- 66 - Legendary Mage

Dublabi felt that his dragon life had never been so unfortunate.

Ever since he sneaked out of the Dragon Realm back then to explore the Endless Sea, only to accidentally cross through the Remnant Abyss out of momentary curiosity and subsequently fail to find his way back, he had been living alone in this snowy mountain range of the Endlands for a full ten years.

During these ten years, fearing that there might be even more terrifying filthy demons outside, or that he might encounter the legendary evil god sealed right here, the "Witch of the End," he—as a young dragon—never dared to take even half a step outside this primordial mountain range. Every day, aside from sleeping, daydreaming, and entertaining himself, he would hunt some wild animals to roast and eat. His days were agonizing, and he felt as though he were on the verge of petrifying.

The only belief that supported him in enduring such a life was relying on the dragon race's long lifespan to just keep surviving stubbornly.

As long as he could endure until the next cycle of the aurora appeared, opening the Remnant Abyss and allowing him to escape this ghost of a place, he would do anything. He was even willing to rein in his rebellious nature and be an obedient, well-behaved baby dragon in the Dragon Realm for the rest of his life—he would have absolutely no objections.

What he hadn't expected, however, was that after enduring such hardship for a full decade, the aurora failed to appear, but what arrived instead was the very entity he suspected he least wanted to see.

Unlike the automaton girl just now, who had fled while muttering in some unknown dialect, Dublabi was certain that this female mage who had suddenly appeared and displayed such formidable strength was a completely human female, not a human-like alchemical creation.

In the Endlands, aside from the legendary King of Evil Gods, who else could possibly possess such strength and such an appearance?

He instantly felt a surge of regret. If he had known, he wouldn't have chased that girl-shaped alchemical creation. Although she had shot him right in the rear with an alchemical firearm while he was sleeping, causing him both pain and anger, to be honest, killing her would only have vented his frustration without providing any meat to eat.

In the past, whenever he saw such mysterious, unknown humanoid alchemical creations, he would be extremely vigilant and hide far away. This was the first time he had ever lost his temper and tried to kill his target, only to get captured immediately. He didn't know whether he was just terribly unlucky or if he had been set up by an evil god.

Yet, considering his own intelligence, caution, and noble bloodline, he figured it was probably the latter.

...

Soon, seeing the silver-haired girl land and walk slowly toward him, the stiff-bodied Dublabi tried hard to raise his head, fixing her with a fierce glare and preparing to hiss.

No matter what, he was a member of the dragon race with a pure bloodline. Even when facing an evil god, he must never disgrace the dignity of dragons.

Besides, perhaps due to being chilled by the frost, he had calmed down a little now, thinking that whether the other party was truly an evil god remained to be seen.

Perhaps she was just a human mage who had strayed into this place, just like him?

Although her strength was already immense, if she truly were an evil god, her methods ought to be far more evil and brutal. A single thought from her should have been enough to obliterate him instantly.

"From the Glow Continent?" He heard the silver-haired girl ask.

"More or less," Dublabi stiffened his neck and said stoutly, "Human, what sacred entity are you? State your name at once! I am 'Dublabi,' son of the Flame Dragon King of the Dragon Realm. How dare you make an enemy of me—have you prepared yourself to bear the wrath of the dragon race?"

"I have a question for you."

"Hmph! A coward who hides her head and tail, too afraid even to name herself, yet you expect me to answer..." Dublabi spoke in a majestic tone, but was abruptly jolted by a flash of lightning, causing him to gasp in sharp pain—"Hisss—!!"

"Still want to be shocked?" Yvette asked expressionlessly.

"N-No... no more..." Dublabi instantly became well-behaved. He thought that even if this witch wasn't necessarily an evil god, at this moment, her terrifying level seemed on par with one.

"Do you know a person named Rosalind Thien?" Yvette asked.

"Rosalind Thien? Someone on the continent with that name... Wait, are you talking about that legendary mage?" Dublabi thought for a moment, his tone surprised.

"A legendary mage?" Yvette paused slightly, then nodded, "That should be her. Tell me in detail."

"Tell you in detail? Aren't you a human yourself? Why do you need me to introduce her? Just how many years has it been since you last stepped outside, you ancient fossil, to be so poorly informed..."

Dublabi muttered, but seeing Yvette display an impatient look, he immediately said, "I... I don't know much about legendary mages either, after all, I'm only a dragon! I haven't really left the South Sea! I only heard about her from my old man, who said she was the strongest being in the mortal world, and the only person in history to achieve the unification of the Eastern and Western Continents. She is revered as the 'Common Sovereign of Humans and Demons,' and even the demon gods and true gods tacitly permitted her actions... Uh, pretty much that's it."

Pausing for a moment, he added, "I hate reading the most on ordinary days. If you're going to ask me about her information, all I know are a few street-corner rumors... Don't expect any more from me!"

A bit of emotional color flickered within Yvette's crimson pupils, making her expression soften considerably. After digesting and absorbing this information, she asked again, "Is she... doing well now? I mean, is she still alive?"

"That I'm not clear on. I've been stuck in the Endlands for ten years now, but even before that, the legendary mage hadn't shown her face to the world for about forty or fifty years. She had been in seclusion in that 'Academy of Truth.' But she ought to be alive; otherwise, someone of such stature wouldn't fall suddenly without leaving the slightest trace of news..."

Dublabi cautiously sized up the silver-haired girl before him, unable to help guessing the other party's relationship with the legendary mage.

Acquaintance? Companion? Relative? Enemy? Or some other kind of relationship?

She cared about that legendary mage, yet she was unclear about the legendary mage's life story. This was undoubtedly a very contradictory matter, unless she had been locked away in the Endlands nearly 150 or even 200 years ago, which was why she was unable to learn about the state of the mortal realm.

But would there really be such a person? Was she just too unlucky, never encountering the aurora and the Remnant Abyss to escape, or did she voluntarily choose to stay in this ghost of a place for bitter cultivation?

Thinking of this, a rumor he had accidentally heard in the past suddenly surfaced in Dublabi's mind.

It was a legend concerning the legendary mage Rosalind Thien, rumored to have been spread personally by the mage herself.

According to the legend, the legendary mage had once accidentally strayed in her youth into that Endlands of mythology where evil gods were sealed—a place that struck terror into the hearts of all who heard it. Yet, by sheer incredible luck, she did not encounter an evil god; instead, she met a benevolent god living in this place who did not appear in mainstream mythology, honored by the title "Silver Witch." After being saved, the young mage followed this great entity to undergo a period of cultivation, and many years later, under her protection, returned to the mortal world, thus opening the curtain on a legendary life.

Of course, this was merely a legend that had emerged in recent decades, circulating among wandering bards as a dramatized supplement to the legendary exploits of this "Supreme Commander of the Pan-Human Alliance" and "Second-Generation Demon King," and its authenticity was open to question—after all, the legendary mage's life was simply too legendary, bordering on the realm of epic mythology, so naturally, it needed a few wondrous encounters.

Dublabi had heard this from impure-blooded dragonkins while wandering around the Dragon Realm, and had simply listened to it as a fun little story. But now...

He glanced at the striking long silver hair of the mysterious girl before him, thinking that this was getting a bit hard to dismiss.

Although the legend didn't mention too many details about the Silver Witch's appearance, only stating that she was a beautiful young girl, since she was called the Silver Witch, having a head of silver hair should fit intuition quite well, right?

And as it happened, from a human aesthetic standpoint, this girl might also be considered a beauty...

Didn't everything match up completely?

Could the legend actually be true? Was the deity known as the "Silver Witch" not a falsehood, but a genuine existence, and furthermore, right before his eyes?

Hadn't he suffered the worst of bad luck after all, but instead struck the greatest fortune of a lifetime?