Chapter 445 - 301: Turbulent and Treacherous

"It truly breaks my heart. Even my dear Sophia doesn’t believe me." Sivia covered her face, feigning the look of a mother whose heart had been shattered by her daughter. Coupled with her stunning beauty, it was a sight that would make anyone’s heart ache.

"This is Levi, my boss! He’s scarily strong and he’s got my back. If you try to scam me again, watch out, or he’ll beat you up!"

Having been tricked by this move many times, Sophia wasn’t falling for it. She had even learned to bluff by borrowing someone else’s power, waving her little fists and speaking with such seriousness that it almost seemed real.

A cold sweat instantly broke out on Levi’s back. ’Damn it, you sold me out for just a few dozen Gold Coins? And you want me to beat up your own mother? What a filial daughter you are.’

The key issue was that he had no confidence he could defeat the adult Silver Dragon before him, whose strength he couldn’t gauge.

Without hesitation, he gave her a sharp flick on the forehead. "What on earth is going on in that little head of yours?"

Then, before Sophia could complain while rubbing her forehead with a wronged expression, he declared righteously, "Lady Sivia is an Elder of Dragon Island and the Silver Dragon Queen known as ’Starlight’. Her wealth must be greater than that of entire nations, enough to form a mountain. Why would she care about the few scraps you have?"

"Right, right! Mother definitely wouldn’t care about my pocket money. If word got out that she robbed a young dragon, it would certainly damage her reputation." Fortunately, Sophia became quite sharp whenever money was involved, and she hurriedly agreed with the Lord.

The two of them, playing their parts in perfect sync, had backed the unscrupulous dragon mother into a corner.

"Sophia, you really have grown up." As if she were a face-changing opera performer, Sivia’s expression instantly shifted back to a calm smile.

It was as if the unscrupulous mother from a moment ago had been someone else entirely.

The Lord had figured it out. Xi Ang was Sivia, and Sivia was Xi Ang.

After all, Silver Dragons were universally acknowledged as the greatest masters of the Transformation Technique. For them, transforming into another person was easier than drinking water.

However, whether this Silver Dragon Queen did it intentionally or not, even when transformed into a man, her mannerisms were still full of a flirtatious charm. That was why the Lord had found "him" to be so bewitching before.

But there was one thing the Lord hadn’t figured out: why had she transformed into Xi Ang?

If she just wanted to make contact with High Cliff Castle, there was no need to go to such lengths. If she had simply transformed into a Caster who wanted to join, he would have rolled out the red carpet for her immediately.

"Actually, there are a few things I don’t understand. Lady Sivia, why did you become Xi Ang and join the Red Swordsmen? And does Mandela even know your true identity?"

In the spacious living room, only four people sat around the table. Levi was questioning Sivia with a serious expression.

"Your questions are precisely why I’m here. There’s nothing to hide."

The Silver Dragon Queen began to explain slowly, raising two slender fingers. "I’ll answer those two questions of yours first."

"First, Mandela doesn’t know my true identity as a Silver Dragon. He only knows my other identity: the Legendary Mage who travels the continent, Vya."

"Second, I joined the Red Swordsmen Corps because I wanted to investigate something in Gonda. Mandela doesn’t know about this goal, either. He only knows that I joined them temporarily because I wanted to research Demon Patterns, and we had some prior dealings."

’So many different identities. Just how many enemies does she have?’ the Lord grumbled inwardly.

But at the same time, he realized that the Silver Dragon before him was, at minimum, as strong as a Legendary Mage.

"If you didn’t tell Mandela any of this, why are you telling me?" The Lord tapped his fingers on the table, not immediately taking her at her word.

"My identity is not something that can be made public. It would cause a lot of trouble." Sivia took a sip of tea before continuing.

"Telling you, however, I believe will not cause any trouble. You are independent of everyone else and have no connection to the people I consider troublesome. At the same time, you possess certain qualities that I value."

"Besides all that, it’s also because I wish to ask for your help."

"What kind of help?" Levi asked calmly.

Even an adult Silver Dragon needed his help. It was hard to imagine how serious the problem was.

"I used to spend most of my time traveling the continent. Last year, I returned to Dragon Island for a certain matter." Sivia glanced at Sophia, the meaning obvious. She continued, "After that, I came to Debei. When that business was concluded, I decided to continue my travels here. It was when I arrived in Gonda that I suddenly detected a fleeting presence. It was brief, but I’m certain I wasn’t mistaken."

"It was the presence of a Bronze Dragon. But from what I know... that Bronze Dragon should have been dead for a very long time!"

"Therefore, I need to know if it’s dead or alive. If it is dead, then no Metal Dragon can tolerate someone desecrating the body and soul of a fallen comrade!"

Levi was thankful he hadn’t made a move against Sophia back then. The Silver Dragon Queen had almost certainly been nearby, and at the time, he hadn’t yet started cultivating the Holy Word Treasure Manual. It was hard to say if he could have won against her.

But this was an unspoken understanding between them.

"Why me?" The Lord pointed to his own nose. "If even you can’t find anything, what do you expect a countryside lord like me to uncover?"

"Because your strength is outstanding, enough to handle any situation. Furthermore, you hold no prejudice against Alien Races or even Giant Dragons, which is clear from how you treat Sophia." Sivia had clearly been observing the Lord of High Cliff Castle in secret. "And most importantly, you have been summoned by the King of Debei, which will give you the chance to enter the Royal Palace."

"Levi, I’ll be frank with you. I can sense that presence is within the Royal Palace. But beneath the entire palace lies a massive Magic Array specifically designed to suppress Giant Dragons."

At this point, Baisitina suddenly raised her small hand and chimed in, recalling, "I heard from my elders that this Magic Array was created by the first king of Feder, who commissioned four or five Legendary Mages to build it together."

"At that time, the enemy nation at war with Feder had Dragon Knights. To prevent them from directly storming the Feder Royal Palace, this Magic Array was specifically built."

"If the Magic Array detects a Giant Dragon approaching, it will instantly suppress it, rendering it immobile and unable to use Magic or Dragon Breath."

Although Feder had fallen hundreds of years ago, its surviving descendants often placed great importance on their history, especially the great deeds of the first king.

That was why Baisitina happened to know some details about this Magic Array.

"That’s right. Although nearly a thousand years have passed and the array’s power has waned with time, if I get too close, I can’t maintain my Transformation Technique perfectly. It even has aftereffects, preventing me from keeping the transformation in its most perfect state for a short period." Sivia made no secret of the fact that she had already tried once and obviously failed.

"Levi, with your strength, it won’t be dangerous. That Magic Array has no effect on humans," Sivia continued, trying to coax him.

"What do I get for helping you?" the Lord asked, deciding to be direct.

He didn’t mind helping, but he did mind helping for free.

In the end, all he had to do was take a look around the Royal Palace. He had to go there sooner or later anyway, so he could investigate while he was there.

"I imagine the Red Dragon within that Digen’s Roar Dragon Crystal is restless, isn’t it?" Sivia asked confidently. "It even actively interferes with your use of the weapon."

"That’s right. Although I can use it with brute force, the Red Dragon can also control part of the sword, which makes it very awkward and difficult to handle," Levi admitted with a nod.

Sivia, in her form as Xi Ang, had seen him pick up the weapon with her own eyes.

"I can solve that problem for you," Sivia said with a slight smile.

"And that will be just one part of your reward, given in advance."