Adventure World Online (AWO) Chapter 252 252: Wu Ming, Part 2

"So, you're saying… you used the Soul Devouring Curse on a traveler, correct?"

Wu Ming repeated in a voice barely above a whisper. Despite the quiet tone, Little Jade could sense the gravity in his words, filling her with dread about what he would say next.

"You are aware, that the Soul Devouring Curse, when used on ordinary humans (in this case, AI) or other beasts, traps their souls, preventing reincarnation? I advised you not to use it unless absolutely necessary. And now, you've used it on an adventurer. Do you know what that ans?"

Little Jade shook her head, tears streaming down her face.

"It ans the adventurer loses all their levels and experience points—everything they've worked hard to accumulate for high-level adventuring. That's an incredibly severe consequence for them."

"What should I do now, Master?"

Little Jade asked in a sorrowful voice, never imagining the gravity of what she had done.

"You must find them and seek their forgiveness. Only through formal forgiveness can your cultivation remain intact. If they refuse to forgive you, you'll revert to a lowly beast. You won't be able to take on human form again, and you'll no longer serve as my attendant. Do you understand?"

"No, Master. I don't want to beco a lowly beast. I don't want to leave the Golden Dragon Palace. I don't want to be apart from you. Please, tell what I should do—I'll do anything to stay by your side."

Little Jade sobbed regretfully, not wanting to leave Wu Ming's side.

"There's a thread of fate binding you and the adventurer together. This is your quest now, Little Jade, as much as it is theirs. However, this ti, it's you who must fulfill the mission, not them."

Wu Ming explained, his expression somber.

"But I killed them on a whim. There's no way they'll forgive easily."

Little Jade responded hopelessly, recalling how she had ignored Chang Long's attempts to explain the situation before killing her. She could imagine how angry and vengeful Chang Long must be now.

"Don't be afraid. I'll take you to them myself and deliver the quest in person. They're unlikely to kill you before hearing you out."

Little Jade's eyes widened in shock, amazed by how Wu Ming seed to read her thoughts so clearly.

"Co. We must find them. Who knows where they might be by now?"

After coming to an agreent to seek Chang Long's forgiveness, both returned to their true forms to begin the search. Wu Ming reverted to his magnificent golden dragon form, long and regal, while Little Jade transford into a small erald-green dragon. The size difference between them was like a ruler compared to a toothpick. The disparity in majesty and intimidation was just as vast—like the heavens and the abyss. As they moved, players initially thought a massive cloud was passing overhead. But when they looked up, they were stunned to see the imnse, awe-inspiring figure they had mistaken for a cloud.

"Pure-Blooded Golden Dragon King Wu Ming Beast God, Level 160, has appeared."

.....

Chang Long and Thankhun continued their bizarre dynamic as the eccentric couple, doing their utmost to push each other away. Even when beasts interrupted their journey, the couple's proximity during battles would inevitably trigger the quest chanics afterward, forcing them back into an overly affectionate embrace.

"Stop resisting so much—it's exhausting. I'm barely holding it together with you and the beasts,"

Thankhun grumbled, exasperated.

"Easy for you to say. You're a man; you don't lose anything!"

Chang Long retorted sharply.

"Who says I don't? My shoulder's completely numb, and my arms are killing . Do you have any idea how much extra fatigue this adds!"

Thankhun shot back, leaving Chang Long biting her lip, unsure how to respond.

"Look, the more we resist, the harder this quest gets. Just let it go for now. We're in the desert—hardly anyone's around to see us anyway."

Before Chang Long could respond, a massive shadow cast on them. Confusion etched on their faces, not understanding how the bright desert had gone dark. The source of the shadow soon beca apparent as they looked up to the sky—a massive golden dragon, hundreds of ters long, was descending from the sky, accompanied by a tiny erald-green dragon. A system notification sounded, heightening their panic. The dragons were getting closer, but the quest chanics still prevented them from letting go of each other.

"What's going on? Why can't we let go? We're going to die like this."

Thankhun shouted, his eyes wide in alarm as the enormous golden dragon lood nearer.

"This is insane. Even if we could separate, it's over in one hit. Look at its size—just landing on us would kill us instantly."

Chang Long's expression was filled with despair, and to her surprise, the erald-green dragon seed oddly familiar.

"There's no ti,"

Thankhun yelled, pulling Chang Long into an embrace. He positioned himself as a shield, hoping she might sohow be spared, though he knew both their fates were sealed. The dragons before them were level 160 and level 145. But ti passed, and the anticipated attack never ca. Both Chang Long and Thankhun, frozen in terror, slowly opened their eyes to see if they had died.

"Are you two planning to hold each other forever!"

A small voice rang out, startling them both. Looking around, they realized the golden dragon had coiled itself around them, creating a safe space to stand comfortably. The cute small voice belonged to the tiny erald-green dragon.

"Greetings. You must be the one Little Jade killed. I am Wu Ming, the Golden Dragon King, and the master of Little Jade."

The golden dragon introduced itself, though its mouth never moved.

"Wu Ming?"

Chang Long echoed, vaguely recalling the na.

"It seems you were unjustly killed, and because of that, this young one is about to lose the cultivation she has worked so hard to build. I ask that you grant her a chance to atone for the wrong she has done to you. Will you accept?"

Wu Ming addressed Chang Long directly. The bond between Little Jade and Chang Long was sothing only dragons could perceive, enabling the two dragons to locate her and identify the right person to speak to, even with two players present.

"Player Chang Long has received the Dragon's Cultivation quest from Pure-Blooded Golden Dragon King Wu Ming Beast God, Level 160. Would Player Chang Long like to accept this quest?"

The system's notification inford Chang Long of the quest Wu Ming had proposed. Though it was not labeled as a secret quest, this was her first ti receiving a mission from a beast.

"Dragon's Cultivation?"

Chang Long repeated with wide eyes, excitent evident in her voice.

"That's the reward you'll receive when you forgive Little Jade from the bottom of your heart. You'll gain the ability to command her without resistance. However, sincerity is crucial—both in her obedience to your commands and in your willingness to forgive. Only when both conditions are t will the quest be considered complete."

Wu Ming's explanation left both Chang Long and Thankhun confused. anwhile, the system issued another reminder about the quest, urging Chang Long. She hesitated, her lingering doubts holding her back.

"What happens if I don't accept the quest or refuse to forgive her?"

Chang Long asked nervously. Despite her irritation, the other party was a beast god, and careless words could lead to an untily second death.

"Her hard-earned cultivation will dissipate, and she will revert to a lowly beast, driven by nothing but the instinct to hunt and kill. Worse, if her grief causes her to go berserk, it could result in massive destruction to your city."

Wu Ming explained patiently.

"How fun—oops! I an, how scary. Fine, I'll accept the quest,"

She glanced sideways at the Level 145 Jade Fang Dragon, who was glaring at her with open displeasure.

"Master Wu Ming, I think I'd rather beco a lowly beast than serve soone so rude,"

Little Jade snapped, her tone brimming with indignation.

"What's rude about , huh?"

Chang Long retorted, bristling.

"Oh, please... Look at yourself—standing there clinging to your lover while talking to Master Wu Ming. How's that polite, huh!"

Little Jade drawled mockingly. Chang Long's face turned bright red as she realized the truth of her current position.

"See? I told you to stop fighting it. This way is much easier—you didn't even notice you were still hugging ."

Thankhun whispered, finally breaking his long silence.

"Alright then. Now that you two seem to have reached an understanding (really?), I'll leave Little Jade in your care, Chang Long. She may be stubborn to an extre, but she's a good child. Give her a chance."

With that, Wu Ming soared into the sky, leaving Chang Long and Little Jade gaping awkwardly at each other, not knowing how to talk to each other.

"Well, let's get going,"

Thankhun suggested when Chang Long remained silent.

"Wait. What about ?"

Little Jade protested, worried they might leave her behind.

"Good point. Even though she's not as big as Wu Ming, she's still huge. If we're not careful, high-level players might gang up and hunt us."

Chang Long spoke to Thankhun, clearly troubled. Initially, she had thought Little Jade would be a passive, parasitic pet like during Prince Duck's quest. However, Little Jade remained entirely independent, doing whatever she pleased.

"Can't you transform into a human, like when you were in Wu Ming's secret training grounds?"

Chang Long asked Little Jade when Thankhun failed to provide any helpful solutions.

"I can't. I can only do that in certain special zones. But I can shrink and expand my body, like this."

Little Jade replied, demonstrating by shrinking herself down and wrapping around Chang Long's arm, resembling a bracelet.

"Oh, that's pretty cool!"

.....

After successfully claiming the special territory, Siegfried's next challenge as the city's new governor was to recruit skilled artisans, laborers, and finally, the materials needed for constructing buildings. But before all that, he needed to finalize the city's layout and design, a task that required consultation with the in-ga bank. Surprisingly, the ga had hired real-world architects to handle in-ga designs. Siegfried and his friends spent hours brainstorming ideas for the city's architecture. Peach Blossom proposed a fairy-tale kingdom the.

The city plan was completed, and each building was ticulously designed using brick and hardwood as primary materials. Even at this early stage, the projected costs for turning their fairy-tale vision into reality were astronomical—but massive expenses were a given when building any city.

After consulting with the architects, the group gathered in Siegfried's tent to sip tea. Search teams had been dispatched across the island to locate potential mining sites, and a notice was issued for buying minerals dropped by beasts at high prices. Once everyone had their tea, Oliang was the first to speak.

"It feels like a dream. Us building a city together."

"Yeah, it really does. I can't wait to see it co to life."

Draco agreed.

"Our first priority should be reinforcing the city walls and adding secret pathways in there for soldiers and archers," Raphael added with a serious expression.

"By the way, we've been holding Heaven for a few days now. Do you think Chang Long knows about it yet?"

Wet Trash Can asked casually, making Siegfried, who had been deeply focused on the city plans, jump.

"If she knew, she would've called by now. But it's been radio silence."

Valentine chuckled.

"Maybe she doesn't know yet. We all know how she can be,"

Aden said with a small smile.

"If Master Chang doesn't know, let's call and tell her,"

Peach Blossom suggested, raising her wristwatch and dialing Chang Long's number without waiting for a reply.

.....

Beep beep beep beep

"Damn it. Shut up. Don't say a word!"

A loud, angry voice barked from the other end as soon as the call connected.

"Wh... why are you yelling at , Master Chang?"

Peach Blossom's bright smile instantly wilted, her confidence shrinking to almost nothing after getting yelled at. Her voice beca so faint it was barely audible.

"What? Are you saying I'm rude? Yelling isn't rude, okay!"

Chang Long continued ranting angrily, completely unaware that the voice on the other end was on the verge of tears.

"Wh... why are you being so harsh, Master Chang? I wasn't accusing you of anything. Lord Chang is my beloved—I would never speak ill of you,"

Peach Blossom sobbed, her trembling voice shocking everyone around her. None of them had expected Peach Blossom to cry, nor had they anticipated Chang Long to yell at her so loudly that everyone could hear.

"Beloved? My beloved? What business is it of yours? Just shut up and stop talking—you're annoying !"

Chang Long snapped, making Peach Blossom burst into tears at being told she was annoying. Siegfried, who had been listening in disbelief, stood frozen with his mouth agape. In all the ti they had known Chang Long, she had never reacted this way to anyone, least of all Peach Blossom.

"M... Master Chang."

"Chang Long, that was too harsh. Why would you say sothing so cruel!"

Oliang intervened, snatching Peach Blossom's wristwatch to speak into it himself.

"What, Thankhun? The phone…"

"The call cut off all of a sudden. Was Chang Long really talking to you, Peach Blossom? From what I overheard, it sounded like she was arguing with soone else. I swear I heard her say Thank you, or sothing."

Oliang spoke, his confusion evident. From what he could make out, Chang Long seed to be arguing with soone else entirely.

"Thank you? Who's she thanking, Oliang?"

Wet Trash Can asked, mirroring the curiosity of everyone else, who were all desperate to know.

"How would I know? The call cut off before I could figure it out."

Oliang shook his head in exasperation, turning his attention to comforting Peach Blossom, who was now sniffling.

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