Page 232

"Are you saying..."

"They've already put the Ember Kingdom on their list of enemy factions and started gathering intelligence, preparing to overthrow the so-called 'dark rule'?"

In the main hall of the palace, the Red Dragon lay sprawled across the iron throne, displeased as he exhaled a puff of sulfurous heat.

"So it's the Harpist Alliance, always sniffing around like hounds. What a troublesome group."

Cassius glanced at Richard, who lay on the floor, and grinned.

"So... what kind of price should you pay? My stomach does feel rather empty."

Under the pressure of the dragon's aura and the threat to his companion's life, Richard had long since collapsed mentally. His disheveled hair hung over his face, and there was no trace of the once spirited ranger blessed by the Great Faerie.

"I-I've already told you everything."

His voice had become hoarse from extreme agony.

Cassius slowly stood, walking step by step towards Richard.

An invisible, overwhelming aura swept over him. The half-elf could almost smell the sulfur right in front of him.

"Did you think I was joking with you?"

"The price you've paid is nowhere near enough to save your pathetic elven lover."

"If this is all you've got, just imagine it. That beautiful scene—the elf wailing in my mouth, her body torn apart by my sharp teeth, shredded to pieces..."

His slit pupils emitted a ghostly gleam, breaking through Richard's last mental defenses with a powerful [Dread Gaze].

Richard's expression grew vacant, his spirit on the verge of collapse. It seemed he could already see the unbearable scene playing out.

It was well known that the Red Dragon's appetite for elves wasn't just a rumor—it was a documented fact, noted explicitly in red ink in the alliance's intelligence reports.

Again and again, Richard banged his head against the hard floor, blood streaming down from his forehead.

"Please, spare her! I'll pay any price, even if... even if you eat me instead."

Cassius walked back to his throne, his voice cold. "To me, you are utterly insignificant."

He paused deliberately.

"But I do need you to help me complete a few tasks. This is the only, very slight value you have to me."

Richard's face lit up with the last glimmer of hope, as if he were clutching a life-saving straw.

"Th-Then what do you need me to do?"

He was ready to face any kind of greedy demand.

Under the threat to his companion's life, Richard's mental defenses had been completely shattered by Cassius, leaving him nothing more than a puppet who would obey without question.

Cassius spoke each word deliberately: "I need you to return to the Harpist Alliance as a double agent for the kingdom."

Richard's expression froze momentarily, but then returned to normal.

Perhaps he had anticipated this, or perhaps he simply had no choice. He responded with resignation.

"Yes, master."

Cassius nodded approvingly and continued, "One of my spellcasters will provide you with a magical communication device."

"Every month, at a predetermined time, you will report the Harpist Alliance's intelligence to us. If we find that your information doesn't match reality or you fail to report..."

He paused once more.

A clear magical image appeared in the hall—the tall elf girl bound within a cold iron cage, like a golden canary trapped in a birdcage.

Her eyes were closed, her brow slightly furrowed, as if still lost in the overwhelming failure she'd endured moments before.

"You will never see her again."

Richard stared at her beautiful face for a long time before lowering his head, his lips trembling slightly. "Abis..."

"Master, I will do it."

"Trust me, I will complete the mission."

The tiefling guards, who had been waiting, bound Richard's hands behind his back and led him down the palace corridors, intending to take him to Langpu's mage tower.

He remained silent throughout, never resisting or struggling—just weakly obeying.

He turned his head, as if once again seeing that familiar face.

"Abis, wait for me. I will rescue you."

This once kind-hearted, carefree half-elf ranger, under the threat to his lover's life and the brutal oppression of the Red Dragon, was forced to become a spy for the Ember Kingdom—a role he had once despised, serving an evil force.

But this was the cold, hard reality.

"Another channel for information."

"The Harpist Alliance?"

"Tsk, nosy fools. One day, they'll pay for their meddling."

"But that silver dragon seems to have some connection with them too."

Cassius yawned, bored, before activating Langpu's magic mirror.

"Have you taken custody of that ranger from the Harpist Alliance?"

"Yes, master. Everything went smoothly. Your wisdom left him with no courage to resist; he has obediently become the kingdom's puppet."

Langpu sounded excited, clearly having just left his laboratory.

"And there's a peculiar power within him—a blessing from the rumored Great Faerie."

"These ancient beings residing in the Faerie Wastelands wield miraculous powers. His patron is at least at the legendary level, possibly higher, though it's difficult for them to interfere directly in the material plane."

"I think... we might be able to steal some of that power."

"Oh?"

Cassius was uninterested.

These powerful archfaeries, who ruled their domains on the outer planes, mostly aligned with good-hearted individuals. Their powers leaned more toward natural miracles, which didn't suit him well—even if he obtained them, they would be of little use.

So Cassius merely warned:

"You may conduct some experiments, but ensure his safety. I do not wish for my spy in the Harpist Alliance to turn into some peculiar creature or a corpse."

"Of course, master."

Langpu's excitement quickly dissipated after Cassius's rebuke, and he calmed down.

He remembered that the half-elf from the Harpist Alliance had a mission from the Red Dragon. He wasn't just another prisoner to be experimented on at whim.

"As long as you understand."

"My next slumber is imminent. Prepare the protective formations promptly. During my rest, avoid unnecessary trouble and ensure the kingdom's stable development."

Cassius commanded.

The magma-like ripples on his body were becoming more pronounced—a sign that the seed of his bloodline was surging, causing fire elemental energy to overflow.

"Yes, master."

Langpu solemnly took his leave, severing the magic mirror link.

Cassius yawned again, lazily glancing at the still-visible magic image beside him.

"An elf..."

"Most of the elves in this era belong to the existing elven kingdom. Perhaps I can inquire about an old acquaintance."

He recalled the perilous scene when he first arrived in this world. It seemed like a long time ago, yet also as if it had just happened a moment ago.

But he had changed completely—no longer the young dragon fleeing from place to place, but now a being that made all of the North tremble.