Chapter 44 Saying goodbye
Translator: Tchu
Shaar gave of some hollow laughs and did not reply. He suddenly remembered the words that the old man taught him when he was still alive.
“Remember, stupid people who like to act smart always die very quick and seemingly foolish, but wise people will have a long life.”
“When others think that you are a fool they will ignore you. If everybody knows that you are smart, they will keep their focus on you – It will be much harder if you want to stab someone from behind afterwards.”
Thinking about it, Shaar forcefully shook his head and put on an innocent smiling face, looking like he could do no harm to either humans or animals: “Who said that I am intelligent, I am a mountain hillbilly.”
If Tatara would have seen Shaar’s honest smiling face, his eyes would have definitely twitched. However, Ada only gave him a faint smile and no longer talked about this topic.
He looked at the dying Dora and seemed to be distracted for a moment before finally speaking: “Actually ……If you had know back then that harming me would put you in such a position today, I am sure you would have regretted it.”
On Ada’s face was a big smile: “The so-called Dragon god’s blessings, is actually very simple. Since I was the lucky fellow who was selected from our race, the Dragon god granted me a special ability which was……The first enemy who would harm me will suffer from a condition! Whoever harms me first will lose half of its strengths, lifespan, magic and health……everything halved! Furthermore, it will forever stay on that level!”
His smiling face became even gentler: “Dora, back then you were still very young and we dragons will only reach our peak in magic and strength during adulthood. Because you poisoned me too early, the moment I was trapped in a human body and unable to restore to my dragon form, you also lost half of your power. Furthermore, you lost half of your power during your ‘childhood’! The noble and proud Dora actually became the most vulnerable and weakest of the dragon race! Don’t you think that this is such a wonderful irony?”
Shaar grinned when hearing about this. This damn Dragon god’s blessing – How could this be a blessing, it was just a curse!
“The effect of Eternal tears of the elves can only be lifted by the person who used the poison. You are naturally not willing to help me lift it, but I will also not help you lift the Dragon god’s curse ……In fact, I need to tell you that it’s not that I don’t want to help you, but actually I can’t! There is no way to break the Dragon god’s curse! Letting you know this information must surely annoy you a lot right now.”
Already standing up, Ada lightly caressed Dora’s neck with his finger. His movement were gentle, similar to lovers touching each other. However his look and voice was awe-inspiring cold.
While Ada was stroking her, Dora’s breath was getting even weaker. She weakly opened both eyes, but there was barely any light left in there. She made a whimpering sound with her breath and did not even have the strength left to speak.
Ada gently placed the amber stone in his hand on Dora’s forehead and said while laughing: “Do you know what kind of item this is? I have travelled many years in the human world just to find this thing. Yes, this is a soul stone. Don’t worry, I will not use your soul and make you my slave, because I don’t have that magic. However, your soul will be forever trapped in this stone unable to return to the sacred tomb.
Now. Please. Die.”
Although Dora’s eyes were not very clear, but Shaar actually felt that they were deeply frightened. She unwillingly opened her mouth and seemed to want to spit a Breathe to kill her enemies. However, she was only able to utter a low wail.
“Finish her, magical beast hunter.”Ada turned his head and gave Shaar a cold look: “Pierce her forehead with your sharp weapon! Your weapon is too short and can’t directly pierce her heart. But the sharpness is enough to pierce her solid skull.”
Shaar did not hesitate and walked towards her with big strides while holding his fire pitchfork in his hand. Arriving in front of the dragon’s head, he muttered a few sentences: “Hey! Every debt has its debtor. It is Ada who let me pierce you. You die in his hands and I am only the executioner doing the dirty work. Do not bear any grudge towards me.”
Finished his sentence, he made an effort to close his eyes and fiercely jumped on the dragon’s neck. Aiming at the skull with his fire pitchfork, he forcefully stabbed downwards!
With a dull crushing sound, the fire pitchfork entered the skull and pierced straight into the dragon’s brain until there was only a small piece from the handle sticking out!!
Dora roared and raised her head a bit before finally powerlessly dropping down. She breathed her last and a mass of blue smoke came out from her nostrils…….
When Shaar’s fire pitchfork pierced the dragon’s brain, a strange smelling fragrance was suddenly released. He did not know that the brain fluid of a dragon had a natural scent and this fragrance made Shaar’s mind instantaneous hazy. He felt as if this smell rushed through his nose directly into his brain and his whole body instantly felt relaxed. The pain he suffered from multiple wounds on his body instantly vanished.
On the dragon’s body soon emerged a mass of translucent green radiant fog. Seeing this, Ada squinted his eyes and held up that amber stone while chanting some strange words as if he was singing a song.
It was not a magic incantation, nor was he speaking in Dragon language. It was just a normal requiem with some weird and incomprehensible pronunciations. Although it was in a human voice, the language was something ancient and archaic. While listening, Shaar could not even understand eight out of ten words.
That mass of gently floating green translucent radiant fog was actually the dragon’s soul. After each dragon’s death, a soul would leave its mortal body and fly towards the mysterious dragon’s tomb!
Dragons had a strange tradition, after they die, they did not care what happen to their body. However they had to get a funeral for their soul! Only when the soul of the dragon returned to the sacred tomb, they would be able to receive eternal rest.
That green dragon soul seemed to want to fly away, but under Ada’s singing it suddenly slowed down and appeared to be attracted by this song. Bit by bit it came closer toward Ada and hovered in the air while constantly changing its shape. Turning into a green haze, it finally shrouded Ada’s palm, as if it was attracted by that amber stone and little by little it got adsorbed by it……
Ada looked like he was having a very difficult time and beads of sweat was flowing down his forehead while the sound was also gradually getting more incomprehensible. Although this requiem did not count as magic, it actually consumed an extremely large amount of mental strength. His eyes quickly revealed his exhaustion and only when that dragon soul began to get sucked up into the stone, Ada managed to relax. A sudden wave of fatigue washed over him, making his body stagger and his foot soft before he fell on to the dragon’s body.
Most of the dragon soul was already sucked up, leaving only few wisps of faint blue mist flying in the air. It still had not fully entered the amber stone before Ada got too weak and almost fainted. The remaining wisps of the soul did not receive any more guidance from the requiem and immediately lost its direction while faintly spreading in the surrounding.
Watching at it, curiosity got the better of him and Shaar could not help but to put out his hand while reaching out for it. However, since a soul was something immaterial, how would he able to grab it? When Shaar grabbed a hand of empty air, that green haze suddenly seemed to change its shape a little. Alarmed by the sudden movement, Shaar immediately shouted out before the haze shrouded his palm while moving upward until it gathered around Shaar’s neck!
The grayish rotten stone hanging on his neck actually became this remnant soul’s destination. These seemingly dispersing wisps suddenly found a new target and immediately speed up. Before Shaar had the time to scream, it was already completely absorbed by it!
Just when Shaar opened his mouth, he saw this green haze sneaking inside the pendant hanging on his neck. Curious from the sudden event, he could not help but touch his pendant and felt that this angular stone was still ice-cold. It still had its original gray appearance, but for some reason when he carefully looked at it, there was a subtle feeling that something was amiss. Nevertheless, he could not pinpoint where this feeling came from.
Leaning against the dragon’s body, Ada was heavily panting for a while before he recovered and stood up. Looking at the stone in his hand, that amber colored crystal already turned into a dark green color. Seeing this, Ada mind was finally at ease and swallowed the stone with his mouth before looking at Shaar: “What happened to the remaining soul?”
“Eh……” Shaar thought for a moment and for some unknown reason when the words reached his mouth, he did not tell the truth and probably made this choice subconsciously: “Dispersed.”
“Dispersed ……” Ada nodded and faintly smiled while not suspecting anything: “It doesn’t matter if the rest dispersed, since most of the soul is already sucked up inside my stone. The remaining soul will be unable to return to the dragon tomb and will vanish in the end.”
In Ada’s eyes was a faint hint of melancholy after he finally completed his goal after many years. Right now he was suddenly feeling somewhat empty. He looked at Shaar and thought a moment before quickly declaring: “Well, my matter is done now and I got everything I need. The rest all belong to you now.”
“……I ……” Shaar hesitated.
“Magical beast hunter.” Ada looked at Shaar in a friendlier manner: “I want to thank you, after all I would have been buried alive otherwise and died on the mountain. Since I am a human now, I do not have power anymore. No matter what, I owe you one!”
After saying this, he was no longer wordy with Shaar and turned around before walking away. When he walked several steps, Shaar could not bear and yelled: “Hey! Ada, where are you going?”
Ada turned around and frowned while looking at Shaar: “I, I will naturally move on.”
Shaar opened his mouth and felt a strange feeling in his heart, but finally yelled a sentence: “You still owe me a gold coin!”
Ada smiled and gave Shaar a glance: “Count it as a loan, you can add the interest.”
Then he walked out no longer turning his head. Shaar hesitated for a moment and decided not to pursue even when Ada left.
Shaar waited until Ada was gone before jumping to the ground. He quickly took off his oval pendant and inspected it closely in his hand. He actually could not see any problems with it.
Dragon soul? What use did it have in the end?
Ah, for uncle Shaar the most important thing was……Were there any benefits?
Also……that thing was not dangerous, right? Thinking about it, Shaar briefly thought if he should just throw it way.
However, giving it another thought, it was one of the few things that the old man left him. It was a memento what he always carried on him.
“Fuck! This uncle was not afraid of her when she was still alive, now that she died and became a ghost, what is there to fear?” Shaar maliciously stared at the dragon’s corpse to increase his his courage.
After all, he had the temper of a hillbilly and while anxiety came quick, it also vanished just as fast. Deciding to keep it, he gave off a loud cheer and jumped up.
“It’s time to peel her scales and take her apart!!”