Chapter 81: The Price of a Lie

The Clown took a deep breath, his gaze settling on his last subordinate.

“Don’t run off,” he said. “Just get to the point.”

The subordinate handed over a document.

“We’ve developed a preliminary version of a medicine to boost dragonkind’s fertility,” he explained. “Here are the related details.”

Dragons were a species with notoriously low fertility rates. To gather a sufficient number through natural reproduction would literally take an eternity.

The Old Patriarch, who oversaw the entire dragon population, had recorded a net increase of only 3,000 dragons over ten millennia.

This was barely enough to be historically significant. The thought of a giant and a Theresia reproducing naturally was enough to make the Clown despair.

His master, after all, was an ambitious figure who envisioned an entire army of organized Giant Dragon Knights.

Such an army would require a heavy dose of this medicine.

The Clown’s eyes lit up. Could he finally be hearing some good news today?

Then, he finished reading all the introductions in the document.

His smile, however, had frozen on his face.

The Clown beckoned his subordinate closer, a wide, strained smile plastered across his face.

“Are you telling me this trash, this inferior garbage that sacrifices the mother’s vast life force for rapid reproduction, resulting in offspring with shortened lifespans and less than half the mother’s strength, is your newly developed product?!

“Uh, well, sir, I thought you were in a hurry, so…”

Ahhhhh!

Whish!

Thousands of whip shadows lashed against the alchemist’s body, as the Clown spoke with seething fury.

“That is the only Theresia existing in the world! That is the super limited-edition mount named by His Lord! You would use such a shoddy thing on her?! What if you damage her?!

“And do you even know what ultimate numerical beauty means?! Can a substandard Theresia even be looked at? Who do you think Theresia is for? His Lord naturally exudes kingly aura just by standing on her head!

“This garbage you’ve rushed into existence only has a ‘turtle’s aura’! Can that even compete?!”

“Get back to researching! Don’t worry about the lives of other test subjects! I only want progress! As long as the potion has no side effects on *that* Theresia, as long as I can have my own Theresia mount within a hundred years, do you hear me?!”

The Clown, too, harbored a dream of becoming a Theresia Dragon Knight!

The thought of a Clown with a kingly aura—it sounded exhilarating!

“Yes!”

The Clown stopped whipping, panting as he asked, “Oh, and don’t tell me the aphrodisiac also has such side effects.”

The subordinate immediately assured him, “That one doesn’t, I can absolutely guarantee it. If that mother dragon’s eyes aren’t practically shooting hearts, I’ll let you inject me with a hundred needles of the same dosage!”

The Clown sank into his chair, utterly exhausted. “Are you all done with your other matters?”

The three subordinates simultaneously shook their heads.

“Phew, that’s good, that’s good, then…” The Clown took a deep breath, then suddenly roared, “Now get out of my sight!”

The Clown’s frustrated, angry, and bitter shouts echoed through the base, causing all the clowns within to unconsciously speed up their work.

****

Meanwhile, after a conversation with Promen, Theresia had discovered his true value.

Although the fellow wasn’t particularly bright, the knowledge he possessed, spanning from the Age of Gods to the present, was an invaluable treasure.

Therefore, resolving the situation with Theodore now seemed highly promising!

Suddenly, Theresia heard approaching footsteps. Her location was somewhat secluded and dim, yet people occasionally passed by.

“Someone’s coming, hide quickly.”

Poof!

Promen quickly shrank back into hiding.

Theresia then realized it was a group of nuns, walking together. It appeared they had finished the Kiss of Light ceremony and were heading back.

Upon seeing Theresia, they even greeted her.

One of the nuns inquired curiously, “You look somewhat unfamiliar. Did you come to the City of Light specifically for the Festival of Light?”

Theresia found explaining too troublesome, so she simply went along with it. “Something like that.”

The nun smiled immediately. “I hope the Holy City’s Festival of Light brought you joy.”

Recalling the day’s events, Theresia found it hard to utter such a disingenuous lie, claiming she was overjoyed. She looked at the nuns, a sudden curiosity sparking within her.

“Hello, I’m actually not a nun; this habit was borrowed from a friend. I wanted to ask, during your Kiss of Light, do you perform blessing rituals for many people?”

One nun looked at Theresia with a puzzled expression, wondering why she would ask such a strange question. “Hmm, no, not really. The Kiss of Light doesn’t involve nuns performing ritual blessings for everyone. Since it involves skin-to-skin contact, people only perform the ritual with those they are close to.”

Theresia’s eyelid twitched.

“Then the saying that nuns are watched over by the God of Light, allowing them to share blessings with everyone through a ritual, doesn’t really hold any special meaning, does it?”

The nuns exchanged glances, seemingly perplexed by Theresia’s statement.

One of the older nuns devoutly replied, “I apologize, but our Kiss of Light here has no such saying. The God of Light equally bestows blessings upon everyone, without distinguishing between race or profession. Everyone can freely share their blessings during the Festival of Light with those they cherish.

“On this day, all believers are watched over by the God of Light, and each person possesses infinite blessings.”

A vein throbbed on Theresia’s forehead. Indeed, even the purest-looking children would eventually conspire with dirty adults.

“Thank you for clarifying.”

Theresia bid farewell to the nuns. Although she had decided to adopt a gentle approach with Theodore, if there was a valid reason to give him a beating, she definitely wouldn’t want to miss it!

She lightly sniffed the air. Though not a dog, a dragon’s sense of smell was far beyond that of ordinary beings.

She was overly familiar with Theodore, so even amidst the bustling crowd, Theresia only needed to concentrate to discern his general direction.

As expected, she hadn’t walked far before Theresia detected the voices of Theodore and Dolly.

Dolly was happily devouring a handful of delicacies, while Theodore stood beside her, using a portable communication crystal to converse with someone from the church.

Recalling the evening’s events, Theresia decided not to approach immediately. She planned to wait for an opportunity to discreetly avoid any nosy onlookers and quietly draw closer before making her move.

She aimed to catch them red-handed!

****

“Yes, is that really possible? That’s too… there’s no need to be so grand, after all, we don’t know the effect yet, right? To be safe, let’s find a witness, mhm, okay, thank you.”

Phew. Theodore ended the communication, letting out a satisfied breath.

On the other side, the stall owner had already prepared his and Dolly’s fruit drinks.

After taking them, Theodore handed one cup to the eagerly awaiting Dolly. Raising his cup, he said, “To celebrate the smooth progress of the plan, cheers!”

Dolly’s face bloomed into a flower-like smile, and she excitedly clinked cups with Theodore. “Cheers!”

Then, cradling the large fruit drink in both hands, she gulped down a big mouthful, a look of pure delight on her face.

“Big Brother is so lucky! Sister Theresia is so beautiful, so elegant, so gentle. I can’t believe you found her to be your girlfriend.”

Hearing this from the shadows, Theresia hummed softly. ‘This child knows how to speak well,’ she thought. ‘I’ll make sure to spank you a few less times later.’

****

“Yes, I am indeed fortunate enough.”

“You see, your Sister Theresia is truly one-of-a-kind in the world. Majestic, tall, handsome, powerful, with an innate kingly aura. The moment I saw her, I knew I could never let her go.”

****

Hee hee hee hee hee.

Hidden in the shadows, Theresia couldn’t help but let out a triumphant laugh, but because she had to cover her mouth to prevent Theodore and Dolly from hearing, her laughter sounded particularly eerie. Passersby around her were startled, quickly moving away and wondering if they should report this suspicious nun.

‘You boy, you can still say some good things. Not bad, I’m very pleased with this compliment. If you could maintain a respectful distance without defiling her, I’d swear an oath of brotherhood with you right now.’

****

Theresia was delighted, but Dolly was a little confused.

‘Is this really how you describe a girl? It sounds a bit off.’

Fortunately, Theodore had no intention of shattering the little girl’s worldview. He leaned in and whispered into Dolly’s ear, “I’ll tell you a secret: Sister Theresia isn’t human. She’s a dragon, a very beautiful and handsome Theresia.”

Dolly’s pupils dilated, and her mouth dropped open. She stammered, somewhat flustered, “How could that be? But Sister Theresia is so gentle.”

While dragons genuinely existed in this world, and their existence was common knowledge to humans, they were reclusive. Most ordinary people would never encounter a dragon in their lifetime.

It was precisely because of their mystery that many popular fairy tales were told by adults to children. White Dragons were every child’s favorite, representing purity and justice, while Theresia were mainly known for their ferocity and power, often serving as the villains in fairy tales.

Though, it wasn’t entirely unfair to portray Theresia as self-destructive.

With a look of longing, Theodore said, “That’s why your Sister Theresia is truly one in a million.”

Dolly thought about Theresia’s demeanor in front of her and nodded earnestly. “She really is. But Big Brother Theodore, you’re amazing for daring to date Sister Theresia. Can you tell me your love story with her?”

Dolly looked at Theodore with stars in her eyes. At her age, she couldn’t resist romantic love stories, especially one involving a Theresia.

Super exciting!

Theodore was momentarily speechless. The dividing line in his relationship with Theresia was that incident seven years ago. Before then, they had treated each other more like comrades.

After that incident, their love story seemed a bit twisted, didn’t it?

And how was he supposed to tell Dolly that the turning point in their relationship was when Theresia had *imprisoned* him?

It would surely shatter the child’s worldview!

Just as Theodore was racking his brain, Dolly’s gaze passed over Theodore to a terrifying presence slowly approaching them from behind. She unconsciously swallowed.

She tugged on Theodore’s clothes and asked, “Big Brother Theodore, if Sister Theresia finds out we lied to her, will she punish us very severely? Lying isn’t good, right?”

Although Theresia had been very gentle, the terrifying image of a Theresia was still etched into Dolly’s mind.

Theodore patted Dolly’s head. “Lying is indeed not good, but as long as we…”

“As long as what?”

A fragrant breeze brushed past his ear. Theodore’s pupils contracted, and he spun around abruptly, finding Theresia playfully and cutely bending over behind him, hands clasped behind her back.

“Gulp.”

Theresia softly said, “Theodore, Dolly, I just learned some common knowledge about nuns, and I wanted to confirm it with you. You two… don’t run!”

Theodore hoisted Dolly onto his shoulder and began to flee, with Theresia hot on their heels.

Seeing this, Theodore exclaimed, “Dolly, if a lie is exposed, there will be a huge price to pay, and we must be mentally prepared for it. From now on, you must be an honest, good child, understand?”

Dolly swallowed hard and nodded vigorously.

“Dolly understands.”

“Very good, then accept the price for your lie being exposed.”

Theodore suddenly turned, lifted Dolly, and shouted at Theresia behind him, “Theresia, look out for the hidden weapon!”

With that, the hidden weapon, Dolly, was hurled backward.

Dolly: “??????”

At a young age, Dolly learned the cost of a lie through her own experience.

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