Li Dogegg poked its head out of Night Frost’s familiar space.

The moon still hung in the sky, not yet fallen. Night Frost wondered when Li Dogegg had started waking up so early. She ended her meditation and called it over.

“Why are you awake so early?”

Li Dogegg’s gaze was clearly off. Awkwardly, it extended one of its four fingers and pointed toward the sparse woods beyond the hills.

“I remember now. There’s a rift over there. I remember it clearly. Somehow, I recalled it in my dream.”

Night Frost looked in the direction Li Dogegg pointed. Though there was a rift between them, she still trusted it in matters like this.

“Shall we go take a look?”

It wasn’t dawn yet. Once the sun rose, they’d have to return to the relatively safe scorched earth. Night Frost could also burn out another patch herself if necessary.

The distance wasn’t far—only a few miles. With Night Frost’s leg strength, it wouldn’t even take several minutes.

Night Frost landed on the soft earth and looked around.

The vegetation here was flourishing. It didn’t look like a dragon had trampled it, nor did it show any sign of a rift tearing through the land.

There wasn’t a trace.

“A rift that enormous couldn’t have torn open without affecting the surroundings. Unless, like last time, it opened in midair.”

Eye Orb knew a little about such things and voiced its suspicion. Night Frost also sensed something strange and looked toward Li Dogegg.

Li Dogegg shrugged. Its dream was still perfectly clear. It was certain this was the place from its dream, and the rift had torn open vertically.

Since Li Dogegg was so certain, and their contract made it impossible for Li Dogegg to deceive Night Frost, there had to be a rift here.

That also explained why the witches were still hesitating around the scorched earth.

Normally, a rift would leave obvious traces, making it easy to find. Searching this forest wouldn’t take long, and they’d been here for quite some time. How could they still not have found it?

If the rift hadn’t affected its surroundings…

That would make sense, too.

Yeah, right!

How could that be possible?

According to Li Dogegg, the rift had torn open vertically. The instant such a huge rift opened, it would’ve destroyed all the vegetation nearby.

Night Frost had seen what it looked like when a rift tore open.

“Let’s go. Something’s wrong here. There’s no need to risk our lives.”

The horizon began to pale.

A crimson sun slowly rose, casting its light over the soft scorched earth and leaving behind a small circle of radiance.

Night Frost landed on the scorched ground. Only a few witches on watch were awake. Everyone else was still sleeping.

Indeed, given the conditions of the Mythic Abyss, these witches should’ve only just gone to sleep at this hour. They wouldn’t act until the three suns had descended.

Still, Andi, the Chapter Three Sorceress, probably wouldn’t be sleeping. Night Frost asked the witch on duty for directions, then headed toward Andi’s quarters.

Perhaps because Night Frost was a “dragon,” the young witches treated her with great respect.

Night Frost rather liked the feeling. At least she wouldn’t have to fight.

In a good mood, she knocked on the door. But Andi didn’t seem to be inside.

Her presence was behind Night Frost.

“Ah… Lady Andi.” Night Frost spoke in Dragon Tongue.

Night Frost naturally hadn’t forgotten her identity. Dragon Tongue came easily to her.

Andi frowned. She clearly hadn’t understood a word, so she dragged the sleeping translator, Fertini, out of bed.

Li Dogegg stood nearby with tears streaming down its face. A trace of sympathy appeared in its gaze as it looked at Fertini.

It remembered when Night Frost still couldn’t speak the local language. She had done the same thing to Li Dogegg, dragging it out of bed to translate.

Night Frost didn’t need sleep, so she was always waking it at bizarre times.

Right after it fell asleep. Right after it woke up. In the middle of a wonderful dream…

There was no time Li Dogegg could think of when Night Frost couldn’t wake it. It had been born less than a month ago, yet it already carried such a tremendous burden.

If this world had child protection laws, Li Dogegg would’ve been the first to file a complaint.

Night Frost was exploiting a dragon that had only been alive for a month.

But after Night Frost learned Dragon Tongue and some Elven language, she finally stopped dragging Li Dogegg out of bed early every morning to translate.

That left Li Dogegg deeply relieved.

At last, it could sleep properly.

“As expected, human happiness is always built on someone else’s suffering. Hang in there, girl. You’ve inherited the sacred duty of translation. I’ll pray for you in my dreams!”

With that, Li Dogegg dove into its familiar space and went to sleep.

Fertini translated for Night Frost reluctantly, both unwillingly and against her better judgment. When Andi heard the news from Night Frost, she was startled.

She hadn’t expected Night Frost to locate the spatial rift in a single night—and then tell her about it.

With Night Frost’s strength, she should’ve been able to break open the rift herself and leave.

“Cooperation, isn’t it?” Night Frost said in Dragon Tongue. “Besides, this rift is rather difficult to break. After more than a decade, it should’ve healed quite a bit. Shall we go together once the sun sets?”

Andi naturally didn’t refuse.

If Night Frost said the rift was difficult to break, opening it would surely consume most of her strength. Afterward, she probably wouldn’t have much energy left to deal with anything else.

Could Andi take advantage of a dragon in distress?

Andi was already making her little calculations. Night Frost could see that much.

She just didn’t know what Andi was planning.

Still, it was better to stay cautious.

“Fine.”

Andi agreed and nodded.

Fertini didn’t translate that word. After all, body language was the universal language of the universe.

Once they had finished discussing the important matters, Night Frost returned to the earthen hut built for her by an unknown sorceress.

Keti had stayed there the whole time. She was curled up asleep on Night Frost’s bed.

Night Frost rubbed her forehead, then tossed Keti over to Andi.

The commotion woke Keti. The moment she opened her eyes and saw Andi, she fled straight back to her own room.

Before leaving, she still couldn’t stop herself from glancing at Night Frost.

“What did Andi say?”

Night Frost looked at Eye Orb.

Eye Orb pondered for a moment before answering.

“I can’t see any malice in her. But something feels strange. I keep feeling like she’s hiding some kind of plan. I can’t see through her.”

Night Frost shook her head as well.

Andi hid her thoughts deeply. So far, she had been very friendly.

But the friendlier she acted, the more wrong Night Frost felt.

Had she really been expelled by the humans in the fortress?

There was even a Dual Blade Sorceress inside the fortress. If witches were truly so unwelcome, why was the leader still a witch?

Andi’s departure definitely hadn’t happened the way she claimed.

There had to be more to it.

“We’d better be careful. Caution keeps a ship afloat for ten thousand years.”

Night Frost understood.

She returned to the hut and carved several Array Patterns, using the array foundations sponsored by the Elderly Elf.

She also wondered when the Elderly Elf would set out…

The forest was somewhat restless today.

The vine-covered, tumor-like growths nearby extended their tendrils onto the scorched earth, prowling along its edge.

Perhaps it was because of Night Frost. Those vines seemed particularly unruly.

“Some of them are coming right to our doorstep.”

Night Frost glanced at the small mound of earth above her.

Several restless vines had crawled over it and were slowly breaking through the mound.

Night Frost casually tossed up a ball of flame and dealt with the vines overhead.

Ever since Night Frost entered this Abyss, the vines had kept trying to make their presence known.

The ones from the sea had possessed some intelligence, but not much. They were like wild beasts, preying on every living thing nearby and seizing every bit of nourishment they could reach to strengthen themselves.

But the vines here were different.

They were much smarter.

They fled when they encountered Night Frost. They hid when they met someone powerful. They even knew how to play little tricks.

Their intelligence was no greater than that of a young child.

Night Frost stepped out of the small earthen mound.

The second sun hung in midair. The restless vines had wrapped themselves twice around the edge of the scorched earth, but they still hadn’t entered.

Andi must’ve cleared out the tumor-like growths underground. These things couldn’t come any closer, and their own length was limited.

Andi wasn’t in a hurry.

She understood the habits of these growths very well. She had controlled the area of scorched earth precisely, leaving the vines no way in.

Even after the third sun rose and the vines became more active, their reach extending farther, they still couldn’t enter the earthen structures.

Keti poked at the vines emerging from the tumor-like growths with a branch.

The vine roots looked furious. They stretched themselves with all their strength, but no matter how far they extended, they couldn’t touch the branch in Keti’s hand.

Night Frost came up behind Keti.

Looking at her, Night Frost suddenly had an idea.

Keti heard footsteps behind her and whipped around.

When she saw Night Frost, the curiosity in her eyes became impossible to suppress. Her gaze fixed on Night Frost’s dragon horns, and she couldn’t help reaching out a hand.

“Ahem.”

Fertini, standing behind Night Frost, coughed twice.

Keti immediately pulled her hand back.

“Didn’t I tell you not to touch those vines? They’re man-eating Monsters! And don’t stare at our guest like that, either. Understand?”

Keti nodded.

Night Frost couldn’t understand much of what Fertini said, but she could guess the general meaning.

Probably something about scolding Keti for misbehaving.

Fertini lectured her for quite a while. Then, feeling thirsty, she went to find the witch who produced water and ask for a drink.

“Can you understand Dragon Tongue?” Night Frost asked.

Keti shook her head first, then nodded.

She probably understood some of it, but couldn’t speak it.

“Hold still. Make this expression.”

Night Frost told Keti not to move, then freely kneaded her cheeks.

Keti didn’t resist. She only felt that being kneaded by her dragon lady big sister was…

Comfortable.

Very… satisfying.

“Mmm~”

Night Frost put on a disgusted expression.

She suddenly wanted to abandon this immature idea.

But she’d already started.

“Come on, crouch down. Make this face!”

“Pick up the branch and poke it!”

“Copy my accent. Say this in Dragon Tongue.”

“Scrub~ scrub~”

Under Night Frost’s frantic instructions, Keti crouched down.

A mischievous grin appeared on her face. Her eyes narrowed slightly. One hand covered her mouth, while the other gripped the branch and poked at the vines on the ground.

Imitating Night Frost’s accent, she spoke in strange, childish slang.

“Scrub~ scrub~ ❤️”

She truly was the ultimate bratty little girl.

She had surpassed her teacher.

Seeing Keti’s expression as she poked the vines, Night Frost couldn’t help remembering some of the bratty-girl works she had seen before.

If Keti made that face at Night Frost, Night Frost would toss her into the tentacle… vine pile without hesitation.

She had successfully spread this culture throughout the Abyss!