novelODS Chapter 68 Preparation
Chapter 68 Preparation
Chapter 68 Preparation
Li Ai suddenly understood.
Although Tianyan is a pufferfish dragon, it is difficult for it to receive care from its kind because it is blind.
It doesn't have much affection for the other bubble lemurs in the stream.
On the contrary, Ai's closeness made her feel cared for for the first time.
"Such conflicting feelings... So you still want to come with us?"
Li Ai asked, puzzled.
"As long as you live in the stream, you will always have to face it, and the creature on Lingfeng has become increasingly irritable in recent years."
The Sky Eye can adapt to torrents, but it may not be able to handle landslides and storms.
"But there's nothing that could possibly upset her."
Li Ai couldn't imagine what kind of monster could threaten Lanlong, who was located in Lingfeng, since even the Skeleton Dragon was unwilling to approach it easily.
"There's something you don't need to worry about too much: Ai won't actually kill you."
Li Ai didn't want Tianyan to live in fear, so she decided to tell the truth.
Why are you so sure?
"Because those who can transform into monster girls are extremely rare cases, they are all valuable research subjects for her. Moreover, in terms of lifespan, she can obtain the skeleton and organs as long as she waits for the target to age and die naturally."
"So that's how it is."
"If you could be like those two leaders of the Thunder Wolf Dragon Clan, playing a role in dealing with enemies, or even achieving cooperation."
Jin Leigong did indeed despise the Skeleton Dragon, but in a dog-eat-dog world, the fact that they could cooperate across species for so long already shows that the Skeleton Dragon still had a certain degree of credibility.
"So it seems I misunderstood her..."
'
"Well... if you hadn't shown your auditory talent back then, you'd probably be one of Ai's skeletons in your collection now."
As for whether there was a misunderstanding, Li Ai felt that it was up to Tianyan to judge for itself.
Tianyan lowered his head, lost in thought, and seemed somewhat confused.
The next morning, the moderate rain that had lasted all night turned into a light drizzle.
Although the floodwaters are still raging, thanks to the surveillance cameras, the journey back is now possible.
The ancient dragon monster girl's understanding of time is completely different from that of humans.
Xiao Ai herself didn't set a time limit, so Li Ai has even less reason to rush back.
Finding a puddle of suitable size and depth, the Heavenly Eye immediately transformed, coiling its body and sliding around it, secreting a large amount of bubbling synovial fluid into it.
When the water surface is covered with bubbles, the raccoon, with a straw in its mouth, lies down in the puddle, leaving only its pale yellow carapace exposed.
"Hmm... let's practice both abilities together."
After Li Ai finished speaking, she placed the beehive on the carapace.
Then he splashed some foaming lubricant on himself and went to a distance to wash his mud-covered armor.
Last night, Li Ai checked her phone and discovered that the Heavenly Eye also has two evolutionary branches: one is the overlord Bubble Fox Dragon, and the other is the special individual Flame Fox Dragon.
However, these are all evolutionary paths for normal individuals, and whether FAST can develop new ones remains to be seen.
In addition, since Ai would probably keep the other person by her side after they went back, Li Ai couldn't offer any guidance or help, so she didn't try.
The mutation process of "I want it all" accelerated rapidly after a Bubble Fox Dragon joined the fray.
The raccoon's shell and fur became increasingly shiny and smooth, and its carapace, soaked with a large amount of bees, also became more and more golden.
The raccoon even named it "Blue Bear Beast Honey Armor" after the Thunder Wolf Dragon's battery shell.
As for the sliding mechanism, the shape of the Sky Eye's Bubble Fox Dragon cannot be imitated, but the structure above it is the same in the Monster Girl form.
Li Ai then devised a training method that involved learning and mastering human forms while simultaneously practicing and integrating strange forms.
After five days of training, the raccoon was able to dodge bees by gliding close to the ground.
After eleven days of training, the Yellow-Clad Green Bear Beast, surrounded by bees and with a glossy carapace and fur, underwent its mutation.
"It feels nice, but why has my hair turned yellow too?"
The raccoon was a little confused.
"The environment and diet can change the color of a monster's fur or shell, not to mention that you've mutated and evolved."
"But I still prefer my previous cyan hair... The third eye has arrived."
The raccoon whispered a reminder.
From the perspective of the Heavenly Eye, which cannot see things, she felt that the topic the two were discussing was somewhat inappropriate.
"Uh...she can hear me."
"Ah~"
The raccoon awkwardly covered its head with its paws.
"It's alright, congratulations on your successful mutation and evolution, little raccoon."
The Heavenly Eye bestows its blessings.
"Hehe, actually it's all thanks to you guys. Speaking of which, there was a bee colony that seemed to have stayed inside the honeycomb shells. Did I manage to subdue it?"
"Your honeycomb shell is itself a honeycomb. They were probably forced to make their home on your back because they had nowhere else to go."
Li Ai offered her speculation.
"I've really subdued them. I'll treat them well then... I'll go and steal a few beehives and get them some honey to eat."
Li Ai was speechless at the raccoon's statement.
But if it weren't for the other party's naive and reckless attempts, there really wouldn't be the current two-in-one evolution path.
"Looking at it this way, other monster girls can probably also achieve the superposition of mutation and evolution, but some of them are just too painful."
The ultimate development of the Mad Dragon Disease, the bizarre overcoming of the Gnawing Worm, and the domineering enhancement of the Wind Dragon.
These enhancements gained from the ecological crisis not only make survival extremely difficult, but also severely damage the monsters' physical and mental health.
Compared to raccoons, mutation and evolution are arguably the easiest and gentlest process.
The raccoon and the Sky Eye went to collect beehives together.
Li Ai also started packing up the camp.
The tent, riddled with leaks and cracks, was abandoned.
More than half of the cooking utensils, such as pots, pans, and bowls, were also blown away by the storm.
Seeing the wooden barrel filled with poisoned throwing knives and with fire dragon claw marks on its surface, Li Ai gathered them together.
When the two returned, each carrying a heavy load, they boarded the Sky Eye and entered the river, thus beginning their return journey.
Following the rapid current, the speed of travel is unimaginable.
"Whew~ Heavenly Eye, you're amazing! I almost crashed into the rock just now."
The raccoon, still shaken, gave a thumbs-up.
Huh?
A slightly questioning roar from Tianyan caused Li Ai, who was experiencing the thrill of surging forward, to suddenly freeze.
"The floodwaters had only recently inundated this area. The Sky Eye radio is likely familiar with the waterways, which means... she's operating blindly?"
Li Ai realized the danger and immediately spoke to guide Tianyan to avoid it.
In less than a day, they returned to the former Bear Falls.
Since Ai didn't show herself, Li Ai certainly wouldn't actively look for her.
At this point, the campsite upstream of the waterfall was completely submerged.
Li Ai's tent was also damaged, so she found a cave to stay in.
After putting away her luggage, Li Ai arrived at the tribe where she had previously worked for the emergency medical team.
The several Ailu who were sealing the leaks in the rock wall immediately recognized the other party.
Instead of asking about the team's movements, Li Ai used her height advantage to help cover up the leaks at a higher position.
Once the floodwaters that had entered the tribe had stopped, they asked Little Fool and Cui Cui for advice.
Chief Mowa immediately took out a map and pointed out the location precisely.
"The outer edge of the stream...that's a good place to live."
"They asked me to help pass on a message, saying they would come to rescue the cat as soon as you needed it."
Mova relayed what the two dragons had said.
"Not for now."
"We can also contact the investigators and ask them to seek help from the villages and towns."
Mova reminded her.
"Sigh~ I escaped from Yukumo Village back then."
Li Ai felt that the only safe places besides the world center of East Doruma were the Jade Leaf Fortress in Flamefire Village.
"Can't even get help from Yukumo Village, meow?"
Mova realized that the predicament Li Ai was facing might be beyond his comprehension.
"Yes."
"No matter what, we, the Love Tribe, will support the Love Squad, meow."
"Hmm...the Tribe of Love?"
As Li Ai was wondering, two Ailu walked over carrying the statue of the god.
The shape of the graffiti above is none other than a pink heart.
However, due to the rain, some of the dye on the fruit has faded.
My phone vibrated twice, but I didn't receive any notification.
Li Ai noticed a red marker in the character status bar and clicked on it.
As a result, I saw a new ability called "Cat's Spirit Blessing (Small)" in the skill bar.
In the game, there's an ability that has a chance to reduce trauma.
Because of its strong metaphysical connotations, Li Ai originally thought it did not exist in reality.
"Alright, I do have some crucial information that I need to convey to Village Chief Chie. I'll leave it to you."
By observing the condition of the bottom of Lingfeng Peak, Li Ai discovered that the stream's ecology was deteriorating.
Furthermore, when Ai's battle with Lanlong truly begins, Yukumo Village will inevitably be affected.
There is another matter concerning Li Ai's safety, which the guild must fully cooperate with.
After entering the cat tribe and writing the letter in the small shed, Li Ai handed it to Mowa.
When they returned to the cave, the Sky Eye had already been set up, and only the raccoon was hiding behind the rocks inside the cave.
Only after confirming that it was Li Ai who had returned did she panic and run away.
"She came...and took the Heavenly Eye with her."
"It's normal, you weren't hurt, were you?"
Li Ai looked the raccoon over and found that apart from sweating on its head, it did not show any injuries.
"No, but she told me to follow her, saying it would grant my wish."
"How did you respond?"
"I said don't even think about it."
"So tough?"
Li Ai was somewhat surprised.
"Hehe, I only said it after she had walked quite a distance away."
The raccoon scratches its head with its paws.
"She was able to confirm our return so quickly; it seems her intelligence network in the Stream is quite impressive."
After Li Ai finished speaking, she turned and walked towards the cave entrance.
"Li Ai, where are you going?"
"If I'm not mistaken, they should be at Bear Falls. I'll go check it out."
"I'll go too."
Aren't you afraid?
"I'm already a Yellow-Clad Green Bear Beast, I can't always back down when faced with challenges."
"Okay then."
The man and the bear then set off.
The two were quite familiar with the terrain of Bear Falls.
A high observation point was quickly found.
Two figures came into view beside the torn-down snack tree.
Ai was sitting on a tree stump, with a huge purple fox tail of a bubble fox dragon attached to the tip of her raised right tentacle.
The fox tail gently swayed as it rested on Ten's eyes, which were nestled on Ai's lap.
With his eyes slightly closed and the corners of his mouth turned up, Tianyan had an expression of great enjoyment.
In the light drizzle, the two of them had a glistening, dewy glow, creating a warm and pleasant scene.
"That's the tail of one of the Heavenly Eye's kind, how eerie."
The raccoon, feeling uncomfortable, expressed its feelings.
She felt that if another creature were to rub its back against her with the shell of a blue bear, no matter how comfortable it was, she would find it unacceptable.
"But Tianyan truly felt happiness, which is incredibly rare for her."
"Now that you mention it, Ai seems quite happy too."
The raccoon could tell that Ai's smile wasn't fake.
buzz~
Li Ai's phone vibrated several times in a row, and she opened it to take a look.
Ai's main body's affection level has increased to 4 hearts, while her Heavenly Eye has increased to 7 hearts.
She wasn't surprised by Tianyan's appearance, after all, there was a bug related to her favorability rating.
Ai's true form improved so easily, which was truly beyond expectations.
Li Ai descended the rope ladder, then stepped through the puddles to reach the other person.
"Hehe, you really didn't disappoint me, Love Hunter."
Xiao Ai smiled, both tentacles wriggling together, clearly genuinely happy.
"It's not entirely my doing. I just didn't expect you to have such a deep connection with the Heavenly Eye."
Ai Haibara has indeed laid a very solid foundation in conquering the Heavenly Eye.
Otherwise, even the slightest mistake in mimicry could lead to failure.
"You also helped me a little bit."
Ai extended a finger, and her right tentacle immediately tried to block it. However, due to the large size of the attached Bubble Fox Dragon's tail, it was not flexible enough to swing, and Ai managed to block it with her hand.
"I made a bet with Xiaoyou, and she said I would definitely run away halfway through. I said I wouldn't, and that's how I won the bet for the first time!"
Roar!
The other party's excited roar made Li Ai's ears sting.
As he gently covered his ears, he also began to observe Xiao You.
Unlike the left tentacle with its incomprehensible negative 99 hearts, the right dragon head has only a negative 5 hearts of affection, which means it is extremely disgusted with humans, but within a reasonable range.
From a rational perspective, it's quite reasonable for Li Ai to flee.
But what the other side didn't know was that the monster girl, Lone Wolf, who had submitted, knew all about him.
Although the other party might not reveal it, Li Ai couldn't afford to gamble.
In addition, Li Ai had a full understanding of how terrifying the skeleton dragon was, and this was a skeleton dragon that had already integrated into the life of the village.
So it's not that they don't want to escape, but that they simply can't escape.
"Looking at it this way, the main body is rather immature and lively in its thinking, but it is good at mimicking and getting close to monsters. The right tentacle is more rational, belonging to the intelligence brain of the skeletal dragon. The left side can expand and grow at will, and is good at spreading attack tentacles, which is the combat force brain. She doesn't have a negative 99 heart favorability rating because she is targeting me, but because she sees all creatures as enemies and food."
Li Ai has roughly deduced the tendencies of Xiao Ai's three personalities.
But then a new question arises: will she maintain this state in her monster form?
"This is the reputation of the Love Hunter; I hope you will uphold it as well."
"Of course, congratulations, you won't die anytime soon. But shouldn't you reveal some information about the location of the Black Dragon?"
"At this stage, I only know that there are clues in Moga Village, and more needs to be investigated."
What kind of place is Moga Village?
Xiao Ai frowned.
"It's the area where there are underwater ruins and sea dragons."
"So that's what it is!"
As Ai spoke, her eyes lit up and drool spilled from the corner of her mouth.
"Let's go now!"
Li Ai didn't rush to respond. Instead, she looked at the tentacles with fox tails sticking to her right and said, "The Black Dragon is very strong. You wouldn't have gone to investigate without any preparation, would you?"