Chapter 131: Lu Jiang
Although the final outcome was not ideal, the absolute safety express still completed its mission well, carrying Mo Tan and his group of four back to Tian Zhu Mountain.
Although it took several times longer than Mo Tan's journey to Dragon Soul Town, it eventually flew back with some thrills... well, it flew back anyway, and it's worth noting that no 'man-made' accidents occurred during this process; Jia Deka's staff was well-behaved, Ya Ya's emotions were stable, and Ji Xiaoge didn't make supper for everyone. From every angle, it was perfect.
As for why the express eventually fell from the sky, there was no special reason...
A thrilling takeoff, a turbulent journey, and a logical crash—that's probably how it went.
Lu Wei's judgment was not problematic; even with slight damage and an overflowing passenger capacity, the express theoretically was still capable of bringing Mo Tan and his three companions from Dragon Soul Town. Of course, Master Lu was quite open-minded about whether it would land or crash in the end.
For Lu Wei, who possessed all the characteristics of the Goblin race, this level of error was completely acceptable.
Anyway, the absolute safety express was quite reliable in its construction, so even if a 'plane crash'—as those common people call it—occurred, it wouldn't necessarily result in fatalities... probably.
...
“Hey… Is Ye Ge alright?” Jia Deka, covered in dust, crawled up from nearby and shouted towards the Feather ball next to the absolute safety express. He was in pretty good shape, with no injuries except for accidentally tweaking his back.
This shows that this Old Mage, with his extremely developed reflexes and motor skills, truly lived up to the phrase 'agile'. He unfastened his chains just before the absolute safety express was about to land and curled himself into an 'O' in mid-air. This subconscious action relieved Jia Deka of most of the impact and force. This series of maneuvers could not have been done better even by a High-Rank Ranger.
As for Ji Xiaoge...
“I’m fine too.” The white Feather ball unfurled, and the girl inside stumbled forward two steps, holding her forehead as she replied, “I’m just a little dizzy; I’ll be fine after a moment.”
Her actions were similar to Jia Deka's, except the latter curled himself into an 'O', while Ji Xiaoge wrapped herself into an 'O' with her wings. She also jumped earlier than Jia Deka, so after flapping her wings several times before landing, the girl sustained almost no injuries.
Then, these two 'cheaters' simultaneously turned to look at the absolute safety express, just in time to see a round hole open up on it...
“Woo~” Ya Ya, with spiral eyes, shakily rolled out from inside, supporting herself on the round opening. The girl also seemed unharmed, but she appeared even dizzier than Ji Xiaoge, lying on the ground, whimpering 'woo woo' for a long time, as if she couldn't even say 'Woof Woof' anymore, which was quite distressing.
Mo Tan also crawled out of the absolute safety express after Ya Ya rolled out. Compared to the latter, his appearance was much more miserable, covered in bruises, and although his eyes weren't spiraling, they were very dazed. Many parts of his armor even had cracks!
“Is everyone… alright?” He collapsed to the ground, first chugging a healing potion, then taking out two new ones and shaking them towards Ji Xiaoge and Jia Deka… or rather, the empty air between them: “Which of you two wants one?”
Ji Xiaoge walked over, helping Ya Ya up, and shook her head, saying, “Jia Deka and I are fine. It seems you’re the most seriously injured out of the four of us…”
“Woo~” Ya Ya, looking dejected, immediately lifted her head and barked, “Just now, it kept Woof Woof spinning, and Woof Woof was Woof Woofing then! Then Mo kept Woof Woofing behind, protecting Woof Woof, and got Woof Woofing like this…”
Mo Tan, who had just managed to restore his health to about one-third, shook his head and asked Jia Deka and Ji Xiaoge, “That’s not the point. I didn’t see clearly just now. Did either of you see… something on the ground?”
“Yes, someone.” Jia Deka instantly tensed up, his face pale, and he nodded, quickly walking towards the absolute safety express lying on the ground behind Mo Tan: “I should not have misread it, it’s a little girl!”
Ji Xiaoge, who was holding Ya Ya, also nodded with a worried expression and whispered, “I tried desperately to make her get away, but that girl seemed to be scared stiff and just stood there motionless…”
“Jia Deka!” Mo Tan immediately turned around and pressed his hand against the side of the absolute safety express, pushing it forward vigorously while shouting to the Old Mage, “You’re strong, let’s push it together, push upwards when you exert force!”
“Okay!”
Fifteen seconds later
The three (Ya Ya was still slumped) stood around a puddle of light green, spreading liquid, looking at each other in silence.
Jia Deka plopped down onto the ground: “What a sin!”
Ji Xiaoge also stomped her foot hard: “It’s all my fault. I should have had a chance to net her aside with my ramen.”
Mo Tan shook his head, his face pale, and was about to say something, but then...
“Um, excuse me, could you please get off me first?” A slightly hoarse female voice surprisingly came from beneath the three of them, and it was quite polite.
!?
The three immediately looked in astonishment at the puddle of unknown 'liquid' beneath their feet, then simultaneously took several steps back.
“Thank you~”
The voice sounded again, and then a horrifying scene unfolded.
The pale green liquid twisted and began to gather towards the center, gradually transforming into a gelatinous substance during this process, then quickly piled up, forming the outline of a girl in just a few seconds, and finally…
The tall girl, who appeared completely unharmed, bowed slightly to the three and shyly said, “Hello.”
Jia Deka: (⊙⊙)
Ji Xiaoge: (⊙⊙)
Mo Tan: (⊙⊙)
Ya Ya, not far away: Σ(っ°Д°;)っ
“Ah, sorry, I should have introduced myself first.” The girl awkwardly scratched her hair and smiled very naturally, “My name is Lu Jiang, I’m a Druid, and I’m currently on my way to find my brother.”
Ji Xiaodao nodded: “Lu Jiang, huh…”
Jia Deka paused slightly: “Druid?”
Ya Ya gave an impressed 'Woof Woof'.
Mo Tan, after carefully observing the girl in front of him, asked with a hint of hesitation, “Excuse me, did we just…?”
“Ah, you did hit me, but it’s okay~” Lu Jiang waved her hand and said very calmly, “I forgot to dodge, it’s fine.”
Ji Xiaoge, somewhat uneasy, walked over and carefully observed the girl, who was more than half a head taller than herself. Only after confirming that the other party showed no signs of injury or discomfort did she whisper, “Are you really alright? I saw you just now turn into… uh…”
She suddenly found herself at a loss for words.
“I’m really fine.” The other party, however, shook her head seriously, “I transformed just now, so I wasn’t injured and didn’t feel any pain.”
Ji Xiaoge finally completely relaxed.
“Wait, you said you just transformed?” Jia Deka suddenly asked, “A Druid’s transformation?”
Lu Jiang nodded: “That’s right!”
The well-traveled Old Mage frowned slightly and muttered, “But I’ve never seen a Druid who can transform into… uh, a puddle of liquid.”
That makes sense...
As is well known, although the Druid profession possesses transformation abilities, most cases do not go beyond a few paths: agile and highly offensive leopards, lions, tigers; well-rounded, tough-skinned bears, savage beasts; flying birds, falcons that can soar through the sky; dolphins, seals that can swim underwater, and so on…
The most powerful Druids can even transform into dragons, and their strength is almost on par with true dragons; aside from being unable to use Dragon Language Magic, both their breath and dragon's might are identical to the original.
Druid is a profession without blind spots; this is a consensus among most people.
They can take on almost any role: fly, burrow, swim, deliver messages, act as a tank, mix potions, and even transform into a cute little animal (or large animal) to show off if necessary.
But!
What in the world did this Lu Jiang transform into just now?!
“Little sister Lu Jiang, I also know a few Druids, but I’ve never seen anyone who can transform like you into…” Jia Deka gesticulated, trying to organize his words for a long time, but ultimately couldn’t find a suitable noun to describe that puddle from before.
The girl smiled somewhat awkwardly and shook her head, “My Druid spells aren’t very orthodox, so it’s normal that you wouldn’t know, old sir. Also… I’m not a little sister, I’m… male.”
“Oh~” Jia Deka nodded understandingly, “That’s fine, I’m not exactly an orthodox ma… What did you say!?”
Mo Tan and Ji Xiaoge, who were beside him, had already turned to stone.
“I said, my Druid spells aren’t very orthodox.” The ‘girl’ with a pink dress, tall and delicate in appearance, said with a smile, “So it’s normal that you wouldn’t know.”
Jia Deka: “No… no, I mean…”
“You’re not a girl?!” Ji Xiaoge, who only reacted now, gasped in surprise, “You’re a boy?!”
Mo Tan didn't say anything, but at this moment, he was secretly starting to wonder if there was something wrong with his character. Why, after playing this game for so long, had he never encountered a normal person!
Not even one!
Lu Jiang gave a bitter, resigned smile, her tone desolate: “I am indeed male, except for… this current body…”
【Lu Jiang】
Race: Silver Elf
Gender: Forced Female
Level: Ancient Druid Level 8
Alignment: lawful neutral
Faith: Kates, God of the Jungle
Health: 200 / 200
Nature Energy: 100 / 100
Talents: True Big Shot, Maiden Heart, Forest Girl, Silver Bloodline, Endangered
Basic Attributes: Strength 10, Wisdom 10, Agility 10, Constitution 10
Civil Attributes: Eloquence 3, Charm 25, Knowledge 12, Leadership 1
Combat Attributes: Ancient Bloodline Level 2, Nature School Level 2
Skills: Ancient Druid Shapeshifting (Beginner)
...
Clearly, Lu Jiang was a player, an Innocent World player just like Mo Tan and Ji Xiaoge.
And then, ‘she’ was a male, at least he was definitely male in reality, from both a physiological and psychological perspective.
A sunny, vibrant, and youthful boy.
But when he played this game… something went wrong…
Everything was fine when he chose his faction by opening the door, but when he started creating his character, something terrible happened…
No matter what efforts Lu Jiang made, his in-game character always defaulted to a female template!
Of course, who hasn't created a few opposite-sex characters in online games? Although such instances are indeed rare in mental virtual games, Lu Jiang didn't furiously smash his gaming pod. So, unable to overcome the system, he eventually gave up and entered the game.
And then he saw his two maliciously designed talents…
【True Big Shot】
Passive Talent
Trait: Your gender is permanently fixed as female, and you are immune to any transformation skills, magic, or items.
【Note: You are female, you just are female, you should be female, I won’t listen, I won’t listen, I won’t listen…】
...
【Maiden Heart】
Passive Talent
Trait: You can only wear female-exclusive equipment, and cannot wear any general or male equipment. You gain a permanent 20% increase in benefits from equipment and a 20% reduction in equipment requirements.
【Note: Everyone has a maiden heart, and you are the chosen (male) child.】
...
“In short, the situation is rather complicated.” Lu Jiang shrugged, saying weakly, “Although I should indeed be considered female right now, I am genuinely male, so everyone just… sigh, whatever, I’ve gotten used to it along the way.”
Mo Tan and Ji Xiaoge exchanged glances, both seeing a certain conjecture in each other’s eyes, but neither of them said much. The former, being understanding, skillfully changed the subject and gently asked Lu Jiang, “So, that transformation you just did was?”
“Oh, that~ that’s my basic ability.” Lu Jiang blinked, “Do you know about Slimes?”
They really did know!
The three, excluding Ya Ya, all nodded.
Lu Jiang scratched her head and chuckled, “Actually, I just turned into a Slime.”
【Ancient Druid Shapeshifting (Beginner)】
Composite Skill
Mastery Requirements: Possess any Ancient Bloodline, Possess the Ancient Druid profession
You can transform into a Primitive Slime, and from this, transform into any beast you have defeated. You can store a maximum of three forms. Current stored forms: Chick / Land Tortoise / Salted Fish
Primitive Slime Form: All attributes increased by 5, all magic resistance increased by 10, movement speed reduced by 30%, immune to impact, penetration, bleeding effects, and reduces physical damage by 99%.
Chick Form: Movement speed increased by 10%, can fly for a short period, 1% chance to trigger bleeding effect when attacking, takes 10% more damage from fire spells.
Land Tortoise Form: Constitution increased by 10, defense increased by 30%, movement speed reduced by 75%, gains skill: True Retraction.
Salted Fish Form: When in water, agility increased by 10, movement speed increased by 50%. When out of water, loses 10% health per second.
【Note: Although you are very weak now, but… emmmm】
...
“That’s pretty much it.” Lu Jiang spread her small hands and shrugged, “I think I might be unconventional, in every sense of the word~”
Chapter 128: End