Hunter of Mysterious Creature

...

The little tavern mentioned by Candle Dragon is indeed not far from Shu River Lane, it takes only about five minutes on foot, and that iron sign with the hollowed-out word "Useless" appeared in Sun Hang's sight.

"Useless? Useless?" Sun Hang read the words on the sign aloud, "Why such a strange name?"

"According to the owner himself, it's a summary of the first half of his life." Candle Dragon said.

"Being able to own a tavern in a place like Chunming City where every inch of land is precious, how can one be considered useless?" Sun Hang retorted.

"I think so too." Candle Dragon nodded with a smile and pushed open the tavern door.

Even though it's afternoon, there were still a few patrons inside the tavern, drinking and reading books at the same time — although it's called a tavern, the number of books on the shelves exceeds the number of bottles of wine on the racks, with over a dozen bookshelves connecting to the ceiling partitioning the tavern into several sections.

Close to the corner, there's even a fairly large performance stage with a complete drum set on it.

Hearing someone push the door open, the patrons inside the tavern just glanced up and then continued to focus on their own books... These people seemed to be regulars here, and were accustomed to Candle Dragon's unseasonable attire.

Candle Dragon's fame among ordinary people seems far less than that of the Overlord. On the way here, there were not many people who recognized his identity. The reason why passersby frequently gave him side glances was solely that— it was a bit conspicuous for someone to be wearing winter clothes in early summer among those dressed in lighter attire.

The trio, including Sun Hang, found a seat by the window and sat down. Candle Dragon picked up the menu on the table and handed it to Sun Hang and the Puppet Master, saying, "I'm treating, order whatever you like."

"Uh... this 'Long Island Iced Tea,' is it tea?" Sun Hang asked.

"No, it's a mixed cocktail, made from four base spirits: vodka, gin, rum, and tequila, then blended with chilled lemon juice and mint, it's quite strong. As for why it's named that way, it's simply because it originated in a place called Long Island, and its color is very similar to black tea." Candle Dragon patiently explained.

"Then I'll have this Butterbeer instead, the non-alcoholic version." Sun Hang said.

"And Miss Zhong?" Candle Dragon looked at the Puppet Master.

"Latte." The Puppet Master was sparing with words.

"Then one Long Island Iced Tea, one non-alcoholic Butterbeer, and one Latte." Candle Dragon told the bartender behind the counter.

"Do you come here often?" Sun Hang asked, "It seems they're used to your outfit."

"I like to drop by whenever I have some free time." Candle Dragon said, "I can tell from your expression that you're quite curious about my attire."

"Probably... it has something to do with your power of a cold nature, right?" Sun Hang guessed.

Candle Dragon smiled but said nothing.

"But I'm quite puzzled, since you possess such power, shouldn't you not be afraid of the cold?" Sun Hang asked.

It sounds as absurd as a venomous cobra needing to regularly take antidotes to ensure it doesn't poison itself with its own venom.

"These clothes are used to insulate temperature, just in the opposite direction to what you think." Candle Dragon took off his gloves and placed his fingers on the table, instantly covering the tabletop with a layer of frost.

Sun Hang instantly understood his meaning.

Candle Dragon dressed like this to prevent his excessively low "body temperature" from affecting the surrounding environment... Without these dense clothes sealing off the chill, he would be like a walking humanoid cooler.

However, if one were to be in the same room with Candle Dragon on a hot summer day, could they potentially save on air conditioning costs?

"I've had a cold constitution since childhood, dressing like this is an act of necessity." Candle Dragon said with a smile, though his words didn't carry a trace of helplessness.

"Since childhood? Did you become infected at a very young age?" Sun Hang asked again.

"Can I take it as you're probing for information about me?"

"Of course, even though the trials are paused now, who knows if in the later stages you'll appear as my opponent. Gathering some info now ensures I won't know nothing about you then, don't you agree?" Sun Hang candidly admitted.

"Actually, it's no secret, the Candle Dragon lineage's bloodline has been passed down for over seventy years now, at this point I'm the fifth generation." Candle Dragon said.

"Bloodline? The meme of the eerie entity... can it be inherited through bloodline?" Sun Hang was somewhat surprised, "I've never heard of such a thing."

"Candle Dragon is just a bit unique." Candle Dragon remarked, "The first person to be infected with the Candle Dragon meme was my great-great-grandfather. After my great-great-grandmother gave birth to the fourth child, who is my great-grandfather, my great-great-grandfather passed away without any forewarning, and the Candle Dragon meme on him vanished completely, only to later be detected on my great-grandfather."

"...That's so mysterious?"

"The Candle Dragon meme has a characteristic, as the infected gradually ages, it randomly appears on one of their descendants, and once a descendant with the Candle Dragon meme is born, the older infected generation immediately dies."

"So in other words, as soon as your child is born with the Candle Dragon meme, it heralds the arrival of death for you?" Sun Hang asked.

"Exactly."

"If you don't marry or have children, can you live to a normal human life expectancy?"

"Uncertain, but that situation wouldn't occur." Candle Dragon shook his head, calmly stating, "The fighting power provided by the Candle Dragon meme is quite strong, and the process of infection is exceptionally stable. As its 'bearer,' it is our most important responsibility to propagate descendants and pass the Candle Dragon meme down through generations, it's also the mission passed down through our lineage."

"Hasn't Dubhe Tower ever tried to 'transplant' your meme into someone else without blood relation to your family?"

"Of course they've tried, but without exception, all have failed." Candle Dragon's tone was very calm, as if he were telling a story completely unrelated to him, "Rather than saying we are infected by the eerie entity meme, it would be more accurate to say that our bloodline itself is the eerie entity."

"A phenomenon-type eerie entity?"

"Sort of... but Dubhe Tower has not assigned it an independent serial number, in the official records, this phenomenon is classified under the characteristics of the Candle Dragon meme." Candle Dragon said.

"Then how did your great-great-grandfather get infected over seventy years ago?"

"I don't know, he never mentioned it." Candle Dragon shook his head.