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As the magical light flickered, Langpu’s ugly face reappeared on the mirrored surface, brimming with the joy of harvest.

“Master, you’ve come at just the right time.”

“This time, we’ve looted the reserves of the Polar Night Demon Tower and discovered over a hundred spell scrolls within the ruins. Among them are one ninth-tier spell, two eighth-tier spells, three seventh-tier spells, five sixth-tier spells, and eleven fifth-tier spells, most of which are necromancy and conjuration spells. As for the lower-tier spells, they are countless.”

Langpu pulled out a piece of parchment handed to him by a subordinate, donned a pair of gold-rimmed spectacles, and continued reading:

“The only ninth-tier spell is 【King-Slaying Star Phantasm】, which Wagner cast before his death. It was sealed in the spire’s underground, held by numerous vicious necromancy spells. We lost dozens of people extracting it, and I dared not make a decision without you. It has been resealed as per your orders, ready to be sent to your treasury.”

“Additionally, we retrieved hundreds of dragonblood experimental subjects and a massive amount of research data from the spire. I must say, Wagner had remarkable expertise in draconic blood studies. Over these sleepless nights, I have summarized part of this classified information, adding it to the kingdom’s archives.”

“The kingdom’s spellcasters are continuing their research, and it is estimated that it will take three to five years to fully digest these findings.”

“This quarter, the economy of the Scorched Kingdom has gradually stabilized, and all kinds of tax revenues have reached fifty-two thousand...”

The ogre mage adjusted his glasses, speaking excitedly, now thoroughly lost in his tirade.

“Moreover, we have already begun to study...”

Cassius was nearly yawning. Despite his Intelligence having reached sixteen, being bombarded with so much information at once was still somewhat irritating. As a naturally lazy red dragon, he preferred to be a hands-off ruler, leaving the trivialities of governance to his subordinates.

He immediately interrupted Langpu.

“Summarize everything into a report and present it to me in writing in two days. Do not waste my time here.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Noticing the red dragon’s impatience, Langpu quickly shut his mouth, responding deferentially.

“I did not summon you for these trivial matters.”

“Rawr?”

A head poked out from beside the red dragon—Tinia was curiously peering at the magical mirror.

Seeing the white dragon’s head, Langpu’s expression instantly froze, and he understood Cassius’s intent in summoning him.

This white dragon had certainly caused him no small amount of trouble. Being a noble true dragon, Langpu, as Cassius’s loyal servant, dared not offend her lightly. Yet, as the kingdom’s chief minister, he could not stand by as she wrecked buildings. In the end, he had to resort to a compromise—using a force wall spell to contain her.

Langpu’s mind raced as he considered several possibilities, cold sweat forming on his forehead.

After weighing the options, Langpu decided to admit his fault.

“Master, I truly lacked the ability to settle Lady Tinia. I had to confine her with magic. If you think it inappropriate, I could...”

Cassius frowned, interrupting once again:

“I’m not here to blame you.”

“Then, what do you wish for me to do?”

Langpu took out a handkerchief embroidered with gold thread, wiping the sweat off his brow.

Cassius gestured at Tinia, who promptly understood and puffed out a small gust of wind, clearly proud of herself.

“Tinia has an innate spellcasting talent. I want you to teach her some practical spells, such as Polymorph and Invisibility. Also, teach her the basic etiquette of our kingdom.”

“This...”

Langpu’s expression stiffened.

He remained silent for a long time before forcing a strained smile, his forehead now covered in sweat.

“Lady Tinia is very gifted, but...”

For the past ten years, the dragonblood ogre mage had exhausted himself trying to educate the “brilliant” ogres in the kingdom. Progress had been slow and painstaking, and now he faced an even more stubborn, more powerful white dragon—one he couldn’t hit or scold. He felt a sense of suffocation.

“I will do my utmost.”

Seeing the unyielding look in Cassius’s eyes, Langpu forced a smile that looked more like a grimace.

“I will gather the kingdom’s spellcasters periodically, and with the kingdom’s resources, we will train Lady Tinia as best we can. We will not disappoint your expectations.”

After some thought, Langpu finally devised a way to share the burden and, without hesitation, extended this unpleasant task to all spellcasters in the kingdom—there was no way he would shoulder this pain alone.

“Good.”

Cassius nodded slightly.

Beside him, Tinia, oblivious to their conversation, was curiously staring at the magical mirror.

As if remembering something, Cassius asked Langpu, “By the way, is my palace complete yet?”

He referred to the “Iron Dragonwing Palace” on the outskirts of the city. Cassius felt it was time to undergo slumber to digest the power of his ancient dragon bloodline. Slumbering in Northwind Fortress seemed too dangerous, with the risk of accidentally turning half the city into molten lava.

Langpu replied, “We have expended considerable faction resources, assigned over three hundred Starfallen, and sent twenty-seven frost giant slaves. They worked day and night, and aside from some final embellishments, the palace is essentially complete. For some reason, the Starfallen have been unusually eager to accept these tasks lately.”

Cassius figured it was likely because the game servers were about to shut down, and the players wanted to make the most out of their final moments.

“Good. I’ve got it.”

“Master, I will go prepare the reports now.”

Langpu respectfully took his leave, cutting the magical communication only after the red dragon exited the scene.

Cassius then paced out of the hall, took to the skies, and flew towards the outskirts, with the white dragon following closely.

The brand new “Iron Dragonwing Palace” finally appeared before him.

The palace was built against a mountain and was magnificent in scale.

The main hall stood nearly thirty meters tall, featuring a massive iron throne. The wings of the palace, flanking the central hall, were equally imposing, like wide dragon wings.

With the vast wealth of the Scorched Kingdom, the immense strength of frost giant slaves, and the diverse methods of the players, such a palace had been constructed in mere months.

Cassius even spotted several cranes manufactured by the Machine God Church, momentarily making him feel like he had returned to his original world.

For Cassius, however, the palace was only a facade. His real lair was the warm cavern dug into the mountainside, spacious enough to accommodate his hibernation.

But Tinia, flying beside him, looked fearful.

She could feel a familiar magical resonance—the Dragonbinding Array left by Wagner, a powerful eighth-tier spell that had bound her for a hundred years.

It triggered a deep-seated fear within her.

That “Gray Hawk,” the array left unused, was quietly placed in the left wing of the palace.

Cassius finally revealed his true intention for bringing her along. He grabbed the white dragon by her neck, ignoring her desperate struggles, dragging her before the array.

He pressed her head against the array and sneered menacingly:

“Dare cause more trouble, and I’ll bind you for another hundred years.”

“Do you understand?”

“Roar...”

Tinia flapped her wings wildly, her cries filled with panic.

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