Chapter 11: The Price of a Dragon’s Despair

Turning green.

Violated.

Ruined reputation.

Loss of masculine dignity.

Complete feminization.

White Turbid Dragon.

Bleak and despairing words, one after another, surged through Theresia’s mind. They even arranged themselves into a mocking symphony, playing a cruel tune just for her.

Unthinkable! Truly unthinkable! Who could have ever imagined this?

Her dragon life’s first Waterloo had arrived with such startling suddenness.

Perhaps it wasn’t too late to end it all now, to avoid a desolate old age like Emperor Napoleon.

What was the point of living? This world was merely an aggregation of malice.

Ultimately, death was the return of all things. And since she could reincarnate, death was merely the beginning of everything.

It was time to delete her account and start over.

But before that, shouldn’t she experience what it felt like to be a world-destroying evil dragon?

She would start by incinerating this elven World Tree.

Theresia’s smile became utterly deranged, and a thick, dark aura emanated from her.

Theodore, standing nearby, instinctively recoiled. Only when he snapped back to reality did he realize he was already ten paces away from Theresia.

‘Such terrifying aura! Is this the Black Dragon of Despair?!’

To prevent this world from birthing a world-destroying Black Dragon due to some inexplicable explosion, Theodore quickly stepped forward.

He gently offered comfort. “It was just the Appraisal Institute that exploded. Logically, such a large institution must have comprehensive safety measures for unforeseen circumstances. You’re also one of their major clients, so perhaps nothing is amiss.”

Theodore’s words caused a sudden flash of brilliance to ignite in Theresia’s previously dim eyes. “Yes, you’re right! I can’t destroy the world just yet!”

He hissed.

Theodore gasped, taking a sharp breath. ‘What terrifying thoughts was this female dragon just contemplating?!’

Theresia, however, paid no mind to Theodore’s bewildered gaze. She shot forward like an arrow, charging into the Appraisal Institute.

As the largest appraisal institution in the City of Magic, it had just suffered a terrible explosion. Yet, the building’s foundation was equipped with self-healing magic, and debris that had detached from the structure automatically restored itself to its original position under the power of magic.

Everything seemed as miraculous as if time had flowed backward.

The elves and customers inside the Appraisal Institute were also protected by emergency defensive magic and had not suffered significant harm. They were now beginning to reorganize and resume the institute’s operations.

Theresia, however, had no time to admire any of this. Her terrifying burst of speed left the reception elves of the institute seeing nothing but a blur.

She violently crashed through the wooden door, which had only just restored itself before shattering into pieces again, and arrived at her exclusive VIP room.

Theresia immediately spotted the mountain of precious materials and magic items, all contained within a gigantic blue bubble.

These were the items she had entrusted to the Appraisal Institute. At least from their appearance, they had all been perfectly preserved and were completely unharmed.

“Oho!”

A surge of immense joy struck Theresia’s very core. She leaped high into the air, landing on the blue spherical bubble.

A soft, yielding sensation followed. The seemingly fragile bubble perfectly absorbed Theresia’s impact, suspending her in mid-air.

This did not stop Theresia from rubbing herself against the bubble, back and forth, with an expression of pure bliss.

****

Meanwhile, Theodore was wandering aimlessly around the Appraisal Institute, feeling utterly lost.

Theresia’s instantaneous burst of speed had been astonishing, causing him to completely lose track of her.

The Appraisal Institute, which didn’t appear large from the outside, possessed a surprisingly vast interior. Its numerous rooms and crisscrossing floors were dazzling to behold.

Compounding his disorientation, the explosion had largely crippled the institute’s internal reception functions. With employees and customers moving about everywhere, Theodore had completely lost his bearings.

Theresia’s name was also not widely known within the institute. He asked several working elves in a row but received no satisfactory answers.

Just then, he noticed a mature elf with emerald green hair standing by a nearby counter, calmly directing the elves in their work uniforms.

Clearly, this was at least a manager of considerable rank. Theodore walked straight up to her, waiting until her directives were mostly concluded before stepping directly in front of her.

The green-haired elf looked at the human before her with sky-blue eyes and inquired in a gentle voice, “Pardon me, esteemed guest, is there anything I can help you with?”

Theodore politely asked, “Hello. I came with a friend. Her name is Theresia, and she is a Black Dragon. She has a fifty-year major contract here. She just rushed in, too fast for me to follow. Do you know which room she’s in?”

“Tsk.”

Perhaps it was an illusion, but upon hearing of Theresia’s arrival, the green-haired elf seemed to flash a momentary expression of discomfort.

“She’s returned so soon, has she?”

The green-haired elf’s question made Theodore realize that something might be amiss. He tentatively probed, “Yes, Theresia just went back to retrieve something.”

The green-haired elf looked at Theodore thoughtfully and asked, “Is that ‘something’ you?”

“I am not a ‘thing,’ no, I am a ‘thing’—” Theodore found himself in a terrible self-contradiction, made worse by the fact that she had followed his own words, making it even harder for him to explain.

The green-haired elf asked with concern, “It’s alright, guest. That question isn’t important. You and Theresia must have a very good relationship, correct?”

Recalling their usual camaraderie, almost like brothers, Theodore nodded. “Uh, yes.”

“That’s right, that’s what’s most important.” The green-haired elf clapped her hands sharply. She first turned to the elf beside her and instructed, “Mia, I will escort this distinguished guest to VIP Room 2567. You are to immediately, at once, send that person away! Do not consider her status. Treat her by the standards for escorting a heavily convicted criminal. Send her to where she belongs, and hand her over to the one who can control her.”

“Understood.” The beautiful elf named Mia did not hesitate in the slightest, immediately turning and departing.

Theodore watched Mia’s retreating figure with curiosity, unsure of the significant drama unfolding.

The green-haired elf then spoke cordially to Theodore. “Mr. Theodore, you may call me Amira. Theresia should be in Room 2567 without a doubt. I’ll take you there.”

Theodore naturally had no reason to refuse. “Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule, Ms. Amira.”

“It’s nothing, nothing at all.” Amira led Theodore towards Room 2567, and along the way, she chatted with him very enthusiastically.

“Mr. Theodore, is this your first time visiting?”

Theodore nodded. “Indeed, it is my first time.”

Amira offered a wry smile. “Then you must be quite amused. To be honest, this is the first time in ten thousand years that such an incident has occurred at the Appraisal Institute. Even during the previous World War, when the flames of battle spread within the Elven Capital, the Appraisal Institute was never damaged to this extent.”

“I don’t know whether this is fortunate or unfortunate,” Theodore remarked, sensing a slight unease. He probed, “However, it’s good that such a large explosion doesn’t seem to have caused any serious losses. Haha, Theresia looked like her soul was about to leave her body when she saw the explosion earlier.”

“But after she regained her composure, she still held a deep trust in the Appraisal Institute, believing that with its ten-thousand-year reputation, it certainly wouldn’t let a major client like her suffer losses. So she excitedly rushed right in.”

Amira’s smile completely froze. She silently cast a small cooling spell on herself. Only when a layer of frost appeared on her skin did her wildly beating heart calm down slightly.

“The Appraisal Institute naturally possesses a comprehensive and complete defense mechanism to ensure the personal and property safety of clients immediately in the event of an emergency.”

“However!”

“Even the Elven Capital’s unique and world-renowned magical defense mechanisms cannot guarantee a hundred percent perfect protection for every single item. After all, items brought to this Appraisal Institute are inherently magical artifacts with unique abilities.”

“So, you lost or damaged something?” Theodore understood. He understood completely, but he understood even more Theresia’s profound regard for these items.

“Let me warn you, those materials and items are of immense importance to Theresia.”

Amira stated gravely, “We will waive all appraisal fees for these items, as well as all appraisal fees for the next hundred years.”

Theodore continued to remind her, “Those things are truly very important.”

Amira immediately added, “And ten times the compensation amount, though, uh, we can’t pay it all at once.”

Theodore replied, “…I can feel your institute’s sincerity, but those items are urgent. I hope what you lost or damaged are easily replaceable. Otherwise, uh, perhaps you should notify the Dragon Patriarch?”

Then, Theodore saw the same look of despair in Amira’s eyes that he had just seen in Theresia’s.