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Agonizing screams echoed through the stillness of the night. They sounded akin to the squealings of pigs about to be butchered at a market at dawn. Passersby instinctively clutched their clothes, seeking solace amidst the bone-chilling noises.

The miserable screams belonged to none other than Lacey, who was rolling on the ground. The torment etched on his face resembled that of someone being fried or roasted alive.

He was wearing the magnificent dress created by Cornelia. Its vibrant colors were almost too overwhelming, as if it could spontaneously combust at any given moment.

“What a stunning dress! The color, the material, the exquisite details—I doubt another one like it exists in this world. It’s truly a work of art,” Lilith exclaimed, rubbing her chin in awe. The discovery of Cornelia’s artistic talent came as a surprise for her, and she realized she must nurture it further. Perhaps Cornelia could even help improve the fashion sense of the dragon race.

“Work of art, my a̲s̲s̲! If melting gold into liquid is considered art, then people might as well just turn a mint into an art gallery!” Lacey cursed angrily. His physical pain had caused him to completely forget that his life was in the hands of someone else. All he could think about was releasing his pent-up frustration by cursing the entire family of these two little devils in front of him.

“No, no, no. You’re missing the point.” Lilith wiggled her index finger playfully, her mood suddenly improving. She was not even bothered by Lacey’s vulgarity.

Instead, she patiently explained to him, “Art comes from life and goes beyond it. Perhaps Cornelia was trying to elevate a pile of boring-looking gold by melting it into a liquid and turning it into this unique dress. Lacey, don’t you feel honored to be the first to wear it?”

“Honored? I think I’m about to melt right now!” Lacey’s face contorted sinisterly as he spat at Lilith, but his saliva almost instantly evaporated in the air. The corner of Lacey’s mouth twitched in disbelief, while the smile on Lilith’s face grew even wider.

“You’re quite a tough one. I wonder how long you can hold out.”

“You think I’ll give in just like that, Little Devil? Haha, you’d better not underestimate me too much. Although the pain of this torture is excruciating, I can still endure it! Besides, this body of mine is pretty flammable, so this heat is more than enough to set me ablaze! Just wait and see. Even if I die, you won’t be able to get a single bit of information from me!”

As soon as Lacey finished speaking, his body predictably burst into flames, casting an eerie glow on his face and making it seem even more sinister.

“Gwahaha, someone will avenge me. Until then, I will be waiting for you in hell, Lit-…”

SMACK.

Before Lacey could finish his sentence, a chubby hand suddenly smacked him on the back of his head.

“Don’t be sad, dolly. Here… Pain, pain, go away!”

“-tle Devil… What are you doing?” Lacey stared at Cornelia in disbelief as she touched his head despite the burning heat. At that moment, a bad feeling immediately welled up in his heart.

Given the cruel nature of these little devils, there must be a reason behind their every action. I must remain vigilant.

To Lacey’s surprise, Cornelia merely continued to touch his head while singing a silly nursery rhyme.

Lacey anxiously waited, bracing himself for more pain to come, but nothing happened. This left Lacey feeling puzzled.

Could it be that he was overthinking things? Perhaps this Mini Devil wasn’t as evil as he initially thought. Maybe she was simply manipulated by that Little Devil? Otherwise, something would have already happe-…

Gasp…

Lacey’s little heart sent a sudden chill up to his head. Although his entire body was being licked by the tongue of fire, the sensation still made Lacey shudder.

Nothing happening was the biggest abnormality!

Although his body was bestowed upon him by his master, it was extremely fragile and only slightly stronger than a real doll. If exposed to fire, it would typically be consumed within a minute.

However… He had been burning for a few minutes. Why wasn’t anything happening to him at all?

Lilith crouched down in front of Lacey with an extremely dazzling smile on her face.

“What was that again? Where were you going to wait for me?”
“Y-You… What have you all done?”
“Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t do anything,” Lilith said innocently as she put her hands in the air.

However, Lacey was truly wishing for too much if he wanted to die in the presence of a real deity like Cornelia.

“How do you feel, my dear Lacey? I imagine the sensation of being burned is quite unpleasant. While you may be able to endure it temporarily, can you withstand it indefinitely?”

Lilith patted Lacey’s tiny shoulder, and spoke with the wisdom of an elder, “Look, even my dragon scales turn black when scorched by fire. How can a delicate doll like you withstand it? Listen. If you tell me everything, I promise to not only extinguish the fire right away but also find you a new body made of flesh and blood. It’ll undoubtedly be far superior to your current form. Why sacrifice yourself for loyalty that holds little value? It’s simply not worth it.”

“Bah! Don’t even try to sway my loyalty to my master!”

“What good is loyalty? Can it be eaten? Can it save you from the flames?” Lilith continued, “If you’re willing to share some little insider information with me, I’ll release you from this agony right away. I’ll also promise to keep you safe. I won’t let your master harm you, if he even thinks of coming here to eliminate you! How does that sound? Now that you have nothing to worry about, will you reconsider your decision?”

“Ignorant child! You don’t even have any idea what you’re up against!”

The prolonged and excruciating pain had contorted Lacey’s facial expression. The searing flames coursing through his body had the potential to break someone’s mind within minutes, yet Lacey remained determined.

Lilith’s face darkened. “You’re really not going to talk?”

“Heh… Never.” Lacey forced a mocking smile. “Does that piss you off?”

“I thought you were someone who feared death, but it seems like I was mistaken.”

Lilith grabbed Lacey’s head and pulled him up. A tongue of flame licked her hand, instantly turning her delicate skin into the color of charcoal. As soon as the blackened layer of skin fell off, a fresh layer of skin appeared underneath it, resembling that of a newborn baby.

“Aren’t you terrified of being trapped in this inferno for all eternity?”

Lacey shivered slightly. “No, I’m not.”

“But I can live a very long life.”

“…Still not afraid.”

“The temperature of flames can vary, but the melting point of gold is a mere thousand degrees.”

“…Not… afraid…”

Lilith fell silent and stared at Lacey for a moment.

“Oh, I guess I’ll forget about it since you’re so adamant.” She suddenly smiled strangely as she put Lacey down. It was almost as if the angry look on her face just now was nothing more than a figment of Lacey’s imagination.

“I guess I have no choice but to rely on myself. Now that I think about it, trusting an enemy is not a reliable option in the first place.”

“Huh?” Lacey was momentarily confused, wondering if this blonde little devil would simply let him go so easily.

“Come here, Cornelia.” Lilith beckoned to Cornelia.
“From now on, this doll is yours. You can do whatever you want with it.”
“Eeyah?” Cornelia’s eyes widened with excitement.
“Not only that, I’m also giving you a big gift.”
“Eeyah!” Cornelia waved her hands in an adorable manner, growing even more excited.

“Give me a minute, let me look for it.” Lilith immersed her mind into her storage ring. After spending a long time rummaging through it, she finally found what she had been seeking tucked away in a corner.

“Found it. Here you go.”

It was a massive black book, with a thickness of at least ten fingers.

“Any idea what this is?” Lilith asked Cornelia as she dusted the book’s cover.

Cornelia shook her head.

“It’s the world’s greatest masterpiece titled ‘The Complete Book of Glittering Gems’, a personal collection meticulously compiled by your grandmother, my mother!”

“(⊙o⊙) Wow!” Cornelia expressed her amazement even though she was not sure what it was.

“Let me tell you a secret.” Lilith discreetly glanced at Lacey and then whispered to Cornelia in a rather audible voice, “Our race has a fondness for collecting shiny things, so to distinguish between different gemstones, my mother categorized them based on the ones our race has collected over the past nine million years. All of them have been recorded in this book.”

Lilith weighed the book in her hand, noting that it was almost as heavy as Cornelia.

“Not only that, all the gems recorded in this book are of exceptional value and scarcity. Ordinary objects have no place in it.”

Lilith swiftly produced a few breathtakingly beautiful gems and waved them in front of Cornelia. Little Cornelia was mesmerized, her eyes sparkled like stars in the sky.

“Look at these, aren’t they gorgeous?”

“Yes!” Cornelia nodded vigorously.

The smile on Lilith’s face grew.

“What if these precious gems are turned into clothes for your beloved dol-…?”

“Must be… very… pretty!”

Before Lilith could finish her question, Cornelia had eagerly answered it.

Cornelia’s imagination quickly took over, envisioning how delighted her doll would be to wear clothes made of gemstones that were far more precious and beautiful than gold! There were so many different types of gemstones in this book. She could make a new set of clothes for her doll every day!

Cornelia giggled with anticipation.

“Oh my, I just remembered…” Lilith held her forehead with a troubled expression. “Some of these gemstones are incredibly difficult to melt, with individual melting points reaching a few… million degrees~ Even the fiery breath of adult dragons wouldn’t be able to melt them. Would you be able to do it, Cornelia?”

“Yes!” Cornelia nodded her head vigorously. She pointed at the gemstones floating in Lilith’s hand, melted them and skillfully transformed them into shapes of cute little fairies.

Lilith smiled and stroked Cornelia’s head. She then pointed to the liquified gemstones floating in the air.

“Look, Little Cornelia. The true beauty of these gemstones lies in their liquid form. Make sure you keep them in this state when you’re making them into clothes.”

“Uh-huh!” Cornelia clenched her hands into fists as she nodded, impressed by her mommy’s wisdom.

“Good girl.”

Lilith turned her head to Lacey again, silently mouthing the words, “You didn’t think I was just playing around, did you?”

At that moment, whether it was Lacey, who was consumed by the fire, or the others observing from the sidelines, they all inexplicably felt an eerie chill in the room.