“A Curse? May I take a look? I know a little about Curses.”
Madam Lin did not hesitate in the slightest, “Of course.”
Lin Jiusan frowned, very displeased, believing Li Cunxu was here to cause trouble. He didn't believe that Li Cunxu, this little brat, could see a Curse that even the Dean of the Holy Healing Hospital couldn't detect.
However, since Madam had already agreed to Li Cunxu, Lin Jiusan couldn't say much.
“Please, remove your hat.”
The young girl removed her hooded cloak, revealing an extremely beautiful face. The only flaw was the hideous Golden Dragon Scales covering both sides of her cheeks.
Li Cunxu didn't pay much attention to the Dragon Scales; instead, he stared at the beauty mark beneath the girl's eye, momentarily stunned.
Dragon Scales? A Curse?
Is there a connection? Yes.
Li Cunxu took the girl's hand and rolled up her sleeve. Her arm skin was like congealed fat, but it was also marred by Dragon Scales destroying the arm's beauty.
The person was beautiful, and the Dragon Scales were beautiful, like a work of art, but placing them together created a peculiar sense of incongruity.
“Can she still speak?”
Madam Lin asked, confused, “What?”
Li Cunxu pointed at the young girl and asked, “Can she still speak?”
Madam Lin replied, “She can speak when she is conscious, but she cannot speak or communicate when she is confused.”
Madam Lin, Lin Jiusan, and the young girl were all startled. How did he know she couldn't speak?
Madam Lin quickly asked, “How did you know Qingwei cannot speak?”
Li Cunxu didn't answer, instead asking another question.
“Does she emit a sound like a Dragon Roar?”
Madam Lin said excitedly, “Yes.”
“Has she shown any signs of aggression?”
“Yes.”
Madam Lin became even more agitated, rolling up her sleeve to reveal three bloody scratch marks on her wrist.
The clearer Li Cunxu spoke, the more excited Madam Lin became, because this precisely indicated that Li Cunxu understood this Curse.
Li Cunxu muttered softly, “She is transforming into a Dragonkin, this shouldn't be happening! How could this kind of Curse appear in this era?”
He really knew!
Lin Jiusan asked urgently, “Young friend, you know the Curse my daughter Qingwei has? If you can tell us, you will be richly rewarded.”
Li Cunxu paused and said, “She has the Dragon Curse, also known as the 'Resentment Annihilation Curse.'”
Lin Jiusan looked bewildered; he clearly had never heard of this Curse.
Li Cunxu shook his head. These NPCs were truly Ignorant and Unskilled. This was a Curse that affected an entire era, yet they didn't even know about it despite its fame.
“In ancient times, the overlords of the continent were still the Dragon Clan. The Dragon Clan was divided into two factions: the Good Dragon faction, which was close to humans, and the Evil Dragon faction, which detested humans. To suppress the Good Dragon faction, the Evil Dragon faction colluded with an Outer Realm Evil God to destroy the Dragon God, ultimately driving the Good Dragons to the distant Dragon Valley. The Evil Dragon faction’s collusion with the Outer Realm Evil God angered the World Will. The world generated a large number of Dragon-Slaying Weapons targeting the Evil Dragons. Countless people raised Dragon-Slaying Weapons and attacked the Evil Dragons, causing their numbers to plummet drastically.”
“When the number of Evil Dragons dropped to a hundred, a ten-thousand-year-old Cursed Evil Dragon refused to die like this; it wanted Retaliation against those Dragon Slayers who killed them. It utilized the Resentment from the deaths of countless Evil Dragons and cast a Curse that could turn Dragon Slayers into Evil Dragons.”
Dragon Slayers killed Evil Dragons, and the Dragon Slayers turned into new Evil Dragons. New Dragon Slayers then killed the new Evil Dragons, and the new Dragon Slayers turned into even newer Evil Dragons. Thus, the Evil Dragons became endless and impossible to eradicate. Later, people discovered the Dragon Curse where Dragon Slayers inevitably became Evil Dragons, so Dragon Slaying was changed to sealing, and the Evil Dragons gradually disappeared.”
Madam Lin raised a question, “My daughter never slew any dragons, so why would she contract this Curse?”
Li Cunxu said, “I think it’s possible she picked up something that carried the Dragon Curse! When Evil Dragons are sealed, they naturally age and die, but the Curse remains. It can attach itself to Dragon Scales, Dragon Bones, or even Treasure.”
“Could it be this one!”
Madam Lin thought of something and rushed into the house, bringing out a purple sandalwood box.
Inside the purple sandalwood box was a golden yellow gemstone, with a miniature Golden Dragon in its center.
【Strange Object·Dragon Blood Gem（Golden Dragon）】
【Quality: Three Stars】
【Load Bearing Point: 8】
【Description: A Dragon Blood Gem born from the condensed essence of an entire Golden Dragon. When embedded in the Beast Tamer Space, it can cause a Golden Ore Vein to sprout beneath the soil.】
Li Cunxu’s heart burned with desire for this Dragon Blood Gem.
Actually, resource-type Strange Objects like this were not considered precious among Strange Objects. What if it spawned a Golden Ore Vein? There were plenty of Golden Ore Veins in the Wilderness.
The Divine Imperial Continent was rich in resources, especially after the Great Cataclysm; the changes in Heaven and Earth made resources even more abundant. It was common to find Jade in the Wilderness.
Strange Objects that aided Pet Beast combat, such as those for battle or healing, were the truly precious ones, impossible to find.
Resource-type Strange Objects were basically only used by Breeders; Beastmasters disdained using them.
Some Beastmasters would rather let resource-type Strange Objects mold away at home than use them, though this was also because once a Strange Object was used, it was extremely difficult to remove.
Li Cunxu wanted a resource-type Strange Object not because he accepted his fate as a Breeder, but because resource-type Strange Objects had a hidden gameplay mechanic.
This gameplay mechanic was invented by some genius player: continuously evolving the Beast Tamer Space using resource-type Strange Objects, eventually transforming it from a space only allowing Pet Beasts in and out, into a Small World with no restrictions, where anything could be placed, allowing for farming and raising fish.
This Small World had many uses: one could hide inside it as a Shelter to evade enemies, collide it with another person's Beast Tamer Space to make them vulnerable, or even drag it down to smash enemies—imagine being hit by an entire world, tell me if you’re scared.
Madam Lin said, “Before Qingwei fell ill, she picked this up. Could this be the carrier of the Curse?”
Li Cunxu looked at the young girl’s Dragon Scales; they were golden, matching the scales of a Golden Dragon.
“It should be this. Where did you find it?”
“Qingwei found it in the River Water across the way.”
Madam Lin pointed to the small river by the door.
This luck was incredible; he didn't know whether to praise their good luck or bad luck.
Li Cunxu asked, “Have you touched this Dragon Blood Gem?”
Madam Lin became a little nervous and apprehensive, “My husband and I have both touched it. Have we also contracted the Curse?”
“How many days has it been since you touched it?”
“Seven days.”
“Then you are fine.”
Li Cunxu was slightly disappointed. Both Madam Lin and Lin Jiusan had touched it, but after so many days, there were no signs of them transforming into dragons, which meant the Dragon Curse on the Dragon Blood Gem was only a single instance.
Li Cunxu’s disappointment wasn't because Madam Lin and Lin Jiusan hadn't contracted the Curse, but because he couldn't contract the Dragon Curse himself.
The Dragon Curse turns people into irrational, wicked Evil Dragons—things that seem utterly evil to outsiders. But to a Grand Curse Master, this wasn't a Curse at all; it was clearly the Dragon's Power he had lost.
Lin Jiusan asked the question most concerning to him, “How can this Dragon Curse be solved?”
“The Dragon Curse is unsolvable.”
“How can it be unsolvable? Young friend, are you perhaps Ignorant and Unskilled?” Lin Jiusan said.
Li Cunxu was slightly displeased; what kind of tone was that?
If he was Ignorant and Unskilled regarding Curses, then very few people in this world were skilled.
Li Cunxu suppressed his dissatisfaction and explained, “The Dragon Curse is connected to the Resentment from the deaths of the Evil Dragons of an entire era; it definitely cannot be solved. Even a King Beast Tamer specializing in the Curse System cannot solve it.”
“However, I have a way…”
Seeing the suspicion on Lin Jiusan’s face, Li Cunxu recalled the principle of not revealing too much to strangers and swallowed the words he was about to say.
It wasn't entirely Lin Jiusan's fault for not believing him; Li Cunxu had just stated that even a King Beast Tamer specializing in the Curse System couldn't solve it, and in the next second, he claimed to have a solution.
Could it be that he, an underage youth, understood Curses better than a King Beast Tamer specializing in the Curse System?