You are very strong, but my painting style is better than yours!

[The little dragon's eyes revealed a desire to become its partner.]

Type: Bond

Quality: Legend

Grade: B

Rewards Overview:

Mobility - Minor Upgrade;

Stamina - Slightly increased;

talent:

【Affinity with Wild Animals】

• It is easier to gain the favor of animals, including but not limited to wild beasts, magical beasts, and orcs.

• If you are on the same side and can demonstrate strength superior to the other side, you will gain extra loyalty.

Even if you are in the opposing camp, you can still gain recognition from another perspective.

Note: As we all know, the primary principle of capturing wild Pokémon is to show your kind side and subdue them with physical means, so that they will be deeply moved by your sincerity and naturally willing to follow you.

Bonus:

Art style value +1;

-

"Okay!"

Faced with the goodwill shown by the Flame Dragon, Iori nodded quite amicably.

As everyone knows, he is a pacifist and really doesn't want to solve problems with force unless absolutely necessary. His fight with Yanlong was out of desperation.

Of course, if Yanlong didn't have an immortal body, his thoughts might have changed slightly.

"We never wanted to be your enemy in the first place. It would be best if we could turn hostility into friendship."

As Iori spoke, he actually put away the Ama no Kusanagi, appearing completely unconcerned. His magnanimous demeanor was truly admirable, and Beatrice looked at him with even more respect.

When Yanlong saw Yizhi sheath the longsword that was filled with an ominous aura, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief and felt a sudden surge of goodwill towards Yizhi.

It should be known that the title of "Dragon Slayer" is a great honor for any martial artist. Although the Flame Dragon's immortality is troublesome, Iori has the overall advantage on the field. At this moment, she was able to resist the temptation and decisively end this meaningless battle. Her temperament is beyond that of ordinary people.

"You actually did it!"

The female elf approached, her voice slightly dazed: "This trip has truly broadened my horizons..."

Iori didn't actually slay the dragon, but he undoubtedly achieved a "victory." It's just a pity there were no bards present, otherwise it could definitely have been written into a poem and passed down to future generations.

"It's nothing serious. This Lord Yanlong has accumulated considerable strength and is physically robust. Although he is at a disadvantage, he won't be defeated quickly. If the fight continues, the final outcome is still uncertain."

Iori chuckled: "I was just knowing when to stop. Beatrice, you can do it too."

"..."

Beatrice looked at the Flame Dragon, and the two stared at each other for a moment before looking away.

Well, this guy has this smiling face, but he's inexplicably irritating.

"cough!"

The female elf coughed lightly, then drew the attention of the other two with her clear, melodious voice: "Your Excellency, Fire Dragon..."

"【Flame Dragon】!"

"Fire Dragon is the race name, but I evolved to a level unmatched by anyone else in my race, gaining the attribute and individual name 'Fire'."

When the Flame Dragon opened its mouth, it emitted a lot of high-temperature sparks, which posed no threat to the two of them, but raised the surrounding temperature considerably.

"Therefore, you should call me the [Flame Dragon]!"

"Alright... Lord Flame Dragon."

Beatrice composed herself and continued, "We have no intention of being your enemy. We only came to the swamp to investigate the monster riots in the vicinity... Obviously, this place has undergone tremendous changes."

Please allow me to ask a question:

Was the arid state of this swamp due to your influence?

The Flame Dragon hesitated for a moment, then looked at Iori and Beatrice with its lizard head. Seeing that Iori's expression was normal and she didn't seem to care, it finally spoke up: "...Yes, I have my reasons for doing this."

“This swamp is unclaimed land. Perhaps the local human lords will protest, but that’s none of our business as travelers,” Beatrice said nonchalantly. “So please rest assured, we have no special demands or feelings toward this land itself.”

Beatrice possesses a certain sense of justice, but she isn't the type to see everything in black and white. To an elf with such a long lifespan, the Flame Dragon is more like a materialized natural disaster; it's normal for it to bring calamity to the surrounding area. As long as it can be controlled within a certain range, there's no need to forcibly intervene, otherwise it could very well lead to even worse consequences.

A swamp and a horde of rampaging monsters are nothing compared to this natural disaster.

As for why the Flame Dragon moved here...maybe it's just a monster's habit, who cares?

At this moment, she even felt a sense of relief:

If things could end like this, it could be considered a satisfactory resolution.

However, just as this thought crossed her mind, Iori spoke up without hesitation: "Let's put the swamp matter aside for now. I have some questions about the battle just now."

"—!"

The Fiery Dragon tensed up immediately, but its expression was obscured by the scales covering its face. It deliberately lowered its voice and asked in a very authoritative tone, "What, do you feel it's a pity? Do you want to continue?"

Beatrice also looked at Iori, a thought uncontrollably forming in her mind amidst her nervousness:

Iori can suppress the Flame Dragon in a one-on-one fight. If she and Iori team up, would they have a chance to kill the opponent?

This startled her, and then her face flushed: as a swordsman, she had actually placed her hopes for victory on someone else, wasn't that implying that she considered herself inferior to Iori?

Even if it's about slaying a dragon, she should be the main force, regardless of the odds of winning or losing. This belief should not waver!

Fortunately, Iori had no intention of restarting the war. Compared to the two who were feeling uneasy, he spoke in a relaxed and calm tone.

"I just find it a little strange... Is dragon breath considered magic?"

"Ok?"

This question surprised both Flame Dragon and Beatrice. Flame Dragon probably hadn't considered this question either. After a moment's thought, it nodded.

"In principle, dragon breath is also a phenomenon caused by magic, so it is indeed magic and should be classified as a magical innate ability of magical beasts."

Iori pondered for a moment after hearing this: "Talent, that is, something you are born with... But besides dragon breath, you have also released other flash and heat-type attacks, are those also talents?"

"No! It was created by me based on my own attributes during my long life. It's an efficient use of the magic power within me." The Flame Dragon didn't know why Iori was so concerned about this, but he explained it very seriously.

"That's strange!" Iori seized on the key point and asked bluntly, "I also tried releasing magic power from my body for ranged attacks, but the effect was completely different from what I expected! Your attacks didn't contain that much magic power either, so why were they so powerful?"

Upon hearing Iori's words, Flame Dragon and Beatrice exchanged a glance, both somewhat puzzled.

"...Where are you from? Why do you ask that?"

The female elf reacted as if she were a medieval person hearing "why apples fall," looking completely bewildered: "Once magic is released outside the body, it is difficult to control, and it is very easy to dissipate after leaving the body... Isn't that common sense?"

As for dragons… the talents of such ultimate life forms are naturally different from those of humans, so what’s so strange about that?”

"Birds can fly because they have wings, but the ability of wings to fly is a natural law of the universe, which needs no further explanation... Heh~ Sorry, it seems I'm not used to the way of thinking outside the box."

Iori thought for a moment and then rephrased her question: "Is the only use of magic to strengthen the body? Is there no other use?"

"Of course, you can also inject magic into objects. As long as you can touch them directly, the difficulty of control will be much lower."

In fact, given the right medium, magic is almost omnipotent, capable of healing the body, shaping matter, and altering properties... It's just that each of these requires specialized knowledge and long-term training, and is difficult to apply in combat.

Besides that, there are some magic circles, magical artifacts, and so on. And speaking of the more powerful ones… don't you already have one yourself?”

"Ok?"

"Your wristband."

Beatrice pointed to the "Thunder Emperor Gauntlet" on Iori's left wrist, her expression as if she were looking at some rare animal.

"I saw it during the battle just now. This is a treasure that can summon the power of lightning, right? You clearly possess such a powerful 'ancient relic,' yet you didn't notice it?"

"Ancient relics..."

"It's said to be the crystallization of technology left behind by an ancient civilization thousands of years ago, possessing all sorts of amazing abilities. It can be activated simply by inputting magic power, and it can even break the limitation that magic power cannot exist for a long time outside the body... You really don't know?"

Beatrice's tone was quite doubtful, and the usually expressionless elf wavered for once.

Iori blinked, but didn't deny it, and readily agreed: "So this is an ancient relic. I understand. I'll cherish it from now on... But I have another question."

"..."

The elven girl felt rather helpless, but had no choice but to continue listening.

Iori was a little embarrassed: "It's this ancient relic... Since it's called a 'relic,' it means that the ancient civilization that created it perished, right?"

But it's strange, according to you, modern society shouldn't be able to create such powerful magical artifacts; its technology is far inferior to that of ancient civilizations—so how did ancient civilizations perish?

"This..." the elven girl hesitated, "Could it be some kind of natural disaster?"

She wasn't sure either, after all, the elves of this world weren't the type to live for thousands of years; no one could say for sure about things that were too far in the future.

"There were indeed natural disasters, but that was just the trigger."

This time, it was Yan Zhilong who spoke first, and his deep voice immediately attracted the attention of the two of them.

Iori's expression lit up: "You know about ancient civilizations?"

"nature."

The Fiery Dragon regained its majesty and said in a resonant tone, "Our dragon race's heritage is far older than that of humans and elves. We even lived on the earth before those two races appeared."

In that era before the world developed order, when it was ruled by irrational beasts... there was no such thing as 'magic' at the beginning.

"What?!" Beatrice exclaimed in surprise, while Iori remained calm because it didn't concern her.

"Don't be surprised, elf."

Flame Dragon said seriously, "Magic is indeed an external force. It was not born naturally, but suddenly appeared in this world one day!"

It was the emergence of magic that plunged the world into chaos... Some creatures gradually adapted to magic under the influence of the environment, and then magical beasts were born.

—Strictly speaking, this is also how the dragon race came about.

Then, as the sun and moon rose and fell, more intelligent races began to rise, with humans being the most powerful. Though weak, they possessed remarkable adaptability. Due to varying degrees of magical compatibility, and with the accumulation of differences over thousands of generations, they gradually embarked on different paths… which is the origin of demi-humans.

"Unbelievable..." Beatrice exclaimed softly, but she subconsciously believed the Flame Dragon's words.

Because there are scholars in this world, the idea that humans and demi-humans share a common origin has existed for a long time, but there is no strong evidence to support it.

A popular argument is that while wild animals and magical creatures in nature are reproductively isolated, humans, elves, and orcs can intermarry, and their offspring have no congenital defects.

Of course, for various reasons, this theory has not been accepted by the public.

—The Flame Dragon's statement is naturally highly credible, since dragons have no reason to lie.

"And the ancient civilizations you speak of... actually did not perish; strictly speaking, they declined on their own."

Yan Zhilong continued, "Because there have been 'magic tides' more than once in history. Whenever this phenomenon occurs, the concentration of magic in nature changes drastically, either increasing or decreasing... Sometimes it is so concentrated that ordinary creatures cannot survive, and sometimes it is so diluted that even magic cannot be used."

Each such period causes immense chaos, and even demon kings from other worlds may appear... The rise and fall of kingdoms pale in comparison, which is why many traditions have become obscure and mysterious.

But in reality, you humans should have organizations dedicated to collecting ancient artifacts, attempting to revive ancient civilizations.

Flame Dragon seemed a little uncertain at this point.

“My people have encountered humans who came specifically seeking wisdom… They seem to have been diligently collecting ancient artifacts for a long time.”

But what exactly this organization is... remains a closely guarded secret.

It was probably the royal family of some country—in Beatrice's mind, the royal families of various countries possessed the most ancient artifacts.

However, Iori has a different opinion:

It's a religious order!

It's the Diablos Order!

The name is so catchy that it easily evokes images of classic games or pink octopuses, so even after so many years, Iori has forgotten the protagonist's name but still has a deep impression of the organization.

"In fact, the reason I moved to this swamp is also related to this organization." The Flame Dragon hesitated for a moment. It shouldn't have told others such a secret, but for some reason, it had a feeling that Iori was very trustworthy.

"Hmm?" Iori's eyes flashed, and an extremely kind smile appeared on her lips, revealing a rather cheerful expression.

The boy smiled innocently and asked, "Could you tell me in detail what happened, Lord Flame Dragon?"

Seeing Iori's expression, the Flame Dragon blinked, suddenly feeling a little regretful, but it still honestly said, "They have a treasure I need... which is very important to me."