Chapter 13: The Silent Crystal and the Shameful Truth

A shiver ran down Amira’s spine, as if the one seated beside her wasn’t a beautiful black dragon maiden, but a terrifying behemoth capable of devouring her whole, leaving not even a bone behind.

Hang on, if Theresia transformed into her dragon form, wouldn’t she look exactly like that?!

This black dragon was, after all, planning to destroy her appraisal office *again*!

Amira was terrified.

Honestly, her strength was considerable. If only she could put a thousand meters between herself and this black dragon, she wouldn’t hesitate to demonstrate a high-level mage’s kiting techniques to the ‘tiny’ black dragon.

But now… considering the speed, explosive power, and sheer strength Theresia had just displayed, Amira could only lower her head deeply.

‘I really want to escape.’

Although she had entrusted the negotiation to Theodore, as the owner and manager of the appraisal office, her escape would undoubtedly trigger Theresia’s sensitive nerves, causing the colossal active volcano to erupt instantly.

****

Theodore forcibly wedged himself between the dragon and the elf. Though he appeared to be nestled between two incredibly beautiful ‘maidens,’ one radiated the scorching heat of boiling magma, while the other exuded the slow, negative energy of a stone plummeting into an abyss.

Caught between these two extremes, Theodore felt as if he were simultaneously freezing and burning. He coughed twice, then announced the results in a faint voice, “Based on the current findings, the appraisal office has already replaced almost all the damaged materials immediately.”

Theresia bit out each word, “*Almost* all?”

Theodore instantly felt an immense pressure descend upon him. “Yes, one item was lost. It’s called a Silent Crystal. Amira mentioned that it’s completely unaffected by magic and can generate an anti-magic field around itself.”

“Therefore, under the impact of the explosion, the magic barrier had no effect on the Silent Crystal, and it simply flew away.”

“Flew away?” Theresia asked again, seemingly not having heard clearly.

Amira steeled herself and nodded. “Yes, it flew away.”

Theresia took a deep breath. “It surely didn’t fly far, did it?”

Amira swallowed hard. “Uh, according to witnesses at the scene, that thing might have, possibly, probably flown out of the Elven Capital, Avasilon, and fallen into the forest below.”

“AMIRA!!!” A massive sonic wave blasted Amira’s hair so hard it wouldn’t settle. Theresia shrieked, about to rush out.

The Silent Crystal was incredibly precious, with very low circulation on the market.

On one hand, it was naturally occurring and extremely rare. On the other, the Silent Crystal’s existence was too unpretentious.

Its appearance was indistinguishable from an ordinary roadside stone, making it incredibly difficult to identify by sight alone.

It remained completely unaffected by any magic, rendering it undetectable by search spells.

There were no definite ore veins; instead, it formed through various coincidences, mixed in with other minerals.

It possessed no special scent, nor did any creatures react to it uniquely. Its discovery was always a mere accident.

The good news was that Silent Crystals were exceptionally hard. Even though the appraisal office was several thousand meters high, a Silent Crystal falling from that height wouldn’t be damaged.

The bad news was that this meant the crystal’s location below became extremely uncertain, making the search a nightmare. It would be nearly impossible to find in the short term.

‘Wait, high-altitude littering…’

The Elven Capital had accounted for the possibility of falling objects killing people, so there were magic arrays to intercept anything dropped from above.

However, the Silent Crystal would certainly not be intercepted.

Theresia urgently inquired, “What’s happening down below?”

Amira had naturally considered this point. She shook her head. “Nothing. Even the people below haven’t noticed any heavy object falling, so we suspect it might have been carried away by birds or beasts near the Elven Capital.”

Birds and beasts, of course, didn’t recognize its value, but a hard stone like the Silent Crystal would make excellent nesting material.

These birds and beasts, in fact, had been attracted by the elves specifically to help them deal with objects falling from high altitudes.

With thousands of birds and beasts circling the Elven Capital daily and their nests scattered throughout the forest, it meant Theresia had an even slimmer chance of finding the Silent Crystal.

The Old Patriarch had also once instructed Theresia that the Silent Crystal was the only one in stock for a thousand years; if lost, it would be incredibly difficult to find again.

“You must have a supply of Silent Crystals, right? An old dragon can collect one in a millennium; your race, over tens of thousands of years…”

Amira regretfully replied, “Uh, we did, but they’re all gone now.”

Theresia’s bright eyes gradually lost their luster, and the air in the room slowly solidified.

Amira, sweating profusely, hastily added, “We will pay ten times the compensation, waive this appraisal fee, and provide…”

Amira’s stream of compensation continued endlessly, while the darkness in Theresia’s eyes deepened.

“Although we don’t have Silent Crystals, we do have powerful and knowledgeable elven magic experts here. If you just tell us, Theresia, what you truly intend to use the Silent Crystal for, perhaps we can offer an alternative solution?”

The light in Theresia’s eyes gradually ignited, like converging stars.

Her grand plan, theoretically, couldn’t be divulged to others. However, with the assistance of these millennia-old, even ten-millennia-old, magic-proficient elves, her chances of success might increase even further.

Theresia lifted Theodore and placed him beside her, then squeezed next to Amira. After restraining Amira, who had nearly jumped up to flee, she leaned in and whispered, “Activate a silencing barrier. What happens next is for only the two of us to know.”

Her life now held in a dragon’s claw, Amira nodded obediently and promptly activated the silencing barrier.

There were only three beings in the room: one human, one dragon, and one elf.

And they were all sitting on the same bench.

Yet, these two had overtly excluded him.

Theodore was now unsure whether to call it racial discrimination or a crisis of trust. A cold wind howled in his heart.

‘Couldn’t they at least be a little discreet?’

Indignant, Theodore looked at Theresia, the instigator, and suddenly recalled a casual promise she had made earlier.

A dark yet exciting plan slowly took shape in his mind.

At this moment, Theresia no longer had enough mental capacity to care about anything else. Her mind was already consumed by the loss of the Silent Crystal and Amira’s proposed alternative. “I was preparing that item to deal with a divine curse. So? Any experience with that?”

Amira gasped, ‘Hiss, is it that high-level?!’

‘To challenge something at the very foundation of elven heritage… Is this dragon trying to extort the elves?’

Amira thought for a moment. “If you ask me, I wouldn’t know.”

While it was highly unlikely to find an experienced elf, for the sake of her own life, Amira felt she needed to struggle a bit more.

“However, as you know, elves have lived for a very long time. Some knowledgeable elven scholars have traversed countless ages; perhaps one of them has encountered a divine curse… Um, do you dragons have any thoughts on that divine curse?”

Amira’s words only darkened Theresia’s expression. She gritted her teeth and said, “Those dragons have already fallen into depravity! The curse is rooted in all dragons, yet they make no effort to improve, allowing their destiny to be controlled by the curse!”

“Now, I am the only dragon left in the entire dragon race with the will to advance! So I can only succeed, not fail! Do you understand?!”

Amira was astonished. Such a mighty power, capable of infecting the entire dragon race. A divine curse, terrifying indeed!

But something wasn’t quite right. Although dragon customers were rare, she was, after all, an elf with a long lifespan and had seen no fewer than a hundred dragons.

She had never heard of such a thing.

Such a divine curse, concerning an entire race, must be the deepest secret within dragonkind. Thus, Amira cautiously asked, “Um, would it be convenient to reveal which deity cast this curse? And what is the nature of this curse?”

Theresia then found it somewhat difficult to speak. It wasn’t that the Old Patriarch forbade her from spreading it, but rather that the matter itself was too shameful to confess.

‘It truly is a colossal secret.’ Seeing her hesitation, Amira immediately said considerately, “You know, the more detailed the information, the greater the possibility for elven scholars to find a solution. Of course, if it’s truly inconvenient, that’s perfectly fine too.”

Theresia sighed dramatically, looking up at the sky. “Oh, forget it. For the sake of the entire dragon race, what’s a little shame? The truth is…”

Amira grew increasingly silent as she listened. Only after Theresia finished her embellished account did she slowly speak, “So it’s just a curse of adult heat?! Couldn’t you just find a male… and solve it?” (in a very small voice)

‘Isn’t the one beside you exactly who you use to satisfy your desires?’

She didn’t dare to utter that last sentence.

Because Theresia instantly smiled brightly, clenched her fists, producing a crisp cracking sound, and her veins became clearly visible. “What did you say? Pardon me, I didn’t quite catch that.”

Amira immediately displayed a talent for changing expressions that was no less impressive than Theresia’s, shouting, “I said this curse is truly detestable! It’s incredibly troublesome, Theresia, rest assured, I will definitely invite the most authoritative elven experts to help you break this curse!”

Theresia patted Amira’s small shoulder, saying warmly, “Right, that’s more like it. Okay, you can deactivate the silencing barrier now. Oh, and quickly tell me, who was the culprit who caused this explosion? I absolutely must give them my best! Most! Sincere! Thanks!”

Amira’s smile froze once more. She tried to gloss over it, “That, well, she’s already been taken away by the enforcement team. Please rest assured, we will definitely give her the most severe punishment. Our appraisal office will cover all of your losses, Theresia…”

“No! An elf’s actions are an elf’s responsibility! How could I be such an irresponsible elf!”

Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice entered the room, instantly shattering Amira’s already fragile heart.