Chapter 198: Eighteen Faerie Dragons

Nine gave an excited roar as the golden light settled into her body.

[Crystal Nine — Level 65.]

In Dragon form, she now stretched for a hundred meters. Power rolled from her crystalline body.

"Legendary Nine-Star... and you’ve raised her Levels just like that?" Lethria drew a sharp breath. "Are you a merchant?"

For the first time, she addressed him with real respect.

Cassian raised a hand. His forces advanced several kilometers.

Aurelia held her lightning-wreathed sword upright before her chest. Far above it, an enormous blade of energy slowly took shape, hundreds of meters long.

Skyblade Descent.

The power gathering in that blade made the Faerie Dragons tense. Even Cassian’s own people turned to look.

"I admit you may be able to evade it," Aurelia said calmly. "Your nest won’t. How many strikes can it take?"

Lethria’s expression changed.

They were spellcasting Dragons. Even at Legendary Four-Star, she could not stand in front of that sword.

And the Human woman holding a sheathed blade nearby felt even more dangerous. There was also the mage who had seen straight through their phase concealment.

Lethria began to waver.

Cassian offered his final inducement.

"Give me the nest, and you’ll have all the spiritual foods you could want. Every One-Star Dragon will receive a Legendary Troop Soul and advance to Two-Star."

Cassian was offering a great deal. Troop Souls were less valuable than Hero Souls, but they were still expensive.

Lethria shook her head as another thought struck her.

"Even if you destroy the nest, the chance of obtaining its Blueprint is tiny. I can’t watch our home..."

Before she could finish, Cassian completed a purchase through the Exchange and took out the Legendary Heavenwork Design he had just bought.

"Whatever concerns you have, tell me," Cassian said. "As your future employer, I’m happy to solve them."

Lethria had no answer.

Where had this Human Lord come from? He even had a Legendary Heavenwork Design ready.

"Please give us ten minutes."

"I trust Faerie Dragons to make the right choice."

Five minutes later, Lethria took Human form and flew to him alone. She looked like a beautiful, mature woman with unusually clear, delicate features. She could stand beside the Stormlance without losing anything by the comparison.

"One last request. Please forgive Suzette’s earlier offense."

"Of course."

[Under the pressure of your intimidating power, eighteen Faerie Dragons have chosen to join your Domain. Accept / Reject?]

Cassian almost choked.

Intimidating power? Was that how the system intended to describe this?

Arguing with it would do him no good.

"Accept."

The eighteen Dragons shrank as though the air had gone out of them. Their Levels fell to zero.

Unlike physical Dragon lines such as Black Dragons, newborn Faerie Dragons had no hard scales. Barely Human height when standing upright, they were soft and pink all over.

Eyes lit up around Cassian.

"They’re adorable!" Liora cried. "Lord, can I adopt one?"

With the matter settled, Cassian was in an excellent mood. He rubbed Lethria’s little head. It felt wonderfully soft.

"Lethria, Liora is a Legendary Nine-Star mage who understands Order Power. Your people will serve under her for now. You can learn from each other’s magic."

Then he looked at Liora seriously.

"Partners. We aren’t adopting pets."

"Yes, partners!" Liora came forward and hugged Lethria around the neck. "I’m sorry. That was a poor choice of words."

Her new Lord kept stroking her head, which did little for his dignity. Still, Lethria could hear the respect in what they said. Some of her tension eased.

"Lord, could you give us a few Levels? This is rather embarrassing."

"Certainly. Wait a moment, though. Doing it now would waste Battle Essence."

Waste it?

Lethria stared at him, puzzled.

Cassian turned to Adela.

"Adela. Here’s your chance for revenge."

She looked startled, then touched.

"There’s no need, Lord. We’re on the same side now. We had a bad start, that’s all. Besides, the Fountain can bring us..."

She stopped. Understanding dawned, and a fierce smile spread across her face.

Holy Flame engulfed Suzette. The little Dragon died before anyone could stop it.

Even some of Cassian’s own people froze. Lethria stared in horror. Had her decision doomed them all?

"You—"

Cassian had already opened the Fountain’s reconstruction command. Suzette’s Domain belonging and death were verified. He confirmed the required Life Energy and Battle Essence costs, and the Fountain consumed them.

Her body dissolved into light.

A few seconds later, Suzette flew out from the Fountain’s part of the Domain, beating her little wings furiously.

"I’m alive! I’m alive! That scared me to death!"

"It really can bring us back," Lethria whispered.

[Lethria — Loyalty +12. Current Loyalty: 76.]

More notices followed. Every Faerie Dragon’s loyalty rose by more than ten points.

Cassian smiled at the string of results.

After checking his Battle Essence, Cassian bought seventeen Legendary Troop Souls through the Exchange. He gave one to each One-Star Faerie Dragon and confirmed their advances, then raised all eighteen Dragons to Level 60.

"Two-Star. Level sixty."

The seventeen Souls vanished. Lethria retained her Four Stars while the other seventeen Dragons reached Two-Star. The star advances and eighteen sets of Levels consumed one billion two hundred million Battle Essence in total.

Golden light faded from a formidable new force.

The nest would take enormous resources and space to rebuild. Cassian could not be sure when he would manage it. Winning over its residents had given him their fighting strength immediately.

He opened Suzette’s profile.

[Suzette]

[Race: Dragon]

[Level: 60]

[Quality: Legendary, Two-Star]

[Physique: 3,282 | Aether: 7,946 | Spirit: 12,850 | Load: 0]

[Combat Rating: 6,020 stars]

[Skills: Void Entanglement / Phase Wander / Phantasmal Orb / Crescent Mark / Aether Vacuum...]

A Two-Star Legendary troop at this Level normally had a Combat Rating around fifty-five hundred stars. Dragons stood a little higher.

More than twelve thousand Spirit. That was the advantage of an extreme spellcasting line.

Besides their spatial movement, silence, and control skills, Faerie Dragons knew dozens of spells from different schools. Cassian had almost too many good things to examine.

He went to the nest.

[Unowned Wild Troop Building detected: Faerie Dragon Nest. Ignore / Occupy / Destroy?]

Cassian ignored the choices and released the Heavenwork Design.

It expanded in the air, wrapping the enormous nest. Countless fine runes shimmered across its surface. Before their eyes, the nest contracted until a single golden Blueprint floated into Cassian’s hand.

[Legendary Heavenwork Design consumed. Faerie Dragon Nest Blueprint ×1 obtained.]

The Faerie Dragons cheered. That was their home. They did not know when their Lord would rebuild it, but now they had something to look forward to.

"Even if I never find the Swordgrave, this trip has already given me more than I hoped for."

The thought reminded him of something.

Lethria and her people had lived in Swordheart for years. Perhaps they knew where to look.

He asked her. Hesitation crossed her face.

"Lord, I know a city that may be the one you want. But from what I’ve sensed... it’s very dangerous."