure appeared at the end of the scroll.
He sighed in content. After removing the redundant structures, condensing the dragon body, and optimizing the thorn structures, this is the perfect Void ferry that I imagined.
Since he got this result, he went into action immediately.
Of course, if he wanted to change the dragon shape, he had to change his Heart of the Dragon. This was very dangerous. If he was disrupted, it would be troublesome.
He had to take precautions.
First, he set up Detection spells within a few thousand feet of the house. Then Link returned inside and lit a dim magic lantern. This way, if anyone came, they would think there was someone inside. This was actually Link's second line of defense.
After that, Link set up a folded space inside the house. The idea for it came from the Mist Maze in the Dragon Valley. It turned the small space into an endless maze. Link took 30 minutes to set it up.
This way, even if an intruder dodged the Detection spell, they would definitely notice the eye-catching stone house. Out of instinct, they would go check. If they got within 300 feet, they would enter the maze.
Even if they could somehow break free from the maze, they would enter the house and still be disappointed because Link wasn't in there.
With that done, Link used a Dimensional Jump and appeared in a tree hole 2000 feet away that he'd already chosen. It was hidden and completely sealed—the best hiding spot.
After entering the six-foot-wide hole, Link set up a series of enchantments to hide his aura. Then he sat down cross-legged and started calming himself.
After around half an hour, Link felt that his Dragon Power had gone still. His mind had gone quiet too.
It was time.
Using his thoughts, a fist-sized red "stone" emerged from Link's heart. It was the Heart of the Dragon. Because the power was too condensed, it looked solid. The physical appearance was like Link's heart.
Rings of crystal-red heat waves appeared in the air around it. Countless threads of Dragon Power connected to Link in the direction facing him like blood vessels pulled out of a heart.
"Spatial Distortion: Lens," Link whispered.
Tch, tch. The space before Link's right eye distorted and a magnifying lens appeared. Paired with Link's great vision, he could clearly see what was going on inside the Heart of the Dragon.
The heart was covered in a thick three-centimeter layer of Dragon Power. Using his mind, Link peeled the protective layer like an onion, revealing the structure inside. It contained a black ball two centimeters in diameter.
"Vision of Truth!"
Link activated the Assassin set effect, and the black circle flashed in his vision. It turned into a transparent red, like a piece of light red agate.
With the combined help of the Vision of Truth and Spatial Lens, Link could clearly see the core of the structure. It contained almost endless runes with practically an infinite number of energy nodes. At a glance, it was like a starry sky. All the dots made him dizzy.
This was the result of generations of sages' accumulated wisdom. Link was completely in awe of the small black-red ball.
Taking a deep breath, he calmed himself and focused on revising.
He didn't dare to modify the structures deep down; he didn't understand it at all. He only had to modify the outermost structure. These had been added the latest, and many were just the fantastical ideas of some people. They were useless to Link.
The most valuable part of the heart was its modular design. There were many connectors around the core for people in the future to add parts. Taking these parts away wouldn't affect the overall stability.
Link quickly found the things he wanted to get rid of.
Sheesh, every single one of these male dragons drags around this useless lump of flesh between their legs. It's such extra weight. Let's get rid of this!
Link sliced this part away. The moment he did so, he felt all his Dragon Power vibrate. He immediately stopped. After around five seconds, the vibrations stopped and the Heart of the Dragon re-stabilized.
He let out a long breath and found the structure that controlled the crystal thorns. These thorns are powerful, but if they're always dragging behind the body, it affects agility. They can break easily too and cause unnecessary damage. It's best to put them away when not using them.
Link didn't modify it. Instead, he first constructed an entirely new thorn module, cut away the old one, and put the new one in.
This detailed work took Link around 24 hours. He didn't stop after that though; he started working on the dragon scales.
They're close to perfect, but they can't open. In reality, the edges are very sharp. If open, it'll be like countless blades. If I'm entangled in battle, the enemy will get their fill.
This was the experience Link got from battling with the Void Tyrant.
With the Dragon Power supporting him, Link had endless energy. Without taking a break, he started constructing a new dragon scale module. This was even more detailed than the crystal thorns, and he didn't even dare to get distracted by keeping track of time. When he was done, he checked his pocket watch. A whole 36 hours and 37 minutes had passed.
Controlling the Dragon Power, he covered the heart again and put it back in his body. After that, Link used the Dimensional Jump to return to the valley.
He checked his Detection spells. Everything was untouched, and nothing was trapped in the maze outside the house. This meant no one had come to find him during this time.
Link didn't mind. He found an empty space and transformed into a dragon.
Whoosh! His Dragon Power extended and his dragon body reappeared.
This time, he was much more slender and agile. The crystal thorns on the surface had disappeared. The black and silvery dragon scales lay flat against him. He looked much less aggressive, but it was just on the surface.
Using his mind, a bunch of clangs rang through the air like swords. Countless thorns shot up. In the blink of an eye, Link's gentle dragon body looked evil.
It did not end there!
Link shook his body and whoosh, the Dragon Power unfurled. His body instantly became "fluffier." He looked like an expanded pinecone, but unlike a pinecone, the edges of his scales shone with a cold glint!
After checking his scales and thorns, Link nodded in satisfaction. There are no mistakes, and it's easy to control. Perfect. This is what I wanted!
Retracting his scales and thorns, Link flapped his wings and soared into the sky.
This time, he discovered that his flying was much easier than before. However, he was still a beginner. He could only glide forward steadily. He couldn't even think about doing more difficult moves.
He wasn't in a hurry though. After flying for half an hour, he decided that he'd practiced enough. Landing on the ground, he returned to read his book. That was what really interested him.
…
Dragon Temple
Felina landed before the entrance. With no time to transform into human shape, she sprinted as a dragon. A few minutes later, she found Elder Pettalong.
"What's wrong?" Pettalong asked when he saw her.
Felina shook her head. "It's bad. I found signs of battle, but there were no bodies. The Warriors seem to have disappeared with no traces left behind."
"Do the Magicians of the Emerald Circle know?" Pettalong asked.
"They're still discussing the crack in the temple. They don't know about this yet."
"Good. This is our private matter, and there is no need to disturb them. However, this is a bit grave. I will report to the queen. You continue to investigate but remember, don't go alone. Go with at least three people. You can help each other!"
"Okay." Felina nodded. She turned to leave but stopped midway. "Elder," she said hesitatingly. "The Emerald Conference is about to start. Should I really not go notify Master Link?"
"No need. Her Majesty has already told him the date. If he doesn't appear, it means he doesn't value this. There's no need for us to get involved," Pettalong said.
In reality, Magicians easily lost track of time when studying spells and a reminder was needed. In the past, Pettalong would definitely send someone, but now, Link was a black dragon… Just let him stay quietly in the background.
Felina couldn't do anything. She nodded and left.
After a while, four young dragon Warriors flew out of the Dragon Temple.