Chapter 407 – Conversation

“A bonfire party… I never thought humans would hold bonfire parties too.”

Sitting quietly in the shadow of an inconspicuous Bactrian camel, Ovakain remained silent as he gazed at the towering two-meter-high bonfire lit by merchants in the distance. Watching the dancing flames, he once again fell into deep contemplation.

He recalled the Half-Dragon Tribe. When Ovakain was still a young dragon, their bonfire gatherings would similarly erect flammable wooden branches and kindle warm flames like this…

After the destruction of the Dragon Roar Kingdom, Ovakain found himself becoming increasingly sentimental. Memories of the Half-Dragon Tribe would frequently surface in the black dragon’s mind, and each time he became lost in recollection, he found it terribly difficult to extricate himself.

Like now – so absorbed in his memories that the black dragon nearly failed to notice Aisha quietly approaching his side.

“Young master, I’ve brought you freshly roasted fire beetle meat. This portion is specially seasoned – normally only mercenaries like me get to enjoy such treatment.”

Plopping down unceremoniously beside Ovakain, Aisha placed a large plate of tender white roasted meat before them. Through the flickering, hazy firelight, Ovakain could see the glistening fat and plump texture of the meat. Had Aisha not mentioned it, he would never have imagined this came from an insect.

Though somewhat displeased at having his reminiscence interrupted, Ovakain didn’t let his emotions show on his face. In the black dragon’s heart, all pain, sorrow, and hatred were meant to be deeply buried… buried to the extent that only he needed to remember.

Gently picking up a warm piece of roasted meat, Ovakain maintained his leisurely dining etiquette while chewing the morsel. Never one to ignore others, he simultaneously communicated with Aisha using ventriloquism.

“Fire beetles? They must be quite large insects. Are these creatures a staple food here?”

“Mhmm, they’re one of the staple foods. Their size is indeed substantial – a single fire beetle is almost as big as a fattened calf from a farm.”

The merchants seemed to have started singing around the bonfire now, yet Aisha’s voice remained clearly audible through the music and dancing.

“Catching these dumb bugs isn’t difficult. They mostly move alone outside mating season, and these beetles aren’t magical creatures either. They’re called fire beetles simply because their shells are flame-red…”

Under the starry night sky, Ovakain quietly ate his roasted meat while listening to Aisha share these useful and useless bits of information. As time passed, her tone gradually shifted from initially enthusiastic to increasingly stiff, until eventually… she ran out of things to say.

Silence… descended between the two. Though the merchant camp was anything but quiet – the merchants, having endured over a week of arduous travel, were singing heartily to release their journey’s fatigue. The chaotic noise and flickering shadows of people in the firelight together created a lively scene.However, in this inconspicuous corner belonging to Aisha and Ovakain, an atmosphere of silence was gradually spreading.

“Wow, enough already, my dear lord! Yes, there’s something I want to ask of you. Must you force a girl to beg outright? Can’t you show some gentlemanly spirit and take the initiative to ask?”

After swallowing the last piece of roasted meat, the girl who could no longer bear the awkward small talk puffed her cheeks and moved closer to Ovakain. After a prolonged silence, Aisha seemed ready to get to the point.

“Acting like an experienced adventurer, but… in the end, you’re just a little girl after all.”

Smiling as he looked at the girl’s face so close to his, Ovakain wasn’t surprised. In fact, the girl’s reaction was entirely within the black dragon’s control. Although he had lost his spellcasting abilities, his thousands of years of life experience made it easy to see through a little girl.

Seeing that she couldn’t delay any further, Aisha took a deep breath and adopted a serious expression as she said to Ovakain:

“Where should I begin? Well… surely you’ve noticed, my lord, that there are always people in the caravan taking out those ugly little statues to pray.”

Hearing the topic of the statues, Ovakain also became serious:

“Indeed, I’ve noticed. It doesn’t seem like a normal religion, does it? Those statues look quite eerie.”

“It’s a cult! A cult that calls itself the ‘Nightmare Cult.’ They have an extremely vast sphere of influence in this Raging Wave Sand Sea. Their spread is brazen, reaching from nobles down to commoners. Even several powerful lords serve this cult. The Kingdom of Biuchera in the Raging Wave Sand Sea has been completely infiltrated by them. What’s more, this dreadful ‘Nightmare Cult’ has taken control of several Goat-headed Tribes in the desert…”

As she spoke, Aisha’s tone filled with anger toward the cult and a plea to Ovakain. By now, the girl’s intention was unmistakable.

“So, fair lady, I suppose the help you need from me concerns this ‘Nightmare Cult’?”

Seeing the girl’s silent yet clearly expectant gaze, Ovakain could only rub his temples in frustration and sigh helplessly:

“Ah, now that you’ve told me about the cult, I must tell you something about myself. I’m sure you’ve noticed that I’m severely injured. These wounds certainly weren’t self-inflicted. In truth, a sworn enemy who shares an irreconcilable hatred with me is hot on my heels. Even staying here alone, I don’t know if I might bring disaster upon you all. How could someone like me possibly help you?”

Mentioning Punk, a flash of hatred once again crossed Ovakain’s eyes. To conceal his rekindled resentment, he quickly turned his head aside, pretending to watch the bonfire.

But Aisha seemed unwilling to give up. Seeing Ovakain turn away, the girl, thinking she was being rejected, grew increasingly anxious:”Everyone who comes to this desert is inevitably an enemy of the Nightmare Cult. This Cult expands by any means necessary, especially targeting Master-Level experts entering the desert. They will almost certainly come for them. I imagine your enemies will also be entangled by the Nightmare Cult, as long as…”

The girl’s voice grew increasingly urgent, the firelight flickering across her wheat-colored skin.

But… just as Aisha persisted in trying to continue persuading him, a sudden disturbance in the caravan interrupted the conversation between Ovakain and Aisha.

In the dim firelit night, a man covered in wounds stumbled and crawled into the camp. His loud shouts instantly plunged the entire caravan into silence:

“Disaster… disaster! Goatmen have attacked the town! Three towns ahead are under assault by goatmen, and now a large group of them is charging toward us”!

(End of Chapter)