Chapter 36: The Dragon Arrives

Master Meng once said: dining together as a single man and woman is often a matter worth pondering. Women tend to anticipate the next meal the man will treat them to, while men usually think about dessert after dinner.

"Here, this is snow sturgeon dragon fish, only found in the Ice Rose Lake of the Northern Rose City, and it can only be caught in the summer. Now it's early autumn, so this might be the last one we can taste this year!"

Snow sturgeon dragon fish is extremely difficult to catch, and it's only available in the summer. Each one costs over a hundred thousand gold coins, usually served only at palace banquets. With Li Xie's current financial resources, occasionally eating a few of them is no problem at all, especially since it's a delicacy that can only be enjoyed in the summer.

Li Xie ascended to the top of the tower at noon, choosing this time to have lunch with Duchess Avril. Then they would have another bottle of wine, followed by sweet moments until the night, and finally, a discussion about the true intentions of the Goddess of Life!

Everything was planned by Li Xie! Two months ago, he might have been a naive and innocent boy, but after two months of living among the nobility, he had become accustomed to commanding others and planning to achieve his desires!

The environment can ultimately change a person. Although Li Xie still retains his innocent side, at least until now, with several beautiful maids serving him, he's still a member of the self-love club.

Li Xie picked up a piece of snow sturgeon dragon fish and fed it to Duchess Avril's mouth gently, saying, "Come on, ah... take a bite, it's absolutely delicious."

Duchess Avril frowned slightly. She was originally a vegetarian, and the smell of fish was somewhat unnatural to her. However, seeing the sincere look in Li Xie's eyes, she still opened her mouth and let Li Xie feed her a bite.

The fish melted in her mouth, stimulating the taste buds on her tongue with a taste of freshness and sweetness she had never experienced before. The deliciousness of the fish, which is incomparable to any vegetable, not to mention the top-grade fish—snow sturgeon dragon fish!

Duchess Avril's eyebrows relaxed, revealing a satisfied and enjoyable expression. It is said that when a woman is satisfied with her meal, regardless of what she eats, her expression at that moment is surprisingly consistent, which made Li Xie feel a wave of excitement. He quickly picked up another piece and said, "Here, have another bite. Try this camel hump meat, crispy, fragrant, and sweet."

"Mmm... I've never tasted anything so delicious!"

"Hehe, indeed. The human body needs to eat a variety of things. After all, we are omnivores. If abstaining from certain foods and purifying oneself could make one a deity, then what's the point of becoming a deity? You know, even the Goddess of Life eats meat. If gods eat meat, and humans don't, isn't that ridiculous?"

"Hmm, Your Highness, what is this?" Duchess Avril asked, looking at the dish with interest.

"This is crystal shrimp ball. It's made by wrapping starfish roe with crystal shrimp meat. It looks crystal clear and radiant, and it's delicious in taste and aroma. You should try it," Li Xie said.

Duchess Avril, not inherently repulsed by meat, only followed a vegetarian diet due to her beliefs. After eating several exquisite delicacies in a row, her appetite had been completely piqued. She ate with relish and said, "Your Highness, you should eat too."

"Oh, I'm used to drinking a glass of wine before eating," Li Xie poured himself a glass of Terni wine. "Would you like to try some?"

Duchess Avril smelled the wine and knew what it was. She wanted to shake her head, but suddenly felt curious about it. Thinking of Li Xie's words about following bodily desires, she nodded, "Hmm, I'll try a little."

Master Meng once said: Some things are best left untried, even just a little. Even drug addicts say they'll just try a little, and then they get addicted!

So, after drinking a little, Duchess Avril went from frowning slightly to taking a small sip, then smiling, and finally, she wanted to toast Li Xie!

To prevent her from getting too drunk too early, Li Xie carefully controlled how much Duchess Avril drank.

Looking at Duchess Avril, whose face was flushed and smiling foolishly, Li Xie bit his lip. He really wanted to kiss her on her rosy cheeks. Perhaps in Duchess Avril's eyes, who regarded him as a deity, it wasn't a big deal. But Li Xie only thought about it and didn't act.

That's the difference between a virgin and a mature man. A virgin always hesitates between love and passion, wondering if it's true love or just physical desire. A mature man, well, he finishes smoking a cigarette and then talks about love, or even skips that step altogether, letting everything disappear in the smoke.

"Mena, how are you feeling now?" Li Xie asked.

Duchess Avril shook her buzzing head, smiling foolishly. "I never knew these things were so delicious. And wine... I used to look down on it, but now I want to drink a little. It's like entering a whole new world that I've never experienced before, everything is so fresh."

"What about your feelings toward me?" Li Xie didn't understand why he asked this question. According to the plan, he would break through Duchess Avril's psychological defenses as a deity, then confuse her thoughts with wine. Step by step, in a situation where it's just the two of them, Duchess Avril wouldn't be able to control herself. And now everything was going according to Li Xie's plan, but he didn't want the plan to continue. At least, he wanted to know how Duchess Avril felt about him before deciding how to proceed with the plan.

Duchess Avril didn't realize that her answer was not only important to Li Xie but might also influence her own destiny. Her smile still carried a hint of intoxication from the wine as she said, "Your Highness is the person with the purest soul, someone whom all the priests on the continent should respect."

"No, no, I mean, how do you feel about me right now?"

Duchess Avril looked at Li Xie, her eyes sparkling with a soft light. "Your Highness, you have a charming aura, like a dream. I don't know how to describe it, but being with you feels comforting and warm. You bring something special to me that I've never experienced before. I like being with you."

"Do you like me then?"

"Yes, I do," Duchess Avril replied. It was only because of the slight intoxication that she didn't think too much about what "liking" meant. The two words she spoke didn't necessarily carry romantic connotations, just a simple liking. After all, which priest wouldn't like the highest-ranking being—the God's Descendant?

But for Li Xie, it sounded completely different!

She likes me!

"Mena! I like you too!" Li Xie finally let his feelings show, leaning in towards Duchess Avril, intending to give her a passionate kiss!

"Ah..."

A loud cry echoed through the sky, startling Li Xie. Duchess Avril immediately sobered up, her expression changing as she exclaimed, "It's a dragon!"

A dragon?

Li Xie nearly fell off his chair. Having read many fantasy novels, he knew that dragons were usually powerful and ferocious creatures from other worlds. Could this dragon be hungry and looking for prey?

Both of them turned their gaze to the source of the sound, a dark spot rapidly approaching in the sky, soon revealing its true form.

It was a giant dragon, ten meters long, resembling a tyrannosaurus rex with powerful hind legs, sharp claws, and menacing fangs. It had wings spanning twenty meters on its back. The dragon's body was covered in golden scales with black stripes.

"It's a Sacrifice Killer! Your Highness, be careful!" Duchess Avril seemed to recognize the dragon, standing up and shielding Li Xie in front of her, her expression becoming serious.

In the direction of the Left Dynasty Academy, another beam of golden light shot forth, heralding the arrival of a burly figure surrounded by golden aura, flying through the air and landing swiftly on the Eternal Tower. Upon closer inspection, it was the Tenth Order Sword Saint from the banquet!

A Tenth Order Sword Saint could release combat qi and even fly through the air using it!

This burly man, tall and muscular with a bald head like Li Xie's, combined with the imposing aura of a Tenth Order Sword Saint, was immediately recognized by Li Xie. However, Li Xie was momentarily afraid that he might be in league with the giant dragon. How else could he arrive so quickly? Instinctively, Li Xie took a few steps back. The current situation was not something he could handle.

As soon as the burly man landed, he immediately clasped his fists in salute. "Duke Xie, Duchess Avril, I, Fandey Serb, pay my respects! Be cautious, the Sacrifice Killer has nefarious intentions!"

Ah! A friend!

Damn it, could this guy have been eavesdropping all this time? Otherwise, how did he arrive so quickly?

Li Xie squinted at Fandey Serb with some resentment, but given the current situation with the dragon, he had to rely on this Tenth Order Sword Saint to get through the crisis. He decided not to dwell on it and hurriedly asked, "What is a Sacrifice Killer? And why is this dragon here?"

Before either of them could answer, the dragon had already flown to a point ten meters above them, flapping its wings and creating a strong gust of wind that made Li Xie feel like he might be blown away!

Seeing this, Fandey Serb quickly pressed down on Li Xie's shoulder, giving him a reassuring look. This made Li Xie's opinion of him diminish somewhat. At least, when it came to moments of crisis, he was protecting Li Xie.

"Help me advance!" The dragon's voice echoed like the striking of a bronze bell, resonating deep within their hearts.

Duchess Avril stepped forward, sneering, "You go around plundering sacrifices to advance yourself. But today, you seem to have picked the wrong target! A mere Ninth Order demonic beast, and here, we have a Tenth Order Sword Saint and an Eleventh Order Priest!"

Normally, demonic beasts were one rank higher in strength compared to humans of the same rank. A Ninth Order demonic beast could fight evenly with a Tenth Order Sword Saint, but with the addition of a priest, the situation changed. Although priests dedicated themselves to serving the gods and mostly had healing abilities, some could harness divine light to attack. Despite the significant side effects, the destructive power of divine light was enough to kill a Ninth Order demonic beast in seconds!

"Sacrifices do not kill!" The dragon seemed to have a good understanding of priests. Its mouth twisted into a disdainful smirk.

Duchess Avril snorted, "I do not take lives, but I am more than capable of severely injuring you! Even if you were severely injured, do you think you could withstand a Tenth Order Sword Saint? I simply do not wish to take lives, but it doesn't mean I lack the ability to send you to your grave! By the decree of the Dragon Emperor, no sacrifice shall advance you. Leave now, for I will not advance you!"

Seeing Duchess Avril's unwavering confidence and Fandey Serb's calm demeanor, Li Xie felt reassured.

Daring to come and act so brazenly as a Ninth Order dragon, should they roast it when it came down? Dragon meat from the sky, donkey meat from the ground. Li Xie had eaten plenty of donkey meat but had yet to try dragon meat!

Li Xie grinned.

The dragon opened its mouth and let out a hearty laugh. "Holy Priest, do you take me for a fool? How could a mere Tenth Order Sword Saint compare to a Ninth Order dragon? And you, newly promoted priest! If you were to use divine light, not only would you be demoted two levels, but your body would also weaken and age due to the misuse of divine light! Be obedient and help me advance! As for the Dragon Emperor's decree? Hmph! As long as I force you, you are not defying the Dragon Emperor's orders!"

Oh!

Can't win?

Li Xie, who had been calm and composed, now felt his heart pounding. He wondered if he should let Fandey Serb handle it while he grabbed Duchess Avril and fled!