CHAPTER 424: CHAPTER 418: A GREAT SORCERER MEETS A LESSER SORCERER

Laksha took a deep breath and resolved to inform Leon of the mission given to her by Her Majesty Tiamat.

This decision was not made on impulse, but after much careful consideration.

She didn’t believe Cecilia had long since sensed her secret mission... The other seemed to have a similar background, so perhaps she had indeed noticed. Moreover, that was a living example right in front of her, showing her the choice one should make.

Another reason was that Her Majesty Tiamat had completely misjudged the charms of Tassera and Cecilia. They were opponents equally matched to herself, thus there was no way she could complete the mission, and Her Majesty Tiamat hated failures.

Finally, the most crucial reason was Leon’s captivating charm, powerful strength, and generous personality, which made it impossible for her to extricate herself.

"What is so important that you must tell him?" Cecilia sat down again, blinking her cunning eyes, "Do I have the chance to hear it?"

Laksha looked at Cecilia warily, just as Leon had initially been cautious of the Green Dragon; she similarly didn’t trust the Green Dragon. Who could blame the Green Dragons for being liars and masters of enigmatic speeches?

"What’s so important that the queen and prime minister like me can’t know?" Cecilia waved her hand indifferently, "Go on, Leon should be forging a sword in the Forging Workshop now... That man, either he does nothing at all, or once he starts, he’ll work tirelessly to complete it before taking a good rest."

Laksha suddenly froze in place, struggling in her heart, worried about abandoning the Green Dragon just like that, fearing the Green Dragon might take revenge later, as Green Dragons were always petty.

"Shall I take a guess at what you’re up to?" Cecilia looked at Laksha’s tense demeanor with interest, unable to resist toying with the Black Dragon, "You’re such a powerful Black Dragon, ruling an entire swamp and forest with ease, having no reason at all to seek refuge with Leon... Is it possible you came with a mission from Her Majesty?"

"Besides Her Majesty," Cecilia asserted, "who else has the authority to command a powerful Black Dragon?"

"Putting on airs for so long, you knew all along, didn’t you?" Laksha’s pupils narrowed slightly, "So you were indeed probing me just now."

"Even if I deny it, you wouldn’t believe me, so I admit it," Cecilia elegantly raised her hand, "But I swear, what I said was the absolute truth, not a shred of falsehood."

"Did he send you to test me?" Laksha involuntarily raised her voice.

Cecilia laughed and laughed.

"What are you laughing at?" Laksha frowned and asked.

"The Zhen Dan Kingdom is full of chaotic powers; Leon doesn’t care whose mission you came with—as long as you’re willing to work for him." Cecilia tilted her head slightly, "You work for him, he pays you, and if you don’t want to do it, you can leave at any time; it’s that simple."

"Of course," Cecilia paused, "if you dare to run off with the Undead Black Scripture, that’s another matter entirely—that’s illegal appropriation."

Laksha bit her lip.

"What are you thinking?" Cecilia’s voice carried a hint of mockery, "He never considered you one of his own, doesn’t care about your loyalty."

"As long as I confess Her Majesty’s mission, I can gain his trust," Laksha said through gritted teeth, "just like you did back then."

"Naïve, foolish indeed." Cecilia unreservedly, "I thought, at least a Black Dragon should have some brains, seems I overestimated."

"Who are you calling naïve and foolish?" Laksha glared angrily.

"Isn’t it obvious?" Cecilia calmly retorted, "Our situations are completely different— I followed Leon first, then met Her Majesty, but all along I stood firm with Leon. Even so, it took countless years to really gain his trust."

"And you? You accepted Her Majesty’s mission first, and now you want to betray Her and turn to Leon." Cecilia’s tone suddenly turned sharp, "If you can betray Her Majesty today, you can betray Leon tomorrow."

Laksha was momentarily at a loss for words, while Cecilia’s mockery continued.

"Not surprising for a chaotic and evil Black Dragon, betrayal is as simple as eating and drinking when the interests are enough, without even blinking." Cecilia sneered, "Betray Her Majesty upon meeting Leon, will you also unhesitatingly betray Leon when a better option arises?"

"You can stay, because Leon doesn’t mind, because your talent is unique, he may even entrust you with important tasks." Cecilia suddenly said sternly, "But you’ll never truly be one of his own... you will never, ever truly belong to any side."

"You claim to loathe those insidious, vicious Black Dragons, vowing never to become like them..." Cecilia shook her head gently, "But in reality, you’re no different from them."

"Poor and pathetic fool." Cecilia concluded, "Now, you’ve lost Her Majesty’s trust and will never gain Leon’s trust either."

Laksha clenched her fists and said, "You said all this... just to mock me? I admit you’ve succeeded."

Cecilia lowered her head, brushing aside her bangs, and spoke calmly, "If you can provide me something satisfactory... perhaps, I can show you a clear path."

Laksha was silent for a moment; money was out of the question. She coldly said, "Consider me owing you a favor."

"A Black Dragon’s favor..." Cecilia repeated playfully and then lazily waved her hand, "Well, I’m in a good mood today, so giving you a tip wouldn’t be a bad idea."

Cecilia licked her lips.

"You’ve already betrayed Her Majesty, and you’ll never regain Her trust... But at least, you haven’t truly betrayed Leon yet." Cecilia’s fingers gently tapped the table, "So, you still have a chance to win his trust, but it’s not an easy path."

"You must give everything to Leon without reservation. No hesitation and definitely no wavering," Cecilia said, "A single betrayal can be explained as coming to the light, but if it happens again... haha, then that’s a traitor serving three masters."

Laksha’s breath hitched slightly.

"If he asks you to work, you’ll give your all, if he asks you to bite someone—" Cecilia’s lips curled into a smile, "even our Her Majesty, you’d need to pounce and bite without hesitation."

"Only when you truly abandon everything for him, will even his stone-cold heart feel your sincerity." Cecilia nodded firmly.

Laksha’s fingertips dug deeply into her palm.

"I’ve shown you the path." Cecilia stood up, dusting off her clothes, "If you still hesitate... then continue being a rat, a worm in the gutter."

She headed for the door, and suddenly turned back, regretting as she said, "You had a chance to become his queen, like us... I used to be a frail, skinny Green Dragon, and reaching today’s accomplishments was all thanks to Leon. You have outstanding potential; who knows how great your achievements could be with his help."

Seeing Cecilia about to leave, Laksha called out, "Wait."

Cecilia, with her back to Laksha, silently smiled; she originally intended only to probe the Black Dragon, unexpectedly finding an opportunity to play a game— Leon’s methods, indeed, proved effective. Using verbal discouragement, behavioral denial, psychological pressure for emotional manipulation, and mental control.

"I... will try." Laksha took a deep breath, her voice tense.

"A wise decision." Cecilia turned around.

Laksha seemed like a deflated balloon.

"Speaking of which, I still don’t know what Her Majesty’s mission is?" Cecilia wouldn’t let Laksha go, she had to defeat her in one blow.

"She, She wants me to use my charm to bewitch the Red Dragon, make him lose his mind, and then lay his eggs," Laksha said hesitantly.

Cecilia raised an eyebrow and said, "What a pity, Leon doesn’t want children for the time being."

She gently caressed her own stomach, continuing, "Otherwise, there would be a bunch of little dragons by now."

"Whether he agrees or not." Laksha whispered, "Her Majesty has a way."

"Sit," Cecilia couldn’t be bothered with those chaotic matters and beckoned to Laksha, "Tell me in detail."