Thousand-Faced Dragon

Chapter 402 Dragon Contract
"It smells so good! It's steak, corn soup, and fried fish!"

As soon as Rean returned home, he smelled the aroma of food.

Back in the living room, she saw Sallyman, the snake woman in a white apron, carefully placing fragrant meat soup on a mat on the wooden table.

A former business tycoon, now a devoted wife and mother, looking at Rean at this moment, I felt inexplicably moved and at ease.

“Sally Mann and I did the plating together,” said Sina, who suddenly jumped out, beaming with pride.

But she seemed to have inadvertently revealed something.

"Is it just for plating?" Rean asked astutely.

"Wow, Annie (the professional chef) is amazing. She said I can order whatever I want. Oh, and I even helped her order."

If Sheena were to turn around now, she would probably feel the snake woman's death stare. Rean also knew why Suliman's cooking skills had improved so much recently.

She's been working hard, but it seems like it's still a bit early to be able to easily prepare a table full of food.

Seeing the somewhat uneasy Sallyman after their eye contact, Rean smiled and shook his head.

It's nothing really; at least others are willing to learn and perform for you.
"That's good, take your time. I'll teach you next time."

Then, Rean changed the subject.

"Where is Lana?"

“Children should learn more. I enrolled her in an arts class, which includes dinner and evening study sessions.” Li En fell silent. Was this intentional or accidental?

He had already foreseen how Lana would pester him to tell on him.

The little incident passed quickly, but for some reason, Sina was still there, acting as a third wheel.

Even Hela knew that she had bought the neighbor's house, but she only came over occasionally.

"What are you doing here?" She responded to Sallyman's efforts with a smile, but turned to face Sina with a cold expression.

"Hey, cousin, I went to see my mentor. He looked at my level and accepted me as a disciple."

Rean frowned, somewhat puzzled.

"and then?"

"Then I need to buy some spellcasting materials, magic textbooks, and standard robes, but I don't have much money on me."

Now Rean understood.

She had some money on her, and Rean even gave her some, but when it came to actually using it for learning magic, it was all gone in an instant.

"Want to freeload on food and lodging?"

"Uh, I'm not that stupid. I mean, you can just lend me some money, I'll find a place to stay myself." Instantly, the pressure on me lessened a bit.

Rean nodded. The girl wasn't really stupid to have survived this long; there was probably still hope.

"I'll lend it to you. Eat first, I need to talk to you about something later."

Perfect timing, Rean needs to talk to her about something, so having her come will save her some trouble.

Rean is not a picky eater, and thanks to the abundance of ingredients and seasonings, the local food is quite good.

After finishing his meal, Rean didn't try to avoid Suliman and the others. Some things just can't be kept secret forever.

"The Dragon Contract, do you know it?"

“Of course, I am from the Dragon Kingdom, but not a single dragon has responded to the contract I made.” Upon hearing this, Rean felt even more uneasy. This guy’s dragon lineage is not weak, so why wouldn’t any dragons like him?

“I once asked a bronze dragon in person, and it said that I had a terrifying smell. That’s why my former mentor took a liking to me. He was very interested in my bloodline, even though my parents were just ordinary people.”

The awakening of the warlock's bloodline can awaken the power of the ancestral bloodline, which is not actually contradictory. However, in the end, the diluted Thousand-Faced Dragon bloodline is actually disliked by the dragon.
“Alright, I’ll sign a contract with you.” Rean’s words surprised Sina. Could warlocks sign a dragon pact with each other?

“I am on the side of the dragons, so I should be able to provide you with a few spells. Can you provide me with… uh, give it a try.”

Rean was originally going to look for Sheena, but since she had come on her own initiative, he figured he might as well try the contract now.

Extraordinary contracts are quite common in this world. They are a part of social relationships and the easiest way for the weak to borrow the power of the strong. Even shepherds and magic masters can be regarded as a kind of contractual relationship.

The Dragon Pact is a very ancient pact. Originally, it was a "child-care" pact, a special pact that dragons used to take care of those backward half-dragon descendants and dragonborn. Eventually, it was upgraded to a pact that "bloodline sorcerers" could use.

"As a dragon, I contribute a portion of the primordial power."

"As a sorcerer, I provide wealth and, uh, a portion of magic."

The most basic contract is an equal exchange, where both parties get what they need and make up for their own shortcomings.

The contracts between dragons and their offspring, half-dragons, and warlocks are standard, formulaic contracts. In fact, due to the supervision and enforcement by dragon gods and dragon kings, the two parties to a contract may never meet or even know each other.

Sheena previously proposed a contract, which exists in the "Dragon's Palace." If a dragon desires a contract, it can accept it, and the two parties will "exchange" it.

The weaker party will receive a natural advantage, and most warlocks can gain some "spell-like abilities" in this regard.
"Great!! I've awakened the Fireball spell! I'm finally a qualified spellcaster!"

Seeing the ecstatic look on Sheena's face, Rean breathed a sigh of relief. He actually has three sources now. Although the Red Dragon is the strongest, it's not impossible that he might get something like the Black Dragon's Acid Arrow or the Sapphire Dragon's Sonic Bomb randomly.

"My magic power... well, the increase is very slight, but it does exist. My mental strength has also grown a little. My body has weakened a bit, but not much. My attributes haven't changed. It seems that one contract isn't enough."

The growth of a dragon is, in essence, the evolution of its soul, and its outward manifestation is the improvement of its spiritual power and magic power. However, more than 90% of dragons are willing to form a contract because of the "wealth" and "treasure" promised in the contract.

The ability for a human to acquire the essence of a dragon, becoming more like a dragon and gaining dragon-like magical abilities is actually quite powerful. For example, contracting a golden dragon grants healing and blessing abilities, perfectly compensating for the warlock class's weakness of lacking healing.
Only those who borrow the power of blood (warlocks) or are born half-dragons/dragonborn can borrow this power; they are able to fuse with the dragon's essence.

Dragons that lose part of their origin will become weaker to some extent, and their physical strength may even decrease. This is also the "burden" that Victoria suggested Rean take on voluntarily.

This loss is not permanent; it can be returned when the contract ends. The weakness in the "short term" can be compensated by the magic, wealth, and treasures that accelerate growth, so it is not a loss for the dragon. In fact, the dragon essence that a warlock can fuse with is only a fraction of what a dragon can gain, so this weakening is quite limited.

The two parties to the contract often become new allies. If the warlock dies, he may not be able to get his original essence back. Although the cost is not much, it is still very painful.

"Uh, it seems we need a few more contractors."

Rean, the three-headed dragon, had so much primordial energy that it was overflowing. Although he felt a little more relaxed now, there was not much change.

He looked at Suliman and shook his head.

Although the name "psychic" contains the word "sorcerer," they are actually two different things. A psychic is a person with supernatural abilities who explores their own inner self, which is different from a sorcerer who instinctively controls their bloodline.

Seeing the overjoyed Sheena, Rean was initially puzzled, but then it dawned on him.

"You don't know, what spells a warlock awakens is completely uncontrollable. Some great warlocks can't even cast Fireball. It's a tragedy." Sheena's words were full of bitterness. She had finally reached the third ring, but all she awakened was a useless spell, which made her only suitable for a second-ring warlock.

Warlocks possess abundant magic and strong bloodlines, but their weakest link is always the lack of spells and the absence of a coherent system.

What spell you awaken depends entirely on luck. If a fifth-ring warlock doesn't have a fireball spell, their path to advancement is bound to be too bumpy.

Although some people like to mock mages and warlocks, saying they are just fireball launchers and their strength is halved without fireballs... well, it seems this isn't just a rumor. Compared to similar spells of the same level, fireballs do indeed have an overwhelming advantage in terms of cost-effectiveness.

With a wide range, high damage, fast burst, and relatively low resource consumption, it seems to have no weaknesses except for its tendency to accidentally kill friendly units.
"Perhaps I can use the fireball spell provided by the red dragon bloodline as bait to trick a few more warlocks into making contracts."

At that moment, Rean thought of Dania and Hela. Mind mage is not a mage, but a dragon speech mage who uses bloodline power is indeed a mage, and a first-generation mage at that.

(End of this chapter)