The room was filled with a variety of perfume scents, resembling a garden with too many plant species, making it hard to distinguish them all.
The sounds of fighting downstairs grew louder, and intermittently, Dandelion's shouts cheering for Geralt could be heard.
However, the female sorcerers were still waiting for Su Ming's explanation; the previous answer was completely unintelligible, so it couldn't count as an answer.
"If I were to only speak, it would be difficult for me to explain clearly to you. Instead, let me show you the power of technology and industry with your own eyes." Su Ming picked up his helmet from the silk cushion beside him, fastened the buckle, and his voice, through the voice changer, became hoarse and grim again: "Who can open a teleportation portal to the Flying Dragon Mountains?"
The Flying Dragon Mountains are located in the Far North, covered in snow year-round, marking the northernmost point of the continent.
It's unknown how far the vast expanse of snow stretches, but it's certain that no one can survive in such harsh conditions.
No crops can survive, no wood can ignite, water freezes instantly, and breath turns to mist, with only towering snowy peaks standing like forests of swords.
Moreover, it's said that Giant Dragons live there.
Yes, Giant Dragons, creatures that even Geralt has never killed, are said to reside in the Flying Dragon Mountains.
In the history of Demon Hunters, only the Griffin School's 'Dragon Slayer' George has ever killed a Green Dragon.
Records show that the Green Dragon was over fifteen meters long and about three meters tall when lying down, and the heat from its lungs persisted for a quarter of an hour after its death.
That Green Dragon likely flew out of the Flying Dragon Mountains to hunt near Velen, with its prey being people from every village.
George perished along with the Green Dragon, and he was buried in the Dragon Slaying Cave northwest of Lower Valen Village in Velen, along with the equipment blueprints from the Griffin School.
Countless years later, when Geralt went there to deal with a witch in the grave, he conveniently took the blueprints and later made himself a set of Griffin School equipment...
Upon hearing Su Ming's request, almost everyone looked at Triss, who had acquaintances over at the Kovir Duchy.
"Alright, we'll go to the Nalok Kingdom. I'm friends with Princess Silvina, its ruler. We can arrive directly at the foot of the Flying Dragon Mountains."
Triss opened a golden wormhole while signaling everyone to enter.
"Don't we need to wait for Geralt?" Su Ming asked casually as he entered.
"It's alright, Novigrad has plenty of places for him to stay, like the brothels and such." Yennefer said expressionlessly as she walked away.
...............
The northernmost kingdom is vast but sparsely populated. Although it is rich in resources, its development is limited by its population.
They were now in a cave outside a village, and Triss had somehow prepared a teleportation array in such a remote place; it was still rather cold at night, and the witches were using magic to keep themselves warm.
Su Ming retrieved the Divine Gold Gauss from his backpack, chambered a round, and the weapon emitting golden light made a crisp 'click' sound.
He propped the weapon on his shoulder and turned to Ciri, saying: "If Geralt knew I was taking you dragon hunting in the mountains at night, he'd certainly think we're mad."
"Wait, did you say dragon hunting?" Triss tilted her head, seeming to want to hear more clearly.
Su Ming nodded, stepped out of the cave, and looked at the pitch-black sky; it was a perfect night with wind and darkness.
"Of course, we came to the Flying Dragon Mountains to hunt dragons. Later, I'll show you watches, cell phones, lighters, and other things."
The witches exchanged glances, unsure of what to say, knowing that such legendary powerful creatures were beyond human capability to confront.
Moreover, the expanse of these mountains stretches thousands of kilometers; even if dragons do exist, where would you start looking?
Yet, Su Ming immediately answered them with action; he removed his cloak and spoke to it.
"Go to the mountains in the north and find me a dragon."
The cloak flew off.
"It's magic, although not Chaos Power." Yennefer watched the cloak disappear in an instant, having never seen anything fly so fast.
"Magic is a complex matter, but if there really is a dragon, the cloak will bring it to me; let's wait a bit. Anyone want some wine?"
Su Ming knew it might take some time as dragons, in some ways, are like groundhogs; they tend to hide in caves.
"Get us all a bit; this is insane." Fringilla voiced the women's thoughts.
Su Ming laughed as he took out a few bottles of wine, uncorking them and handing them over: "The madness is still yet to come."
...............
Indeed, as expected, the madness was yet to come; they hadn't even finished two rounds when they saw a dragon flying backward from the sky.
With closer inspection, a small piece of cloth could be seen wrapped around the dragon's tail, directly dragging the gigantic creature from the air.
Even the dragon's power couldn't compete with the cloak, a mage's treasure that even the Supreme Mage couldn't discern the origins of.
"Roar!"
Its cries echoed between the mountains, resonating through the skies.
Several peaks immediately experienced avalanches, and lights quickly appeared in a nearby village as people were awakened from their dreams.
The dragon flapped its wings furiously, attempting to break free from the cloth, but in an aerial tug-of-war, the cloak had absolute strength.
The flying dragon could only keep screaming mournfully, evoking sorrow in those who saw and tears in those who heard.
Su Ming displayed a sorrowful smile, lifted his helmet to wipe the 'tears' from the corner of his mouth.
The dragons in the Demon Hunter World are far weaker compared to those in the World of Warcraft and Ferren World; they can't use Dragon Language Magic, essentially just robust beasts.
But who could blame Su Ming for never having tasted dragon meat before?
If it was just for himself, killing a dragon to eat would be too wasteful.
Now with more people around, after killing and cooking it, any leftovers can be packed by the female sorcerers to take away, fostering good relationships — a win-win situation.
As he raised the long weapon in his hand, a golden electric light tore through the sky, like drawing a golden line on black velvet.
The Magic Floating Cloak brought the dragon's corpse before them, with that precise shot piercing through the dragon's skull, smashing half its spine before exiting through the tail.
In just a moment, this massive creature was completely dead, its enormous vertical pupils still revealing a hint of bewilderment, as if puzzled over why it suddenly lost its strength.
"Well, it's a lot bigger than I imagined. As long as we roast it a bit, it should be ready to eat."
The witches were speechless, struggling to comprehend what just happened in such a short span of time, with this powerful weapon capable of killing any target instantly without leaving time for reaction.
Su Ming then pulled out a lighter, started a fire, and took out some seasoning to prepare the dragon meat, using the Godslayer to dissect the flying dragon's thick skin.
"If any of you have monarchy ties, can you help me sell off the valuable parts? Tell those idiots that eating dragon meat can make people stronger."
"Provided it's not poisonous," Yennefer approached, taking some dragon blood for testing, pointing at the lighter: "Is this also a power of technology?"
Su Ming casually handed the lighter to Yennefer, treating it as a gift.
"Sort of, but what's truly useful to you should be greenhouse cultivation, hydroponics; they allow you to live well in the warm depths underground, Bai Shuang isn't really an issue."
"Fuel?"
"There's a kind of energy called nuclear power, and a friend of mine is about to invent it."
"About to invent? Strange way of putting it."
"Anyway, Ciri can learn plenty over at my place, provided she's willing to. Everyone might survive the end of the world."
Su Ming swiftly processed the flying dragon's corpse, cutting off what seemed valuable, splitting his attention to answer the female sorcerers' questions.
Once Keira used illusion techniques to drive away nearby townsfolk, everyone commenced the dragon meat feast.
Unexpectedly, the female sorcerers expressed they had ways to follow Ciri over.
Yennefer planned on marking Ciri to pinpoint the cosmos where the Elder's Blood resides. After Ciri crossed over, they could combine everyone's strength to simulate the world shifts during celestial convergence, forming a wormhole to bring everyone over.
The black-haired female sorcerer expressed needing to see the school before feeling assured, and if learning technology knowledge was concerned, the book-loving sorcerers seemed more suitable.
"Is this really okay?" Su Ming dropped the dragon rib he was holding, concerned that bringing too many people at once could be hard to manage, especially since Geralt wasn't even aware of it.
"It's no problem; Coral will remain here. We've traveled to other worlds before," Yennefer surveyed everyone, the female sorcerers seemingly having reached a consensus unknowing.
"Alright, you won't feel secure until seeing those things, but I'm uncertain whether your magic will still work in my world, and if you can return at all."
Su Ming stood up, clapped his hands, realizing the medieval tour was over — it was time for him to go back.
Philippa addressed the question. Their magic is channeled through elements existing within the world, like fire in the earth's core, water in the ocean, wind atop the mountains, and so on.
By her account, magic is like a sickle slicing through a rat's nest, flowing blood, the power of life and spirit.
Su Ming understood.
Strictly speaking, they aren't mages; they're all shamans...
Calling upon the Power of Elements to achieve their goals, their spellcasting isn't along the arcane or transactional route.
Does Marvel have water, fire, earth, and wind? Naturally.
Thus, they might just need to adapt a bit, and they can reconnect with the elements.
"But what can you offer me? Now you're trying to save your world, and I can help. Originally this deal was exclusive to Ciri; for all of you seeking education, what will pay for the tuition?"
"Our world's unique alchemy, magic knowledge, and the Witch Gathering's friendship," Triss packed a piece of dragon meat into her bag: "Moreover, us all going together was Ciri's precondition for leaving this world."
"Alright, I'll draw a map for Ciri; she only needs to know what the destination looks like, then can teleport merely by meditating."
Su Ming sketched the school gate's appearance for her, ensuring everything mirrored his departure, avoiding timing discrepancies.
"We all have some matters to explain to our apprentices; we'll probably leave in three days. During this period, we'll help you think of ways to sell the dragon meat, since you really need money?"
"Gold, gold coins are fine. I need to buy some items, totaling twenty thousand gold coins; Aurum, Krona, any gold coin will do."
"Twenty thousand Aurum, enough for you to organize a mercenary band," Yennefer remarked, though now besides being the head of the gathering place, she had no other position, but could handle other affairs.
"I just want to buy a bag…"