Otherworld Bone Dragon Operation Guide

Chapter 170 Dragon Pillow Stone?
After another hour of commotion outside, it was now 11 p.m. The temperature had dropped even further, and Su Ming and Iser stepped out of the attic, both shivering.

With temperatures below -20 degrees Celsius, no one could concentrate on the search, and the two men easily approached the edge of the city.

They had originally planned to sneak over the city wall, but Su Ming spotted Rupert. The man was wearing thick clothes, a hat with earmuffs and goggles, and was constantly cursing.

Su Ming stopped to listen carefully. It seemed that the town's security team had been dispatched to patrol the outer perimeter of the city walls. The security captain's words revealed extreme dissatisfaction with the old men huddled in their warm houses.

No wonder they're dressed so warmly; the temperature in the wilderness at night is close to minus thirty degrees Celsius.

"That sheriff is slippery and cowardly." Su Xiang recalled the scene he witnessed when killing Benny Finn. "How about we take him hostage and take him out of town?"

Iser also thought it was a good idea. The local security force was mainly composed of civilians living in the town, and they had always been oppressed by the higher-ups and the territory's direct guard. Besides, the people who died this time were tax collectors, so they had no reason to gloat.

The two approached quietly. Iser placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, and Su Ming drew a short knife. But before they could get close, Rupert turned around alertly, his hand on his weapon.

“I suggest you don’t move, or you’ll die in vain,” Su Ming said in a voice only he could hear. “Of course, if you insist on sacrificing yourself, we will grant your wish.”

"No!" Rupert quickly released his weapon and replied in a low voice, "Outsider, please have mercy on me, considering I helped you earlier!"

Su Ming remained noncommittal, "Take us out of the city."

Rupert thought for a moment, glanced at the other team members who were also complaining not far away and knew nothing about what was going on, and made up his mind, "Okay!"

Su Ming gestured for him to raise his hand and tied a cylinder around his waist.

"You've seen how powerful this thing is. It will explode if I control it remotely, and it will explode if you try to untie the rope. So just listen to me and don't try anything funny!" Su Ming warned.

Rupert immediately broke out in a cold sweat. Two of the six tax guards were already dead, and the other four were wailing so loudly that their voices were hoarse, and they knew they wouldn't live much longer.

Rupert completely gave up resisting and resolved to get rid of the plague. He went to his team members and sent two of them home under the pretext of being drunk. At nearly minus thirty degrees Celsius, being drunk outdoors could be fatal.

Neither of the two team members had actually drunk much, but they didn't go against their captain's "good intentions."

"Boss, we're short-handed. The mayor will definitely yell at us if he finds out," one of the team members who had been assigned to leave the group said worriedly. Although the security team was dangerous and arduous, it was an important source of income for them. If they were blamed, the two of them might be fired, and Rupert would also be implicated.

“I have a way,” Rupert said. He had two team members take off their uniform jackets. “I’ll get two acquaintances to replace you.”

He arranged for the rest of the security team to patrol the city first, while he himself took his uniform and retreated to Su Ming's side. Su Ming and Iser quickly changed into their uniforms, then wrapped themselves in cloaks and followed Rupert toward the city gate.

There was a mid-level magic-based combatant and several tax guards on duty at the entrance. They saw it was Rupert and let him through without the slightest suspicion.

After walking a short distance out of the city, just as he was about to catch up with the team members who had left the city earlier, Rupert deliberately raised his voice slightly, "You two patrol back and forth along the main road for two hours, then go back on your own. You'll get plenty of copper coins tomorrow!"

Su Ming immediately agreed.

"I've brought you out. Can this bomb be defused?" Robert asked Su Ming in a low voice.

"Don't be nervous. The spell on the rope only lasts for two hours. After that, untying it won't cause an explosion," Su Ming replied. Although the truth was that it was just a cylindrical piece of iron, keeping the other person in fear was the best way to avoid any unforeseen complications.

But after a slap, there should be a sweet treat. Su Ming tossed a few gold coins to the security captain, "I've offended you tonight, take these and go get some drinks!"

Rupert was relieved; since the other party was willing to pay, they probably weren't trying to silence him. He hid the gold coins in his pocket and said honestly, "I'd have to be out of my mind to tell anyone about this; I wouldn't get anything out of it and would only get myself into trouble!"

The nobles wouldn't care about his reasons or whether they were excusable. For such a serious crime as letting the enemy escape, the only punishment was death.

After saying this, Rupert wrapped his leather coat tighter around himself, turned and walked toward his men, leading them to begin patrolling the outer perimeter of the city walls.

Su Ming and Iser quickly left along the main road. After walking for a while, Su Ming said to the girl, "Miss Watcher, I am extremely grateful for tonight's events. Please forgive my previous abruptness."

Iser felt something was off and was thinking about it. But when she saw the alchemist suddenly look at her with eager eyes and move closer, she unconsciously took a step back.

"May I go to Dawn Territory with you?" Su Ming asked in a low voice.

Still relentlessly pestering her, Iser couldn't help but complain inwardly. She subtly increased the distance between them slightly. "Mr. Graves, Dawnbringer is a dangerous place. From a safety perspective, you'd better leave the North as soon as possible."

Su Ming showed a struggle in his expression, but ultimately silently left in another direction. The moment he turned around, a look of relief appeared on his face. He really didn't know how to continue acting; he had only read a few dozen books of "simp" literature and was truly no expert in that area.

He quickly located the hidden snowmobile, and the drone was manually piloted back. He uncovered the snowmobile, cleared away the snow, and started the engine, which sped off. The engine's chugging sound carried far into the night, and unsurprisingly attracted a lot of attention. Su Ming didn't care anymore and directly accelerated to 60 kilometers per hour.

Anyway, with Violet as a powerful figure ahead, come and chase after her if you dare!
****
Fifteen minutes later, Su Ming arrived at the approximate location. Upon hearing the sound of the snowmobile, Violet emerged from her snowdrift, followed by the unicorn.

Violet huddled her arms together, clearly feeling the cold. The unicorn looked rather listless; her injuries and the day's ordeal had left her exhausted.

However, there were only two seats in the front of the snowmobile, so she transformed into human form and sat in the back of the snowmobile.

The entire locomotive nearly lifted off the ground, and the tracks sank slightly.

Su Ming started the snowmobile. The vehicle was clearly struggling under the weight, no longer as nimble as before.

“Teach me how to operate it,” Violet suggested.

Although the snowmobile was a two-seater, the enclosed space was somewhat cramped. Despite her slender figure, Zijin couldn't withstand the combined warmth of their thick winter coats.

Su Ming turned on the heater and took off his coat and scarf. Zi Jin followed suit and took off her clothes, which made her much more comfortable.

The unicorn in the back, enjoying the breeze, protested, "I want to enjoy the warmth too!"

“If you squeeze to the front too, the bus will overturn!” Su Ming said.

"What if I'm cold?"

"Wouldn't it be warmer to run down there?" Su Ming suggested. "At 60 kilometers per hour, you can really run at full speed, right? You still owe me a sled ride!"

The unicorn snorted angrily.

The snowmobile's control logic—accelerator, brake, steering—wasn't complicated, and Zijin quickly grasped it; however, she needed time to improve her proficiency. Fortunately, the speed wasn't high, so Su Ming handed over the driving to her.

Because they were so close together, Zijin's long, loose hair kept brushing against Su Ming's face. At first, it was just a cold smell, but as the car gradually warmed up, a delicate fragrance began to fill his nostrils.

Gradually, Su Ming leaned forward, his head starting to slip over the line. Zi Jin realized that Su Ming was taking advantage of her again, sniffing her neck so closely—a very inappropriate act for both humans and dragons. She angrily nudged him with her shoulder, only to find that he had already fallen asleep.

With his magic depleted, engaged in continuous battles, and searching for a mate, Su Ming's day was anything but easy.

Zijin felt the carriage jolt. She turned around and found that Qiluo had reverted to her beast form and was asleep in the back of the carriage. Her four hooves were in the air, and her mane and tail were swaying in the wind.

The scholar sighed; it was time for him to do the hard work again.

****
When Su Ming woke up, it was already the next morning. His coat had been removed, and he was lying in the warm living room of the train car.

It was already eight o'clock in the morning, and the winter dawn was just beginning to break. The train was swaying; clearly, while he was away, his companions had already started the Youth Civilization train.

He got up and found his water glass next to him. He opened it and found it was full of warm water.

Su Ming drank the water in one gulp. While drinking, he felt something on his face, touched it, and brought it to his eyes, only to find it was a long, light brown hair.

"I can't believe I've ever had a girl's hair stuck to my head," Su Ming thought to himself as he put on his clothes. He walked to the dining car, where Qi Luo, Zi Jin, and Yuni were already there.

The unicorn was feasting on a basin, the scholar was eating, and the junior clerk was setting out the dishes.

"How are your injuries?" Su Ming asked the unicorn.

"A transverse fracture of the scapula," Kira replied, swallowing the kebab in her mouth. She reached up and touched it. "Hmm, it's healing very well. That priest's cooking was really good!"

Su Ming glanced resentfully at a lousy doctor who, despite having the title of saintess, had nearly killed him. The latter remained indifferent, continuing to flip through his book.

On the long table sat a small, transparent plastic bag, its contents vaguely discernible. Su Ming picked it up and held it up to the light, discovering it contained several strands of golden hair, adorned with delicate, soft light.

"Be more careful, you don't even know you've been tracked." Violet said sarcastically.

Su Ming recalled carefully that when Iser praised him as a "skilled alchemist," she turned her body slightly, and the golden hair inadvertently brushed against his arm.

He was rather helpless. A beautiful girl approached him and struck up a conversation, speaking with an air of respect—if this happened on Earth, he probably would have immediately posted it on his social media to brag.

"Well done, high-level game, huh!" Su Ming said resentfully.

****
After breakfast, Eunice left the dining car and went to the locomotive cab to relieve Hansster on duty.

Qi Luo took out her small bag and showed off the spoils she had collected while cleaning up the battlefield yesterday—a considerable amount of various items. She examined them carefully, then pouted in disappointment, "They're all ordinary things, nothing valuable."

“That’s not bad, it’s worth at least a few hundred gold coins,” Hanster said as he walked in. “Ordinary mercenaries don’t save much money.”

"Yeah, the only thing that old Luo has that's expensive is the stuff he has."

Seeing this, Su Ming took out the necklace and ring he had looted from Benny Finn from his pocket and threw them on the table.

What about mine?

Violet glanced at it. "The necklace is just a regular decorative gemstone, but the ring is magical and very well made." She showed a hint of regret. "It's just that the engraving is a low-level spell, so it won't fetch a good price."

Hanster picked up the ring and examined it closely. "No. This has 'Toughness' and 'Endurance' spells on it. It's worth at least a thousand gold coins!"

“How could that be?” Violet categorically denied. “A ring engraved with an intermediate fireball spell is only worth three or four hundred gold coins.”

Su Ming decided not to get involved in the argument, even though he believed Hanster was definitely right.

He went to the workshop, where he found his backpack.

Su Ming took out the small packages he had found on Benny Fein. They were tightly bound and sealed securely. Su Ming placed them one by one on the table, making a crisp clinking sound.

Upon hearing the sound, Violet, who had followed him in, suddenly perked up her ears.

She immediately stepped forward, her fingertips gathering magic as she slashed open the packaging, and instantly, clattering stones scattered across the long table. These stones were multicolored and varied in shape. Some were translucent, while others were incredibly cloudy, appearing chaotic and disorderly.

Su Ming also opened a package and found that it contained the same items.

"What is this?" Su Ming asked, puzzled. He sensed that these stones contained magical power, but their quality was far inferior to the magic crystals that Zi Jin had given her.

"Dragon Pillow Stones!" Zi Jin scooped up a pile in her hands and held it up to examine it. "You actually managed to find such a treasure!"

"Dragon Pillow Stone?" Su Ming frowned. "This name doesn't mean it's for dragons to use as pillows, does it?"

“Yes, yes!” Violet nodded. “Give them all to me!”

“But Elisa’s form is human, isn’t it?” Su Ming said.

"...Give me the body of a bone dragon, that's fine too!"

Su Ming casually picked up a stone and played with it, not figuring out what it was. Suddenly, he opened a hole in the carriage wall and tossed the stone out of the carriage. Zi Jin cried out in surprise and swiftly pounced on it, catching the stone.

Su Ming picked up another stone, weighed it in his hand, and said, "Come on, say what this is again."

Violet snorted, "Magic Crystal Core."

Now Su Ming understood; he did know about magic crystal cores. Unlike ordinary magic crystals, crystal cores are rare minerals that are naturally present within them. Their magical power is slightly weaker than that of normal magic crystals, but they can slowly absorb magical resources from the air and can be used to set up long-lasting magic arrays. They are the most precious type of magical material.

Due to differences in their intended use, there is no standard way to cut magic crystal cores. They are usually stored in their raw form and cut according to specific needs when used.

These colorful and messy stones in front of you are the raw crystal cores.

"Hey, you're human now," Su Ming teased. "Sleeping with these stones under your head, aren't you afraid of getting neck problems?"

"...The pleasant sound of crystal cores colliding can heal everything!"

Su Ming put the stone back into his bag, preparing to store it in the warehouse. "In short, you're not allowed to sleep with this on your pillow!"

(End of this chapter)