Thousand-Faced Dragon

Chapter 83 Little Secret

The spacious reception room was brightly lit, but the atmosphere was icy.

Rean and Sallyman sat facing each other in silence, like a couple who had just had a tiff, if you disregard the little woman sitting right next to Rean.

"Auntie, didn't you have something urgent to do and leave? Why are you back?"

Suliman put down her coffee cup, her gaze unwavering, her words laced with barbs.

"Ah, I was in a hurry to see Lord Rean, but now that I've seen him, I'm no longer in a hurry."

As she spoke, Purple Rose leaned closer, letting her ample bosom brush against her.

The overly warm temperature, along with the woman's unique softness and fragrance, left the inexperienced Rean somewhat flustered. His face flushed red from the scent, seemingly revealing something.

"Huh, little brother Rean has never been in a relationship before? Is he going to have a passionate, youthful romance with Little Rose?! Little Rose is also a first love." Instantly, the girl's eyes lit up as if she had spotted her prey.

As she spoke, the girl kept rubbing against him, making Rean's face turn even redder.

He felt his blood was boiling a bit too much today. Had he been poisoned?
At the same time, it was visible to the naked eye that the veins on the forehead of the person directly opposite her were bulging, and she almost had a blood vessel burst on the spot.

"Auntie! Mind your age and seniority!" This is almost a direct reprimand, and it's about something women care about most.

"Uh, but Auntie looks younger than you." Purple Rose covered her mouth with her index finger and said something quite remarkable with an innocent look on her face.

But that's the truth; the glamorous Sally Man looks more mature than her actual age.

At this moment, after the illusion was removed, Purple Rose looked no older than fifteen, and even resembled a junior high school student.

"And besides, when little Sallyman gets old and can't walk anymore, I, Little Rose, will still look the same, or even younger!" The cute magical girl pinched her cheeks with two index fingers, revealing an adorable youthful smile with dimples.

A magical girl, as long as she wants, will always be a girl.

"Crack!" The coffee cup that was suddenly crushed showed that Suliman's resolve was wavering again.

Rean simply pretended not to exist. When women fight, smart men pretend not to exist because he felt that if he opened his mouth, he would become the main target of attacks.

But will they really let him, the root of all evil, go unpunished?
Sallyman took a deep breath, subconsciously looked at Rean, and touched the crystal pendant.

"So, Rean, what do you think about my aunt?"

Clearly, she was so angry that she even used her normally restrained abilities.

But this time, something even stranger happened: she didn't hear Rean's reply; on the contrary...
"Oh, lovely little Sallyman, didn't your mother teach you that it's both impolite and dangerous to casually enter other people's hearts?" A sudden voice rang out behind her.

Sallyman's vision suddenly went black, and when she opened her eyes again, she was dragged into a night filled with stars.

A gigantic, pale purple serpent appeared before her, its mountain-sized head facing her directly.

This is an outrageously beautiful behemoth, perched in the void, its eyeballs alone larger than its entire body.

Their eyes met, and the gaze of the superior made Suliman feel as if her body had been numbed and petrified.

It seems that I am losing everything.

The serpent's dim, yellowish eyes remained silently fixed on Sallyman, but its slowly opening maw was drawing closer, and the scent of deadly poison wafted from between its sharp teeth.
"Indeed, you have potential. But it's too early, far too early. Go back."

"Saliman!" She was jolted awake from her hallucination and jumped to her feet in fright.

Sweating profusely, she looked around and realized that the two people opposite her hadn't moved at all, but were just staring at her in surprise.

In her hand, the coffee cup, which should have been crushed, still emitted a bitter aroma and a faint warmth, with some coffee already dripping onto the ground.

"When exactly did I become a hallucination?"

Sallyman was completely dumbfounded. As a mind mage, she was immune to illusions and, being the natural enemy of illusion magic, the branch of prophecy, she was so easily affected.

Was it a counterattack when I used my ability? Or was it something that happened the moment I stepped into the room—no, it might not be a hallucination, but what was it?
"Saliman. What's wrong?"

Rean also stood up, his concerned expression right in front of him.

"It's okay, it's okay," Sallyman took a deep breath, trying to remain calm, and sat back down.

She glanced at her aunt and saw only a perfectly made prank face.

"Don't be angry, don't be angry, it's not worth getting angry with a brat." She vaguely knew that something was wrong with this aunt.

She had known for a long time that she had such an aunt (her mother's sister) who acted as a magical girl in a distant place. Today was the first time she had met her, which was a great "surprise".

This was the first time in my life that I had encountered something like this with my own spiritual abilities.

It's not that I haven't failed before, but it's usually because the opponent is too strong (I can't overcome their resistance), or they have some kind of secret treasure, but no one has ever discovered it.

Now not only have they been discovered, but they've also been lectured to their faces.
Despite appearing calm, Sallyman's mind was in turmoil. This ability to control her soul was her last and most important trump card, but now it had failed.

She felt as if she had returned to her childhood, that cold and helpless feeling, that utter insecurity, that despair and unease as if she were naked in the snow.
"By the way, Rean, didn't you need to see little Sallyman about something?" At this moment, Purple Rose seemed not to have noticed anything, and just changed the subject perfectly.

"Yes, please deliver this letter to Princess Dania as soon as possible." Rean, reminded, quickly took out the sealed letter.

It wasn't that I didn't trust Suliman, but Suliman might not even know about the "Dragonborn" thing, so it was better for both of us if one less person knew.

Using letters is also to avoid misunderstandings during the transmission of messages.

However, it is not a very smart thing to present the secret paper to a "snake" that has mastered language.

Purple Rose glanced at the envelope, her smiling face unchanged, but a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes.

She pondered for a moment, then nodded thoughtfully.

Then the girl moved closer to the man again, her forked tongue gently licking his lips. Then, having confirmed something, she silently looked at the man so close to her, staring at him directly without any attempt to hide her gaze.

"Uh, excuse me, is there something you need?" Those beautiful, watery eyes that seemed about to overflow with honey, and that straight gaze that seemed to be yearning for its prey, made Rean a little uncomfortable.

Purple Rose didn't answer immediately. She tilted her head, thought for a moment, and then hesitated before speaking in a cute and adorable tone.

"How about naming the first boy Kai and the first girl Lina? Let's aim for twelve boys in the first ten years. I've almost thought of names for them all! I like big families, so I'll let you name the thirteenth one onwards!" The woman's pure eyes were serious.

Wait, what are you thinking about? Are you already thinking about names for your kids? Twelve? Are you planning to form a football team?

A large family, thirteen in total. Are you really planning to have a double-digit number of children?! Even if the snake woman isn't a real snake, she probably gives birth one at a time. Are you planning to keep having children for over ten years?!

Rean has so many flaws that I don't even know where to begin.

"Auntie!!" The girl who looked like a woman was completely enraged.

One slap in the face wasn't enough, you have to come back?!
"Heh, just kidding." The next moment, the snake-like magical girl slid away from Rean with a flick of her shoulder.

She kept a safe distance from the man, sat properly as a lady, sipped her coffee, and ate cookies.

She was an adorable noble lady, and the little vixen from a moment ago seemed like an illusion.

And all of Suliman's snake hair stood on end.

Even though blood ties meant she had absolutely no chance of winning, that wasn't a reason for her to repeatedly endure relentless attacks! Her aunt clearly knew Rean was hers.
"I'm just kidding, little Sallyman, you don't know, do you? Active magical girls can't get married." Purple Rose's words came out suddenly, and they were very sincere.

“Auntie.” Taking a deep breath, Sallyman knew she had been tricked, and her image in Rean's eyes was probably completely ruined.

Calm down, calm down, there's no point in arguing with this crazy aunt.

Grace, grace, ladylike grace, the aristocratic etiquette of so many years.
"But having affairs is allowed." The little vixen is back.

"Auntie!!" Well, the noble lady's composure crumbled instantly.

"Snapped."

But the next moment, Purple Rose gently put down her coffee cup and began to talk about serious business with a serious expression.

"I've come here with a favor to ask. Princess Dania is preparing to launch a war against the underground ruins."

The woman, who had casually revealed a big secret, instantly switched to work mode and quickly stated her goal.

"I accepted her commission, mainly to gather intelligence and create maps of the underground ruins. Therefore, I plan to organize an exploration team to go underground. I need some trustworthy companions and teammates. Are you interested? With me around, the danger is not great, but the rewards will definitely be substantial."

In an instant, the woman offered an irresistible temptation.

“Sallyman, Rean, you both need materials for bloodline evolution, especially Lord Rean. Your bloodline has awakened and evolved again, but it seems you are lacking a lot of materials.”

Rean was a little confused. Perhaps his initial judgment was wrong. This woman seemed to be quite formidable.

“I’ll post a commission on the Explorers’ Guild and name the two of you to take it. It’s a good opportunity to boost your Explorers’ reputation and qualifications. The reward is…” Her beautiful eyes swept over Rean again, making him feel inexplicably uneasy.

Rean hesitated. He had too many secrets and was not a good match for this strange woman.

"Bonus: 130 gold coins"

What a coincidence that the prize money is so plentiful! We're exactly 130 coins short.
"Then 140 will do." Rean's mouth dropped open. You can't actually read minds, can you?! What do you already know?!
After saying that, Purple Rose stood up without giving Rean a chance to ask any questions, ready to say goodbye and run away happily.

She really did have an appointment, but she was already late.

"Let's schedule it a week from now, I'll contact you then." In just a few seconds, the person had disappeared, only the fragrance of the flowers remained.

The woman, who came like a storm, then left, leaving only the two of them, whose identities were ambiguous, breathing on each other's faces.

"Anyway, thank you for your help. I'll go first." Rean sighed. The scene was too embarrassing after the magical girl's antics, so he decided to leave first.

"Have a meal before you leave, so others don't think Sudar is impolite." Sallyman sighed, having been tormented by her aunt, and didn't know who to vent her anger on.

We can't just make Rean travel all that way only to say a few words and then go back. Considering our relationship, that would be too impolite.

"Then I'll have to bother you." Rean didn't stand on ceremony; it was a good opportunity to gather some information.

Suliman didn't chase them away, but someone who got the news immediately flew into a rage and chased them away.
"Rean's letter? Take it out and throw it away! Throw it away right now!" A girl in the penthouse suite was furious.

"He's still in this house? Get him out!" Rean probably never imagined that Dania, who thought this house was very comfortable (and safe), was actually in this house right now.

"Uh, Your Highness, what happened between you and him?" Sallyman asked, looking puzzled. "Weren't you two on good terms before?"
Didn't they personally award medals and even meet privately just a couple of days ago? How did they fall out so quickly?
Of course, Dania wouldn't go looking for trouble by bringing up the embarrassing story of being confronted to her face by a newly appointed knight.

She just kept a straight face, picked up the letter, and was about to throw it away.

Sally Mann thought for a moment and then decided to turn around and go downstairs.

She decided to let Rean go back first, so as not to offend the princess and escalate the conflict between them.

But before Suliman left, Dania was still thinking that a qualified "politician" should not act on anger.

In the end, she gritted her teeth and decided to see what Rean had to say.

She made up her mind that if it was a trivial matter or an even greater accusation, she would not hesitate to send Rean to the northern city to guard the penguins.

In a few quick movements, she angrily tore open the letter.

"How is this possible?!" She was completely shocked after just one glance.

“Wait, Sallyman.” She called back Sallyman, who had already left the house.

Sallyman stood at the door, looking bewildered, watching the princess pace back and forth in the room, lost in thought.

Ultimately, reason prevailed over emotion, and Dania gritted her teeth and spoke.

"Give him 130 gold coins, but we won't meet now. Let's wait a couple of days and talk about it then. We can't let him think he has me under his thumb."

Sallyman was about to go back and respond, but she had just reached the doorway when...
"Wait."

Sallyman stopped, looking over with a resentful gaze. "You little girls, are you just here to torment this mature woman's old back?" Going up and down stairs is no easy feat for a snake woman.

Dania, however, was not so delicate; her attention was completely drawn to the contents of the letter.

"Give him 1300 gold coins? Pshaw, he only wants 130 gold coins? Does he think he can look down on me? Do you think I, as a princess, don't have money?!"

The little girl's inexplicable and frustrating state of mind is hard to describe.

(End of this chapter)