"Bang, bang, bang..."
The knocking was heavy, just like Dorothy's heartbeat.
She bit her lower lip, her face pale, a sheen of cold sweat forming on her forehead.
"Creak..."
The great doors opened on their own, though there was no wind.
"Is something the matter?"
A faint voice came from deep within the hall.
Looking at the empty, pitch-black hall, Dorothy forced herself to remain calm. "Grandpa asked me to deliver something."
"Come in!"
Dorothy gritted her teeth and stepped into the hall.
The hall was vast and open, with nowhere to hide.
Perhaps it was only an illusion, but Dorothy constantly felt as though someone were watching her from nearby.
She forcefully pushed aside her distracting thoughts, walked to the end of the hall, looked around, then circled to one side of the screen wall.
Sure enough, behind the screen wall, she found an entrance to a basement. It was pitch-black, like the gaping maw of some man-eating beast.
"M-Mr. Asheff, are you in the basement?" Dorothy nervously asked from the entrance.
"Mm."
At the sound of the reply, Dorothy nearly burst into tears.
She hesitated in place for a long while before gritting her teeth, raising a ball of Inch Light magic, and walking down the spiral staircase.
After making her way down, circle after circle—
She froze.
The imagined scenes of darkness, terrifying experiments, water prisons, monster pens, and other horrors did not appear.
In their place was an unexpectedly bright world!
There were walls polished bright enough to reflect a person, rows of neatly arranged glass tanks, and Inch Light magic lamps hanging overhead.
The place was as bright as day.
Standing high on the spiral staircase, Dorothy spotted Asheff in front of one of the glass tanks almost immediately.
After a brief hesitation, she gathered her courage and walked over.
"Mr. Asheff, I came today to apologize. I'm truly sorry about what happened that day. I-I lost my composure!" Dorothy recited the speech she had rehearsed countless times in one breath.
After saying that, she took out a seed, poured magic power into it, and activated it.
The seed fell to the ground. In the blink of an eye, it took root, sprouted, grew branches, and bloomed into a giant flower resembling a pitcher plant.
The flower wriggled for a moment, then spat out a massive egg half the height of a person, covered in intricate Magic Runes.
Yu Sheng'an turned to glance at it, and his gaze could no longer move away.
"This Dragon Egg is an apology gift for you, sir. I hope you'll be magnanimous and forgive my rash behavior." Dorothy looked at the Dragon Egg, and a trace of reluctance flashed through her eyes.
Yu Sheng'an reached out and stroked the Dragon Egg. "This is a Dead Egg, though it still has a faint trace of life."
Dorothy trembled from head to toe! This Asheff truly was no ordinary man. He had seen through the secret of the Dragon Egg at a glance.
"Yes," Dorothy admitted, not daring to explain.
If it had not been a Dead Egg, her Grandpa would probably rather sacrifice her than send it over.
After all, the Dragon Race was the most powerful magical beast on the Aizeya Continent, without equal.
Every adult dragon was born with Dragon Language Magic comparable to that of the Magic God, as well as a formidable body comparable to that of the Battle God!
Beyond that, they also possessed extraordinarily long lifespans.
They were a supreme race capable of contending with gods!
Their only weakness was their low reproductive rate.
On the Aizeya Continent, any nation that gained the protection of a dragon would practically be guaranteed thousands of years of enduring prosperity.
For example, the Idis Empire in western Aizeya Continent was said to be a nation protected by a dragon.
That alone showed what a Dragon Egg represented.
Unfortunately, the Dragon Egg before Yu Sheng'an was nearly a Dead Egg, though it retained a faint trace of life.
But that trace of life was probably no more than symbolic.
Like a patient barely kept alive by a ventilator.
Even so, its value could not be denied.
In the hands of Dorothy's Grandpa, Doman, it might have lost all value. Doman had surely tried every possible means to awaken it, only to fail in the end. That was why he had been willing to give it to Yu Sheng'an.
But if this Dragon Egg fell into the hands of the God of Life, one of the Five Great Gods, restoring it with Vitality would likely take no effort at all.
Likewise, if it fell into the hands of the God of Death, one of the Five Great Gods, it might even be transformed into an Undead Dragon.
In short, nothing was absolute in this world of Magic.
"Your Grandpa understands how to behave better than you do. I'll accept the egg. Go back and tell him that I'm not a petty person... though if I do become petty, then I won't be a person anymore."
Dorothy had been about to nod obediently, but upon hearing that last sentence, her eyes widened, and she nearly bit through her tongue.
"Yes." Dorothy lowered her head with a strange expression, and the huge weight in her heart finally lifted.
She watched Yu Sheng'an stroke the Dragon Egg, then looked at the surrounding glass tanks. She stood there hesitantly, intense curiosity flickering in her eyes.
"Is there anything else?"
"N-No."
"If there isn't, then go back!"
"Oh."
Dorothy answered with a somewhat hollow "oh" and had no choice but to turn and leave.
Once Dorothy was gone, Yu Sheng'an's previously calm expression immediately turned jubilant.
He circled the Dragon Egg again and again, muttering under his breath.
"I struck it rich! I struck it rich!"
"This is fucking huge!"
I actually picked up a Dragon Egg?
Holy shit, if I hatch it and sign a Contract with it, why would I need to fear the Five Great Gods anymore?
...Ahem, he still had to fear them, of course. The dragon was not even an adult yet, right?
Uh, fine. Even after it became an adult, it might not be able to defeat any one of them. But at least he would have some ability to protect himself, wouldn't he?
The Dragon Race's reputation for being comparable to gods was no empty boast!
Yu Sheng'an rubbed his hands together, then flicked a finger against the Dragon Egg and called out, "Hey? Can you hear me?"
The Dragon Egg remained completely silent.
"Fuck, it can't really be a Dead Egg, can it?" Yu Sheng'an grew anxious. "That shouldn't be possible. This trace of life might fool others, but it can't fool my Godhead."
"But when it encounters a god, it still isn't struggling to survive. Even if it isn't a Dead Egg, it's probably close enough. I need to save it quickly, or it might kick the bucket at any moment."
Yu Sheng'an pinched his chin and began to think.
The Dragon Egg's greatest problem was—its lack of Vitality.
Perhaps it had been underdeveloped from birth and abandoned by its mother?
Or perhaps it had suffered some other misfortune, such as falling into lava or an icy pool, which had worn away all its Vitality.
But regardless of which it was, he had to replenish its Vitality if he wanted to save it.
Doman had probably already tried every Magic capable of replenishing Vitality.
So if he wanted to save this Dragon Egg, he would need to use extraordinary means.
After a moment of thought, Yu Sheng'an spread open his right hand and pressed it against the Dragon Egg. In an instant, countless words surged from his palm and flowed into the egg.
"If you want to live, it'll depend on you! Otherwise, there's nothing I can do."
After a long while, Yu Sheng'an lowered his hand and murmured softly.
He was the God of Contracts, not the God of Life. The only power he could wield was the power of Contracts, so he had sent the Dragon Egg a Contract—the Life-Sharing Contract.
If even a breath of life remained within the Dragon Egg, then as long as it still desired to live, as long as it signed the Contract, even dying would become harder than reaching the heavens.
Before you continue