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"Heh, after all our fights, you sure know me well," Jibril said with a cheeky grin, suddenly acting a bit more serious. "Compared to my super interesting Master, that old War God is so boring, always just sitting there like a statue."
"You're the only one who dares talk about the War God like that," Zhuyue said, shaking her head slightly.
"…A Machina?!" Just as Zhuyue was about to say more to Riku, she finally noticed Zhubi flying down from her head to land beside him. Her massive dragon eyes narrowed as her expression shifted.
The Machina—ranked tenth among the races—might be a lower species, but no one could ignore their power.
Their reputation was built on the fact that they killed the Flame Dragon Ardonraith and seven of his Dragonkin followers.
Sure, Ardonraith had picked a fight with the Machina and ended up getting killed. If he hadn't started it, the Machina probably would've just stuck to their defensive protocols and not escalated things.
Still—dead is dead. Right or wrong doesn't matter. There's bad blood between the Dragonkin and the Machina now. Zhuyue, being one of the Wise Dragon's followers, didn't feel too strongly about it. But the 18 surviving followers of Ardonraith? That was a different story.
She's one of Ardonraith's enemies, Riku realized as soon as he saw Zhuyue's reaction. His eyes narrowed.
Looks like this isn't going to be a smooth mission after all.
"Yeah… while us Wise Dragon followers don't care much about that incident, the others probably won't be so forgiving," Zhuyue said slowly.
"Riku, I'm sorry… this is all my fault," Zhubi whispered, full of guilt. It wasn't just that she might screw up the alliance—there was more to it…
"It's fine. I've got a plan," Riku said softly, patting her head reassuringly.
"Ehehe~ What plan, Master?" Jibril asked curiously. "This situation feels pretty sketchy."
"What else? If they pick a fight, I'll just beat them all up," Riku said casually, like he was talking about the weather.
"You guys probably don't care what I do, right?" He looked directly at Zhuyue.
"Hah, do whatever you want. No one here's gonna step in. Just… try not to kill them, alright?" Zhuyue chuckled.
"Works for me." Riku nodded, satisfied.
"By the way, where's the Wise Dragon?" Riku asked, finally getting to the main topic.
"The Wise Dragon will be back soon. We were lucky to even get in touch with him last time," Zhuyue explained.
"Got it," Riku nodded. He wasn't surprised. The Wise Dragon was always off doing who-knows-what. Honestly, Riku had expected to wait at least a month. Getting it done in a week? That was already super fast.
"Want me to give you a tour?" Zhuyue offered.
"Nah, we'll just wander around on our own," Riku said with a glint in his eyes.
Because his visit wasn't just about negotiating with the Wise Dragon. He was also here to grab two treasure chests.
One diamond-tier chest, and one platinum-tier chest.
The bronze and silver chests he opened the past few days had been total letdowns, and it was driving him nuts.
"In that case, I'll take my leave. Call me if you need anything," Zhuyue nodded and flew off.
"Riku, where are we going now?" Zhubi asked.
"Where else? We're going treasure hunting," Riku said, grinning as he patted her head.
"Treasure hunting? You mean there's something valuable around here?" Jibril asked curiously.
"Well, if you put it that way… it's a secret~" Riku replied with a mysterious grin, then started walking toward the nearest platinum chest using the system map.
With nothing else to go on, Jibril and Zhu Bi followed behind, full of questions and curiosity.
Eventually, the three of them reached a mountain ahead. Tucked in what looked like a nest, Riku glanced at a platinum chest up ahead with a smirk and walked right over to it.
Jibril and Zhu Bi exchanged puzzled looks. As far as they could tell, there was nothing there.
Ignoring their confusion, Riku placed his hand on the invisible platinum chest.
In an instant, platinum light flared up, and the chest popped open.
Ding! Congratulations, Master! You've opened a Platinum Chest and received: Contract Card.
Contract Card: A non-owner drips blood on this card and swears loyalty to the owner to form a special contract. The cardholder gains absolute control over the life and death of the contracted subordinate—one thought is all it takes.The master gains one random ability from the subordinate. The subordinate's strength will increase as the master grows stronger.Limit: 5 people.
"Damn… this thing's pretty ruthless," Riku said in awe. The master basically holds all the power. But if used right, it could be a win-win.
"All in all, not a bad find." Riku nodded, clearly satisfied.
"Riku, did you find something?" Zhu Bi asked as she came over.
"Master, why didn't I sense anything at all?" Jibril looked around, still confused.
"Don't overthink it—hmm? Looks like we've got company." Riku chuckled, patting both girls on the head, then suddenly narrowed his eyes and looked up into the sky.
"Yeah, someone's coming. And they seem really arrogant," Jibril said with a sly smile, squinting toward the sky.
"Scan complete: Species 047—Dragonkin," Zhu Bi said quietly as she stared upward.
Right after that, a strong gust of wind swept through the area. A dark shadow covered the sky.
"A monkey... a Flügel like Jibril... and a machine lifeform!" A massive black dragon loomed overhead, eyes locked on Riku, then Jibril, and finally fixed intensely on Zhu Bi as it spoke in a deep voice.
The atmosphere turned instantly heavy and suffocating.
"Well, that was rude," Jibril said coldly, staring up at the dragon. "No wonder I can't stand any of you damn dragon types."
Clearly, Zhuyue had already spread word about Riku's power, so the Dragonkin must've known what they were dealing with. Yet this dragon still came here tossing insults—real classy.
"Teaming up with a monkey? Zhuyue must've lost her damn mind. And on top of that, there's a machine lifeform with you—one of our mortal enemies," the black dragon growled, eyes locked on Zhu Bi, radiating killing intent.
"Well that's a pompous way to put things. No wonder you black dragons are such a mess. You're a disgrace to your whole kind," Riku shot back with a mocking laugh.
"You filthy monkey! You've pissed me off now—prepare to die!" The black dragon's pupils contracted, and it let out an earth-shaking roar of fury.
"....."