Chapter 34: Eve of Candor

Sitting silently on the grass forever wasn't going to solve anything. After an unknown amount of time, Victoria was the first to speak.

"There are so many stars tonight..."

"Yeah," Linde echoed, "the moon is quite beautiful, too."

"..."

After those few words, both human and dragon tensed up simultaneously, as if about to burst.

"I have something to tell you!"

"I have something to tell you!"

Their eyes met. The young dragon and the man stared at each other. They hadn't expected to be so in sync when it came to confessing. To avoid speaking at the same time again, Linde silently raised his eyebrows, signaling for Victoria to go first.

"Linde, what I'm about to say might make you unhappy. You can spank me, but please don't be angry and ignore me, okay?"

"I'm not that narrow-minded," Linde said helplessly. "Just say it. I have things to tell you later, too, so don't go changing your expression on me, either."

"Okay!" The little dragon nodded her head like a pestle pounding garlic.

"What I want to say is, if you're under too much pressure, you could actually let me and Cynthia go inside, while you stay outside to cover our retreat."

"I've already discussed it with Cynthia, and she agrees."

As soon as he heard Victoria's words, Linde’s face darkened instantly, his brow furrowed.

"Hey, hey, hey! You said you wouldn't get angry! Listen to me first!"

"Go on..."

"These past few days, you've been climbing mountains, drawing maps, and tinkering with tools. Not only are you physically exhausted, but you're also overworking your brain, and you've been sleeping later and later. You're going to ruin your health."

"Furthermore, you're trying to create a 'perfect' plan. Honestly, before exploring ruins or caves in the past, I never thought that much about it. I always just took it one step at a time and adapted to the situation."

"Just like how, after our site survey, we found that retreating isn't as hard as we imagined. There are many places where your 'Magic Cubes' can be placed in advance. We also learned which part of the hall is best for entry."

"These are things you couldn't imagine before acting. Sitting there daydreaming about every possibility and analyzing it in such detail is all just empty air; it actually ends up clouding your judgment."

Victoria took off the necklace of space gems from her neck. The milky, warm crystals contained extraordinary magic.

"Among my treasures, I have these things called 'Yellow Prism Crystals.' They emit magic at a very unique frequency. When two of them are within a certain distance, they attract each other. This can be used to help me and Cynthia communicate between the inside and outside of the hall."

"As for our safety, you don't need to worry. I have the 'Super Invincible Shiny Big Gem,' which can guarantee we’ll be perfectly fine even under the Red Dragon's attack."

The sincerity in Victoria’s pupils caused Linde to catch his breath. He couldn't help but ask:

"Can I laugh at this point?"

"No! The atmosphere is very serious right now. And I’m being earnest. Cynthia goes in as an insider, I provide outside support, and you take us both and run—it's perfect."

"At this rate, I might as well just be the one providing outside support with you."

"That actually sounds doable."

"Doable my foot." Linde rolled his eyes at her. "Did you forget we’re acting on the third day? The tribute-givers are considered the most worthless trash in the Red Dragon's eyes. If it doesn't like what it sees, it just kills them. The standard it set is 'fun' treasures."

"What's 'fun' about Cynthia's necklace? Even if we make something we think is interesting, if the Red Dragon isn't interested, wouldn't Cynthia be doomed all alone in there?"

"I proposed attracting the Red Dragon's attention because I have a trump card to keep myself from dying. I actually have a 'Super Invincible Shiny Big Gem' too. It can not only absorb attacks but also reflect them back."

"Th-that powerful?!"

Victoria’s eyes nearly popped out. She hadn't expected the young human to be hiding something so powerful, too. She thought she was the only one holding back, preparing to give Linde a surprise, but he was hiding things too?

But after thinking about it carefully, she still felt something was off. "I remember the big gem can't reflect attacks. Linde, are you trying to trick me?"

"That’s because you don't know this: the so-called 'Super Invincible Shiny Big Gems' come in male and female versions. Mine is male, yours is female, so naturally, the effects are different."

"Hiss..."

Victoria pulled out the Book of the World and flipped through it. Her grandfather had said that the object was supposed to be a single, complete piece that later shattered into two. Half was in his possession, and the other half was missing. Did Linde find it?

Come to think of it, she didn't know how long Linde had been wandering before she met him.

Never mind. Whether it’s true or not, she would treat whatever Linde said as the truth. He wouldn't lie to her.

"Linde, for now, I'll believe the other half is in your hands."

The other half? Linde chewed on those words. The act of breaking a single gem into two was quite rare. The "Big Gem" the young dragon spoke of might not even be a gem at all, but something else entirely. He silently made a mental note of this.

Victoria continued, "Alright, I've finished sharing my thoughts. It's your turn. I promise I won't get angry either."

"No, if you have a way to protect yourself and Cynthia, then I feel more at ease. There’s no need to say much more. I only have one condition: in an emergency, you two must retreat immediately. I have my ways."

Back when he was reviewing his system commands, Linde had thought of a brand-new way to use the weather. His thinking had been too limited; he had treated weather only as a vague, auxiliary tool, thinking it couldn't play a direct role. In fact, severe convective weather, including hail, tornadoes, and thunderstorms, all fell under the category of weather.

If he could freely control the size and area of these phenomena, his tactics would be incredibly versatile. It would also provide an extra layer of security when retreating. The only limitation was that the higher the intensity, the more prestige points it consumed. If he didn't have enough, he could only cast at an intensity based on his current balance. After all, he couldn't cheat like with his mirror image, using it first and paying later. It was safe to say there were no weak conceptual abilities. The remaining command, "Translation," would likely be of great use later on.

"So, you mean that if you encounter danger, you’ll have us retreat first, and then you’ll find a way out?" Victoria asked.

"Something like that. After all, I have plenty of tricks up my sleeve..."

"I refuse!" The young dragon cut him off coldly.