Chapter 63: Chapter 20: Gnome II
When Su Ziyu returned after ordering food,
York was sitting on the bed, looking around curiously, having sneakily eaten a pack of his compressed biscuits. Upon seeing Su Ziyu, he appeared a bit guilty and said, "I now believe you really came from the Dream Forest."
"Humans could never make such fragrant biscuits; only the Great Elves have this kind of skill."
Su Ziyu glanced at him and said, "Don’t mess with my stuff."
"The food will be served soon."
He placed his BTL82M Anti-Material Sniper Rifle aside and asked the gnome in front of him, "Do you live here too?"
"No." York cautiously shifted a bit away and replied, "I live underground nearby."
"I usually come to the town to get some food."
"But recently, it seems like a Flying Dragon has come here to build a nest. The humans have become very cautious; they even patrol at night, making it harder to get things."
He really is a little thief.
At that moment, there was a knock at the door, and Su Ziyu turned his head and said, "Hide for now."
He opened the door to bring the food inside and then closed the door behind him.
Outside, a servant was cursing, seemingly blaming someone for making the floor dirty, forcing him to clean it again.
York must have been hungry.
He took the food and ate it in large mouthfuls, occasionally glancing at Su Ziyu’s backpack with small eyes. Su Ziyu thought for a moment, then took a pack of compressed biscuits and an energy bar from his backpack and handed them to York. York immediately took a bite and mumbled, "So... delicious!"
"I really envy you for living in the Dream Forest. There must be a lot of good food there."
This gnome ate very quickly.
After finishing, he cautiously glanced at Su Ziyu and asked, "Are you going to the Royal Capital? Then I’ll wait for you in the woods outside the town tomorrow."
"Alright." Su Ziyu nodded.
York took a swig of beer, patted his belly, and said, "Then I’ll leave first?"
"Go on." Su Ziyu nodded again.
After getting Su Ziyu’s response, York carefully moved towards the door, making nearly no sound as he walked, and if it weren’t for Su Ziyu’s keen senses, he might not have noticed him at all.
Before leaving, York said, "Thank you for the food."
Then, he quickly disappeared from sight.
This gnome seemed to possess a very special stealth skill; the humans outside did not notice him at all when he left.
"Pick really did come to the Chessboard Realm."
"Ten years ago?"
"And he brought a silver-haired little girl and a talking squirrel."
"Who could they be?"
Pick didn’t lie, but the other Great Elves vehemently denied that he ever left the Dream Forest.
Why?
Was the silver-haired little girl the Winter Witch?
And also.
A talking, foul-mouthed squirrel?
Su Ziyu was quite sure he hadn’t seen a squirrel in this town, although he did encounter one upon his arrival; it just stood dumbly on a branch looking at him, without speaking or cursing.
Dragons.
Giants.
Minotaurs.
This world’s monsters are even more numerous than imagined.
White Queen.
Black Queen.
Dragon Witch?
Is this world like a chessboard? Black and White opposition? Is the White Queen the ruler of humans? Is the Black Queen the ruler of monsters?
Who is the Dragon Witch?
The people seem to know very little, but why is this name so taboo?
Su Ziyu had many doubts in his heart, but he knew that to get answers, he had to go to the Royal Capital and meet the White Queen to uncover the truth.
What exactly did Pick and the others do back then?
What is the connection between the corruption of the Dream Forest and all this?
If the little girl truly was the Winter Witch, what secrets are hidden in her forgotten memories?
The night passed without any incidents.
Su Ziyu fell asleep with many doubts, but early the next day, before the sun rose, he was awakened by a commotion outside.
"A dragon!?"
"The dragon is here! Run!"
Su Ziyu was awakened by the shouting outside. He quickly sat up, grabbed his weapon, and slung his BTL82M Anti-Material Sniper Rifle over his shoulder. Outside, there were many jumbled noises; the doors in the hallway opened with a bang, followed by the sound of footsteps.
He faintly heard a roar and the dying screams of cattle and sheep.
A large shadow passed by the window, the wind it stirred up sending a flurry of snowflakes.
Click.
Su Ziyu loaded an armor-piercing bullet and swiftly exited with the anti-material sniper rifle on his back. Outside the inn, several mercenaries were holding bows and arrows, and the town guards on the watchtower were wielding crossbows. But these weapons seemed to pose little threat to the gigantic creature in the sky.
This wasn’t a big city; if there were bed crossbows, they might have posed a threat to it.
Flying Dragon.
Su Ziyu finally saw a living dragon, though it was only a sub-dragon species.
This Flying Dragon had grayish-white skin and was about fifteen or sixteen meters in length, with a wingspan of nearly twelve meters. Its head looked somewhat snake-like, with a long neck, no forelimbs, but very robust and powerful hind limbs. Its gaping mouth was full of sharp teeth, with bits of flesh inside.
This Flying Dragon was very similar to the one Su Ziyu had seen in The Lord of the Rings movies. It couldn’t spew dragon breath and had no dragon scales, but its skin was incredibly tough.
At least, the arrows from the mercenaries couldn’t penetrate it.
However, these attacks seemed to have enraged the Flying Dragon. It initially targeted a cow, but now it was swooping down on the humans. A town guard was snatched up as it flew past, bitten in half with a snapping sound.
"Find a way to bring it down!"
"Javelins! Hook chains!"
"Damn it!"
"The arrows can’t reach it!"
These mercenaries were clearly somewhat prepared; they pulled out some short javelins, which were attached to chains and weighed about ten kilograms. If they hit the Flying Dragon’s wings, they could indeed cause it significant trouble.
Should I make a move?
While Su Ziyu hesitated for a moment, another human was killed by the Flying Dragon.
Forget it.
Since he was leaving soon anyway, it wouldn’t matter if he exposed himself.
Su Ziyu glanced around, quickly climbing up to the roof along the wall. He steadied the anti-material sniper rifle and, taking a deep breath, aimed at the Flying Dragon in mid-air.
The target is very large.
But it was best to hit a vital spot in one shot, as Su Ziyu’s bullets were running low.
Once the bullets were gone, this gun could only be used as a stick to hit people.
Bam!
A dull gunshot suddenly echoed in the town.
The Flying Dragon, which was rampaging in the sky, suddenly let out a sorrowful cry, followed by a burst of blood from its huge head. Its massive body struggled in the air before twitching and falling from the sky.
"Get out of the way!"
"Move fast!"
Boom.
The Flying Dragon, measuring fifteen to sixteen meters, fell from the sky, crashing directly into a house, collapsing the entire structure.
It wasn’t fully dead at first.
But as it hit the ground, it was already beyond saving.
A one-shot kill!
.........