“……Did you hear that?”
On the stands, someone’s pupils suddenly contracted, muttering in disbelief.
That spreading bell toll, loud and solemn, struck heavily against every spectator’s chest.
The ancient bell, frozen for thousands of years, accompanied by the deep “Dong—” strike, suddenly moved its hand forward. Remarkably, it was exactly on the hour.
At that moment, the mission that had been dormant for a millennium seemed to awaken again, passed down and continued.
The guard who cleaned the clock tower every day looked up from the backstage corner, his aged face twitching, suddenly tears brimmed in his eyes.
“It finally… rang…” That phrase was the hope and vigil of countless ancestors.
At the same time, countless people in the crowd jumped to their feet and looked up at the sky.
They frantically turned their heads, eager to catch any trace of the legendary existence. Even those who usually scoffed at such myths couldn’t help but waver fiercely now.
—Dragon tolls the bell, the dragon’s tail sways, passing through the sky above!
“That legend might actually be true, huh?” On top of the clock tower, Sinsid looked down at the suddenly excited crowd and couldn’t help but mutter.
Beiyuan stood facing the wind, his gaze never leaving the stage. “Which legend?”
“The one where a dragon knocks the bell to ring. But at this altitude, we didn’t see any dragon. If it really exists, where could it be hiding?”
Though their worldview differed, even among the Wanzu, dragons were extremely rare, mythic-level existences. If possible, Sinsid really wanted to see one with his own eyes.
Beiyuan smiled at the words and finally turned his head toward the cowboy with a meaningful look, “We’re in the best seats, waiting to enjoy the show.”
—Still unaware, huh? Just what kind of existence is this companion standing right beside him at this moment?
“…!!?” Sinsid’s pupils suddenly contracted as he stared at Beiyuan’s clearly unusual golden eyes, finally breaking the strange feeling he had since reuniting with him.
—So why did I always think Beiyuan was just a person? Is this a Sixth Sense Blind Spot?!
The man’s cigarette fell from his mouth as he suddenly took a deep breath, ruffled his forehead hair, and groaned as if howling, “This is… seriously… so damn thrilling!”
At this moment, the music on the ground had just finished its prelude and officially entered the main performance.
Amai rose from her salute, the ringing bell still echoing in her mind, her breath exhaling hotly in the cold air.
She didn’t know exactly what had happened— her mind hadn’t processed this startling change— but her body had already formed a conditioned reflex after countless practices.
When she stood on stage and the music began, she automatically started moving with the melody.
Her white performance outfit clung to her body, showcasing flowing, aesthetic curves. The skirt spread like a lily blooming against the wind, opening and closing with each spin.
The costume was delicately adorned with sparkling diamonds, like an unexpected surprise buried beneath layers of a gift box, flickering with subtle brilliance under the stage lights.
Her feet wore ice skates, carving shallow traces on the ice like brushstrokes on a grand masterpiece.
“This is Ice Dance.” Among the crowd, those unable to find the dragon’s silhouette gradually shifted their attention to Amai’s performance.
Everyone’s heartbeats hadn’t yet settled from the dragon’s bell toll, the excitement continued, causing them to feel unusually exhilarated and emotionally high.
The dancer on the ice was not only a shining performer but also appeared as a brave warrior clad in armor.
The stage was her battlefield, the music the horn of departure, where she fought through thorns and set sail.
Thus, their initial disappointment at not seeing the dragon was quickly replaced by fresh awe.
“Even though it’s on a small scale, the effect exceeded my expectations.”
“Looks like this act can definitely make tonight’s top ten.”
“Top ten? You’re so full of yourself. Even on a small scale, this has to be in the top five, at least!”
The audience wasn’t only composed of nobles; many came from various professions, including StarNet UP hosts who had applied for live streaming or broadcasting access.
In this interstellar era, the internet was an important and influential domain. Those present all had huge public influence, good reputations, and strong fan bases.
Mu Yiyang was one of them.
Like Bai Buwen, Mu Yiyang was a veteran host. However, early on, he clashed with Bai Buwen over popularity, which led to bad blood, and since then, Mu Yiyang never broadcasted the same content as Bai Buwen.
Last time, when everyone jumped on the Dragon Knight hype, Mu Yiyang was lucky to enter the venue because of connections and his residence in Di Xing.
Unsurprisingly, his live stream’s popularity exploded, yet he maintained his sharp style, speaking bluntly and boldly, “To me, this performance just now was the first thing to really impress me tonight.”
“The previous acts were decent, but you could tell they were holding back and played it safe.”
“This ice dance lifted the overall score.”
“I’m still dancing in my heart. Now that the dragon’s bell rang, if they manage to pull out a dragon’s shadow next, I’ll say tonight is legendary!”
Mu Yiyang’s words just dropped when the live chat exploded with comments. Even those clamoring earlier for the camera to pan to the Saen Clan’s King and Heir Apparent were overwhelmed by the new round of discussion.
“Mu Yi is dreaming again!”
“Daydreams only work in the daytime; it’s past nine at night now, go wash up and sleep.”
“Nine yuan ninety-nine for a dragon figurine, want one? Use it with the bath duck; it’s a lot of fun!”
“Oh no, Mu Yi’s notorious for jinxing. The more he hypes, the worse the result… I have a bad feeling about this ice dance.”
“Totally agree!”
While Mu Yiyang was being heavily mocked in the live chat, Beiyuan and Sinsid were quietly enjoying Amai’s performance.
The two had witnessed Amai slowly rise from the depths— from her initial limping to normal walking, from falling repeatedly to now perfectly flowing water-like movements.
Looking at her dazzling figure moving across the ice, both felt relieved as if their own protégé had finally grown up.
“Amai said this dance was for us, and now I realize she was absolutely right!”
Sinsid took a deep drag of his cigarette— though he didn’t light it because Beiyuan forbade it— just to satisfy his craving and calm his racing heart, “Especially you, it’s perfect timing, tailor-made. What do you call that… destiny?”
Beiyuan and Amai’s story was essentially a retelling of another ice dance legend: the dragon and the girl meet, the dragon helps her recover, and she achieves success.
The girl dedicates her dance to the one who helped her, unaware that the person is the very existence she cherished and believed in.
…Wait, no. Beiyuan had said he wasn’t satisfied with the original ending and wanted to change it.
Sinsid paused mid-drag, suddenly inspired, turning to Beiyuan, “We’re leaving now, right?”
Beiyuan smiled lightly, his golden eyes illuminated by the dazzling lights below. “You know me well.”
“Well, how do I put this… I guessed it,” Sinsid sighed and spread his hands in resignation, “The Ghost Spider Lady has been caught, the crisis is over, so according to the story’s pattern, the hero should exit. But,” he sighed, “this time the girl’s probably going to be heartbroken.”
Beiyuan said, “No, she knows what she must do. She won’t cry.”
Sinsid looked puzzled but didn’t press further; some things just become clear over time.
At that moment, Beiyuan’s gaze suddenly stopped as he looked down. Sinsid followed his eyes and frowned.
“…Is something wrong with her?” Sinsid noticed Amai seemed a bit off.
Beiyuan’s eyes narrowed; a second later, he found the reason. “Her skate blade is damaged. The laces are a bit loose.”
Sinsid made a ‘seriously?’ face, “That unlucky? Isn’t this as annoying as Silver Star’s air rifle misfire? Not human error?”
“Who knows.” Beiyuan’s expression didn’t look too worried.
“But she looks totally fine now.”
Indeed, outwardly, Amai seemed composed, almost flawless. Compared to when they first met, her face written with hysteria, now she could face the storm alone.
“She’s doing very well.” Beiyuan suddenly stepped forward, standing fully at the edge of the clock tower, just a few millimeters from jumping off.
—And he actually did.
“Let’s go,” he said, “to change the story’s ending.”
The figure leaping from the high tower vanished swiftly into the wind.
Sinsid was too shocked to catch him, heart frozen as he watched the man jump down, then quickly recovered and clutched his chest in pain, bitterly waiting in place.
Nearby, the Eggheld Yan King gave him a disdainful look, appearing even more indifferent than him.
Sinsid’s chest hurt even more.
High-altitude bungee jumping was truly thrilling.
Beiyuan descended swiftly, his golden eyes reflecting the dazzling, shaking lights below.
Strong winds howled past his ears, lifting his sideburns and wildly billowing his robes in the gusts.
His falling figure was hidden in the massive shadow of the clock tower, so tiny compared to the vast world that no one noticed at first.
—Except Amai.
Perhaps because the dancer was just below the landing point, or maybe due to some faint sense of familiarity, Amai naturally looked up after her next spin and edge jump.
She was used to enduring pain— or rather, during the time she treated her leg with potions, she had already tasted extreme pain.
So now, even though she had to use greater force to turn on the ice blade, even though her ankle bore the unbearable burden, her lips still maintained a solemn curve.
She remembered clearly: imagine she was dancing for a dragon.
Visualize herself as the protagonist of the story, in a world of ice and snow, burning all her faith inside.
If she were lucky enough to catch the slight glance of that towering giant, it would be the greatest blessing!
Amai was almost fully immersed in this dance’s emotion when she looked up and saw Beiyuan.
…For a moment, she thought she was hallucinating.
But then she realized she wasn’t. Others might not notice, but having spent so much time with Beiyuan, she was very familiar with his figure.
At that moment, even Amai, who could calmly handle a damaged skate blade, nearly screamed on the spot. She gasped sharply, her dance steps faltered just slightly.
Before anyone noticed her unusual behavior, Beiyuan winked at Amai and slightly moved his lips.
Then Amai heard Beiyuan’s voice near her ear, though they were still far apart, it felt close enough to touch.
“Amai, want to see a magic trick?” she heard him say.
Those familiar words instantly pulled her memory back to a few days ago, to that Spiritual World illusion.
When the ice dragon melted and the world was split into ice and fire by the intruder, he said the same thing.
And then, what happened after?
The golden giant figure flashed through her mind. Amai’s breath caught, and even the snowflakes in the air felt scalding hot.
She heard her own heart pounding like thunder, unsure if she had answered, “…I want to.”
He seemed to chuckle softly, seemingly unaware of how tense and incredulous the girl’s fingers were. Then, just like that day, he said, “Amai, look up.”
Throughout the process, Amai never stopped dancing.
Her body continued moving automatically, and after another complex spin, she straightened, opening her arms as if to embrace, tilting her head back.
The girl’s eyes stared straight up, then a golden light suddenly flickered deep within her pupils.
But the real glow was not from her eyes— it was from what the sky reflected in them.
That was—
A real dragon!
This time, not a Spiritual World illusion, not a miniature fragment.
But a genuine, fully formed, bona fide dragon!!!
“…” Amai suddenly fell into fierce silence. She was mute on the surface but internally overwhelmed by unprecedented chaos, like a pot of boiling water exploding!
Her eyes were completely ignited by that golden light; every scale of the dragon seemed to shine. From her angle, she could hardly see the end of the colossal figure.
The golden dragon gently spread its six wings, yet even this casual motion immediately whipped up an extraordinary hurricane across the land.