Life is tough, so Honglong resorts to performing?

Chapter 59 Performances and the Black Market (4k)

As noon approached, visitors from all over the zoo, with the help of the staff, learned that the red dragon, nicknamed "Spark," would be flying over the entire park, just like yesterday.

Many tourists who came specifically for the fun began to gather at the Heart of Lava venue.

Many regular visitors to the Green Leaf Zoo also expressed their dissatisfaction with the red dragon's harassment of other creatures in the park yesterday.

After all, Green Leaf Rare Animals is not a completely commercial zoo, and many of the rescued animals have their own unique fans.

On the smooth skull of the Frostfire King, Loren awoke from a deep meditative state, revealing a pair of golden vertical pupils.

He straightened his long neck, squinted his eyes, and gently swept his gaze across the entire room.

Outside, a large crowd of tourists had gathered to see him, and the sun was approaching noon.

Several druid apprentices were maintaining order nearby.

Everyone is ready and waiting.

We await his appearance.

Loren then stood up, his body straightening from its lying position, and his dark red dragon wings unfurled.

Even atop the 25-meter-high giant skull, sharp-eyed tourists quickly shouted out.

"He's going to fly!"

People's eyes quickly turned to the giant dragon on the skull. The dragon raised its front claws and waved something upwards, causing gaps to appear in the protective array that covered the entire Heart of Lava arena.

The dragon shook its body, and then, to everyone's expectant gaze, it squatted back down, changed its posture, and lay down comfortably.

"what?"

"This is?"

"That's not right, is it?"

Several tourists with low patience started cursing on the spot.

Although they were quickly stopped by nearby staff, some people still began to leave.

Loren squatted on the skull, looking at the scene below, and couldn't help but find it amusing.

He did come to work to perform, but that doesn't mean he's going to be a comedian.

Even now, a significant number of people are here because of his antics that were spread on the Magic Crystal Network yesterday.

It's common knowledge that being a comedian is the hardest job.

If they can't come up with anything new, they'll be quickly abandoned by the audience.

On the contrary, being a "vase" is easier; all you need to do is be handsome and stylish.

Making a silly mistake now and then, and creating something amazing, can make a classic that lasts forever.

If you can make a living based on your looks and figure, then don't rely on your abilities.

If you rely on your abilities for a long time, people will start to overlook the fact that you're actually quite good-looking and have a good figure.
They'll only remember you as a silly, ridiculous fool.

As a little red dragon who gained some fame because of his true dragon lineage, Loren always remembered that he had to be an idol.

He has to be aloof.

You can't just start making a scene for people who see it; that makes you seem cheap.

Cheap things are not valued by others.

So, under the watchful eyes of the tourists, the little red dragon tossed and turned, got up, lay down, and repeated this two or three times. Only after many tourists who were there just for fun left the Heart of Lava disappointed did Loren finally get up and lazily stretch out his dragon wings.

"This time, he's really going to take off."

Below, outside the venue, the musician Sisos, who had been watching Loren, shouted out in surprise.

But the tourists, tired of being kept in suspense by the red dragon, were no longer interested in such things and simply offered casual rebuttals.
"Oh? How did you know? None of the druids in the park have said anything. When it comes to animal instincts, can you really beat them?"

"The red dragon is not an animal, but a noble and intelligent being!"

Sisos corrected him, somewhat annoyed.

He really wanted to tell those druids who only read from documents that they knew nothing, but he held back when he thought that they might be the red dragon's colleagues.

Just wait and see, time will prove me right.

Facing the sky above the venue, Loren waved his pass once more, and the protective magic circle slowly opened.

Some people still had their eyes on the red dragon above, but because of Loren's repeated tricks, they were no longer as excited as before.

A deep, booming roar shattered the previous cycle of teasing, and as the sound spread, a giant red beast soared into the sky!
The dragon's agile figure finally appeared in the sky, and before the crowd below could even gasp in surprise, the dark red, blood-red dragon shadow glided down!

In the blink of an eye, the red dragon's figure went from blurry to clear and became enormous.

The ferocious dragon horns, sharp dragon teeth, and dark red scales gleamed in the midday sun, while its enormous, outstretched wings cast large shadows.

At this moment, even tourists who had experienced it once before felt their hearts pounding.

Even though they knew the red dragon wouldn't actually harm them.

Just like yesterday, this is just a performance.

But their primal fear still overwhelmed their reason; perhaps they still need to get used to the stimulation.

Ancient memories were activated, and people seemed to recall the terror of crawling under the dragon's wings.

"what!!!"

A female tourist screamed, and her scream seemed to trigger a chain reaction. Instantly, screams rose and fell, and some people even began to run away.

Upon seeing this, Loren also quickly raised the price.

He used magic to summon rising air currents to counteract the gale-force winds generated by his dive; he didn't want to be the one getting hit in the opposite direction.

If he falls badly and claims it was because of the wind, it wouldn't be good to make him pay for it.

Although he might not actually lose money, getting involved in this kind of thing would ruin his career.

Although we're just here to coast along, we can't cause trouble for the employer.

We're the Little Red Dragon who really understands risk control!

As the dragon's form receded and shrank, the fleeing crowd stopped in their tracks.

The woman who had screamed first remained motionless for a long time before finally uttering a single sentence.
"This is so exciting!"

Sisos was very dissatisfied with these newcomers.

The red dragon's body, which had stopped during its dive, was noticeably taller than yesterday.

In other words, because these guys aren't strong enough to handle pressure, their performance today was noticeably less energetic than yesterday's!
Clearly, he had forgotten his disarray the previous day; his eyes were fixed only on the red dragon's silhouette. The commotion Loren had caused quickly spread throughout the surrounding area. Through the magic crystal terminals and the staff of each venue, the visitors in the park soon learned that the red dragon was flying.

The crimson dragon shadow swept across the various venues once again, causing a commotion and screams.

During this time, Loren slowly swooped down several times, passing through the crowds of young tourists so they could take photos and videos of him.

He dared not approach and scare the elderly and children, even though he had a high level of legal resistance, the other party was no less formidable.

For the sake of work, it's best to avoid their sharp edge for now.

Loren enjoyed the gasps and exclamations, and after circling the entire park, he returned to the outside of the Lava Heart stadium.

This time, the food truck was already parked in the parking lot outside the venue, with cuts of lamb on it.

Loren swiftly and cleanly grabbed it with his claws, opened the arena's protective barriers, and returned to the top of the skull in the outer arena.
Unlike last time, this time Loren didn't bother with the food. Instead, he simply used dragon breath to roast the outside until it was crispy, and then used the heat of the fire element to cook the inside thoroughly.

This inevitably disappointed some tourists, many of whom had come specifically to see the red dragon roast a bull with its tail after watching the video.

Loren was also somewhat disappointed.

After all, the delicious taste of the mutton from this morning is still fresh in my memory. Eating this barely cooked, bland and tasteless thing now can only be described as a necessity for work.

I just enjoyed a meticulously prepared meal, and now you want me to eat white food? Do you expect me to do something outrageous? Do I look like a professional mukbang streamer?
After finishing processing the food, Loren found another spot on the Frostfire King's skull, lay down, and resumed his deep meditation.

The noise and excitement of the outside world were no longer relevant to him at this moment. The flow of magic within his body and the ancient memories of the Dragon's Legacy became the only things he needed to focus on.

He squatted there until the sun began to set, when the zoo's announcement reminding visitors to leave came on.

Loren slowly opened his eyes. It was time; the cafeteria was serving lunch.

He returned to the skull of the Frostfire King, took out the stone cauldron, grabbed it with his dragon claws, and flew towards the direction of the dining hall.

After exchanging knowing glances with the chef and placing the stone pot in the kitchen, Loren carried a full jar of food and sat down next to the old druid, Aaron.

The old man raised an eyebrow at this. He remembered how he had tricked the little red dragon last time, and given his vengeful nature towards the higher races...

"Speak up, what is it? You need to explain clearly, I may not be able to handle it."

Loren smiled upon hearing this, gaining an even deeper understanding of Old Deng's cunning and shrewdness.

The fact that someone like him could become a Druid and even reach Tier 3 is only because all the gods are currently offline.

If he had even opened his eyes, he would have already killed this cunning fellow with a single storm.

What happened to the druids?!
In fact, this is where Loren's misunderstanding of the druid profession comes in.

Putting aside the fact that these guys themselves revere nature itself, rather than being natural deities.

If nature gods truly responded to the world, this old man could have become a priest long ago.

Among Druid groups and nature-based professionals, there is no shortage of idealism and radical idealism; otherwise, they wouldn't be called Green Terrorists.

Born in the polluted lower city, yet still able to develop to the third tier, a smooth-talking realist idealist, he would be perfect as a priest for a nature-based deity.

"I want to go to the black market in Greenleaf City, and I hope you can be my introducer."

Facing the old man, Loren stated his needs without hesitation.

Upon hearing this, the old man frowned.
"What are you doing at the black market? Selling your blood?"

"I must remind you that because of the wood elves, pharmaceutical companies in Greenleaf City prefer plant-based preparations, and the quality and demand for dragon blood are not high."

Loren was speechless for a moment. "No, how do you know this?"
“There used to be a pharmaceutical gang in the black market here, consisting of a half-dragon and an enlightened dragon beast, which I took down.”

The old man was unfazed by Loren's surprise, and simply explained,
“They used their identities on the magic crystal terminal to lure those naive half-dragons and less-enlightened dragon beasts to Emerald Leaf City, captured them and used them as blood banks. Several of them either died or had their foundations damaged.”

Loren could only be thankful that there were no such false messages in his part-time job group.

"The group owner is such a good person. What kind of powerful being is he?"

Loren thought to himself silently.

He remembered that a few years ago, someone posted fake job information in a part-time job group, and then that person was taken advantage of offline.

He was thinking at the time, how did the group leader discover and deal with the situation so quickly when prophetic spells were not applicable in this era? Could it be a charade to deceive people?
However, subsequent events showed that the group owner seemed to be very powerful and had a deep background.

This is why Loren dared to embark on a cross-city trip after seeing the recruitment notice for animals at the Emerald Leaf Zoo in the group chat.

Loren had to admit that he had encountered quite a few big fish in the sea along the way.

Heroes of the world are as numerous as carp crossing a river, and this world of Ellen is like a vast ocean, swallowing up countless heroes.

"I'm not selling my blood, but something else, some common items that can be exchanged for money."

Loren shook off the jumbled thoughts in his mind and spoke to the old druid.

"Okay, that's fine, but the black market will only be open one last time this month."

"I'll contact you next Monday. Remember to prepare your things in advance."

Old Aaron didn't ask Loren what he wanted to sell, because everyone has their own secrets.

This is also part of his understanding of nature.

"Okay, but it's only been ten days or so since the beginning of the month, why is the black market closing down already?"

Loren nodded while expressing his doubts.

In his opinion, it was too much to only have the black market open for half a month.

"Well, the drow elf delegation from Spiderweb City is coming, so we have to follow the higher-ups' strategy."

Old Aaron rolled his eyes. Even he disliked the orthodox drow of Spiderweb City; they were too troublesome.

"What does the drow elf have to do with the black market closing down?"

Loren was even more puzzled by this. He had never heard of the black market being closed when the dwarves visited Linyue before!
Would a group of high-end visitors really go to the lower city or wander around the black market?
Never heard of it!
"That's because you don't understand the thought process of the Drow."

Old Aaron scratched his head and explained that he didn't really understand either; it was explained to him by some professionals, who left him speechless.

"The orthodox Drow take pride in intrigue and shady dealings, so their delegations, whenever they visit a city, will secretly send people to search for underground and shady places in the area."

"Once they find it, they will observe and laugh at your clumsy attempts at intrigue and shady dealings, and take pride in it, constantly attacking you in negotiations."

"Is this even possible? Is this something to be proud of?"

Loren was genuinely surprised. Was this true?

"If those die-hard drow were truly intelligent, would they still be clinging to their faith in Lolth, the Spider Queen, five hundred years after the founding of the Federation?"

For once, Aaron's tone carried a hint of sarcasm.

(End of this chapter)