What if Bai Long was added too?
Xu Nan had not seen Bai Long's full strength, but based on their previous interactions, she should be more powerful than the Seven-Colored Egg.
And, if he guessed correctly.
Given Bai Long's current age, she was still considered underage in the dragon race.
If the dragon race truly cared so much about their dragon princes, they wouldn't have let her come out unprepared.
Therefore,
She either possessed some special abilities, or...
She carried many treasures that could save her life.
If she were included, then this mission wouldn't be a sure win, but it certainly wouldn't result in any serious casualties.
Thinking of this, an idea flashed through Xu Nan's mind.
βIs it possible that Captain Jiang's mission was planned with Bai Long in mind?
From the situation over the past few days, it was clear that
Regardless of whether Bai Long joined their team or not, and no matter how much the Seven-Colored Egg disliked her.
Once the Seven-Colored Egg left the Eighteenth Hall, Bai Long would surely follow from a distance.
Perhaps for protection, or for some other reason.
But in any case, it was a form of assurance.
"Strange..."
Didn't Captain Jiang always know about things but never interfere in their conflicts?
When Xu Nan first arrived, the Seven-Colored Egg was hostile towards him.
Only after realizing Captain Jiang wouldn't intervene did he start finding ways to mediate.
Xu Nan's gaze subtly shifted between the Seven-Colored Egg and Bai Long.
This indicated...
That Captain Jiang believed there was a need to mediate the relationship between these two.
Bai Long's participation was indeed a great help.
But if they weren't undertaking such a difficult mission, they wouldn't need Bai Long at all...
"...No, something must have been overlooked..."
Xu Nan's eyes darted around as he thought.
The mechanical sphere beside him looked puzzled and tilted its head, staring at him.
Mimicking him, it rotated the two small spheres on its head that were supported like antennae.
Suddenly, Xu Nan's eyes lit up.
"So that's how it is!"
If it were just in the underworld, then mediation wouldn't be necessary.
But if they were to return to the Dragon Palace, the Seven-Colored Egg's only acquaintance would be Bai Long.
Captain Jiang had already thought that far ahead.
"What 'that's how it is'?" the Seven-Colored Egg asked curiously.
What was this junior thinking about all day?
Despite having a youthful face, he always seemed to be in deep, mature contemplation.
"I just figured some things out."
Xu Nan shook his head. "Senior, when are we departing for the mission? Should we plan our strategy in advance?"
"Hmm... no rush."
The Seven-Colored Egg looked up at the ceiling, where a cleaning ghost was drifting about.
"Let's think about the strategy first, and then see if there are any ways to improve our strength in a short period."
"Alright, I'll listen to you, Senior."
Xu Nan replied readily.
The Seven-Colored Egg waited for a moment, and when there was no further response,
It looked up and saw that Xu Nan had already gone to do his homework.
"β¦?"
Weren't we supposed to discuss strategy? Why did you sit down?
...
...
In the following days,
The Seven-Colored Egg, along with Xu Nan and the mechanical sphere, devised strategies and researched ways to improve its strength in a short period.
Even its companions from the Counter-Attack Alliance were brought in to help.
A group of young ones gathered to discuss earnestly, and it looked quite professional.
Ao Bai wanted to help, but considering the Seven-Colored Egg's attitude towards her...
Never mind.
She shouldn't go and be a nuisance.
Watching the Seven-Colored Egg occupy the central position, and Xu Nan's contributions always hitting the mark.
Ao Bai gradually began to understand.
She thought, if the ghost messenger was truly as good as the Seven-Colored Egg said, why would he suddenly assign such a difficult mission to trouble it.
It turned out he had noticed its lack of seriousness before.
The missions it had undertaken in the past few days were too easy.
For the Seven-Colored Egg after hatching, it was like playing.
Its current state was truly showing the effects of training.
It had developed independent thinking skills and organizational abilities.
And also, the ability to gather intelligence from outside sources.
Ao Bai was familiar with this aspect.
She was frequently thrown into trial zones by her combat instructors for battles and training.
In the beginning, she would always come out injured.
Several times, she thought she was going to die.
Whenever she became proficient in handling a trial zone, the combat instructor would appropriately increase the difficulty.
Sometimes it would even slightly exceed her capabilities.
This was to train her reaction, thinking, and other abilities.
However...
Wasn't the difficulty of the mission this ghost messenger gave the Seven-Colored Egg a bit too much?
Wait a moment.
Ao Bai's thoughts shifted, and she suddenly realized something else.
If learning about the underworld and enrolling in combat classes.
Was to prevent trouble and for self-preservation.
Taking missions was to earn rewards and to train the Seven-Colored Egg...
The many treasures the Seven-Colored Egg carried were also for self-defense...
Each matter, viewed separately, seemed fine.
Ao Bai had also seen many powerful individuals invest more energy and resources into their pet beasts.
But when she connected all the things she had seen and heard over these days, it felt strange.
If you say that ghost messenger was cultivating the Seven-Colored Egg with great care, he seemed to be rather hands-off in his daily approach.
When he got busy with work, he couldn't even be seen.
If you say he wasn't cultivating it with care...
He was enrolling it in courses, selecting missions, and giving it so many treasures for self-defense.
Moreover, he would suppress it when necessary and praise it when deserved.
It was like, like...
Ao Bai paused, unsure how to describe it.
The image of an old man and his bear son she saw while shopping in the ghost market flashed through her mind.
That's right.
It was like raising a son.
"But he clearly said it was a pet beast..."
Ao Bai frowned.
Then she thought about when they were wandering the human world, and some humans called their small animals 'cat son' or 'dog daughter'...
Ao Bai flicked her tail in annoyance.
These humans were truly strange.
These ghost races were truly strange.
If you say they are pet beasts, then they treat them like children.
If you say they are children, then the 'household registration book' clearly states who is the owner and who is the pet beast.
"Is this what the teacher mentioned, the wordplay of humans and ghosts?"
Isn't this just creating problems for themselves? If it is, it is; if it isn't, it isn't.
Why make it so complicated?
...