Translator: Dj22031
Editor: Dj22031
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Inside the aquarium, the number of visitors had increased several times over, all intently holding up their phones towards the aquarium walls. In an area that was initially criticized as utterly boring by visitors, a strange scene was unfolding.
Countless marine creatures, contrary to their past habit of swimming around ignoring humans, gathered behind the glass wall, leaving a small area of water in the middle, resembling a constellation surrounding the moon.
A huge sea turtle was swimming listlessly among its swarm, looking rather dispirited, but it wasn’t the main character; the water snake coiled on its back was.
The water snake was quite interesting to look at. Its head was larger than that of ordinary water snakes, with piercing eyes, a majestic aura, and glossy scales that could even reflect a faint light. Combined with its upright body and sharp gaze, it gave people an indescribable sense of imperial majesty.
An open space was marked out in front of the exhibition area. As the previous group left, the people in line behind quickly squeezed in, shouting, “It’s my turn! It’s my turn!”
The two people stood in the open space and immediately raised their arms to make a huge heart shape.
The water snake’s eyes flickered slightly as it saw their movements. With a turn of its head, the sea turtle beneath it obediently turned and swam towards the open space.
Swimming straight up to the top of the couple’s heads, the coiled water snake finally moved. It moved nimbly, raising its tail and slowly approaching the top of its head. Then, with a cold expression, it used its slender body to make a heart shape above the couple’s large heart.
At that moment, thunderous applause erupted, everyone’s face was filled with emotion, and the scene was engulfed in a sea of joy.
The leaders, who had come in awe to pay homage to the legendary Azure Dragon, stood at the back of the crowd: “……………………”
Wei Xi nodded, finally beginning to look at this seemingly useless Azure Dragon with new respect. He raised his hand and patted Zhi Lixuan’s shoulder, who was standing beside him in a daze: “Congratulations, Director Zhi, on gaining another excellent employee.”
….
The leaders’ expressions were rather blank. After clearing the area, they gathered around the aquarium. As the Azure Dragon rode the sea turtle away from the water, he didn’t forget to lecture his seemingly unenthusiastic new prime minister: “You seem to be dissatisfied with my orders?”
Sea turtle: “…”
Sea Turtle: “…Your Majesty, when you spoke of restoring the glory of our aquatic race, did you mean what happened just now?”
Qinglong, recalling the crowds at the aquarium that rivaled those at the panda enclosure, chuckled softly, “Isn’t the effect quite remarkable?”
Sea turtle: “…”
This emperor is not quite what it imagined. Is it too late to resign now?
The Azure Dragon left the water’s surface, and since there were no outsiders around, it finally transformed into its original form, floating majestically in mid-air.
It swayed its head and tail, and asked in a stern tone, “Who goes there?”
Its transformation, even without its horns, was terrifying, making the leaders, who had been bewildered by its performance, realize its extraordinary identity once again, and their attitude became cautious again.
Regardless, this was a totem representing the nation, and a powerful mythical beast that had been recorded in countless ancient texts throughout history, capable of summoning wind and rain.
Immediately, someone politely stepped forward to communicate with it: “Lord Azure Dragon, we truly admire your willingness to give up entering the sea. We are representatives from the Human Culture Department who have come to meet with you, specifically to inquire about your daily needs. Given your special status and recent appearance in the world, you are probably not used to human life. Please feel free to tell us if you need anything.”
It’s called showing concern, but it’s really just about appeasing it. The birth of a mythical beast, and one of such extraordinary significance to the land, could easily throw the world into chaos. Only by stabilizing it can we ensure that society remains unaffected.
Upon hearing this, the Azure Dragon became very interested and asked in a loud voice, “Really!”
It seemed he really did have something he wanted. Upon hearing this, the leaders present all felt a jolt in their hearts. They remained calm on the surface, but sweat trickled down their foreheads with nervousness: “Of course.”
This time, Qinglong simply descended from mid-air, landing directly in front of the group, pressing closer step by step: “You can have anything you want?!”
They exchanged glances, their expressions tense. This wasn’t the old society anymore. Humans might worship totems, but that was merely a sentimental fervor born of traditional culture. They knew that this dragon had previously nearly threatened the lives of millions in Ruhai City by entering the sea for their sake. No one dared to assume this dragon was on their side. Even they themselves felt a mixture of awe and inexplicable wariness.
What will it demand?
Before the visited, the various departments held an emergency meeting, and the result of the meeting was to “try” to meet the other party’s requirements.
However, this “as much as possible” was not without limits. Worldly things like gold, silver, jewelry, mansions, and luxury cars were fine, but the real danger was that the other party might make exorbitant demands for things that they could not provide.
The leaders’ hearts sank. They had previously consulted many credible ancient books, some of which recorded the offerings that the dragon race had hundreds of millions of years ago. The offerings were varied and included all sorts of things, but the most terrifying of all were undoubtedly the living creatures.
While pigs, dogs, cattle, and sheep were excluded, it was not uncommon to see offerings made to delicate children and women.
The leaders lowered their eyes. Besides them, a group of heavily armed troops had also come to the forest zoo on a secret mission. While the aquarium crowd had been evacuated, other visitors to the forest zoo had also been urgently evacuated. At this point, no matter how unwilling they were, they could only prepare to resort to force if negotiations failed.
The senior leader at the front gave a composed smile: “Of course, please feel free to ask. We will do our best to help you with anything we can.”
Azure Dragon’s enormous eyes swept suspiciously over them. After a moment’s thought, he finally spoke with satisfaction: “Alright! First!”
Countless hearts in the audience tightened suddenly at the sound of it.
The next second, it continued, “I need you to allocate funds to buy me trending topics on a regular basis!”
The leaders: “…”
The leaders: “???”
Leaders: “…What did you say?”
Qinglong glared, a little annoyed: “Didn’t you say you could say whatever you wanted? Are you going back on your word now?”
The leaders asked, bewildered, “…No, you, what are you going to do with buying trending topics?”
Qinglong said confidently, “Xiao Tuan said that when their Taicang Sect first opened, they bought topics every week. Although the prices were high, their popularity grew very quickly, and the haunted house business got better and better with more promotion. Didn’t you see how empty this aquarium was before? How can people know how powerful our aquarium is without promotion? How can we compete with the zoo’s ace if we don’t have enough popularity? And me, Xiao Tuan is right. The dragon clan’s lineage was interrupted for more than a hundred years. To this day, how many believers are still worshipping me? If we don’t promote it, we might become obsolete one day.”
The leaders: “…”
The leaders opened their mouths, feeling as if they had grasped the key point, and weakly asked, “…May I ask who Xiao Tuan and Taicang Sect are…?”
Mr. Gu had been looking into the distance since Qinglong started speaking. Now, he turned back blankly and gestured to Wei Xi beside him: “This is Master Wei of the Taicang Sect. Mr. Tuan is his eldest disciple. Master Wei contributed a lot to this operation.”
Wei Xi nodded to the assembled leaders who were looking over, his expression unchanged: “These are just some of my humble opinions on business; please excuse my poor observations.”
“…” After a moment of silence, the leaders chose to turn their gaze away from the hero. “…This condition should be fine.”
Qinglong hurriedly said, “Don’t think that’s enough. I was prevented from going to sea by you and brought to the capital. I gave up so much. How can a little bit of trending topics make up for it?”
The tension that had initially eased among the leaders began to slowly resurface: “What else?”
Qinglong’s attitude became serious: “I ask you, as Qinglong, who guards this region, do I have any weight in your national affairs?”
The leaders immediately fell silent. This is no longer the era of feudal imperial power. What does this mean? Does it want to dabble in political power again?
As expected, the main event was saved for last. The leaders’ keen political senses quickly kicked in, and after a long while, someone slowly spoke up: “Of course there is.”
They thought they had guessed a lot, but they never expected the Azure Dragon’s appetite to be even greater than they had imagined. They exchanged glances again, their outward appearances calm, but their inner turmoil was palpable.
Suddenly, the Azure Dragon threw its head back and burst into laughter, looking as if its wish had been fulfilled. Then, it abruptly stopped laughing and looked back at the crowd—
“Alright! Then I’ll nominate myself to be a Class-A Protected Animal!”
The leaders, whose emotions were running high, but who were now instantly bewildered: “??????”
Qinglong’s tone suddenly turned serious. His gaze swept over Wei Xi, then turned to look towards the area outside the venue, closer to the center of the zoo. His eyes narrowed coldly as he spoke, enunciating each word clearly—
“The kind that’s even more precious than wild boars and pandas!”
The leaders: “……………………”
No, what do you mean by mentioning wild boars and pandas? Do you think wild boars and pandas are more precious than you? Does this dragon have some kind of misunderstanding about itself?
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