Dragon Clan: Starting with the Azure Dragon Fruit

Lin Yuan stepped forward, touched the passenger door handle, but did not open the door immediately.

He glanced at Angers, who was already in the driver's seat, and then at the red-haired beauty standing by the back door.

He turned around, opened the back door, and sat down next to Nuonuo.

With a deep engine roar, the Maserati Quattroporte pulled out of the estate and smoothly drove into the Chicago night. The interior was dimly lit, with only the dashboard emitting a faint blue glow.

For more than ten minutes after the car started driving, Angers in the front seat remained silent, unusually so.

Lin Yuan couldn't take it anymore and took the initiative to ask, "Principal, what exactly is this 3S-level mission you're talking about?"

Angers didn't rush to answer Lin Yuan's question. He first rolled up the car window, which was originally half-lowered, to block out the outside noise.

After doing all that, he rested his hands on the steering wheel and looked over in the rearview mirror: "Have you heard of 'Duarte'?"

Lin Yuan shook his head. He did have a vague impression of the word. In his previous life, when he played an old game called "Age of Myths", there seemed to be a storyline involving Duart.

He vaguely remembered that it was a place related to the underworld. As for the specific settings and details, he had long forgotten them.

"That's the land of the dead in ancient Egyptian mythology."

Before Angers could explain, Nono, who was sitting next to Lin Yuan, naturally took over the conversation.

"In ancient Egyptian legend, Duat was not only the dwelling place of the dead, but also the underground world where the sun god Ra traveled through the darkness every night in his sun boat."

"The ancient Egyptians believed that death was a new beginning. But if the dead wanted to achieve immortality, they had to pass through many barriers of Duat, avoid various monsters and demons, and finally arrive at the Hall of Judgment of Osiris, also known as the Hall of Two Truths. There, Anubis, the god of death, would take out a scale, with the heart of the dead on one side and the feather of Mayat, symbolizing truth and order, on the other side."

"If the heart is heavier than a feather, it will be devoured by the monster Amit waiting nearby, and the dead will be doomed forever; if the scales remain balanced, the dead can enter the reed plains and gain eternal life."

"Excellent popular science explanation." Angers, sitting in the front row, nodded in satisfaction, very pleased with Nono's description.

"So?" Lin Yuan asked, somewhat puzzled, "What does this have to do with the mission we're facing? Do you mean I have to go down to the underworld to carry out a mission? If I really have to go there, will I even have time to come back for dinner?"

“Of course, there’s no need for you to go to the underworld.” Angers stepped on the gas, and the car drove onto the wide interstate highway.

"But this mission is indeed related to Duat. You will be dealing with an alchemical item called the Dream of 'Duat'."

Hearing that it was only for dealing with alchemical items, Lin Yuan relaxed.

During a previous mission in Germany, Fingel explained to him that the risks of most alchemical items are within a controllable range and generally do not pose a significant threat.

He retorted, "It's just an alchemical item, why make such a big fuss?"

“‘Duart’s Dream’ is no ordinary alchemical weapon.” Angers sighed, his expression becoming more serious.

"Most alchemical items require contact with the object or to be within a specific face-to-face range to take effect, but 'Duart's Dream' breaks common sense. Its most dangerous aspect is that it can be triggered directly by sight."

It usually takes the form of an image of the feather of Mayat. Anyone who has seen the complete image of that feather will have their soul dragged into the Duat if they fall into a deep sleep, while their body will remain in a deep sleep, which is what modern medicine defines as a vegetative state.

"In the days before the media was widespread, its influence was limited and it was not considered too dangerous. But since newspapers, television and other new media entered thousands of households decades ago, it has truly become a disaster."

"In order to erase its traces from the world, the Secret Party carried out the most severe purge, and we searched for and destroyed all related items around the world."

"But because of its special nature, if the special agents in charge of the cleanup are not careful, they will also fall into the curse, resulting in the loss of most of the secret society members in the operation."

"Fortunately, after paying a heavy price, all its channels of transmission were finally cut off. Later, with the rise of the Internet, Norma began to monitor the global network and prevent any possible related searches."

Angers paused, allowing time to process the information.

After a moment's thought, Lin Yuan guessed the reason: "So the 'Duart's Dream' has reappeared this time, and someone else has fallen victim to it."

Angers nodded in acknowledgment: "Just this morning, school board member Elizabeth Laurent received a letter containing a picture of that feather. She initially thought it was just an ordinary file, glanced at it, and put it aside. Her personal maid, who tidied her study, also happened to see the picture."

"The maid went back to her room to rest this morning after her shift, but she has been sleeping ever since and hasn't woken up. Her vital signs are completely stable, but she doesn't respond to any external stimuli. Elizabeth sensed something was wrong and immediately contacted the Academy. After Norma's emergency comparison and investigation, it was confirmed that it was the 'Dream of Duarte' that had disappeared for decades."

Lin Yuan relaxed. After all that, it turned out that the school board member had been ambushed.

No wonder the task rating was set so high; it turns out it was for the big boss above.

This mission is at most a errand run; just go to Egypt and smash the source of the curse to pieces. It's far from being an apocalyptic crisis.

"So what I need to do is to resolve this issue before the school board chairman, Laurent, can't hold on any longer, right?" Lin Yuan leaned back in his chair, somewhat curious.

"If the curse could truly be broken, why didn't the Secret Society address the root cause of this problem back then...?"

Before he could finish his question, his voice trailed off as he noticed that Nuonuo's face had suddenly turned deathly pale.

"What's wrong? Did you catch a chill on the terrace and feel unwell?" Lin Yuan asked with concern.

Nono didn't say anything. After a while, she took out her phone and deliberately covered the edges with her hand to block Lin Yuan's view.

"Is the painting on 'Duart's Dream'... a pure white feather?"

Lin Yuan's mind went blank for a moment, and he immediately tensed up.

"Did you see that picture?"

Angers, who was ahead, had obviously heard what Nono said and pressed on, "A letter or an email? Where did it come from?"

"It's a text message." Nono seemed to be about to check the source of the message on her phone.

"It's gone..." She looked at her inbox several times, her face filled with disbelief.

“I’m absolutely certain I received it, but now that text message has vanished into thin air.”

She was quite certain that her memory was accurate, and her phone was never out of her sight.

However, after fulfilling its mission, the text message seemed to erase its existence entirely.

Lin Yuan sat up straight and became serious:

How can this curse be lifted?

If he were just a school board member, he wouldn't care much; he'd resolve the issue as he pleased, without much pressure.

But Nono is his friend, and he probably likes her a little too. If she is also cursed, the situation will be different.

Angers sighed: "I don't know either. The Secret Party couldn't find a way to break the spell back then, and their only solution was to destroy all means of transmission. That's why this mission was rated SSS."

"You don't even have a solution? What am I supposed to do in Egypt? Try my luck?" Lin Yuan's voice unconsciously rose a few decibels.

"And you're only sending me? If the situation is this serious, why aren't all the members of the Secret Service mobilized?"

“When it comes to the secrets related to dragons, numbers alone cannot solve the problem.” Angers shook his head calmly.

“Blindly moving large forces will only provide more targets for infection for the ‘Duart Dream’.”

"And what about you? Aren't you going?"

Lin Yuan was very confident in his current combat strength, but when faced with this ancient alchemical curse, fists might not be effective.

If Angers, who has lived for over 100 years, could come with me, I could at least gain more information and experience.

Angers explained, “I can’t leave. The fact that the letter was delivered directly to the school board’s desk means there’s a big problem within the Secret Service. I have to rush to Europe to resolve it before things escalate.”

Lin Yuan was getting a little irritated. The situation was getting out of his control. He wouldn't be worried if it was just a strong enemy, but he wasn't good at solving puzzles.

At this moment, Nono reached out and gently placed her hand on Lin Yuan's hand.

She looked into Lin Yuan's eyes and shook her head, signaling him not to rush.

"The Sleipnir is already on standby at the airport. The Equipment Department will grant you the highest level of access, with no limits on weapons, supplies, and intelligence support," Angers explained the upcoming arrangements.

"As for Chen Motong, after you return to the academy, Norma will monitor your vital signs around the clock, and the medical department will try its best to delay the shock time through medication."

"She's coming with me," Lin Yuan interrupted his plan.

Angers frowned: "Now is not the time to act rashly. The limit for humans to go without sleep is usually seven days. Even hybrids can only go ten days without sleep at most. If she goes on an adventure in Egypt with you, this time will be greatly shortened."

“I need her help,” Lin Yuan insisted.

“Her profiling skills will come in handy during her investigations in Egypt.”

Of course, this is just an excuse.

Leaving Nuonuo at the academy presents too many uncontrollable factors; it's more reassuring to have her by my side.

If a solution is found in Egypt, the curse can be lifted for Nono as soon as possible.

Most importantly, if it really comes to a last resort, I might try to forcibly intervene in Nono's mental world.

After all, the two had a previous experience of "spiritual vision" at Amei's house.

However, this was a last resort, and he wouldn't risk Nuonuo's life unless he was completely desperate.

Angers did not insist further and agreed with Lin Yuan's idea.

Chapter 95 is somewhat useful, but not much.

Silence returned to the carriage. Lin Yuan remained silent, seemingly pondering a solution.

Suddenly he thought of Mai Shude. That woman had always seemed mysterious to him; perhaps she could help.

Lin Yuan immediately took out his phone and sent a short message to Jiu De Mai.

"I need your help."

The other party replied almost instantly, as if they had been watching the screen the whole time.

"For the 'Duart Dream'?"

Lin Yuan's eyes turned cold as he looked at the words on the screen.

"Did you do this?"

He made up his mind that if this woman dared to use Chen Motong's life as a bargaining chip to blackmail him, no matter what kind of monsters or demons were behind her, he would uproot the entire organization and kill them all.

The screen lit up again quickly, and Mai Shude seemed to sense Lin Yuan's murderous intent.

"Don't misunderstand. We just received the news that since this morning, a large number of mixed-race people around the world have received the images indiscriminately. We haven't figured out the pattern of transmission yet. I was just about to remind you not to open unfamiliar text messages and emails recently."

Seeing the other party clarify, Lin Yuan breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that it wasn't the other party's doing.

After all, although the other party likes to be a riddle teller, their behavior doesn't seem like they would use such despicable methods of indiscriminate attack.

Given their shared experience of fighting side by side, he believed that Mai Shude wouldn't lie to him.

Lin Yuan pressed on, "Do you have any methods to break the curse? Whatever the cost, even if it only works on one person."

As long as there is a solution, even if it only works for Nono, I will help. As for the school board, I will help if I can, but I will not force myself if it is not possible.

Mai Shude once again demonstrated her amazing intelligence network, quickly responding.

“Find the true form of ‘Mayat’ and destroy it. As far as I know, once the source is destroyed, the curse will be automatically lifted for all those affected by ‘Duat’s Dream’ who are not yet brain-dead.”

"Where is the 'Wings of Mayat'?" Lin Yuan was overjoyed; it was good that there was a solution.

This time, it took a full five minutes for a long message to arrive.

"The 'Feather of Mayat' is most likely in the Nibelungen region of Egypt. I don't know the exact location, but it might be hidden in one of the pyramids. You can try your luck there. However, none of the pyramids that have been excavated so far have any trace of the Nibelungen. If you are going to Egypt to investigate, I suggest you focus on the oldest Step Pyramid at Saqqara, or try your luck in the Valley of the Kings. Under that stretch of yellow sand, there are still many pharaoh tombs that have not yet been explored."

With a general direction for the investigation, Lin Yuan felt relieved and replied:

"Thanks. Consider it a favor I owe you. Don't hesitate to ask if you need any help in the future."

"Then I'll accept your favor. I won't be polite when the time comes," Mai replied quickly.

After Lin Yuan finished reading the message, he was about to put his phone away when a second text message arrived.

"By the way, just a friendly reminder, there are still living gods in Egypt. Be careful in everything you do, and contact us anytime if you need help."

Lin Yuan frowned slightly as he looked at the word "gods".

Does a so-called god really exist in the world?

However, he quickly put this doubt out of his mind. Whether it was a god or a dragon king, it probably wouldn't make much difference when he attacked.

Lin Yuan put his phone away and looked at Nuonuo beside him.

The little witch turned to the side, quietly watching the night view rushing past the window.

Her fair face showed no fear of facing an unknown life or death; her expression was indifferent, making it impossible to guess what she was thinking.

Lin Yuan leaned forward, getting a little closer.

He stared at the girl's blurry shadow on the car window and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear.

"Don't worry, you'll be alright."

The shadows of the two people were reflected in the car window.

Hearing Lin Yuan's confident tone, Nuonuo's eyes seemed to twitch slightly.

She didn't speak, but looked through the car window at those dark eyes, nodded gently, and returned a faint smile.

For the rest of the journey, Angers kept his foot on the gas, and the speedometer needle climbed higher and higher. The 45 minutes it had taken to get there was already fast enough.