Chapter 66: Chapter 66: The Dark River Beneath the Dragon’s Nest
In the end, Aiksuuri, the Young Black Dragon, chose the second option—the one that, while rather unfair in the long run, would allow him to show off to his "teacher" in the short term.
After he and Ron drafted a magically binding agreement, Aiksuuri gleefully pressed his claw mark onto it. "Excellent! You truly are generous, human!"
The being who had appeared out of nowhere, beaten him up soundly (several times, actually), and then forced him to become an apprentice had placed immense mental and psychological pressure on Aiksuuri. He was desperate to turn the tables and score a "victory."
Couldn’t he see that this agreement was disadvantageous to him in the long run? Even if Black Dragons weren’t the most intelligent of the Dragon Race, let alone the Colorful Dragons, their wisdom and intellect were still reliable.
However, Aiksuuri would rather let Ron have a small advantage than endure that being’s silent mockery.
After all, a human’s lifespan was a hundred years at most, and in his view, this human trying to establish a foothold in this unclaimed land would undoubtedly live an even shorter one.
’What was there to worry about?’
"No, no, no, I should be the one saying that. Thank you for *your* generosity," Ron said, handing the amethyst tablet to Aiksuuri for safekeeping. "Please be careful with it. As you can surely see, we’re still going to need it."
"Of course. I’ll help you find the remaining Gemstones," Aiksuuri laughed. "You can trust the word of the Dragon Race."
"In fact," Aiksuuri said as he led the group away from his treasure hoard and down a spiral tunnel deeper into the Dragon’s Nest, "I have some places that need exploring right now. Perhaps you’ll find something?"
As they descended, Ron noticed the surrounding soil and rock becoming increasingly damp. If he listened closely, he could hear the faint sound of running water from below.
"A Dark River?"
"Yes," Aiksuuri said, tilting his head up smugly. "A secret place I found all by myself. Plus, the Dark River leads directly to the bottom of the well in your village."
"Though, I’ve never been there myself. It was all relayed to me by You."
"That is indeed the case." You had been hovering close to Aiksuuri. A Young Black Dragon obviously lacked the ability to control more powerful servants; a Ghost Fire and a pack of Kobolds were pretty much his limit.
"If you put in the effort to excavate this area, you wouldn’t have to struggle through the jungle and swamps anymore, right? And it should save a lot of time."
"A full day," You added, providing precise data. "That’s assuming I float nonstop."
"We’ll consider it," Ron nodded. Even if it took the same amount of time, the underground passage still had its merits: it was sheltered from the elements, the environment was stable, and it would allow them to immediately monitor any changes in the nearby water system.
Ron’s vision wasn’t limited to surface-level paths. From elevated bridges to subways, he believed anything was worth building if it were possible.
These forms of transport could link the scattered settlements, weaving them together more tightly until they became a single, unified whole.
For now, however, these were all just concepts and blueprints, with no immediate possibility of being realized.
"You mentioned earlier that we might be able to find... something here?"
Ron and Aiksuuri stood on the bank of the silently flowing Dark River. The Black Dragon had carved out a platform here, large enough for the entire group to stand on.
Excavating the platform had clearly cost the Young Dragon considerable effort. Ron could easily see numerous collapsed sections of earth in the Dark River below his feet—areas that were obviously not part of the original riverbed, but rather the result of a certain inexperienced Black Dragon digging in the wrong spots.
SPLASH!
Aiksuuri stretched out his snout, timed the moment perfectly, and plunged it into the water. He snapped his jaws shut and pulled back. After this sequence of actions, a fat, pale, wriggling fish was in his mouth.
This species of fish was clearly a product of long-term evolution within the Dark River. Its scales were pale, even transparent, faintly revealing the organs and bones within. Its eyes had also specialized, becoming incredibly tiny.
Its sensory organs had migrated toward its mouth. When Aiksuuri lifted it from the water, its six long, active barbels—or perhaps tentacles—writhed in the air, a sight that would make one’s skin crawl.
"Juicy and delicious—and don’t even look at me, I’m not sharing," Aiksuuri said, glancing at Ron. "You’d better restrain your people, too. Life in the Dark River isn’t as abundant as it is on the surface. If you all fish recklessly, I’ll have nothing left to eat."
Ron: ’How can a five-meter-long, still-growing behemoth say something like that with a straight face!’
"As for the thing I said you might find," Aiksuuri said, pointing to the river below, "you’ll have to dive in to see it."
"Dive in?" Ron gave him a look that clearly said, ’Are you kidding me?’ "Should I take this to mean you’re trying to get us killed here so you can hoard the treasure?"
"Of course not!" The Young Black Dragon’s expression immediately turned serious. "It’s all true! I swear on Bahamut!"
"I once saw a pair of glowing, orange-yellow eyes surface from the water here. After a long staring contest with the creature—whose shape I couldn’t make out—we both retreated by some unspoken agreement. I haven’t seen it since."
Aiksuuri explained, "I asked my ’teacher’ about it, but after he came here to investigate, he told me to ignore it, saying it posed no threat to me."
"But after this Half-Elf here interpreted the tablet for me, I started to wonder... If those Elves said they discovered a terrifying darkness underground, could there be something similar beneath this very Dark River?"
"Are you serious?" Aive couldn’t help but retort. "You want us to go looking for the very thing that wiped out a Hailan Empire town and one of their geniuses? What’s in it for you?"
"Just taking a look should be fine, right?" Aiksuuri said stubbornly, sticking his neck out. "If its mere existence caused calamities, with all these fish and other creatures swimming around, wouldn’t there have been consequences long ago?"
"That ’thing’ only bares its fangs once the surface has developed to a certain point," Ron said as he began to undo his top. "To prevent that day from ever coming, we absolutely need to investigate further."
"The Chieftain is right, Aive," Sera said, patting the Half-Elf’s shoulder in a friendly manner. "Come on, let’s go down together and see."
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