Volume 6 Chapter 107

Volume 6 + Chapter 107: Qiu’s Decision

“Fireball!”

Xia Yi summoned the Rose Staff into her hand and unleashed a Fireball spell.

A massive sphere of flame crashed onto the ground, triggering a violent explosion as roaring fire swallowed the Calamity Beasts whole.

However, the hides of those creatures were unbelievably tough. Her magic merely blasted them away rather than destroying them outright.

“How did Molent end up turning into this hellish mess?”

Xia Yi realized that in less than an hour, the entire city had already spiraled completely out of control.

Calamity Beasts were everywhere.

People fled in terror, desperately trying to escape the city. Yet the beasts appeared to possess a certain degree of intelligence, they knew how to intercept those attempting to flee, sparing no living creature they encountered.

“I should head back to the dessert shop first.”

Xia Yi was worried about Qiu’s condition.

Using magic to blast away the Calamity Beasts closing in around her, she pushed forward through the streets.

Along the way, she noticed something strange.

Far off in the sky, a golden star had appeared. It was glowing brightly, moving steadily toward Molent City.

“Is that… just my imagination?” Xia Yi murmured to herself.

But this was hardly the time to dwell on such matters. She used magic to clear a path and quickly returned to the front of the dessert shop.

“You monsters aren’t taking even a single step closer to my shop!!”

Qiu stood before the dessert shop, confronting the Calamity Beasts head-on.

After all, she was a dragon. Far stronger than ordinary people, she at least possessed the ability to fight back against the beasts.

One of the Calamity Beasts lunged at her with savage speed.

Qiu stepped backward, not to retreat, but to assume a fighting stance. Twisting her waist, she threw a powerful punch forward, striking the beast’s claws and shattering the razor-sharp talons instantly.

She then stepped forward, seized the beast by the throat, and slammed it viciously into the ground before raining down a relentless barrage of blows.

“Uraaaaaah!!”

But the Calamity Beasts were not fighting alone. While Qiu battled one of them, several others launched a sneak attack from behind.

“Damn it, these filthy monsters know how to ambush people too?!”

Qiu cursed inwardly. There was no way she could evade the incoming strike now.

Just as the attack was about to land, several ice swords sliced through the air, piercing the beasts and pinning them to the walls lining the street.

“This is…? Xia Yi!!”

Qiu looked over and saw a silver-haired dragon girl approaching, her face lighting up with surprise and relief.

“Big Sister Qiu, I’m back!” Xia Yi hurried to her side.

“You’re alright?!”

“I’m fine. I know some magic and swordsmanship, so I can handle situations like this.”

“I knew it, you’d definitely come back!”

“Big Sister Qiu, were you waiting here and fighting the Calamity Beasts just so you could wait for me to return?” Xia Yi asked, deeply moved.

“Hah, as if,” Qiu laughed. “Xia Yi, don’t flatter yourself. I’m not about to throw my life away for someone I’ve only known for a few days.”

“I was just protecting this shop. The previous owner entrusted it to me, after all.”

“Uh… right.”

A moment ago, Xia Yi had nearly been moved to tears. Now she forcibly held them back.

Xia Yi supported Qiu with magic, suppressing the Calamity Beasts from a distance.

Seizing the opportunity under the cover of magical firepower, Qiu unleashed the strength of the dragon race and demonstrated remarkable combat skills, eliminating the beasts one after another.

Xia Yi found herself seeing Qiu in a new light. So she really hadn’t been lying before, Qiu truly had once been a dragon warrior.

“Alright, Big Sister Qiu, we’ve temporarily cleared out these Calamity Beasts,” Xia Yi said as she withdrew the Rose Staff. “But another wave will gather here soon. We should retreat first.”

“Mhm. Xia Yi, you’re right. You should leave first.”

“…Big Sister Qiu, what are you talking about?” Xia Yi frowned. “You’re telling me to go? What about you? At a time like this, stop staying here, it’s too dangerous! We need to escape!”

“No.” Qiu shook her head.

Xia Yi became irritated. “Big Sister Qiu, this isn’t the time to fool around! How can you be even more stubborn than me?!”

The smile on Qiu’s face gradually turned bitter. Without answering immediately, she silently lifted her coat.

Xia Yi froze.

Beneath Qiu’s coat was a deep claw wound, saturated with the aura of calamity. The corruption was slowly spreading through her body, turning her skin black, just like the other people who had been infected and mutated.

That reason alone was more than convincing enough.

“Xia Yi, I got injured on the way here,” Qiu explained quietly. “I can feel it. It won’t be long before I turn into one of those monsters too. Even if I run away, there’s no real meaning in it.”

“……”

Xia Yi lowered her head in silence.

“Perhaps… this is where I belong.”

Qiu turned around and looked at the dessert shop’s signboard. Countless memories flooded her mind, filling her heart with indescribably complicated emotions.

“If I can protect the dessert shop, fight until the very end, and fulfill the promise I made to the previous owner… isn’t that far better than turning into a monster while fleeing for my life?”

“Big Sister Qiu…”

“Alright now, don’t make that face. You’re the shop’s signature little maid, you should stay energetic and cheerful.”

Qiu reached out and gently patted Xia Yi’s head.

“Wow, this really does feel nice. I’ve wanted to try this for ages~”

“……” Xia Yi’s heart ached.

“Enough. This is my choice, and it has nothing to do with you, so don’t take it too hard. Xia Yi, go into the shop. Your wages are waiting for you on the counter, that’s the pay you earned over the past few days.”

Qiu lightly pushed Xia Yi on the shoulder.

“Go take it. You worked for it, so you deserve the payment.”

“Mhm.”

Xia Yi nodded. She opened the door to the dessert shop and walked inside, retrieving the money pouch Qiu had left for her on the counter. Inside were Gios.

She also glanced once more at the photograph of Qiu and the previous shop owner. Even though the two belonged to different races, somehow they truly looked like… family.

Before meeting the previous owner, Qiu had always been alone. Perhaps in her heart, that person had long since become no different from family.

“Xia Yi, are you done yet?” Qiu called from outside.

“Yes!”

Xia Yi put away the pouch and walked back outside.

“Xia Yi, go seek help from the Public Security Patrol,” Qiu said as she handed over a map. “Go here. This is the patrol’s armory, it should be extremely safe.”

“Alright, Big Sister Qiu… goodbye.”

Xia Yi stepped forward and embraced Qiu.

“H-Hey, Xia Yi, don’t hug me! What if you get infected?!” Qiu tried to push her away.

“It’s fine. My body is a little special, I’m not afraid of this,” Xia Yi insisted stubbornly.

Qiu had no answer for that. “…Alright then.”

Only after a long while did Xia Yi finally let go, leaving reluctantly.

Watching Xia Yi’s departing figure, Qiu found herself overwhelmed with emotion.

“Xia Yi really is one incredibly interesting little silver dragon.”

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