Chapter 200 Wearing the Dragon’s Disguise

Chapter 200: Donning the Dragon Disguise

They had previously agreed that having a racial identity in the instance would be more convenient. One possessed the talent of a mermaid, the other a five-clawed golden dragon. This allowed them to masquerade as members of the Merfolk and Dragon races, respectively. Both were considered high-ranking races in the Fantasy Continent, generally unprovoked by others unless absolutely necessary, which would facilitate their movement within the instance.

But who would have thought—the moment they donned the dragon disguise, they ran into real dragons!

Hua Diao secretly broke into a cold sweat for the unlucky Xie Tingsheng!

Xie Tingsheng, a bruise at the corner of his mouth, offered a faint smile, his handsome face tinged with amusement. "No, dragons aren't social creatures. Apart from mates, they rarely inhabit the same territory, so there's no need to worry about exposure. Many dragons here don't even know each other. It's just that they're quite aggressive and prone to fighting."

After being dragged into several brawls with some dragons, Xie Tingsheng had even developed a sense of kinship with them.

Reading this, Hua Diao felt a stir of curiosity—she, too, wanted to see real dragons.

So, she subtly inquired with Melody and her companions about the dragon race. Upon learning that they indeed knew the location of the dragon camp—though it was quite distant—she abandoned the idea and turned her attention to the group chat.

Hua Diao: "Has anyone found out how to enter the God's Maze yet?"

Eighth Brother: "Just got the intel from a Glacier Fox. That fox was surprisingly naive—utterly devoid of foxy cunning. It spilled everything with just a little prompting. To enter the God's Maze, you only need to meet two conditions. First, you must be under a hundred years old—which all of us here satisfy. Second, you need to find a maze key. Only by using the key to open a personal entrance can you enter the maze."

Hua Diao breathed a sigh of relief. The age restriction lowered the difficulty, preventing encounters with overpowered opponents.

Qi Cancan: "I know where the keys are! I just ran into an attractive naga and a woman named Sophia. They were digging for keys and muttering to themselves, and I overheard a lot. The keys are randomly buried in the desert. Today's the last day—tomorrow, the God's Maze opens its entrance. So, time is short. Let's hurry and dig!"

Qi Cancan: "I don't know if the desert is more dangerous or the races in the Fantasy Continent. I'm near the Medusa camp. Should I stay in their camp tonight or avoid them? Ugh!"

Hua Diao: "Oh, wow! I'm actually in the Medusa camp right now. They're quite friendly and easy to get along with. Why don't you come over? Though, I'm disguised as a merfolk—what's your disguise? Let's figure out if it makes sense for us to know each other."

Qi Cancan: "Huh, what a coincidence! My talent is transforming into a clam tribe—both aquatic. It's perfectly reasonable for us to know each other!"

Hua Diao: "Then hurry over! We just finished eating sesame serpent stew and are about to head out to dig. If we run into each other, we'll go together. If not, meet at the camp entrance tonight."

Xie Tingsheng, who had just subdued another dragon and snatched a moment to check the forum, pressed his thin lips together, a faint trace of sourness flickering in his lowered eyes.

Unaware that she had just incurred the boss's displeasure, Qi Cancan, upon receiving the reply, excitedly changed direction and headed towards the Medusa camp, green with envy.

*The Captain's Wife is truly the Captain's Wife—her luck is unbelievable! Not only did she infiltrate their camp, but she even got to eat! Sesame serpent stew sounds delicious. Too bad I missed out!*

*But the fact that I landed near her must mean my luck isn't bad either, right?*

Heh. Qi Cancan's heart burned with excitement, her confidence soaring. She was sure this instance run would bring her great rewards!

But ten minutes later—

Qi Cancan froze in place, staring in horror as an unfortunate soul near the Medusa camp entrance was instantly petrified by a single glance from a Medusa. Her blood ran cold, and she almost shrieked.

*This... this is what you call 'friendly'?!*

Her foot hovered uncertainly—to step forward or retreat?

If they weren't on the same team, she would have suspected Hua Diao was setting her up for death.

The Medusa's ability was brutally simple—one look, and you turned to stone. No time for defense or counterattacks. Absolutely terrifying.

At that moment, Hua Diao emerged from the camp, laughing and chatting with a group of Medusas, the atmosphere warm and cheerful. Even the Medusa who had just petrified the unfortunate passerby greeted them with a bright smile, specifically addressing Hua Diao warmly—proof that she had truly secured her place among them.

Qi Cancan's face fell. *The difference between people is just too vast!*

"Oh! Isn't this my long-lost sister, Qi Cancan?"

Hua Diao, reaching the camp entrance, immediately spotted the cowering, cornered Qi Cancan. Her eyes lit up, and she launched into an award-winning performance of a joyous, emotional reunion between long-separated sisters.

Qi Cancan instantly caught on, her own acting skills kicking in. She forced a wide grin with two fingers and rushed forward to embrace Hua Diao with exaggerated joy.

After the hug, Hua Diao pulled Qi Cancan over to introduce her to Melody and the other beautiful snake-women. "This is my long-lost sister, Qi Cancan of the clam tribe."

The beautiful snake-women, who had initially been wary of Qi Cancan, immediately softened and extended a friendly invitation. "We're heading out to dig. Want to come along?"

"Yes! Absolutely!" Qi Cancan nodded eagerly. *Is this the privilege of riding on coattails? I'm so in!*

And so, the two of them, along with the group of beautiful snake-women, set off into the desert in high spirits.

They didn't go far before stopping at a sandy stretch. Melody surveyed the area and declared, "No need to go farther. This spot hasn't been dug up yet. Let's work here."

"Got it."

The other beautiful snake-women didn't argue, each picking a direction and spreading out to dig without crowding together.

Hua Diao wasn't in a hurry. She first observed their digging tools—simple, pointed picks, swung diligently and tirelessly.

She was a little surprised. *The Fantasy Continent is full of spells and magical tools—why use such a basic method?*

*Could there be some hidden rule in this Golden Qinsha Desert?*

Qi Cancan seemed to read her confusion and quietly sent her a private message. "They say this desert was created by the Creator God, who values hard work and perseverance. Using spells or tools here yields far less than digging manually with a pick."

"Do you have digging tools? All I have is a shovel—fine for loose sand, but not great for this rocky wasteland."