Chapter 144: The Ancient Dragon Turtle’s Request 1

“When did humans become so friendly with elves?”

Kent silently prayed that the enormous creature had a blind spot and wouldn’t notice him standing right beneath its nose.

Unfortunately, his prayers had barely been answered—or rather, had barely been uttered—when two enormous eyes suddenly appeared right in front of him.

A deep, rumbling voice sounded beside his ears.

Kent stared at the yellow eyeballs, each no less than two meters in diameter. His legs trembled uncontrollably, but he still struggled to steady himself before answering.

“Your Excellency, allow me to introduce myself once again. I am Kent, a sixth-rank human mage. This is my companion, Daphne, a first-rank dark elf magic archer.”

This time, Kent genuinely felt a deep sense of respect for the magical beast before him.

He had no choice but to be respectful.

From the creature’s head alone, Kent had already figured out what kind of magical beast it was.

A Dragon Turtle.

Dragon Turtles were ancient magical beasts dating back to the era before the great war between gods and demons, more than ten thousand years ago. They belonged to the draconic family of magical beasts and generally possessed either earth-element or water-element affinities.

Ordinary Dragon Turtles, however, were nowhere near this large.

The only Dragon Turtles capable of reaching such an enormous size were mutated individuals.

Judging by its enormous yellow eyes, Kent concluded that this was a mutated earth-element Dragon Turtle. As for whether it possessed any other elemental affinities, he had no way of knowing.

Turtle-type magical beasts were renowned for their extraordinary defensive capabilities. With the blood of dragons flowing through a Dragon Turtle’s veins, its defenses were even more formidable. And among all the elemental systems, earth-element magic was widely regarded as possessing the strongest defensive properties.

Dragon Turtles had been considered among the finest magical companions even in ancient times.

Moreover, Kent couldn’t help feeling genuine admiration for an intelligent creature that had survived for so long.

Cultivating power was several times more difficult for magical beasts than it was for humans. To reach such an extraordinary level, this Dragon Turtle must have endured hardships and paid a price that Kent could scarcely imagine.

“Gold-Eating Mouse! Human mage, is this Gold-Eating Mouse your magical pet?”

The Dragon Turtle’s voice suddenly rose in volume.

Its booming words reverberated throughout the vast cavern, and the echoes continued rolling through the enormous space long after it had finished speaking.

Kent immediately felt his head throbbing painfully.

Daphne’s face had already turned deathly pale.

“Hehe, forgive me. I was simply too excited when I saw a Gold-Eating Mouse!”

Kent was just about to respond when the throbbing in his head suddenly disappeared.

Daphne, however, had already fallen unconscious.

Kent was startled. He hurriedly examined her and, after confirming that nothing appeared to be seriously wrong, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

At that moment, the Dragon Turtle’s voice sounded beside his ears once more, this time filled with unmistakable remorse.

Kent was still worried about Daphne, so he cast a Soothing Spirit spell upon her. It was a light-element support spell designed to heal damage to the soul. Although Kent was capable of casting this divine spell, its effects were not as powerful as when a priest performed it.

Only after ensuring that Daphne was all right did Kent turn back toward the Dragon Turtle.

“It’s nothing, Your Excellency. I’m sure you didn’t mean to do it.”

Even as he spoke, Kent couldn’t help feeling rather strange about the situation.

Why was this Dragon Turtle so easygoing?

He glanced at Big Nose.

The little creature looked exactly as it always did, its tiny eyes seemingly narrowed into slits. In reality, however, Big Nose’s body was simply so plump that its eyes appeared permanently half-closed.

The truth was that Big Nose relied primarily on its nose and other senses to perceive the world. What its eyes could see didn’t necessarily reflect reality.

“Lord Kent, would you be willing to help me with a favor? Don’t worry. I will reward you for your trouble.”

The Dragon Turtle’s next words left Kent completely stunned.

This enormous, ancient creature was actually asking him for help—and it had even promised him a reward.

“Y-You want me... to help you with something? But I’m only a sixth-rank mage!”

Kent stammered, feeling utterly bewildered. By the time he finished speaking, even he found the whole situation absurd.

Judging by its appearance, this Dragon Turtle had already reached the Legendary Realm.

For starters, the sheer amount of magical power contained within its enormous body was probably enough to unleash eight or ten forbidden spells without much difficulty. And with a body of such staggering proportions, even the magically reinforced walls of Alliance City might not be able to withstand a direct assault from the creature.

Just look at those thick scales covering its head, each one gleaming with a metallic sheen, not to mention the rows of formidable teeth jutting from its enormous jaws. Every detail spoke of terrifying combat power.

Why on earth would such a creature need help from someone like him?

Kent simply couldn’t believe it.

Besides, draconic magical beasts were generally known for their violent and aggressive temperaments, much like true dragons themselves.

The situation felt as though a lion had approached a little lamb and politely asked it for a favor.

Just imagine how the lamb would feel.

That was exactly how Kent felt right now.

“Yes, indeed, my dear sir.”

The Dragon Turtle nodded its enormous head, which towered several stories high, and answered with absolute certainty.

Kent was now thoroughly confused.

Was this enormous creature genuinely asking for his help?

After hesitating for a moment, he cautiously asked, “What exactly do you need me to do? And what can you offer me in return?”

“Well, I only need a tiny amount of your vital blood essence. As for the reward, whatever you desire, I shall obtain it for you! Gold coins, magical metals, legendary weapons—anything you want!”

Hearing Kent’s response, the Dragon Turtle grew visibly excited. It shook its enormous head enthusiastically as it made its generous promise.

“What do you need my vital blood essence for? Could it be that...?”

Kent had begun to suspect that the Dragon Turtle had somehow discovered the extraordinary power of the source within his body and recognized his exceptional talent. He was just about to voice his guess when the creature interrupted him.

“Exactly, my lord! From the very instant I awoke, I sensed the aura of the dragon race emanating from your body! And not just any dragon, but the aura of a superior dragon lineage—the Three-Headed Golden Dragon!”

The Dragon Turtle’s voice grew increasingly agitated.

“I am but a humble creature, and I can no longer endure this torment! If I fail to enter the Legendary Realm soon, my life will come to an end. All these years, I have been forced to prolong my existence through hibernation alone!”

“Please, my lord, have no concerns. Once I safely enter the Legendary Realm, I shall become your humble servant for the rest of my life...”

Kent’s mouth fell open.

His heart gave a violent lurch.

Thank goodness the enormous creature had interrupted him before he could finish speaking. Otherwise, he might have accidentally revealed something he shouldn’t have, and the consequences could have been disastrous.

Still, Kent couldn’t understand why the Dragon Turtle needed his—or rather, the dragon race’s—vital blood essence to reach the Legendary Realm.

Could it have something to do with bloodlines?

“My lord! My lord, I know that my status is lowly, but please, have pity on me! I shall serve you faithfully for the rest of my life. Please, I beg you to accept me as your servant!”

Seeing that Kent remained silent, the Dragon Turtle grew anxious.

It hurriedly squeezed out two enormous tears, looking as pitiful as a child pleading for mercy.

“And if my lord has a particular fondness for beautiful women, I shall search the entire world for the most beautiful girls and bring them to you!”

“Oh!”

Only then did Kent finally understand what was going on.

The enormous creature had apparently mistaken him for a superior dragon who had assumed human form and was traveling around to seduce dark elf girls.

After all, the dragon race was notorious for its lustful nature.

Throughout the continent, countless creatures possessed dragon blood. These included draconians, dragon hawks, Dragon Turtles, dragon lizards, two-headed wyverns, and dozens of other varieties of draconic magical beasts.

According to legend, such creatures were the offspring of dragons that had mated with other magical beasts or even humans.

And if there was one other thing dragons were famous for, it was their insatiable obsession with treasure.

Now that Kent thought about it, the Dragon Turtle’s promise to obtain absolutely anything he desired was rather suspicious.

Clearly, the enormous creature was already preparing to rob someone blind on his behalf.

“My lord, please accept me as your most humble and loyal servant!”

The moment the Dragon Turtle saw Kent finally open his mouth, it hurriedly pleaded with him again, afraid that it might miss this precious opportunity.

The Dragon Turtle was practically bursting with excitement.

After all, Kent had used more than a dozen bottles of dragon blood, and not much time had passed since then. As a result, the distinctive aura of the dragon race still radiated intensely from every part of his body, both inside and out.

Such an aura could only be sensed by true dragons and draconic magical beasts.

To the Dragon Turtle, there was no doubt that Kent possessed the bloodline of a superior dragon.

And to become the servant of such a distinguished being was an honor in itself. Even if it meant serving Kent for the rest of its life, the Dragon Turtle felt that it would have something to be proud of.