madnovel Chapter 1 The Black Death
Chapter 1 The Black Death
The warm breeze couldn't keep out the cold from my body.
It felt like being immersed in ice water, or like having snowflakes stuffed into every crevice of your bones.
Will huddled in the drafty corner, each breath tearing at his lungs, his throat filled with the taste of rust.
He thought, "This time I'm probably really going to die."
He died in this place called Braavos, at the end of an unknown, dirty, narrow alley.
The air was thick with the stench of fish, garbage, and cheap liquor, while in the distance came the crude laughter of sailors and the intermittent sobs of an accordion, making the shadowy place seem even more deathly silent.
How long have you been here? A few months?
Or more than half a year?
My sense of time had long been blurred by the persistent high fever and weakness.
The original owner was a little beggar, probably named Will, who contracted a fever, collapsed on the street, and was then possessed by this soul from another world.
Unfortunately, it occupies a body that is already exhausted and dying.
All that remained was an increasingly heavy body and waves of dizziness that seemed to darken before my eyes.
My stomach was cramping; it wasn't hunger—that feeling was long gone—but a pure, burning pain of emptiness.
My lips are dry, cracked, and peeling, and my throat feels like it's on fire.
He licked his cracked lips, and as if in a hallucination, a faint but incredibly clear sweet fragrance wafted by.
It's the bakery at the alley entrance.
Yesterday, no, the day before yesterday, a well-dressed, plump businessman dropped a small crumb of cake as he passed by, which was snatched away by a swift-eyed stray dog.
It was only about the size of a fingernail, covered in a milky white, slippery substance.
奶油。
A real cream cake.
Will had never seen it before, but the memories and instincts remaining in this body clung to that illusory taste with unwavering stubbornness in the face of death.
Soft, sweet, and fluffy, with the warmth of sunshine and fermented grains, and the richness of cream...
That was a completely different world from moldy black bread and rotten fish and shrimp.
"Cream...cake..." He silently moved his lips, uttering a few almost hallucinatory breathy sounds.
The cold stones pressed against his rugged back, and the chill was slowly draining away his last bit of strength.
My eyelids are getting heavier and heavier.
Fine. This messed-up world, this messed-up fate.
Just before the last vestiges of consciousness were about to sink into darkness—
[Host's strong will to live and specific desires detected... Meets the requirements... Binding in progress...]
[Dragon Raising System Activated.]
[New Player Gift Pack: Dragon Egg (Belarion Bloodline) x1, Basic Contract Technique x1, Basic Dragon Hatching Knowledge Pack x1.]
[Warning: The host's vital signs are extremely weak. Please establish a contract with the dragon egg as soon as possible to nourish yourself with the dragon's life force.]
A series of cold, emotionless mechanical sounds exploded directly in his collapsing consciousness.
Will shuddered, his unfocused eyes suddenly widening.
He coughed violently, coughing up thick phlegm with black streaks, but his breathing miraculously became a little smoother.
Before my eyes, on my retina, or rather, deep within my consciousness, a semi-transparent, rudimentary interface appears.
In the center is a giant egg that floats, covered with dark red and black scale-like patterns, with lava-like textures flowing extremely slowly on the surface of the eggshell.
Below are several dim icons and text.
Not a dream.
He bit his tongue hard; the metallic taste and stinging sensation eased the dizziness slightly.
His gaze darted around with difficulty, landing between his filthy hands—where an egg had appeared out of thin air.
It was exactly the same as what he "saw".
It was about the size of two adult heads, heavy, pressing down on his withered legs.
The eggshell felt slightly warm to the touch, not from the stillness of stone, but from the throbbing of some dormant, powerful life force.
Those dark red and pitch-black patterns, under the light of reality, appear even more profound and eerie, like congealed blood and midnight.
Bellerion bloodline?
Balerion, the Black Death?!
Will's breathing quickened again, not because of his illness, but because of the immense absurdity and shock.
That colossal beast that left behind the most terrifying legends in Game of Thrones history could breathe fire that could melt stone walls and burn down castles...
Its bloodline?
[Please concentrate your mind, focus your will, touch the dragon egg, and activate the basic contract spell.] The system notification sounded again, coldly urging.
There was no time to hesitate.
The feeling of cold and weakness is enveloping me again.
He stared intently at the dragon egg in his arms, held his breath, and completely covered the warm surface of the eggshell with his trembling, mud-covered hands.
Based on the rudimentary knowledge implanted into his mind by the system, he tried to sketch the runes of the contract in his consciousness—not a concrete image, but more like a pure mental connection request, a call and promise between lives.
The faint spiritual energy, like a flickering candle in the wind, probed deep into the eggshell.
At first, there was only darkness and silence, like an ancient, stubborn rock.
Just as Will felt his last bit of strength was about to be exhausted, and his consciousness was about to slide into the abyss again—
thump.
A deep, muffled heartbeat, as if from the depths of the earth, traveled through the eggshell to his palm, causing his broken body to tremble slightly.
Then came the second sound, the third sound...
His heartbeat gradually became stronger and more regular, strangely resonating with his own weak heartbeat.
Inside the eggshell, the dormant will awakened, carrying with it a nascent ignorance, as well as an undeniable majesty and ferocity hidden deep within its bloodline.
It "saw" him.
A tiny, dying, fragile individual.
But it was also the first to touch it and call upon it.
Without much hesitation, perhaps dragons are born with an understanding of the absolute nature of contracts.
A scorching heat surged from inside the eggshell, running down Will's arm and forcefully into his limbs and bones!
"Ugh—!"
Will tilted his head back, veins bulging in his neck, and let out a suppressed, painful roar.
That wasn't a warm current, that was practically scalding lava!
Wherever it passed, frozen blood began to surge, atrophied muscle fibers were torn and reassembled, blocked lungs were violently flushed out, and bones creaked under the strain.
Pain, extreme pain. It felt as if I had been thrown into a furnace.
But amidst this devastating burning pain, he could clearly feel that the persistent illness and weakness, like a bone-deep sore, were being burned and dispelled by this violent and primal life force.
The high fever subsided quickly, and the cold body began to warm up, even becoming hot.
He curled up on the ground, clutching the increasingly hot dragon egg, its heart pounding like a war drum, trembling violently, his tattered clothes soaked with sweat and grime.
I don't know how much time passed; it felt like a century, yet also like only a moment.
The burning sensation receded like a tide, replaced by an indescribable sense of fulfillment and power.
Although he was still thin, the feeling of being rid of his chronic illness and full of vitality was so vivid.
He braced himself against the ground and actually managed to stand up, albeit unsteadily.
The dragon egg in my arms was so hot it was almost burning to the touch.
The dark red and jet-black patterns were now as bright as a red-hot branding iron, especially the jet-black patches, which were dark and deep, as if they could absorb all the light around them.
The sound coming from inside the eggshell is no longer a simple heartbeat, but a restless pulse, yearning to break free.
The contract was successfully established. The life-giving process is complete.
Host condition: Sub-healthy.
The dragon egg hatching process is accelerating... estimated hatching time: 12 hours.
[New player quest released: Prepare your baby dragon's first meal.]
Quest Reward: Dragon Basic Care Knowledge Pack.
Fresh meat?
Will looked at his empty hands and the slum where there was nothing but garbage and shadows.
The aroma of cream cakes from the bakery in the distance seemed to waft over again.
But now, it's not a temptation, but a chilling reminder.
The young dragon's first meal cannot be cake, and he himself also needs food, a lot of food, to fill this body that has been hollowed out and forcibly infused with the life force of dragons.
He needs money. He needs power.
We need to get out of this awful place.
Will took a deep breath, the salty, humid air of Braavos filling his refreshed lungs.
He took off his tattered outer garment, which could barely cover his body, and carefully wrapped the increasingly hot and shimmering dragon egg in his arms.
The eggshell, through the fabric, transmits a steady heat, like a living little sun.
He took one last look at the dark corner where he had huddled for months, which had almost swallowed him whole, and then he took a step.
His steps were a little unsteady at first, but quickly became steady.
Clutching his dragon egg, his hope, his future, he walked out of that dead-end alley and merged into the bustling yet indifferent crowds of Braavos.
The port area is always noisy.
Sailors, prostitutes, thieves, merchants, mercenaries…
People of all kinds surged forth like a turbid stream.
Will's thin, dirty figure was inconspicuous, but the "bundle" wrapped in rags in his arms, which still faintly emitted heat and light, attracted the attention of a few people.
A burly man with a face full of scars and missing a front tooth, wearing a dirty leather vest and with a short axe at his waist, blocked Will's way.
He glanced at the bundle in Will's arms, then looked Will up and down, noting that although Will was still thin, he was clearly more energetic. He grinned, revealing uneven, yellow teeth.
"Hey kid, what good stuff are you carrying? Did you find a treasure? Show it to Master Tormund." He stretched out his hairy hand and grabbed the bundle directly.
Will took a half step back, his eyes turning cold.
After the contract was established and his life force was replenished, his senses became much sharper. He could clearly feel the malice and alcohol on the other party, as well as the slight impatience and restlessness emanating from the dragon egg in his arms—although the fledgling dragon had not yet hatched, it could already vaguely perceive the outside world.
"Get out of the way." Will's voice was hoarse, yet carried a strange calmness.
"Huh? This little stray dog's pretty fierce?" Tormund seemed to have heard a joke, his large hand grabbing even faster. "I'll teach you some Braavos rules!"
Just as that hand was about to touch the bundle—
"Sizzle!"
A wave of heat, almost visible to the naked eye, rose up, accompanied by an extremely faint yet sharp screech that pierced the eardrums!
That wasn't a bird call, nor the sound of any known wild animal.
Those were older, more savage syllables, carrying the scent of fire and sulfur.
Tormund's hand froze in mid-air, and the fat on his face twitched.
He was closest and could clearly feel the sudden burst of heat, as well as the chilling threat contained in the hissing sound.
He looked at the thing in Will's arms with suspicion and uncertainty.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Will kicked Tormund hard in the shinbone—the force of the kick far exceeded his apparent weakness.
"Ouch!" Tormund cried out in pain and staggered backward.
Will stopped looking at him, holding the dragon egg, crouched down and squeezed past, quickly disappearing into the crowd.
Tormund clutched his leg, cursing under his breath, but dared not chase after him any further.
That heat wave and hiss just now were too eerie.
He stared in the direction Will had disappeared, his eyes filled with suspicion. Finally, he spat out a curse, muttered "weird," and limped away.
This was just a minor incident. Will's heart pounded, not with fear, but with excitement and lingering apprehension.
He could sense that the dragon egg's restlessness had subsided somewhat, but its desire to hatch was growing stronger, and its need for energy was being transmitted to him as if it were a tangible thing.
Food must be found as soon as possible. Not only for the young dragon, but also for himself.
He avoided the main roads where there were many people and people, and ventured into the more chaotic, low-rise, and densely packed slums.
The air here is more polluted, but there are fewer people, and the alleyways are like a maze.
Will stopped in a corner piled with rotting vegetable leaves and broken wooden crates.
He gently placed the tattered cloth that had wrapped the dragon egg on the relatively clean ground, then sat down against the damp wall, panting.
The intense stress and walking were taking a toll on this body that had just recovered.
Hunger, like a wild beast awakening, launches a fierce counterattack.
Stomach cramps.
He looked at the restless, pulsating dragon egg in his arms, then at his empty hands and filthy robes.
On the system interface, the "Newbie Tasks" icon was flashing slightly.
Fresh meat rich in energy…
In a place where even black bread has to be stolen, where can you find it?
Will's gaze slowly shifted towards the depths of the alley.
From there, the faint sounds of wild dogs growling and whimpering as they fought for food could be heard.