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Sofia is how the dragon calls herself. That's common in Chinese and Japanese stories------those cute female characters would use their names instead of "I" to address themselves, a way to seem more adorable.
Adam had actually lost hope in Lina's mission. He thought if the Dragon Slayer Guild was like those fools in the mage world who worship evil gods, built for communicating and offering sacrifices to some mysterious Plane, then Lina, after her operations, might have a chance to infiltrate the high-ups, maybe even control the organization.
But the intel now suggested that the Guild was established by remnants of the Plane that weren't killed after a past war. This meant that native dragons from the Plane had no chance of entering its higher ranks.
The Guild's decision caught Adam off guard. He never expected them to be so whimsical in their actions. They even sent a gift - a Frost Dragon baby.
Half a month later...
"Master, I want to be transformed like Kambi," Lina said, coquettishly lifting her envoy's cloak upon seeing Adam.
Adam instructed the devil, "Take the Frost Dragon to my lab. No one, except you, should come close to it."
The devil obeyed and left. Lina looked at him curiously, sensing a familiar aura from the dragon person, akin to Adam's.
In just a few months, Lina had changed significantly. Her timidity in Adam's presence was gone, replaced by confidence borne from power and authority.
As Adam's most trusted subordinate, Lina's request for transformation was naturally granted. Ignoring her joyful expression, Adam asked directly, "Tell me everything you know about the Dragon Slayer Guild."
Lina turned serious and began recounting the events of the past months. "We finally intercepted an envoy on a mission to a Fire Dragon's territory, stopping her before she reached it," Lina paused, then continued, "She was from the Spirit race, very powerful, stronger than I was then, with formidable fire elemental abilities."
Adam interrupted, "Get to the point."
Lina was a bit disheartened as she had prepared this part meticulously to impress. After realizing she couldn't defy Adam's order, she summarized, "Twenty-one of my slaves died before we finally killed the envoy from the Spirit race."
Adam's pupils narrowed, "Killed? You lost so much for just a corpse?"
Hearing the displeasure in Adam's voice, Lina snapped out of her confidence, stuttering, "Yes, that's correct, but there's more!"
"Continue, I hope you have a reasonable explanation," Adam said coldly.
Lina was under a lot of stress because of Adam's changing emotions. She realized once again that even though her power had raised her status, she still felt insignificant in front of Adam, like a small maid who could be crushed anytime. She didn't dare to stress how much she had sacrificed and went straight to the point: "The Dragon Slayer Guild found out about this matter. Another envoy came to me, but there was no punishment. Instead, they brought good news. The Dragon Slayer Guild appointed me as the new envoy. My first task is to bring a gift to the City of Freedom."
She took a deep breath and continued without waiting for Adam to ask, "Also, I got something amazing. The Dragon Slayer Guild calls it 'Refinement Art.' Using the method of Refinement Art, I felt my bloodline power continuously increasing."
The combination of being an envoy, having a Frost Dragon cub, and a seemingly *& amp;#? legacy made Lina feel like the pressure on her had vanished. She felt relieved.
"Tell me about the Refinement Art," Adam demanded.
Lina's face changed, and she hesitantly said, "Master, I'm afraid I can't. The Refinement Art was directly imprinted into my body by the envoy. He told me if I divulged it, I would die." She emphasized again, fearing Adam wouldn't believe her, "Master, I'm telling the truth."
Adam looked at her silently, increasing Lina's pressure. She sweated profusely, too afraid to move.
Just when she was about to break the silence, the door opened, and a dragonkin walked in.
"Stand still and let me see," the dragonkin person said casually and then stuck a finger into Lina's head.
Devils are experts in souls and contracts. This restriction sounded like something a devil would specialize in.
After a moment, the devil communicated with Adam, "It feels strange. There's definitely a restriction, but it's not a soul pact. I can't describe it, but it seems to be related to the origin of this world."
"The main thing I'm concerned about is whether forcefully extracting it would affect my true self," Adam asked, which was his main concern.
The devil firmly replied, "No, even if there's a countermeasure, I can cut it off. It definitely won't affect you."
After getting the devil's assurance, Adam signaled him to leave and then said to Lina, who was trembling and not even daring to heal her wounds, "Take care of your wounds and the matters you need to handle with the slaves. I'll be waiting for you in the laboratory."
...
The laboratory was situated in the furthest corner of the City of Freedom. The area within a five-kilometer radius around it was strictly off-limits. Despite this, some daring adventurers, driven by curiosity about the massive fifteen-meter-tall building, attempted to sneak in to discover its secrets. Unfortunately, they were never heard from again.
As Adam left his mansion, he adjusted the ice elements within his dragon's power to create a visual deception. To creatures below the transcendent level, Adam was virtually invisible.
Inside the lab, a Frost Dragon lay sleeping in a cage. Lina had mentioned that it was a young dragon, nearly thirty years old but only a bit over three meters long. This was quite small compared to Adam's nine-meter dragon form. Dragons grew very slowly.
Though Adam was intrigued by the young dragon, he restrained his research instincts. The most important thing at the moment was the potentially vital knowledge from another plane that Lina might possess.
The young dragon had been fed a secret potion. According to Lina, without an antidote or a continuation of the potion, it would take two days for the dragon to wake up naturally. However, possibly sensing the presence of a kin's dragon power, the young dragon woke up in a daze.
Adam thought for a moment and decided not to do anything drastic. It might be good to talk to her first. If he could persuade her to share her heritage, he thought he might spare her life.
Struggling to stand, the Frost Dragon fell and sat down clumsily. She rubbed her behind and then her eyes, only to realize she was facing a gigantic dragon. Tears immediately welled up in her eyes, falling to the ground with a clear sound. Sobbing, she said, "Are you here to save Sofia? Sofia was taken by bad people! Poor Sofia!"