Elegy from Another World

Zoimem's wailing continued intermittently for nearly a day and a night. The mournful dragon's roar and the glistening tears shrouded the entire Utopia in a heavy atmosphere. It wasn't until the next day that her emotions gradually calmed down; her enormous body swayed slightly, leaving only silent sobs and a blank emptiness.

Through our mental connection, I whispered, "[Zoimem, what are your plans after this?]"

Her thoughts were like a stagnant pool: [Plans? I don't know... My existence... is meaningless now.] The goal she had guarded for thousands of years collapsed, leaving only endless emptiness.

I carefully chose my words and offered my suggestion: "Since you don't have a goal for the time being, why don't you stay here? This place is... a shelter for all kinds of homeless people. And, in a sense, we're the ones who freed you from that false mission, albeit a brutal one. Now, perhaps you can 'exist' in a different way, like... helping us?"

A faint ripple of thought stirred within her: "[Help you?]" How could I help?

"Your body itself is a vast treasure." I said frankly, "We need some of your scales and blood for research and manufacturing. Of course, it won't harm your very essence. Also, if you wish, you can, like other residents, contribute some 'pleasure' by interacting with the tentacles, which will be converted into energy to keep this place running. In return, this place will provide shelter, and..." I paused, emphasizing my words, "I'll try to find out who created you and gave you this absurd mission."

That last sentence seemed to touch her. After a long silence, a simple thought came to her: "Okay."

An agreement was reached. For the next few days, Zoimem settled in a designated area of ​​the outer ring. The other residents of Utopia were initially terrified of a living dragon; even though she was heavily imprisoned, her enormous size and natural dragon aura were enough to inspire fear.

To this end, Tia, Xiaobei, and I intensified our research, making significant modifications and optimizations to the access protocol of the symbiotic network. We finally found a relatively safe way to access Zoimem's vast and unique consciousness into the network in a form of "dimensional reduction" and "filtering." In the network, she no longer appeared as a terrifying dragon, but as a tall woman with long silver hair, emerald green eyes, and a cool and slightly melancholic demeanor.

This transformation greatly alleviated the residents' fear. Through direct communication online, they gradually sensed her sadness, confusion, and a tentative curiosity about her new environment. Fear slowly gave way to understanding and sympathy, and Zoimem began to be accepted by this peculiar community. She even developed an interest in learning, began to learn to read online, and tried to simulate vibrations with magic to learn to "speak."

However, the world outside Utopia was far from peaceful. Due to the sensation caused by transporting the "dragon corpse" in Teferin, news of "possessing dragon materials" spread like wildfire. My "heat" didn't subside; instead, it attracted even more covetous eyes. Adventurers' guilds, black market merchants, and even some clandestine organizations contacted us through various channels, offering exorbitant prices to buy dragon blood, scales, tendons, and other materials. Some even offered to buy the research rights to dragon bodies.

I rejected all these requests without hesitation. The only exception was "Grey Fox" Yisen. Considering the previous cooperation had been relatively pleasant and he was relatively tight-lipped, I communicated with him through encrypted channels. After confirming that he wouldn't delve into the matter and would guarantee confidentiality, I agreed to periodically sell him small quantities of dragon blood and some dragon scales for his "high-end clients'" needs. Yisen was thrilled with this, and this secret deal brought Utopia a considerable and stable additional income.

More than half a month passed quietly. In the relatively closed yet warm environment of Utopia, Zoimem's condition gradually stabilized. She began to get used to communicating with the residents, and her learning progressed rapidly. She could already speak simple words and short sentences with clumsy but clear magical vibrations. Even more surprisingly, she seemed to... enjoy interacting with the tentacles. The process of converting sensory stimulation into pure energy was an unprecedented experience for her, allowing her to temporarily forget her sorrow. She even began to actively seek this "relaxation," and her massive dragon body would emit comfortable purrs under the gentle caresses of the tentacles.

As Zoymem gradually integrated, I began to keep my promise, instructing Xiaobei to search the vast database and ancient texts collected through Yisen's channels for any clues related to "creating dragons," "ancient contracts," or "consciousness programming." At the same time, I was also considering how to leverage Zoymem's presence and our new technologies to make Utopia stronger and more covert, in order to cope with the potentially escalating attention and threats from the outside world.

Beneath the surface of peaceful days, new challenges and explorations have quietly taken root.