To say that she was bewildered would be an understatement. After the white and blue meteor that fell from the sky crashed on the ground a few meters from her, it created a small crater. "A crater?"
The strength needed to create a crater of that size was truly terrifying. So, the girl approached the place and looked over the edge of the 10-meter-wide crater. 'Honestly… How am I unharmed after being so close to the impact zone?'
"If the rock is not too large, perhaps I can sell it for a good sum…" The girl was so impacted by the event that she forgot about her depressed mood for a little while. When she finally arrived at the edge, she leaned over and looked at the center. The dust settled, and what fell from the sky was finally revealed in front of her eyes.
"... What in Heaven's name?"
Her face was filled with stupefaction as she observed the woman curled in the middle of the crater with her eyes closed. "Dragon human? What in Heaven's name is a Dragon Human doing here?"
As she muttered to herself, all the dust finally settled, and her eyes discerned the figure of the woman. She was not dirtied from the impact, as if mortal dust avoided her body by itself. Therefore, she could see the dragon woman's beauty without restrictions. "Heavens… Did a goddess crash from the sky?"
She was undoubtedly the most beautiful female she had seen in her entire life. Not that she was old, but as a royal, the number of attractive ladies she had met was as abundant as trees in a forest. Yet, none could compare with the black-haired, curvy woman lying on the ground. Her large dragon wings and long tail added to her exoticness and divine figure as well, not looking out of place in the slightest.
"I…" The scrawny girl looked up at the sky with a deep sigh. "What do I do…? I just wanted to die in peace…" Still, as much as she said that, the sensation of the boar rushing at her from a distance surged in her mind again. Her limbs chilled down, and her heart trembled. There was an innate fear of death deeply ingrained in her body, and she knew that regaining the courage to not resist during those last moments between life and death would be impossible.
Dying was not simple at all. Every single survival instinct in a person's existence was wired in a way for us to avoid such an outcome. So, dying was terrifying for most people, as it should be.
After thinking for a while, the scrawny girl's face became complicated, and she jumped down into the crater. "I can't leave her here, right? What if bandits spot her? A peerless beauty like her will have a horrifying fate."
However, once she was standing by the dragon woman's side, the girl couldn't move. Her heart was beating loudly as her eyes traced the woman's facial features. Her straight eyebrows, gorgeous nose, soft and moist naturally reddish lips, and eyelashes long like butterfly wings made her heart pound. "Crazy, crazy, crazy. Can a woman be so beautiful? Is she Heaven's daughter?"
She tried to sense her cultivation as well. However, she felt nothing, making her stumped. "A mortal? How could this be…" Still, with the natural physical strength of a few races, the girl could accept why the dragon girl didn't become meat paste when landing at such speed.
Taking a deep breath, the girl tried to calm her beating heart. Nevertheless, the flowery scent in the surroundings that the dust couldn't hide didn't really help at all. "Ahh! What is wrong with her!? If I were a man, I would've assaulted you already, you stupidly charming woman!" After being entranced by her face, she finally looked at her body. Her pale face regained color as a blush tinged her cheeks and ears red. "... I didn't know they could grow so big."
"Mmm…"
A hum-like moan that softened the girl's bones escaped the sleeping beauty. Then, as the girl was about to move, the dragon woman's eyelids opened slowly. Her soul almost got charmed as the pair of sun-like golden slit eyes revealed themselves to the world. Those eyes showed confusion for a second before they moved and locked onto her. 'A-Ah… She is awake.' The girl's heart thumped erratically, her body sweating as a pressure that she had never felt before enveloped her figure.
The dragon girl sat up after observing her for a little while, and nothing around dared make a noise. Even the small animals of the forest had fallen silent. Then, the woman looked around, her head confused, and she muttered, awe in her eyes. "Woah… What an incredible energy purity. I feel as if I am breathing pure energy."
The girl stiffened, unable to move as the woman's mellow and heart-scratching voice tingled in her ears. "Girl, when you approached me, what were your intentions?"
Knowing that the dragon woman was asking her, cold sweat soaked her clothes to the point that some sweat started dripping down the tip of her nose. "I-I-I didn't have a-a-a-any bad, gulp, in-intentions."
The enthralling being blinked twice and then smiled, as if she were amused. "Of course, I know that. If you had malice in your heart, I wouldn't be speaking to you right now. I was asking about your intentions, child."
"C-Child?" The face of the girl became slightly twisted. "I am not a child. I am over twenty-five years of age and have already reached the peak of the Mental Nourishing Realm. Even if you are strong, you have no cultivation base."
The fact that a mortal being was calling her child made her indignant, so she lashed out. However, she regretted it right after. 'Ah… What am I doing? These beings usually live long, even without cultivation, so why am I arguing with her? Also…' Looking at the dress more closely and trying to ignore the two white mountains. 'Is that a wedding dress?'
Thankfully for her, the woman was not angry and just smiled. "I see. Then, girl, what were your intentions?"
"Is it that important? Why are you asking something like that, either way?" Seeing the golden eyes looking at her softly and patiently, the scrawny girl sighed and waved her hand. "I just wanted to help you. I didn't want bandits to get their hands on you. After all, with your beauty, your fate will be quite horrible."
The woman's attractive lips arched slowly. "Then, this Dragon has a debt of gratitude to you. To repay it, I'll stay by your side from now on. Tell me your name, human girl."
The woman's entire body froze. "W-What did you just say!? Dragon!?"
The gorgeous woman blinked twice adorably again and then looked sideways at her tail and wings. Seeing how the woman sat there while flapping her wings and wagging her tail as if saying. "Don't you see this? I am a dragon!" was so adorable that the girl almost had a nosebleed.
The girl rubbed her face, trying to calm down her beating heart. 'I've probably lost a few decades of lifespan with how fast my heart is beating because of this woman.'
"So… Do you accept? If you don't want me around, human girl, I'll leave."
The girl sighed. "Don't call me 'human girl'. My name is Luan Feixue. I am the…" Feixue paused and spoke awkwardly. "I am a wandering girl."
"Oh." The dragon woman blinked twice and smiled. "I am Yasenia Dravory. Nice to meet you, Luan Feixue."
"Hm?" The name was unusual for her, so she asked. "Is Yasenia your surname?"
"No. It is my name. I am named Yasenia, surnamed Dravory. I am a Dragon that has come from very far away… Speaking of which." Yasenia paused and asked. "What Heavenly Layer are we in?"
"Heavenly… Layer?" Luan Feixue asked, perplexed. "What is that?"
Seeing the confused face on the starving girl, Yasenia muttered. "So you don't know… I guess I'll need to find that information elsewhere."
As she muttered that, Luan Feixue's expression hardened and she spoke with a stutter. "H-Hey! I can investigate that. Didn't you say that you wanted to repay a favor? If you are a Dragon, you can't go back on your words!"
Yasenia's eyes flashed with a hint of laughter. "I won't. Still, I can't wait forever for your answer. If you don't say anything, I'll just leave a few treasures behind for you and leave. I just arrived in this world, so I am unaware of many things."
Luan Feixue answered anxiously. "D-Don't be too hasty. I accept! I want you to travel with me! However…" Feixue's face became a bit awkward. "It will bring a lot of trouble if you walk outside, so can you enter my [Beast Pocket]? If you truly are a Dragon, you should be able to enter into that space, right?"
Yasenia laughed. "Of course. Still, are you sure? Once there, I'll be able to hurt your soul at will~." Yasenia slowly stood up from her sitting position. Her tall stature forced the scrawny girl to look up. Moreover, with her large wings behind her and the swaying tail, Yasenia's entire body appeared several times larger than hers. This made the girl feel a bit intimidated and strangely aroused. '... Being this beautiful must be a Heavenly Sin. She will get smitten by Heaven if she becomes more beautiful!'
"Yes." Luan Feixue answered. "I am sure about letting you in. Dragons are creatures of honor, and they won't use trickery to get what they want."
Yasenia leaned forward, placing her face at the same height as Luan Feixue. "Then, Luan Feixue, would you like to make a temporary contract with me? Of course, it will be a contract of equals. Don't expect me to become your battle pet. I am not such a promiscuous dragon~."
To enter the [Beast Pocket], the beast must have a contract with the human. A contract of equals was one that had "trust" as the only bonding "link" between them. Either party could cut off the link at any time otherwise.
Luan Feixue nodded at Yasenia's words. 'Although she is a mortal dragon, she is quite strong. She might help me with…' As those thoughts flashed in her mind, she sighed with a complicated mood. 'How could it be? Those people are just too strong. Even if I want revenge for my family, I'll need something much stronger than a mortal dragon.'
As she was thinking, the air around them suddenly changed. The energy of the surroundings started stirring, and the air seemed to solidify as a pressure like no other descended upon the forest.
All beasts in a 10,000 kilometer radius felt the pulse of Yasenia's bloodline, and they were instantly pushed against the ground as if a giant hand was pressing them from above. Luan Feixue looked at Yasenia's figure manipulating energy with eyes so wide open that they looked about to pop out. "W-What?"
Yasenia ignored Luan Feixue's stupefied expression and she gently bit the tip of her finger, using a drop of normal blood to draw the contracting formation. "I, Yasenia Dravory, accept Luan Feixue as my equal partner. I will follow her as long as she doesn't betray me, and in my Immortal Blood, I swear to help her until I repay the favor I owe her. [Beast Contracting Blood Formation]."
BOOM!
The surroundings surged with egregious amounts of pure energy as a formation circle almost a kilometer in size expanded across the air. Luan Feixue's heart was about to explode when Yasenia clapped her hands, and she turned into a ray of light.
Whoosh!
Yasenia dove into Luan Feixue's body, entering her [Beast Pocket]. Usually, she would need the acceptance of the other party. However, since their strength difference was so vast, she could unilaterally force the contract onto her.
All events disappeared with Yasenia entering Feixue's body, leaving behind a frozen girl who didn't know what kind of being she had made a contract with.