010 Eye of Mist_1

Nolan Forest was suddenly enveloped in a dense fog, making it difficult to see anything in the distance.

However, Otto decided to venture out anyway, as he needed to take a bath. The odors on him and Sofia were becoming unbearable.

This was a damp rainforest, a paradise for monsters and beasts. Giant trees reached skyward everywhere, thick vines coiling around them, while dense foliage of varying heights formed a natural labyrinth.

Emerging from a pool of water after washing off the dirt and grime on his scales, Otto felt much refreshed.

Sofia sat on the bank, feet splashing in the water, smiling as she used a tattered cloth to help wipe down Otto's scales.

The surrounding beasts and monsters dared not approach this huge creature that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Instinctively, they kept their distance.

However, their need for water also made them unwilling to leave the area. This was the only nearby water source.

For dinner, Otto caught a massive wild boar that looked rather succulent. The creature had boldly approached the pool for a drink despite its massive size.

Otto simply slaughtered it with a single swipe of his claws near the water, then brought it back to the cave. Once he left, other beasts and monsters hiding nearby finally dared to step forward and drink.

On their way back, Sofia picked some fruits, but they wouldn't be enough for a meal. While the Half-Elf Loli didn't enjoy meat, she didn't abstain from it entirely. She just preferred more delicate foods.

Once back in the cave, Sofia expertly cast a fireball to light up the fire pit. Otto then skewered the freshly-slaughtered boar on a small tree trunk to roast it.

Though there was no harm for Otto in eating raw meat, cooked meat was obviously the better choice if possible. Furthermore, raw meat wasn't good for Sofia's growth.

While gnawing at the roasted meat, Otto pondered their next move. Having gained freedom from the arena, he still knew very little about the world.

This was just the outskirts of Nolan Forest, with very few creatures capable of posing a threat to Otto. Correspondingly, the prey available here wasn't particularly impressive either.

Within the cave was a black bear, which was more or less the ruler of the local ecosystem. Creatures like this enormous boar were incredibly rare.

Most creatures here were simply ordinary wild rabbits or small Kobolds. It would be challenging for them to survive here in the long term.

As Otto's size continued to increase, so did his need for food. It seemed inevitable that they would have to venture deeper into Nolan Forest.

As for returning to human society? That would be asking for trouble. They would either be hunted by human adventurers or be captured and raised as pets by the rich and powerful. Neither outcome appealed to Otto.

As Otto contemplated their next move, Sofia chewed her meat delicately and grumbled, "This fog is really strange. As long as I'm within the fog's range, the magic elements seem unwilling to respond to me. It's as if the fog itself is a spell."

Otto lacked any knowledge of magic and couldn't even sense the existence of magic elements; hence, he couldn't continue the conversation with Sofia.

What he didn't realize was that this fog he couldn't comprehend exposed their existence to the master of Nolan Forest.

Deep within the Nolan Forest, the trees grew even more lush, towering above. In their midst stood an incredibly colossal tree, as large as a mountain.

The giant tree was covered with vines thicker than humans, woven tightly together in an orderly fashion, forming a peculiarly shaped giant nest.

Sharp thorns sprouted from the vines, transforming the nest-like fortress into an impregnable stronghold.

At first glance, it genuinely resembled the lair of a demon king.

Indeed, it wasn't far from the truth. The master of this Thorn Nest was Cassiopeia, the Mother of Thorns and self-proclaimed supreme ruler of Nolan Forest. She was an adult Green Dragon.

When she was just a dragonling, her mother had driven her out of the den. She then came to Nolan Forest to make a living.After more than a hundred years of hard work, she finally managed to take control of part of this vast and fertile rainforest, becoming the uncrowned king here.

Although she was only a king in name, her life was quite good, but who would have thought that during these years, a Red Dragon suddenly flew in from the nearby Sulfur Mountains.

This fellow immediately wanted to snatch away the territory she had painstakingly managed for over a hundred years.

Because they started fighting directly when they first met, Cassiopeia didn't even know the real name of this Red Dragon.

In their first encounters, the Red Dragon didn't gain much from her, as most Red Dragons liked to be loners, and this one was no exception.

Cassiopeia had been managing Nolan Forest for over a hundred years, and she had countless monster minions at her disposal.

In a one-on-one fight, she was no match for the Red Dragon, but who said she had to face him head-on in a duel?

Drowning him in a sea of her Thorn Legion's monsters was what she loved to do most.

Seeing the not-so-smart Red Dragon getting beaten up and crawling away always brought her a good mood for a long time.

But good times didn't last long. Suddenly, a large number of powerful monster minions appeared under the Red Dragon's command, resulting in the two sides gradually becoming evenly matched in their struggle.

However, the Red Dragon's fighting power was slightly stronger than hers, so she was starting to lose in their later confrontations, which made Cassiopeia very frustrated.

Fortunately, this guy was a brainless fool, or else Cassiopeia might have lost the struggle long ago.

She first tried to figure out why the Red Dragon suddenly gained so many monster followers, but when she learned the truth, she became even more frustrated.

Lowly monsters like kobolds or gnolls were not worth mentioning.

But those powerful monsters, such as wyverns and manticores, simply decided to follow him unconditionally just because he was an adult Red Dragon.

She had once extended an olive branch to monster groups like wyverns, but at that time, those arrogant creatures didn't give her the time of day.

As for her current followers, she had to use both threats and bribes to get them to follow her, which was a real headache.

In contrast, the brainless Red Dragon could just rely on his imposing appearance to attract a large number of loyal followers, which made her furious.

"Pah, this world is obsessed with appearances!"

Cassiopeia, unhappy, began to check the feedback from the Eye of Mist, her reconnaissance spell.

She was still in a struggle with the Red Dragon, and this fellow was impulsive, always picking fights on a whim.

To avoid being caught off guard by a sudden attack, she regularly sent out the Eye of Mist, using the magical fog it produced to monitor her territory.

The detection range of the magical fog created by the Eye of Mist was huge, almost covering the entire Nolan Forest.

But the spell had a flaw - it could only detect creatures larger than five meters in size.

Since the target was an adult Red Dragon, this flaw could be completely ignored.

Unfortunately, Otto's size happened to meet the detection conditions of the Eye of Mist.

Lying on her sparse pile of treasure, Cassiopeia spoke to herself with interest, "Today, the Red Dragon didn't come, but instead, there's a strange young Silver Dragon?"