---Third POV---
"Don't worry, this is a normal reaction of the Mana Devouring Vine. It numbs your nerves, so you won't feel much pain."
Viktor took out a pen and paper from somewhere, jotting down the abnormality in Alyanne's left hand.
Her eyes widened further.
Was this really just a matter of pain?
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the pulsating flesh becoming increasingly intense. Gritting her teeth, she simply shut her eyes tightly. It seemed that by doing so, she could pretend she hadn't seen what just happened.
Three long minutes passed.
Viktor removed the bracelet. The elongated, pulsating foreign object beneath the flesh fell completely silent.
"You can open your eyes now, it's over."
When he turned around, he realized she had already fallen asleep without him noticing.
He found it amusing.
---
When Alyanne woke up, it was to the warm yellow sunlight slanting through the warehouse's open door. Her first instinct was to look down at her left hand. There was no unusual sensation.
She let out a long sigh of relief and leaned back in the chair.
"Thankfully, it was just a dream..."
"It wasn't a dream. You've been asleep for half an hour."
From a distance, Viktor walked over leisurely, carrying the bracelet from before and a small box the size of a sweet fruit.
"Perfect timing, now I don't have to wake you up."
Memories came rushing back, and Alyanne's scalp tightened.
"Lord, my lord, I wasn't trying to criticize you earlier, I... I just..."
The more nervous she became, the more halting her speech. In the end, she completely froze.
She broke out into a sweat from her anxiety.
Viktor had been waiting for her to finish speaking, but when he realized what was going on, he was left speechless.
"What are you thinking? You think I made you wear the bracelet to get back at you for talking bad about me?"
He stuffed the wooden box into her hands.
"Eat what's inside."
Alyanne opened the box. Inside was a small dark brown pellet, smaller than an eyeball, but exuding an unpleasant smell.
She wrinkled her brow.
"What is this?"
"A type of solid magical potion, specially crafted for Watchers. Players might prefer to call it a pill."
Viktor pulled up a chair to sit beside her, his tone serious.
"Have you been finding it harder and harder to control your temper lately?"
Alyanne's heart skipped a beat, and her eyes widened slightly.
Seeing her reaction, a look of understanding flashed in Viktor's eyes.
"Looks like I don't need to ask further."
If Alyanne hadn't suddenly snapped earlier and questioned the dragon's authority, he might not have noticed her abnormal state for several more days.
Alyanne's expression was uneasy.
"I thought it was just because I hadn't been sleeping well lately. You know how those players are, always so full of energy..."
Even though Viktor had designated privacy zones for the native townsfolk, barring players from entry, the ever-growing number of players in Honeyvale inevitably caused disturbances. And the one most often harassed by players was none other than Alyanne, who had awakened the ice dragon bloodline. She was becoming increasingly beautiful, heading in the direction of a cool, stunning beauty.
As the players' unanimously elected "Miss World," she encountered far too many "accidents" and "surprises" daily.
"When did it start?"
"Probably the morning two days ago."
Alyanne recalled with a grim expression.
"My growing irritability, is it related to the vine inside me?"
Viktor nodded, confirming her suspicion.
"The Mana Devouring Vine has grown to the point where it's now drawing on your life force."
Under normal circumstances, the constantly growing magic power of a newly awakened dragonborn should be enough to sustain a Mana Devouring Vine.
Clearly, the one inside Alyanne was an exception. In less than two months, the vine had grown strong enough to start draining her life force. It was also provoking her emotions, attempting to spread via wounds to find its next host.
Explaining this, he couldn't help but sigh.
"That Karl who threw you into the Great Oak Forest really thought things through."
He probably couldn't have foreseen Alyanne awakening the ice dragon bloodline, but he still went all out, using a special Mana Devouring Vine to ensure she wouldn't live long.
Viktor handed her a cup of water.
"Here's the good news: he didn't underestimate you as much as he appeared to. In fact, he was terrified of you surviving."
Alyanne didn't feel comforted in the slightest.
Clenching her intact left hand, she rasped, "Then... how much longer can I live?"
"What, are you thinking of killing yourself?"
Alyanne stared at him blankly.
Viktor, calm as ever, pulled out a piece of paper and began writing on it.
"I already said, The Watchers have a way to deal with the Mana Devouring Vine. No matter how much it mutates, it's still a Mana Devouring Vine. I can handle it."
Alyanne was still confused. "But time..."
Viktor cut her off directly, "Even if we do nothing, it would take the vine three to four months to drain you completely. Do you think a dragon's bloodline is something trivial? The life force of a dragonborn is no less potent than that of the vine. You've been drained for two days and you're still strong and lively. That's proof enough."
With a final flourish, Viktor dried the ink and handed her the paper.
"Take the pill and follow the instructions on this sheet exactly. You'll have no problem living for another year. In the meantime, I'll gather the materials needed to solve the vine problem entirely. Your job is to control your temper and avoid fights. And if you must fight, don't get hurt."
The suffocating sense of doom that had gripped Alyanne's throat finally faded. She could hardly believe it.
"That's it?"
This was a magical creature! A Mana Devouring Vine that struck fear into countless adventurers!
The one inside her was abnormally active, practically a mother vine capable of spawning countless offspring at any moment.
Shouldn't he either kill her on the spot or banish her from the territory? At the very least, he should take more precautions.
Why did it feel like this was just a minor inconvenience?
Viktor looked up and asked, "What else did you expect? You signed a 50-year labor contract with me, not a 50-year imprisonment agreement. Get back to work when you're ready. Don't think you can slack off just because of your condition. The vine only spreads through contact with open wounds. As long as you keep your wounds to yourself, nothing will happen."
Understanding that Alyanne needed time to process her situation, he generously gave her half a day off to rest.
Before leaving the warehouse, he paused at the door and asked, "Do you know the greatest flaw in a dragon's personality?"
Alyanne answered almost without thinking, "Restraint."
Viktor chuckled. "Correct. As a reward, you get an extra half day off."
With that, the warehouse door shut completely.
Alyanne took the strangely flavored pill with the water Viktor handed her.
Time passed.
Suddenly, she sat up straight.
"Wait! That extra half-day off..."
Previously, her sudden outburst was triggered by Viktor's attitude.
Though the vine played a role, the root cause was that she had long held similar thoughts deep down. The vine only manipulated; it didn't create something out of nothing.
She was genuinely upset about being viewed by Viktor as just an ordinary dragon. And that half-day leave was Viktor's response.
"Dragons lack restraint, but I don't!"
She gripped the water cup tightly, her eyes flickering with determination.
Viktor's perspective on her wasn't as a broad categorization like "dragon"; it always focused on her as a "person."
Otherwise, he couldn't have noticed the abnormality in her emotions during her outburst.
Dragons were reckless by nature, but she wouldn't criticize that legendary lich.
Taking a deep breath, she calmed down completely.
"I've been overthinking."
She admitted she wasn't good at reading people's intentions, it wasn't a flaw to acknowledge that.
She was still herself.
Becoming a dragonborn wouldn't erase her individuality.
---
After closing the door, Viktor rubbed his temples as he calculated the new supplies from the guild.
Sigh, still missing one critical item.
Regarding the solution for the vine problem, he had always been on top of it. The issue with parasitic magical creatures was that harming the host must be avoided, so only guided expulsion methods could work.
The complexity of the method meant the required materials were rare and precious.
One indispensable item was a Level 4 Ice Silkworm Cocoon.
Ice silkworms were magical creatures that resembled snakes and shed their skins regularly. With each shedding, they awakened a new ability. Shedding their fourth skin marked their final transformation into full maturity.
However, the conditions for nesting were more demanding than those of most magical creatures, often surrounded by multiple symbiotic level-five creatures.
This made their numbers extremely rare, and cocoons were pure luck.
In simpler terms, expensive!
The Ship-Carriage Guild happened to have two Level 4 cocoons, but they were priced at an amount he couldn't even consider.
Initially, he had planned to wait.
Once his injuries healed or the players became more capable, they could directly raid the creatures' lairs. Now, with only a year left, he had to find another way.
As he walked toward the front hall, he pondered, Maybe I should try Dragon Valley to find a few generous fools?
After all, Alyanne was a rare dragonborn. Those sterile dragons who hadn't laid an egg in a millennium might gladly pay for this... Well, only if he could even contact them.
He quickly shook his head, dismissing the idea.
"No, too far."
The distance from Great Oak Forest to Dragon Valley was greater than the journey to three Sea of Mists combined.
The trip, excluding the return, would take far more than a year!
This plan was completely unrealistic for now.
For the time being, he decided to raise the priority of solving the vine issue on his to-do list. Beyond that, boosting the town residents' combat capabilities was also crucial.
They were once magicians; it wasn't right for them to keep doing manual labor. Besides players, The Watchers also needed a local defense force…
The more he thought, the longer his mental to-do list grew. He couldn't help but sigh.
"Managing an organization is such a headache…"
Every time things seemed to be on track, new problems arose. The more people there were, the more issues cropped up. Not to mention, he also had to serve as a game designer for the players…
"Lord Viktor!"
A cheerful, lively female voice called out from ahead.
Lux ran in through the front hall doors, arms wide open with excitement.
"Long time no see!"
Only the gods knew what kind of treatment she had endured in Nary Town. How could the two NPC towns be so drastically different?
"Stop."
Viktor sidestepped to avoid the overly enthusiastic hug.
"This distance is fine."
He wasn't about to become collectible material for the players.
Last time, a particularly shameless player trying to hug him secretly yanked off two of his ribs.
Viktor looked past her.
"You came back with Fuki's help? Where's Hedgehog?"
"Hedgehog left long ago; we just happened to be traveling the same route."
Lux steadied herself, her gaze darting toward the warehouse.
"By the way, where's Alyanne? I'm looking for her."
"She's off today."
The presence of a chaotic player temporarily cleared Viktor's tangled thoughts.
"There are other task officers available unless it's something that absolutely requires her."
Lux pouted and puffed out her cheeks. "Not exactly, but things would be much easier with her…"
She was here to restock supplies.
Players needed Alyanne's approval to buy items in bulk. Her relationship with Alyanne was the closest, making her the most persuasive.
Wait a second, wasn't the faction leader right here?
"Lord Viktor, I have a business proposal for you!"
---
In the meeting room at the quest hub, Viktor held Lux's application form and read through it line by line.
"One crate of sweetfruits, one crate of potatoes, 50 improved Thornleaf Blades, 10 wooden wheelbarrows…"
All were Honeyvale Town specialty items, scarce or unavailable elsewhere.
He placed the form on the table.
"You want to start a trade business in Nary Town."
"Exactly!" Lux nodded eagerly. "Oh great necromancer, what do you think?"
With the main quest progressing slowly, players had to consider survival strategies in Nary Town. A while back, a player tried selling goods there, and the market response was fantastic.
After brainstorming with a few other players, she decided to temporarily shelve the main quest and focus on building a business.
Viktor thought for a moment before nodding.
"It's possible, but Honeyvale Town currently has no plans to establish formal ties with Nary Town. I can't guarantee your safety. Be prepared for the worst."
Lux didn't hesitate to agree. "No problem! As long as you approve, we'll take the risk. Worst case, we lose money!"
She was already celebrating internally.
Woohoo!
High game freedom for the win, who needs a commerce system to trade with NPCs?
With that settled, Viktor didn't argue further. He approved the application and handed it over.
"We're not responsible for transportation."
"Got it, got it! That's a negligible cost!"
Lux eagerly snatched the paper, which felt as heavy as gold, and ran off excitedly.
"Hahaha, full approval! We're gonna make bank!"
Her words struck something in Viktor. He called out instinctively.
"Wait."
---
---
60 Advance Chapters!
Visit my profile page for more information.