After using the Temporary Recovery Card, a flash of white light, visible only to Su Nian, coursed through his body.
Immediately, he felt alive again.
His body regained its strength.
Although his wounds were still a patchwork of charred, gaping holes, with scales peeling outward and some areas still dripping blood, he felt no pain at all.
As expected, just as the system had described, this was hardcore revival at its finest.
Su Nian took a couple of steps forward, his movements still a bit wobbly, but it was clear he was doing much better.
At least he wasn't rolling around on the ground like before.
Even though his memories had fully merged with those of Wotru, there was still a slight sense of disconnect when controlling this body.
After all, walking as a dragon required not just four limbs but also the wings and tail for balance. Even the way force was exerted was entirely different from walking as a human.
It was a strange feeling, like returning to a game you hadn't played in ages. You vaguely remembered how to cast spells, but the moment your hand touched the mouse, there was a sense of unfamiliarity—and then you realized the game had added an entirely new row of skills.
Su Nian took a few more steps. With the help of muscle memory, the various parts of his body quickly began to sync up.
Before long, he was moving freely around the cave.
However, when he turned his gaze back to Anna, a peculiar and intense restlessness surged within him.
For some reason, this fox-eared girl reminded him of his college first love, evoking an inexplicable attraction.
Her tender, fair face, slightly chubby with a hint of baby fat, though pale from illness, looked irresistibly soft—like it would bounce back immediately if poked.
Her petite, delicate feet were bare, as exquisite as ivory sculptures. Even the bruises and scratches on them couldn't mar their pinkish beauty.
And now, with those shackles on her, they gave the dragon a peculiar sense of... stimulation.
Her tear-filled, wide eyes, long lashes, delicate upturned nose, and slightly dry cherry lips...
It was the kind of moment that made one's heart race.
It felt like spring had arrived.
Su Nian's heartbeat quickened, the thumping sound like muffled thunder. A primal urge began to take over his mind.
No! This isn't right!
He raised a claw and slapped himself hard across the face.
His mind finally cleared a bit.
Damn it, he was a dragon now! And dragons had barbs!
While it was true that dragons didn't have reproductive isolation with other species, charging in like this in his current state would be utterly insane!
At the very least, he should wait until he could transform back into human form, right?
Or, worst-case scenario, he should at least let this fox-eared girl survive first.
Having read plenty of novels before, Su Nian was well aware of the characteristics of dragons.
It had seemed amusing when reading about it, but experiencing it firsthand was far from fun.
After all, his body was still far too massive.
It would definitely kill the elf.
Su Nian forcibly suppressed the dark thoughts in his heart, allowing his human rationality to regain control.
Seeing Anna shivering from the cold, Su Nian glanced around, searching the cave.
Finally, he found a relatively intact bear pelt in the dark, cramped depths of his lair.
Clamping the pelt in his jaws, he approached Anna and gently draped it over her.
Anna had been sitting with her head down, hugging her icy hands and feet as she shivered. Suddenly, she heard something approaching, the sound of claws scraping against the ground, shh shh shh.
Was the dragon finally going to eat her?
Anna thought pessimistically, her heart sinking further. She curled up even tighter, clutching her legs in nervous despair.
She had once been a half-elf from the Forest of Elves.
After the war, she was captured by human slave traders, contracted a severe illness on the journey, and was sold to an unknown kingdom. There, the king used her as bait, offering her as a sacrifice to the dragon.
A cold wind blew through, making her teeth chatter. Tears rolled down her cheeks, freezing before they could hit the ground.
Her hands and feet were weighed down by heavy shackles.
Her frail body couldn't even manage a single step, let alone escape. All she could do was wait helplessly for her tragic end.
But to her astonishment, the dragon didn't devour her. Instead, it seemed to notice her shivering and draped a bear pelt over her.
Su Nian's actions left Anna bewildered.
She hesitantly lifted her head to glance at the fearsome dragon's face, only to lower it again in fear. She looked as cautious as a fawn that had wandered into the forest.
Staring at her bare toes, she stammered softly:
"D-Dragon Sir, are you... are you going to w-warm me up before eating me?"
Su Nian: "…"
Honestly, whether cold or warm, the flavor should be about the same.
While Su Nian did feel a faint hunger for Anna as food, it wasn't nearly as overwhelming as the restless "springtime" urge he had struggled to suppress.
Which made sense.
After all, black dragons were relatively omnivorous. Their relatively weak strength during their juvenile stage often forced them to settle for less-than-fresh meat.
Su Nian shook his head at Anna.
Then, with his clawed, winged forelimbs, he clumsily adjusted the bear pelt to wrap her more snugly. Finally, he nodded at her.
Since Anna couldn't understand dragon language, Su Nian had no choice but to communicate in this primitive manner.
The bear pelt still retained some warmth from when Su Nian had lain on it earlier. Though it was still quite cold, Anna's shivering noticeably lessened.
Anna indeed felt much better. She was now certain that the dragon didn't intend to eat her.
At least not yet. It had even brought her a bear pelt to keep warm.
Though still somewhat fearful, Anna mustered her courage to look into Su Nian's crimson dragon eyes. Her voice carried gratitude mixed with nervousness:
"T-Thank you, Dragon Sir. It's not as cold anymore."
[Anna Hathaway's favorability increased by 50. Current favorability: -30 (Reverence)]
Su Nian was speechless. He found the favorability system a bit confusing. Shouldn't reverence count as positive favorability?
Pondering this, he directed his question to the system:
Ding! Anna's primary emotion toward the host is fear, which results in negative favorability.
"I see."
Su Nian understood. If reverence became the dominant emotion, the favorability would likely turn positive.
Gaining 50 points just by covering her with a bear pelt? Su Nian suddenly felt that raising Anna's favorability might not be too difficult.
She seemed to have been hungry earlier, didn't she?
Su Nian recalled this detail.
He nodded at Anna, then pointed a claw at the ground, signaling for her to stay put.
Without waiting to see if Anna understood, he turned and crawled out of the cave.
His time was limited, and he couldn't waste it explaining things to Anna.
He needed to find food. Fast.