The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

So, the magician refused and said, “If you have no money, what magic are you trying to learn? Scram!”

Paris was not discouraged; she continued to search for a magician. After being rejected by three magicians, she finally succeeded in becoming an apprentice to a female magician. However, this female magician used her as a lab rat, and after enduring the unbearable pain of a “pain deprivation” magic experiment, she fled.

She left with injuries all over her body, having learned no magic.

Hunger and cold pressed upon her; she also fell ill and nearly died, but then she was saved by a group of thieves living in the sewers, and she became a thief herself.

She thought she could only survive in filth as one of the rats, stealing to live.

But, unexpectedly, she got involved in a significant event. Paris recounted calmly, “In the Red Maple Mountain of the Maple Leaf Duchy, there resides an evil dragon, a Light Dragon. It turned the entire Red Maple Mountain into a mirage, making it impossible for anyone to find its exact location.”

Because of this evil dragon, everyone in the cities near Red Maple Mountain moved away.

It was then that the Court Grand Mage of the Maple Leaf Duchy had an idea: he wanted to steal the mysterious power of the Light Dragon.

“He read from some Magic Book that under certain conditions, humans killed by dragons could become ghostly apparitions known as White Dragon Wraiths. So, with the nobles’ support, he lured a large number of rats with the promise of dragon’s blood, aiding him in creating White Dragon Wraiths.”

Her beautiful face showed a hint of hatred: “And I was one of the rats deceived by the dragon’s blood. If it weren’t for an accident, I would probably be dead.”

“So, you didn’t die but instead became a White Dragon Wraith?” Liszt was astonished. It was the first time he’d heard that people killed by dragons could turn into specters.

Wasn’t this the same in nature as the ancient saying “becoming a tiger’s lackey”?

But Paris shook her head. “A real White Dragon Wraith is a ghostly existence. Do I look like a specter to you? … That Grand Magician didn’t know that a thief had stolen his research notes, so we came to our senses. But it was too late—the Light Dragon revealed itself right in front of us.”

The Light Dragon, of medium size, appeared and disappeared intermittently. Markings of interest to the Light Dragon had been engraved on the rats by the Grand Magician—a type of indelible passive magic that extracted the resentment of the dead and combined it with the mysterious power of the Light Dragon, attempting to congeal the White Dragon Wraith he desired.

The rats were killed off one by one, but the White Dragon Wraith never materialized.

“While fleeing to avoid capture by the Light Dragon and the Grand Magician, we contemplated our options. The thief who had stolen the notes came up with a way to reverse the magic marking: voluntary sacrifice to become a living White Dragon Wraith… Ultimately, we achieved it, we became living White Dragon Wraiths.”

“Living White Dragon Wraiths?” Liszt’s eyes roamed over Paris, as he couldn’t understand this state.

Paris seemed to understand Liszt’s thoughts.

She held out her left hand, rolled up her sleeve, and revealed a stretch of fair arm that was dazzling to the eyes.

However, in the next moment, the fair arm suddenly stood out with bulging veins, and scales began to emerge from the flesh one by one. The hand at the front end gradually twisted from human to the claw of a beast: “Humanity has never seen dragonkin, for a dragon’s power corrodes everything about a person. This corrupting force is what magicians call ‘Wraith,’ and the White Dragon Wraith is the ultimate result of human corruption.”

The Eye of Magic was deployed.

Liszt could see that Paris’s left hand was brimming with vibrant magic power, even drawing the free-floating magic from the air and accumulating it on her arm, forming a faint black mist.

“The true White Dragon Wraiths are white, ghost-like entities. We willingly offer ourselves up, to be corroded by the dragon’s power in order to survive. As the corrupting power grows stronger, it will eventually consume us, turning us into real White Dragon Wraiths… or perhaps we’ll simply die.”

Paris withdrew the transformation, and her arm returned to its previous fair appearance.

Liszt couldn’t shake the memory of that monstrous, ferocious arm, which had left a shadow over his heart. He couldn’t help but exclaim with both amazement and pity, “Is this corruption irreversible?”

“Yes, whenever we use the dragon’s power, the corruption deepens. So, if I don’t carelessly use the power that can counter both Sky Knights and Grand Magicians, I could probably live another ten years.” Paris sighed, appearing to have no regrets or sadness, “We call ourselves Black Dragon Acolytes.”

She paused, then suddenly added, “I think, if I were to unleash all of my power, even a Sky Knight could be gravely injured.”

This superfluous remark had a clear meaning—it was a warning to Liszt to consider carefully how to treat her, not to act recklessly just because his father was a Sky Knight.

Perhaps he was too engrossed in the story.

Or perhaps he had never considered acting on his desires, Liszt simply marvelled, “Are you sure, with the power of a wraith unleashed, you could really gravely injure a Sky Knight?”

“Of course, otherwise how could we have killed that Court Grand Mage back then.”

“You killed the Grand Mage?”

“There were four of us Black Dragon Acolytes who survived. Risking our lives, one claw each, we tore the Court Grand Mage to shreds.” Paris laughed, “After that, we killed a bunch of nobles who deceitfully sent rats to die and even formed a mercenary corps, until the Maple Leaf Duchy sent out Dragon Knights… We took our revenge, left the mercenary corps, and each sought refuge.”

Paris and the others were wanted by the Maple Leaf Duchy.

After hiding for a while, the Steel Ridge Kingdom and the Eagle Kingdom broke out in new warfare, and she quietly returned to her homeland. That led to the events in Fresh Flower Town.

After hearing the story.

Liszt pondered for a full quarter of an hour before speaking, “Paris, if I understand correctly, you didn’t indiscriminately kill nobles? And if you don’t use your wraith’s power, you can live for about ten years, but if you do use it, you can unleash the power to kill a Sky Knight? Lastly, you are only wanted by the Maple Leaf Duchy and haven’t killed anyone else in the Duchy of Sapphire?”

Paris nodded.

Liszt then asked, “So, what’s the deal with your Invisibility Technique?”

“It’s a part of the abilities inherited from the Light Dragon. It allows me to adjust the light around my body to become invisible, just a small trick.” After speaking, she took a sip of her milk tea, “I’ve finished explaining my identity, so, what other doubts do you have?”

“Trust takes time to build.”

Liszt decided not to probe any further and said, “Considering your strength and special abilities, I would like to hire you as my bodyguard to ensure my personal safety. If you accept, I am willing to pay you one Gold Coin per month for your services.”

“I can accept the position as bodyguard, but one Gold Coin is not enough. I also need a large house, preferably with a garden; I want to restore Maggie’s Freeman status, and I want an Earth Knight to teach her how to cultivate Dou Qi; I also want a horse, and preferably two servants.”

“Stop!”

Liszt replied calmly, “I’m hiring you to work, not to enjoy yourself. I’ll offer one Gold Coin, restore Maggie’s Freeman status, and give you a house in the noble residential area. As for the rest, you’ll have to sort it out yourself!”