RNP Page 171
Page 171
You suddenly spat out your drink, coughed for a while, put down your glass, and complained, "So you've been thinking about this all these past few days?!"
"How did you know?!" Serfael gasped in surprise, her mouth agape. It wasn't until a small glob of dragon breath nearly spilled from her lips that she snapped out of it, closed her mouth, scratched her head, and said:
"Serfar plans to take the little dragon back to the valley. The little dragon needs the nourishment of the dragon's nest and dragon crystals... I don't know how long we'll be gone, and Serfar will miss you!"
You paused, stunned. This was the first time you'd sensed emotion from Serfal. Dragons were generally lazy, and consequently, their emotional sensitivity was very weak; in interactions, they mostly followed instinctive reactions.
[“Serfar, you…” Before you could finish your sentence, Serfar casually pulled off his hot pants, stood in front of you with his hands on his hips, and said heartily, “So, let’s do it!”]
The sadness of changing times and shifting world that had gripped your heart vanished instantly, and you smiled with relief. This time, you didn't refuse. You reached out and stroked the soft, white dragon's lair, revealing a grinning face: "Alright, let's do it!"
[Serfar carried you into the air, soaring under the bright moonlight towards the silent forest realm.]
[In the thin clouds of a summer night, a sudden thought strikes you: since Serfal's human form also has dragon wings, albeit small ones, why not use it for manned spaceflight?]
[Serfar flapped her wings and hovered in the air. She wanted to come up with a solution and tell you whether it was feasible, but her brain's aversion to knowledge had already reached its maximum, so she simply transformed back into human form on the spot.]
[“I’m so…” Caught off guard, you and Serfal began to plummet rapidly. Her face flushed red as she flapped her small human-shaped wings, finally stopping her descent after tumbling around with you a dozen times.]
"I knew it was entirely possible!" She laughed heartily, tilting her head back. Just as she was about to drag you a little higher, she suddenly felt a chill and instinctively looked down.
[Her original light feather robe had been torn to shreds during the tumbling, and in the evening breeze, only a pitiful ribbon remained, struggling weakly before leaving Serfar's body and being blown further and further away by the wind...]
You glanced up at Serfal, who was still in a daze. Moonlight shone on her enormous, shapely figure, a reflection of her sculpted, warm glow. You looked at the half-ripped hot pants in your hand, thought for a moment, and then simply tore off the other half as well.
You activated your flight spell, and with the vibration of your magical wings, you grabbed Serfal's legs and pulled her to your waist. Then you flicked her forehead and said with amusement, "Wake up, were you asleep?"
[Serfar snapped out of her daze. The dragon wings had only slowed their pace slightly when she felt herself leaning against something as she descended. She looked down and immediately understood.]
[While you were still waiting for her to say something, she simply shouted "Yay!", then flashed a grin that resembled yours, wrapped her arms around your body, and sat down firmly.]
[A gift from a higher life form instantly imbues your life with power, propelling both your mage and warrior to legendary status. Riding the wave of this advancement, you begin to violently ram into the red dragon's body.]
With a loud bang, the two of you were suddenly teleported a distance behind Serfal.
"Serfar won't lose!" Serfar raised his eyebrows, flapped his wings in resentment, and cursed as he retorted.
[Three loud bangs rang out, and you were thrown back more than ten meters.]
"Isn't this a bit too aggressive..." you couldn't help but mutter, but the intense feeling of being swept along made it impossible for you to stop. Serfar's skin flushed red from the violent impacts, and you suddenly felt an extremely strong attraction, as if it were igniting your very consciousness.
[Your mind conjures up various descriptions of a super-friendly relationship between dragons and titans, then you cast aside these superfluous thoughts, laugh heartily, and charge at the rising, raging red dragon like a storm.]
[Several tens of minutes later, your flight skill expired, and with a shout of "I'm going over!", you temporarily lost the opportunity to actively attack the red dragon.]
"It's okay, half an hour is already pretty impressive!" Serfa said with a proud smile, comforting you while he was rubbing you on the ground.
"Damn it, don't underestimate old-school mages!" After the initial panic, you regained your composure without needing to cool down your spells, and with a ferocious laugh, you blasted the shocked Serfal off the ground and into the air.
[A series of explosion-like sounds suddenly echoed across the silent forest and sea territory. Fortunately, there were no human settlements in your location, but even those still awake in the villages, several miles away, could faintly hear the terrifying impacts.]
[You and Serfal battled from the sky down into the forest, like a pair of linked cannonballs, smashing trees, creating deep craters in the woods, and crashing into the lake, sending up waves tens of meters high. The monsters that roamed at night trembled involuntarily; the combined pressure from the dragon and the titan made them instinctively prostrate themselves on the ground, silently praying for your departure.]
"Indeed, a battle between equals is the best!" You looked at Serfal, whose eyes were filled with desire and gleaming with intensity, and touched the dragon tail that had somehow become tied around your waist. The cool, hard, and slightly slippery texture was irresistible. Your struggle grew increasingly fierce, and finally, with a howl from Serfal, you filled her belly completely.
"Ugh, Serfa's stomach's so bloated..." Serfa, his skin still flushed from the battle, collapsed to the ground with a bewildered expression. You scratched your head, glanced at the mud and grass clinging to you both from the fight, and dragged Serfa back to the lake by his tail.
[You pulled a brush from the dimensional rift and scrubbed Serfal from head to toe like you were washing a dog. Just as you were about to give yourself a good wash, a sudden itch came from your back.]
You turn around and see a conscious Serfal kneeling behind you, licking your neck. Seeing you look at her, Serfal immediately grins and says, "Honey, let's do it again!"
"As expected of a dragon, it has the skill, the physique, the sense of direction, and the brain..." You shook your head helplessly, about to draw your gun and fight again, when suddenly you remembered something and quickly sensed the combat skills you unlocked after advancing to legendary status.
[Within your consciousness, the triggered "Dharma of Heaven and Earth" is shining brightly within your body.]
You looked around at the beautiful forest and sea territory, let out a long sigh, and said, "Now the Environmental Protection Association is going to blacklist me..."
The next morning, you and Serfal staggered back to the mage territory. Upon landing, Serfal collapsed to the ground, utterly exhausted, and instantly fell into a deep sleep.
[You, supporting your aching body, carried the red dragon back to the hill. Although you felt the exhaustion from overexertion, the surge of power within you gave you an unprecedented sense of vitality. Every movement exuded powerful energy. So this was the life force the dragon bestowed upon the Titans—it was truly awesome!]
A few days later, Serfal left Lundia with the young dragon and embarked on her journey to Dragon Valley. When you expressed concern about her sense of direction, Serfal casually patted you on the shoulder and reassured you that she could sense the location of Dragon Valley and that you didn't need to worry.
Watching her departing figure, you suddenly paused, stunned. She only said she could return to Dragon Valley safely, but you didn't know if she could return to Lundia safely! You couldn't help but feel a chill for her.
Not long after, a catgirl came to Lundia from the distant kingdom of Andora, saying she had come to be your apprentice as promised. Looking at the familiar face of Mianmisi, you smiled and asked her about the wise man's recent condition. She told you that perhaps because he had finally let go of his burdens, the wise man had aged rapidly recently, looking almost as old as he was.
You paused for a moment, then didn't ask any further questions. You arranged for Mianmisi to stay in the mage territory—although she was supposed to be an apprentice helping you build a new mage tower, you didn't really have any plans for that. Besides, the girls here would definitely be more efficient at teaching Mianmisi together than if you taught her alone, so you let her build a small house by herself.
A week later, when Jennifer returned from reporting on her experiences over the past two years in the Holy City, you learned from her that she had discovered she was pregnant with your child during her baptism of the Holy Light!
[You recall Jennifer's occasional gagging on the return journey and suddenly realize, "Goodness, it's a good thing she's a tough knight, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to withstand that journey, going from sky to sea. But this girl really didn't even notice it herself!"]
[Another piece of news is that the Holy City hasn't seen the Dark Knight, Holnet, for two years. During her last return to the Holy City for supplies, she mentioned setting off to search for the Will of Light; it seems she may have perished on her journey.]
Jennifer prayed for Holnet in the Holy City, where the names of many knights who sacrificed themselves in search of the light within their hearts were inscribed. As she left the Holy City, she heard that Tina, the dragon knight who had long secluded herself from the world, was inspired by Holnet's spirit and planned to open a path to Dragon Valley for humanity with her hybrid dragon. So she decisively set off.
[You silently prayed for the knights of the Church of Light for a while. Everyone has their own adventure. Your adventure has temporarily ended, but there will always be others on the path of adventure.]
[A few days later, news finally arrived from the capital. Queen Whiteley invited you to St. John's Castle to receive a noble award. You hesitated for a long time, wondering whether to go. The experience of being triggered by Queen Whiteley's time-space manipulation was still vivid in your mind, and you still felt some lingering unease.]
[In the end, you did go, but this time, the one who bestowed the reward upon you was not the mysterious woman who visited you at night, but the queen you had seen before. Thus, your time-space flow was not triggered again.]
[You've once again used the "breast identification method" to confirm that the Queen and the mysterious woman do indeed have the same breast size, but this situation has left you wondering: Was that night's experience just an illusion? Or are the Queen and the mysterious woman not the same person?]
With these questions in mind, you left the palace. The Queen asked if you needed a noble estate in the capital, but after some thought, you declined. After all, things could change quickly under the Queen's rule!
You met Princess Slingk in the courtyard earlier. She was somewhat surprised by your arrival. After sincerely praising your magnificent adventures, she exhaled and smiled faintly:
"I'm so glad you still remember me, but it's a pity I still can't embark on this journey with you. Even though I've rehearsed for a long time how to say these words of apology, when I actually say them, I still feel very regretful..."
[Slinger tells you that her influence in the capital has surpassed that of her older siblings, but with the Queen above her, she ultimately doesn't have a 100% chance of winning. Therefore, her invitation to you may have to wait a few more years.]
"The struggle is never-ending..." You thought for a moment, but ultimately didn't try to persuade her to give up. Slinger's heart was like the morning glory—calm and ordinary, yet incredibly resilient and strong. To advise her to give up at this moment would be an insult.
[However, you still invited her out. After hearing your approval of her, Slingk blinked and stared at you for a long time. Although she, having been in the capital for so long, no longer unconsciously muttered to herself, you could still read the undisguised emotion in her eyes.]
"May the morning light in your heart bloom forever." Before leaving, Slinger bowed deeply to you.
After returning to Londia, you enjoyed a period of peace. Then, one autumn night, you suddenly received a letter from the Church of the Goddess.
In the letter, Mitu requests that you go to the Goddess Church headquarters on the floating island to report to the Goddess on your achievements in expanding the magic network.
Chapter 189 Mortal Priests of the Goddess Church
[What kind of place is the Goddess Church? This question has been lingering in your mind ever since you became a cyber police officer.]
According to Mitu, the Goddess Church has no branches on this continent. Only some of the Goddess's followers stay in various places, building miniature chapels in their homes or shops to supply their companions or to temporarily request divine guidance.
[And the chapel that the nun took you to last time, judging from your worldly experience in your past life, wasn't exactly luxurious; it was even a bit shabby. I wonder what the headquarters of the Goddess Church is like.]
You settled Jennifer, who is pregnant, and reminded her not to stay up all night playing fantasy games during her leave. Jennifer frowned slightly and told you that you could trust her; she would practice her knightly sword skills every day so that her child would be a righteous and glorious sword master from birth.
You were somewhat speechless, recalling the little female demon mage from the previous simulation, and it seemed completely unrelated to a righteous and glorious swordsmanship master.
The girls' careers are all progressing rapidly. After checking in with them all, you realize you don't need to worry about anything, so you find Ateliers and tell her you're about to go to the Church of the Goddess.
"Will it take a long time?" A hint of sadness flickered in the half-elf's eyes. You hesitated for a moment, unsure of the source of her worries. After thinking for a moment, you didn't try to hide it and asked directly.
"Even though time passes quickly, and even though my senses are so shallow in their perception of time, I still feel an overwhelming sorrow when you're not here," the half-elf whispered, stroking your cheek.
"I am about to advance to Legendary rank, and perhaps my bloodline concentration will rise again as my level increases. I was young when I left home, and I don't know what those Herodians, whose elven bloodline completely surpasses that of humans, are like..."
She lowered her head, her mind seemingly filled with many worries about the future, but ultimately chose to lift her head and kiss you deeply, then said with a smile:
"But I will always love you, Latis..."
Ateliers' tongue moved upwards, gently landing on your teeth from the roof of her mouth, as she called your name again and hugged your waist tightly.
Before leaving, you learn from the half-elf that a few years ago she had intended to travel more in the outside world while you were away, but as her strength increased, she began to find the forest increasingly attractive to her, and sometimes, staying in the Forest Territory, she even felt reluctant to return to Lundia.
To combat this stirring within her bloodline, she cultivated numerous tree species in the mage's territory until she could safely remain there. After that, she rarely left Lundia.
"Staying in Lundia is a good thing, at least it's safe..." you thought to yourself, stepping onto the long staircase leading to the floating island and arriving at the reception area for the public island.
The priestess, whom you haven't seen in a long time, was already waiting in the reception area. The other families' guides were watching you from afar in their respective domains, but upon realizing you had come to visit the Church of the Goddess, they all instantly looked away.
"Hey, old colleague Mitu, long time no see!" You greeted her without any hesitation, then walked up to her and said, "Are you stationed on the floating island now?"
[Mitu, seeing your still cheerful demeanor, reluctantly straightened her priest's robes, gave you a greeting, and said, "I've already advanced to Legendary level, so naturally I've returned to the Church. The Goddess usually appoints those below Legendary level as cyber police, meaning that after becoming Legendary, you can step down as a cyber police officer and start your retirement."]
[Her tone was quite cheerful, seemingly quite satisfied with starting to think about retirement at such a young age. You thought about it, and it made sense. After all, in your previous life, you were already considering retirement while you were in college. Although the retirement age for office workers increases faster than their years of service, it doesn't diminish your expectations for it.]
[You glanced at your Magic Network backend. After announcing your cessation of writing, your garbage spells were ultimately buried in the dustbin of history, although I heard that your collected works are still being circulated as gospel in a certain forum beacon, and even started a trend of forum writing.]
[But now you've essentially cleared your name and are out of the loop. At least now that no one is viewing your techniques, the risk warnings on you have disappeared.]
However, you still start to wonder if you can find a risk-free way. After all, in reality, you still rely on plagiarism to gain magic power, and if you continue to accumulate risky "murder books" like this, you worry that some unexpected complications might arise.
A while later, you followed Mitu to the highest point of the floating island. You looked around at the sparse islands, your gaze lingering on the nearest one for a moment. You noticed it belonged to an unfamiliar family, so you shook your head and turned to look at the altar floating island at the very top of the center.
[As in the previous simulation, the island where the altar is located is only the size of a plaza, overgrown with weeds, withered branches and vines. The ruins of an unidentified building stand around the altar, waiting for someone to visit again.]
You look away and drift with Mitu towards a small, slowly moving floating island—that's where the Church of the Goddess is located.
According to Mitu, the Goddess Church exists independently of the floating island families and does not occupy a seat within them. Although the floating island where the Goddess Church is located is small, it is impervious to any harm. Many years ago, a family that secretly trained numerous warriors attempted to attack the Goddess Church, but was utterly defeated within minutes.
You landed on an open area of a small floating island and instinctively glanced around at your surroundings.
The ancient stone bricks that started at the church entrance not far away stretched out beneath your feet, all the way to the edge of the island, before abruptly breaking off like a road, leaving an uneven, uneven edge at the end.
In the center of the not-so-wide stone-paved path, a circular fountain pool sits, its low water emitting a steady, low-frequency sound, seemingly giving the illusion that the magical energy in this place has become exceptionally stable.
Among the flowers and plants lining both sides of the road, several bird pens, about waist-high, are casually placed. You see colorful little birds resting on the edge after bathing in the pens; as soon as they see you approach, they gracefully fly away.
Without lingering to observe the peaceful courtyard any longer, you followed Mitu into the church.
The church isn't as deserted as you might imagine. Seven or eight simply dressed nuns are walking through the corridors carrying scrolls or holy books. Mitu tells you that Goddess doesn't require them to decorate the church according to any particular standard. Therefore, the nuns often change the decorations according to their own whims, or study Goddess's teachings in different places.
Of course, they are not idle. Although the goddess does not recruit believers in the mortal world, there are still many places that need her protection. The goddess's will can travel through the magic network to see the prayers of the world, but she does not answer them; only her believers decide whether to bestow protection.
At first glance, the believers seem to possess an absurd amount of power, but upon closer examination, you realize there appears to be a very heavy trade-off involved.
[The believers do not possess the goddess's power, nor can they glimpse the full picture of events through the magic network. If they were to seek the goddess's protection, it would be an extremely lengthy process. In this deliberation, some believers would give up, some would become entangled in it for years, and some would successfully resolve the problem and receive the goddess's reward. But is it all worth it?]
After all, by staying within the Church of the Goddess, believers can continuously improve their spiritual practice by listening to the Goddess's teachings. Although there are busy affairs to handle, it is still much better than running around outside.
Even Mitu couldn't tell you what she would choose if she were in her shoes. After all, while the other world doesn't have the necessary mental cultivation process like immortal cultivation, one's mental state still affects aspects such as sensitivity to magic elements, meticulous study of spell patterns and runes, and research into magic.
For some reason, upon hearing this, you felt a surge of goodwill towards the Goddess Church. Although you had previously spent your days online teasing the Goddess and reading her doujinshi, seeing the believers here, you found their pure faith and their compassionate, almost Bodhisattva-like, desire to help others to the world quite admirable.
[Mitu leads you through the transept into the chapel. You glance at the exquisite and antique murals and stained-glass windows around you, compose yourself, and walk along the long benches, worn smooth by frequent use, towards the prayer table.]
The murals on the wall seem to record some events from before the goddess became a goddess. You see the chaotic ancient land of Grondia, many strange monsters, sinister evil gods, and many professionals wielding different weapons, seemingly indicating that in that era, the world was still extremely chaotic, and only after the goddess's birth was such a stable order established.
[By the way, you also saw the Titans in their "Heaven and Earth in Harmony" state. In the mural, they are laughing wildly in the distance alongside dragons, like two great overlords of the world. I just don't know if the one in the mural is Emperor Powva or a Titan from before Powva.]