Su Yao originally thought that the remains of a dragon submerged at the bottom of a lake for over 1,000 years would be difficult to find.
To her surprise, she and Fulin discovered their objective after only a short time exploring.
Over such a vast period, clusters of Magic Ore, the bleached bones of various creatures, and fine “white sand” had failed to bury the massive Dragon Bone.
The two had now reached a position roughly where the dragon’s chest cavity once was.
Thick ribs, each so wide it would take more than ten people holding hands to encircle them, curved at a subtle angle, mirroring the massive ribs on the opposite side.
They looked like a row of giant “tusks” growing from the lakebed, or perhaps a series of “archways” with a small piece missing at the top.
According to the Dragon Spirit Fu Na, as long as Su Yao touched the dragon’s remains, the “Ley Line” ability could likely extract the “energy” and “memory” left behind—otherwise known as the “soul.”
Its hypothesis wasn’t baseless, and Su Yao had some idea of what to expect.
Her previous two strange dreams had been far too vivid, so real that she doubted they were dreams at all.
Now, combined with the story Fulin had told, Su Yao could roughly guess what had happened near this lake.
The Dragon Spirit named “Fu Na” was likely the dragon “Fafnir” from her dream—no, from the “memory” she had witnessed.
It and a young girl named “Alice” had been ambushed by a human Strong One and an Army in the sky near this lake.
After its dragon wings were injured, it was forced to land.
From the young girl’s words, it could be inferred that a man named “Alaric” had likely started a war because of his desires, losing much of what he cherished in the process.
Instead of reflecting on his actions, he fell into a madness called “revenge,” and the first to suffer was this dragon, “Fafnir,” who belonged to the opposing faction.
The brave girl had probably failed to protect her “friend” in the end; the dragon was eventually slain by the humans.
Borrowing the girl’s perspective from the sky, the small patch of shimmering lake Su Yao had seen back then must be the current Boneyard, also known as the “Burial Ground.”
The dragon’s flesh and Magic had attracted and nourished most of the life in this lake and the nearby forest. Even the lakebed had grown a vast number of “Magic Crystals.”
Fafnir’s residual soul had encountered a certain Forest Fairy here, and from then on, they established a relationship akin to “siblings” and “friendship.”
The fairies and other creatures near the lake had flourished for a time, only to decline due to a physical manifestation of a “Curse” in the form of White Mist.
Most creatures chose to leave this place, except for the fairies who remained to guard their “Sacred Land” and the Treants they commanded.
The White Mist of the Boneyard was the direct cause of the scarcity of life in the Northern Forest of Moravia.
It had even affected her in the past, leading to her 15-day “spherical life.”
The essence of this White Mist was a Curse formed from “resentment.”
While the exact cause was unknown, it shared characteristics with the “hatred for the living” seen in undead creatures.
According to Fu Na’s speculation, it was highly likely that the White Mist was a phenomenon triggered by the residual soul hidden within the Dragon Bone.
The injustice it had suffered filled the soul within the skeleton with “hatred” and “resentment,” which in turn transformed into a Curse against the living.
As long as Su Yao, who possessed an ability similar to the Ley Line, absorbed the residual soul within the Dragon Bone, the lake and the nearby forest could return to their former prosperity.
‘Is there really no price behind the Dragon Spirit’s promise?’
“Fulin, how about we give up? If I touch this skeleton as Fu Na said, you might never see ‘the Great Person’ again.”
Hearing this, the silver-haired fairy stopped fluttering her wings. A suffocating silence filled the deep, dark blue depths of the lake.
“…Don’t say it out loud, you… idiot.”
The complaint was as quiet as a mosquito’s buzz and came in fragments. As the Clan Leader of the Fairy Clan, she naturally understood her teacher’s choice.
Ever since Fu Na began teaching her Magic, it had often warned her that Magic should only be used for “self-defense.”
According to its teachings, using power maliciously might achieve an objective for a time, but it would lead to endless trouble in the future.
Even a mindless beast knows to strike back when attacked, let alone humans who possess Wisdom.
“Kindness will be rewarded, while evil deeds will invite hatred.”
These words were the way of survival it had taught the Fairy Clan and the principle it had always practiced.
It was precisely because every generation of Fulin had followed its teachings that their clan had been able to live in peace with humans in the forest by this lake for 1,000 years.
Perhaps long ago, her teacher had already decided to use its own “life” to end the White Mist that had been indiscriminately harming the Fairy Clan and the surrounding forest for so long.
Memories of nearly 500 years of companionship and teaching flashed before her eyes.
Fulin closed her eyes and gritted her teeth, clenching her fists as if to dispel her hesitation.
Finally, she made up her mind to tell Su Yao to hurry, but the Blonde Loli had already started swimming forward without looking back.
“If you’re not going to end this quickly, what are you doing running ahead!”
She chased after her in annoyance, not even noticing that she had breathed a small sigh of relief.
“Something is very wrong in front of these dragon bones. There seems to be a massive ‘Magic Source’ in that pitch-black area of water.”
Su Yao had thought there would be no other living things in this lake of death, but as soon as she activated “Mana Perception,” she noticed a “large mass” of pulsating Magic just ahead of the line of Dragon Bone archways.
Even with the surrounding area covered in high-purity Water Source Stones, that pulsating Magic was as conspicuous as a bright lamp in the dark.
Whether out of curiosity or intuition, she felt she should go take a look.
After all, unless there was a special circumstance in the future, she likely wouldn’t dive this deep into the lake again.
“You really are a lot of trouble. I don’t have much Magic left.”
Compared to the heavy atmosphere earlier, things suddenly felt much more normal. Fulin complained, yet she swam ahead even faster than Su Yao.
“I still have a Magic Potion here. Do you want to drink some?”
“Are you an idiot? How am I supposed to drink at the bottom of a lake!”
‘This girl! If you give her even an inch, she takes a mile!’
Su Yao complained inwardly but followed after her.
The fairies and the Dragon Spirit had lived here together for thousands of years.
This long period of companionship and protection was far more complex than the few words Fulin had shared.
Perhaps just as Fu Na had taught, its kindness had ultimately earned the fairies’ recognition and gratitude.
It was just a pity that the dragon had suffered such injustice.
If possible, she hoped that the Dragon Spirit named “Fu Na” and the fairies it cherished could have a much better ending.