185: Chapter 185 Ao Ningshuang gives away dragon crystals, a welfare benefit for everyone.

Outside the core Dragon Crystal Mine of Black Wind Valley, the sound of pickaxes rang out in a continuous rhythm.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

One by one, low-grade dragon crystals fell from the loosened mine walls. The players were drenched in sweat from digging, but their faces were covered in smiles.

"That old fogey Qing Yan wanted to blow up the mine, but he ended up saving us a lot of effort!"

"Today's yield is at least thirty percent higher than yesterday's!"

"Stop talking and dig! Dig a few more, and we can go trade them for gear later!"

From a high point in the mine, Ao Ningshuang watched the scene in silence.

Her silver hair cascaded down, and her dark gold battle skirt shimmered with a cold light amidst the glow of the crystals. However, those eyes that were always cold and aloof could not suppress the ripples of emotion at this moment.

She knew very well that this core Dragon Crystal Mine was originally one of the lifelines of the Dragon Race.

If Qing Yan had truly succeeded in blowing it up, the damage to the Dragon Domain would not have been temporary; it would have struck at its very foundation.

But now, not only had the mine not collapsed, but the explosion had actually loosened the outer layers of the mineral veins, causing the mining efficiency to skyrocket. In just a few days, the amount of dragon crystals extracted had already far exceeded expectations.

And all of this was because of Lin Zhe.

Ao Ningshuang slowly turned her head to look at the figure beside her, who remained as calm as ever.

Lin Zhe stood with his hands behind his back, his expression indifferent, as if he had merely performed a trivial task.

The more he acted this way, the greater the shock in Ao Ningshuang's heart.

He had saved her life, healed her wounds, broken three seals, and stabilized the overall situation of the Dragon Domain. Now, even the Dragon Race's most important Dragon Crystal Mine had been forcibly pulled back from the brink of destruction by him.

Ao Ningshuang remained silent for a few breaths before suddenly speaking, "Chi Lie."

A Red Armored Dragon General immediately stepped forward and bowed his head, "Your Majesty."

"Go to the Dragon Treasury."

Ao Ningshuang's voice was cold and clear, without the slightest hesitation. "Allocate one hundred thousand low-grade dragon crystals."

Chi Lie jerked his head up, his breathing hitching for a moment.

"One hundred thousand?"

That was no small amount.

But Ao Ningshuang's gaze turned cold. "Is there a problem?"

Chi Lie immediately lowered his head. "None! This subordinate will go at once!"

The news spread extremely fast.

In less than half an hour, ten heavy dragon crystal carts arrived directly from the direction of Wanlong City. Each cart was piled high with glittering low-grade dragon crystals, their light merging together to brighten the entire mining area.

The players were stunned at first, and then the place erupted.

"Holy crap! What kind of spectacle is this?"

"Are those all dragon crystals?"

"What is Her Majesty the Dragon Emperor planning to do!"

Ao Ningshuang rose into the air and stood above the mining area. Her cold voice instantly spread across the front lines and simultaneously echoed throughout the entire server.

[Server Announcement: Dragon Empress Ao Ningshuang is distributing Dragon Domain welfare to the entire server!]

[Due to the meritorious service in preserving the core Dragon Crystal Mine, the Dragon Race is specially providing 100,000 low-grade dragon crystals to give back to all players!]

[Every player who participated in the Vanguard Army can receive low-grade dragon crystal ×10!]

[Players who did not participate can each receive Dragon Crystal fragment ×1!]

[Extra Reward: All players on the server receive a 3-day 5% drop rate buff!]

As soon as the announcement came out...

The entirety of "miracle" went absolutely wild!

"One hundred thousand dragon crystals?!"

"Ten for every player who participated? Did I hear that right!"

"Even those who didn't go to the front lines get a Dragon Crystal fragment? Plus three days of boosted drop rates?"

"Her Majesty the Dragon Emperor is so generous!!!"

On the Wanlong City front lines, the players were already howling with excitement.

"We're rich! We're rich!"

"Ten low-grade dragon crystals! This is a massive profit!"

"Brothers, I told you, if you follow Big Boss Lin Zhe, there'll always be meat to eat!"

The players in the rear who hadn't participated were also losing their minds.

"My alt was just idling in the Novice Area, and it actually got a Dragon Crystal fragment too?"

"And a 3-day 5% drop rate buff! The Dragon Race is being way too cool this time!"

"Thank you, Her Majesty the Dragon Emperor! Thank you, Big Boss Lin Zhe!"

Hum—

In the next second, a vast expanse of light, woven from gold and crimson dragon patterns, covered the entire server.

A notification popped up above the heads of all players simultaneously.

[You have obtained status: Dragon Domain's Feedback]

[Drop Rate +5%, duration 3 days]

In the inventories of the Vanguard Army players, ten low-grade dragon crystals appeared all at once.

The camp was instantly filled with wild cheering.

"They've arrived!"

"It really is ten, not a single one missing!"

"Long live Her Majesty the Dragon Emperor!"

The world channel was completely flooded with messages.

"Thank you, Her Majesty the Dragon Emperor!"

"Thank you, Big Boss Lin Zhe!"

"Dragon Domain is awesome! The Lin family is awesome!"

"Now this is what you call server-wide welfare!"

Standing in mid-air, Ao Ningshuang listened to the mountain-shaking cheers below and saw the screen-filling blessings on the world channel. The layer of coldness in her eyes inadvertently softened a little.

She knew, of course.

The reason the players were so fanatical wasn't just because of the hundred thousand dragon crystals.

It was also because Lin Zhe was here.

If not for him, the Dragon Domain would not be stable, the mine would not have been saved, and she would not have been able to take from the Dragon Treasury to distribute welfare to the entire server without any worries.

She slowly descended back to Lin Zhe's side and glanced at him from the corner of her eye.

Lin Zhe still looked calm, as if this server-shaking welfare was not even worth mentioning.

The corner of Ao Ningshuang's lips twitched imperceptibly, but her heart felt as if it had been gently nudged by something.

At that moment, a system prompt quietly rang out.

[Ding! It has been detected that the top-tier female NPC Ao Ningshuang's favorability toward the host is maintained at 99. The bond has deepened further!]

[Fourth Bond trigger progress increased! Current progress: 31%!]

Lin Zhe's eyes flickered slightly.

Ao Ningshuang had already withdrawn her gaze and looked back toward the direction of Black Wind Valley. Her voice returned to its cold clarity, but it was steadier than before.

"I will continue to hold the line for you on the Dragon Race's side."

"When the final assault begins, all resources will be prioritized for your deployment."

In the mining area below, players were still collecting dragon crystals and celebrating wildly.

Further away, the dark aura in the depths of Black Wind Valley was churning and contracting bit by bit.