THE dragons were one by one surrounded by smoke and their humanoid forms soon appeared.  But that didn't mean that it was less intimidating.  Because this group of dragons were purposely trying to intimidate them.  It's like a group of Pokemon using the skill [Intimidate] all at once.

The codes of these dragons were forcing Luo Yan's avatar to feel fear.  It's not really a nice feeling, having your body tremble without your control.  This 'intimidation' probably worked best against those of weaker race.  It's even more effective because there's a horde of them here. 

Then, suddenly, he felt a warm palm enveloping his hand.  He raised his head and saw Shen Ji Yun giving him a reassuring glance.  As if silently telling him that no matter what happened, he would be here beside him.  Somehow, his trembling stopped because of that. 

He smiled and gripped Shen Ji Yun's hand tighter.

Shen Ji Yun felt his heart jumped just because of that simple action.  The tips of his ears turned red.  He had to fake a cough just to hide his shy expression. 

He really should try to be control his heartbeat. Or else, he would end up with palpitation every time Luo Yan did something like this.  And then, his little happiness was disturbed when a little milky voice suddenly said;

"Mashter, Eclipse wanted to hold hands too."

This kid.  It's a good thing that he had more control over his emotions now.  Or else, he would surely feel a bit annoyed.  Anyway, he should concentrate on their current situation first.

Luo Yan smiled and held the little boy's hand.  Eclipse grinned at him before turning to Dusk.

"Uncle black lizard, do you also want to hold hands?"

Luo Yan almost laughed when he heard that.  Although he couldn't see Dusk's reaction because of the mask, he was probably showing a very annoyed expression because of that.  With Shen Ji Yun's silent comfort and Eclipse's funny antic, the discomfort she had felt because of the dragons surrounding them all but disappeared.

He turned his gaze towards the red dragon and the dragons behind him.  "What is the meaning of this?"

The red dragon didn't answer, he didn't even glance at his direction.  He felt a tiny vein popped in his forehead.  This overgrown lizard probably thought that he wasn't worth any attention since he's only an elf.  He took a deep breath and calmed down.  No, he shouldn't be angry.  These dragons were simply programmed like this.

But even if he didn't mind, that didn't mean that Shen Ji Yun would not.  He coldly glared at the red dragon.  "He's asking you a question."  He let go of Luo Yan's hand and stepped forward.  Purple lightning was crackling around his body.  "Answer him."

Luo Yan stared at Shen Ji Yun's wide back.  He was a bit surprised at first, then the corner of his lips turned up a little.  He reached out his hand and pulled the hem of the other's robe, making Shen Ji Yun look back at him.

"It's okay, Brother Ji Yun.  I don't mind."

A deep frown appeared on Shen Ji Yun's face.  "But I do."

Luo Yan smiled helplessly.  But deep inside, he was really happy.  But he couldn't let Shen Ji Yun be angry here.  Especially when they still didn't know what exactly was happening. 

He turned to the red dragon who seemed like he was confused and also curious at the same time.  As if wondering why a 'higher' being like a qilin was getting angry for a 'lower' race.  Hah.  Those programmers.  They really made these dragons have sky-high pride.

"A qilin getting angry over a mere elf?  That's unprecedented," the red dragon said.  Proving that what Luo Yan just thought earlier was correct.  "Hmm… is it because he's your mate?"

Luo Yan was taken aback by that last comment.  Did he look like a woman to these dragons?  And then he remembered that gender really didn't matter in Arcadia.  There was even a marriage system in the game where two players of the same sex could get married.

He glanced at Shen Ji Yun and saw that the tips of his ears were already red.  He shook his head.  He knew this was the kind of reaction the other would have.  He leaned towards Shen Ji Yun a bit and whispered, "Brother Ji Yun, ask them why they took us here and why they're surrounding us."

It's better to leave all the talking to Shen Ji Yun.  Since these dragons would have a bit courtesy towards him considering he's also a Legendary race.  They wouldn't find it beneath them to talk to him. 

If this was before, Luo Yan would probably not leave this task to Shen Ji Yun.  But as he had seen earlier, the other showed great progress when it came to dealing with NPCs.  So, he had confidence that Shen Ji Yun wouldn't mess this up.   

Shen Ji Yun seemed to have woken up because of what Luo Yan whispered to him.  Despite still feeling embarrassed because of that red dragon's comment, he looked at the other and said in a cold voice;

"What do you think you're doing?  We came here in peace.  To talk to your king about an important matter.  And yet, this is how you treat us?  By bringing us here and intimidating us with your numbers?  Is this your way of saying you don't mind being the enemy of the qilin clan?"

"If you're really sent here by your clan, then, that would indeed be a problem.  But what if you're not?" the red dragon said.  "You see, our oracle foretold that a group of people would come and endanger our clan.  This happened last month and he said that this group would most likely come here within the next two months.  So, as a preventive measure, all individuals that would come to our valley needed to pass our trial first."

Luo Yan's bad feeling just intensified when he heard what the other said.  He knew something was up the moment these dragons surrounded them.  And what's with this oracle. Was he also part of the narrative of this hidden task?  Or did they just come here at a bad time?

"And what's the trial?" Shen Ji Yun asked in a grave voice.

The red dragon smiled, his sharp fangs showing.  "Simple..  We will all attack you and you just have to survive."

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