Shi Qing backed away quite a distance, only then could she clearly see the appearance of this colossal creature in the seawater.
How should I put it...
The enormous "tower" that Shi Qing had seen earlier was actually hidden within its abdomen. At that time, up close, she mistook its abdomen for something like an underwater iceberg. Now that she was farther away, she fully realized the sheer size of this giant beast.
Of course, it was as big as a whole building.
The sea monster swayed its beautiful silver tail and swam closer, reaching the top, where it circled around the mouth and whiskers of this behemoth.
The creature's whiskers were exceptionally long. Shi Qing only noticed them when she got closer. They were also golden, swaying gently in the pitch-black seawater.
Although the ocean is teeming with small creatures that move about, you couldn't find a single fish near this giant creature. Not even its gently swaying whiskers seemed to disturb any marine life. Evidently, not every deep-sea inhabitant was as enthusiastic about risking their lives as this sea monster.
Shi Qing circled around it for about half an hour, thoroughly examining every inch of it.
Beautiful and sharp claws, closed eyes, and flawless golden scales covered its body, except for its whiskers. It also had long tendrils on its head, seemingly motionless but exuding a quiet majesty.
The closer one got within a radius of ten li (5 kilometers), the clearer it became that there were no living creatures around it.
Even though it was asleep, it was not to be underestimated.
Shi Qing followed its long tail downstream for a while, but feeling tired, she swam back up, flipping her beautiful fish tail and returning to float in the seawater, face to face with the giant.
Well, not exactly face to face, considering the significant size difference.
It should be said, she floated with her body in front of its closed eyes.
Shi Qing concluded, "This is a dragon, and it's golden."
The system, also witnessing a dragon for the first time, curiously chimed in, "It's so huge."
Shi Qing thought of that place wrapped in golden scales, almost as tall as a building, and her tone became dreamy, "Really... incredibly huge."
The system: "..."
It understood again.
The system worriedly suggested, "Host, what do we do now? It's about to wake up, and you can't defeat it."
Even if Shi Qing was a sea monster herself, it would still be incredibly challenging to deal with such a colossal creature.
Shi Qing pondered, "You're right; fighting is definitely not an option."
The system, dedicated to solving problems for the host, proposed, "How about this, while it's still asleep, we return its pearl. If its pearl isn't lost, then we should be safe."
The beautiful mermaid circled in the water, reminding her system, "Get one thing straight; this big, fat dragon isn't the protagonist. The main goal is to lower the protagonist's resistance."
The system faltered, "But at this stage, the protagonist doesn't trust sea monsters..."
Its voice suddenly stopped.
The system: "...Zeng Nan's resistance: 100/100???"
How did this happen? What happened to the protagonist who was supposed to be in the palm of the sea monster's hand?
Shi Qing had already guessed it.
"The protagonist isn't foolish. Aside from the fact that 'birds of a feather flock together,' just by looking at a weak and vulnerable little mermaid in front of her, she could figure out how a tiny creature like that could survive in the vast sea."
"Her act of being beguiled by the sea monster is just a ruse to avoid the sea monster's suspicion and make it trust her."
People who become protagonists aren't easily fooled by appearances.
The system: "..."
It was speechless.
The system: "So, what should we do now... it's difficult to lower Zeng Nan's resistance. How about treating this world as a vacation and staying here for a month before leaving?"
The beautiful mermaid swam a few circles in the water and retorted, "I'm not leaving; it's not every day he's a dragon now."
The system: "... Host, please don't be swayed by beauty at a time like this!"
"Host, this world's difficulty level is too high. It's a dragon now, and dragons don't bother with other creatures. The system suggests... Host, what are you doing???"
While she was swaying her tail and swimming toward the slightly open mouth of the golden dragon, Shi Qing replied casually, "Can't you see? I'm swimming into its mouth."
The system: "???"
The system: "..."
Is this a new way of committing suicide?
Getting eaten by a dragon or something.
It cautiously asked its host who seemed to have given up, "Can I try to persuade you?"
Shi Qing: "No, you can't."
The system: "Alright."
Wuuu...
It was about to become the first-ever system to witness its host being eaten by a dragon.
The golden dragon's body was massive, and its mouth was naturally equally large, comfortably accommodating a mermaid lying inside it. She now occupied the space where the dragon used to store its dragon pearls.
As everyone knows, dragons have their own dragon pearls.
Dragons cherish their dragon pearls dearly, keeping them close by wherever they go. When they soar through the skies, they hold them in their claws, and when they sleep, they either place them by their side or hold them in their mouths.
They truly value these pearls.
But few people know why dragons are so careful with their dragon pearls.
Also, very few people know that dragons don't actually fly; they are deep-sea creatures.
Although they have claws, they lack wings, so they can't fly.
The ancient myths of dragons flying most likely originated from people who saw dragons by the sea. Imagine a creature as tall as a building with a body so massive that when it emerges from the water, it appears to be in the sky. In the eyes of people back then, it was flying.
As generations passed, the notion of dragons flying took root.
Now, in the tranquil seawater, the terrifying golden dragon slowly opened its eyes.
Its eyes were also golden, and in the pitch-black sea, they saw everything clearly.
It had slept for too long.
So long that it was on the verge of forgetting when it had last woken up.
The golden dragon made an effort to recall when it had last awakened.
Remembering it now, the last time should have been almost a thousand years ago when he woke up feeling too hungry. He swept through all the creatures in the surrounding sea for about a month, ate his fill, and then fell back into slumber. It wasn't that he was overly sleepy; it was that he could distinctly feel the world rejecting him.
The world didn't welcome his presence, yet it couldn't do anything to him, so it could only make him sleep. The Golden Dragon didn't really care about these things. After all, he didn't have many forms of entertainment, and every time other creatures saw him, they wished they could drop dead on the spot. Aside from eating and drinking, a dragon's life held no other pleasures, and sleep helped pass the time. So, he cooperatively slept for a thousand years, waking up each time when he was hungry, eating a hearty meal, and then returning to slumber.
But this time waking up seemed somewhat different from the previous times. The Golden Dragon shook its long tail, causing ripples in the surrounding seawater.
It was strange.
The fatigue that had been on him had disappeared, and even the constant sense of rejection was gone.
Had the world's consciousness finally accepted him again?
It shouldn't be the case; ordinarily, the world would only accept him when there were more formidable creatures to reject.
But in this world, what could possibly be more destructive than the Golden Dragon?
Unable to figure it out, he let it go.
The Golden Dragon moved its body slightly, flexing its muscles. Having slept for a thousand years, he hadn't accumulated any dirt on his body, and no creatures dared to disturb him in the vicinity.
However, even though he was no longer tired, the Golden Dragon couldn't think of anything to do other than sleep.
So, he decided to start by having a hearty meal and then continue slumbering. Decision made, out of habit, the Golden Dragon opened its mouth, intending to spit out his dragon pearl to make room for eating and drinking.
However, just as he started to open his mouth, he abruptly stopped.
He sensed signs of life where his dragon pearl used to be.
Life?
The Golden Dragon hesitated, holding his breath and carefully sent the living thing out of his mouth.
In the seawater, a small mermaid with a silver-white tail, long black hair, fair complexion, and delicate features appeared before the Golden Dragon.
The little mermaid's slender arms were tucked under her head, and her beautiful silver-white tail curled slightly, with the thin tail fin at the very bottom floating along with the seawater.
She looked delicate, her eyes closed as she lay there, her fair arms cushioning her head, and her curled tail resting in the water.
Too small.
The Golden Dragon, who had spent most of his life eating and sleeping, never had any creatures come near him. This was the first time a living being appeared before him, and she was so tiny.
The Golden Dragon cautiously moved closer, even holding his breath, afraid that he might accidentally hurt the small mermaid in front of him.
He gently extended a dragon claw through the seawater, making a tentative gesture. He found that his claw was even larger than the little mermaid herself.
Carefully, he touched the flowing hair of the little mermaid, separated by the seawater.
It was real.
In front of him, there was actually a living creature. For a Golden Dragon who hadn't had any creature approach within a ten-li radius since he hatched from a dragon egg, this was truly a surprising turn of events.
But where had this little mermaid come from?
The Golden Dragon, who had never interacted with other creatures, cautiously moved his colossal body, instinctively adjusting his position to protect the small mermaid, who was sleeping comfortably in his protective circle.
His long breath floated gently, and in the course of his movements, it inevitably brushed against the sleeping mermaid. At this moment, the mermaid would swing her tail and push away his whiskers in a disgruntled manner.
This made it look as though this was the territory of the mermaid rather than the Golden Dragon's domain, leaving the Golden Dragon utterly bewildered.
Most bewildering of all was the discovery that his dragon pearl was missing.
That was the dragon pearl he had possessed since he was a young dragon inside the dragon egg.
Although his memories of the dragon pearl were somewhat fuzzy in his inherited memories, the Golden Dragon knew that this dragon pearl was crucial to him. When he was still a young dragon, barely over a hundred meters in length, his vision wasn't very good, and he relied on this dragon pearl to light up his surroundings. Although there was nothing other than seawater for it to illuminate, it was still a vital possession for him. He used to play with it, kicking it around like a toy.
He used to toss it away and then, when it rolled far enough, enthusiastically search for it. Although once he grew into a full-fledged dragon, he no longer enjoyed these games and simply wanted to eat, drink, and sleep, at this time, the dragon pearl could still keep him company while he slept.
What an important dragon pearl it was.
So big, so bright, and it had been there a thousand years ago.
How could it have disappeared?
Careful not to disturb the soundly sleeping little mermaid, the Golden Dragon circled around in search of it.
But he still couldn't find it.
He finally realized something and abruptly lowered his head to look at the little mermaid, who was still smaller than his claws.
The Golden Dragon squinted his yellow pupils slightly, and his long dragon tail swayed gently in the sea, more than three thousand meters away from his head.
He finally realized it.
The small mermaid that had suddenly appeared in his mouth...
Was his dragon pearl come to life.
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