Chapter 403 - 402: Dragon Heart Golden Flame

Chapter 403: Chapter 402: Dragon Heart Golden Flame

The waiter had actually said craftsmen were useless, calling their creations "strange little gadgets." It was as if being a craftsman was some kind of dishonorable profession.

Seraphina Sinclair suddenly realized that this was just how things were in this world. Beings from every profession seemed to mock other professions.

Seraphina had heard others mock chefs before, so she had subconsciously assumed they were at the bottom of the food chain. But today, she was actually hearing a "chef"—the waiter—mock a "craftsman."

Although nothing particularly harsh was said, Seraphina could keenly sense the waiter’s disdain.

Seraphina didn’t comment on it, of course. She simply replied, "If you could introduce me to a craftsman, that would be wonderful."

The waiter nodded. "I’ll find time to see it after daybreak. The next time we meet, I should be able to bring you its credential. When that time comes, if you want to see it, you can just break the card, same as with me."

Seraphina’s eyes lit up, and a wave of delight washed over her.

’This is great news!’

She truly hadn’t expected the waiter to bring her such a pleasant surprise.

In The Black Mist World, finding an NPC like the waiter was an incredibly difficult task.

Seraphina had first met the waiter because of those Advanced Meal Vouchers. And to get Advanced Meal Vouchers, one had to achieve a high grade in the dungeons.

For most survivors, that alone was a difficult feat.

Seraphina also had a faint feeling that for humans like them, each NPC corresponded to a specific item, and only a select few who met special conditions could meet them.

And now, the waiter was actually introducing her to a craftsman. How could Seraphina not be thrilled?

She watched the waiter walk back to the Great Dragon’s corpse. Its gaze was fixed fervently on the dragon’s chest, as if it wanted to investigate its insides or stuff some more preservation materials in.

Seraphina averted her gaze.

She knew that the dragon deserved a great deal of credit for the waiter’s willingness to introduce her to a craftsman.

’Sure enough... those who keep their promises are always rewarded in unexpected ways.’

In high spirits, Seraphina wasn’t bothered that the Earth underfoot was dirty. She took something out of her Silver Moon Earrings to put under her hair and lay right down on the ground.

’A sky full of stars...’

It had been a long time since she’d seen such a sight after entering this world.

The beautiful view could only be enjoyed for a moment. Seraphina’s thoughts quickly returned to what she needed to do.

She had a rough idea of what to do for the next few days, but what about tonight? There was still some time until dawn. What should she do?

It was already the latter half of the night. Whether she tried to sleep or enter meditation, Seraphina couldn’t feel at ease.

E-level monsters were watching greedily, and with the unreliable waiter behind her, Seraphina didn’t dare let her guard down completely.

She wanted to use the Arena Certificate on Artemis, but she couldn’t return to her mobile cabin right now. Without being able to check on its situation, any supplies that landed in the cabin might be completely plundered by monsters.

If that happened, for Seraphina, the loss would far outweigh the gain.

Just as she was lost in thought, she suddenly heard the waiter’s scream.

It was a short, terrified cry, as if it’d been frightened by something utterly unexpected.

Seraphina instantly shot up from the ground, her hand already gripping Water Dragon Roar, her sharp gaze fixed on the source of the sound.

She saw the waiter flailing its elongated arms in a panic, trying to catch something.

In the air before it, a faint yet incredibly pure speck of golden light was slowly dissipating, like a final ember floating from the Dragon Corpse’s heart.

The moment Seraphina saw it, she instinctively used Insight.

[Dragon Heart Golden Flame (SS-level)]

[Description: Swallow it. Burn your enemies, or burn yourself.]

’SS-level?!’

Seraphina’s pupils dilated for a second. She turned to look at the waiter and hurried closer, scanning her surroundings warily, but she found no sign of any enemies or danger.

"What’s wrong?"

The waiter stared blankly as the golden light vanished completely into the air. After a long moment, it spoke in a tone mixed with extreme frustration and a dreamlike trance, "The Dragon... the Dragon Heart Golden Flame..."

Seraphina recalled the page she had just seen and frowned. "What is that?"

She wasn’t asking what the object was, of course—the flame had already floated out, and Seraphina had seen it.

She was asking what it did.

But the waiter didn’t answer. It just stared blankly at a spot on the Dragon Corpse as if its soul had left its body.

Seraphina followed its gaze but could only see a dark patch—the exact location of the Storm Dragon’s old wound.

She didn’t understand, but she was patient.

She could tell the waiter was in a foul mood, even deeply regretful. As for the reason... it was probably related to the "Dragon Heart Golden Flame" it had mentioned.

Seraphina was someone who had studied the Dragon Eating Scroll, but even she didn’t know what a "Dragon Heart Golden Flame" was.

After a good while, the waiter finally snapped out of it.

Only then did Seraphina see that at some point, its face had become streaked with tears.

"The Dragon Heart Golden Flame..." The waiter’s voice was choked with sobs, as if it had lost an irreplaceable treasure. "That... that is a flame that has an extremely small chance of appearing in the very depths of a Great Dragon’s heart, only when its suffering reaches its absolute peak."

"It contains the purest life and Strength of a Great Dragon. For cooking... no, for all skills that require ultimate control and creative flame—whether it’s any of the four major professions, or a chef like me, or a craftsman like my dear friend—it is the ultimate Holy Object!"

It abruptly turned its head to Seraphina, tears streaming down its face, its tone filled with endless self-blame and profound remorse.

"It was right there in this dragon’s heart just now! If I had discovered it earlier, I could have retrieved it perfectly intact. But... but right under my nose, it just... dissipated..."

The waiter beat its chest and stamped its feet, its elongated arms flailing wildly. It looked like it was about to have a complete breakdown.

"I can’t believe I missed such a Holy Object. I just missed it, just like that..."

"I might never encounter another one in my entire life! I’m a disgrace to all chefs!"

Watching its display, Seraphina was shaken as well.

For the waiter to lose its composure like this, the value of the "Dragon Heart Golden Flame" was likely far beyond her imagination.

’What a shame... to have missed it just like that.’

That was an SS-level item!

A pang of grief hit Seraphina, but then she remembered the "burn yourself" part of the description. For some reason, the grief suddenly vanished.

Her mind was clear. As she re-evaluated the waiter’s words, she noted the phrase "when its suffering reaches its absolute peak."

’This dragon really had been tormented by pain for a long time.’

Seraphina didn’t say anything accusatory. After all, she had never even heard of such a thing, and she was the one who had told the waiter not to go back and deal with the Dragon Corpse just yet.