Chapter 321: Chapter 174 Shiayar: Have I Become a Minister Entrusted with an Orphan? (Three in One)_3
"However, there’s no need for Your Highness to take action personally. As a sinner of the Giant Dragon Tribe, I have struggled to live in this place for a thousand years. To continue surviving for another few hundred years... would also not be of much significance. My only hope is for the king’s child to no longer be trapped on these ruins filled with lost souls. Instead, to walk proudly and openly under the light."
Shiayar raised an eyebrow. "Aren’t you afraid that I’ll act unscrupulously—by directly devouring your king’s child and absorbing it for my own use? An heir who has inherited half the authority of a Dragon King and is still in its juvenile stage... If it were to appear on the Western Continent, even True Gods would be tempted, wouldn’t they? Moreover, didn’t your Dragon Royal Court have close allied friends during the Glorious Era? Why not seek help from an ally, rather than entrust it to a stranger like me?"
Although Shiayar was confident in his charm, after all, the one before him was not Human but a giant dragon. To cross racial barriers and, based on a single meeting, completely trust him to take care of the king’s child—Shiayar did not believe it.
"I have no other choice. After the great catastrophe, even those Fabled Creatures that still seemingly retained their sanity and walked the earth in normal form, are actually also suffering from the erosion and corruption at the depths of their souls by the Calamity of Light. Usually, they only manage to suppress it through various forceful means and are liable to lose control at any moment. Compared to Them, I would rather trust Your Highness, a pure-blood Human."
Of course, the giant gold dragon left some things unsaid. For example, when its condition was still relatively good, it had previously left the secondary plane of the World Tree Fragment and gone to the outside world to study Humans. Because of this, it left behind the legend of the evil dragon with the princess and the prince in that small Human nation called the Tree Kingdom. Ordinary Humans may indeed be immune to the effects of the Fallen Sun—but for ordinary Humans with untrained souls to withstand a contract with an ancient dragon and help the ancient dragon dissolve the influence of corruption and madness would indeed be a wild fantasy. The giant gold dragon had yet to conduct further research when the aftereffects of its direct exposure to the Fallen Sun’s light during its venture into the outside world became apparent. It immediately fell into a half-crazed state. It was with the last vestige of its sanity that it did not harm the Egg of the Night. If Shiayar hadn’t awakened it, it might have continued aimlessly like this until its bodily functions were completely exhausted, and it approached the end of life. At this moment, this powerful young Human of unknown origin, who effortlessly awakened it from madness, was its only lifeline.
If he were really just an ordinary person, how could he possibly be qualified for me to entrust the King’s only child to him?
The giant gold dragon gazed at Shiayar and suddenly blinked its cloudy dragon eyes.
"The authority of the Dragon Race may be extremely precious to those Fabled Creatures... but the path Your Highness is walking seems to be different. Besides, I trust the judgment of that serpent. A person who has earned the following of the Mercury Serpent surely can’t be of poor character."
The light of mercury flashed and then vanished.
At a thought from Shiayar, the small, mercury-colored serpent sprang out from his Soul Pact Space, looking at the giant gold dragon. "Do you know me?"
"I’ve heard the king mention you."
"The darling of fate, the Mercury Serpent."
As the giant gold dragon gazed at the small mercury-colored serpent before it, a trace of nostalgia flashed in its eyes.
"The king mentioned that in the early days of the Glorious Era, you were particularly fond of the treasure vault of the Ancient Dragon Royal Court.
"Every time we took inventory of the treasures of the Royal Court, we would often see you coiled around a Sacred Relic for a long time, an utterly infatuated look on your face, reluctant to leave.
"There was once an elder of the Dragon Race who proposed locking you in a cage, but every time the king laughed it off and let you go, sometimes even gifting you with some trinkets.
"However, since I joined the Royal Court, I’ve heard that you had disappeared without a trace, and I’ve never seen you again.
"Then came the Calamity of Light, the great catastrophe...
"Reflecting now, it was probably because you had received a warning from fate and foresaw the great disaster in advance."
Shiayar couldn’t help but glance at Snakey on his shoulder.
This guy had such a hidden past? Casually entering and exiting the treasure vault of the Ancient Dragon Royal Court, filled with Sacred Relics? That was truly enviable... No, it was exasperating!
On the other hand, Snakey looked somewhat puzzled as it flicked its delicate pink tongue.
"Did that happen? Why don’t I remember it?"
"It’d be odd if you did remember."
Shiayar tapped the snake’s head and threw the Mercury Serpent back into his Soul Pact Space.
He had come to realize that he just couldn’t regard this creature as a Fabled Creature. It was purely a slacker. No wonder that despite being a firsthand witness of the First Era, whenever Shiayar seriously inquired about specific details, it knew absolutely nothing, forcing him to investigate on his own. Of course, from another perspective—the great catastrophe at the end of the Glorious Era had devastated the once-mighty races of ancient dragons, Giants, and Elves, yet this Mercury Serpent, despite having no combat abilities, had survived unscathed. It seemed that being ’the darling of fate’ was truly no exaggeration.
And the giant gold dragon refocused its inquiring gaze on Shiayar. It was still waiting for Shiayar’s response.
"Alright then," Shiayar said softly. "The deal is made."
Conveniently, after that trip to the Garden of Eden, I still have many vacancies for Soul Pacts.