Chapter 76: Chapter 76: None of the Dragons Are Normal

Zog watched a group of children roughhousing in the distance. One of them was clearly the king of the kids, adored and worshipped by all the others.

The reason was simple: he was wearing a full set of custom-made Mechanical Armor, a symbol of absolute wealth.

The price of that getup was enough to make even Craig check if his allowance could cover it.

Zog had, however, offered Craig a "friends and family" price—an exclusive 5% discount. For a dragon, that was the highest honor he could bestow.

And this "Handsome Guy" in his Mechanical Armor also had a full set of weapons from the main characters, lending them out to whomever he pleased and enjoying unquestionable "supreme authority" among the children, big and small.

If he were just some rich trust-fund kid looking for an ego boost, it would have been perfectly normal.

But Furin said this was an Ancient Red Copper Dragon.

"HSSS—"

Zog sucked in a sharp breath of hot air. He couldn’t help it; in this weather, there was no cold air to suck in.

"Are you sure he’s a Dragon?"

"Positive. That’s Doudou."

"Doudou?" Zog thought for a moment. "You mean that Red Copper Dragon who used to follow you around, could barely walk straight, and was always getting kicked by you to go carry the prey?"

’That’s right,’ Zog thought. ’If he’s still alive, he really would be an Ancient Dragon.’

There were only a dozen or so Ancient Dragons still alive in the world, and three of them had gathered here in Twin Tower City. What a blessing, right?

"You could have left out that last part."

"What’s he doing here?" The Dragon Race had a strong sense of territory. One city couldn’t hold two dragons—though Furin’s situation was, of course, a special case.

"Sightseeing."

His sightseeing itinerary involved playing house with the local kids. Zog felt that, compared to his own kind, he might be a little too normal.

Besides, this guy was the infamous shame of the Dragon Race. He was so afraid of dying that he’d put all his stat points into constitution, and the only Magic he knew was either for self-preservation or for escaping.

As a result, he couldn’t beat a hatchling as a Juvenile Dragon, and he couldn’t beat a sub-adult as a full adult.

However, since his hide was even thicker than Zog’s, while he couldn’t beat other dragons, most of them couldn’t do much to him either.

"How do you know he’s here for sightseeing?" Zog asked.

"He’s my seventh granduncle’s third nephew. Of course I had to say hi when he showed up."

Zog tried to work it out for a moment but couldn’t figure out what the relationship was.

Due to their long lifespans, and the fact that they weren’t as infertile as Elves, the Dragon Race had all sorts of messy generational titles.

The reason the dragon population hadn’t exploded was also simple.

Fighting was fun!

Many young dragons didn’t bother to gauge their opponents’ strength before picking a fight.

And then most of them died like maggots.

"Are you sure he can do object cloning?" Zog was highly skeptical of Doudou’s abilities.

"He doesn’t just know how, he’s an expert. Since no other dragons would play with him, he used his clones to entertain himself. He got so good at it that he mastered object cloning by extension."

’What a sad story.’

"Come on, let’s go say hello."

Doudou was in the middle of a scene, single-handedly taking on a horde of demons. The children who hadn’t been given a weapon were enthusiastically playing the role of his hype men, hoping they’d get a toy in the next round.

"Whoa, what a cool flying kick!"

"It’s the Mad Torrent Demon-Breaking Lance!"

"Doudou!" Furin cut into the "battle," looking like a parent catching her kid playing out too late.

"Who goes there? How dare you speak the true name of the Mechanical Warrior!" Doudou raised his lance and struck a pose in front of Furin.

"Hah! So it is the insolent Evil Dragon! Since you have seen your uncle, why do you not bow? Take this! Mad Torrent Demon-Breaking Lance!"

Doudou raised his lance and charged at Furin, his desolate figure carrying a hint of tragic heroism.

The adoring gazes of his little companions transformed from fawning to worshipful.

He actually dared to face the terrifying adult!

Furin dodged in a flash and slapped Doudou on the head. It was super effective.

Poor Doudou was lifted up by one hand, his short, stubby legs flailing in midair.

"Give me back my weapons! I still need them, you old hag with no sense of humor!"

The children watched as the hero in their hearts, who dared to defy adults, was dragged away by the evil grown-up.

May he return safely.

Red Copper Dragons hated intelligent life forms that lacked a sense of humor.

But, forced by her tyrannical might, Doudou still led this distant grandniece of his—who was older than him—back to his secret treasury in Twin Tower City.

A two-story rental house.

Not knowing was one thing, but seeing it was a real shock.

The rental house was filled with stacks upon stacks of comic books, some Zog had heard of and some he hadn’t.

The only two published volumes of "Mechanical Warrior" were placed in the very center, locked inside a transparent treasure chest.

They even looked to be author-signed editions by Robben and Ribery.

Zog visually estimated that the treasure chest was worth quite a bit more than the comics.

Going up to the second floor, he found it filled with toys—every model Zog’s Toy Store had ever released was there.

The most eye-catching were the full custom-made sets of Mechanical Armor for the main characters of Mechanical Warrior, lined up like life-sized figures.

In the middle of the room was an auto-chess arcade machine. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

The walls were also covered with character posters from various comics.

’The purity is too high.’

This wasn’t sightseeing; this was a procurement run. Zog’s "leek-cutting" had finally reached his own kind.

Zog was very gratified.

While he didn’t know what the most niche dragon hoard looked like, Doudou’s was definitely a strong contender.

"So, what do you want from me?" Doudou activated his Summoner, retracted the Mechanical Armor, placed it ceremoniously on the only empty armor stand, and then displayed it again.

"We need your Clone Magic."

"Huh? You just hit me. Why should I help you?"

"It’s not for me, it’s for Zog." Furin pointed, and Zog offered a friendly smile.

Zog’s attitude was always excellent when dealing with consumers, especially loyal ones.

"You’re Zog? Then you two are..."

Doudou had the expression of someone who just got the juiciest gossip.

"I knew it! No wonder you always singled out that one Red Dragon to bully when you were a kid. So it was because..."

SMACK!

Furin used a physical interrupt.

"Stop hitting my head! I’m already dumb enough as it is." Doudou possessed a clear sense of self-awareness.

"We need your Clone Magic to bring the Magic Vision Device into thousands of homes."

Zog had plenty of practical experience when it came to persuasion.

"If the Magic Vision Device project goes smoothly, we can shoot a Shadow of Evil version of ’Mechanical Warrior.’ Not just one movie, but a whole series, with one episode released every week..."

As Zog spoke, Doudou’s eyes gradually began to glow.

"So the Zog Group is really your creation?" Doudou enthusiastically grabbed Zog’s claw.

"Er, I guess so. But it was mainly a team effort."

"You absolutely cannot die! Listen to me, stop all that robbing. Isn’t it better if we just focus on making toys and comics?"

"Um, I haven’t done that in a long time."

’Kidnapping Elsa doesn’t count. I paid her a salary,’ he thought. ’What unscrupulous companies do when they fire people without severance, now *that’s* robbery.’

"Good, good, good."

"So, about that Clone Technique you mentioned..."

"Say no more! When do we start? Your job is to produce the ’Mechanical Warrior’ Shadow of Evil. Leave the rest to me."

Not once, from beginning to end, was the issue of salary mentioned.

See? This is the great thing about otaku. At critical moments, they can run on passion alone.

「Two days later.」

The first test of the Magic Vision network system commenced. It consisted of a transmission end with an amplified "Hunting" Magic Crystal Stone; a transmission line using Doudou’s Magic Array; and a receiving end, which was the first-generation Magic Vision Device modified by goblins.

The physical distance between the two ends was 1,500 meters.

"Ready. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, connect."

As the command came through via the Sound Transmission Technique, Dr. Fabric activated the Magic Vision Device.

To make observation easier, the machine had no outer casing.

After a brief delay, a phantom image of a Magic Crystal Stone appeared at the machine’s input terminal, right where the Rune was marked.

The black-and-white face of Raul appeared on the small 12-inch screen.

Dr. Fabric couldn’t see anything clearly, because tears blurred his vision.

On August 2nd, 853 of the Third Era, the first operational Magic Vision Device was born.

"Let’s give our first-generation Magic Vision Device a name," Zog said. "And if you come up with another name that can’t fit on one line of a billboard, I’m docking your pay."

"Ha, I won’t," Dr. Fabric replied. "Let’s just call it Mary."

"Your wife’s name?"

"My wife’s name!"