novellaaa Chapter 149 A Sacrifice That Must Grow
Chapter 149 A Sacrifice That Must Grow
Chapter 149 A Sacrifice That Must Grow
Time seemed to lose its meaning in the Silent Forest, with only the ever-increasing life force of the dragon egg in the center of the laboratory marking the passage of time.
Hick devoted almost all his energy to the catalysis and monitoring of the dragon eggs.
Time and again, he precisely adjusted the dosage of the "catalytic slurry," teetering on the edge of promoting growth and causing collapse.
The tiny cracks on the dragon egg appeared more than once, but each time Hick forcibly stabilized them with his powerful control and the special properties of the Deathfire.
The cost is massive resource consumption.
Sory and Sean used almost every channel and means to frantically raise, purchase, and even obtain high-purity magic crystals and various rare materials through some "unconventional" methods in order to barely keep up with the consumption rate of the Hick experiment.
The Evans and Moreno families are also frantically acquiring the assets left by the Ed family. After all, the entire Ed family is now under their control, and the family is leaderless and unable to resist.
The Moreno family was also part of Anse Academy's own power base, so they did not try to stop it.
Although the Ed family were also on our side, it was clear to anyone with eyes that with the discontinuation of the social gathering, the Ed family was finished!
Most of the wealth accumulated by the two families was converted into the ever-decreasing pile of magic crystals in the laboratory.
Finally, on this day, the energy fluctuations inside the laboratory reached an unprecedented peak.
The dragon eggs on the constant-temperature platform no longer just hummed softly, but emitted a deep and powerful heartbeat, like a war drum!
Boom!Boom!Boom!
Each sound caused the air in the entire laboratory to tremble.
The dark gold patterns on the eggshell surface shone as brightly as molten gold, with a shimmering light that seemed to indicate flames burning within.
On the surface of the eggshell, the cracks that had appeared before and been forcibly repaired reappeared and spread rapidly like a spider web!
This time, however, Hick did not attempt to stabilize or repair it.
He knew the time had come.
"Ginny, maximum power output! Connect all spare magic crystals!"
Hick's voice was calm yet urgent.
"Yes, Master!"
Ginny immediately carried out the order. The magic crystals embedded in the walls of the laboratory instantly lit up to their maximum brightness, and a surge of energy rushed into the magic array like a tidal wave, then poured into the dragon egg!
The sound of the eggshell cracking became more frequent!
Click! Click-click-click—!
An extremely rich life force, mixed with an ancient, violent, and majestic dragon's might, surged out from the crack as if it were a tangible substance!
It even dispelled the negative energy and solvent smell that permeated the laboratory year-round.
Hick stood before the platform, his body silently ablaze with deathly flames, forming a thin black curtain of fire that kept the terrifying dragon's might at bay. His eyes burned as he stared intently at the cracked dragon egg.
Finally, a deafening roar!
A loud bang, not an explosion, but the powerful surge of life breaking free from its shell!
The hard eggshell suddenly exploded with a large hole, and fragments flew everywhere!
A claw, covered in dark gold scales and slick with egg liquid, yet incredibly sharp, suddenly shot out and gripped the edge of the broken eggshell!
Immediately afterwards, a head suddenly popped out!
Its shape roughly resembles the outline of a dragon, but the details are different from any pure-blooded dragon recorded.
Its head was more angular, even with a hint of ferocious bony protrusions; its eyes were not fully open, but the gaps revealed a crimson light like lava; the breath it exhaled from its nostrils carried a strong dark and shadow magic; its mouthful of fangs was so sharp it was chilling.
Most strikingly, on the edges and back of its newly formed scales, faint, almost invisible black lines are visible. These are subtle traces left by the long-term immersion and catalytic action of the Deathfire energy, exuding an ominous aura.
It let out a tender yet already astonishingly powerful and violent roar, struggling desperately to break free from the eggshell's confinement!
Looking at the young dragon that had arrived in the world ahead of schedule and whose form seemed to have undergone some changes due to forced catalysis, Hick's eyes showed no disappointment, but rather were filled with fervent satisfaction!
It worked!
Although the process was risky and its form may not have been perfect, it survived!
Moreover, the vitality and potential it exuded far exceeded his expectations!
This young dragon is the most crucial cornerstone for him to realize his mentor's ambition and embark on the path to "ascending to the top in one step"!
The baby dragon broke free of its eggshell and stood amidst the broken wreckage.
Although it is not particularly large, it already exudes the ferocity of a predator.
It shook its head, and its crimson eyes snapped open, instantly locking onto the most conspicuous life form in the laboratory besides itself—Hick.
Out of the dragon's innate pride and wildness, it let out a threatening growl, instinctively wanting to regard the "tiny" creature in front of it as food or a threat.
However, just as it attempted to gather its dragon breath or pounce—
Hick moved.
Instead of backing down, he took a step forward.
The deathly flames surrounding him surged suddenly, no longer a thin curtain of flames, but transforming into a cold, deathly aura.
A wall of black flames that seemed capable of devouring all life and soul!
The flames burned silently, yet they exuded an aura more terrifying and despair-inducing than the young dragon's might!
That's a suppression on a power level!
After all, in terms of rank, the Shadow Dragon's status is truly not low! Otherwise, it wouldn't have been able to heal its mentor at the time.
This caused the young dragon's threatening growl to get stuck in its throat!
Its crimson dragon eyes suddenly contracted, instinctively sensing extreme danger and a tremor from the depths of its soul!
Its newly born, wild will was suppressed as if it had encountered its nemesis in the face of this absolute aura of death!
It involuntarily shrank back and let out a low, whimpering sound, somewhere between fear and submission.
Hick looked at it indifferently and slowly extended his hand, which was burning with black flames.
The young dragon hesitated for a moment, then finally lowered its head and, with its forehead still covered in egg yolk, carefully and reverently touched Hick's fingertips.
"Good boy, little one."
With that, Hick forcibly imprinted a mark deep into the young dragon's soul!
This was the mentor's specialty, and the method that gave him such confidence in controlling Qaboos at the time!
And now, Hick is also bringing out the full power of this mark!
"Roar"1
As the mark was implanted, the young dragon let out a painful roar, but after a short while, it returned to its previous appearance.
Looking into Hick's eyes, one sees fear and ingratiation.
"Wisdom? —"
Looking at the young dragon in front of him, Hick murmured, then smiled.
"Hopefully, after completing the experiment, I won't just be an empty shell."
Seeing Hick's smile, the newly hatched dragon felt a chill run down its spine.
"Ginny, take good care of her and continue to supply her with resources. I hope she can reach level two as soon as possible."
"My lord, this will probably take quite a while."
Faced with Hick's request, Ginny did some mental calculations and said with some difficulty.
"It's okay, as long as you do your best."
Hick did not force Ginny to comply.
It is well known that dragons have a long growth cycle, and even if Hick disregards the cost and overdraws the future of this young dragon, it will still take a considerable amount of time.
"Yes, sir."
Ginny agreed without hesitation.
To her, Hick's orders were the highest principle, regardless of how many resources they consumed or what they meant to the young dragon.
As Hick stepped out of the laboratory, the shadows of the canyon seemed to gather around him as if they were alive.
He could sense that, as the young dragons hatched, the shadow energy within the canyon seemed to become more active and—
tame?
The very existence of this young dragon is subtly influencing this region.
He went to a terrace outside the lab, which offered a partial view of the canyon. Thawne and Sean were already waiting there.
"My lord." The two bowed simultaneously.
"How is it?" Hick asked directly.
Sorey was the first to report, his tone tinged with excitement: "Sir, taking advantage of the vacuum created by the fall of the Ed family, our potions and customized services have already gained traction in the black market! Although these are all underground transactions conducted through multiple layers of intermediaries, the profits are extremely high!"
Especially those "Dragon's Blood Boiling" potions you personally concocted, they fetched astronomical prices on the black market! Financially, this should greatly alleviate the pressure in the short term.
He handed over a crystal plate containing detailed accounts and a list of resources.
Hick glanced at it and nodded.
Resources are always his primary need.
Sean continued, his voice still calm: "The old man and the Moreno family are making good progress and have already swallowed up more than 70% of the Ed family's core industries and channels."
Although there were dissenting voices within Anse Academy, no one dared to truly intervene due to the continued pressure exerted on the Ed family by the Eternal Tower. The old man asked me to tell you that everything is proceeding according to plan.
"What about the Tower of Eternity? Any new developments?" Hick was more concerned about this.
"The wizard Holm seems to have doubts about what the servant said before he destroyed himself."
"Sean replied."
The "Sunrise" unit's investigation focus began to shift from "the mastermind behind the Ed family" to "finding the mastermind behind it all." They intensified their search for unfamiliar powerful individuals in and around Sel City, and also re-examined all the details of the police station incident.
However, all leads pointing to us have been cut off or misled beforehand; they are currently still focused on the Ed family and those deceased deacons, and there is no clear direction for the time being.
A cold smile curled at the corner of Hick's lips.
The Tower of Eternity's reaction was exactly what he expected.
The servant's self-destruction and last words were a double misdirection carefully designed by him through Sean, which both confirmed the "guilt" of the Ed family and planted the seeds pointing to a more distant and vague "third party".
"Let them investigate at their own pace."
Hick didn't care at all.
"Just keep an eye on it. Our most important task right now is to accumulate resources and feed it—"
His gaze swept towards the laboratory, "until it's mature enough."
"Understood!" Sorey and Sean replied in unison.
"Sorry, increase potion production. We can take on some higher-risk, higher-reward special orders," targeting those stuck in bottlenecks, desperate for a breakthrough and willing to do anything. We need more rare materials.
"Heck commanded."
"Yes, sir!" A glint of light flashed in Sorey's eyes; this was exactly what he wanted.
"Sean, have the old man and Nia continue to consolidate their power and digest their gains. At the same time, keep an eye out for any ancient texts, secrets, or items related to souls, especially powerful dragon souls."
Hick continued to give instructions, explaining that the experiment was extremely risky and that he needed as much knowledge and preparation as possible.
"Yes, sir." Sean bowed and accepted the order.
Just then, a dragon's roar, suppressed with pain yet full of power, suddenly came from the direction of the laboratory!
A powerful surge of shadow energy spread out like ripples, even causing the mist in the canyon to churn.
Hick's eyes flickered slightly: "It seems it's time for dinner."
Ginny was following his instructions, doubling down the resources and growth potions on the Shadow Fiend.
This process is undoubtedly accompanied by immense pain, but it can also unleash its potential most quickly.
Hick waved his hand, and Thawne and Sean wisely withdrew, disappearing back into the shadows to carry out their mission.
Hick stood alone on the terrace, feeling the increasingly dense shadow energy in the canyon and the young dragon's painful yet ever-growing roars.
The flames of death flowed silently around him, creating a strange resonance with the land and the dragon being forcibly matured.
His self-beams shone into the distance once more, as if he could already see himself completing the Soul Fusion Ritual, ascending to the heavens in one step, and controlling the power that would make the world tremble.
The road has been paved, and the victims are growing.