Chapter 8: Ai-chan’s Art of Discernment
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Duren slumped in his chair, his whole body feeling as if it had been pummeled all day by a troll using him as a punching bag. His fingers trembled slightly, unable to steady even the teacup in his hand—the aftereffects of a whole night spent on explosive experiments had finally caught up with him.
From the adjoining room, the whispers of Onyxia and Chromie filtered through the thin wooden partition.
“So, your formula could actually be improved a bit,” Onyxia’s voice was unusually lighthearted, even tinged with a playful note.
“Of course!” Chromie’s tone rose an octave, “I’ve seen the dwarven gunpowder recipe in the Cavern of Time. If we add a bit of Bronze Dragon’s temporal crystal—”
“—it can delay the explosion by three seconds?” Onyxia finished eagerly.
“Exactly! That way, you can get further away!”
Duren raised his eyebrows almost to his hairline. Struggling to get up, he pressed his ear against the wall—when did these two dragons become such good friends?
On the other side of the wooden wall, two humanoid female dragons squeezed together at a simple wooden table. Onyxia’s elven illusion had long since vanished; her dark dragon tail thumped intermittently against the floor. Chromie wiggled her two short legs, her hourglass staff resting across her knees like a child clutching a new toy.
A piece of parchment lay spread on the table, scrawled with rough formulas and explosion diagrams. Onyxia tapped a spot with her claw tip. “Here, if we replace it with dragon breath as a catalyst...”
“No, no!” Chromie suddenly grabbed her wrist. “That would leave magical traces! As Duren said, it has to be purely physical reaction!”
Duren’s eyes widened on this side of the wall—Chromie actually touched Onyxia? And the black dragon, who often threatened to burn entire families, didn’t chop off her claw?
Even more shocking, Onyxia just snorted softly, seemingly... consenting?
“Then use this.” The black dragon princess pulled a small vial of shimmering bronze sand from her scale pouch. “I stole it from your staff last time.”
Chromie gasped. “When did you—never mind.” She snatched the Sands of Time, her eyes lighting up. “This amount is enough for three delayed fuses!”
Onyxia’s lips curled into a sly smile. “I want two.”
“Greedy!” Chromie puffed out her cheeks but obediently split the sand into two portions.
Duren finally couldn’t hold back and pushed the door open. “You two...”
Both dragons turned to look at him simultaneously—one with silver hair and black scales, radiating pride; the other a twin-tailed gnome blinking her eyes—the scene was so bizarre it sent chills down his spine.
“What’s wrong with us?” Onyxia narrowed her eyes, her tail threateningly curling around the table leg.
Chromie grinned and shook the hourglass staff. “We’re discussing how to help you survive the next experiment~”
Duren’s gaze flicked between them. Yesterday, these two were mortal enemies—one shouting about quitting, the other threatening to shove the other into a time rift. Now, they were chatting like best friends sharing “killer tips”?
“Women...” he muttered instinctively.
“Hm?” Onyxia’s fingertip ignited with black flame.
“I mean female dragons! Female dragons!” Duren quickly backed away. “Truly wise and beautiful creatures!”
Chromie burst out laughing, while Onyxia flicked her tail with a look that said, “Good, you got the message.”
Rubbing his temples, Duren retreated to his room, faintly hearing a conversation behind him:
“Honestly, about your father...”
“Shut up, Bronze Dragon.”
“But if you need a timeline cover—”
“...Thank you.”
Those last two words were so soft he nearly tripped over the threshold. Looking back, he saw Onyxia awkwardly turning away, while Chromie tiptoed and patted the black dragon’s shoulder as if comforting a child.
Moonlight spilled in through the window, casting a silver lining on the strange “sisters.” Duren suddenly felt he might never understand the mindset of female beings—especially mother dragons who had lived for thousands of years.
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Half asleep, Duren suddenly heard a sound.
“Duren...”
A gentle female voice called out from the darkness, as if from a distant place.
“Don’t bother me…” Duren turned over, burying his face in his pillow. “I’ll try the formula tomorrow…”
“Duren...” The voice came closer, carrying an ethereal echo. “Listen to me...”
“I said I’m going to sleep—” Duren froze.
This voice... wasn’t Onyxia or Chromie.
He snapped his eyes open to find himself standing beneath an endless starry sky, with Azeroth slowly rotating beneath his feet. But this globe was different from any ordinary terrestrial map; golden veins coursed across its surface, pulsating as if alive.
“Greetings, traveler.”
Duren slowly turned to see a female figure formed from starlight. Her hair cascaded like a waterfall, her eyes reflecting countless stars, and when she smiled, stardust rippled at the corners of her lips.
“Ai... Ai-chan?! No, it should be the Azeroth Star Soul.” His voice faltered as he took three steps back. “Wait, this must be an Old God’s illusion! Chromie! Onyxia! It’s a trap—”
“Don’t shout, they can’t hear you.” Azeroth—or rather, the embodiment of its star soul—raised a gentle hand, and the surrounding cosmos rippled like water. “This is your dream; only I can enter it.”
Cold sweat soaked Duren’s back. He stared hard at the “goddess” before him, his mind racing: Old Gods excel at manipulating minds; this must be N'Zoth’s trick!
“Prove you’re not an Old God,” he ground out.
Duren stared fiercely at the “Ai-chan,” his gaze sharp as if inspecting a counterfeit.
“Prove you’re not an Old God,” he repeated firmly, arms crossed.
Ai-chan blinked, the starlight on her face flickering with confusion.
“Prove...?” Her voice was ethereal and soft, tinged with hesitation. “No one has ever asked me to prove myself.”
Duren sneered. “Ha! So you’re exposed, huh? The real Azeroth Star Soul wouldn’t be so uncertain.”
Ai-chan was taken aback.
As the star soul of Azeroth, never in billions of years had any human dared speak to her this way. All chosen guardians, heroes, and prophets had knelt reverently, devoutly heeding her guidance. Yet this skinny traveler dared demand proof of her authenticity?
She tilted her head slightly, her flowing starry hair rippling like waves, her expression both bewildered and aggrieved, like a wrongly accused child.
Seeing this, Duren became even more convinced—this was definitely an Old God’s trick!
He muttered as he circled the self-proclaimed Azeroth Star Soul, “No tentacles, no corrupt slime...”
Could it be real?
Still, he wasn’t fully convinced. Old Gods were masters at breaching defenses through the mind. Even mighty earth guardians had been driven mad.
Duren awkwardly scratched his head. “Let me think, let me think!” Proving Ai-chan was really Ai-chan wasn’t easy.
Ai-chan spoke calmly, “I know how you came out of the Western Plaguelands!”
“That means nothing—Old Gods can read minds too!” Duren wasn’t worried about others knowing what he did in the Western Plaguelands.
He kept staring at the starry Ai-chan, still full of doubt.
After a moment, a sly smile crossed his lips. “How about this—you curse with me. If you can repeat every curse exactly, then I’ll believe you are the real Azeroth Star Soul.”
Ai-chan: “...?”
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“You must repeat my words word for word,” Duren raised a finger, “then I’ll trust you.”
Ai-chan’s starry eyes blinked, her expression a mix of confusion and curiosity. “Curse... curse?”
“That’s right!” Duren cleared his throat and suddenly raised his voice, “N’Zoth is dog crap!”
Ai-chan: “…”
Her starlit face froze. As Azeroth’s star soul, never in eons had she so bluntly insulted any being.
“Come on, repeat after me!” Duren urged.
Her lips trembled slightly before she whispered, “N-N’Zoth is... dog crap...”
Duren shook his head, unsatisfied. “No, no, not firm enough! Again! Yogg-Saron is an idiot!”
Ai-chan: “…”
Her starry form shivered slightly, as if battling an intense internal struggle. Finally, she took a deep breath (though she didn’t need to breathe) and yelled with eyes closed, “Yogg-Saron is an idiot!”
“Good! Improvement!” Duren applauded. “Keep going! C’Thun is expired seafood at the market!”
Her cheeks flushed with star light but she followed through, “C’Thun is... expired seafood at the market!”
Duren got more enthusiastic: “Azshara is just a fart!”
Ai-chan had fully given up resisting, shouting along, “Azshara is just a fart!”
“The Void is dog crap!”
“The Void is dog crap!”
“The Burning Legion is a bunch of idiots!”
“The Burning Legion is a bunch of idiots!”
“The Titans are perverted control freaks!”
“The Titans are perverted control freaks!”
“Elune is a narcissist!”
“Elune is a narci... wait!” The star soul suddenly covered her mouth, eyes wide with shock. “Th-that's not very nice...”
Duren put his hands on his hips. “What are you afraid of? She can’t hear you! Keep going! The Lightforged are just rock chips!”
Ai-chan stifled for a moment before mumbling softly, “The Lightforged are... rock chips...”
After the last curse, her starry body shone faintly, as if glowing shyly. Duren nodded with satisfaction and finally smiled. “Alright, now I believe you really are the Azeroth Star Soul.”
Ai-chan sighed in relief but then pouted in grievance. “...Why did you have to verify me this way?”
Duren said boldly, “Because an Old God would never dare curse themselves or the Void like that! The Burning Legion wouldn’t admit they’re idiots! The Titans would never call themselves perverts—so if you can curse along with me, you must be the real Azeroth Star Soul!”
Ai-chan stared blankly. She never expected such a strange mortal test. “...You really are a peculiar human.”
Duren chuckled. “Now we can talk properly—so, what exactly did you want to tell me?”
Ai-chan adjusted herself and finally regained the star soul’s dignity. “I’m here to tell you your actions please me. I accidentally summoned you to this world once. Unfortunately, there were some accidents, but your current achievements satisfy me. Keep up the good work!”