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"Hmm? What happened?"

Olivia slowly opened her eyes, her pupils glowing faintly in the darkness.

The graceful Silver Dragon stretched her wings slightly, struggling to support herself with her limbs as she got up from the ground. Her body felt almost foreign to her.

The surrounding environment was somewhat dim, as if all the light had been absorbed by something, causing her pupils to dilate slightly.

"Eh? Wait, this is—"

Olivia finally snapped out of her dreamlike state and fully awoke, astonished to find that her restraints were gone!

The heavy chains that had embedded themselves into her flesh had vanished, and the oppressive, agonizing pain of confinement had disappeared with them.

"Olivia, I wasn’t too late, was I?"

A familiar voice came.

At first, the Silver Dragon felt disbelief, then she turned around in utter delight, seeing the figure she had longed for day and night.

Short black hair, golden vertical pupils faintly glowing, an undeniably handsome young face, a noble robe trimmed with gold, and the faint golden scales—this was "Angel," the young Golden Dragon who had made her a promise.

"You, you—"

A tremendous wave of joy struck Olivia.

Her entire body trembled slightly.

For this reunion, Olivia had rehearsed her lines in her mind countless times.

But when the moment finally came, perhaps because she was too overwhelmed, all the words stuck in her throat, and she found herself at a loss for what to say.

In the end, she just muttered a few words.

"Am I..."

"Is this really not a dream?"

"Angel" did not respond. He merely gazed at her with a smile, as if to say, "This is reality."

Yes, a real touch, a real presence.

Olivia suddenly felt her nose tingle, tears welling up in her blue-gray eyes.

But when she looked down and saw her wounded body, she couldn’t even bother to wipe away the tears from her eyes. She hastily wiped her face with her claws and said anxiously, "Don’t look at me like this!"

"This disheveled appearance is far too ugly!"

Before her words could even fall, magical light flickered around the Silver Dragon’s body, and she rapidly shrank, transforming into a noble-looking young girl with long silver hair flowing over her shoulders.

However, her current appearance was anything but elegant.

"Hmm."

Olivia threw herself into "Angel’s" embrace, unable to contain her emotions any longer. Tears streamed from her blue-gray eyes.

Angel gently hugged her, allowing her to release the pent-up feelings she had held for so long.

The sound of sobbing echoed within the palace.

After a long time, Olivia realized how out of control she had been. Reluctantly, she loosened her hold and softly pushed Angel away, staring into his golden eyes.

Perhaps she had cried too hard, for her voice still carried a hint of sobbing.

"Angel, how long has it been now?"

"Exactly ninety-eight days."

"Angel"—or rather, Cassius—responded.

"The Ember King mysteriously disappeared several months ago, and I discovered a way to break the barrier from the ancient ruins, so I came to find you right away. How is it, was I too late?"

"No, of course not."

Olivia wiped the tears from her eyes and immediately smiled.

"You really remembered that promise."

She spoke softly, cautiously.

Cassius stepped forward, leaning in close to Olivia’s cheek. "I said it before—even if it cost me everything, all my treasures, I would rescue you from here. That was my promise to you."

"Let’s leave together. This place is not somewhere we should linger, and no one knows when the Ember King will return."

"Mm."

Olivia nodded vigorously, her cheeks slightly flushed.

Cassius took the girl’s slender hand, summoned a portal, and led her toward the outside world.

However, immersed in the joy of their reunion and filled with beautiful expectations, the young Silver Dragon girl had no idea that the so-called "promise" was a complete and utter deception from the very beginning.

"Is this the Witch’s Veil Tavern?"

"You once said this was your favorite tavern. Since it’s already quite late, let’s rest here for now."

"Alright."

Olivia’s face bore a calm, gentle smile.

As they entered a room on the second floor of the tavern, candles shaped like witch’s staffs hung on the walls, their flickering flames casting a slightly dim glow over a bed covered with intricately patterned silk.

The atmosphere felt somewhat ambiguous.

The silver-haired girl’s face blushed slightly; after all, she had never experienced something like this.

Silver Dragons did not reject intimacy and viewed it as something beautiful and noble, but Olivia had spent most of her time studying spells, never giving much thought to such things.

She felt a little lost.

So, after much hesitation, Olivia shyly asked,

"Should we sleep now?"

"Why not... first study some spells, Professor Olivia?"

Cassius teased, deliberately emphasizing the word "Professor."

He held the girl’s hand and pulled her into his arms, and soon they both sat on the soft, large bed, their bodies pressed together.

Olivia did not resist, but her face turned visibly red, and it seemed as if steam was about to rise from her head.

Still, the silver-haired girl feigned calmness:

"W-what spell?"

Cassius whispered into Olivia’s ear, "You are the ’Silver Star,’ so naturally, we must discuss spells related to the stars."

Olivia’s entire body softened, her skin glistening with sweat, yet she nervously replied,

"Are you talking about... the Crown of Stars?"

"Hmm—"

Before she could finish her sentence, her lips were sealed by a soft kiss.

Olivia initially resisted instinctively, but as time passed and they exchanged warmth, her eyes gradually lost focus, completely immersed in the moment.

Cassius smoothly slipped off her starlit gown, revealing her snowy-white skin and graceful curves.

The silver-haired girl’s breathing grew more rapid, her faint gasps clearly audible in the room.

"Professor Olivia, shall we first explore the spell model..."

"No, Angel—"

"Professor Olivia, I need to delve into the Weave, touch its fibers, and reach its weak point at the apex."

"Angel, stop!"

"Relax, Olivia, this is just the normal phenomenon of spell release. Only those fools from Netheril would destroy the Weave."

"It’s a pity I’m not a mage—I can’t build those intricate models and can only let all extensions flow into the Source Sea, causing waves of energy."

"Angel, hmm... Is this the power of arcane magic? So powerful, so full..."

"No, Olivia, this is the surge of our sorcery, from the Sea of Chaos. Feel it carefully; it brings us both unmatched power and pleasure..."

The two high-level spellcasters immersed themselves in their spell study. The candlelight in the tavern flickered wildly before finally going out, leaving the room in complete darkness.

Perhaps due to the stellar magic, the night’s stars twinkled clearly. Occasionally, a shooting star streaked across the sky, leaving a red trail, either diving or sweeping, trembling and bringing a hint of light and warmth to the night.

A bright comet also passed between the stars, with its milky-white tail illuminating the darkness, enveloping even the surrounding starlight. The night quivered shyly, seemingly sighing and murmuring a nocturnal verse.