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Chapter 120 Dragon Scales
Chapter 120 Dragon Scales
But if we just leave like this, what if there really is something good down there?
He suddenly had a flash of inspiration.
"No need to go into the water."
Garu and Kyle looked at him at the same time, their eyes filled with doubt.
Xia Lin did not explain.
The next moment, he lifted his foot and kicked the water frog that was still squatting by the lake, blankly carrying out the command to "find a water source and wait for orders"!
"Croak!!"
The poor frog traced a graceful parabola before landing precisely in the center of the lake with a "plop"!
Garru:
'
'
Kyle:
Woody: "You wouldn't happen to be—"
Xia Lin remained unfazed: "Right! Let it scout ahead for us. After all, it's a water frog; swimming is instinctive for it, right?"
He squatted by the lake, closed his eyes, and reconnected his mind to the water frog that had been kicked into the water.
At the same time, the instruction was given: Swim to the bottom and see what good stuff is there.
The frog over there—if it could curse, it would probably have already cursed Xia Lin's ancestors for eighteen generations.
But it couldn't resist. That invisible thread still firmly controlled its primitive brain. It could only reluctantly and mechanically swim towards the bottom of the lake.
Garu and Kyle exchanged bewildered glances, clearly unfamiliar with the new-style druid ideas of Charlin.
"You—" Garu scratched his head, "You can do that?"
Kyle's gaze towards Xia Lin became even more complicated: "Are you sure this doesn't count as animal cruelty?"
"It's not injured," Xia Lin said matter-of-factly. "Besides, once it comes up, I'll release it and regain my freedom. Consider it—a reward for our temporary employment relationship?"
Woody muttered, "Temporary hire? Did you ask it for its permission beforehand?"
"I have the right to remain silent and refuse to answer your question."
Xia Lin ignored it, focusing intently on sensing the information transmitted back by the water frog.
The lake is very deep.
The tiny creature continued to dive, passing through the icy water, through the swaying seaweed, and through a school of startled, fleeing silver fish—
Finally, it hit rock bottom.
Xia Lin's consciousness followed the water frog's senses, searching among the mud, sand, and pebbles at the bottom of the lake.
Finally, something appeared.
He "saw" an irregularly shaped object half-buried in the mud and sand.
Bring it up.
The water frog clumsily dug through the mud and sand, and held the object in its mouth. It was a bit heavy, but it was manageable for its size.
Then, pushing off with its hind legs, it struggled to swim upstream.
After a while.
"Splash!"
The water broke open, and the soaking wet frog struggled to swim to the shore, spat out what it was holding in its mouth, and then glared at Xia Lin one last time with its bulging eyes—a look that actually carried a hint of grievance and accusation.
Then it leaped back into the lake and disappeared into the deep water after a few splashes.
Xia Lin sensed that the "thread" had broken.
Very good, it was a pleasure working with you. Goodbye forever.
He picked up the thing from the ground.
It was a black scale about the size of a palm.
The edges have obvious burn marks, charred and slightly curled, as if licked by some extremely hot flame.
The scales had an eerie, dark purple sheen that sent chills down one's spine at first glance.
"This is—" Garu leaned closer, "What is this?"
Kyle also gathered around, observing the strange scales in Xia Lin's hand.
Xia Lin looked at it over and over again, feeling that it looked somewhat familiar.
He drew his veteran's longsword and forcefully slashed the surface of the scales with the blade. *Swoosh!*
The blade sliced through, leaving only a faint white mark; the scales themselves remained completely unharmed.
So hard?
Xia Lin raised an eyebrow. He knew all too well the sharpness of the veteran's longsword; it could easily cut through ordinary armor, so why couldn't it do anything to this scale?
Woody stared at the scale for a long time before suddenly saying, "This—it looks like a dragon scale."
"Dragon scales?" Xia Lin was taken aback.
The next moment, he finally remembered.
The color, the texture, and the burn marks on the edges—Mad Dragon Stark!
He suddenly activated his recognition technique, and several lines of text appeared in his field of vision:
【Scorched Dragon Scales (Dragon Material - Fragment)】
Source: Mad Dragon Stark (Undead Dragon/Secondary)
Effect: Contains the dragon's innate magic and physical resistance, and can be used as a core material or enchanting medium.
It retains the eerie magic of Stark's corruption and transformation, and has a certain effect on living beings.
Condition: Obvious burn marks on the edges – erosion from the silver flames. Significant energy loss, but the main structure remains intact.
Comment: "Even a scale that has fallen off by accident still carries the lingering power of the dragon."
Xia Lin gasped.
It really is that mad dragon's stuff!
"Scales of the Mad Dragon Stark?! That thing actually shed scales in this lake?"
Garu was so frustrated he slapped his thigh, "If I'd known there was such a treasure down there, I should have gone down earlier!"
He turned to Xia Lin, his eyes filled with envy and jealousy: "You're incredibly lucky, aren't you? You just kicked a frog in and it brought back a dragon scale?"
Xia Lin carefully put away the scales, overjoyed inside, but remained calm on the surface: "Luck, luck."
Garu looked at the lake, then at himself, and finally couldn't hold back any longer.
"No way!" He stamped his foot. "I have to go down and check! What if there are other supplies? Even a single scale might fall off; I could just fish one out and be set for life!"
"Garu!" Kyle tried to stop him, but the orc's massive body had already jumped into the lake with a "plop."
Water splashed everywhere.
Kyle stood on the shore, looking helpless.
Xia Lin was speechless: "Is he... really that impulsive?"
"Orcs, huh?" Kyle sighed. "They're too hot-headed; not even nine oxen could pull them back."
The two stood on the shore and waited for a full ten minutes.
The lake was as calm as ever, with only a few small creatures occasionally skimming by, creating shimmering ripples.
finally-
"Splash!"
Garu's wet head popped out of the water, panting heavily, and he scrambled ashore on all fours.
He was soaking wet, his hair plastered to his face, looking utterly disheveled. His hands were empty.
"Didn't find anything?"
Garu shook his head dejectedly, plopped down on the sand, and said in a muffled voice, "There's just mud and weeds underneath. I've turned it over completely, but I haven't seen a single scale."
Kyle couldn't help but laugh: "Honestly, you're lucky you even made it up here alive. If there were other monsters down there, you'd be their snack by now."
Garu mumbled a rebuttal, but his voice lacked conviction.
Xia Lin patted him on the shoulder, her tone sincere: "It's okay, there will be other opportunities. You know, there are many strange and wonderful things in this forest."
Garu gave him a resentful look, his expression seeming to say: Of course you make it sound so easy, the thing is in your arms.
Woody gave Xia Lin a soft "coo" on the shoulder and muttered, "To be honest, I'm starting to wonder if you're blessed by Lady Luck. Getting a dragon scale just by kicking a water frog—that's some luck, tsk."