Chapter 6: Feigning Indifference to Capture

At this moment, the Dragon Girl finally managed to calm down. She had realized that the man before her was not as simple as she had imagined. He knew the weaknesses of the dragon race and could even seal off their magical powers—something that left her utterly puzzled. In the long history of the dragon race, no one had ever been able to do such a thing, not even when they were in human form after being injured. Sealing magical powers couldn’t be achieved merely through a magician’s strong magic or advanced spells, yet this was exactly what had happened. This fact greatly dampened the Dragon Girl’s arrogance; at least this young man was not as simple as she thought.

Taking a deep breath, the Dragon Girl’s gaze became clear and steady, and her tone of voice was unusually calm: “Foolish mortal, what do you want? State your intentions.”

Komer was quite satisfied that the naked woman in front of him could calm down so quickly. The wisdom of the dragon race was no less than that of humans, as evidenced by this. A dragon that had not yet reached adulthood could respond so calmly to the crisis she faced—this alone proved that this man was worth keeping around.

“Ice Dragon, it seems we can finally have a calm conversation. That’s good. At least we can exchange our thoughts and intentions in a more rational manner. What do you think?” Komer nodded, wearing a bright smile, but to the Dragon Girl, it brought an unexplained sense of dread. Her intuition told her that the more amiable a mortal seemed, the more likely they were to be plotting something.

Staring at him warily, the Dragon Girl’s tone remained unchanged: “Stop talking nonsense. Since you brought me here and can use magic to restrict my dragon powers, I must admit you have enough strength to talk to me. But if you think this gives you the right to do whatever you want, you’re wrong. Let me remind you—so long as the demands aren’t excessive, I can meet them. But remember, don’t go too far!”

Seeing that the other party still tried hard to uphold the so-called dignity of the dragon race under such circumstances, Komer found it amusing. These dragons truly believed they were superior and invincible. They never considered that if they really had such great power, why were they becoming fewer and fewer on this continent, forced to settle in remote places? It was the humans who were the true rulers of this land, a fact these dragons seemed unwilling to admit forever.

“Well then, Ice Dragon, I think it’s necessary for me to introduce myself first and explain your current situation, so you can think it over. How about that?” Komer smiled faintly. “I am Baron Komer, the lord of the Caucasus. This is the Caucasus—you should be aware that it lies east of the Great Swamplands and north of the Cordillera Wasteland. As for you, you must understand your situation: you’ve been severely injured by the attacks of the Jellyfish People’s Wisdom Twins, and you’ve also been poisoned with their ambergris. If I hadn’t brought you back from Riverheart Island, your dragon skin would likely have been used by the Jellyfish People to make drums, and your dragon crystal might already be up for auction at Prag’s Magic Materials Market.”

Even though the dragon woman was mentally prepared, she was still stunned by his cold words. Dragon skin and dragon crystal—these were the things mortals always wanted from dragons. He was right; the Jellyfish People were now enemies she could never reconcile with. She had fled to Riverheart Island because she couldn’t control her mind and had randomly chosen a hiding place. She never expected to fall into this guy’s hands. At least one thing he said was true: he didn’t intend to harm her body.

“Mortal, I don’t know what you really want. Your thoughts are too complicated. I don’t want to understand them. I just want to ask—what do you want now? What do you want me to do?” the dragon woman asked, trying to suppress her emotions.

“Nothing. I never had any plans. To be honest, I don’t even know what to do with you right now. If I release you, even if I lift the dragon magic that’s restraining you, you probably won’t be able to leave the Caucasus before someone discovers you. There are adventurers and exploration teams everywhere. For a dragon like you who can’t hide your presence, your target is too obvious. That would cause chaos in my territory. Besides, the Jellyfish People are also searching for you. It will be difficult for you to get out safely.”

Komer said this half-truthfully. It was true that he hadn’t decided what to do with her, and it was also true that there were many adventurers and exploration teams. As for the Jellyfish People, they didn’t have the strength to pay attention to what was happening in the Caucasus. A dragon in human form was something they could never detect.

“So you mean if I want to leave, you won’t restrict my freedom? And you’ll even lift the restriction on me?” she asked hesitantly. The dragon woman really couldn’t believe he would be so kind as to let her go so easily.

“Yes, but on the condition that you don’t cause chaos in my territory, under no circumstances. It’s best if you leave immediately—go to the Cordillera Wasteland or the Baden Gold Mountains, your homeland,” Komer replied firmly.

Komer’s honest and generous response surprised the dragon girl greatly. But thinking about how she had now taken human form and her dragon power had been weakened to its lowest level, she realized it would take at least a few years to recover. Though a few years meant little in the long lifespan of dragons, she hadn’t considered how to survive such a period in human form, especially since she had little experience venturing outside. Even if she managed to lift the restrictions on herself, she could only regain some dragon magic power. However, using that magic power was still closely tied to her original dragon energy. With her original dragon energy severely damaged, she could only wield about 50-60% of her magic power. Surviving in a hostile foreign environment for several years left her uncertain.

Her dragon wisdom and intuition told her that the other party didn’t seem to really want her to leave either. She suspected he might be pretending, but she had no better alternative. “Uh, Komer, if I decide not to leave and stay here, what do you plan to do to me?”

“You want to stay?” Komer was pleased inwardly but pretended to look puzzled and surprised. “I agreed to let you leave. You can go to your homeland or the Abyssal Sea—your kind, the Evil Dragons, also live there. Why would you want to stay?”

Evil Dragons? The dragon girl’s mind stirred. Evil Dragons were different from turtles, dragons, or earth dragons—they were also powerful among dragons. But this one had an extremely violent and unruly temper. Even the king of dragons, the Thunder Dragon, avoided provoking him. Most dragons lived alone or in pairs, rarely meeting each other, so they didn’t know much about one another and had little interaction. But if one of those dragons intruded on the other’s territory without reason, war was inevitable.

“Komer, there’s no need for all this nonsense. I’m just asking: if I choose to stay, how do you plan to deal with me?” the dragon girl asked impatiently.

“Deal with you? I’m sorry, Caucasus never tolerates idlers. Here, everyone must work and labor—no work, no food. That’s the rule. I don’t think you’d be suitable to stay here,” Komer said, shaking his head to make it clear he wasn’t welcoming her.

“Damn it! What did you say? I’m not welcome?” The dragon woman was truly enraged. She had never felt such humiliation—how could a noble dragon be reduced to living on alms? It was an utter disgrace.
“Calm down. The vast lands of the Abyssal Sea or the Baden Golden Mountain Range are where your kind can soar freely. The Caucasus is a human settlement. Don’t you think you stand out here? What can you do? What skills do you have? How will you make a living? Everyone must abide by laws and rules—these are practical truths. Since you’re in human form now, others will think you’re human. If you idle away your time, living off others’ labor, what will they think?” Komer patiently tried to reason with her.
“You!” The dragon woman was filled with anger but couldn’t act on it. What he said made sense. She had taken on human form because her power had been greatly weakened. Going to the Abyssal Sea or the Baden Golden Mountain Range meant entering places plagued by magical beasts. Those ignorant beasts wouldn’t care if she was a great dragon—they would attack anyone who entered their territory. “Are you saying I’m useless in the Caucasus?”
“Then tell me what you can do here?” Komer retorted irritably. He increasingly felt like they were just two grumpy companions teasing each other.
With a sudden thought, the dragon woman seemed to remember something. “I heard that humans like you, mages, are very popular. Although my dragon power source is damaged, I can still use my dragon magic. If you can lift the restriction on me, I can become a mage. Don’t you need mages?”
“Of course I need mages, but what else do you know besides breath magic? Only dragons possess breath magic—no other race has it. Once your dragon magic is used, everyone will know who you are. Aren’t you announcing to the world that you’re a dragon? The jellyfish people will surely come for you right away!”
“I also know ice element magic…” the dragon woman argued.
“The problem is that to cast magic, you must use dragon magic. Can that be changed? Anyone who understands magic knows that the source of magic determines a mage’s identity. Can you hide that?” Komer asked, rolling his eyes.
“What should I do then?” The dragon woman was truly panicked now.