Otherworld Bone Dragon Operation Guide

Chapter 209 Returning Bird (Additional Update 5)

Zijin suddenly felt a weight on her back, and the blue light in her eyes lit up as she realized that Su Ming had fallen asleep leaning against her.

She slowed down the broom.

Before long, the village came into view. The glow of a campfire was visible to the naked eye, and the sounds of music and laughter could be faintly heard on the wind. As you got closer, you could even smell the aroma of roasting food.

****
When Su Ming woke up, he found himself sitting on a log, with Violet leaning against him. In front of the girl was a plate filled with many unidentified foods. Upon seeing Su Ming awake, she immediately put something into her pocket.

Su Ming looked up and around, finding the two of them sitting near the center of the village, where a huge bonfire was burning. There were quite a few people around, including many children playing happily.

"Sorry." Su Ming shook his head. "How long did I sleep?"

"About an hour." Violet handed over the plate. "Would you like something to eat?"

Su Ming took the plate and checked again to make sure he didn't recognize any of the food on it. He cautiously tasted one of the items; the flavor was so-so, but it was very rough.

After trying a few more, Su Ming found they all contained too much coarse grain, and gave up with some regret, saying, "I can't handle it."

Zijin covered her mouth and chuckled. The living standards of ordinary villagers in the northern lands were indeed unattainable. She herself hadn't eaten much either.

The two got up. This village was one of the larger ones in the area, with nearly two hundred households. Many people were gathered around the campfire, drinking homemade wine and roasting simple food by the fire.

Aside from that, there's nothing special. In such a harsh and cold region, being able to eat and drink freely is already the most grand and festive treatment one can receive.

Su Ming found a farmer and bought some meat that was frozen into ice blocks, then he and Zi Jin roasted it over a campfire.

A clanging sound rang out, and Su Ming looked in the direction of the sound to find a person dressed as a priest standing on a pile of wood. He held up a wooden priest's staff and preached to the crowd, reciting prayers.

The tinkling sound came from the bells hanging on his priest's staff.

Many villagers gathered around, and quite a few performed the Light Ritual to the priest, clearly having become formal believers in the Light.

The priest looked tired, clearly having traveled a long way to get here, but he still conducted the prayer meeting earnestly.

May your frost extinguish the cowardice in my blood; may your flame burn away the bewilderment of my soul!

The priest's prayers ceased, and several people suffering from spotted fever, supported by their families, approached him for help. He began to cast healing spells to help them alleviate their pain.

Considering he couldn't stay long and the patient needed continued treatment, the priest took out a holy water bottle from his bag, filled it with warm water, and prepared to make some holy water to distribute to everyone. He gathered his magic power, but failed just before finishing.

"Is it because he's not skilled enough, or is he just too tired?" Su Ming asked Zi Jin, as he didn't know much about these things.

“Both,” Violet replied.

The stray saintess from the Temple of Light suddenly stood up, stepped forward, and pressed down on the holy water bottle in the priest's hand with one hand, making it light up without much effort.

People around gasped in amazement, praising the priest's hard work and the blessing of the God of Light.

The priest, holding a gleaming bottle of holy water, bowed in return to the crowd and then began distributing the holy water.

Zijin walked back to Su Ming's side and sat down again. From beginning to end, no one looked at her once, even though Zijin was right in front of them, they all selectively ignored her.

"How did you do that?" Su Ming asked, puzzled.

Violet did not use any magical power; in fact, she was wearing a cloak that forbade magic.

“It’s not that complicated,” Violet said. “Including that priest, everyone here is just an ordinary person. When you appear at a level they can’t understand, they will subconsciously ignore you and revise what they see to make sense of it.”

For the first time, Su Ming gained a completely new understanding of the extraordinary. It wasn't simply about the application and accumulation of destructive power, but rather the exploration and manipulation of various rules. Just like the complex branches of technology, the otherworld also constructed various systems in its exploration of power.

"Can I do that too?" Su Ming asked.

Zijin shook her head slightly, "I still need to advance a bit more."

"Am I falling too far behind you?" Su Ming said. "The things you've shown me are completely beyond my reach."

"How could that be!" Zijin rolled her eyes at him. "You've only been studying for three months, and I already think you're catching up way too fast."

"Is this considered a compliment?"

"It's just a statement."

Zijin raised the earthenware cup in her hand, which contained a cup of holy water she had just swiped. She handed the cup to Su Ming with both hands, "Drink this, it's holy water from the Frostflame Sacrifice, consider it a prayer for blessings."

Su Ming, having been near the fire while grilling meat, was also thirsty. He reached for the cup, but Zi Jin stepped aside, saying, "Use both hands!"

"Sorry." Su Ming quickly put down the kebabs, took the water glass with both hands, and drank it all in one gulp.

He wiped his mouth with his hand and noticed a faint red stain on the back of his hand. "What is this?"

"The holy water that a necromancer touches will only turn red, that's all," Violet glanced at him. "And your color is much lighter than that of a normal necromancer."

"...So should I generally stay away from holy water?"

"If you are strong enough, the holy water will stay away from you."

Once the meat skewers were grilled, Su Ming handed them to Zi Jin. As the girl reached out to take them, Su Ming suddenly grabbed her wrist with his left hand and pulled her towards him.

Zijin was pulled to the side, only to see Su Ming's right arm already around her waist. Her eyebrows twitched immediately. "What are you doing?"

Su Ming withdrew his right hand, revealing a raw potato with teeth marks on it. It was the potato that Zi Jin had hidden in his pocket when he first woke up. "Caught red-handed, what do you say?"

"..." Zijin looked at Wuyan, then turned her head and snorted.

****
Although it was seasoned only simply, it was still meat, and it smelled delicious when roasted. Su Ming and Zi Jin finally had dinner. A villager gave them some raw radishes, which Su Ming peeled and chopped into small pieces. Although they were a bit bitter, they were perfect for cutting through the richness of the meat, and their cool, crunchy texture was quite flavorful.

He also threw that potato into the fire to roast, which made Zijin very resentful.

Seeing the cage at Su Ming's feet, a kind villager struck up a conversation, "Your snow eagle is almost dead from overfeeding."

Su Ming then remembered this and asked, "Is there any way to do this?"

The villager who dared to speak up was clearly someone with some skill. He leaned closer for a closer look, but the more he examined it, the more he frowned. "This is a tamed creature of the Feathered Clan, isn't it?"

Su Xiang thought of Castor, the winged creature who was still by Dimit's side; it seemed that this was his snow eagle.

"What's the difference between those tamed by the Feathered Clan and ordinary ones?" Su Ming asked.

“Feathered creatures that have been domesticated will not accept food from us ordinary humans,” the villager said. “But it doesn’t matter, there happens to be a feathered creature in our village. You can ask him for help.”

Following the directions given by the kind villager, Su Ming and Zi Jin quickly found the old man called Claw in another corner of the village. He had just received a cup of holy water and was taking it home to preserve it carefully.

Knowing the purpose of their visit, Old Claw quickly picked up the cage to examine it. The snow eagle immediately responded and opened its eyes.

“This breed is quite rare,” Old Claw said. “Its diet isn’t complicated; just a mixture of meat and some grains, dried together, will do.” Old Claw rummaged through the house for some grains, cut up some meat that Su Ming had brought, tanned it, and sure enough, the Snow Eagle started eating.

Su Ming sized up the old man and judged that he was probably no more than fifty years old. It was just that the north was bitterly cold, and commoners aged very quickly. This time, he paid close attention to the old man's shoes; they were indeed different from human shoes, extending both front and back.

"Thanks," Su Ming said, taking out a few copper coins.

“It’s nothing, no need,” Old Claw declined. “But this won’t solve the problem. This snow eagle is domesticated by our Feather Clan, and it won’t eat the food you offer.”

"Ah, is there any way?" Su Ming asked. "We found it nearby."

"Found it, injured?" Old Claw immediately examined it more closely and found that the snow eagle had been restrained. "But this injury shouldn't be enough to prevent it from flying." He wondered, "There might be some problem that I can't see. It would be best to find the owner of this snow eagle."

"Is there a way?" Su Ming's ears perked up.

Old Claw chuckled, "These intelligent birds can sense their Feathered Clan masters, but not from too far away. But since you found them nearby—"

He went back into the house, took out some herbs, and ground them into powder. Then Old Claw bit his finger, mixed the powder with the herbs, and fed it to the snow eagle.

After a while, the snow eagle's eyes suddenly became alert. Then, it actually spread its wings in one direction and cried out.

Su Ming and Zi Jin exchanged a glance; this was truly a windfall!

Su Ming immediately thanked him and picked up the bird to catch the person, but found that the old man was pointing in the opposite direction from where the snow eagle was shouting.

“Look, this bird is trained; it should be heading this way,” Old Claw told Su Ming. “It might be tens of kilometers away, but I can’t be sure. With so much snow, do you really want to go and return the bird?”

"Of course!" Su Ming picked up the birdcage and tossed the old man a silver coin. "I'm a kind-hearted person personally certified by the unicorn!"

Castor, the master of the Snow Eagle, is not important, but he may know the location of Dimit.

This must not be let go!

Su Ming snapped his fingers, casting a dazed spell on Old Claw, causing him to freeze for several seconds. He then picked up the birdcage, sat on the staff with Violet, and flew straight in the opposite direction indicated by Snow Eagle.

****
The top-floor office of the small chapel in the Silent Dawn Church.

Catherine sent a message to Iser, but received no response.

Iser was clearly deeply affected, even skipping tonight's high-level prayer meeting. The girl sealed herself off, refusing any communication spells, and hid somewhere unknown.

Catherine sighed. It was rare for a daughter to be so upset that she became withdrawn.

She took out a magic crystal, and a magic circle unfolded around her. As the crystal burned away and shattered into powder, a ripple suddenly spread outwards.

"Eternal Echo!"

Unlike traditional communication techniques, "Eternal Echo" releases information indiscriminately in all directions, reflecting and spreading throughout nature until it reaches a target that matches the soul's qualities. It cannot be blocked or rejected.

After a while, a reply finally came.

"Mom...I'm okay."

"You haven't eaten yet, have you? I had Gerald bring some snacks to your room," said Catherine.

【……good. 】

Compared to ordinary communication spells, Eternal Echo has a significant delay depending on the distance. Now that she could confirm her daughter hadn't gone far, Catherine breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh, and there's a new outfit too," Catherine continued, but this time she received no response.

"Not the kind like before," Catherine could only add helplessly. "Just a regular, warm one."

【……good. 】

Catherine's second-in-command, Grendel, rushed in. "My lord, the cause of the assassination has been investigated and clarified."

He handed her a folded piece of paper.

Catherine unfolded it and was shocked by what she saw. "The Green Bridge and the Hanging River, it's actually a scheme to wipe out a family!"

"My lord," said Gerndale, "how should this matter be handled?"

"Summon Princess Daphne immediately." Catherine stood up, her face serious. "This matter cannot be ignored; confront her directly!"

****
Even after ending his communication with his mother, Iser remained depressed.

She knew she shouldn't be willful or lose her temper, but she was still very angry about this!
But reason told her that she had no one to blame but herself for being less skilled.

Iser was sitting in the shadows of an attic in a building, below which was a lively crowd celebrating a festival.

Suddenly, she saw a girl with a unique temperament, especially her green hair, which stood out in the crowd.

And it's familiar!

Iser leaped down from the attic, stomped on the wall in mid-air, landed, and sprinted, quickly arriving behind his opponent.

Qiluo's ears perked up, and she took off running.

The street was crowded, but Qiluo, with her weight advantage, carved a path through it. Iser, who had extended his hand to greet her, paused.

"Lady Iser!" Several priests on duty approached, and even a high-ranking guard from Bubing City appeared beside her instantly. "Do you need any help?"

“Oh, no need, no need!” Iser said. “It’s just saying hello to someone I know!”

Qiluo quickly ran a few blocks away and turned into an alley. She looked back and, seeing that no one was chasing her, leaned against the wall and breathed a sigh of relief.

Snapped!
A figure descended from the sky and pinned her against the wall.

"I didn't draw it, I didn't do anything!" Qi Luo quickly said.

"A painting? What painting?" Iser looked puzzled.

Qiluo finally saw the person in front of her clearly. "Oh, it's Miss Watcher!" She breathed a sigh of relief, pushed Iser away, and resumed her arrogant demeanor. "Don't get so close. The people of the moon don't like your smell."

Iser wasn't surprised at all by her lack of cooperation. She held out three invitations to the prayer meeting of the Temple of Light, which she had just "pulled" from Qiluo's pocket. "Children of the Moon, actually attending the prayer meeting of the God of Light?"

"Give it back to me!" Qiluo lunged forward, but Iser nimbly dodged her. She lunged again, but couldn't keep up with Iser's pace at all.

Seeing the other party's aggressive and furious appearance, Iser's mood inexplicably improved a lot.

(End of this chapter)