Chapter 287: a bit of information about the dragon

WHEN they reached the Elder's yurt, Luo Yan's mood was mostly back to normal. It helped that Shen Ji Yun was no longer doing any shenanigans. The one who was guarding the entrance of the yurt was the NPC he first met in the game – Ivan. The other still looked as emotionless as ever.

"So, you're really back," Ivan said.

"Yeah, just for a while," Luo Yan said. "Is the Elder inside? Can we meet him?"

Ivan glanced at Shen Ji Yun standing behind Luo Yan. "Please, wait a while. I'll ask the Elder first."

After saying that, Ivan went inside. It didn't take long before he came back. He opened the door and gestured for them to go in. "You can enter."

Luo Yan said his thanks and walked inside. Shen Ji Yun silently followed. The beautiful Elder with his long white hair and blue eyes speckled with gold was sitting at the middle of the simple room, peacefully drinking tea. He raised his head and looked at them with gentle eyes.

"Welcome back, Noctis. I hope you have learned a lot during your travel outside," the Elder said in that calming voice of his.

"Yes, Elder. I also have grown stronger," Luo Yan said.

The Elder smiled and then glanced at Shen Ji Yun. "Welcome to our humble village, great qilin."

He bowed his head slightly, showing respect but not acting overly humble. After all, even if the one in front of him was one of the Legendary races, he was still the Elder of the Moon Elves. Luo Yan was once again amazed by how self-aware these NPCs were.

Shen Ji Yun nodded towards the Elder.

"Please, sit, the both of you," the Elder said gesturing to the two seats in front of him.

The two sat side by side. 

The Elder glanced at the fox sitting on Luo Yan's shoulder then at the little dragon covered with a huge leaf. His eyes slightly widened when he saw the latter. 

"I take it, you're here because of this little one?" he said, obviously talking about the dragon. Then he chuckled. "I probably shouldn't call him that. If my guess is correct, he's the sleeping dragon in the cave. Am I right?"

"Yes, Elder," Luo Yan admitted. Because, really, there's no point in hiding that fact. "Brother YUN destroyed the Eternal Lotus that was on the lake located at the Silent Marsh. The lotus was the one that made that area like that – it's not really per se 'silent', it's just that the whole place was suspended in time. The same goes for the dragon. He wasn't actually 'sleeping' but was just in suspended animation. That's why when the Eternal Lotus was gone, he also 'woke up'. He was in a pretty bad shape. Brother YUN had to turn him into this form to help him heal."

"I see," the Elder said seemingly not surprised of what he heard. "I���ve long suspected that the Eternal Lotus was the reason why the Silent Marsh became like that. I asked the former Elder, my father, about that but he never admitted it. He just warned me that once I become the next Elder, I should not let our people go there. It's always been a mystery to me why he said that. I just simply attributed it to the fact that the dragon of the legend was there and he didn't want me to make any stupid decision that could wake the dragon."

"Elder, could destroying the Eternal Lotus have any negative impact on the surrounding Crescent Woodlands and the village as well?" Luo Yan asked, a bit worried. He didn't want to bring some kind of destruction to the moon elves just because he wanted Shen Ji Yun to make the dragon as his pet. He had a feeling that that would be another set of tasks for him.

The Elder shook his head. "No, I don't think that that was the case. When I had that conversation with the former Elder, I had a feeling that he was only worried that the dragon would wake up."

"Could you elaborate on that?" Shen Ji Yun said. Then as if realizing that he sounded a bit rude and abrupt, he added, "Please."

Luo Yan chuckled. This guy could really be so adorable sometimes.

"I'm not really familiar with the details. But when I was a child, I heard a conversation between my father and another moon elf. I didn't really hear their conversation properly. But I'm certain that they were talking about the dragon sleeping in the Silent Marsh. If you want to know more information regarding the dragon, I suggest that you talk to that elf," the Elder said, probably realizing that the reason they wanted to talk to him was because of the dragon they brought with them.

"Does the Elder know the name of that moon elf? Is he also living in this village?" Luo Yan asked.

"His name is Lhoris. And no, he's no longer in this village. Last I heard, he was working at a place called Tropical Land."

Luo Yan raised one of his brows. Tropical Land was the only amusement park at Arcadia and was located at the biggest and most glamorous city – Alryne. He winced a bit. Because his level was still not enough to enter that city. It seemed like he had to level up first before they could continue on with this task. He doubted if Shen Ji Yun would be willing to go there alone without him. Because he had a feeling that the other was only here because of him. 

They continued to talk to the Elder but when they couldn't get any more useful information, they decided to say goodbye. Out of the yurt, Luo Yan noticed that Shen Ji Yun had been silent for a while. He guessed that he was probably thinking of the task.

What he didn't know was, Shen Ji Yun's brain was only filled with the words 'Tropical Land'. Because going there could only mean one thing for him �� a date with his rabbit at an amusement park!