Dimensional Codex System: I'm really not a cultist!

Chapter 354: Chapter 353 This Damn System Task…

Chapter 354: Chapter 353 This Damn System Task…

In an instant, the entire mountain peak was engulfed in deathly silence.

The sudden, mercilessly oppressive force enveloped everything, and the monsters that had been baring their teeth and claws moments before now stopped in their tracks, shivering as they turned their heads to look behind them. Then, not knowing which creature started it, all the monsters that had been surrounding them suddenly scattered in all directions, vanishing without a trace in the blink of an eye.

Ah, this is the correct turn of events.

Seizing the opportunity, Fina hurriedly helped pull Katie up with the Little Fire Dragon’s aid; the young lady was still visibly shaken, with her large eyes filled with fear and anxiety. The others, too, let out a sigh of relief, allowing themselves a moment of relaxation.

“Those monsters… why did they run away?”

“Was that just now… Dragon Might?”

Remembering the burst of Dragon Might from a moment ago, everyone’s expressions grew serious, and after a moment of thought, Fina stood up.

“I’ll check what’s happening.”

“Lady Fina?”

Seeing the Cleric Maiden stand, the others were taken aback.

“Is that wise? What if…”

“I think it should be fine—if that evil dragon had truly returned, then these monsters wouldn’t have retreated so easily; they would have certainly captured us to use as sacrifices to the dragon. But they chose to retreat in the face of that oppressive force… I’m sure Mr. Fang Zheng must have succeeded!”

“Really?”

Heartened by Fina’s words, the rest of the group perked up, and at that moment, the Little Fire Dragon suddenly turned its head and started calling out towards the distance. Soon after, Nymph’s voice came from afar.

“Everyone, are you all right?”

“Miss Nymph?!”

Hearing Nymph’s voice, the group, who had still been somewhat tense, immediately relaxed. The disappearance of the blue-haired girl with twin pigtails had come as a shock to them. Fortunately, Nymph had always been reliable, and before vanishing, she had told everyone she might go to assist Fang Zheng, so they were mentally prepared. Now seeing Nymph reappear, they finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“You’re okay? What about Mr. Fang Zheng? And the dragon?”

“The master is also fine, and about that dragon… the master has driven it away.”

Fang Zheng had no intention of disclosing that he had slain the dragon; he was already past the point where he needed to slay dragons to gain experience and reputation. More importantly, every part of a dragon was a treasure, and if word got out that he had killed a dragon, undoubtedly many would covet the dragon’s corpse in his possession, potentially attracting greedy observers.

Rather than being entangled with such troubles, Fang Zheng decided it was wiser to take the Shadow Dragon’s corpse to the Ironblood World and let Mirune research whether the Zerg could strengthen themselves by absorbing its essence through evolution. The Fire Dragons he previously brought from the Fire Dragon Empire had already somewhat enhanced the Flying Dragons, and the Shadow Dragon was not like the beasts from the Fire Dragon Empire that merely resembled dragons; it was a genuine member of the Dragon Race. Fang Zheng believed that if he could integrate the Shadow Dragon’s genes into the Zerg, the strength of his forces would become even more formidable.

Therefore, Fang Zheng conjured a lie, suggesting that after a standoff with the dragon, neither could gain the upper hand, and ultimately, he persuaded it through emotional appeal and logic to retreat. Of course, the dragon had also promised Fang Zheng that it would never come to build a nest in the Frozen Summit Range again.

The group didn’t doubt Fang Zheng’s story; although many stories portrayed dragon slaying as a romantic venture, they all understood just how perilous it would be to face a dragon in reality, and with the dragon now choosing to depart, things couldn’t be better.

So, what was next…

“Mr. Fang Zheng, what shall we do next?”

“In any case, let’s start by checking out its nest.”

In response to Fina’s inquiry, Fang Zheng had an answer. The demeanor of the Shadow Dragon had been peculiar; Fang Zheng had sensed that it truly didn’t want an all-out fight and had considered withdrawing. But in the end, it abandoned the idea, choosing to confront Fang Zheng to the death. This indicated something to Fang Zheng: the place was more than merely a nest for the Shadow Dragon. Or rather—it hadn’t come to the Frozen Summit Range just to build a nest.

In other words, there must be something here that had caught the attention of the Shadow Dragon, something even the Elves and Dwarves were unaware of; otherwise, they wouldn’t have been so clueless about a dragon’s arrival.

As for what it was… that remained to be determined by Fang Zheng.

The others were also quite curious about this Dragon Nest, and now that the dragon was gone and the danger had lifted, they naturally entered the cave under the leadership of Fang Zheng.

The cave had all the hallmarks of a legendary Dragon Nest, and it was unclear by what means the Shadow Dragon had managed to make the interior so spacious, comfortably accommodating a dragon’s entrance and exit. The entire cave extended deep into the mountain, and even at their swift pace, it took the group a while to reach their destination.

According to legend, the lair of a great dragon was filled with magical weapons that shone with radiance, heaps of gold coins and crystals piled high, and a variety of rare treasures. But… that’s what fully furnished houses looked like, and what Fang Zheng and his companions saw in this nest was, at best, an unfinished building.

“Is this the Dragon Nest?”

Hailien looked on with disappointment at the vast, empty cave before them. Apart from a few glowing crystals on the edges of the cave and accumulated treasure in the corners that still retained some fantastical allure, the rest bore no resemblance to the “Home of the Giant Dragon” she had envisioned.

“There’s nothing surprising here; there’s always a gap between hype and reality.”

Fang Zheng was not at all surprised by this development. As he strolled forward and checked the surroundings, he replied casually. The expressions of the others were also a bit subtle, for just as Hailien had said… this place was indeed a bit too shabby for the lair of a giant dragon.

But… what exactly was here?

As he walked, Fang Zheng pondered. The fact that the task had not been completed also struck him as odd. He had originally thought that by killing the Shadow Dragon, he should have been able to complete the quest. However, the task showed no signs of completion…

“Master.”

Just then, Nymph, who had been quietly following beside Fang Zheng, suddenly turned her head to look toward a corner of the cave.

“I’ve detected an unexplained high-energy fluctuation over there.”

“Oh?”

Upon hearing Nymph’s reminder, Fang Zheng became interested. He turned and walked in the direction Nymph was pointing and arrived at a corner on the edge of the cave. There were only two crystals emitting a faint glow and——a beautiful, crystal-clear white flower.

“What’s this?”

Looking at the white flower growing around the crystals, Fang Zheng couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows in curiosity. After all, Nymph had pointed out that this flower was the source of the unexplained energy fluctuation she had detected, so he came to have a look. According to Nymph’s detection, there was nothing else here but this flower.

“This flower seems pretty though.”

Visually, the flower’s shape was more akin to an orchid, but its petals and leaves were all an almost transparent snowy white. It emitted a faint radiance in the darkness of the cave. There’s a saying that one white hue can cover many faults, and for that reason, the flower looked quite stylish.

“Well, let’s see what this is all about then.”

While speaking, Fang Zheng reached into his bosom to take out the “Eye of Insight” and put it on. He looked again at the flower in front of him, and soon, a line of system information he saw emerged in his eyes.

[Treasure: Soul Flower]

[Rank: B+]

[Soul and life are the sources of power, and legend has it that only those pure souls can display beautiful flowers (can enhance life and Power of the Soul within range, can be transplanted to personal space)]

Could this be why the Shadow Dragon was determined to remain here at any cost?

Fang Zheng wasn’t completely clear on what exactly the [Soul Flower] was, but from the description provided by the detection, it seemed to be a plant that simply being near could enhance power. Could this be why the Shadow Dragon insisted on staying here at all costs?

Although it was a bit far-fetched, it wasn’t entirely out of the question. Or, did this object have some other special aspects that hadn’t been discovered?

The detection of the [Eye of Insight] was limited—it would only provide the effects of the detected object, and other details had to be investigated and researched by the holder to come up with new conclusions. But… since this thing could be transplanted…

With that thought, Fang Zheng glanced around and, making sure that everyone was curiously observing the dragon nest, he reached out and summoned the Dimensional Codex from the void, aiming it at the Soul Flower in front of him.

[Detecting Soul Flower, can be transplanted to personal space, do you want to spend 100 Dimensional Points to transplant?]

A hundred Dimensional Points?

Seeing the system prompt, Fang Zheng became even more intrigued by the little flower. Keep in mind that a hundred Dimensional Points could get you a ten-pull! And yet, this flower wasn’t even as big as his palm!

What was peculiar about this flower? freewёbnoνel.com

“Transplant!”

Without hesitation, Fang Zheng chose to spend a hundred Dimensional Points. Although he didn’t know what the flower was, he was certain it must be something valuable. Having come here, he couldn’t leave empty-handed!

But to Fang Zheng’s surprise, just at that moment, a line of information suddenly popped up before his eyes.

[Main quest: The Secret of the Peak of Ice and Snow completed]

[User receives random reward: Ratio of time between Main World and instance world upgraded to 1:100]

“………..”

Seeing this system prompt, Fang Zheng was completely speechless.

He had forgotten that the quest was to investigate the secret of the Peak of Ice and Snow, not to slay dragons!