Chapter 133: Flight Across the Sea

After all, they were inside a dungeon. They had no map for crossing this sea and no guide to show them the way.

Qiu Nuoya found himself wondering what people must have felt like during the great age of exploration long ago, when they ventured out onto vast oceans like this without knowing what awaited them.

"Well, there is no point complaining forever. Nuoya, could you call Long?"

"Oh, right! I’ll call him now."

The key Qiu Nuoya had received from the Tamer’s Guild branch manager with the deliciously memorable name was attached to a chain and worn around his neck so he would not accidentally drop it. At first glance, it looked like an ordinary key that could be found anywhere. Yet whenever he twisted it toward empty space, a glowing door appeared. No matter how many times he saw it, it still amazed him.

Qiu Nuoya opened the glowing door and then took out the pure white flute Long had given him. It looked more like a strange bone than a flute. Curious about what kind of sound would come from such an unusual dragon flute, he took a deep breath and blew into it with all his might.

Unexpectedly, not a single sound came out.

"What? Seriously?"

"What is it, Nuoya?"

"This flute isn’t making any sound at all." Qiu Nuoya took another deep breath and blew into the large round opening again, but the flute showed no sign of producing even the slightest sound.

"Perhaps there is some special way to use it? For example, maybe you need to channel magic power into it."

That did seem possible. Qiu Nuoya tried blowing into the flute while simultaneously infusing it with his magic power.

Still, all that came out was air. The dragon flute remained completely silent.

"Don’t tell me it’s defective? We can’t contact Long without this... Whoa!" Just as Qiu Nuoya was beginning to despair, a powerful gust of wind suddenly swept over him.

Before he could figure out what was happening, Long came swooping down through the air with his enormous wings spread wide.

The force of the wind knocked Qiu Nuoya off balance, sending him tumbling onto his backside.

"That’s Long."

[ Huh!? You called me here, so why are you looking at me like you’re surprised? ]

"Because this flute didn’t make any sound at all..."

[ What are you talking about? It sounded perfectly fine, which is why I came here! And stop blowing it over and over. It’s annoying. Once is more than enough! ]

Apparently, Long could hear the sound of the dragon flute even though Qiu Nuoya and the others could not. Was this some kind of frequency that humans simply could not hear?

"What did he say? He looks rather angry."

"He said he could hear the flute perfectly well, so I should stop blowing it repeatedly."

"Huh. I guess a dragon’s hearing really is different from ours."

When Igor said this with admiration, Long turned toward him and puffed out his chest as if to say, "Of course it is."

Perhaps noticing that, Igor said, "That’s a dragon for you."

Long looked rather pleased by the compliment, and for some reason, Qiu Nuoya felt relieved that the two of them seemed to have completely warmed up to each other.

Long transformed into his demi-human form and stepped through the door. Once on the other side, he looked around suspiciously.

[ Where is this place? ]

"This is inside a dungeon. We’re trying to reach the lowest floor to clear the dungeon, but we got stuck here and couldn’t go any farther."

[ A dungeon? I see... So that’s why you wanted a tamed monster that could fly. Where do you want me to take you? ]

"It seems there is no land nearby, but there has to be land somewhere. I want you to fly us there. Is that okay?"

[ What do you mean, ’is that okay’? Of course it is. Now hurry up and get on my back. ]

With that, Long returned to his true form and spread his enormous wings, creating a place for them to ride.

The first time Qiu Nuoya had flown with Long, the dragon had carried him by holding him in his mouth, so he had barely felt alive during the entire flight. Qiu Nuoya could not help thinking that Long should have let him ride on his back like this from the beginning.

"Just to be safe, I’ll put up a slime barrier. Mochi, please!"

[ Got it~ ]

They climbed onto Long’s back and each grabbed onto his scales. Mochi then surrounded everyone with its barrier, ensuring their safety. With this, they probably would not be thrown off.

As Long took off toward the sea, the surface of the water quickly dropped far below them. Their bodies were pulled downward while simultaneously feeling as though they were being lifted into the air. It felt exactly like an airplane taking off.

"I don’t think I can handle this. I’m going to throw up..." Warren was sprawled over Long’s scales, his face pale.

Ah, this feeling of floating really was not for everyone. Qiu Nuoya was not particularly good with thrill rides either, so he understood how Warren felt.

Qiu Nuoya moved closer to Warren, gently rubbed his back, and cast a healing spell on him.

If only there were a spell that could strengthen the semicircular canals...

While Qiu Nuoya was thinking that, Long continued climbing higher and higher until they were already far above the ground.

Just how high was he planning to go?

Then Long suddenly spoke.

[ I see land. We should head over there, right? ]

With that, Long suddenly accelerated forward.

He was incredibly fast.

With every single beat of his enormous wings, the small beach they had started from disappeared from sight in an instant.

The wind was probably hitting Mochi’s body with considerable force, causing its outer membrane to flutter violently. Even Mochi seemed to be struggling with it, and it flattened itself against Long’s back.