After not sleeping for a long time during the final stretch of her dream, Yvette arrived back at the mechanical town’s RV and fell into a deep sleep until the following afternoon, finally waking up with heavy eyelids and a long yawn.
It was a chilly afternoon, the late autumn sky dark and overcast, with grayish-white light casting over the ground littered with dried leaves, creating a distinctly dreary atmosphere.
When Yvette stepped out of the RV, she noticed the elder sitting at the entrance of the town, brewing a steaming cup of tea. He gazed off into the distant skyline. If one disregarded his antiquated mechanical body, he would resemble a solitary old man from a human village, every gesture infused with the weariness of time.
“You’re getting up a bit late, Miss Yvette. Is this your secret to cultivation?” the elder raised his tea cup toward Yvette and then pretended to pour the steaming tea over himself to indicate he was having a hearty drink. The scene was abstract, but Yvette had completely adjusted to it and found it rather ordinary.
“Pretty much,” Yvette replied. “Elder, I’m preparing to leave.”
“Leaving so soon?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ll go inform everyone.” The elder quickly stood up.
“No need for that. I specifically want to avoid such scenes, which is why I only informed you,” Yvette shook her head calmly.
“Alright… I understand your intentions, Miss Yvette,” the elder’s voice emitted an air of nostalgia from his speaker as he sighed, “Since you wish to depart without much fanfare, I will respect your wishes. I wish you a smooth journey. In our little kingdom, it may take over a decade before a visitor comes again. I hope that one day I’ll see you again and hear stories of your travels.”“I certainly will… And please, don’t forget to keep an eye on that blonde girl.”
“Haha, you can rest assured. My memory is quite good; I won’t forget.”
“Thank you, then I’ll be off.”
“Safe travels!”
“Yeah, goodbye.”
After a brief farewell, Yvette did not return to the town but instead hopped into the driver’s seat of the RV, steering it toward a far-off destination—the ruins of another metropolis within the New Eden United States that she had already planned to visit.
Glancing at the rearview mirror, she noted the elder still standing at the village entrance, awkwardly waving goodbye to her. In her dark red eyes, there was no sorrow or joy; no emotions were revealed.
Observing them from a distance and seeing the wolves not daring to approach, she gave up on that pursuit. Just then, a distant sound of roaring motorcycle engines along with a woman’s piercing scream caught her attention.
Turning her head, she spotted a familiar blue-haired girl on a motorcycle racing down the slopes of a snow-covered hill, yelling in terror. The most outrageous part was that not long after she sped down the slope, something emerged from behind the ridge—a dragon?!
Yvette stood frozen, taking a closer look, and confirmed it was indeed a dragon—a small black dragon with a wingspan of about ten meters, adorned with a pair of horns on its head. Flames billowed from its mouth as it sprayed fire towards the fleeing Ice Rain, who expertly maneuvered her motorcycle in a desperate escape.
Yvette’s brows furrowed as she struggled to comprehend the situation.
Though archaeological studies of the Origin Civilization had proven that dragons roamed the earth at least thirty thousand years ago, with clear skeletal fossils having been discovered, the issue now was that this was a post-apocalyptic world where humanity had nearly been eradicated within a millennium. Where could this black dragon have come from?
Could it be a uniquely evolved aberration that just happens to resemble a dragon?
Or perhaps… it had crossed over?
Yvette immediately flew into the air, moving closer to Ice Rain’s direction. Observing a fireball about to engulf the mechanical girl, she summoned a water-elemental based defensive spell from a distance, forming a water shield that completely intercepted the flames.
The sudden intervention startled the black dragon’s pursuit, allowing the mechanical girl to escape, while the focus of its cold gaze shifted onto Yvette as it opened its mouth once more and unleashed another fiery breath.
Yvette stood her ground, her body swiftly enveloped by red runes, which extended even to her dark dress.
After bathing in the flames, she remained unscathed, suspended in mid-air, hearing the black dragon emit an angry roar.
Yet just as she was preparing to see what other tricks this black dragon had, she noticed that it suddenly turned around, flapping its wings in an effort to flee.
This, of course, was unacceptable. A powerful cold wave surged from the blue ring of runes that spread around her.
The frost bolt had evolved beyond the form of a simple bullet; it had gained more variations. Perhaps it should be referred to as “Frost Control” now!—other spells had also adapted, as the restructuring of their frameworks meant that they were like programmers rewriting clunky old code; the only remaining link would be the shared elemental properties.
Within the pure white chill, the black dragon, having flown only a short distance, immediately stiffened, crashing down into the trees below, breaking several saplings amidst the flurry of snowflakes. As Yvette descended to its side, she could clearly hear its cries of pain and sorrow.
“Damn it, how could there be such a powerful human mage in this wretched place… and a female mage at that… She can’t be that evil goddess, can she? She can’t be that wicked goddess… I’m done for, all is lost…”
To her surprise, the dragon could speak the human language fluently, and it was evidently using the Lumina language. This confirmed her suspicion that it had indeed crossed over… Hearing the familiar mention of “evil goddess” sent an amused smirk creeping across Yvette’s face, revealing an almost teasing smile.