Chapter 437: A Little Pride

Chapter 437: A Little Pride

In the end, Zheng Yichen still made a splendid Crystal Coffin… Otherwise, how could he let that woman casually take over his dragon bed, while he slept on the floor? It was worth mentioning that the large bed could fit dozens of Dan Marinas with no problem at all. Giving it all to her—what kind of nonsense was that? Anyway, the Crystal Coffin Zheng Yichen made was completely modeled after the ones in fairy tales. The only difference was, there was no prince riding a white horse who would travel thousands of miles to reach this place.

After getting through the guards consisting of numerous alchemical Terminators, defeating the Boss that was himself, and awakening the hidden Witch Boss, this place really was the safest spot for Dan Marina.

“Hmm~ She’s definitely going to be happy when she sees this,” Zheng Yichen looked at the gorgeous Crystal Coffin. The strength of this thing wasn’t just that it could absorb magical attacks and withstand physical ones; it also had super shock-absorption capabilities. The magic preserved inside could keep anything placed in it well-preserved for a long time, especially corpses… Ahem!

In short, while Zheng Yichen couldn’t make orange-tier equipment, purple-tier and pink-tier were still possible. Once she woke up in the future, this thing could also be treated as a special auction item. The identity of the avatar he used had been completely exposed, but Zheng Yichen didn’t want to give up the avatar with his real appearance. As long as he used that avatar, he could act more freely in many situations.

For example, occasionally putting out some special items for sale. This Crystal Coffin, to put it bluntly, was something a Witch had lain in, and its effects were quite good. As long as he dared to put it up for sale, there would definitely be human collectors willing to pay a high price for it. Hmm… But was it appropriate to profit like this from a Witch he knew?

Zheng Yichen thought about it and decided he’d just keep it for his own collection. If it weren’t for hearing from Loris that Dan Marina’s sleep wouldn’t be shorter than a month, he wouldn’t have put in the effort to create such a thing.

“The more special a power is, the greater the side effects from overusing it. The Power of Fate is one of those forces where improper handling leads to the most intense backlash. You don’t need to worry too much about her; after Dan Marina wakes up, she’ll be fine,” Annie said. She believed Dan Marina’s true self had no choice but to fall into slumber, using this method to alleviate the backlash from the Power of Fate. This wasn’t just due to the consumption from dealing with the Undying Witch to ensure things proceeded smoothly.

There was also the prophecy afterward—that this world would experience a period of peace… Even if it was a ‘prophecy’ that followed logically, it still involved interfering with the entire world. Such actions invited even greater backlash! Since she had made this prophecy, the world that was already going to be peaceful would become even more peaceful, even if only by a slight increase of less than one percent.

“Let’s not talk about her anymore… You should start learning the techniques of Spatial Manipulation,” Annie looked up at Zheng Yichen’s massive body, which seemed huge to her.

“Ah… I want to learn too, but my talent in this area really isn’t that great,” Zheng Yichen scratched his head and said somewhat helplessly.

“As long as you accumulate enough time, it’ll be fine. While talent makes learning Spatial Manipulation techniques faster, it depends more on accumulation. You’re capable of learning now; starting early will benefit you.”

“Alright then, I’ll go find Irene once I return.” Annie nodded, not displeased that Zheng Yichen said he’d look for Irene. Irene’s Spatial Manipulation skills were the best among them, so it was only natural to seek her out… Looking for herself would imply other intentions, and she didn’t have that much time for intimate one-on-one teaching with Zheng Yichen.

Zheng Yichen’s current location was Annie’s home, not a temporary residence, but her real home. It was similar to Irene’s estate, except the place where Annie lived was more natural. Unlike Irene’s estate, where the scenery inside looked beautiful but everything was filled with things like Element Crystals—a passive influence on the environment from her long-term residence there—her place was purely natural.

Of course, since it was a place where a Witch lived, it obviously wouldn’t be anything ordinary. Deadly threats were everywhere here. Even a seemingly inconspicuous wildflower by the roadside could turn into a man-eating plant capable of swallowing a person whole if stepped on carelessly.

This level of danger was far greater than the tricky corrupted plants inside the Containment Barrier. There were even many Parasitic Plants here, ones that filled Zheng Yichen with immense caution.

The fact that Annie could bring Zheng Yichen to her home was already a sufficient display of trust. A Witch’s dwelling was always a secret. For example, the location of Loris’ castle in the Forest of Illusions was unknown to Annie and the others.

Zheng Yichen came here to participate in one of Annie’s studies. This study… how should he put it? It let Zheng Yichen see the prototype of Transformation Magic!

That’s right, Transformation Magic! In other Magic Worlds, it would definitely exist, but this world was cursed to lack such magic. On the contrary, other types of magic were quite powerful. Now that this prototype had appeared, how could Zheng Yichen not be excited?

“The Undying Witch was a genius… Hmm, or rather, she had enough motivation and determination for her beloved to achieve such a level,” Annie looked at the genderless little figure sealed within a container. This little thing’s body was eighty percent complete; once the remaining details were perfected, it would be a complete body.

And it wasn’t like those bodies replicated by her magic, but a special body that had truly integrated a True Spirit to generate a Soul. Although she had obtained this unfinished special body, Annie encountered a problem—she couldn’t replicate it. While this body was particularly perfect, its structure was also extremely complex, involving not only high-end knowledge related to the Soul but also the Undying Witch’s research on Reincarnation from death to life.

“Desire is the driving force of progress,” Zheng Yichen looked at the little figure with equal amazement. Those who didn’t understand would only think this little thing was nothing special. But for those in the know, this little figure was no less significant than the ‘Philosopher’s Stone’ appearing in anime!

What Annie had uncovered from this little figure, Zheng Yichen didn’t know. But through Annie’s research materials, he found something he had long wanted from this little figure—it possessed extremely high plasticity. Even though it was already Human Form now, once the remaining twenty percent was completed, it could become a true ‘human body,’ albeit with a different physical structure.

Yet, even this nearly successful product still had reversibility. As long as one understood the relevant operations, this body could be transformed into other forms, even experiencing significant changes in size. If desired, this little figure could completely transform into an ‘adult,’ although the body’s strength would decrease somewhat, not by multiples but by no more than thirty percent.

Such reversible operations… If one could fully master and understand them completely, could it serve as a basis to develop Transformation Magic, something Zheng Yichen had been yearning for so long? Oh dear, thinking about it this way, not only did research in the Life Domain need strengthening, but magical studies needed boosting too… Goodness me.

When it came to researching objects, Zheng Yichen could proceed with great enthusiasm. But magic and the like… Staring at those incredibly complex Magic Rune Arrays made Zheng Yichen’s head spin. For someone not in that field, Magic Rune Arrays were akin to complicated patterns, like code to the average person—what on earth were those things?

But for those within the field, every line of a Magic Rune Array contained enough code. Modifying a Magic Rune Array was like fine-tuning this code, adjusting it to suit oneself, or further enhancing the magic, and even modifying it… And then there was Irene’s level.

Most magic had broken free from the constraints of Magic Rune Arrays. Conventional magic didn’t need classification for her; categorization by type was enough. Put another way, the Magic Rune Arrays Irene mastered weren’t just fewer than those of human magic masters; in fact, they were pitifully scarce!

But a single ‘Fire Magic’ she mastered could release effects that would require dozens of Fire Magic rune arrays for others to achieve!

“As usual,” Annie said, looking at Zheng Yichen who was a bit distracted. After all, once Zheng Yichen learned that this little figure could reverse its form, his attitude shifted from mere cooperation to active enthusiasm. She could guess what Zheng Yichen was thinking—nothing more than wanting to solve the troubles of his own body. Not to become bigger, but smaller. He was a Cursed Dragon, but his essence was human.

Zheng Yichen’s goal was humble, unlike Annie’s pursuit of a higher-level goal beyond the Life Domain from what was almost the pinnacle creation of the Undying Witch… Their pursuits weren’t on the same level. However, she wasn’t about to say anything about it. Zheng Yichen became a Cursed Dragon passively. Although he now felt that the Dragon Body was indeed awesome, bringing him many conveniences,

He didn’t want to become a real dragon.

“Right,” Zheng Yichen waved his claws, and ten Mana Threads extended from a small opening in the container, wrapping around the little figure and extracting it. The little figure wasn’t fully formed, and maintaining its current state wasn’t without drawbacks.

Without a stabilizing force to maintain it, it would collapse after a period, turning into a pile of useless waste flesh. Annie could maintain most of the parts that needed stabilization, but the parts involving Zheng Yichen’s Mana required his direct intervention.

During the initial operation when Zheng Yichen first had to do it, Annie was so nervous she almost taught him how to do it hand by hand—if he had been in Human Form… That operation left Zheng Yichen utterly exhausted too. There were dozens of simulation steps, not only to ensure success but also so Zheng Yichen could adapt if he encountered any unexpected issues.

Now Zheng Yichen was familiar with it. As long as he didn’t get a brain cramp and try some flashy move, there wouldn’t be any major problems. This thing was too high-end. His role in maintaining the little figure’s stability to allow Annie to continue her research was cooperative. The rest just involved him taking research materials from Annie—a clear division of labor, but one that gave Zheng Yichen a massive headache.

Even the research materials produced were difficult to understand. Zheng Yichen often had to consult references while trying to comprehend them, then pick out the parts he needed from there. It was troublesome, and progress was especially slow… Far from the difficulty of spending months to craft a set of equipment like in a game.

He was even somewhat amazed by this. After all, when playing games, he didn’t have this kind of perseverance. But now Zheng Yichen was full of drive, wishing he could split his time in two. The reason? He saw hope. Surrounded by beautiful girls, yet he could only be a beast… Tsk, if he were purely a beast, he might not feel so bad, but he was human after all.

While Zheng Yichen’s true body was busy with research at Annie’s place, the days of his freely used Avatar in Kaja were also coming to an end. After exposing his identity, indeed, no one dared provoke Zheng Yichen, but that didn’t stop some people from having other ideas… Such as… Lily!

This highlighted the foresight in Dan Marina’s arrangements. Even though his identity was exposed, it didn’t cause much trouble for Lily. Her identity could still be used. To outsiders, she appeared to be someone Zheng Yichen specifically brought to better conceal his own identity.

Dan Marina had designed this aspect well—so well, in fact, that some believed after Zheng Yichen’s identity was exposed, Lily would seem insignificant. For those overthinkers, Zheng Yichen didn’t hesitate to cut off all their claws. With his identity exposed, Zheng Yichen’s way of doing things was no longer as conservative as before.

For those people, Zheng Yician didn’t have Carlin take excessive action. He got involved himself, letting many witness what dragon power was like… Although he used an Alchemical Avatar.

This produced even better results. If the Avatar was this powerful, what if they pushed him too far and Zheng Yichen brought his true self? Even if the possibility was low, what if a Witch came along too?

They’d be in deep trouble!

After some time of dealing with this, those who tried to target Lily gave up their improper ideas. However, the little girl at school had new worries. Previously, she tried to avoid too much contact with outsiders. Yet, Zheng Yichen’s craftsmanship was too good.

The new skin he made was still very beautiful. Even if it wasn’t as good as her original appearance, it still attracted the generally precocious youth of the Otherworld. Especially those from wealthy and powerful families. Even without using coercive means, methods like temptation—Lily said she hadn’t experienced them before. Having been tricked and suffered losses in the past, she absolutely wouldn’t fall for them now.

Then came the exposure of Zheng Yichen’s identity. The youths at school who had ideas about her completely gave up those thoughts. They weren’t stupid enough to try to take someone from a dragon, especially with strict warnings from their elders at home.

This wasn’t the time to act recklessly! The overall situation was sensitive. Matters at the Border Great Wall hadn’t completely settled yet. It was like a period of strict crackdowns; being too flashy would mean even if the Sanctuary Church didn’t do anything extra, the major Empires wouldn’t let their subordinates act up at this time!

To provoke someone related to That Dragon at such a time? That was practically asking for death. Those with a bit of insight could see that not many people were bothering with Zheng Yichen’s existence now because the issues left behind by the Undying Witch weren’t fully resolved. Once all the lingering problems were settled,

Things would definitely revolve around Zheng Yichen again, stirring up new events. Postponement didn’t mean they had completely accepted Zheng Yichen’s existence. To act up now, even if they could jump around for a while, they’d wait for the reckoning later!

Based on information gathered by well-informed families and Nobles through their channels, the issues left by the Undying Witch would be completely resolved within the next few days. It would soon be Zheng Yichen’s turn.

Walking out of Qin’s bar, Zheng Yichen had one hand in his pocket. He lazily yawned. While others were busy with scheming, Zheng Yichen’s life during this period had been quite comfortable. Before, he had worried about this and that, especially about the troubles of exposing his identity.

Once truly exposed and free from the anxiety of potential loss, he actually felt more relaxed. During this time, with his activities centered on his Alchemical Avatar, life couldn’t have been easier. Except for the lack of computers and his Earth-like otaku habits, using the Magic Weapon Summoning Book as a substitute for a Mobile Phone… This could be said to be… the most relaxed period since his transmigration!

But good days obviously wouldn’t last forever. Zheng Yichen’s ‘century-long plan’ was still in its early stages. This couldn’t be abandoned. Since he had transmigrated, he ought to have some good pursuits, right? Now he had people who genuinely cared for him, and he cared for them too.

“Ah~ If only there could be such ‘vacations’ every year, and not so many Undying Witches to deal with,” Zheng Yichen shook his head. Forget it. Whether he could have such vacations depended on whether his future performance could earn them. The sealed Undying Witch inside the transparent sphere now seemed to be in a state of stopped thinking. When Zheng Yichen secretly observed her, she was like a small figurine.

But if the transparent sphere was taken out, she would immediately stare intently at Zheng Yichen, saying nothing, just dryly staring at him. It had to be said, the Undying Witch’s sinister gaze was quite lethal. Being stared at for long gave Zheng Yichen a lot of pressure. In the end, he put her back.

Fine. With her determined refusal to communicate and her attitude of wanting to kill him with her gaze, there was nothing more to say. He wasn’t Dan Marina, who could easily provoke the Undying Witch’s emotions.

Arriving at the Academy entrance, Lily, who had finished class, was waiting for him there. Many students instinctively chose to detour when they saw her. Upon seeing Zheng Yichen, they avoided him even further, though the curiosity in their eyes couldn’t be hidden.

News in the Magic Weapon Summoning Book couldn’t be suppressed. Except for common folk, anyone with some capability knew about Zheng Yichen’s matters. Dragons were too distant for them; not everyone had the ability to find the Dragon Clan’s habitat… That would be seeking death.

Now, seeing a dragon using an Avatar, curiosity was inevitable. To them, there was another notion: this dragon seemed to really like human society… Hmm, thinking about it, as humans, feeling a bit proud—what could be done? Human society had already attracted a high-end being like a dragon.