Dragons in general are inherently proud creatures.
However, despite their inherent nature, they are not entirely unwilling to form pacts with mortals.
This bonding ceremony is known as the Companion Pact.
And unlike the typical companionship pact done by people with magical beasts, forming a pact with a dragon is an entirely different kind of bond altogether.
It usually lasts for 500 years and grants the contract partner a portion of the dragon’s bloodline power while also accelerating the dragon’s own growth rate.
One downside to this however is that during the entirerity of the pact, the dragon’s lifespan is gonna be consumed at double the normal rate.
As a result, most dragons only allowed themselves to enter into these kinds of companion pact during their juvenile or adolescent stages, with the pact ending once they reach adulthood.
Generally speaking, the juvenile and adolescent phases of a dragon’s life is roughly around 150 years.
Yet, if they formed a Companion Pact, then this developmental timeframe can be drastically shortened.
The rate at which their lifespan is reduced entirely depends on the dragon partner’s growth speed and innate talent.And it’s said that growth spurts can sometimes even be accelerated by more than tenfold in certain cases…
Some historical anecdotes stated that some dragons have chosen to form pacts with exceptionally talented humans, and they uphold the pact until their partner’s death.
Humans have relatively short lifespans and unless they achieve the status of a demigod, even a legendary-rank human can only live for a maximum of 300 years.
For dragons, sacrificing an additional hundred, or at most 300 years worth of their lifespan, allows them to condense a millennia’s worth of growth development into a mere century.
Thus, for dragons eager to gain power in a relatively quick manner, forming a companionship pact with someone is a tempting option.
Evé, after consulting the World Tree’s inheritance, quickly understood the real intention behind the Platinum Dragon King’s proposal.
If her guess is correct then, this ancient dragon god, with millions of years of wisdom, actually had a plan far more elaborate than merely showing goodwill or offering assistance to Evé.
What he truly intend is to leverage Eve’s artificially gifted Chosen Ones to help accelerate the growth of those dragon’s whom had successfully experienced a bloodline purification ceremony.
Typically under normal circumstances, dragons have a much slower growth rate.
However, with the resurgence of mana across the realm of Seigües, the natural balance of things would surely be broken, plunging the world into chaos never been seen in a thousand years.
During such turbulent times, one can only rely upon their own strength and without enough power, these blood-purified dragons would find it difficult to protect themselves and would likely easily fall prey to stronger beings who might either enslave or even consume them.
Dragons are known for their hands-off approach to raising their young and once a young dragon learns to fly and hunt, its mother usually drives it out of their nest.
In this regard, Reinhardt, who enjoys raising children, is an anomaly among dragons.
In essence, he intended to use the Chosen Ones to help raise the dragonlings.
Evé was also certain that Reinhardt had recognized the potential of the players.
After all, their avatars were created by Evé based on the primordial elves, so each of them definitely possessed extraordinary genius-like talents.
Moreover, the [War Sacrifice] skill have also allowed players to ascend in power rapidly, which in turn, could provide even greater benefits for their dragon companions.
Quite frankly, the Platinum Dragon King’s proposal was a masterstroke, killing two birds with one stone.
Evé couldn’t help but feel a little bit impressed herself.
Should she accept?
Of course she would!
To make the deal even sweeter, this Ancient Dragon God even promised to not interfere with the beliefs of any young dragon’s she purified!
In other words, Evé could potentially easily sway them into becoming her own believers.
Evé understood why Reinhardt let her do this.
Dragons have never placed much importance on the aspect of faith.
To them, belief is merely something they give little thought to—just enough, since it costs them nothing.
The same applies to Dragon Gods.
Most of them also don’t care much for gaining believers, but rather preferred hoarding glittering treasures instead.
That being said, when a dragon fall under the control of a God, their fates tend to be quite grim.
Well… at least their status is, anyway.
Most captive dragons are treated as either pets, or guard dogs.
However, Reinhardt likely gained the confidence to make his proposal after witnessing her treatment of Meryer and how free-spirited his life is here in the Elven Forest.
With that thought, Evé lifted her head and looked at Platinum Dragon King.
The other party smiled at her, but his expression quickly turned serious and sincere:
“For the continuation of the dragon race, forging this covenant is all worth it.”
The continuation of the dragon race?
Hearing such words, Evé sighed softly within her heart.
After speaking, Reinhardt looked at Evé once more, his gaze clear and bright.
“—And besides, I trust your character, Your Grace, the Goddess of Life.”
Evé: “…”
She raised her head and met Platinum Dragon King’s eyes.
In his amber eyes, there was nothing but sincerity and kindness.
After a moment of silence, Evé slightly smiled.
“Well then… I wish us a successful cooperation.”
Seeing that she finally agreed, Reinhardt’s smile grew even brighter.
With their discussions finally complete, the two gods quickly formalized their covenant.
Reinhardt returned his fragments to Evé, and the latter agreed to his terms.
However, Evé also made it clear that she wouldn’t guarantee that none of the young dragons chosen by the players would die prematurely.
Platinum Dragon King also expressed his understanding of this:
“Of course, for every dragon, growth comes with risk, especially for those who wish to become truly powerful.”
His tone was full of pride.
Dragons have always been a proud race, revering strength and advocating greatness. So they themselves know how growth often comes with a price.
After formalizing their covenant, the Platinum Dragon King immediately chose to leave.
However before departing, he smiled at Evé once more and solemnly reminded her:
“Lady Evé, Your Grace…”
“Now that you’ve ascended into godhood, and your name have spread across the continent, it won’t be long before the gods send emissaries to invite you to leave your mark upon the Pantheon.”
“For us gods, the Pantheon is indeed an excellent platform for uniting various divine factions and almost all deities have a designated seat there, myself included.”
“However, due to certain reasons, the heavenly gods whom currently preside over the Pantheon are deeply wary of your chosen race, the elvenkind, and the source of your divinity…”
“So, I hope you’ll be mentally prepared for any challenges that might target you soon in the near future.”
Hearing Reinhardt’s warning, Eve’s expression turned serious.
She bowed slightly to Reinhardt and replied:
“I see, thank you for the reminder.”
Reinhardt nodded gently.
“In that case, a half month from now, I will send an emissary from the dragon race to deliver the first batch of dragons to be blood-purified.”
With those words, he gave a small bow of his own.
Then, Platinum Dragon King Reinhardt transformed into a beam of silver light, took flight before disappearing from Eve’s sight.
She, on the other hand, put away the newly scepter fragments that she had gained, which are still glowing faintly.
Then her form gradually faded until she melded into the land around her.
At the edge of the Elven Forest.
A beam silver light shimmered, revealing a tall figure.
Silver hair and mercury-colored eyes.
It was Platinum Dragon King, Reinhardt, now in his humanoid form.
He turned his head around and cast a deep glance back at the Elven Forest behind him, before softly sighing:
“The gears of history have started to turn once again. Now every mythical being must make their choice…”
“To be destroyed in the upcoming turmoil, or to be reborn anew from the coming destruction—there is only one outcome…”
“I’ve done all that I can.”
With another deep sigh, his body shimmered with silvery light once more before vanishing completely.
— 422 —
【 THE CHOICE 】
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