Otherworld Bone Dragon Operation Guide

Chapter 138 Violet's Childhood Memories

Su Ming didn't understand Zi Jin's words. But by the afternoon, he understood.

An envoy from the Star Empire arrived from afar on a sea eagle and boarded the ship to pay a visit.

The White Triangle has now reached the side closer to the Eastern Continent. The envoy must have expended a great deal of effort to come from the Western Continent and catch up with the visit.

Three guards remained on the deck, the messenger asked the unicorn for food to feed the sea eagle, and then one of them went into the reception room.

When he lifted the hood of his cloak, even Zijin, who had maintained a cold expression, showed a look of surprise.

"Your Excellency, the Bone King, the Chestnut Owl Scholar!" The other party bowed and introduced himself to Su Ming, "I am Fernand, the Foreign Minister of the Star Empire."

"The Foreign Minister is here in person." Zijin frowned. "My level of hospitality is too low."

“You’re joking,” Fernand said. “I’m just a negotiator. I came here because there are some things that others can’t make decisions about.”

The skeleton served tea, which Fernand drank in one gulp without any ceremony, then picked up a flatbread and began to eat it.

His actions were very down-to-earth, which also shows that he had traveled a very long distance.

"Alright, how does King Shariko plan to explain this?" Violet asked bluntly, "How about we get half of such a large island for free?"

“Scholar Chestnut Owl is too kind.” Fernand ordered another cup of tea, drank half of it, and said, “The Star Empire is willing to pay one million gold coins, or equivalent value in goods, to thank you for your contribution.”

Summer Island isn't far from the coast, and the surrounding archipelago is the home ground of the Temple of Light. Before a complete small-caliber air defense system is in place, the White Triangle can't easily roam there. But the Star Empire is vast and powerful, with far too many places to cause them trouble.

Therefore, King Shariko was both reasonable and courteous, and he immediately offered one million gold coins.

Zijin chuckled, "Put away this nonsense, I need his help."

In political transactions, rules come first, resources second, and money third.

“Money and resources can be given, but a debt of gratitude cannot be incurred,” Fernand said. “The Star Empire will no longer be involved in the matter of issuing warrants for your arrest.”

"Is this a condition?" Su Ming sneered. "You have to be willing to participate—does the Navy not want you anymore?"

The Star Empire must maintain its military superiority and suppress its neighbors. If the White Triangle were to take action, the losses would far exceed those of a few warships.

To back down when faced with difficulties, and then to glorify it as a concession. Even creating cards out of thin air wouldn't be this blatant. Su Ming didn't hesitate to confront them.

Fernand raised his hand to signal the end of the conversation.

“I’m sorry, I was just stating the Empire’s unilateral decision.” He quickly proposed a new condition: “We are willing to mediate and get the Temple of Light to drop the warrant for your arrest.”

"Again?" Violet lost her patience. "Tip, we may be friends, but if you keep playing this game, I'm kicking you out. You'll have to spit out everything those Sea Eagle Beasts ate!"

Both of them were easily provoked, leaving Fernand somewhat helpless. He abandoned his serious demeanor, "Fine, we can't do that. The High Council of the Temple of Light has unanimously resolved to relentlessly pursue and kill your forces—forgive my bluntness, but have you dug up the ancestral graves of the Pope and the cardinals?"

Su Ming wasn't surprised at all; he was used to this kind of thing. Most people start with neutral reputation, and he wasn't far from being fully red on the map.

"No, it's just to make them childless and without descendants."

"So, what exactly do you want, Owl Scholar?" Fernand simply relinquished control of the negotiations. This wasn't his first time dealing with Violet; the necessary procedures had to be followed.

“Although you are the Minister of Foreign Affairs, you still cannot make decisions about what we want,” Zijin said.

Su Ming produced an alchemical letter adorned with intricate runes and made from materials of considerable value. This was none other than the letter the Pope had previously written to Zi Jin, which she had kept for herself. Zi Jin made minor modifications and appropriated it for her own use.

"This letter can only be opened by Shariko himself, otherwise the contents will be lost." Su Ming handed the letter to Fernand.

Fernand took the letter, examined it, and found that it was just a communication encryption function, without any harmful traps or the like.

“Since it’s the opinion of the Chestnut Owl scholar, I will convey and present it accordingly.” Fernand didn’t waste any more words and put the letter away.

After finishing his business, Fernand said goodbye and asked for some food and water.

"I'm so sorry, but I still have a six-hour flight to my next destination."

"You're heading to the dwarves' territory, aren't you?" Violet quickly guessed. "A diplomatic mission? It seems your visit is just a side trip—no, Fernand, you're using this place as a supply point!"

“The visit was true, and it was also true that I was passing by.” Fernand showed no embarrassment whatsoever. “I’ll just reveal a little bit: this time I was discussing with the dwarves about implementing joint sanctions against the orcs of Ling Island.”

"You guys are so slow," Violet said disdainfully. "If it's time to fight, then hurry up and fight."

"Oceanic warfare is never that easy," Fernand said with a wry smile.

The Orcs are a complete nation. Their navy's suppression across thousands of kilometers of ocean has already placed immense strain on logistics. Further military action is difficult given their current level of productivity.

"Why not give him the documents?" Su Ming suggested, "To add fuel to the fire."

"I haven't finished writing the part about the Charlotte siblings yet," Violet said regretfully. "Oh well, I won't strive for perfection."

“Your Excellency Fernand, during our investigation, we found some interesting information at the base in Yesia.” Su Ming got straight to the point, handing over the information.

Fernand glanced at the cover. "Planting bombs in the Star Continent's royal palace?" He was shocked. "Have the orcs gone mad?!"

"It seems like they've prepared a backup plan in case things get exposed," Violet said. "It contains detailed plans, including the locations and methods of planting the bombs. 20,000 gold coins, a really good price!"

Fernand's expression changed slightly, but he didn't hesitate and readily agreed to Violet's offer. At the same time, he requested access to the communication array and hurriedly went to report.

After the communication ended, Fernand returned to the reception room. He looked at another document, but clearly didn't believe it. "How could orcs steal dwarf corpses—they despise dwarves the most, and they'd rather wash their skin raw than touch them."

These two races are so averse to each other that they find each other disgusting. If it weren't for their geographical separation, they would have fought to the death long ago.

“I’m also very skeptical, but this is what we found—we’ll give this document a discount, how about 10,000 gold coins?” Violet said calmly.

Fernand flipped through it and found that the booklet was extremely detailed and full of useful information, and it certainly didn't seem like a forgery.

Fernand's eyes suddenly gleamed, "Academic Technique: Caution in Speech"

Then came another one: 'Academy Technique - Paper's Lament and Ink's Calamity'

"What is this?" Su Ming asked.

"The first step is to check whether the document shows signs of forgery or alteration," Zijin replied. "The second step is to analyze the paper's color and the ink's fading to determine the date the document was written."

Su Ming was somewhat amazed; the otherworldly aspect was quite sophisticated.

"What if Fernand uses magic to examine the first document?" he worried.

"He already checked it when he took it out," Violet said. "Don't worry, he won't find any flaws."

"Are you so confident?" Su Ming asked in surprise.

Guess who named the spell with the characters '谨' (jǐn) and '纸' (zhǐ).

[...] Paper, cautious, Su Ming was speechless. He looked again at the focused and serious Imperial Foreign Minister in front of him, feeling that the other party had not been wronged at all.

Fernand studied it for a long time but found no problem.

“I also paid for this document,” he said.

Before leaving, Ferid suddenly thanked Violet solemnly, "I am grateful for your leniency regarding Princess Isel's matter."

Princess Iser? Su Ming was somewhat surprised upon hearing this, but then he understood. With Catherine married to King Shariko, her daughter Iser would naturally be officially recognized as an imperial princess.

Recalling how Iser had fought them to the death at sea not long ago, Su Ming felt a pang of regret. If Violet hadn't deflected her sword at the last moment, changing her strike from a slash to a parry, the princess would have suffered a severe injury, at least as severe as Yesia's, even if she hadn't perished.

It's a good thing that the mother and daughter are enjoying wealth and luxury; Su Ming doesn't want to see them again.

The four sea eagles took off one after another, quickly becoming tiny black dots in the sky.

"Will a scheme worth 100 million gold coins be of any use?" Zi Jin asked.

“It’s worth the price of admission,” Su Ming replied. “Anyway, our feud with the church is already irreconcilable!”
At noon, an anonymous message was sent to White Triangle.

Zijin checked the code and deciphered it. The contents of the code shocked the scholar.

She quickly sought out Su Ming to discuss it.

This is intelligence from Stanton. It indicates that the Temple of Light's flying beast mothership, the Azure Sea Valley, underwent modifications in shipyard after the Battle of the Agate Sea. It only set sail again a week ago, its destination unknown.

"Among the supplies dispatched by the Azure Sea Valley, there is a large amount of dragon food," Zi Jin sighed.

"This aircraft carrier has changed passengers," Su Ming murmured.

He opened his computer and calculated that, after deducting the space for power, supplies, materials, and support personnel, the 4500-ton Flying Beast aircraft carrier could carry at least seven giant dragons!
If a supply ship is added, and if you squeeze in a bit more, it's possible to carry all twelve dragons.

Their combat power is absolutely cheat-level!
“Your people really love you,” Su Ming said. “We have to blow up the Azure Sea Valley.”

“Blowing up the ship is a good idea,” Violet agreed. “It would prevent the situation from escalating if we killed the dragon.”

The Temple of Light has already fared badly enough by escaping its doctrinal crisis; it cannot afford to offend any more powerful forces.

“For safety’s sake, let’s not go to Zhongyang for now,” Su Ming said. “I have a contingency plan.”

Violet extended her hand in an inviting gesture, signaling him to continue.

“Get an unmanned underwater vehicle, load it with a lot of alchemical explosives, dive over there and sink it,” Su Ming explained. “Earth’s equipment and radio technology do not produce magical fluctuations, so an underwater vehicle can approach stealthily.”

"That sounds feasible."

Thinking about the pile of new work ahead, Su Ming felt a headache coming on. "The teleportation equipment needs to be tested and then we need to do several simulation exercises. There's a ton of things to prepare."

“Manpower is a problem.” Zijin rubbed her temples. “I was considering officially recruiting Rabe Angeli, but she has to recover from her injuries.”

The technological aspect is characterized by its increasing reliance on teams and systems, especially for complex and advanced technologies. Suitable talent is extremely scarce in this magic-centric world.

"It's just the two of us who have to work hard. If we blow up the Azure Sea Valley, the giant dragon won't be able to do anything to us at sea. Only then will we be able to truly establish a foothold in the Central Ocean."

Although dragons are powerful, they cannot maintain flight indefinitely. The vast ocean, spanning tens of thousands of kilometers, would be unbearable for these land creatures.

Zijin suddenly thought of something and reminded her, "If we blow up the ship in a bad location, the dragon won't be able to fly back to land and will drown in the long run."

This is somewhat tricky, Su Ming pondered. They have no control over where the Azure Sea Valley goes; this requires maneuvering the enemy at the tactical level and engaging in various strategic maneuvers.

"Can you tell me why the dragons are looking for you? By the way, I've roughly solved the mystery of your origins," he said.

Zijin hesitated for a moment, then suggested, "Shall we go outside for some fresh air?"

Su Ming did not refuse.

****
The two walked to the aft deck of the ship and leaned against the railing, gazing into the distance. In the morning light, the white triangle's contrail was steady and beautiful, and several seabirds chased after the ship, occasionally catching fish thrown to the surface by the propeller.

“Tell me your answer first!” Violet said. “The riddle is just a game. I will tell you whether I guess right or wrong, otherwise it will affect your judgment of the situation.”

“Then I’ll get straight to the point,” Su Ming said. “You have two mothers, a dragon mother named Mysera and a human mother named Atia. Your birth is very unusual; it belongs to… alchemical-assisted reproduction?”

After a moment of silence, Violet finally spoke, "You've solved the riddle."

The sea breeze ruffled her long hair from behind, making it impossible for Su Ming to see the girl's expression clearly. The subtle emotions in her voice were masked by the sea breeze, which was perhaps why she chose to talk on the deck.

"I was just lucky, and some things also gave me some clues."

“You always surprise me. With just a hint, you can find the right answer,” Zijin said. She had hinted in their conversation that she had more than one mother, and she thought Su Ming had deduced it from that.

But Su Ming was able to solve the problem entirely because Bei Anqi handed him the picture book with the answers written on it. When he had that sudden thought about whether lesbianism could be inherited, he connected everything.

If we assume a conclusion, we can find many corroborating evidence. The illustrations in that picture book are so exquisite that we can see a resemblance to Violet in the eyes and brows of the Holy Sword Maiden Atia.

Mysera happens to be a fairy dragon, and the timeline matches Violet's age.

“Humans and dragons cannot have offspring,” Su Ming said. “After I deduced that you were a human-dragon hybrid, I knew that you were not a naturally born child.”

Dragons and humans are completely different species. Compared to this incredible leap, the fact that both parents are of the same sex is insignificant.

"How do you know I'm a hybrid of human and dragon?" Violet didn't allow him to skip this part.

"Do you have to say it?"

"Hmm, just consider it helping me remember."

Su Ming took a deep breath. "You were so sickly as a child that you almost died young, and you were so small that you could only catch mice to survive, so you are probably not a normal dragon."

Violet swayed slightly, covering her mouth with her hand. "Misella has absolutely no idea how to raise a baby other than a dragon. All the dragons just think I'm strange!" Her voice choked with emotion. "Atia doesn't care about me either. I don't even see her once a year! If it weren't for luck in meeting Siwo—"

If I insisted on telling her, she would break down in a second, Su Ming sighed inwardly. He gently patted the girl's back, "Maybe it's not like that. When you were born, Xiwo was searching for a sunken ship at the bottom of the sea. He was close to success, but suddenly he abandoned everything to go to Dragon Valley to do so-called research."

Zijin lowered her head, her long hair dancing wildly in the wind. She thought for a moment, then murmured, "You mean, Grandpa Siwo went there specifically to take care of me?"

"The treasure that Siwo abandoned was snatched up by someone else in less than a year. This is completely unreasonable for an elf who has been in the world of ocean exploration for many years."

Violet clearly recalled some previously overlooked details. "Oh, I see. Yes, he was my mother Atia's friend." She reached up and wiped away the tears from the corner of her eyes. "I never even realized that!"

"There is actually a question here: why did Atiya ask Siwo for help? He was a renowned high-level arcanist at the time. Taking up more than ten years of his time, not to mention the cost, would be a difficult favor to calculate."

"Considering that you now possess two bodies, one dragon and one human, I speculate that you were originally born as a human-dragon hybrid through a special means. This would explain why your mother needed to enlist the help of a high-ranking elf. Siwo is a broad-minded research scholar, and only someone like him could pull you back from danger and ensure your safe passage through your childhood."

“Zijin, you’ve always been taken care of,” Su Ming comforted her.

The girl was silent for a while, then finally let out a breath, "It seems I'm not as pitiful as I always thought. I'm sorry you had to laugh at me, and I always called you pretentious."

The skeleton servant came over and put down some tissues. Violet took one out and wiped her eyes dry.

"I didn't expect myself to cry so easily. This is the first time I've talked about these things with someone. Sure enough, I've become more sentimental since using Elisa form."

"When you were a dragon, you had emotions too, right?" Su Ming asked.

“Of course there are, but they’re easier to control than they are now,” Violet said, her tone calmer and more subdued. “I don’t really like showing my emotions.”

"So, once you get used to your human form, you'll go back to that aloofness you had when we first met?" Su Ming said with regret. "I still quite like you the way you are now."

The scholar rolled her eyes at Su Ming. "Aloof? When did I ever give you that impression?"

"Uh, maybe we weren't familiar enough at the beginning?"

Violet returned to the previous topic, "I am a being created by two mothers using their bloodlines and alchemy. I was conceived by Mysera and born in the form of a dragon. However, my gestation period was only half that of other dragons, and I was very weak after birth—by the way, you know a lot about what happened after that."

“You stayed in Dragon Canyon until you were a teenager before leaving, and then you’ve been living in human form ever since,” Su Ming continued. “Normally, a young dragon that small wouldn’t be able to master shapeshifting, but it must be the human-human hybrid that’s at work, which is why you can even maintain your human form for a long time.”

Zijin nodded. "I'm not a pure dragon, so my mental development is faster than other dragons my age, but I'm also weaker than them and I'm always bullied. The dragon culture considers this kind of fighting normal, and no dragon will interfere. So, not long after Siwo left, I left Dragon Valley directly. I always felt out of place in the dragon territory, but I only found a place to stay when I came to the human territory."

"That's because your physical strength is weaker than a dragon's, but much stronger than a human's!" Su Ming chuckled.

“I wasn’t bullied, I could work and earn money, and when I was hungry, there were endless rats to scratch me, and no one would fight with me for food,” Violet said. “For me as a child, human mines were paradise!”

Su Ming couldn't help but look at Zi Jin. His family wasn't well-off, and he had cried and been frustrated as a child because he didn't have the same toys as other children. But overall, he grew up normally, with enough to eat and wear, loving parents, and no illnesses, disasters, or bullying. He didn't have a childhood that needed healing.

The morning light was turning white, and the girl's hair was bathed in its glow.

Having been spending a lot of time in the sunny sea lately, even her fair violets have started to take on a healthy tan. Because of Qiluo's visit, she wore a light-colored thick shirt and a brown long skirt today, looking both formal and charming.

Su Ming sighed, knowing he had completely aroused his desire to care for others. He turned back, thinking he couldn't let this continue, or he would really fall for it.

(End of this chapter)