Chapter 12: Awakening and a Secret Plea

As night fell, Sina, who had been unconscious, slowly began to stir, finally regaining awareness. Her eyes drifted over the tattered quilt draped across her and then swept across the unfamiliar, dilapidated small room. Instinctively, she drew her knees to her chest, clutching them tightly.

‘Have I been imprisoned by cultists? Is the next step to assimilate me into their ranks as well?’

Sina thought bitterly to herself, unbidden tears streaming down her face. Suddenly, she noticed that the vital energy and magic within her body were completely unrestrained.

She tried a quick test, and a small flame immediately flickered to life in her palm. It appeared the cultists hadn’t placed any restrictions on her; she could use all her powers.

But when she recalled the terrifying power Glot had unleashed earlier, a bitter smile touched her lips. ‘They probably disdained placing restrictions on me,’ she mused.

Just as Sina was sinking into despair, the room door suddenly creaked open a sliver, and a small, silver-haired loli, her head wrapped in a scarf, peeked in from outside.

“You’re awake! How are you feeling?”

Gern greeted Sina with a smile, but she remained hidden behind the door.

There was no other choice. Her male form couldn’t be used right now, and to avoid startling Sina, she could only present herself in this current appearance.

“Who are you?”

Sina looked at the silver-haired loli by the door with a puzzled expression, finding the girl’s movements rather peculiar.

Gern pondered for a moment, then spoke.

“My name is… my name is Luoya. I saw you near the arena earlier and brought you back.”

“Really?”

Seeing such a tiny girl, Sina was somewhat skeptical, until Gern briefly released a wisp of her aura.

Peak Tier 2, just one step away from reaching Tier 3. The moment she sensed this aura, she was utterly dumbfounded.

The girl before her looked no older than seven or eight. A seven or eight-year-old at peak Tier 2? Even if she had started cultivating from birth, she couldn’t possibly have reached this level.

“Do you believe me now?”

The silver-haired loli tilted her head up, perfectly embodying the demeanor of a young girl, showcasing it to the fullest. Gern herself was impressed by her own acting skills.

“Little sister, could you let your big sister take a closer look at you?”

Sina’s voice trembled slightly; she wanted to further confirm Gern’s cultivation level.

Gern offered an awkward laugh.

“Big sister, I can’t do that right now. I have something to do soon, so I’ll be busy.”

After speaking, Gern shut the door with a soft thud.

Her dragon horns on her forehead could be concealed by the scarf, but her tail, extending from behind her, was another matter.

To prevent humans from discovering her current dragon form, this was the only way.

It seemed she would need to research how to retract her dragon tail and horns in the future. She recalled the Ice Dragon elder sister, Eliza, who, apart from her dragon eyes, displayed no other draconic features.

This indicated that the Dragon Race possessed secret techniques specifically for concealing draconic features. Eliza should be near the arena now; Gern could go ask her.

With this thought in mind, Gern hurriedly left the room.

****

At this moment, in a small building next to the arena, the silver-haired young woman, Eliza, sat on a long bench, stretching leisurely.

After handing over the various assessment-related documents she held, along with Gern’s investigation report, to the chief examiner for this round, she was looking forward to going to bed.

Just then, a sudden knock echoed at her door.

“Who is it? In the middle of the night?”

Eliza pouted slightly in annoyance, then got out of bed again and opened the door.

There was nothing within her line of sight. Eliza blinked, looking left and right.

Just as she was about to close the door, she suddenly felt a tug on her clothes. Only then did she notice the small loli standing before her.

“Oh, it’s you, little sister! Come, come in quickly.”

Seeing Eliza’s eager demeanor, Gern’s mouth twitched. ‘Why do I feel like a lamb walking into a tiger’s den?’ she thought.

‘Never mind, I won’t think about it anymore. Acquiring the secret technique to hide my draconic features is the crucial thing.’

“Big sister, I came here this time because I have some questions for you.”

“What questions?”

Eliza poured two cups of coffee, then hesitated for a moment as she offered one to Gern.

“Do you drink coffee?”

Gern nodded. She took the coffee and continued.

“Big sister, I’d like to ask something. How do you hide your draconic features?”

“Ah, that…”

Eliza peered her head out the door, and after confirming no one was around, she carefully closed the door.

“Little sister, you’ve lived in the human world for so long, and you don’t know the secret technique for hiding your features?”

Hearing this, Gern very obediently shook her head.

Seeing that she didn’t seem to be lying, Eliza’s heart immediately ached.

A young dragon girl who had survived to seven or eight years old in the human world, yet didn’t even know the secret technique for concealment? How much hardship must she have endured to live until now?

It was no wonder, then, that the little girl had reacted the way she did upon seeing Eliza’s group. Eliza sighed helplessly, then gently stroked Gern’s small head.

“Yes, there are secret techniques. Not only do I have secret techniques for hiding one’s identity, but also some of the Dragon Race’s secret transmissions.”

“However, big sister is from the Ice Dragon clan. If you wish to learn these, it might be a bit difficult.”

Gern quickly shook her head, evading Eliza’s fair, delicate hand. Her large eyes blinked rapidly, gleaming with a hint of expectation.

“Big sister, I want to learn! Can you teach me?”

‘When it comes to skills, the more, the better, of course. Moreover, my current martial arts and movement techniques are solely those of the Heretic God Cult; it’s far too easy for people to mistake me for a minion of the Heretic God.’

‘I must find some alternatives. I certainly don’t want to be hunted down like this again.’

Eliza saw the expectation in the little loli’s eyes. She wasn’t annoyed that Gern had pulled away her hand; instead, she crouched down to meet Gern’s gaze directly.

“You can, yes. But Luoya, you are a Silver Dragon after all. Many things will be different for you than for me. If you find you can’t learn it, just tell me, alright?”

Among the Dragon Race, Silver Dragons are considered a relatively well-rounded species. If their talent is high, they can naturally learn any dragon’s skills.

But the tragedy of the Silver Dragon clan lies precisely here: while they dabble in all aspects, this also means they rarely master any particular ability or set of abilities.

If their talent proves insufficient, they become stuck in an awkward, neither-here-nor-there situation. Considering Gern’s current circumstances, an abandoned child who had received no dragon education was highly unlikely to possess exceptional talent.

“I understand, big sister. So, can you teach me now?”

Gern, for her part, appeared quite excited. Seeing her adorable little face, Eliza shook her head with a resigned smile.

Eliza had already made up her mind. ‘After I leave, I must take this little dragon girl with me.’

‘At the very least, I need to help her get in touch with the Silver Dragons in the City in the Sky.’

“Little sister, this isn’t a suitable place for a demonstration. Come with me.”

Under the night sky, a colossal ice-blue dragon carried the silver-haired loli, soaring towards the outskirts of the town.