Chapter 195: Ancestor Dragon and Maggot Dragon
"Wait, wait!"
"What now? I'm busy, no time to chat with you."
"I can feel the abundant magic power and vitality within you. If you agree to sign a pact with me..."
"Forget it, I don't want bugs in my head."
Li Meng had no interest in becoming a host for a parasite.
"I can make you stronger, give you a more robust body!"
"No need, I'm already strong."
"We could sign a life-sharing contract. I can use magic to enhance your body."
Li Meng, a bit annoyed, placed the Red Centipede Dragon on the ground.
"Go on, go on. I won't kill you since you look so pitiful."
"I'll take a step back. Let's sign a blood contract."
"What's a blood contract?"
Curious, Li Meng asked.
"You live, I live. You die, I live. If I die, you don't die."
Li Meng waved dismissively, feeling uninterested.
"That's no different from the life-sharing contract."
"No, no, I'm leaving now!"
Li Meng stood up and started walking away.
"Gobu Da, let's go!"
Gobu Da, who had been watching the interaction, was dumbfounded. The king was actually chatting with a bug.
"Wait, a master-servant contract! I'm willing to sign a master-servant contract with you!"
The Red Centipede Dragon became anxious and quickly crawled onto Li Meng's foot.
"King, a bug, a bug!"
With a sharp scream, Gobu Da bolted away in fear.
Li Meng bent down and grabbed the Red Centipede Dragon in one swift motion.
"Maggot Dragon, you're really annoying. I've made myself clear already."
"Master, you are strong, but your people are weak. You need powerful servants to serve you. Only then can you survive in this world. Otherwise, one day, you'll encounter enemies you can't defeat alone."
"I don't know why Master has such abundant vitality. Even after forming contracts with over a thousand slimes, it hasn't affected you in the slightest. Your vitality gives you an endless supply of magic power."
"If Master signs a contract with me, I can split into more individuals to parasitize the dragon descendants. I can use your magic to enhance the hosts' physiques and gradually assimilate their spirits to ensure their loyalty to you!"
The Maggot Dragon had already started calling him "Master" even before the master-servant contract was signed.
Its words tempted Li Meng. Right now, he indeed lacked high-level combat power.
Although his offspring and descendants were stronger than ordinary goblins, even the strongest goblins couldn't break past the racial limits.
After all, even the legendary Goblin King was merely a creature of the elite class.
"Master, I won't parasitize your brain. I'll just make a home within your body."
Standing in the dim bamboo forest, Li Meng's expression shifted. Today's experience had been bizarre. How had he ended up meeting a dragon ancestor?
"Fine, but don't deceive me. Otherwise, I won't let you off."
"I won't. I never lie!"
Li Meng didn't believe the Maggot Dragon's words, but its abilities were undeniably useful to him.
"Master, this is my soul spirit. Please take it!"
A small white ball of light emerged from the Red Centipede Dragon's body. It moved swiftly and entered Li Meng's forehead in the blink of an eye.
[Captured soul spirit. Do you want to sign a master-servant contract?]
The system's notification followed immediately.
"Yes!"
[Master-servant contract successfully bound.]
"Master, eat me. Don't chew."
Looking at the Red Centipede Dragon in his hand, Li Meng frowned. At this point, he had no choice but to eat it.
Li Meng opened his fierce mouth, closed his eyes, and tossed the Red Centipede Dragon into his mouth. Without chewing, he forced it down his throat.
"Master, I've arrived home!"
The Maggot Dragon's voice echoed in his mind, likely a form of mental communication enabled by the master-servant contract.
"Gobu Da, you coward!"
Seeing Gobu Da hiding far away, Li Meng glared at him.
Gobu Da's face showed fear. The king… the king actually ate the bug?
Gobu Da shrank his neck and quickly ran over, fawning.
"King, you're amazing!"
Li Meng didn't bother arguing with Gobu Da and turned to leave the bamboo forest.
"Let's go. We're heading back!"
"Yes, King!"
On the way back to the tribe, Li Meng conversed with the Maggot Dragon.
"Maggot Dragon, does this mean all your split entities are you?"
"Yes, it's my innate ability to split my body and consciousness."
"You're pathetic. Fighting against yourself, what a joke!"
If the Maggot Dragon was truly a dragon ancestor, then the Dragon God must also be one of its split entities.
In other words, one of its splits had developed its own will, escaped its control, and cursed the Maggot Dragon.
"Master, it's not like that. Back then, I had no self-awareness. Splitting and parasitizing were merely survival instincts. Over time, some split entities fused their spirits with their hosts, gaining sentience. They learned to think, grow stronger, and sense other splits. Eventually, they became aware of my chaotic consciousness as their origin—me."
"When I gained sentience, the dragons had already risen to dominance, ruling the skies and land. They mastered the primordial magic of the world's natural forces."
"When the dragons realized I had awakened, they sacrificed themselves to create the most powerful god—the Dragon God. The Dragon God severed my connection with the splits and cursed me with the vile 'Maggot Dragon Curse.'"
"The curse deprived me of active communication with other beings. I've been forced to continually absorb magic and vitality from hosts just to survive. If I fail to absorb enough, the splits will die."
Walking through the dim forest, Li Meng and Gobu Da marched in single file.
"Maggot Dragon, where is your true body?"
"Master, every split can be my true body."
Li Meng chose not to delve further into this topic, fearing the answer would be too complex.
"Maggot Dragon, what are dragon descendants?"
"Dragon descendants are hybrids of humans and magical beasts!"
Humans and magical beasts?
The Maggot Dragon's answer confused Li Meng.
"Maggot Dragon, explain further!"
"Master, all magical creatures on the Augus Continent are descendants of dragons. They are the offspring of dragons and ancient creatures. Through generations of evolution, they created the current ecosystem."
"Humans refer to all intelligent species, whether human or demi-human. Magical beasts are all creatures with magical potential on the Augus Continent."