Thus it was, several days quietly passed by.
Taiger Forest went on as if nothing major had ever occurred, maintaining its peaceful and stable ecology for a millennium, as if each day was the same.
So it was with Elf Country; after the initial fervor, the talk of Taiger Forest being swallowed by evil energy and the birth of a Demon Spirit, which was then vanquished by a visitor from an alien race, gradually simmered down.
Of course, there were not absolutely no repercussions.
For example, since then, Sophie had kept herself locked in the Queen’s Palace, no longer appearing in public. It was unclear whether she was struck by some blow or, because of her old enemy being slain, had fallen into a state of listless sorrow, unable to extricate herself.
Concerned, with Leiya and Nia at the forefront, the Elf Mages of the Elf Corps often stood guard inside and outside the Queen’s Palace, hoping to lift Her Majesty’s spirits.
But Sophie’s abnormal behavior did not affect the upcoming festival of the Elf Clan.
Sophie had deliberately instructed that the Peace Festival must continue. Although the recent events in Elf Country and Taiger Forest could not be ignored, as times were fraught with affairs, it was all the more necessary to promote the significance of peace—this was Her Majesty’s view.
Thus, the Peace Festival would be held as usual.
This made Elf Country a little more lively recently.
Not just because the festival was to be held, but also because during this time, the people of the Elf Clan had invited many trustworthy friends from foreign races to attend this celebration of peace.
Owing to the recent evil energy incident in Taiger Forest, the outside world inevitably took notice of the abnormality, prompting various nations from the Human Realm to send envoys to connect with the Elf Clan, intending to investigate and clarify the reasons behind it.
Including the Mitra Kingdom, which likewise sent personnel here for investigation.
In response, Sophie finally mustered her spirits, taking up the responsibility she should bear, and came out from the Queen’s Palace.
Then, regarding this incident, Sophie also gave her own explanation.
"The anomaly that occurred in Taiger Forest this time was all due to the appearance of the ’Primordial Demon’s’ Envoy, who held the Demon Refining Ceremony here," she explained to the envoys from various races.
However, Sophie was selective in revealing the truth.
For instance, while she confessed the incident was triggered by the appearance of the Primordial Demon’s Envoy, she did not clarify that this envoy was a Demon Spirit, supposed to be extinct for thousands of years, nor did she mention her own connection to the matter.
Similarly, she claimed that Taiger Forest was turned into the land of evil energy because of the use of the Evil God Lilith’s power to confront the Envoy, without disclosing that it was Shane’s personal vendetta that caused it.
The Elf Queen had already communicated with Lide, deeming it wise to keep Shane’s actions hidden.
Otherwise, if it were known that Shane had instigated Lilith to create such a commotion, affecting countless lives in Taiger Forest, then, even if no one dared to trouble Shane, given Shane’s status as a Kingdom Count, the Kingdom would inevitably become a target of censure, leading to complications.
Should some ignorant individuals then do something to displease Shane, prompting him to lose control without regard for the consequences, the next time might not be as this time, when the damage could be mitigated timely.
Considering this, Sophie and Lide decided to omit the explanation of personal grudges against Shane from this incident, changing his position to one of assisting them in capturing the Envoy of the Primordial Demon.
In this way, no one could seize the opportunity to make a fuss.
Under such circumstances, the matter was gradually suppressed.
Thanks to this, Shane had been living quite a carefree and happy life these past few days; he wasn’t as busy as before.
With Magie’s death, Shane had dramatically vented his anger and returned to his usual leisurely demeanor. It was as if nothing had happened, and he was living a comfortable life in the Elf Country.
Every day, Shane either played with the fairies that gathered around him, occasionally feeding them Magic Power to shorten their Rebirth Periods, or he strolled through the Elf Country with Luoqi and others as if no one else was around.
Perhaps due to the upcoming Peace Festival, many more stalls and shops had appeared in the Elf Country, presenting a dazzling variety of goods.
And these goods weren’t ordinary; they were genuine Magic Tools.
Being the number one Magic Race among the Human Race, every member of the Elf Clan was a born Mage. Naturally, the most popular items here were various Magic Tools.
They were all high-quality products personally crafted by Elf mages.
Their effects far surpassed the Magic Potions produced by Magic Potion Workshops outside.
Their performance was much better than the Magic Tools produced by Magic Tool Shops outside.
Even Magic Weapons like Magic Wands and staves of excellent quality were available here.
These were all high-quality items rarely seen outside and came from the Elf Clan’s hands, ensuring absolute quality that no one would doubt.
In the past, it was extremely difficult for outsiders to get their hands on these fine and excellent Magic Potions and Magic Tools made by the Elf Clan. Only during the Peace Festival, when the Elf Country opened to outsiders, did other Races get the opportunity to acquire them—truly a feast too good to miss.
If it weren’t for the need to be invited to participate in the Peace Festival to enter the Elf Country, the Elf Country might have already been overwhelmed by the influx of people from all Races.
Shane, accompanied by Luoqi, Lillith, Lasha, and even Milu, had taken several good strolls in the Elf Country. Sometimes, he’d even drag along the sleepy Ai Yi and Lide, who wasn’t very interested in the festival, to hit the streets together for a shopping spree.
Luoqi, in particular, had her eyes shining at every stall and shop. In just a few days, not once did she return from shopping empty-handed, buying who knows how many Magic Potions and Magic Tools produced by the Elf Clan.
Shane also wanted to do the same, but unfortunately, he wasn’t as lavish as Her Highness the Princess.
Behind Her Highness the Princess stood an entire Kingdom, with a national treasury to back her up—what could she not buy?
Shane, on the other hand, was a pitiful noble: an Honorary Noble living on a stipend. Apart from the fixed annual support, he had to earn everything else himself, which was hard as hell.
Luckily for him, he had a dragon. Just one shed scale could sell for a significant amount of money. Quite a few mages from the Elf Clan wanted to buy Dragon Blood, Dragon Birth, Dragon Tears, Dragon Teeth, Dragon Claws, and such from him. This allowed Shane to make a good sum, so he wasn’t worried about running out of money or falling into disgrace by living off his future wife, letting the commanding Princess pay his way.
It was just You Lin’s resentful gaze that sometimes made it difficult for Shane to remain composed.
"The Dragon Girl is becoming increasingly humanized, isn’t she about to transform into a human?"
Shane once consulted Ai Yi about this.
At that time, Ai Yi glanced at You Lin, uncharacteristically spirited, and nodded her head.
"It should be soon, at most a year, or maybe just a few months, and this girl will be able to successfully shed her dragon form and transform into a member of the Demon Clan. It seems you’ve been feeding her quite a bit of Magic Power,"
responded the Mother of Dragons conclusively.
This left Shane somewhat conflicted.
"If the Dragon Girl turns human, then won’t I lose the chance to ride a dragon in the future?"
He found himself somewhat reluctant to accept that idea.
But Ai Yi looked down on Shane while saying this,
"The Dragon Race is different from other Demon Clans. Not only do they shed their dragon form to become Demon Clan members, they also awaken a Unique Skill which is fixed—Dragonification."
————[Dragonification].
This is a Unique Skill all Dragons who have transformed into humans possess.
According to Ai Yi, a Dragon who becomes human will only awaken this Unique Skill and no others.
This included herself.
As the name of the Unique Skill suggests, it would allow a member of the Dragon Race to transform back into a dragon.
After transforming into a dragon, the power of the Dragon Race would increase exponentially, with a minimum increase of threefold and at most, up to tenfold.
Therefore, even after becoming human, members of the Dragon Race could always revert to their dragon forms, with much more strength than before the transformation.
You Lin was no different; even if she turned human in the future, reverting to Dragonification would be a breeze for her.
Shane clicked his tongue and could only say, "Wow."
A Unique Skill that could potentially increase strength tenfold?
Could it even compete with the [Reincarnation Destiny]?
No wonder they are known as Kings of Demons.
Of course, not every dragon’s [Dragonification] can increase strength by tenfold.
At least within the Dragon Race, only Ai Yi’s [Dragonification] could boost her power by tenfold.
For Jiasinta, his [Dragonification] could only quintuple his strength.
The rest of the Dragon Race, mostly experience a threefold to fourfold increase, rarely reaching fivefold.
"This girl’s talent is not bad. Even before becoming human, she was already nearing the Limit Level. If she awakens the Unique Skill, she should surpass fivefold."
Ai Yi had high hopes for You Lin.
As for Shane, he began to anticipate something else.
"Leaving aside the exact multiple the strength will increase by, let’s talk about Dragonification," Shane said, his eyes shining as he looked at Ai Yi without hesitation. "Since you said that all Dragons that become human can undergo Dragonification, that means you can also turn into a dragon, right?"
Upon hearing this, Ai Yi fell silent.
"...You’re not thinking of riding me, are you?"
Ai Yi sent Shane a death glare.
Shane retorted righteously, but his mind had already begun to scheme.
"How can I tempt this girl into letting me ride her?"
This mumbling accidentally slipped out of Shane’s mouth.
Ai Yi’s face turned dark on the spot.
"Even if I were to jump down from here and smash myself to death, I would absolutely never let you ride me!"
Ai Yi left a harsh parting shot and turned to walk away.
"Hey, wait a minute!"
Shane hurriedly followed after her.
And so, Shane spent a few rather peaceful days.
Until a piece of bad news found him.