The young dragon tries to conquer the world

　Seeing Xin Hai's expression, Lu Zi covered her mouth and chuckled, saying, "It's just a thought. Lady Coral always thinks ten steps ahead for every one step you take. You should eat properly when you eat, otherwise the food I carefully prepared will be wasted."

　Xin Hai playfully picked up a piece of fish and said, "You don't need to mention it. Besides, I've always finished all the food you make."

　"Should we write a letter to the traveler? He has traveled through seven countries; perhaps he will have some clue."

　"No need, Ruko. As the current human goddess priestess of Haiqi Island and the highest leader of Haiqi Island, I will handle these matters. Besides..."

　Xin Hai didn't finish speaking; she had her own considerations, and Lu Zi understood, so she remained silent.

　After the meal, Xin Hai continued to handle various affairs on Haiqi Island as usual. In the battle against the Inazuma Shogunate, Haiqi Island was at a disadvantage in terms of manpower and resources. It was thanks to the various tactics and ingenious strategies devised by Xin Hai that the island was able to turn the tide many times. In the internal affairs of Haiqi Island, Xin Hai also did her best to perform her duties. This achievement made her quite famous among the various forces on Haiqi Island.

　Suddenly, Xin Hai seemed to sense something. He looked up and saw only darkness outside the window. Just as Xin Hai was wondering what it was, a soldier suddenly came to report.

　"Lord Coral Palace, a monster! A monster has appeared!"

　Xin Hai jumped up from his chair and said, "That monster has appeared again. Where is it? What does it look like?"

　"Reporting to Lord Coral Palace, the monster is entirely black and enormous, but due to the darkness, its exact appearance is not clearly visible. Lord Goro has already led men to investigate."

　Just as Xin Hai was about to go along, he saw more soldiers approaching. Xin Hai stopped in his tracks, and the soldiers quickly reported, "Reporting to Lord Coral Palace, the soldiers who investigated with you this morning, as well as the brothers responsible for imprisoning the Fools, are now unconscious. The military doctor has examined them but is also helpless. They have probably contracted the same disease as the Fools."

　My worst fears have come true.

　Xin Hai had previously instructed these accompanying personnel to pay attention to cleanliness and bathing, and she believed that they had done so. The current situation can only be described as the illness being beyond Xin Hai's imagination.

　"Understood. Immediately isolate the unconscious individuals. Those responsible for treatment must also ensure proper disinfection and cleaning. (This is in accordance with the will of the Water Elemental God.")

　The people with the eye were immediately assembled, and someone was sent to inform Jinye Lingling that a meeting was to be held to discuss countermeasures for this illness.

　"And you, Lord Coral Palace?"

　"Ruko, keep an eye on things for me for now. I'm going to find Goro first. We can't neglect the monster matter. Koyama, can you give me directions?"

　After giving her instructions, Xin Hai headed straight for Goro, hoping he could find useful information there.

　After flying for a while, Hikari landed near Hiki Village. She could sense that this place was not very safe, so Hikari continued to travel south for a distance and came to a mountain.

　This place is indeed nice. By now, Guang's body length has reached seventeen meters. After choosing a spot, Guang shook her body, extended her wing claws, and scratched her scales. Her jet-black wing membranes were now fully open, fluttering in the sea breeze. A low growl came from Guang's throat. If someone were nearby, they might think that her growl was completely inconsistent with her body, sounding like a little puppy, without any majesty.

　As she twisted her body in place, Guang seemed to have found the knack. A ghostly blue light shimmered on her chest. As Guang worked hard to move the muscles in her body, old black scales gradually peeled off her body. Large pieces of scale fell to the ground, revealing pale blue scales underneath. At the same time, the pale blue scales turned crimson upon contact with the air, and then immediately turned blackish-purple in the next instant.

　The newly formed scales have a very unique structure, consisting of multiple layers and reaching a thickness of two centimeters. This provides excellent defense against both direct physical attacks and ranged strikes. Experienced hunters will know that the reason why Safi'jiiva's meat is of poor quality is because of these scales.

　Shedding is easier in other parts of the body. As for the wing membrane, it is constantly shedding, and the completion of this shedding means that the light will grow larger.

　After molting, Light let out a loud roar, spread her wings, and left, leaving behind a trail of scales. Light was a little hungry and had to go hunt for food.

　While Shinkai was still rushing towards Goro, Goro had already finished inspecting the scene and was returning to Coral Palace when the two happened to meet on the road.

　"Lord Coral Palace, aren't you going to rest so late?"

　"Goro, how's it going? What have you found out?"

　Hearing Shinkai's question, Goro straightened his back and said seriously, "It was Oizumi and Awa who discovered it this time. They saw the monster from afar, and Awa immediately came back to report it. But when we arrived, Oizumi said that the monster had disappeared. I just searched the area and didn't find any trace of it."

　"They're really unlucky, this is the second time."

　"Yes, Lord Coral Palace. They first discovered it when they were on night duty. There was a pool of blood on the ground, which was later confirmed to be fish blood."

　"Monsters, fishing, but the records of Haiqi Island never mention any giant black monster. Could it be an alien monster?"

　"Geographically speaking, the closest islands are Bayun Island and Tatarasa, but Narukami Island is the farthest, separated by the sea. Can that monster fly?"

　Goro said he didn't know. The only information that Oizumi and Awa could give was that the monster was very large and its body was black. They didn't know anything else, especially since it was nighttime and it would be difficult to obtain any useful information.

　"I wish I could see it with my own eyes."

　PS1: Please vote for me!

　PS2: I'm hesitating about whether to add some orange elements~

　Volume 1: 013 - Latest Announcement

　"Don't be discouraged, Goro. After all, we are not completely ignorant now."

　"I understand, Lord Coral Palace. I will expand the patrol area from now on."

　“Okay, Goro. Be on guard. Given the monster’s size, it will be hard to hide its whereabouts. We’ll have to get busy from here on out, Goro.”

　Kokoro playfully said things to Goro that would drive any corporate slave crazy. Goro understood the responsibility Kokoro carried and her determination, nodded in agreement, and immediately went to arrange for the soldiers to modify the patrol routes and times.

　Meanwhile, Xin Hai sought out Da Quan and A Bo to find out what was going on.

　“Oizumi, Apo, let me ask you another way: in your memory, what did that monster look like at first glance?”

　"Reporting to Lord Coral Palace, it looks like a snake, and it appears very smooth."

　"Nonsense, it's clearly a lizard. I saw it very clearly the first time. It had four limbs, a fish in its mouth, and it was very black."

　Snakes and lizards are somewhat related, and black lizards are not uncommon, but I've never heard of lizards being as big as they say. Or is it that their psychological issues lead them to exaggerate in this part of the description?

　"Gentlemen, it's not that I don't believe it, but is that monster really that big?"

　"I'm not kidding, Lord Coral Palace, it really is, not just tall, it's very tall, taller than a house."

　Xin Hai pondered Da Quan's words while rubbing his chin. If he simply said that it was very big, Xin Hai might not believe it. But with a comparison, the credibility of the statement increased. As for monsters that were even taller than houses, Xin Hai had seen them before.

　In the midst of aimless anxiety and torment, the heart

　Xin Hai spent the night, but none of the unconscious soldiers suddenly attacked or hurt anyone. However, from Xin Hai's perspective, the life force of these people had weakened considerably. Their skin was turning black, and they were foaming at the mouth. Seeing this terrible sight, Xin Hai couldn't help but clench his fists.

　The next morning, the villagers of Wanglong Village began their daily work as usual. Under the leadership of Coral Palace Xin Hai, the quality of life of the residents of Haiqi Island has improved considerably. Although they are not extremely wealthy, they are no longer worried about food and clothing.

　However, the villagers who were about to go out to sea saw a strange scene: a five or six-year-old girl was sitting on the beach, holding a swordfish that was even bigger than herself in her arms. To the villagers' disbelief, the little girl was tearing into the swordfish in her arms and swallowing it after a few chews.

　On Haiqi Island, or rather, the people of Inazuma do have a habit of eating raw food, but not in the way that young girls are eaten—that's too wild.

　Taozi happened to be delivering something to her husband when she saw her young daughter eating raw swordfish. Although the couple didn't have children of their own, they felt sorry for her. Taozi patted her husband, seemingly complaining that he was just watching.

　“This child isn’t from our village, is she? Why is she here? You can’t let her eat raw food.”

　As Taozi spoke, she walked over, took out a handkerchief to wipe the little girl's face, which was covered in fish blood. Just as she reached the little girl, the girl cautiously grabbed the swordfish's tail and ran a short distance away, as if she was worried that Taozi would steal her fish. This made Taozi both amused and exasperated.

　But upon closer inspection, Taozi noticed that the little girl had fair skin and, despite wearing only a tattered cloth, had no wounds on her arms or legs. Taozi's husband seemed to realize something and quickly went forward to pull his wife back.

　"Hey, what are you doing?"

　"Shh, didn't you see? That child has horns and a tail. Also, do you think a little kid can catch a swordfish? It might be a monster. Her mother might be nearby. Be careful."

　"but."

　Peach's husband immediately stopped her from taking any further action, saying, "Go and report this to the Coral Palace Guard. Someone will take responsibility. I don't want you to get hurt."

　When her husband said such a thing, Peach couldn't really refute it. After all, monsters are indeed different from humans. If the little girl's mother thought she was going to hurt her, then only she herself would get hurt.

　Because of the young girl's presence, the villagers gathered there and talked about it. The young girl ate the swordfish clean in no time, leaving not even a bone. Seeing that the villagers had not left, the young girl walked towards them in a daze.

　"Da~"

　The little girl let out a crisp cry and stretched out her hand to the villagers. She remembered that last time she stretched out her hand, delicious food would be brought to her, but the villagers here did not know that. The little girl's appearance was also somewhat frightening. Her fair little face was covered with dirty blood, and there was a faint fishy smell on her body.

　The little girl looked disappointed. She remembered that the two upright creatures had given her sweet things last time, but the upright creatures she saw this time did not. The little girl turned around in disappointment, her long tail sweeping the sand. Before the villagers could say anything, the little girl disappeared from their sight.

　Immediately afterwards, some brave villagers followed and took a look. The little girl had already jumped into the sea and swam away.

　Soon, Peach arrived with the Coral Palace soldiers, still describing what she had just witnessed. However, the soldiers clearly did not believe her. Not to mention that swordfish are large and powerful creatures, how could a five or six-year-old girl possibly catch a swordfish that was even bigger than her?

　"Oh, where is the little girl you mentioned?"

　Taozi looked around at the villagers gathered in a circle, but couldn't see the little girl. She anxiously asked her husband, "Honey, where's that little girl? I just called her over. It's such a waste of their time."

　"It's alright, ma'am. Protecting the residents of Haiqi Island is what we should do. However, it seems there are still traces left behind."

　The soldier approached the area surrounded by villagers, where many scales, dorsal fins, and tail fins remained. As a native of Haiqi Island, the soldier immediately recognized them as swordfish, and combined with what the woman next to him had said, it seemed to be true.

　"It's you, Tamura. It's a pity that the little boy jumped into the sea and swam away before you came."

　"Did it escape? It has the Eye of God?"

　"I didn't see clearly, but that little child had a pair of black horns and a black tail, and judging from the way it swam, it didn't seem to be human. Also, did you notice that this pile of things has no bones?"

　The soldier who had been replaced by Yamada looked at the ground in astonishment, then at the man, and said, "No, no way, does that mean that the child ate everything except the dorsal and caudal fins?"

　"That seems to be the case. It's best to report this. This monster is too strange."

　"I will report it. Oh, and there's one more thing. Lord Coral Palace has given us an order: if you encounter that wild boar emitting black smoke that appeared here before, stay far away and report it to us. We will take care of it. Also, report any other things emitting black smoke immediately, as you can't handle them."

　"That wild boar"

　"Has something happened?"

　Yamada said casually, "It's nothing, it's just that Lord Goro just confirmed that the guy is very dangerous. Ordinary people can't subdue that kind of creature, so a professional has to take action."

　The lethality of wild boars is undeniable. With their thick hides and tough flesh, wild boars are even immune to firearms. An ordinary person would likely lose half their life if hit by one. Therefore, Xin Hai urgently dispatched people to various places to warn of the dangers posed by wild boars and to be wary of creatures emitting black smoke, in order to prevent the spread of that strange disease.

　PS: First update of the day!

　PS2: Can you guess why Hikari isn't very interested in upright creatures?

　Volume 1: 014 - Takoyaki

　The Fools have been having really bad luck lately. First, their supplies were stolen from Narukami Island, and then the people on Haiqi Island mysteriously disappeared. Mr. Fire Debt Settler rubbed his temples, looking at the secret letter on the table with a worried expression, not knowing what to do.

　Meanwhile, the Fools on Bayun Island were also carrying out their mission. During their exploration, the Wind Fist Vanguard noticed something unusual on the left side of the route. Without needing to discuss it, the four-person team immediately decided to go forward and check out the situation.

　What came into their view was a pile of irregularly shaped scales of varying sizes. The scales had no luster, but their pitch-black color, which seemed to absorb light, fascinated the group. The scales took on an eerie blackish-purple hue under the sunlight. The Thunder Hammer Vanguard immediately realized that these were definitely scales left behind by some kind of large monster, and judging from their texture, they were definitely high-quality. If he could use them to modify his hammer, he could become the captain.

　The four of them eagerly stepped forward, thinking that if they handed it in, it would be a great achievement, and they might even be transferred away from this remote place, at least to the vicinity of Narukami Island. They couldn't even buy good wine here, and life was so boring.

　The Ice Gun Heavy Guardian curiously reached out to touch the scales, but the moment he touched them, the huge blackish-purple scales instantly turned into powder. The four Fools soldiers couldn't help but gasp. They were already annoyed that their achievements were gone, but at this moment, the black powder directly entered their bodies.

　Instantly, the four felt a wave of weakness wash over them, and their consciousness began to blur. They couldn't even speak, and Wind Fist Vanguard even coughed up blood before collapsing to the ground, his body limp. In his dying moments, Wind Fist Vanguard mustered all his strength to crush the elemental crystal in his hand.

　The debtor, who was working on Blade Link Island, immediately received the message and realized that something had happened to his subordinates on Bayun Island. Without even having time to deal with the secret letter in front of him, the debtor called the Thunderfire Sorcerer and rushed to Bayun Island.

　Normally, the effects of inhaling the Black Eclipse Dragon's scales wouldn't be so quick, but this time the scales were different. The power of the Safi'jiiva Dragon was used during the molting process, so the effects of the scales were extremely fast and powerful. As a result, the Wind Fist Vanguard was directly triggered by inhaling them, causing him to vomit blood.

　On Narukami Island, Ayaka and Yomiya had not found any trace of the light in the past few days, as if the light had never appeared at all.

　"Ayaka, is Hikaru no longer on Narukami Island?"

　Xiaogong walked behind Linghua with a blade of grass in his mouth, shading his eyes with his hand as he looked out to sea. In the past few days, the two had expanded their search area, no longer continuing along the coastline where they had found Xiaoguang, but choosing the opposite direction. Today, the two had advanced to the vicinity of the desolate sea.

　"That's unlikely. Although Xiaoguang is a strong swimmer, the recent sand-crossing trip takes more than half a day even by boat. Perhaps Xiaoguang is tired of the food we brought?"

　"Hey, but she seemed to enjoy her meal quite a bit last time."

　"But Hikari, that kind of yokai, probably likes to eat meat. Back in Hanamizaka, she ate half of the shop's stock."

　The terrain on the western coastline of Narukami Island is gentler than that on the eastern side. Just when the two thought things were unlikely to improve, the sharp-eyed Yonomiya spotted a strange cave on the cliff of the desolate sea.

　"Hey, Ayaka, look over there."

　Following Yomiya's finger, Ayaka also saw the place. The cave was neither too big nor too small. It was too big for a finches, but for ibis and ibises, the cave on the cliff edge was not suitable for these two birds to nest. Ayaka and Yomiya quickly figured out the answer.

　"Could this be Xiao Guang's lair?" x2

　Realizing this, Ayaka and Yomiya did not hesitate. Both of them possessed the Eye of God, so this height was not a problem for them. However, the cave was not large, and the two of them had to bend over to squeeze in.

　There were obvious signs of creatures living inside the cave. There was no unpleasant smell. The small nest made of stones and wood was worn extremely smooth, and the gaps were filled with weeds and slender branches. However, the weeds and branches had long since lost their green color and turned dry and yellow.

　After leaving the cave, Ayaka and Yoomiya became even more certain that Hikari had once lived there. As for why she wasn't there now, they figured she had probably gone out to find food.

　"Now that we've discovered Xiaoguang's nest, we can find her by coming back to check from time to time."

　"Yes, I didn't expect Xiao Guang to build his nest here. Could Xiao Guang actually be a bird demon?"

　"But Xiaoguang has horns, and that tail..."

　It doesn't look like a bird's tail either; it's probably some kind of lizard's tail.

　It was still early, so the two chatted idly while trying to see if they could spawn a Little Light here.

　“These days are not bad. Speaking of which, Ayaka, what are your plans for Hikaru?”

　"First, I need to find the chief priest to confirm what kind of yokai Hikari is. Then I want to teach her to speak. Once she can speak, everything will be much easier. At that point, she can become an adventurer or do any other job. Besides, Hikari is still young, so there's plenty of time."

　“I can also teach her how to make fireworks, that way she’ll have more options. Ayaka, did you hear anything?”

　"The sound... Oh, is it the tide coming in? The sound of the waves is quite loud."

　The two looked out into the sea and saw a huge body on the surface. It didn't look like a fish, but rather like a soft-bodied creature like an octopus.

　Judging from the direction the giant creature was swimming, it clearly wanted to go ashore. Ayaka reached behind her and touched the Eye of God. The Tenmoku Kagetachi immediately appeared in Ayaka's hand, while Yomiya held the Demon-Slaying Bow. The two of them cautiously watched the giant creature in the sea.

　As the giant creature drew closer, Ayaka immediately conjured a layer of frost on her Tenmoku Shadow Blade, while Yomiya also condensed several fireballs, ready to launch an attack as soon as the creature landed.

　However, as the giant creature drew closer to the shoreline, Ayaka and Yomiya clearly sensed that it had lost its vitality. The way it swam in the sea did not resemble a living creature. Just as the two were wondering about this, the giant creature quietly appeared on the shore, and the two finally saw clearly that it was a giant octopus.