Chapter 54: Hidden Achievements
Looking at the dragon cubs who started to lick each otherâs scales and play with each other, Ning Chu felt like he was back in the beginning, when he was still playing the game and the cubs hadnât grown up yet. The only difference was that he was finally no longer a stiff and dull dummy in the game and could touch them in reality.
Also, a cub had become Wuuth sitting next to him.
As the sky turned red, Ning Chu fell backwards into the soft, thick grass, âShall we stay a few more days before we leave?â
There wasnât enough money to buy a new Dragon Island for now, so it was either leave the hatchlings alone, or keep a rare dragon here as before. Either way, Ning Chu didnât know what to do. He had no choice but to get the remaining 400,000 or so as soon as possible to ensure the safety of the islandâs young before he could leave with all the young dragons.
The good thing was that he had already found Eldest Cub, and now that she wasnât disturbed and in any danger here, the island had a lot of magical beast herds so he didnât have to worry about food. Theyâve been on the road for several days and nights, stopping halfway in Lough Valley and delayed for two days, just arriving here, so Ning Chu didnât want to rush to leave.
This wasnât Dragon Island, but it wasnât much worse than the environment in the game, especially the islandâs flocks of young dragons, and rare dragons.
Ning Chu wanted to stay here for a few more days, with all his dragons.
Wuuth had no problem with that, âOkay.â
He was also thinking about when he would find the rest of the money for Ning Chu to build Dragon Island. Wuuth remembered that Ning Chu had said that he had to discuss everything with him in advance. He hesitated to tell Ning Chu what he was going to do, when he looked up and saw Ning Chu lying on the grass surrounded by several dragons, busy hugging each one of them.
Wuuth swallowed his words and quietly turned back into a small black dragon.
Ning Chu finally hugged the eldest and let go after a long time, turning sideways and stroking his horns, âI came to you last, good girl, youâre not angry with me, are you?â
The little ice blue dragon cub shook her head a little and nuzzled the tip of Ning Chuâs nose. The other three dragons started to play again, basically Third Cub and Fourth Cub were chasing Second Cub. Ning Chu withdrew his eyes and kissed the two little dragons on their foreheads one by one, âYou two are still obedient.â
Another figure squeezed in; it was the little black dragon. Once he came over, Ning Chu could hardly hold him in his arms anymore. Eldest Cub lifted one of her dragon wings to close Fifth Cub and let her go with him, saying he would teach him how to fly.
Fifth Cub immediately turned his head and left Ning Chu behind, running away after Eldest Cub.
Ning Chu was in a good mood and touched the little black dragonâs horn for the first time, âYouâve been quite obedient lately.â
The little black dragon was praised and wanted to move closer but was afraid Ning Chu wouldnât want to, so he restrained himself from tilting his head and nuzzling Ning Chuâs hand.
All of his behavior and actions were noticed by Ning Chu. He would always see Wuuthâs face with little emotion, like now rubbing his hand. Ning Chu couldnât help but laugh and pinch the little black dragonâs dragon horn, âDo you think you are still a little dragon cub?â
Although⌠several other dragons were also adult dragons, they were still not the same compared to Wuuth. The little black dragon didnât care how old he was, as long as Ning Chu didnât show resistance or didnât get angry, it was all encouragement to him.
He leaned a little closer and lowered his head to show his forehead. Ning Chu didnât understand the little black dragonâs meaning and let go of it to lie flat. The little black dragon came closer again and crouched on the side of Ning Chuâs face, looking at him from above.
Ning Chu stared at him for two seconds, âWhatâs wrong?â
As soon as the words left his mouth, Wuuth appeared in the same place and asked with downcast eyes, âWhy didnât you kiss me?â
ââŚâŚâ Ning Chu saw that he didnât look like he was joking, and Wuuth wasnât joking either, so he asked, âWhy should I kiss you?â
Ning Chu thought about it and vaguely guessed something. He had just kissed Eldest Cub and Fifth Cub, saying that they were obedient, and he had praised Wuuth the same way.
So, Wuuth was waiting for him to kiss him too.
Ning Chu propped himself up on the grass and sat up, humming softly, âOne minute you want to hug and the next you want to kiss, youâre not a little dragon cubâŚâ
Wuuth looked at him in silence with sullen eyes, visible at a glance what he was thinking. Ning Chu didnât hold back, reached over and cupped the side of his face, âDonât be unhappy.â
Only then did Wuuthâs mood really turn, âMm-hmm.â
Ning Chu had already withdrawn his hand, and he recalled the lingering touch on his face, as if Ning Chu had kissed him there. It was quickly getting dark, so Ning Chu got up and called the dragon cubs, and they went to find a suitable place to spend the night.
Eldest Cub flew around Ning Chu for a while and transformed back to their adult form. The ice blue dragon appeared in the dimly lit place, her scales and horns seemingly emitting light and illuminating the surrounding grass.
Fourth Cub, with envious eyes, quietly came to Eldest Cubâs hanging wings, carefully examining the translucent finger bones growing on them, and then opened his own wings to take a look, also wanting Ning Chu to find him a few decorations like this.
Eldest Cub hung her head and gestured for Ning Chu to sit on her back as she took them to the dragonâs nest on the island. When Ning Chu stepped on her front paws and sat down, Wuuth and the other dragon cubs followed, and the ice blue dragon took off with her wings up.
Fifth Cub was lying in Ning Chuâs arms, looking down at the ground, which was getting farther and farther below. She had briefly learned to fly with the older cubs today, and although she had real dragon wings, she suddenly felt unsatisfied once again at the moment. She also wanted to grow up a little faster so that she could also let Ning Chu sit on her back.
The dragonâs nest was in the middle of the island, and there was even a freshwater stream nearby. Ning Chu replenished the water bag in his storage bag and followed the smaller cub into the dragonâs nest. This dragon nest space was very large, Ning Chu threw a few red elemental light balls to light the way ahead to the depths, noticing several ordinary dragon hatchlings inside.
Eldest Cub flew forward and wanted them to make room for Ning Chu, but Ning Chu called out to him, âLet them stay there, thereâs room here too.â
The young dragons huddled together in a group, looking at the strange kin and Ning Chu with round eyes, looking a little scared and wary.
Rare dragons rarely give instructions to their young, so Eldest Cub calmed them for a moment and flew back to help Ning Chu spread the hay and cushions on the ground. Several young dragons saw him sitting on the cushion and slowly approached curiously.
They had been on the island since they were born and had never seen another race before, plus Ning Chu was with dragons every day and had the scent of dragons, and Wuuth, a real dragon, had a similar body shape and appearance to him.
So the young dragons mistakenly thought that Ning Chu was also a dragon, probably with some defect, so his scent wasnât strong enough. They circled around Ning Chu a few times and touched his scaleless skin with their paws.
Ning Chu gently scratched their jaws and bought them some fine bone sticks from the mall specifically for young dragons to sharpen their teeth.
After fixing dinner for himself and the other dragons in the dragon nest, Ning Chu hugged Eldest C and talked to her about his ability to build a Dragon Island and his desire to contract with Eldest Cub.
âAwoooâŚâ Eldest Cub gently voiced out and immediately agreed.
Eldest Cubâs element had two types, water and ice, and after the contract was successfully signed, Ning Chu casually condensed a ball of light.
The water and ice magic elements should both be light blue, but the ball of light that appeared in Ning Chuâs hand was white. He froze, put away the ball of light and tried again, and this time it was light blue.
Wuuth seemed to be aware of this and looked at Ning Chu, only to see the water magic in his hand.
Eldest Cubâs eyes were curious. She wasnât familiar with other magical talents, so she didnât think much more about it.
Ning Chu put away the magic element in his hand and stroked Eldest Cubâs head, âThere you go.â
Eldest Cub was very concerned about the new Dragon Island Ning Chu was talking about, and asked with an âaowuâ if he could take the young dragons over.
âYes, not just the hatchlings,â Ning Chu said, âBut all the dragons can be taken to the new Dragon Island if thereâs enough room.â
According to the usual game setting, there must be more than one Dragon Island that could be built, just each new Dragon Island needed a million⌠it was also a lot of pressure.
Looking at Eldest Cubâs surprised gaze, Ning Chu was embarrassed, âIâm still trying to earn money to save enough for a Dragon Island soonâŚâ
Eldest Cub seemed to understand, tilted her head with the tip of her nose next to Ning Chuâs chin, âAowu.â
Ning Chu, although had magic, was ultimately a thin and small human, so he had to pay more attention to safety outside.
âI know,â Ning Chu stroked the back of the baby dragon in his arms, âDonât worry about me.â
Wuuth suddenly spoke up, âIâll save up.â
He had mentioned it once during the day and seemed to have a real plan, Ning Chuâs eyes were skeptical, âSo how are you going to save?â
It wasnât that he didnât believe Wuuth, but Wuuth didnât look like he could go anywhere to earn money, it was almost like he was going to rob.
Wait⌠Ning Chuâs heart rose with a bad feeling, âYouâre not thinking of going to the Church again, are you?â
Wuuth really answered, âI am.â
Ning Chu actually thought about it, but the Church people were scattered all over the place, so it would take them some time to go there, and it would be too blatant to attack the branch directly. His first reaction was to disagree, âItâs too risky, in caseâŚâ
Wuuth looked calm, âIâll be fine.â
He was confident that the secret of his human form wouldnât be discovered, and as for the dragon form that had never been seen before. What if it was seen by those humans? They should be the ones who should feel afraid.
Ning Chu hesitated, âThen after we leave hereâŚâ
âIâll go alone,â Wuuth said, âYou should stay here and wait for me.â
This seemed fine, not having to drag the family around⌠but Ning Chu was still uneasy about letting Wuuth go forward alone. Looking at a few dragon cubs gathered around, Ning Chu mused, âTake⌠Second Cub or Third Cub with you.â
Second Cub was more alert, and Third Cub was more stable, so if Wuuth and them were willing, it would be better to bring both of them. Second Cub heard his name and raised his head excitedly, then quickly dropped it.
If Wuuth had to choose, he would definitely choose Third Cub, who had always been the closest to him, so he was definitely out of luck.
Third Cub didnât have any opinion on whether to go or not, and listened to Wuuth and Ning Chu. Wuuthâs eyes swept to the two dragon cubs, âChilly will go with me.â
Second Cub snapped his head up, excited, âAowu?â
Eldest Cub looked at them both and went to Wuuthâs side, lifting her front paw to touch his sleeve.
Wuuth whispered, âDonât worry about me, take care of him and the other dragons.â
With that decision made, Ning Chu saw that it was getting late and told everyone to go to bed without disturbing the other young dragons in the nest and to wait until tomorrow to discuss the matter. Ning Chu lay on his homemade pillow and fell asleep in a daze thinking that he would build his own room and bed on Dragon Island when it was finished.
The next day Ning Chu opened his eyes and there was only him and Fifth Cub in the dragon nest, and the rest of the dragons werenât there. Fifth Cub purposely waited for Ning Chu to wake up and licked the side of his face.
Ning Chu hugged her for a while, got up and packed the cushion, before he walked out of the nest.
Eldest Cub was at the stream, using water magic to fill the stream with fresh water, while Third Cub and Fourth Cub were crouching aside watching.
Ning Chu fetched water to wash up, and suddenly he noticed that Wuuth and Second Cub were missing. He looked around, âWhereâs Wuuth?â
They couldnât have⌠already left?
âAowu!â Fifth Cub exclaimed.
Wuuth and Second Cub had left early in the morning without letting the other dragons wake Ning Chu. In Wuuthâs opinion, Ning Chu had already agreed last night, and he just needed to go and return quickly.
After confirming that Wuuth and Second Cub had already left by now, Ning Chu was helpless. Wuuth had left in such a hurry that he hadnât told him exactly how much money he needed and how many days he would probably be gone and back.
âThese two disobedientâŚâ Ning Chu put away his towel and bought breakfast for the dragon cubs.
Wuuth and Second Cub were gone for 8 full days.
Their situation outside was unknown, Ning Chu became more and more worried, determined to go out and check several times, but didnât know which direction Wuuth went. It wasnât until noon on the 9th day that Ning Chu finally saw the yellow-brown dragon flying in the sky.
Second Cub circled in the air and landed in an open meadow, and Wuuthâs figure appeared behind his neck.
Ning Chu greeted him and saw that Wuuth and Second Cub werenât injured and didnât have any abnormalities, so his anxiousness dissipated.
âYouâve been gone for so longâŚâ Ning Chu said, a little upset. These two dragons just left without even a greeting.
Wuuth didnât realize in the slightest that he really missed Ning Chu too much and had rushed back as fast as he could. He restrained the thought of hugging Ning Chu and handed him a storage bag, âItâs all here.â
Ning Chu opened the pouch and saw that it also contained storage pouches, about 70 or 80, and Wuuth hadnât counted them yet.
Ning Chu was stunned, âSo muchâŚâ
He temporarily put Wuuth carrying him quietly away from this matter to the side, sitting by the stream to pour out the things in the storage bags. These storage bags were of various levels and sizes, and also mixed with several storage rings. While sorting, Ning Chu charged all the money into the game, without looking at the other miscellaneous items.
As the storage bags emptied one by one, Ning Chu looked at the rising game balance and became more and more excited.
When the last two storage rings were left, the balance reached seven figures, 1,000,000!
Ning Chu dropped the things in his hand, turned his head and jumped into Wuuthâs arms and said excitedly, âItâs enough! I can buy another Dragon Island now!â
He was really happy. When he agreed that Wuuth could go, he wouldâve never imagined that Wuuth would fill up the remaining pit of one million at once.
Wuuth tightened his arms and hugged Ning Chu nonchalantly, sniffing down at the scent of his hair, âThatâs enough.â
He hadnât had enough when Ning Chu pushed him away and opened the game store.
ăAdd an unexplored Dragon Island? Cost 1,000,000 credits.ă
Ning Chu held back his excitement and clickedăYesă.
ăData is being established, please wait.ă
The credits that had just been charged into the game immediately bottomed out, pathetically down to double digits. But Ning Chu still had more than 10,000 purple gold coins left with him, so he didnât suddenly become a poor man.
A loading symbol appeared on the game page, and after a few turns, it prompted:ăDragon Island has been successfully created, please name it.ă
Ning Chu remembered that he named the first Dragon Island at the very beginning 01, so the second one will of course be 02. He entered two numbers, clicked confirm, and another prompt popped up.
ăPlease choose the coordinates for the placement ofăDragon Island: 02ă.
ăHostâs current coordinatesă
ăNear Dragon Island: 01ă
Ning Chu thought about it and chose to place it near the first Dragon Island. The two dragon islands were close to each other, so it would be more convenient for the dragons to move later.
The game went to the loading screen again, and Ning Chu waited quietly.
Several dragons beside him were equally nervous, and all they could see was Ning Chu sitting motionless, his eyes looking forward without focus. He usually did the same thing when he bought something for the dragon cubs, and was probably using that same mysterious magic spell now.
Fourth Cub picked at a few empty storage rings on the ground, Fifth Cub bit at Ning Chuâs cuff to tug on it, but Wuuth stopped her.
A few moments later, the game finished loading and two lines of prompts appeared.
ăCongratulations on successfully placingăDragon Island: 02ăand unlocking the hidden achievement!ă
ăClick to get the hidden achievement reward.ă
Ning Chu clicked to receive the reward.
ăThe reward has been issued to the hostâs coordinates.ă
Ning Chuâs hand suddenly heaved. He lowered his head and saw a golden dragon egg.
The author has something to say:
Itâs a rare grade! There will be no other legendary dragons except for the gong.