CHAPTER 1043: CHAPTER 160 - THE DWARF KINGDOM (3)

"Oh?" Agneis smirked, her lips curling with that sharp, almost playful edge she always carried. It was the kind of smirk that made you wonder if she’d just stumbled onto the best entertainment she’d had in decades. Her eyes narrowed slightly, gleaming with amusement—as if something I said had struck a string in her mind more than any explanation about smartphones or anything else I’d brought up earlier. She leaned in just a bit, her posture relaxed but her curiosity obviously piqued.

"It’s certainly quite intriguing that someone like you is talking to me in a way that’s almost infuriating," she said, her voice dripping with a mix of annoyance and interest. "But don’t misunderstand—I don’t dislike it. Now then, what terms do you want to set for this? Information isn’t cheap. If you want my cooperation, then I expect a real cost. But let me be clear with you. I won’t agree if the price involves my body."

There was a tiny flash in her eyes when she said that—like she was waiting to see if I’d be the type of guy who’d take that route.

"Well, as much as I wouldn’t put it past myself to make that kind of offer," I said, shrugging lightly, "that’s not what I’m aiming for." I paused, letting the air settle between us. "What I actually want is cooperation with the reformation of all the Kingdoms—uniting them as one."

She stared at me for a long second, and then let out a soft laugh, almost like she thought I was joking.

"You’re making bold terms," she said. "Honestly, asking for my body might’ve been the simpler choice between the two." She flicked her hair back over her shoulder, eyes narrowing in a sharper, colder edge. "You’re asking for the impossible. Our kind doesn’t tolerate outsiders interfering with our affairs. You should have just asked for my body—ridiculous, yes, but still more likely than what you’re suggesting. Unification is absolutely out of the question."

Well... strike one.

"Even at the cost of every piece of knowledge you don’t yet have?" I asked, pushing just a bit more.

"My knowledge is already vast," she said without hesitation. "With what I know, I can understand things without stumbling or second-guessing myself. I don’t think what you’re offering is necessary. Extra knowledge is something I pursue for fun—something to pass time. But my knowledge is already immense. I don’t have a real need to expand it any further."

Yeah, that was fair. Someone who already felt like she had the world by the throat wouldn’t be hungry for more. And risking her kingdom? No way she’d do that.

"Well then, if that’s all you wanted to offer, please leave," she said. Her eyes shifted away, dismissive. "I have no use for your time any longer."

I let out a small smirk. Of course it wasn’t going to be easy. Nothing worthwhile ever was. Fine, then—time to drop something bigger.

"I came from another world," I said casually.

"...Huh?"

She froze. Literally froze. Her expression went blank for half a heartbeat, and then it cracked open into pure shock. It was the first time I’d seen her look like that—eyes wide, pupils dilated, like the world had just rearranged itself in front of her.

"Another world?" she repeated. "You?" She leaned forward, disbelief and fascination mixing on her face. "How can you prove that? What evidence do you have?"

A natural question. When someone drops something impossible at your feet, the first instinct is to doubt it, tear it apart, and also look for the seams. Without proof, it’s nothing but bullshit from someone trying to sound impressive.

But I wasn’t lying.

And the funny thing? Agneis could feel that. That was why she didn’t immediately dismiss me as a fraud. She simply demanded something solid enough to back my claim.

"I don’t have any proof," I said honestly. "I mean, I got reincarnated into this world. I wasn’t exactly transported here. Everything I introduced—from the smartphone to the helicopter—those things came from my old world. But I’m guessing that’s not enough for you, right?"

"It’s possible you’re just saying all that to worm your way into my trust," she replied. "So no, that isn’t enough. I want real proof—solid proof. Otherwise, I can’t accept your claim."

And just like that, I had her full attention.

If I told her the truth, the real underlying truth, she’d be pulled in even deeper.

"Lilith," I said.

Her reaction was immediate—her eyes widened again, but this time there was no shock, only recognition.

"I see..." she murmured, and then the corner of her lips pulled into a slow, knowing smile.

The name alone was enough. Lilith—an omniscient being, one of the Great Dragons, a presence that had existed in this world for thousands of years. If anyone could drag a soul from another world and drop it into a new body in this one, it would be her. And that was exactly what had happened to me.

Agneis instantly understood the implication.

"Certainly, if it is Lilith, she could do something like that," she said, her voice carrying a new layer of intrigue. She looked at me again, studying me more carefully, her gaze tracing over me like she was trying to sense something deeper. "I am intrigued. But I still doubt you truly have any connection to Lilith."

"Really? I think you already knew the moment you laid eyes on me," I said, meeting her gaze without flinching.

"Certainly... I do feel traces of Lilith’s presence within you," she admitted. "Very well. Then I’ll say this—you’ve passed. You have my attention again."

Her tone shifted—still regal, still confident, but now edged with interest, curiosity, and maybe even a hint of excitement.

She believed me now.

"Now then," she said slowly, "what is it you’re planning to tell me, now that I believe you came from another world?"

"Everything," I told her.

***

After a while of talking with her—our conversation drifting smoothly, her tone warm and steady—Agneis suddenly shifted gears and asked something unexpected, something softer.

"By the way, what is your name?"