715: The Power of Dragons

The Power of Dragons

"Gold isn't the option so it has to be a treasure that I have. Or rather, it doesn't have to be some rare item but something that has value to him."2

Ming Yue thought carefully, recounting all that she had in her spatial ring.

"I still have a few things from the Demon and the Beast Continent, maybe he might be interested in that. What can I offer to him?" 

As she continued to watch the auction, the tension within her began to rise. 

"I can't think of anything. I have to pick something but none of these things could do it. Of all the things that I have, what would he want?" 

One by one, each item was being auctioned off, some were given for clothes, weapons, and knowledge.

"This root? I don't even know what it is. How about these bones? Would he like these? Would any of these even entice him?!"

Ming Yue just couldn't it figure out. All of these trades seemed so random. It could be something of incredible origins or something that was completely unknown. She didn't have the slightest clue as to what would pique his fancy. 

"Next up, the Dragon Eye Berries!"

Her mind suddenly went blank the moment she heard it get announced. 

She looked out of the window, staring down at the platform. Her eyes immediately went towards the small stand that held that very item. 

There were a few of them, held together by a little branch. They were quite small, easy for a child to hold several of them. But they did live up to their name as the outside was a translucent white flesh with a black seed within. It was perfectly round and just the right size to eat in a single bite. 

The Splendid Goose looked at them for a moment, perhaps admiring its almost pure appearance. He sighed before talking about this very treasure. 

"I found these berries early on in my life, just shy of a few decades. As one may think, it does grow from the body of an Earth Dragon but it is born only after one had been killed. Of course, I was too young and weak to take on such a legendary creature. It draws power from the very laws of the world, taking in its energy to nourish itself. However, I am someone of great luck and that luck brought me a scene I would never forget."

He paused, looking at everyone before continuing his story. 

"Traveling through the farthest reaches of the continent, I was led through a wondrous mountain range, not unlike the Xue Mountains. Just a few steps in and I heard a boom and a crash, roars echoed through those mountains. I was afraid but curious at the same time and my curiosity pushed me further. The tremors and the roars grew louder and out of fear, I hid, peeking out when I had the courage to do so. And then without warning, there was a great rumbling as the Earth Dragon fell to the ground right beside me, crushing everything beneath its body. Its body was immense, a living mountain I'd call it! But the beast that brought it down?"

The whole auction hall was quiet as he told this story, all of them captivated by his words.

"It was another dragon, one that was beautiful beyond doubt! It had these long whiskers above its mouth, two pairs of white horns, a mane of platinum blonde fur, and these white scales that shined under the sunlight. It floated in the air, standing victoriously over its opponent. I looked at it in shock and awe only for it to look back at me. Without another word, it flew off, leaving the Earth Dragon's corpse to me. It will always be a defining moment in my life and a regret that I'll never find anything else about that dragon."

 As for Ming Yue, she looked as if an idea had come to mind and the young cultivator quickly walked to the servant, making the offer. 

As the Splendid Goose looked around, waiting for an offer to be made the bell rang and he looked at the projected offer. 

He paused for a moment, looking at it in surprise. 

"You're going to offer information about that very dragon?" 

He read it out loud, making no effort to hide his amazement and his doubt. 

"You'd certainly be quite the person to have this sort of information. I also find it strange that you made this particular offer when I spoke about it. While I don't doubt that you're a trustworthy person if you were able to take part in this auction, I find it a little hard to believe that you have this knowledge that I spent nearly a decade searching for."

He took a long look at the crowd as he said this. 

"So then, I must ask you, are you able to prove your words?"

The servant in the viewing room looked at Ming Yue intently awaiting a response. 

The bell rang once more as it was made. The projected words changed and the Splendid Goose read it with interest. 

"I will show it to you."

He read them out slowly before ending in silence. Then he started chuckling and from there, it turned into laughter, echoing across the auction. 

"Ahahahahaha! Interesting! How very interesting! Please show me! Show all of us!"

He looked around, waiting for this stranger to come out and prove themselves. Seconds later, he suddenly froze, looking up at one of the private viewing rooms. A powerful aura emanated from within, suddenly everyone found it somewhat difficult to breathe. 

Other than a few exceptions, everyone else found themselves struggling as the pressure was immense. 

"This feeling, it's no dragon but... why does it seem so similar?!"

His mind raced as his eyes darted around, locating the origin of this power.

The Splendid Goose suddenly flew up, soaring towards the source of that energy. With a gentle touch, he broke the window shattering it into pieces before entering. His eyes widened as he landed on the floor with a stunned look, face-to-face with Ming Yue. 

"You? Such a young girl like you has this information? No, it can't be you... but it could..."

While the servant and Steward Qu cowered to the back of the room, the young cultivator was unfazed and then stood up, staring right back at the man. Without missing a beat, she spoke to him. 

"The dragon you're looking for is dead. It has been dead for several years now. As for its identity, I do not know what sort of dragon it was but it was a Dragon Empress."

Ming Yue staked it all on this answer. 

"It must be Xiu Luo Wang's wife!" she thought, "It has to be them!"

When the Splendid Goose described the dragon he saw, her mind immediately went back to the Ying Long Sea, where she encountered the Dragon Emperor Xiu Luo Yang and his late wife. If there was a moment she'd never forget it was that.

It was the first time, she had seen a dragon in the flesh, alive and dead. And in the back of her mind, she couldn't help but think about Xiu Luo Wang, wondering about his whereabouts.

But she soon snapped back as the Splendid Goose stared at her, circling her like one of his auctioned items. His eyes narrowed, looking at her closely. 

"You're here for the Dragon Eye Berries, right?" he asked. 

Ming Yue nodded and answered him. 

"Yes, I am."

There was a thoughtful look on his face as he scratched his chin. 

"Hmm, while I don't doubt your words, it isn't enough for me to give you those berries. However, I'm willing to trade this if you can offer me something on top of all the information you have on that dragon."

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