Bai Shi rode Torrent, galloping across the vast expanse of Liurnia of the Lakes. At that moment, he was busy peeling prawns on Torrent's back. After bidding farewell to Sorceress Sellen, he had used a teleportation spell to arrive directly in Liurnia. However, since he hadn't activated a Site of Grace there yet, the nearest one was still Prawn Bro's shack. His sudden appearance had given Prawn Bro, who had not yet left for Stormveil, quite a start. The man then enthusiastically stuffed a massive pile of freshly boiled prawns and crabs into Bai Shi's hands. It was hard to refuse such hospitality, so Bai Shi had no choice but to take the better part of a pot of seafood with him. Since he had a bit of a ride ahead, he figured he might as well eat on the way. Along the way, aside from the occasional giant lobster spitting water at them, there were no other obstacles. Soon, Bai Shi and Torrent had traveled northeast, arriving at the Site of Grace in the church district. This was the closest Site of Grace to the lair of the Glintstone Dragon, Smarag. Looking due north from the Site of Grace, a large swarm of blue Teardrop Scarabs floated in the air, their claws clutching the blue cerulean tears they had collected. Bai Shi watched the blue scarabs dance across the sky before him, finding the sight rather novel. He wondered why they had gathered here—was this their home, or were they simply here to collect tears? For now, Bai Shi had no intention of slaying Smarag. Thus, instead of walking directly toward Smarag's lair, he took a wide detour, planning to approach from the rocky nest behind the dragon. If he went straight from the front, even with the Unseen Form sorcery active, the ripples in the water would betray his and Torrent's position. Besides, killing Smarag right now would just be a waste of resources; its flesh and other materials couldn't be carried away easily. Transporting them would require a considerable amount of manpower. In any case, the Glintstone Dragon's lair wasn't going anywhere. There was no rush to kill it. Bai Shi cast Unseen Form and used a dagger with a skill that silenced his footsteps, which he had picked up from a Cuckoo Knight, to conceal his approach. With the aid of these two abilities, Bai Shi easily ascended the rocks behind the dragon. The lair was littered with dense collections of bones and broken glintstone crowns. These were the remains of the sorcerers who had been devoured by Smarag. Bai Shi leaped down gently from the edge of the lair, landing without a sound. Inside the nest, he found several intact corpses of sorcerers. These bodies had not yet been eaten but were instead piled together, likely intended as ration reserves. Content orıginally comes from 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩⁂𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢⁂𝔫𝔢𝔱 Strangely, despite the high humidity of Liurnia of the Lakes, the corpses showed no signs of decay, which was quite abnormal. Bai Shi began searching the bodies of the uneaten sorcerers. Soon, he found a beautifully crafted Academy Glintstone Key on one of the bodies, a sorcerer wearing a Karolos Glintstone Crown. Bai Shi tucked the key away and turned to leave, only to come face-to-face with Smarag's enormous eye. It seemed the dragon had already noticed him. Bai Shi instantly prepared to attack. Though the dragon meat would be wasted, getting a Dragon Heart would be an acceptable trade-off. But to Bai Shi's surprise, Smarag's backward glance seemed to have been a casual one. Its gaze drifted about, as if searching for something aimlessly. Then, as if nothing had happened, it lay its head back down. Bai Shi raised an eyebrow. It seemed the dragon had just sensed something and took a look. Since he hadn't been discovered, he might as well leave. He had what he came for. Long after Bai Shi had departed, Smarag, who had been lying with its eyes closed, finally opened them. It let out a long breath, ruffling the calm surface of the lake before it. As a Glintstone Dragon that had devoured countless sorcerers and lived in symbiosis with glintstone, its perception of magic was exceptionally keen. The moment Bai Shi, cloaked in magic, had entered its lair, it had sensed the magical energy enveloping him. To Smarag's senses, the magically concealed Bai Shi was like a glaringly bright light bulb—incredibly conspicuous. Without that layer of magic, Bai Shi might have been harder to detect. At first, Smarag had thought it was just some sorcerer who didn't know his place, coming to offer himself as a meal. But upon closer inspection, it discovered that the individual carried an ancient dragon's aura so dense it was terrifying even to a dragon. This made it glad it hadn't acted hastily. It couldn't even imagine what that human had done with ancient dragons to carry such a potent aura. Ultimately, Smarag detected the mark of an ancient dragon's pact on the man. Though it considered itself among the elite of lesser dragons, even so, it dared not challenge the ancient dragons. Ancient dragons weaker than a top-tier lesser dragon were exceedingly rare. What's more, the ancient dragon's aura it had just sensed seemed to belong to a particularly powerful one. And sensing further, it realized the human's own power seemed to surpass even that of an ancient dragon. Thankfully, it had reacted quickly, lying down and feigning sleep to avert disaster. Now, Smarag was considering whether it should move house. It was a good time for it, too. The nearby sorcerers hadn't seemed to come out for a long time... After leaving, Bai Shi thought back to the massive glintstone horn on Smarag's head. Seeing that giant horn suddenly made him want to forge a new Dragonslayer Swordspear. The swordspear was a weapon Bai Shi was quite comfortable with, but his previous one was broken beyond repair. This time, however, he had no intention of using that Glintstone Dragon's horn. Bai Shi planned to wait until he could travel to that mysterious cave in the Consecrated Snowfield and make use of the corpse of that colossal dragon that had been dead for ages. If he used that dragon's horn to make a swordspear, the result would surely be magnificent. The sheer size of that horn might even allow him to create a weapon large enough for aerial combat while riding Selinsax. Right, and there were also the dragon scales and hide. He wasn't sure if the hide was still usable, seeing as it had been pierced by glintstone, but the scales should be fine. He wondered what other usable materials might be left on its body. Bai Shi teleported back to Sorceress Sellen's cellar and handed her the Academy Glintstone Key. "Master, I've got the key." Sellen looked at the key in her hand with surprise. "It's only been half a day, and you've already brought it back." She recalled how long she had searched for it without success... But with its exact location known, retrieving it was merely a matter of time. Sellen handed the key back to Bai Shi and stood up from behind her desk. Then, she raised her hands and slowly began to untie her sorcerer's robe. Bai Shi's mind was profoundly shaken. He swallowed hard, quickly shut his eyes, and turned his head away. The sound of clothing being unfastened and falling to the floor piece by piece followed. "Master! What are you doing?" Sellen let out a light chuckle. "In a moment, things might get a little... bloody." "I'd rather not get these clothes dirty." "...Alright, you can turn back now. I have clothes on underneath." "My, my. For a Shardbearer who rules a domain, you're still so endearingly unworldly~" Though Sellen had always been immersed in her magical research and had never experienced romance, she had thoroughly studied countless sorcerers, men and women alike, inside and out, in her quest for the Primeval Current. A scene was nothing to her. Bai Shi cautiously opened his eyes. He realized Sellen had only removed her upper robe; she was still wearing a thick, dark-blue skirt, as well as a thin, form-fitting white chemise. However, the chemise did little to hide his master's figure, and things like undergarments were rare in the Lands Between... Bai Shi didn't dare look for long, afraid of seeing something he shouldn't, and quickly shifted his gaze to Sellen's face. Sellen had now removed the Witch's Glintstone Crown she always wore. Her features were delicate and beautiful, exuding an intelligent, sharp confidence. But the black braid that fell down her back gave her an air of gentleness. Seeing his master's face for the first time, Bai Shi couldn't help but ask: "Master, is this your original appearance?" Sellen casually picked up a piece of glintstone from the desk, using it as a makeshift mirror. "No. After all, I've changed bodies many times." "But this face is quite similar to my first body's, it's true." "Let this be a lesson for you. The soul and the body influence one another." "After my soul entered this body, the body began to change on its own, conforming to the appearance my soul was meant to have." "Of course, if a soul is placed into the body of a different species, the results can be... truly terrifying." With that, Sellen picked up a sharp little knife made from a deep blue glintstone. Sellen caressed the sharp blade, a look of reminiscence on her face. This blade was called a Primal Glintstone Blade. Sorcerers of old would use it to cut open their own hearts, embracing death to give birth to a Primal Glintstone that would house their soul. This was the lost secret she had ultimately recovered after coming to understand her own fragility. It was through this very process that Sellen had once transformed into the nearly indestructible witch she was today. Sellen plunged the sharp dagger into the center of her chest, then drew it forcefully downward. The Primal Glintstone Blade instantly tore a gaping hole through her clothes and chest. Enduring the pain, Sellen turned to face Bai Shi. Sellen opened her arms toward Bai Shi as if asking for an embrace, letting the blood-stained Primal Glintstone Blade fall to the floor. "Come, my apprentice. Take out my Primal Glintstone." Bai Shi swallowed hard and extended his right hand, but he found himself unable to act. It wasn't that the scene frightened him or anything of the sort. It was just that the wound was located right between Master Sellen's breasts, and he felt too embarrassed to reach in. Seeing Bai Shi's shyness, the smile on Sellen's face grew brighter. She took the initiative, grabbing Bai Shi's right hand and guiding it toward her chest. As the sticky blood flowed over his hand, Bai Shi's fingertips touched the Primal Glintstone inside Sellen's chest. Bai Shi grasped the Primal Glintstone and pulled it out forcefully. Immediately, his master's body lost all signs of life and collapsed. With swift reflexes, Bai Shi caught her body with his other arm. From the Primal Glintstone, Bai Shi could sense Master Sellen's soul conveying a message to him: "Alright, apprentice. Put the clothes on the floor onto that body." "Then, take the body with you to the Academy of Raya Lucaria." "Once you're there, you can place this Primal Glintstone back inside." Bai Shi glanced at the Primal Glintstone in his hand, which now housed his master's soul. It was an irregular glintstone crystal, covered in jutting edges. But half of it had already transformed into a living substance, vaguely resembling an embryo, with vein-like structures spreading across its surface. Sellen sensed Bai Shi's curiosity about the Primal Glintstone. "Does this frighten you, my apprentice?" "...You know, when the stars began to move, my fate began to turn as well." "If you wish to kill Sorceress Sellen, now would be the perfect opportunity." Bai Shi shook his head. "I don't find this frightening at all." "An unfulfilled wish... the regret must be immense." "As for killing you?" "When you allowed me to take your Primal Glintstone, you already knew I would do no such thing." "You are my most beloved master. Why would I ever do that?" From the Primal Glintstone, Bai Shi could feel Sellen's delight. And within that emotion, there seemed to be a deeper layer of solace. "My beloved apprentice..."