Evil Red Dragon

The pocket opened wide again, but the gold coins stopped flowing in.

Alecto frowned and reached into his magic perception bag.

The 16-cubic-meter space was now completely crammed full.

"Full?"

He couldn't believe it, and his gaze swept over the mountain of treasure in front of him once more.

Even after he plundered so much, the gold mountain remains majestic and its allure undiminished.

It's infuriating that this space bag is so small!

"We can only prioritize the precious ones."

Alecto stopped grabbing large amounts and instead began to select quickly.

Dragon Eyes scanned each magical item, assessing its value.

Amulets capable of withstanding attacks of level six or lower; life bracers that stimulate life potential and heal injuries three times faster; firestones that can drastically increase the temperature of flames…

His movements were swift and ruthless, each decision accompanied by a bared fang.

Gems, gold coins, silver bricks, low-level items? I won't even look at them.

Just then, he suddenly caught a glimpse of the side, behind the large area of ​​collapsed rock wall, where faint magical fluctuations were faintly visible.

"Um?"

Alecto paused, his guard up.

He stepped over the pile of gold coins and came to the collapsed rock wall.

The dragon claw swept away the surface soil, revealing the thick steel behind it.

"A locked room? A laboratory?"

Alecto immediately thought of Helena; only she could have arranged all of this.

What might be hidden inside? Never mind, it's definitely more valuable than what's outside.

Destroying this layer of steel wouldn't be too difficult for him; the protection on it had largely failed due to the power outage.

He gathered his magic power, and with a sudden thrust of his dragon claw, he pried it open.

crunch--

With a sickening metallic twisting sound, he forcibly pried open the steel wall.

Alecto squinted and squeezed in sideways.

Behind it was a rather spacious secret chamber, with a constant-temperature magic array.

The first thing that catches the eye is a shelf that takes up an entire wall.

The shelves were divided into countless compartments, which were densely packed with hundreds of crystal bottles, glass jars, lead boxes, and wooden boxes.

Some containers are transparent, allowing you to see the various colored powders, liquids, minerals, plants, and monster organs inside.

Even through the container, Alexo could sense a considerable amount of magical energy emanating from it.

These are all processed magical materials.

In the center of the room is a worktable with grooves engraved on its surface to guide the flow of magic.

But at this moment it was empty, with only a few quill pens and a bottle of ink casually placed in one corner.

Several stands were erected on the worktable, on which hung oddly shaped pliers, tweezers, crucibles and other alchemy tools.

What caught Alecto's eye the most was the crystal box that sat alone at the other end of the workbench.

Even though there was still some distance between them, his gaze was instantly locked onto them.

It's Stardust!

Alecto's heart skipped a beat.

Helena had just retrieved it from old Ethan, and hadn't even had a chance to use it yet; it was now laid bare before him.

He rushed to the worktable and carefully collected the stardust.

To make room for it, they even took out the gold coins they had previously collected and casually tossed them onto the lab floor, where they clattered.

With the harvest of stardust, his gaze swept even more eagerly toward the materials shelf on the wall.

The dragon's claws swept across rows of containers, quickly identifying them.

He swept up valuable materials into his spatial bag like a shopping spree, replacing the relatively ordinary goldware and gems he had previously acquired.

The space bag's volume was utilized to the fullest extent, with every inch of space crammed with real hard currency.

Heart of the Skyhawk King, Eye of the Ice Dragon, Claw of the Fire Demon...

It's out! Every single piece of material here is at least level 5.

Just as he was about to turn around to continue looting, he stopped again.

In the innermost corner of the laboratory, there was even a small cage.

There is one person inside.

She hugged her knees and curled up in the corner.

She was dressed in white, barefoot, and her long, light green hair was disheveled and covered most of her face.

But judging from the pointed ears, it was not human.

Alecto took a few steps closer and got a better look.

"A half-elf?"

He blurted it out, his curled-up figure trembled violently, his arms tightened around his knees, but he still didn't look up.

Alecto's brow furrowed deeply.

He had indeed seen a half-elf with an extremely high price tag at the slave market during the day.

At the time, I just thought it was a nuisance and didn't pay much attention to it.

But how did this half-elf end up in Helena's laboratory?

Were they used as experimental subjects? Or something else entirely?

He carefully examined the secret room.

Apart from this half-elf, there were no other living creatures.

As Alecto observed, the half-elf slowly raised his head.

Her messy hair slid to both sides, revealing a face covered in grime yet still undeniably beautiful and delicate.

With fair skin, drooping pointed ears, and emerald-like eyes, a glimmer of hope flickered within the emptiness and numbness.

Alecto met her gaze for a second, his eyes lingering on hers for a fleeting moment, a murderous intent rising like a tide before slowly receding.

Killing her will take time, and time is passing at an alarming rate.

He stopped looking at the half-elf and turned toward the opening in the secret chamber.

The space bag is full, the most important Star Sand has been obtained, and the other materials are also priceless. The harvest of this trip far exceeds expectations.

It's time to go.

The moment he stepped out of the gap in the secret chamber, he heard shouts behind him.

"Take me away."

Alecto turned around abruptly, his dragon eyes narrowing.

The half-elf in the cage had somehow stood up, gripping the iron bars tightly with both hands.

Her movements were weak, yet they possessed a resolute determination to go all in.

She looked at Alecto, her lips moving:

"Take me away."

Alecto paused, his dragon eyes narrowed slightly, and he turned his head to glance at the cage out of the corner of his eye.

Those emerald eyes were fixed on him, filled with madness.

He uttered two words:

"reason."

"I am a hybrid of elven royalty and human."

The half-elf spoke extremely quickly, as if afraid he would disappear at any moment:

"I have learned most of the elven magic, am fluent in ancient elven languages, and have read more than three thousand ancient elven books... I am of use to you."

Alecto paused for a moment.

If what she said is true, it might actually come in handy.

"prove."

He turned and stepped in front of the cage, drawing a small part of the binding magic circle, a variant of the ancient elven sealing technique.

"Do you recognize the runes on it?"

The half-elf leaned closer to examine it closely and murmured a string of incantations.

"This is a variant of the Silent Shackles, which inhibits the flow of magic and the propagation of sound."

She looked up at Alecto.

A look of satisfaction flashed in Alecto's eyes; what she said was absolutely correct.

"name."

he asks.

"...Odette".

The half-elf hesitated for a moment, then added:

"I don't have a surname."

Alector said no more and unleashed the power of his dragon claws.

crunch--

The iron railing bent in response, revealing a gap large enough for one person to pass through.

Odette quickly emerged, her bare feet touching the ground. She swayed slightly, clearly very weak.

Alecto gripped her in his dragon claws.

The dragon claw closed just right, enough to neither crush her nor render her immobile.

Odette felt her vision suddenly rise, the surrounding scenery plummeted rapidly, and the wind whistled in her ears.

Without pausing, Alecto flapped his wings and charged toward the mine entrance.

There's been some delay; hopefully Helena hasn't returned yet.

Every breath is precious.

Just as he was about to rush out of the passage, a purple shadow appeared out of thin air like a ghost, blocking the exit.

Helena has arrived.

She was dressed in a spotless purple robe, the hem of which fluttered slightly in the airflow emanating from the passage.

The previous languor was gone from that delicate face, replaced by an icy coldness.

The passage was not wide, barely wide enough for a dragon's body to pass through, but it also limited the space for maneuvering.

At this moment, Helena blocked the way, with the gold mine deep behind her and the semi-conscious Cinsella behind her, and solid rock walls on her left and right.

Alecto was caught red-handed.

"Why are you leaving in such a hurry?"

Helena spoke up: "You want to take my people away without even saying goodbye?"

Alecto was astonished; this woman had arrived far too quickly!

Before he could think, his body jerked backward in the passage, his dragon claws leaving afterimages as he once again grabbed Cinsera's neck beside the golden mountain and lifted her up.

Alecto shielded Cinsera with his body, his dragon head slightly tilted, his vertical pupils fixed on the purple figure at the exit of the passage, a dark dragon breath surging in his throat, the sound echoing through the cave:

"Get out of my way, or I'll tear her apart right now."

Cinsera turned her head with difficulty, glancing at Helena out of the corner of her eye, a resolute look flashing in her eyes.

At the other end of the passage, Helena stood motionless.

The hem of his purple robe remained perfectly straight, and his entire being radiated a powerful aura, keeping the dragon's might and the heatwave at bay.

She stared blankly at Alecto, then glanced at Cinsera in his claws.

After a few breaths, she slowly spoke:

"Let her go, and I won't kill you."

Alecto chuckled, increasing the pressure on his claws, and Cinsera let out a hoarse sound.

"Do you think I'm stupid? Get out of my way, I'll release her once I'm a hundred miles away."

As he spoke, he vigilantly sensed the surrounding space, guarding against any possible surprise attack.

Cynthia, held in the claws, seemed to have given up struggling completely, her body limp and lifeless.

Helena remained silent.

Given the strength Alecto has demonstrated, she's not entirely sure she can rescue Cinsera unharmed.

She glanced at the messy laboratory behind Alexoth and the half-elf in his other claw.

Time passed in silence, with only Cinsera's labored breathing and the occasional clinking of gold coins slipping from the mountain.

In the midst of this tense standoff, a ring inside Cynthia's belly was slowly being activated.

This ring was a gift from Elena as a token of her sincerity, saying it could be used in times of crisis.

After secretly studying it, Cinsera discovered that it was a level 6 teleportation ring, capable of random short-distance teleportation, and its activation was very discreet.

At this moment, the runes on the surface of the ring lit up one by one.

Alecto was completely focused on Helena and did not notice the subtle changes in the prisoner's body in his claws.

Seeing that Helena was not giving in, he grew increasingly impatient and was about to threaten her again.

A sudden change has occurred!

Suddenly, a silvery-white ball of light burst forth from Cinsera's abdomen, rapidly spreading and enveloping her entire dragon body.

The spatial fluctuations suddenly became violent.

Alecto felt his claws suddenly go empty, and the heavy dragon body became ethereal.

He looked down in astonishment and saw Cynthia staring at him, her vertical pupils filled with mockery and glee.

"You're dead meat, you bastard!"

"you!"

Alecto roared, tightening his dragon claws, but only managed to crush fragments of silver light.

The next second, the silver light surged to its maximum, and then, along with the red dragon figure within it, suddenly collapsed into a single point and disappeared completely.

The violent spatial disturbance left ripples in place, causing the treasures on the mountain of gold to tumble and swirl.

Cinsera disappeared.

Randomly teleported, destination unknown.

Inside and outside the passage, there was utter silence.

Alecto remained gripping the dragon's claws, frozen in mid-air, his vertical pupils slightly dilated with shock.

He had no idea that Cinsella had such a hidden trick up her sleeve!

Why didn't she use it at first? Was she supposed to live and die with the treasure?

Helena was also stunned for a moment, a look of astonishment flashing in her purple eyes.

Clearly, she was completely unaware of this, but the situation was very advantageous to her.

The hostages suddenly disappeared, completely shattering the balance of power in the standoff.

Alecto snapped back to reality, realizing something was wrong.

Without Cincel as leverage, Helena will have no more reservations.

He made a decision instantly.

Run! Run now!

Just as his wings flapped, Helena moved.

There were no incantations or hand gestures.

She simply raised her right hand, her slender index finger pointing gently in the direction of Alecto.

"Certainly."

In an instant, the space around Alecto froze completely.

The spiritual power directly affected his perception and consciousness, causing his body, magic, and even his thoughts to come to a standstill.

His movements became incredibly slow, as if the surging magic within him had sunk into a quagmire, making even moving his eyes extremely difficult.

This is not a physical restraint, but it is more terrifying than any chain.

This is a mental shackle that directly affects the soul!

Every thought felt like struggling in the mud.

This woman... is she really only a level seven?

A chill ran through Alector’s consciousness.

He had heard of the terrifying nature of spiritual masters, but only after facing them in person did he realize how pale the descriptions in his inherited memories were.

This is a crushing defeat in terms of strength.

Helena had already shut down any possibility of his thinking before he even began to consider it.

It can't end like this...

Helena slowly approached, stopped in front of Alecto, and tilted her head slightly to look at Alecto, who was rooted to the spot by the shackles of his mind.

Alecto's dragon body remained poised to take flight, its muscles taut, its vertical pupils fixed intently on Helena.

"How embarrassing."

Helena spoke softly, reaching out to brush a strand of hair from her cheek and then lightly tracing the outline of the dragon's neck, her voice tinged with languor.

"Weren't you quite fierce just now? You used the fire barrier, stole things, and even took your own sister hostage."

Alecto wanted to speak, to roar, to breathe dragon's breath and burn this damned woman to ashes.

But the shackles of thought bound him tightly, each thought heavy and sluggish, his throat muscles remained motionless, only his chest rose and fell slightly with anger.

"Stop struggling."

Helena circled around to his side; the blood on the dragon's body had congealed, sticking the dragon scales together.

"Sevenfold Fire Realm? How old are you? How dare you use such a powerful spell?"

She shook her head, her tone unreadable, neither praising nor scolding.

"Does it hurt?"

Alecto was filled with doubt. What exactly did this woman want to do?

Helena walked up to him and met his gaze again.

I told you I wouldn't kill you.

The corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up in a smile:

"I have always kept my word."

As soon as she finished speaking, she raised her hand to form a hand seal.

Her five fingers traced intricate paths in the air, condensing into runes that eventually coalesced into a contract that floated above her palm.

"Relax."

Helena spoke, her palm slightly tilted.

The contract floated toward Alekto's forehead, silently disappearing the instant it touched the dragon scales.