---

Chapter 15: The Land of Flames, The Fallen Dragon

The core area of Dragonfall Valley is a very interesting place.

Just before entering the valley, the surroundings were still lush and green, although the overall hue leaned toward red, there was still life. But once Miss Vilyric passed through the only entrance in the west, which was probably guarded by some kind of giant beast, everything changed.

Scorching heat.

The high temperatures, nearly lethal to ordinary humans, filled the entire valley. The intense, restless fire elements distorted the air, making everything appear somewhat blurry, as if seen through thick glass.

“No wonder so few people know what’s inside Dragonfall Valley. At this rate, if an unprepared commoner rushed in, they’d be burned to death in no time. That said, those guardian beasts must be guarding more than just what’s inside…”

Burned to death isn’t just a casual remark from Vilyric.

The change in scenery was too abrupt; it felt as if it was isolated by some kind of barrier. Although Vilyric sensed something similar enveloping the valley from outside, it wasn’t until she entered that she could grasp the true situation inside.

Unless she broke the barrier.

While the Priestess was unfazed by the heat, merely feeling as though she had stepped into an air-conditioned room, in reality, judging by the state of the surrounding objects, the temperature in Dragonfall Valley had probably reached at least boiling point—over 100 degrees Celsius.

It could be said to resemble hell on earth.

No magical beasts, no vegetation, and even the water in the ground had evaporated, turning into something akin to yellow sand.

However, outside the valley, the mountains forming the valley walls still flourished with a plethora of mixed blue and red vegetation.

Purgatory and the outside world were indeed separated by an invisible barrier.

What a wondrous sight.

“Master, there’s the scent of my kin here.”

The Little Dragon Daughter following the girl furrowed her brow, unsure if it was because she sensed the aura Vilyric mentioned or if the surrounding heat was making this Light Attribute Giant Dragon feel uncomfortable.

“Kin? Are you sure, Nastaia… one like you from our world?”

“Yes, there’s no mistake. Although it’s just the lingering scent after death, it’s undoubtedly the pure-blood Dragon Clan I know. The state of this place must be due to its fall and energy leakage.”

The Red Dragon in Dragonfall Valley… is it of the same lineage as the Holy Crystal Dragon, Xiao Guang, from the “Phantom World”?

While the initial possible answers were simply yes or no, obtaining that information led to new doubts.

Why would a dragon from the real world share the same origin as the Little Dragon Daughter who crossed over from a game?

Hypothesis One: This Red Dragon’s true identity might be the pet of some player from the “Phantom World”, who came to this place during their journey, yet for some reason, it has drifted hundreds of years apart from Vilyric.

Hypothesis Two: There exists some special connection between this world and the “Phantom World”, perhaps the “Phantom World” isn’t just a simple game after all.

…It’s hard to judge; this speculation is about the limit of what can currently be theorized.

“Let’s go closer to take a look.”

As the legends say, the center of Dragonfall Valley houses the remains of a giant dragon.

Dragon Bones.

Over a hundred meters long, the bones are a lustrous white, and even as a mere skeleton, one can still sense the might and strength this giant dragon possessed in its lifetime.

I wonder, in its prime, how it compared to the Little Dragon Daughter? If it’s truly the Red Dragon from the game, the latter might have the upper hand.

The Red Dragon is a common foundational dragon type in the “Phantom World”, also known as a lower-tier dragon, along with the blue, yellow, and green dragons making up the four major bases, constituting at least 80% of the entire dragon population.

Above them are the Holy White Dragon, Dark Magic Dragon, and Diamond Crystal Dragon, which are stronger, more elegant but also rarer.

In addition, there are some mixed-blood dragons, merging abilities from two or more different-colored dragons. However, these types often can’t showcase the full power of a single-colored dragon, usually not exceeding the strength of the three higher-tier dragon types.

Xiao Guang, the Holy Crystal Dragon, is an exceptional case; Vilyric doesn’t know who her parents are, but there’s no doubt she possesses the full combat prowess of both the Holy White Dragon and the Diamond Crystal Dragon, ranking at the highest SSS in initial pet ratings.

Thus, Vilyric believes that the Little Dragon Daughter is stronger than this fallen Red Dragon, which is not unfounded.

The dragon, though its remnants still hold power, looks rather tragic.

Its left wing is completely severed; judging by the marks on the bones, it seems it was ruthlessly ripped off by some creature.

In the belly area, there is a massive hollow; the surrounding bones have a clean break implying it was pierced by a powerful attack, like a beam of light.

Vilyric flew up and circled to the other side of the downed giant bones; indeed, there was a corresponding hollow on its back.

Although Red Dragons are not known for their defense, to completely ignore an adult giant dragon’s magical barriers, scales, flesh, and hard bones to do this would require at least an eighth-tier attack.

In addition, the bones bore many small wounds from breaks and twists, densely packed.

Indeed, this world isn’t as weak as it appears on the surface; there are hidden dragons and tigers.

This is already stronger than the Death Star, that big eyeball Vilyric fought before.

“The cause of death should be excessive injuries and continuous bleeding. What could possibly kill a giant dragon in such a way?”

After pondering for a while with a frown, the black-haired Priestess casually pointed her weapon toward a hollow area inside the dragon bones.

“I say, Acting City Lord Nastaia, could you enlighten me on this issue? Or are you still pretending to see nothing after all this time?”

Silence.

In the desolate valley, only the sound of the heat wave brushing through the girl’s hair could be heard.

Suddenly, a light sigh escaped the air.

“…I thought I was hiding quite well.”

A beautiful mature woman with flaming red hair stepped out from behind the dragon bones, her expression lacking any signs of bitterness or guilt, instead appearing peculiarly calm, or perhaps relieved?

“This level of concealment doesn’t compare to some rat, oh sorry, I didn’t mean to insult you; I mean it literally.”

When Vilyric was in Flame Dragon City, she felt like something was always watching her and Xiao Guang in the shadows. And when she took the quest to investigate Dragonfall Valley, as she left the city…

Miss Nastaia, the Acting City Lord of Flame Dragon City, had quietly followed them from behind.

This was something both Vilyric and the Little Dragon Daughter had already noticed; the former deliberately kept it unspoken and just took to the skies to shake off the pursuer, as she had her own things to verify.

Indeed, as they approached the core of the valley and encountered that giant stone beast, Nastaia’s aura appeared in Vilyric’s perception again.

This woman has the ability to come here alone, even entering the valley.

That alone explains a lot.

Also, because Nastaia was watching from the sidelines, Vilyric didn’t immediately confront that annoying guy, Francis; who knew he would be so rude to attack her, thus she casually sent him to meet the God with the mindset of exterminating pests.

All of this, naturally, had been seen by the City Lord of Flame Dragon City.

“So? Am I now qualified to know the truth, or have I passed Miss Nastaia’s test?”

“…I’m sorry, but this was also unavoidable.”

Nastaia couldn’t endure the high temperatures like Vilyric or Xiao Guang; she was enveloped in a bubble-like azure halo around her body, seemingly using it to shield herself from the extreme heat of the valley’s core.

“Actually, I’m not human.”

The City Lord dropped this shocking revelation.

“Remember the rumor that says there is a legendary magical beast guarding the core of Dragonfall Valley?”

“I am that magical beast.”