The Foreigner on the Periphery - Chapter 128

Quar! Bang! 

A roar began to ring out. Tearing through the quiet city air. Everyone stopped the psychic wave and stiffened. Minjun broke through the darkness and began to face the scene. The explosion then spread with a heavy mass. From the top of the building, observers saw huge masses of glass, concrete, and rebar fluttering. 

It resembled Jenkinson. Multiple wings, soft curved neck, arms and legs, and a long tail. Fire Dragon. Jenkinson was shocked. =···Ah!= 

What appeared after breaking the ICC was at first a hatchling machine, but in an instant, it turned into a young dragon that was hundreds of years old, and beyond that, it became the size of an old dragon about the same age as Jenkinson, and soon even exceeded that. Minjun knew that it was the result of abruptly disarming Polymorph. 

Rod, who had been in the room in human form, suddenly returned to the body of a dragon. As a result, the entire top floor of the building was blown away. However, that was only the beginning. The great body of the Elder Dragon fell helplessly. It was shaped like a beast pierced through a long, sharp spear. 

However, the beast was too heavy, and the spear wasn’t strong enough to pierce it. An elongated building was laid on the object. The physical barrier of the outer wall in preparation for terrorism could not withstand even the weight of a dragon. 

From the high-rise barrier, it was crushed and broken like an explosion. As a result, a completely different pattern emerged from the collapse of the natural state. Like the Tower of Babel in the story, the tallest building in Hong Kong began to collapse. 

Quarreung! Trapped by a falling dragon, the building is crushed from the head. When it came to living things, from the head to the tail, it scattered fragments like scales. It was invisible to trim it, but it was a rough hand. Flames and smoke ran in a straight line along the point where the building is crushed. It went down and down as if igniting a fuse. 

Existing at the end of the fuse was the only one heavier than the dragons that were falling… The dragon hit the ground. 

——! 

Another heart-stopping roar rang out. Curry! The ground wobbled and shook. 

The rumbling of the ground that struck the Goryeong Peninsula continued for a long time.

At the point of collapse, debris swept everywhere. In the storm, steel and glass splattered like hail, leaving a horrendous scar that looked like a machine gun had been shredded on a nearby building. At a speed that contrasted with it, dust followed and spread thickly.

An explosion ensued again. bang! Whoa, whoa, whoa! A mountain of flames rose. It was then that the magical field that had distorted the ICC disappeared. The dragons who had forgotten their words and looked at the scene came to their senses. The collapse took only a few seconds, but it felt like years had passed. 

=Hurry up!= 

Minjun and the dragons flew up to solve the situation. Like a firefighter, he began to pour magic around the building. The fire was quickly put out. However, destroyed buildings cannot be restored. He couldn’t even imagine how many people had died. 

In addition to this, the dragon that might have caused this explosion. 

“…” 

Minjun looked at the dragon drooping over the sunken earth. He could see it at a glance. There was no feeling of vitality in the body. 

=Load!=

Jenkinson screamed. The mental waves emitted by other dragons noisily colored the sky. Minjun looked at the corpse of the gold dragon, which was strewn like a stone statue, with a terrible appearance. Dragon Lord, the man we had been drinking with until dawn this morning, was dead there. 

His body was bent in a strange shape. His long tail, which stretched northwest, crossed the breakwater and submerged in the water, and his head was flung southeast and buried in the rubble of what was once Austin Road. 

Twelve wings, tilted to one side, completely swept the entrance to the underwater tunnel leading to Hong Kong Island. Minjun stared at his feet for a long time. The surrounding high-rise buildings that were torn and cracked by the collapse looked down together. The skyscraper, engulfed in black smoke, looked like a tombstone commemorating the world’s oldest dragon and its victims. 

*** 

The princess of Endelion was awake even at dawn. As the bronze tentacles moved, a sword appeared in its place. Compared to her body, it was a small object, nothing more than a hair. 

Of course, Endelion didn’t have body hair. One had to observe and think about it again. ‘There is no psychic reaction. It’s not an ego sword.’ 

Minjun secretly sent this sword and asked for confirmation. He could recall the contents of the secret letter. 

– It is certain that this has attracted many people so far. Thanks to the frying pan you gave me, the last host collapsed into molecular units, making interrogation impossible. 

However, right after that, he inspected this sword… and found nothing wrong.

Dell had already done several experiments with the sword. The result was the same as Minjun said. 

– Here’s what I think. Originally, this sword was not imbued with Asif-1 fragments, but rather an ordinary curse, but its effect was exhausted. Could it be that the last attack was that fatal? 

Still, if one didn’t know, they would suggest checking it out by themself. He might be able to discover secrets he didn’t even notice with Endelion’s technology. There were limits to what Dell could do on Earth. 

And so, the princess was planning to send this to the mother dimension quietly. He wasn’t expecting much, but one thing caught on. 

At this, the princess sighed inwardly. Did the sword maintain its shape after being attacked by ‘That frying pan’? Instead of being completely crushed? Of course, it is possible that Minjun unconsciously applied a selective attack with a genius sense or unfolded a field of stochastic manipulation. 

Because it was a function supported by that frying pan. ‘But I didn’t teach you that.’ 

“Sir, I have something to report to you.” 

An alien covered in white feathers asked for an interview. Dell agreed to it. The door opened. Compared to her, a small creature that looked nothing like her ant came in. When she was dispatched to Earth, she was an employee accompanied by a mid-level commissioner. 

She used to work at the headquarters, but she was a full-time employee, not an ancient race. Dell blew his mind.

= What’s going on? Dotes.= 

Dotes came in through the door and stiffened in front of the 6km-diameter tentacle creature. He had seen it many times, but he was still not used to it. Whenever she stood in front of her, her instinctive fear rose. She was on the verge of resenting Gadwick for sending her here. 

She would rather have a hairy, linear creature about the size of Tess. He spoke, all while trying hard to catch her heart. “It has just been confirmed that the Earth Dragon Lord is dead.” 

Dotes observed the reaction of his superior. He learned to interpret their body language after being instructed to stay close to Endelion. It read eye movements, convulsions, wriggling of tentacles, and changes in the color of the epidermis. Dotes, who was confident that he had studied thoroughly before dispatch, saw Dell and fell into confusion again. 

Now her attitude, compared to other races, corresponded to a completely expressionless expression. That princess had always been like that since the first time he met her. 

It was like a race without emotions. It was as calm as a still life and as cold as ice. It was to the extent that it was strange to those who knew Endelion’s fiery emotion. Even after hearing such great news, there was no sign of agitation. 

‘Is this a characteristic of royalty?’ 

The princess spoke in front of the puzzled Dotes. = I understand. Please send us the relevant information. After reviewing, I will tell you what to do.= 

“I have already sent it to you. then···” 

After Dotes left, the tentacles touched the air. Then, a huge hologram was formed. A picture and video of a fire dragon covered with golden scales were displayed, followed by detailed explanations. Endelion looked again at the profile of the Dragon Lord, who died today. ”

In addition to this, his eyes stopped in one place. -···Classified as one of the toughest dragons on Earth. Attention, please. Now that Lord is dead, the dragons will have to elect a new representative.

From this, she began to fall into deep thought. These said thoughts continued until dawn. 

*** 

“It’s already dawn. Aren’t all the heirs here yet? How long are you going to leave Rod’s body on the street?” 

Minjun’s question seemed to be incomprehensible. “I don’t like this situation either.” 

With that, Jenkinson’s haggard complexion sighed. He suppressed the urge to fly to Africa right away in order to bite the elephant.

“But it is unavoidable.” 

It was uncertain whether the Balaur Meeting, which was scheduled to be held a few days later, would be held. It was a plate that needed to be pulled from a new rod right away, but it was not something that would be decided overnight. In this situation, most of the dragons stayed here instead of going home. A magic was applied to prevent anyone from touching the body. 

Self-proclaimed witnesses, they were now waiting for all of Rod’s heirs to gather. Even those who didn’t come to Hong Kong who weren’t invited to the meeting in the first place. In addition to this, the dragons that did not have to attend the dragon clan meeting were mainly hatchlings and their mothers. 

“There are quite a few hatchlings among the heirs. The children cannot move, so the mothers who were by their side will come in their place as guardians. It’s getting late because I’m afraid to leave it on the rare, so I’m going to put a thorough barrier on it.” 

Hearing those words, Minjun frowned slightly. The two were on the roof of a nearby building overlooking the ICC collapse site. In addition to them, dragons monitoring the scene were scattered all over the place. Minjun looked down. There were still things that were difficult to consider as reality. 

As the two selves of the past and present blended together, Minjun felt complex emotions. “…” 

Because of its massiveness, the body looked more like a landmark or a structure than a remnant of a living thing.

The surrounding traffic was strictly controlled, and there was no rat in sight except for the dragons and Minjun. The dragon, who moved Hong Kong’s municipal government from the shadows, declared martial law. Broadcasters and individuals who tried to film the dragon’s body by flying a helicopter or drone just before the announcement had to face the wrath of the ancient dragon. 

On the other hand, the number of casualties was small compared to the size of the incident. The residence facility within the ICC was one hotel, and there was a preload from which he borrowed the whole thing. It was late in the morning and the office floor was almost empty. 

The task of excavating those involved and rescuing the wounded in the surrounding buildings was already over at dawn, leaving the dragon’s body untouched. Considering the scale of the collapse, the rate was close to a miracle. Hundreds of dragons came out on their own, so there was no delay. Of course, looking at the purpose of their movement, it was closer to collecting evidence to reveal the nature of the situation than to rescue the extraterrestrial race. 

“I still don’t feel it.” Jenkinson, who was looking at the scene together, lamented again. His face was full of despair and loss. The dragon then mumbled in a mournful voice. “How could this be?” 

Lord was the oldest among Earth’s dragons, and as was common knowledge, a dragon’s age is proportional to its strength. So it was difficult for Jenkinson to imagine who could do such a thing. Some dragons were reciting ‘Lord’s suicide theory,’ but considering his personality, it was nonsense. 

Minjun spoke with a dark complexion evident on his face. “If you ask someone to assassinate Lord, wouldn’t it be the only ancient race after all?” 

“It is, but…” 

It was a possibility he didn’t want to speak of aloud. Jenkinson asked. “Isn’t it supposed to be a situation where you’re going to have to be so outspoken?” 

If done wrong, a large-scale conflict in connection with another dimension could occur. “If they really did, they would have completely hidden the evidence. Confidently, he must have used his hand.” 

That was the committee’s way. After all, timing was also fatal. Minjun remembered the conversation he had with Rod yesterday. 

Pot! Then the light flashed and another dragon appeared in the sky. As soon as he appeared, he looked at the corpse and screamed. 

= Load!= 

Minjun recognized her. One of the deceased’s ex-wife. That also meant the fact that they had children together. She remembered that far, but she couldn’t even remember how many children the child was of Lord. 

“Lepaslar, is the child she gave birth still a hatchling?” 

“Okay. She, too, is qualified as guardian of her heirs.” 

The reason Dragon Lord’s bodies were still left at the scene was because of their unique funeral rites. Rules to be followed unless there were special cases such as Jang Tae-jun or Changcheon. 

The reason one couldn’t touch it was simple. This was because the dragon’s body was a treasure of great value in itself. How about an old dragon? Needless to say, it was not only the most valuable dragon heart, but also scales, bones, blood, and various organs… 

It was the same among the dragons. Therefore, when a dragon was to die, the bereaved family did not bury its body in the ground. This was because the more impossible the challenge, the more likely it would be to lure excited all-dimensional tomb robbers. 

Even if thrown into the fire of hell, it would not burn completely. However, it was not hidden where no one could touch it. This was because the value of the corpse was too great to be wasted in that way. Therefore, the dragon’s funeral ceremony took on a form that would be terrifying to other races. 

The procedure was simple. When the old dragon were to die, the immediate heirs gathered, mutilated the body, and divided it equally. ‘Lord, I didn’t expect to see you like this.’ 

Jenkinson looked down again, sadly. Such corpses were rarely exposed to the public. The current situation was the result of an overlap of abnormal events. If the dragon was that old, it often died naturally and knew the moment of death in advance. In line with that, he summoned the bereaved family and died within the Rare. 

Now the order has been reversed. No one could touch the body until all the heirs had been gathered. Minjun, who was silent for a moment, asks as if he remembered. “Aren’t we supposed to call the alien heirs too?” 

“I already checked that part. Before coming to exile on Earth, he said that he and the children of other dimensions had completed a thorough arrangement and settlement. I don’t know, but it must have cost a lot of money.” 

“It is said that only the heirs of the earth need to gather. How many people have come so far?” 

Only when they all gathered could the cause of death be revealed. “There are eleven heirs who have come to Hong Kong in advance because they are adults. And these are the four dragons who arrived late as guardians of the heir Hatchling.” 

“Then only three more will come.” 

“No, two.” 

“Well?” 

Minjun traced his memory. It was the story he heard yesterday, so he couldn’t be mistaken. “Aren’t there three left? The inheritance right of the Balaur is only granted to children.” 

“Yeah, so there are two left. A total of 17 children the Dragon Lord gave birth to on Earth. Suzy, including the children born out of wedlock this time.” 

“··········?!” 

“There are fifteen heirs and guardians so far, so just two more. You are seventeen in total.” 

Minjun was confused. He clearly remembered Rod’s words he heard at the bar. 

– There are 18 people on Earth alone. There were a total of 18 children born on Earth. Perhaps he got confused with the number of children? 

‘I can’t.’ 

It was quite impossible. Lord was not that kind of dragon. However, there was no need to lie to Minjun. He then asked again for confirmation. “The last time I attended… Rod’s last divorce party. How many times was that?” 

“It was the sixteenth.” 

Each time he married, he had one child. He was divorced 16 times, so 16 children were born, and if one were to include his cohabitation wife and the eggs he laid, he was 17. That would mean that the calculation was correct. 

‘But why did Rod tell me he was 18?’ 

Suspicions were fast rising. ‘No way?’

Why would he say that to Minjun a few hours before he died? His expression became complicated. ‘Is there a child hidden on the earth?’ 

However, why did he allude to Minjun? It was a secret that even his own kind, Jenkinson, didn’t know? Of course, this too could be a mistake. The secret he had hidden from other dragons was revealed to Minjun… 

‘Nonsense. That’s not it.’ 

Minjun shook his head. ‘I’m not that sloppy.’ 

Then, in the end, one would have no choice but to think like this. Rod then spoke that with a certain intention. ‘By the way…’ 

From beginning to end, it was full of things that he couldn’t understand, but it was this part that Minjun felt most confused about. He had no idea why the dragon had to hide his cubs.