"Can you play with Vera?"
Regarding the Faerie Dragon's inquiry, Garros thought for a moment. He neither refused nor agreed, saying, "Depends on my mood."
As soon as he spoke...
He felt something strange with his tail.
Turning his head to look, he saw emerald green vines wrapped around the tip of his tail, tied into a bow-like shape. The surface was shimmering with pink glowing powder sprinkled by the Faerie Dragon.
Garros flicked his tail.
The sharp, blade-like dragon scales layered over each other rubbed together, instantly shredding the vines to pieces.
"We'll play later. Right now, I need you to do some proper work for me."
He said.
"Okay, okay! Let's do the proper work quickly, and then you'll play with me."
The Faerie Dragon nodded excitedly, then tilted its head and asked, "What is this 'proper work'?"
Garros grinned.
"Come, use your illusion on me."
What a strange request. Truly a strange dragon; his interests were unpredictable and somewhat dangerous.
"Illusions carry a certain amount of mental damage. If you're hit by too many, it will cause brain damage and turn you into a fool. Aren't you afraid?"
The Faerie Dragon asked curiously.
Mental damage is exactly what I want.
"Don't ask so many questions. Begin."
Garros took a deep breath, focusing his mind and preparing to receive the Faerie Dragon's illusion.
"Alright, alright, you asked for this yourself. You can't get angry if you get hurt," the Faerie Dragon added uneasily, then cast its best Illusionary Sound Spell on Garros.
The sound of a bubbling spring rang out, reaching Garros's ears.
The scene before his eyes began to spin, twist, and deform.
In the distance, the furs of the Dire Bears vanished, and their bodies shrank, turning into dolls chasing and playing with each other. Rocks and trees grew limbs and mouths, dancing and singing. The colors of the entire world became vivid, as if it were an oil painting.
This time, Garros did not try to interrupt the illusion with physical attacks; instead, he allowed himself to be immersed in it.
He looked down at himself.
Garros was stunned to find that his dragon scales had turned into flowers.
Bees and butterflies swarmed around him, their wings buzzing as they sang vague, unintelligible nursery rhymes that made his head spin.
Garros sat upright on the ground, steady as a rock.
He allowed the singing to continue as the scene before him grew increasingly grotesque, using it to train his adaptability.
But before long...
The sounds and visions came to an abrupt halt.
The grotesque oil-painting world vanished, the hallucinations disappeared, and the world before him returned to normal.
The feeling just now was like wandering into some bizarre, treacherous world. Garros felt like he hadn't had enough. He looked at the Faerie Dragon, his gaze falling on its butterfly-like wings, and said, "I've heard that a Faerie Dragon's Scale Powder can enhance mental strength."
The Faerie Dragon nodded and said, "Yes, it can."
"Let me try some."
Garros said.
Scale Powder was a renewable resource for a Faerie Dragon and wasn't particularly rare to it. Without hesitation, it flew over Garros's head and shook its butterfly-like wings.
Silver-grey glowing powder fell in a rustling shower.
Garros opened his mouth and ate it all.
In an instant...
His mind became highly sensitive. His excitement and focus soared, and the colors of the entire world became vivid and bright, as if shifting into a warm tone.
Small spiders weaving webs in rock crevices, insects crawling on tree branches, dust motes in the air...
The rustle of wind through leaves, the slight sound of his own scales rubbing together, the crisp sound of a dewdrop hitting a stone...
Details that would usually be ignored were now crystal clear, presented to Garros's sight and hearing.
"This feeling... it's wonderful."
Garros's eyes sparkled as he thought to himself.
This was a different sensation from consuming black oil.
The black oil primarily made his body excited, while this was sensitivity and exhilaration on a mental level.
Beyond perception, Garros felt his thinking speed increase as well, as if he had become smarter.
Then he reconsidered his path, wondering if he should shift his focus more toward mental and spiritual improvement, or officially begin the study of Spells.
After a few seconds of careful consideration, he reached a negative conclusion.
His wisdom told him—the strength of the body and the power of physical force were still more important.
In terms of spirit, mind, and Spells, a Red Iron Dragon hybrid lacked extraordinary talent. Improving in these areas was difficult, would not yield combat power in the short term, and could not be relied upon for survival in the wilderness.
It would be a better choice to try those once he was strong enough; then, he would achieve twice the result with half the effort.
"Vera, continue using illusions on me."
He turned his head and said to the Faerie Dragon.
Garros did not plan to focus primarily on mental improvement, but he wouldn't ignore it entirely either; appropriate training was necessary.
Feeling mentally fatigued, the Faerie Dragon rubbed its head and then cast the Illusionary Sound Spell again.
Because of the Scale Powder, his mental sensitivity was heightened, and the effect of the illusion on Garros also increased.
The scene in his eyes became bizarre and indescribable.
The shadows of stones lengthened...
...and turned into twisted monsters.
A giant tree was rooted upside down in the sky, its trunk and the branches that blotted out the sun were all made of flesh and blood.
The nursery rhymes in his ears also turned into some completely unintelligible murmurs, like the whispers and low hisses of some creature.
Garros was once again immersed in the strange Domain of illusions.
During this time...
He vaguely saw branches that looked like sharp claws drooping from the grotesque world, reaching toward him, yet they seemed separated by a barrier between illusion and reality, unable to approach or touch him.
"Is it because the Scale Powder enhanced my mental sensitivity?"
"The effect of this illusion is definitely not something a Faerie Dragon should be able to produce."
Garros thought to himself.
Time slowly passed.
A short while later, Garros's eyes shone as he looked at the Faerie Dragon and said, "Vera, you can go play now. That's enough mental training for today."
The Faerie Dragon's wings drooped as it lay on a tree branch, lifting its eyelids listlessly.
"Not... not playing. Vera needs to... rest. So tired."
Faerie Dragons were skilled in illusions, but their mental energy was not infinite. It was exhausted now; because of Garros's exploitation, its mind was fatigued to the limit. It only wanted to sleep and rest, not even having the energy to play.
Garros was still quite energetic.
The effects of the Scale Powder had already faded.
The world in his eyes was no longer vivid, and his perception was not as powerful as before, but compared to the very beginning, it had improved slightly.
"It really is good stuff."
"By regularly using the Faerie Dragon's Scale Powder, my mental strength and perception can be significantly enhanced without needing specialized training."
Garros glanced at the Faerie Dragon sleeping soundly on the branch, feeling like he had found a real treasure this time.
Unfortunately...
He currently lacked a channel to obtain black oil and couldn't get any.
"What would it feel like if I consumed black oil and Scale Powder at the same time, with both my body and mind becoming excited and active?"
Garros couldn't help but wonder.
"As for a resource like black oil, if there's a channel, I could buy it from a merchant caravan."
"But I can't show my face, otherwise it will invite trouble."
After pacing in place and thinking for a moment, he flapped his wings and soared into the sky, preparing to more carefully scout the territories of other creatures around Coniferous Valley.
When he chose this place as his territory...
Garros knew it.
There were many clans of intelligent creatures around Coniferous Valley at varying distances, and there was also a branch road of the Thousand Snake Scars.
These were all safety hazards.
However...
Danger was everywhere in the wilderness.
Compared to other places, Coniferous Valley was relatively rich in resources, and these safety hazards were already few in number.
Furthermore, if handled well, they could even be used to his advantage.
That was why Garros, after a comprehensive comparison, had chosen this place as his territory.