Chapter Thirty-One: Methods for Expelling Dragons

This girl will die on the Weeping Peninsula; though a faerie, she is taller than a giant.

This was Melina’s first thought upon seeing Georgia again.

The petite little mayor now looked merely a bit cute, possessing an inexplicable passion for pioneering in such a barren wasteland for the sake of humanity.

"Are you an alchemist?" The young mayor stood with her hands on her hips, looking puzzled, and added with a touch of embarrassment, "I’m sorry, but all the alchemists I’ve known... were not quite your style."

Melina could understand this concern.

Alchemists were not the mad scientists from fantasy tales who did nothing but cause trouble and pull pranks. In this world, governed by countless principles and the power condensed from magical factors, an alchemist was expected to be rigorous—wearing sterile gloves, donning high-protection gear like a physician, and carrying a medical kit...

But that was the view of those who didn't truly understand alchemists.

A true alchemist treated this attire as nothing more than a professional uniform. Melina’s old professor, who sported a wise Greek-style beard, had once said something quite profound: "As long as you look professional enough, you will be convincing in the eyes of your clients."

The convenience of magical factors lay in the fact that they did not require sterilization.

"I am."

Melina replied with measured composure. This tone usually helped construct an image of stability and confidence, allowing the other party to feel both "professional" and "at ease."

"I am an alchemist who has truly mastered the Seven Principles. If you require a mystical chain reaction or need to sign a contract with a demon, I can be of assistance."

A confident tone, coupled with a few technical terms—much like an accountant displaying the tip of the iceberg of their massive ledgers—could effectively increase a client's reliance. Georgia would be a future colleague; establishing an irreversible master-servant dynamic here would have a positive impact on their future office environment.

Her words had an effect on Georgia. The young mayor felt a bit guilty; how could she judge a book by its cover? It was no different from someone feeling relieved just because they saw an old physician with a white beard at a hospital!

"I was too caught up in empiricism."

The young Mayor Georgia spoke with the serious tone of an employer:

"Near the town, we have discovered an unsettling downward wilderness. Investigators from the Explorers' Guild believe a Black Dragon of Radiant-class is active there. The Guild is currently processing the commission and sending people to Haven for verification..."

She added with lingering frustration:

"I wish there were a guild within the Weeping Peninsula."

Melina said:

"Your wish might soon come true. Senior Sonia is currently requesting authorization from the town mayor to set up an Explorers' Guild branch in Hamlet Town. Once that happens, the speed of processing commissions will be much faster."

"Really? That’s wonderful!" The little mayor’s voice was cheerful, like a bird singing.

"The investigation team also discovered that the ecological changes caused by this Radiant-class dragon have led to a massive migration of Swamp Dragons and Herbivore Dragons, which has severely impacted the gathering industry of Brightfall Town."

The young mayor stood with her hands behind her back, looking up at the remaining territory of Brightfall Town.

This little town had it rough. Half of its area had been abandoned due to the threat of Sea-Erosion Dragons—this section included poor Georgia’s office and residence. Furthermore, another third of the area had to be cordoned off because of the Radiant-class Swamp Dragon.

It was fortunate that there were so few people to begin with.

"We need to restart the project for the nearby forest residential area. It has pleasant scenery, just twenty or thirty meters ahead of the small woods in front of us. The only problem is that there is a pack of Yellow Dragons inside. I need some alchemical potions to drive them away."

The most powerful dragons are Red Dragons. The most common are Blue and Black Dragons.

And the most wretched dragons, without a doubt, are Yellow Dragons.

These dragons possess every annoying trait and habit known to humanity: breaking into houses to wreak havoc while the owners are away, swatting at a sleeping Clockwork Cat-ball with their tails, defecating on Dragon-Turtle carts, spitting on clotheslines, or bathing in water sources...

Those "dragons that use dung balls to attack explorers" were of the Yellow Dragon variety.

Oh, and they also steal other dragons' eggs to eat, and while the Swamp Dragons are away, they gorge themselves on the medicinal powders in the nests, answer nature's call right there, and then walk away without a care.

Hated by both man and beast—that is the very definition of this dragon.

Melina had twenty thousand potential plans in her mind and offered a confident, faint smile:

"Oh, that kind of dragon-repellent potion? Easy to make."

As a polymath who had mastered all Seven Principles, Melina possessed a bottomless reservoir of secret arts, rituals, and magical knowledge, and could easily drive those Yellow Dragons away.

She only needed to use the [Matriarch Principle], representing wisdom and the departed, or the [Bow-Blade Principle], representing survival and catharsis, to craft a potion that would easily disperse the weaker Yellow Dragons. The magical factors imbued by these two principles would carry their distinct characteristics.

Yellow Dragons fear the Bow-Blade because it symbolizes human survival in the wilderness and the release of aggression against nature—it is the emblem of the hunter.

Yellow Dragons fear the Matriarch, not because they lack brains or fear death, but because the Matriarch is a symbol of solemnity—the nemesis of the fickle and wicked Yellow Dragon. Furthermore, the Matriarch signifies the Earth element in nature, implying "dust to dust, earth to earth"; the Earth is the graveyard for those who are flighty and eccentric.

Melina also disliked the Matriarch Principle, but that didn't stop her from mastering it. That is how one learns to know the enemy better.

"As expected of you. I’ve heard of your reputation. Most of the juniors in the academy say there is a succubus named Melina whose academic grades are... truly admirable!"

Melina pretended not to notice the "nauseating" implied in that sentence.

There are many things in this world that require one to play the fool; one more or one less makes little difference.

Since arriving at the Weeping Peninsula, her greatest gain was becoming an explorer; the second greatest gain was being near a rich source of raw materials, allowing her to harvest a vast amount of Cursed Magical Factor materials... Cursed materials were notoriously difficult to use, but someone like Melina, who was well-versed in the [Madman Principle], could use them as substitutes for higher-grade materials.

They were basically cursed gemstones.

She had spent gold Lais buying a mountain of materials, and now was the time to recoup the costs!

The raw materials for one bottle of dragon-repellent potion cost only 5 silver Lais, but when used for a mission, the return rate was as high as 400%, meaning she could eventually earn about 2 to 3 gold Lais. You could call this the exorbitant profit of knowledge.

"I need a..." space for alchemy.

Melina didn't finish her sentence.

Because she had discovered a serious problem.

She had forgotten to bring her materials!

After becoming an explorer, she had been too excited. Over the past few days, she had been running around clutching her musket, causing her to neglect many things she should have done—for example, the fact that a succubus who was originally a support-type should carry a large amount of materials at all times.

"What's wrong?"

Seeing her suddenly freeze as if she had been petrified, Mayor Georgia asked with concern:

"Did you forget to bring your materials?"

Exactly!

Melina kept a stern expression and calmly denied it: "Not at all. I have already figured out how to handle this, and I have backup items on me to deal with such situations... How many Yellow Dragons are in that forest? And what is their type?"

"They are Howling-Wind Dragons, maybe four or five of them?"

"Tell the townspeople to stay away from that grove for now, and come back after I finish the repulsion commission."

"Are you going to hunt the dragons?" Georgia asked.

"No, I am repelling them," Melina replied.

At the same time, she emphasized to Georgia: "Repelling dragons is infinitely simpler than hunting them. Hunting requires enough patience to collect intelligence and track the monsters."

As she spoke, several gatherers nearby were listening. Their expressions were quite approving.

But Melina only had one thought in her mind:

"Bluffed my way through that one."

Walking toward the target location, Melina did some mental preparation.

The Howling-Wind Dragon is a "weakling" dragon with a challenge rating of only 1. In short, it’s the kind that a gatherer could kill with some effort. The reason it was a nuisance to Brightfall Town was its sheer numbers and its malicious traits.

Howling-Wind Dragons usually identify hallucinogenic toxic plants in the jungle, chew them up, and store the mash in the air sacs on both sides of their mouths. When they encounter danger, they exhale it all at once! The lethality... is nearly zero, but it causes the explorers who are hit to fall into a state of hallucination and euphoria, followed by... drug addiction, requiring treatment at a local clinic. They are truly vicious creatures!

Four or five of them—if one were unlucky enough to be hit by consecutive breaths, one would truly experience the terrifying scene of "Oh my god, I’m hallucinating, I feel like ants are crawling all over me."

One hour of hunting, one week in rehab—that is the price of underestimating a Howling-Wind Dragon.

Incidentally, in the works of some curiosity-seeking manga artists in the Royal Capital, the Howling-Wind Dragon possesses world-ending power, doing everything to everyone—from female Sword Saints, high-ranking succubi, and Paladins, down to maids, guards, and woodcutters... all because of this hallucinogenic ability!

Entering the dense forest, Melina checked behind her in detail to ensure no curious onlookers were following. She could still faintly hear the energetic shouts of Mayor Georgia directing the gatherers to move wood. Only then did she open her instrument case and release her weaponry.

"Ammo, potions..."

After confirming everything, she found a good position and charged into the jungle!

Forget the act; physical repulsion is still repulsion!

Besides, pain and death are better teachers than potions and spells!

Although there was one small, minor accident—

She ran right into a Howling-Wind Dragon the moment she rushed in.

It was a small, three-meter-long dragon, cunning and crafty. The moment it encountered Melina at close range, it realized it was under attack, opened its maw, and prepared to spray the hallucinogenic powder stored in its air sacs.

However, just as it was about to fire, its throat was seized by Melina’s hands. Powerful magical factors instantly eroded the creature, granting Melina strength far beyond that of a normal succubus.

She hoisted the Howling-Wind Dragon into the air, and ten muskets aimed simultaneously at its head.

After a thunderous boom, a headless dragon corpse fell to the ground.