Hunter of Mysterious Creature

"This kind of background is enough to make one the protagonist of a novel." Sun Hang commented.

"But there are no novel protagonists destined to not live past fifty!" Candle Dragon laughed.

"That's how novels are now—nine out of ten seek a protagonist that's amazing and invincible, readers can't tolerate the protagonist suffering even a little, and authors are afraid the story is not exciting enough causing readers to abandon their book. If we go back ten or twenty years, protagonists with tragic endings were not rare, topics like heaven being jealous of talent or heroes falling into ruin always brought great emotion..."

Sun Hang paused, then continued, "Moreover, plots about defying fate are the most gripping ones. What previous generations of Candle Dragons couldn't achieve, doesn't mean you can't either."

"Are you trying to comfort me?" Candle Dragon asked.

"No, I'm just simply discussing novels with you." Sun Hang replied.

Sun Hang himself didn't have spare time to read novels, but within the swallowed and merged memories of Ta Sui, there was a lot of information on this subject—among the victims used as Ta Sui's sustenance, there were probably more than one avid novel enthusiasts.

"Ha, I'm not quite fond of reading popular novels; I prefer some ancient texts that others find dull and boring." Candle Dragon glanced at a bookcase on the side, his gaze finally settling on a large set occupying four rows of shelves, "Recently, I've been reading the 'Comprehensive Mirror for Aid in Government', compiled by Sima Guang during the Northern Song era, and just finished sixty volumes of the 'Han Chronicles' the day before yesterday. Next will be the 'Wei Chronicles'."

"Do you like history?" Sun Hang inquired.

"'With bronze as a mirror, one can attire oneself properly; with history as a mirror, one can comprehend rise and fall; with people as a mirror, one can discern right and wrong.' This saying originates from the 'Old Tang Book·Wei Zheng', spoken by one of the most distinguished emperors of Xiazhou Continent, Tang Taizong Li Shimin."

"Were there strange creatures during Tang Taizong's era?" Sun Hang asked again.

"There are no official records of that." Candle Dragon responded, "But in some unofficial histories, there are mentions of malefic creatures haunting the barren lands... In my personal view, the classic line from 'Shu Road Difficult': 'Avoid fierce tigers by day, dodge long snakes by night. Teeth grinding blood sucking, killing comes easy,' might not refer to beasts."

"Is it referring to strange creatures?"

"Not certain, everything is just my speculation." Candle Dragon shrugged.

After saying this, the drinks they ordered finally arrived, and three distinctively styled cups were placed on a walnut tray—Puppet Master's latte was served in a refined bone china cup, Sun Hang's butterbeer used a large glass mug with a handle, foam overflowed at the rim, and as for Candle Dragon, his Long Island iced tea was served in a hammered stainless steel goblet.

Sun Hang noticed that there were no ice cubes in the "Long Island iced tea."

"Shouldn't this be an oversight by the bartender?" Sun Hang pointed at the glass, "Judging by its name, this thing should have ice cubes in it, right?"

"Of course not, it's just my personal habit." Candle Dragon grasped the goblet with the hand without gloves, instantly, a chill emanated from the cup.

"Ice cubes dilute the mixed drink as they melt, causing a constant change in flavor." Candle Dragon explained, "Some people enjoy this gradually changing taste, but I prefer consistency."

"To be fair, this ability of yours is quite handy." Sun Hang took a sip from his mug, the rich foam immediately coated the corners of his mouth.

This non-alcoholic version of butterbeer was made by simmering brown sugar, butter, and light cream, the bartender also added a big spoonful of maple syrup, making the butterbeer taste sweet like honey.

Sun Hang glanced at the Puppet Master sipping her latte in small sips and suddenly asked, "I still don't know your name. Candle Dragon always calls you Miss Zhong, is that your surname?"

The Puppet Master nodded slightly.

"Zhong Ling." She said.

"Zhong Ling? As in 'Zhongling Yuxiu'?"

"It's the 'Ling' from 'Fuling'." The girl quietly corrected.

"What about you?" Sun Hang looked at Candle Dragon.

Sun Hang never adopted a codename, so Yang Qi had complained several times that he was "using real name online," but for Sun Hang, a name is just a person's code, so why waste time using another code to replace this code?

"My name is Candle Dragon." Candle Dragon said, "It's both my name and my codename—just like the meme of Candle Dragon, this name has been passed down through generations."

"The name is quite imposing."

"Candle Dragon was first recorded in the 'Classic of Mountains and Seas: Chapter of the Great Wilderness North' as a creature with a human face and a serpent body, also known as 'Candle Nine Yin' or 'Fire Essence.' Legend has it, its blood is extremely cold and sinister, but its body fat is highly flammable. In ancient times, humans hunted Candle Dragons, refining their fat to make ever-burning candles, which is the origin of the name Candle Dragon."

After Candle Dragon finished speaking, he lightly brushed the edge of the goblet with his finger, and a ring of pale blue flames rose from the rim.

However, instead of bringing any heat, those flames made the surroundings even colder, prompting Zhong Ling, holding a coffee cup, to instinctively shrink back and softly say, "It's so cold."

"Sorry." Candle Dragon smiled apologetically, extinguishing the flames with his palm, gradually dispelling the chilling and eerie feeling.

"These flames are your trump card, aren't they?" Sun Hang said, "When you were dealing with the Overlord, you held back... If I'm not mistaken, the snake-like water currents entangled with the Overlord can burn like this, right?"

Candle Dragon nodded, "But if I did that, Miss Zhong would lose a powerful uncanny corpse."

"You just mentioned that ancient humans hunted Candle Dragons and used their fat to make candles..." Sun Hang moved the topic back, "Could ancient humans really be so powerful? Could they have the capability to hunt such formidable uncanny creatures?"

"Humans have always been formidable, during the primordial era, humans coexisted with various beasts and uncanny creatures in this world, back then there were no distinctions between civilized areas and wilderness..." Imagine, why later humans could expand territories and establish various civilizations, while those primeval beasts and malefic creatures were forced into remote and barren areas?"

"Are you suggesting that in ancient times, humans and uncanny creatures had a great war... And humans were the victors?" Sun Hang pondered, "As for the main fighting force on the human side... Could it be the ancient infectees?"

"That's what I think." Candle Dragon nodded.