Balthazar slowly lifted his heavy head; the white smoke puffed from his nostrils carried the lingering warmth of sulfur, forming a warm vortex above Chloe’s sleeping face.
He reluctantly moved his gaze away from the pulsing black-gold dragon egg.
The throbbing originating from the depths of his bloodline was suppressed back into the bottom of his heart, replaced by the cold hardness of a lord and tyrant.
“…Olga.”
The dragon turned his head, his massive shadow instantly enveloping the Dark Elf queen who was tidying Chloe’s hair.
His voice still sounded like two rusty iron plates scraping against each other; it was harsh yet filled with a certain convincing power.
“Her and the egg… are entrusted to you.”
Balthazar narrowed his slit pupils slightly.
Although it was an order, there was no tone of barking at a slave; instead, it carried the solemnity of entrusting the most precious treasure to the most trusted person.
“Don’t let the Grim Reaper… take her away.”
Upon hearing this, Olga stopped her movements.
She stood up, elegantly lifting her tattered skirt, and performed an impeccable court curtsy to Balthazar.
A satisfied smile played on her lips.
It was not just because Chloe and her child were safe, but also because this instruction confirmed her unshakeable position as the mistress in the “Iron Imperial Palace,” equal to him.
“As you wish, Dragon.”
She answered softly yet firmly, her gaze sweeping over the dragon egg.
“This is both your bloodline and the flesh and blood of my loyal knight. I will use the highest-grade secret arts of the Dark Elves to look after them; even if the Grim Reaper himself visits, he will have to contend with my magic first.”
Having received the promise, Balthazar turned his neck, as thick as a siege tower, and cast his gaze toward the old Kobold who had been kneeling and shivering in the distance.
“Kr…a…l.”
Merely calling his name, the dragon might that erupted in that instant caused the old Kobold to almost bury his face into the dirt.
“Take your… kin… and dig.”
Balthazar raised a foreclaw, his sharp claws striking sparks against the rock wall, pointing toward a relatively dry and well-ventilated area on the side of the dragon den.
“Rooms.” He spat out the words briefly, each word like a heavy hammer strike, “For them to live in… a palace.”
Subsequently, his dark red eyes looked at Olga, then pointed at Kral.
“Blueprints… Olga decides… No… pigsties.”
This supplementary remark, carrying a hint of mockery, made Olga unable to help but chuckle.
Although she was a skilled Dark Elf mage herself and had no intention of being the queen of the City of Darkness, she still had a taste for the finer things in life.
Letting her guide these Kobolds who only knew how to dig holes was a bit of a waste of her talents, but it suited her just fine.
She also didn’t want to keep sleeping on a messy pile of grass with Chloe.
“As you command.”
Olga glanced at Kral, who was kneeling on the ground and nodding frantically, a flash of disdain and calculation crossing her eyes.
“I will ‘guide’ them well, ensuring I build a bedchamber worthy of the birth of the Dragon Consort and the princess for you.”
After settling the trivial matters, Balthazar lay back down in the spot where he had slept the previous two times.
He called out to that cold Main God in his consciousness.
Several lines of blue data streams instantly popped up on his retina.
Looking at the 5 free attribute points just rewarded, Balthazar did not hesitate in the slightest.
As he was now, his physical fitness had already reached the peak of this body at its current stage; simply stacking numbers was far inferior to converting them into resources for other aspects.
[System Request: Special Resource Exchange]
[Detected high-level unit “Ferro-Dragon” requesting to sell free attribute points (5 points)]
[Main God Space recovery exchange rate calculating…]
[Warning: Attribute points are non-renewable high-level potential. Confirm exchange for universal points?]
Under his closed eyelids, Balthazar’s eyeballs shifted slightly, and he pressed the confirm button heavily in his consciousness.
[Exchange.]
[Transaction confirmed.]
[Lost: Free Attribute Points x5]
[Obtained: Exchange Points x5000 (Based on high-weight recovery price for S-Rank bloodline, 1000 points / 1 attribute)]
With the crisp system prompt, the already substantial number in his account instantly skyrocketed, becoming a huge sum.
A satisfied rumble emitted from Balthazar’s throat.
[Open Shop…] Visit g.com for the full chapter.
Under Balthazar’s call, a massive amount of good things that could be exchanged for with points appeared.
Next, Balthazar fell into thought.
The amount of exchange points he currently had was not small—at least for him right now, it was a boost—and within his range of vision, there were quite a few things that could provide additional help for the current situation.
However, what exactly could maximize the strength of Balthazar’s forces right now?
[Neither strength nor wisdom is lacking…]
Balthazar looked at Olga, then felt the surging dragon power within his body.
[I don’t feel there are any issues with frontal combat…]
[If it were in the shadows…]
Balthazar had an idea.
[Main God, how many points are needed to perform a Heroic Spirit Summoning?]
In the void, the originally calm air suddenly rippled like water waves.
It was a deep blue light screen that only Balthazar, as a reincarnator, could see.
It ignored the scorching air and pungent sulfur smell inside the cave, abruptly hanging before his massive dark-gold dragon pupils.
As Balthazar’s will touched it, the characters on the light screen cascaded down like a waterfall, finally settling on a page of the list that shimmered with an archaic, magical glow.
“Heroic Spirit Summoning demand detected. Searching IP library: Fate/Grand Order.”
The Main God’s cold and emotionless mechanical voice echoed directly within Balthazar’s skull, drowning out the clinking sounds of the Kobolds digging in the distance.
“Heroic Spirit Summoning is a high-level spacetime interference act. According to the rank, popularity, and Spirit Origin strength of the descending individual, the exchange point requirements are as follows.”
Five thumbnails of card slots in different colors immediately appeared on the light screen, each labeled with heart-stopping numbers:
“[Low Rank/Incomplete Spirit Origin (E-D Rank)]: 2,000 — 5,000 Exchange Points. Note: Most summoned are unknown Heroic Spirits or Phantoms not widely known, with limited combat power, suitable for acting as grassroots commanders.”
“[Standard Heroic Spirit (C-B Rank)]: 8,000 — 18,000 Exchange Points. Note: Possesses Noble Phantasms and Class Skills, medium popularity, such as Medusa (Rider), Cu Chulainn (Lancer), etc.”
“[High-Rank Heroic Spirit (A Rank)]: 25,000 — 45,000 Exchange Points. Note: Powerful Heroic Spirits capable of turning the tide of battle, such as Artoria, Artoria Alter (excluding Holy Grail enhancement).”
“[Grand/Divine Rank (S Rank)]: 80,000 Exchange Points starting. Note: Due to extremely strong cross-world suppression power, and some entities cannot descend directly in Spirit Origin form, an additional ‘vessel’ fee or world adaptation fee is required. Furthermore, such exchanges are usually accompanied by prerequisite random tasks.”
The numbers arranged in a row pulsed faintly on the light screen.
Olga, standing not far away and looking after Chloe, seemed to have sensed something unusual.
She keenly felt that the heavy dragon might originally shrouding the cave had suddenly receded significantly at this moment, replaced by a high-dimensional sense of oppression from another dimension.
She turned her head in confusion, looking at that massive, black-metal demon god.
From her perspective, Balthazar was just lying quietly on the rock he frequented most, his dark-red slit pupils staring fixedly at the void in front of him.
The flow of magic in the air became chaotic and disordered, even sparking a few tiny electrical discharges between his dragon horns.
“Dragon?”
Olga subconsciously lightened her footsteps; she could feel that Balthazar was conducting some kind of mysterious communication involving other spacetime that she completely failed to understand.
This feeling reminded her of the forbidden altars deep within Nidavellir; whenever those greedy kin of hers wanted to steal power from the void, similar omens would appear.
She soothingly stroked the scorching dragon egg in Chloe’s arms, a flash of complexity in her eyes.
“Is he communicating… with some deity from another dimension?”
Olga whispered softly.
She did not walk too close, just quietly standing guard beside the sleeping Chloe.
Regarding Balthazar’s various peculiarities, Olga could only speculate that this Steel Dragon Emperor was a God-chosen one selected by some deity from another world, like a father god, who had come to this world to complete some kind of task.
Although curious about his objective, as long as she could have her revenge, nothing else mattered to Olga.
Therefore, she did not ask more questions, just waiting for this Dragon Emperor, whom she had completely accepted, to finish his “divine communion.”
Meanwhile, in Balthazar’s field of vision, a special line of red text popped up at the bottom of the light screen:
[[Special Reminder]: Because this world has activated the ‘More Children, More Blessings’ mechanism, after successfully summoning and ‘marking’ a female Heroic Spirit, if a Mythical-grade offspring is born, you can receive a return point reward corresponding to the Heroic Spirit’s Spirit Origin, up to 150% of the summoning cost.]
[Very good.]
Balthazar was very certain that this was the most cost-effective choice that could most quickly rectify the shortcomings of his forces.
[Summon, [Standard Heroic Spirit (C-B Rank)], Cost: 8000 points.]
The deep blue light screen in the void shook violently with the establishment of Balthazar’s will.
The number “8000,” representing a huge fortune, instantly disintegrated into countless golden light spots, which were then greedily devoured by a pitch-black vortex that suddenly unfolded in front of the dragon’s head.
The smell of sulfur in the air was instantly masked by a weird, cloyingly sweet scent that was nauseating.
It was not the fragrance of flowers, but a highly toxic concentrate that had been refined countless times, capable of causing cardiac arrest in an adult giant elephant within a single breath. Find the original chapter at novelping.com.
“This is…”
Olga’s expression changed drastically; her intuition as a spellcaster allowed her to instantly detect the lethal factors permeating the air.
She almost instinctively raised her hand to erect a dark purple spherical barrier, protecting the sleeping Chloe and the precious dragon egg tightly within it.
Her amber eyes stared vigilantly at the purple magic circle that had appeared out of thin air within the pitch-black vortex.
A continuous stream of poison gas spread out from within, and its primary target was Balthazar, the summoner.
Balthazar did not stop this poison gas from spreading toward him.
On the contrary, he opened his massive maw slightly with great interest and took a deep breath of this air filled with the scent of death.
The toxin, capable of corroding rock, entered his lungs—strengthened by his S-rank bloodline—feeling like strong liquor sliding down his throat, bringing only a slight tingling and numbness, and even stimulating his nerves further.
In the center of the rotating dark purple magic circle, countless black feathers drifted down from thin air.
A slender figure slowly emerged from the void.
She was petite, wrapped in a tight black silk bodysuit that clung to her skin, outlining a body curve that, while not voluptuous, possessed a remarkable sense of suppleness.
Her brown skin emitted a luster like black pearls under the dim light of the cave, and a pale skull mask hung askew on the side of her violet-haired head, revealing a beautiful face tinged with a touch of melancholy and etherealness.
That was one of the successive leaders of the legendary killer organization active in the Middle East, the legendary “Serenity Hassan.”
The young girl slowly opened her eyes, her purple pupils lacking focus, as if the void of the Throne of Heroes still lingered within them.
When her gaze touched the massive black dragon occupying half the cave in front of her, a flash of surprise crossed her eyes, but it was immediately overwritten by the contractual instinct of being a Servant.
She elegantly tapped the ground with her bare feet and knelt on one knee, her movements so light they did not make a sound, her hands folded across her chest as she lowered her head toward the giant beast exuding terrifying pressure.
“I ask you…”
Her voice was so soft it seemed it might dissipate with the wind at any moment, yet it carried a chill that seeped into the marrow.
“Are you my Master?”
“Even if… this body is full of deadly poison, are you willing to accept it?”
Balthazar lowered his head, his massive dragon head slowly approaching until his snout almost touched the girl’s hair, which emitted a faint purple glow.
He could feel that even without direct contact, every wisp of aura emanating from her was attempting to corrode his scales, but those toxins, which were enough to turn a mortal into pus, merely left a thin film of oil on his black iron dragon scales.
Subsequently, the data for Serenity Hassan appeared before Balthazar’s eyes.
New Servant Panel – Serenity Hassan:
[ Assassin – The Serenity ]
HP: 320/320 (As a Heroic Spirit whose essence is a product of accumulated magical energy, she is indifferent to the loss or damage of organs and limbs.)
Stamina: 90/90
Mana: 80/80
Strength: 8 (Limit of a normal human, not adept at direct frontal attacks)
Agility: 25 (S-rank speed, coupled with the Presence Concealment A+ skill granted by the Assassin class, her existence is difficult to detect even by characters with 40 points in Perception, provided she does not launch an attack.)
Endurance: 10 (Relatively fragile, relies on evasion)
Intelligence: 14 (Proficient in pharmacology and assassination tactics)
Perception: 22 (As an Assassin, she also has extremely strong target acquisition capabilities against other Assassins)
Special Abilities:
[Mana Conversion]: Transforms her own body into a pure magical form, hiding at the spiriton level.
At this time, physical attacks cannot hit her, and she cannot be detected by conventional senses (sight, smell); she can only be discerned by other magical products, such as magical perception, magical mystic codes, or Noble Phantasms.
[Delusional Poison Body (Passive/Active)]: Every inch of her skin and body fluids are highly poisonous.
Normal contact results in instant death; active activation can spread poison over a large area.
[Change Infiltration (C)]: Can change appearance, voice, and aura to blend perfectly into a crowd, but only limited to people with similar body types; both men and women are eligible.
[Dagger Throwing (C)]: Precise mid-range assassination technique.
[Noble Phantasm · Delusional Poison Body (Zabaniya)]: A lethal poison kiss/contact against a single target, requiring the consumption of a large amount of magical energy.
“Very good…”
Looking at these excellent stats, Balthazar let out a satisfied low hum, his rough voice echoing in the cave.
“This flavor is very suitable for… death.”
He extended a front claw, not to attack, but to hover over Serenity Hassan’s head, as if dubbing a newly promoted knight.
“Stand up… my Assassin… no one here… will die from touching you.”
“I will try to… warm you.”
“Do you want to… try it now… a deeper touch?”