Leave a comment

“A medium…” Lilith pondered for a moment, and then suddenly, as if remembering something, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a black card.

It was the ‘declaration of war’ that she received from an unknown entity.

“Big brother, can you check if this is the medium?”

“This is…” Skarst took the black card from her and examined it closely, his brow furrowing with each passing second.

Seeing his reaction, Lilith grew hopeful and asked, “Did you figure anything out?”

“This is something truly rare. I can’t believe I’ve never come across the material of this card before. And this symbol on it… It appears to be some form of writing, but I have no knowledge or recollection of this kind of script. It’s truly strange, indeed.”

“So… the medium…”

“Unfortunately, as strange as this card is, it is not the medium.” Skarst shook his head, disappointing Lilith with his answer.

“There’s no aura or discernible power, this appears to be an ordinary card. Aside from its unique material and unfamiliar writing, there’s nothing else that could be considered special about it.”

“Could it be that you are ignorant and couldn’t recognize it due to your inexperience?”

“Heh. Do you even understand what you’re saying, little girl?” Skarst replied, giving Diana an amused look. “If I were to call myself ignorant. no one in this world would dare claim themselves as well-informed.”

Diana’s eyes, once filled with a glimmer of hope, were once again robbed of their light.

“Now that I think about it, curses should no longer exist,” Skarst suddenly commented.
“Why is that?”
“They should have already been completely purged from this world.”
“Purged?”
“Yes, about ten thousand years ago. At least, that’s what I recall.”

“Ten thousand years ago?” Lilith gave Skarst a skeptical look, trying to make sure that he was not simply making things up.

Skarst cleared his throat and explained, “Ahem, let me clarify. I came across this information in an ancient book.”

“Oh, I see. Please, go on, big brother.”

“About ten thousand years ago, the Dragon Queen unleashed her wrath upon those who dabbled in curses. It didn’t matter if you were a man or a woman, young or old, or held a high social status—the Dragon Queen spared no one from her merciless slaughter.”

Lilith, taken aback by this revelation, paused for a moment before asking, “Wait, who did you say?”

“The Dragon Queen.” Skarst threw a glance at Lilith. “I understand that you may find the story a little unbelievable since the Dragon Queen is a being beyond your reach, but it was a real event. It was truly a terrifying sight. Although curses were evil practices, there were quite many users at the time. Most of them remained hidden, but that crazy woman personally hunted down each and every single one of them. She would rather kill an innocent person than let any one of them escape her grasp. She also went as far as destroying all relevant books and collections. As a result, the curses became lost in history. Only a select few still possessed knowledge of it.”

“So it was the Dragon Queen who…” Lilith paused for a moment and then slapped herself. “I’m so stupid.”

Skarst was taken aback. “What’s wrong with you?”

“Nothing, I just regret how foolish I’ve been.”

She had been so fixated on bonding with her mother that she had forgotten to ask the important questions. She had assumed that as the queen of the dragon clan she would not care about worldly matters. The idea of consulting her mother had never occurred to her. After all, her mother had always relied on sheer force to resolve issues, so why would she know anything beyond that?

Lilith knew that her mother had always been great at tracking things down, but she did not expect that her mother could be the most knowledgeable person about the curses.

Although Lilith did not understand why her mother erased everything about curses from the world ten thousand years ago, she now realized that things could have been a lot easier if she had asked her about it back then.

“It’s too late for regrets. If we can’t take shortcuts, then we’ll have to face it head-on.” Lilith put the black card away, her eyes filled with renewed determination.

She understood that regret was pointless and that relying too heavily on external forces would hinder her personal growth.

Moreover, she found herself with too many external forces to rely on at the moment. Not many in the world could withstand the power of Cornelia and her mother.

While she was glad to have them around, relying on them would not improve her skills. Such reliance would become a drug that slowly became addictive to her, ultimately destroying her.

Lilith did not want to be destroyed, the blood that coursed through her veins would never allow it either. The dragons were never creatures to be coddled; their scales and claws grew sharper through battle and bloodshed.

With the enemy already setting up the ring and issuing the challenge, Lilith saw no reason not to confront them. It would be a test and a stepping stone for her.

“You’ve made up your mind?” Diana asked when she noticed the determination in Lilith’s eyes. “I’m sure you know that this so-called game is actually a carefully set trap designed solely for you.”

“I’ve made up my mind a long time ago, which is why I’m here. I could’ve returned home and enjoyed my luxurious princess life during the vacation.”

Lilith smiled, revealing her sharp, shiny canines. “Do you really think I’d be intimidated just because it is a trap?”

“I should’ve known better. Not even landmines could deter you.” Diana sighed.

“There’s nothing else we can do for now, is there?” Lilith glanced at Elder White lying on the bed. “Besides, if I don’t go, I have no idea who their next target will be. Of course, I have nothing to fear, but you all…”

Although Lilith did not explicitly state it, Diana understood that she was doing it for their sake.

Diana was momentarily speechless, and a heavy silence filled the room. Lilith’s words were irrefutable—the enemy lurked in the shadows, while they were left with broken clues and an uncertain plan.

After a long pause, Diana looked as though she had made up her mind and finally broke the silence. “Well then, in that case, I’ll go with you.”

“Huh?” Lilith was taken aback. “Where are we going?”
“Where else? To participate in the Great Celestial Rite.”
“The Great Celestial Rite? No, no, that’s not why I came looking for you today.”
“Not for that? What is it then?”

Lilith smiled and sheepishly scratched her head. “I was actually hoping that you could help me with the registration.”

“Registration? Why would you need me to…”

Diana trailed off as she suddenly grasped the situation. She subconsciously swept her gaze over Lilith like a chilling winter breeze.

“You got yourself into trouble again?”

“Of course not.” Lilith averted her gaze awkwardly and denied, “I didn’t get myself into trouble. I was forced into it, and had to do a little something.”

“A little something? Let me guess, is it murder? Arson? Bombing? Jailbreak? Or conspiring with the Demon King to harm the capital?”
“Nothing that crazy,” Lilith muttered, “Well, I did a little jailbreak.”
“You call that little?” Diana’s cheek twitched. “Jailbreaks are no small matters.”
“Teehee~”
“Acting cute won’t help!”

Diana rubbed her forehead in frustration. “Never mind, it is pointless to discuss it at this point. Why do you need my help to register for you? Where is Princess Lesiah?”

“Uh… Actually…”

Lilith scratched her cheek and stammered, “Actually… I’m planning to participate in the Great Celestial Rite alone.”

“Alone?!” Diana suddenly raised her voice, then looked around at Lilith and exclaimed in realization, “Is that why you left those who were with you?”
“It was just an accident, I swear. Haha…”
“Even if it wasn’t an accident, you would still find a way to do that, right?”
“……”
“Forget it. I think I know the reason you’re doing this. You just want to protect them from danger, especially your dear Princess Lesiah.”
“Hehe…”

“But Lilith…” Diana abruptly changed the topic and directed a serious gaze toward Lilith. “I hope you know what you’re supposed to know.”
“What is it?”
“The rules of the Martial God Tournament in the Great Celestial Rite.”
“The rules?” Lilith suddenly had a bad feeling. “Don’t tell me…”

“Exactly. In the previous Martial God Tournament, aside from clearly defining the realm of the participants, there was another requirement… they had to participate in teams of five.” Diana paused briefly, then added, “The vice dean did mention that there were five entry tickets when he gave them to you, didn’t he?”