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The burly man pushed open the door, immediately causing a few people to glance in his direction. Only a few continued with their tasks, not even bothering to lift their heads. It seemed as though they did not hold any respect for the guardian of the Holy Dragon Empire, a figure whose existence may surpass even that of the emperor’s prestige.

The burly man remained unfazed. He chuckled dryly and made his way to the closest available seat. As he plopped himself down in the seat, he casually propped his feet up on the table, still wearing his flip-flops.

“Let’s get straight to the point. Why did you call me here today? If you have something to say, then say it. If you don’t, then… hehe…” The burly man smiled lewdly and continued, “I have some other very personal matters to attend to.”

“Personal matters?” The blue-haired woman, who had been playing with her slender pink tongue like it was a string, quickly withdrew it into her mouth. She sneered and playfully teased, “Are you talking about your baby-making project, Lord Taylor?”

“Please, don’t call me that.” Taylor, the Aurora Dragon, then stroked his chin and chuckled. “I must admit that I love how you refer to it as a baby-making project.”

The blue-haired woman’s gaze grew frosty at his words. She smacked the table and spoke in a chilling tone, “Taylor, how brazen of you!”

Taylor narrowed his eyes in response to the blue-haired woman’s angry shout.

Is this… hostility?

With a grin, he placed his feet on the ground, straightened up in his seat, and picked up the tea cup in front of him, giving it a gentle shake. The atmosphere turned chilly when the blue-haired woman glared at him, causing the tea in his cup to freeze. With a slight shake, the liquid returned to its original state, swiftly regaining its warmth.

Taylor emptied the contents of the cup, smacked his lips, and remarked, “Brazen? I don’t quite feel that way. On the contrary… Ice Dragon Fenice, it has been a millennium since our last encounter, and yet you’re already displaying such an attitude. What exactly are you hoping to achieve?”

“Nothing in particular. I simply find you displeasing to look at.” Fenice sneered.

Taylor raised an eyebrow. “It has been a thousand years since I last saw you. I can’t help but wonder how I might have angered you.”

“Hmph, during the princess’ birthday banquet a few years ago, such a significant event where almost all the dragons were present, you were noticeably absent. Are you disrespecting Her Highness by not attending?”

Fenice emitted a subtle aura of hostility. “As one of Her Highness’ former teachers, I believe it is my duty to punish you on behalf of the princess!”

“Her Highness’ birthday banquet?” Taylor echoed in surprise. “You should have known that I wasn’t able to leave the Holy Dragon Empire due to my contractual obligations. Otherwise, I would not have missed such a significant event. You are aware that I love loli… I mean Her Highness the most.”

“I don’t care what reason you have, I simply find you displeasing to look at.”

“Heh.” Taylor chuckled as he toyed with his now empty teacup. “So, you’re here to pick a fight?”

“You could interpret it that way.”

CRACK.

The teacup was crushed by Taylor, instantly transforming into a handful of powder that slipped through his fingers like fine sand in an hourglass.

Their gazes collided with terrifying intensity, resembling the clash of heavenly thunder and earth fire. It almost seemed like there was a small black hole forming between them, as deep as the abyss, capable of consuming the hearts and souls of those who dared to look, plunging them into a realm of darkness and despair.

What was even more frightening was that if the two really fought, the entire Jeorgetown City would probably be destroyed and countless innocent lives would be reduced to ashes in the flames.

Despite the potential irreversible consequences, neither of them backed down. Instead, the tit for tat escalated, causing the atmosphere in the Inhuman Restaurant to intensify, as if a storm was on the horizon.

The only person capable of preventing this catastrophe was the red-haired man in a black hood seated nearby. Unfortunately, he appeared oblivious to the impending conflict between the two, which could potentially inflict unimaginable suffering upon countless beings. Rather, he was wearing a dazed smile, reminiscent of a smitten fool, as he fed a girl –who looked roughly Lilith’s age– the signature soup of the tavern.

The girl savored the soup in small bites, her cheeks slightly flushed with satisfaction from its taste. Her eyes appeared distant, as if her thoughts had wandered off into the sky. Even so, this only added to her innocent charm, causing the red-haired man’s smile to widen uncontrollably.

The smell of tension intensified in the air, like an active volcano that had remained dormant for countless years, now on the verge of eruption.

Finally, after a prolonged silence, Taylor finally clenched his teeth and said, “One.”

After saying that, Taylor glared at Fenice with a murderous gaze. He was determined not to allow the city he had called home for countless centuries to be destroyed. Otherwise, he would never back down, especially not to a shameless woman who would extort others without any consideration for the bond among their own kind.

“Ten,” Fenice demanded, her mouth slightly curling up at the corner.

“Ten?” Taylor was enraged. “I only have ten in total, you might as well just rob me!”

Fenice chuckled. “I was just thinking the same thing.”

“YOU…!” Taylor was furious, but he had no choice but to suppress it. “Two. Nothing more than that,” he said through his gritted teeth.

“Nine.”

“Three! Only three!”

“Eight.”

“Four! This is my final bottom line, no more compromises!”

“Really? Then I’ll be considerate and back down instead. Seven,” Fenice stated calmly.

“B̲a̲s̲t̲a̲r̲d̲! I’m going to make you regret this!!” Taylor suddenly rose to his feet and angrily slammed the table, causing the expensive wooden surface to shatter into pieces. The red-haired man swiftly retreated several meters, then continued feeding the loli.

Fenice slowly got up from her seat too. “Come at me. I’m certain the Queen will support me in the end.”

“Y-You… You… Damn you!!!” Despite Taylor’s red eyes and heavy panting, he tried his best to maintain his sanity. After pausing briefly to collect his thoughts, he offered glumly, “Five.”

“Deal.” Knowing that she could no longer press for more, Fenice returned to her seat and beamed like a blossoming flower. “Fine, five will do. Consider it a victory for you.”

“Victory, my a̲s̲s̲!” Taylor had a strong desire to tear this woman apart for trying to portray herself as innocent after such a deceitful maneuver.

With a wave of her hand, a long table made of shimmering ice crystals appeared between both of them. Fenice knocked on the surface and smiled. “Hand them over”.

“Tch.” Taylor adjusted his storage ring very reluctantly, his heart aching with pain. In a sudden burst of bright light, the objects that Fenice had longed for and Taylor cherished appeared on the ice table.

They turned out to be ten beautiful humanoid figurines, all unique in their own way and in provocative poses. Despite being made of an unknown material, they were incredibly lifelike. The figurines were barely clothed, almost revealing their assets.

Upon seeing these figurines, Fenice’s eyes lit up, eager to hold and play with them.

“A-Are these… the legendary ones from the other world?”

Taylor grunted coldly. “Don’t ask obvious questions.”

“Haha, come on now, don’t be so angry. Be more generous toward your own kind.”

Taylor swatted away Fenice’s hand as it reached toward the figurines, and growled, “Why didn’t I see you treating me as one of your own just now?”

Fenice, who had already secured the victory regardless, was not upset by his action and smirked. “I suppose it’s my fault for pushing you too hard. Let me tell you some good news as a gesture of compensation.”

Taylor, while sorting the figurines in a specific order and grappling with the difficult decision of which one to let go of, commented without even looking up, “I don’t think anything can be considered good news to me at this moment.”

“That’s not necessarily true,” Fenice said, resting her cheeks in her hands as she carefully observed Taylor. “Her Highness is in this city right now… I’m not sure if that counts as good news to you.”

“What?!” Taylor’s head shot up in shock, completely unaware that the figurine in his hand had slipped from his grasp and landed on the table.