The giant dragon was also infected by Lu Fei's heartfelt laughter.
"Hee hee hee..." It began to laugh.
Its laughter was somewhat unpleasant, like a chicken's cackle.
Lu Fei and Brother Ji turned back in unison, curious. This was the first time they had heard the dragon's laughter.
With this close interaction, their relationship with the golden dragon gradually grew closer, no longer purely transactional, but more like friends.
...
That night, Lu Fei and Brother Ji meticulously cared for the dragon egg.
During this time, the egg stirred several more times, indicating that the ripening effect was very significant.
The golden dragon was in high spirits, its injuries seemingly healed. It danced with joy, making Lu Fei and Brother Ji wonder if it had been possessed...
As they became more familiar, Lu Fei discovered that the dragon also had its temperamental moments. It would bicker with Brother Ji and even throw tantrums.
It was incredibly endearing.
After personally adding fuel to the fire a few times, the dragon announced that it had learned how and told them to rest.
Exhausted from a night of work, Lu Fei and Brother Ji collapsed between the dragon's toes and fell into a deep sleep.
The dragon, fearing it might disturb them by moving, remained still, lying down motionless.
It was remarkably gentle.
As night fell, a cold wind blew.
The golden dragon gathered a few more large withered leaves and covered them with it.
And so, the night passed.
The days in the mist made Lu Fei lose his sense of time.
Unconsciously, several days went by.
...
Another morning dawned.
A ray of light shone down from the mist.
Lu Fei opened his eyes and yawned.
He looked around.
His peripheral vision caught the dragon's body, and he froze.
He rubbed his eyes, disbelieving.
He was completely awake now.
Lu Fei quickly shook Brother Ji awake.
"Brother Ji! Look!" Lu Fei pointed at the dragon's head.
Lu Fei's slightly nervous tone instantly roused Brother Ji.
It followed Lu Fei's gaze.
And was stunned.
The golden dragon's head had turned into ethereal particles, its neck was also becoming ethereal. The transition between reality and illusion was uneven, as if it had been edited out by graphic design software! httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
Brother Ji was about to ask something.
When it heard the dragon's somewhat deep and gentle voice.
"I'm sorry, I've startled you."
"Brother, you..." Brother Ji hesitated, unable to finish.
The dragon's fingertips gently touched the dragon egg, its voice tinged with relief. "My life was actually over a long time ago. I've been holding on solely through sheer will."
Suddenly, the dragon smiled.
"Thank you. I thought I would be a sinner, but you have redeemed me."
"Can you tell me your names?"
Brother Ji conveyed the dragon's request.
Lu Fei spoke first, "My name is Lu Fei."
When it was Brother Ji's turn, it looked at the dragon's imposing figure, swallowed the words at the tip of its tongue.
"You... uh... maybe you can just call me Little Ji."
"What about you? What's your name?" Lu Fei asked in return.
The golden dragon raised its head. Even in its twilight, its innate kingly demeanor remained undiminished.
"My name is Aidus!"
"Aidus... what a majestic name." Brother Ji sounded envious.
Aidus lowered its head, a smile in its eyes.
"I can feel my life force rapidly draining. Meeting you and having to part so soon, it's truly a regret... my friend."
Lu Fei and Brother Ji's expressions froze simultaneously, tinged with sadness.
"Is there any way to save you?" Lu Fei gritted out.
Aidus shook its head without a word.
Lu Fei and Brother Ji both knew that the dragon's life and death were beyond their capabilities.
The atmosphere immediately fell into a heavy silence.
"Heh heh, Old Ai, are you hungry?" An untimely chuckle broke the silence.
Aidus patted its stomach and replied heartily, "A little."
Hearing an affirmative response, Brother Ji busily started searching for firewood, scrambling to find the corpses of contract beasts nearby...
Even in parting, it wanted its friend to have a full meal before leaving!
But it kept its head bowed, its eyes already red.
Though Brother Ji appeared thick-skinned, its heart was exceptionally sensitive.
Lu Fei understood Brother Ji's intentions and joined in.
The two dragged over a contract beast that was completely dark green, resembled a tiger, and had wings. The creature was motionless, already presumed dead.
They set up a fire and began to roast the meat.
Soon.
Grease slowly flowed from the meat, making it look incredibly appetizing.
Aidus grabbed a piece of meat and ate with relish.
Its eyes narrowed into slits, showing immense satisfaction.
"Delicious!" Aidus exclaimed excitedly.
As it chewed the meat, it reminisced, its expression gradually becoming distant.
"When I was very young, I also ate roast meat like this."
Faintly, its smile was gentle, as if cherishing that memory.
After a moment, Aidus's expression solidified, as if recalling something.
It looked towards Lu Fei with a questioning gaze.
Its brow furrowed slightly.
Lu Fei felt a pang of awkwardness under its gaze.
Then, he heard the dragon say in a deep voice, "I remember something."
The sudden statement left Lu Fei utterly bewildered. "What?" he asked.
Aidus sniffed Lu Fei with its nose again, as if confirming something.
Soon, it became certain of its thoughts.
"When I first saw you, I smelled a peculiar scent."
This statement was ordinary yet utterly inexplicable.
But the next moment.
Brother Ji, acting as the translator, suddenly froze.
Because Aidus said:
"You do not belong to this world."
"Am I correct?"
Lu Fei suddenly looked up, the firewood in his hand dropping to the ground.
Shocked!
Someone in this world could see that he was a transmigrationer?!
He did not refute it.
He was utterly astonished.
He stammered, "How... how did you know!"
"Because, the scent on you, I have smelled it before."
"I think, you might be from the same world as someone I once knew."
Aidus's tone was calm, as if recounting a trivial matter.
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
Lu Fei's heart pounded wildly!
He couldn't even begin to describe his current feelings!
Were there other transmigrationers in this world?!
Aidus did not pause due to his surprise.
It chuckled softly, "Don't be so astonished. There are too many unknowns in this world. Even I haven't fully explored them yet."
Lu Fei forcibly suppressed the overwhelming emotions surging within him.
His voice trembled.
"Is the person you mentioned still in this world?"
Aidus shook its head.
"The last time I saw him was probably a thousand years ago."
Lu Fei continued to ask, "Where did you see him?"
"The Star Domain."
"Star Domain?" Lu Fei was somewhat confused.
After saying this, Aidus slowly added, "I have a request."
Lu Fei blinked slightly.
"If you ever reach the Star Domain, please take this with you." It glanced at the dragon egg.
"But, where is the Star Domain?" Lu Fei countered.
Aidus could no longer lift its head. It rolled its eyelids, looking at the sky...
The process of virtualization was accelerating, the golden ethereal particles had reached its waist.
"I promise you, if I can reach there one day, I will take it back!" Lu Fei hastily promised.
In his eyes, Aidus was already his friend, and his first friend since coming to this world with Brother Ji! This was the last and only thing he could do for the dragon.
Aidus smiled in satisfaction.
Lu Fei snapped back to his senses and asked in a flurry.
"Do you know why I came here, and how I can return?"
Aidus shook its head, but a tattered scroll appeared out of thin air in its hand.