Dragon Clan

Hearing the voice, several kobolds turned to look at Niman. Their expressions shifted instantly, their pupils contracting in alarm. One of them, sporting a cockscomb mohawk, spun on his heels and bolted, shouting as he ran, "She's the Queen of Cat Capital! Run!" There were many cities across the twenty-sixth star floor of Star Tower 79. For instance, the city they were currently in was called 'Sea City' because the majority of its inhabitants belonged to the Sea Clan. To the south of Sea City lay another city where cat-folk made up the main population: Cat City. Because Cat City boasted an exceptionally thriving service industry—especially certain slightly risqué trades that drew vast numbers of tourists each year—it was even more prosperous than Sea City, earning itself the title of 'Cat Capital.' Niman, however, was not the Queen of Cat Capital the kobolds spoke of; she merely bore a striking resemblance to her. When she first arrived at Crescent Bay, her appearance had been vastly different from how she looked now. Not only had a mushroom sprouted from the top of her head, but her hair was styled in a mushroom cut, and her physical constitution leaned far closer to plant matter than human flesh. Later, she was exposed to all kinds of network information across Crescent Bay. She took a particular liking to the films starring the Queen of Cat Capital herself, becoming thoroughly infatuated with her and gradually reshaping her own appearance to match the queen's. The only difference was that while the Queen of Cat Capital possessed cat ears, Niman had opted for human ones. Even so, the kobold race had once fought a brutal conflict with the cat tribe. The Kobold King had been severely wounded by the Queen of Cat Capital, and countless kobolds had been slaughtered. Nowadays, whenever kobolds laid eyes on the Queen of Cat Capital, they reacted just like mice seeing a cat, instinctively tucking their tails and fleeing for their lives. Even a thirty percent resemblance was more than enough to make these kobolds tuck tail and yield. After the kobolds fled, Niman walked up to Little Nora, patted its head, and asked, "Little Nora, where is your big brother?" Little Nora was completely oblivious to what had just unfolded around it. It remained thoroughly immersed in the delicacy cooked by Baiyanggong, in a state not unlike being dead drunk. "Hm?" Seeing no reaction from Little Nora, Niman crouched down and listened closely to its murmurs. She looked at Little Nora in surprise, unable to imagine what exquisite food it could have eaten to be intoxicated to such an extent. With her discernment, she could naturally tell whether Little Nora was caught in an illusion or had ingested some hallucinogenic substance. In the end, she determined that Little Nora's condition was in fact exceptionally good—ludicrously good, even—which went to show that it really had feasted on something extraordinary. Then again, a legend truly did circulate around this residential quarter: rumor had it that an unknown pocket of space existed within the neighborhood, one that only a fortunate few could ever enter. There were simply many versions of this legend. For example, "The Vanished Fox Maiden" told of a fox girl who mysteriously disappeared in this quarter and was never seen again; many suspected she had wandered into that unknown space by mistake and was slain by the mysterious figure within. Yet there was also the tale of "Lucky Roke," which told of a tiger-headed youth named Roke who entered the unknown space in this neighborhood and received guidance from a mysterious figure. His strength advanced by leaps and bounds, allowing him to defeat the wicked Gryphon Gang that had attempted to swallow up his family's business. The former might be nothing more than folklore, but the latter was an actual living person. Roke was currently the leader of the One-Eyed Hunting Band as well as a Star-rank powerhouse. Most of the time, however, he was not in Crescent Bay, but venturing through the Abyss. Yet he was not adventuring to gather materials for forging Star Divine Artifacts; he was searching for something else. According to rumors leaked by members of the One-Eyed Hunting Band, he appeared to be seeking a secret treasure known as 'Star Fragments.' As for what that thing was actually used for, the rumors were far too numerous to count. Back to the matter at hand. After confirming that Little Nora was perfectly fine, Niman simply waited nearby for it to wake up on its own. She brought out a chair, sat down, and casually browsed the latest news on the network. Time held little meaning for her; her lifespan was far too long. Barring unexpected mishaps, she had a long, long, long time yet to live. Varying spans of life inevitably led to different perspectives and different approaches toward the very same matter. Niman belonged to the sort who preferred to watch quietly and let events unfold. She enjoyed watching the lives she created progress silently from ignorance to maturity, from innocence to worldly shrewdness. Joy, sorrow, anger, despair. She would let her children experience everything before stepping in to offer help. In her eyes, only by passing through every single thing this world had to offer could a life truly be complete. Her restraint from interfering was, in truth, her tenderness. The sunlight slowly rose and just as slowly sank. Though the Star Towers orbited a colossal star, the sunlight was actually refracted toward them rather than shining directly from the star. Furthermore, different races required different temperatures, so when sunlight was apportioned to each star floor and each living organism, even the warmth of the sun varied accordingly. Once the sunlight faded, the pitch-black sky was overtaken by a sea of stars, looking as though it were veiled beneath a thin gauze of starlight. Sitting with her legs crossed, Niman closed her screen and glanced at Little Nora, somewhat surprised that it could remain in such deep intoxication for so long. She let out a sigh, rose from the chair, and swept it back into her storage space. A man clad in scale armor emerged from the shadows. He cast a glance at Little Nora first before fixing his eyes on Niman. "Lady Niman, that the Garuda and our dragon clan are sworn enemies is a fact known to everyone in Crescent Bay. Are you certain you wish to obstruct me?" His appearance was no accident, but an inevitability. After Little Nora fled, the mob of red-eyed diners returned to the restaurant, venting their fury with curses at first. But then someone brought up Little Nora's identity as a Garuda. Amidst the clamor of voices, someone suggested reporting it to the dragon clan. The outcome was that the dragon clan mobilized in full force, vowing to thoroughly extinguish this remnant of the Garuda race. Niman looked at the man and smiled faintly. "And if I do intend to obstruct you, what can you do about it?" "Then I will have no choice but to crush you and this Garuda remnant together... into dust!" The man's expression turned grim. He flicked his thumb toward the sky, and instantly, the phantom of a colossal golden dragon detonated in midair. In the next second, dragon clan members searching nearby converged rapidly upon the area. Several burly dragons took their positions on the rooftops to the left, while two curvaceous figures stood on the right, perfectly hemming in Little Nora and Niman. Niman swept her gaze across her surroundings, knowing in her heart that even more dragons were rushing over. Evidently, she now faced a choice: whether to hold her ground, or abandon Little Nora and leave. In the end, she let out a sigh. Weighing pros and cons was something meant for adults; Little Nora was still small, and she had never made a habit of abandoning children. Mist began to rise in the surroundings. A red sphere materialized in her hand, and she chuckled. "Let us see, then, who crushes whom!" Beneath the night sky, the number of dragons gathering around grew larger and larger. The residents swiftly fled the residential quarter. This place had become a battlefield for the dragon clan, and not even the Floor Lord of this star floor would lightly interfere in the dragon clan's affairs.