Chapter 22: Target Locked

Hamlet has caused quite a stir in the Weeping Peninsula over the last three days.

The newspapers report:
【An unknown wealthy patron in the town of Hamlet, located in the eastern Weeping Peninsula, is making massive bulk purchases of lumber and stone from the central towns of Arkham, Raccoon, and Bright Falls. The volume is so vast it would wear the legs off a dragon turtle!】
【A mysterious beautiful girl has appeared in Hamlet? Mayor Leon gives a sharp review: "Top-tier."】
【Mayor Georgia of Bright Falls has issued a condemnation regarding Hamlet’s monopolization of labor, a sentiment echoed by the renowned Bright Falls author, Marlene Howard Stormeye.】
【Sad news: Mayor Leon spent his fifty-third birthday drinking beer alone at home.】
【The road between Arkham and Hamlet has been blocked by a swamp dragon, and a request for clearance has been issued...】
...

"It’s a match! It’s actually a match!"
Melina, who was busy trying on a suit of chainmail, heard the commotion in the dormitory hall and hurried out to investigate. Sonia was performing a tap dance on the dormitory table, brandishing a newspaper high above her head.

"What’s going on?" Maria, also disturbed by the noise, poked her head out. Having kept her soundproofing settings at max, she only realized it was Sonia acting like a lunatic once she stepped out, and her expression immediately soured: "What the hell are you barking about?"
It was no wonder Sonia sometimes called her "Two-Face."

But Sonia was too preoccupied to care. She hopped down in high spirits, smugly waving the newspaper in front of them both, and read aloud:
"The road between Arkham and Hamlet is blocked by a swamp dragon... The Stag Star was seen streaking across the sky toward the west last night... Do I need to review this for you two? Melina! Give this unlearned wretch Maria a proper lesson!"

Sonia’s attitude was nothing short of insufferable, yet somehow annoyingly cute. While Maria’s academic qualifications far surpassed Sonia’s, her one blind spot was the occult studies that sat alongside alchemy. Maria, ever eager to learn, looked at Melina with great anticipation upon hearing something she didn't understand.

Prompted, Melina quickly recalled her studies.
This land was known as the Star-River, for countless brilliant stars streaked across the night sky. Some held unique significance, and occultists termed them "Prophecies of the Past." This term captured the two core tenets of the world’s occult:
【1. One cannot predict that which has not yet happened.】
【2. One cannot predict that which is already known.】
【3. One cannot predict that which can be changed.】

If a person were to choke to death on water tomorrow, it could not be predicted, as it failed two criteria: it could be changed, and it was a future event.
But if a person committed a murder yesterday and no one knew they were the killer, it could be predicted, as it satisfied all three: the dead would not resurrect even if the killer were caught, the event had already occurred, and the predictor did not know the person was the killer.

Of course, these were just extreme examples used by teachers in class; real-world application was far more complex. The millions of stars recorded in languages from across the world were prophecies of the past, and their movements were eternally correct. However, being correct did not mean humans could clearly interpret them. Even Melina couldn't memorize all their names, nor could she see a shooting star sink into the horizon and instantly understand its meaning.

Fortunately.

The Stag Star was a star Melina knew well; it symbolized【Beasts, Dominion, and Authority】.
In this world’s occultism, interpreting a star required selecting from【Primary Principles】and【Secondary Principles】. "Beast" was the primary principle—the principle of reproduction, instinct, bestiality, and gluttony. "Dominion and Authority" were secondary principles, encompassing glory, power, childishness, and rage.
If the Stag Star could be observed, it was certainly because a【King of Beasts】had appeared in the vicinity.

"The Stag Star means the monster on that road isn't just a swamp dragon, but something far more terrifying. It’s likely a powerful leader within the swamp dragon population, or perhaps an even stronger wyvern."
Melina was quite confident in this deduction; when given enough time to think, she could always uncover the truth:
"I suspect it’s a gargantuan, adult swamp dragon. Senior, do you remember the swamp dragon we encountered when we went out with the Echo Squad? That pathetic six-meter-long one? It had just reached adulthood and didn't even have its own nest. Thinking back, it must have been an 'exile beast,' driven out of its original territory."

She had told this story to Maria, who was faster on the uptake than Sonia, immediately grasping the ecology of the black dragon species known as the swamp dragon:
"An adult swamp dragon driven out at only six meters? That’s plausible. Are you sure it didn't have a nest?"
Sonia said, "I’m quite sure it didn't."

"That settles it, then," Maria mused. "There must be someone among the swamp dragons akin to a king, holding vast territories and, to protect their domain, not hesitating to cast their own children out. Is this perhaps the norm in the ecosystem?"

"Oh, my." Sonia’s voice turned as shrill as a cynic's. "Look at you, saying that—as if humans don't do the exact same thing?"
Although Melina played mobile games, in her previous life, she had been an avid reader and a top student. She realized what Sonia was hinting at:
"Laius?"
Laius was a figure from ancient Greek drama who, fearing the prophecy of Pelops that "your son will kill his father and marry his mother," had his own unborn son killed. That son was the famous King Oedipus.

Sonia didn't speak, just smiled and nodded. Inside, she was thinking, *Who the hell is that?* The story she was referencing came from web novel literature; who the hell knew who Laius was?

Maria nodded:
"But Laius usually appears within the story of Oedipus. It’s rare to see him brought up in isolation like that..." She thought for a moment. "Usually, when we talk about killing a son to prevent the loss of power, we talk about Zeus and his father, Cronus, don't we?"
"Hmm, you're right..." Melina kept a straight face, then smiled shyly. "...Laius just came to mind first."

Sonia smiled and nodded, while screaming internally: *Who the hell is that? Lai-something? Cro-something? I know Zeus! Isn't he that super-stud? They say he even mounted cattle and horses (actual cattle and horses), ha!*
To avoid exposing her own lack of learning, she coughed lightly: "Melina, get to the point."

"Right." Melina pondered the ecology.
"Swamp dragons don't just have 'Swamp Dragon Kings' by nature. They communicate through magical factors via a cluster-based occult connection, physiologically giving birth to a life form that transcends the standard swamp dragon. The guild usually calls these【Radiant Individual Swamp Dragons】. Their scale color and other traits undergo earth-shattering changes, and they can use magic."

All dragons possess magic once they become powerful enough; the most common are mirror magic and illusion magic, while elemental magic is also a very frequent category.
The difference between mastering magic and not is night and day in terms of danger ratings.
For example, the Crimson-Feathered Dragon, a giant red wyvern, is considered a "low-to-mid-tier dangerous dragon" precisely because while they possess some magical factors, they cannot truly wield magic according to their own subjective will.

Of course, danger is not the same as difficulty of subjugation.

"So, the reason you suddenly ordered so many building materials was to lure that dragon out?"
Melina suddenly understood.
The wealthy patron in Hamlet mentioned in the newspaper was the Senior. During the three days she was waiting for Melina's armor to be forged, she had purchased vast quantities of lumber and stone. She had even spent extra money to hire gatherers to protect these convoys. Though several wagons encountered swamp dragons, these creatures were actually relatively docile—provided one didn't try to gather things along the road, one could escape with their life.
Looking at it now, was all of this for the purpose of actively hunting that Radiant Individual Swamp Dragon?

"No," the Senior denied. "The building materials are useful. Hamlet is the gateway to the Weeping Peninsula. One of the reasons the peninsula hasn't developed all these years is that the roads are too complex, and the buildings provoke attacks from the predatory Crimson-Feathered Dragons nearby. Plus, since the Guild is based in Haven, they don't come here to hunt the dragons. With so many factors piling up, it couldn't develop, and roads couldn't be built."

"So!" She pointed at Melina.
"We will definitely hunt that Crimson-Feathered Dragon in the future—even if just for its materials. If we start building the road now, perhaps it will be finished in a month. Then, I can invite several banshees I have leverage over to come here and fortify our headquarters until it’s impenetrable."

She paused, revealing a look of deep foresight:
"I chose the Weeping Peninsula not just to hunt the master of gold; more importantly, there is a huge secret underground here. It’s the best possible base for developing a city. In the first playthrough, the Weeping Peninsula fell first, which is why humans had such a hard time coming here later to open up a vital route..."
"And that Radiant Individual Swamp Dragon? That’s to craft equipment for Maria."

"Me?" Maria pointed to herself.
Sonia smiled and nodded. "That's right. The key early-game artifact for a healer's sword-gun, which provides healing magic factors to teammates through shooting—it depends on the materials from this swamp dragon... Melina will help us with this, right?"

Melina nodded vigorously:
"Of course."
"But..." Maria still wanted to say something.
Sonia waved her hand immediately:
"I’m not certain of the Radiant's location, and in any case, Hamlet must be rid of this swamp dragon if it’s to develop. Otherwise, once we build the road, it might decide, 'This is an infringement on my territory,' and things will be even worse then. Besides Melina, I have my own reasons for needing it gone, and..."
She smiled.
"Don't you think that for Melina’s first mission, slaying a Radiant Individual would be a good omen?"