Chapter 308

Chapter 308: A Dragon with Indigestion

When did Gold Coin get so impatient? Did the things found in the stomach of this tiger shark, which was caught by chance, have any special significance for this gold giant dragon?

“Pfft! You wish!” Gold Coin’s furious roar echoed in Lin Mo’s mind like thunder, leaving him momentarily dazed.

This dragon deity contract had such side effects; Lin Mo’s face turned sour instantly.

“Just one condition, no more. Even if it means being my mount, it can only happen once! Any conditions beyond the symbiotic agreement are limited to just once!”

Gold Coin shouted in exasperation.

This guy had a terrible temper, and after all this time in this world, he still hadn’t changed. He was as stubborn as ever, just like his elemental nature.

“Come on, one is one. What’s the big deal? You’re roaring so loudly, nobody thinks you’re mute!”

After all, when he needed the gold giant dragon’s help, it was always a picky affair. Lin Mo had never asked Gold Coin to do anything outside of the rules before; one or ten didn’t make much difference.

In this world, Lin Mo still had a massive army and a national research system backing him. Opportunities for the gold giant dragon to step in were quite rare.

Lin Mo set down his chopsticks and casually weighed the piece of meteorite, the size of a soccer ball. It felt about the same as regular limestone—not particularly heavy or light—except for the occasional bluish shimmer that flashed among its rough edges. It seemed to be a mineral containing various elements, perhaps a magnet or something, but nothing particularly special.

He couldn’t understand why this seemingly ordinary rock attracted Gold Coin so much. It was as if this shark was starving, willing to eat even rocks.

“This thing is a meteorite, extraterrestrial meteorite, containing magical metals.”

“Meteorite? This world has plenty of meteorites; with a bit of money, you can get a hundred or eighty tons without any trouble. Many are iron-nickel meteorites. Even if some rare elements exist on Earth, so what’s so extraordinary about it?”

“This one is different. I sense something special in it; it seems to contain some magical metals. The universe often harbors many unpredictable mysteries. Don’t let go yet; let me sense what it is. Damn, I can’t remember, but it’s definitely a treasure; you must keep it for me.”

“Alright, alright, when I return to the living cabin, you can mess with it as you like. I don’t eat metal, and no one is competing with you.”

“Hey! That’s mine; all of it is mine.”

Gold Coin had no idea how his current image appeared to Lin Mo, resembling a little dog that had just snatched a bone. Lin Mo himself didn’t even notice.

“Officer Lin? What’s wrong with you?”

Xiaotao noticed Lin Mo’s sudden change in expression and called out until she brought him back to reality.

“Ah, uh! I’m fine! About this, I’ll take it; you all can handle the rest—throw it or whatever.” Lin Mo set down the soccer-sized meteorite and then grabbed a few metal items, including the diamond ring. Though the resale price wouldn’t be very high, a mosquito is still meat, after all.

“Okay, okay!” Xiaotao happily pulled out a thick, transparent plastic bag and directly packed away the items Lin Mo pointed out. Even the least noticeable things from the aircraft carrier were of excellent quality, not like the flimsy goods from the supermarket.

Even the items Lin Mo chose to leave behind held some value—those few agate beads, tortoiseshell, exquisite porcelain vases, as well as a watch, a compass, and a sealed bottle of red wine. It mattered more to gain than to focus on the exact value. If anyone felt envious, they could go and fish for their own; whoever catches it owns it.

“Thanks!” Lin Mo gathered his spoils and returned to the dining area, quickly finished his meal, and headed back to the living cabin.

Once he closed the door, he tossed the soccer-sized meteorite onto his desk. Gold Coin, transformed back into his watch form, suddenly leaped toward it, as if regaining the appearance of a mini giant dragon, circling the meteorite while resting his chin on it and smacking his lips.

“What’s so strange about it? It doesn’t look like it contains any metal at all.”

Lin Mo began rummaging through the basic items he had brought along with the meteorite: a stainless steel soup spoon—still usable; the diamond ring, which he planned to appraise and sell later; and other odds and ends, which he packed into his bag.

“You don’t understand, the universe is vast. Even long-lived dragon kin and divine beings cannot comprehend it. Things from beyond always elude all living beings’ imaginations. I never expected to encounter such a treasure here. Hmm, there seems to be a special life force within; the old folks in my kin will surely envy it.”

“Of course! No gold giant dragon could do what you did—fall into a ten-thousand-ton steel furnace and gorge on it! Why doesn’t your gold dragon kin fly outside the atmosphere to collect treasures? They don’t need oxygen to survive.”

From Lin Mo’s perspective, the various elemental dragons were a unique kind of creature. While they displayed biological diversity, they also had essential differences. Just as the legends about dragons in this world said: they give birth to nine offspring, each distinct.

Rarely did they have the opportunity to return to their dragon forms. Though it’s a miniature form, Gold Coin felt quite good about stretching his body. As a symbiotic partner, he felt obligated to give Lin Mo a brief lecture on dragon kin secrets: “You’re right. The outer atmosphere holds countless treasures, but it’s also filled with countless unknown dangers. Our gold giant dragon kin possess the innate ability of ‘Void Magnetism,’ making us naturally repel from gravity, allowing us to rise easily. However, rising and falling depend on gravity; it’s hard for us to exit the atmosphere. In a weightless environment with weak gravity, our ‘Void Magnetism’ is greatly weakened. The air is thin at this altitude; our dragon wings struggle to propel us, moving as if trapped in cotton. If we happen to get stuck at some critical point, well, we’d be living out our last moments.”

“That’s not even the most dangerous part. Even with the best preparations, beyond the atmosphere, we cannot defend against the countless incredibly fast and numerous meteors hurtling from the outside. Without the protective layer of the near-Earth atmosphere, the gold dragon kin, unable to move quickly, could not dodge these incredibly swift objects. If we crash into one, even the mightiest gold giant dragon would meet its end.”

An object the size of a small mountain, speeding over 150,000 kilometers per second, would smash down. Even pure metal, no matter how powerful a gold giant dragon’s ability to consume, would be shattered to pieces, facing a grim fate of being crushed by its own food—not a happy ending at all.

The silent outer space is not as dark and quiet as humans perceive. Every day, countless unidentified objects, large and small, streak toward planets at astonishing speeds. Thick atmospheres protect everything on celestial bodies. During high-speed friction with the atmosphere, these unidentified objects burn up and explode, often vaporizing completely. Only a few survive to fall to the ground.

Each year, fewer than 500 meteorites land on Earth, and most fall into the oceans, buried under various sediments.

Even a mountain-sized meteorite, after atmospheric friction and burning, won’t be much bigger than a barrel when it reaches the ground.

Though Earth has accumulated a staggering number of various meteorites over billions of years, most have gone missing, buried with local minerals, unnoticed by anyone.

However, based on the probability of rare meteorites appearing, the buildup over billions of years is still impressive. For instance, the renowned Lonsdaleite (meteorite diamond) and Muonionalusta are treasures from some unknown celestial body in the universe.

Even in another world, not only do gold giant dragons highly value such extraterrestrial visitors, but other dragon kin and various races covet all types of meteorites.

While the majority are ordinary stone or iron meteorites of minimal value, there are occasional appearances of extremely rare compositions, special metal alloys, or gems with mysterious properties.

Should one collide with an object from space containing rare metals or gems, it would open the door to creating incredibly powerful battle equipment or represent immeasurable wealth.

Power and wealth have seldom appeared together in the same object so remarkably.

Listening to Gold Coin share the marvels and legends of meteorites from both worlds, Lin Mo suddenly understood that he had struck an incredible stroke of luck by finding a piece of exceptionally valuable meteorite in the belly of a tiger shark.

“What exactly is inside?” Lin Mo was very curious about what changes Gold Coin would undergo after consuming this meteorite. The substance hidden within the meteorite was something even the most knowledgeable gold giant dragon couldn’t comprehend, suggesting it must be an extremely rare or even unparalleled treasure.

“Hmm! I must try it!” Sharp claws scraped across the meteorite, sparking a series of sparks, but it couldn’t tear through.

That truly surprised both Lin Mo and Gold Coin. Even very hard tungsten-rhenium superalloy steel would be sliced effortlessly, like hot knife through butter, instead of creating such intense sparks like they were in a standoff.

No wonder this thing remained almost intact in the shark’s belly, unlike some iron items, which would have corroded and lost their original forms.

The gold giant dragon continued to scoop up the fine powder, tasting it, and suddenly his eyes lit up as if he had discovered something. His form expanded two or three times, and his enlarged dragon head opened a mouth full of sharp teeth, chomped down on the meteorite, and with a tilt of his neck, swallowed it whole.