Invitation and Cooperation

Olivia wanted to argue, but she was speechless for a moment.

Because she realized once again that what Keosius said was true, and she had also been angry about the the North's treatment of people as "livestock," but the elders of her tribe only asked her to respect human customs and traditions and not to interfere.

Over time, all this oppression became natural, and she herself was unaware of this terrible mental inertia.

Silver Dragon fell into deep thought once again.

"Smack!"

Keosius snapped his fingers to attract the other party's attention.

As he moved, a series of dynamic Magic Image appeared in mid-air, presenting ordinary fragments of the daily lives of the citizens of the Embers of the Burned Kingdom.

Scribe Officer organize documents in the archives; guards patrol the streets; workers toil on the assembly line; vendors hawk their wares at the morning market; researchers conduct experiments in the laboratory. They may be exhausted, weary, or even full of complaints, but one thing is certain—everyone is living life to the fullest, moving towards their desired goals, which gives Olivia a sense of vitality.

Browsing through these scenes and observing the Silver Dragon's somewhat bewildered expression, Keosius spoke again to guide it:

"This is the kingdom I have built."

"It's not a binary of good and evil, but a real, complex society."

"But here, those who were once regarded as ' Gray Livestock ' can at least live as 'human beings'. They don't have to die in the cold wind for a sack of wheat, they don't have to kneel before others to beg for food like dogs, and they don't have to give up their own children for the orders of nobles."

With another crisp snap of the fingers, the beautiful scene abruptly shifted: emaciated serfs shivered in the cold wind; boys sold to nobles huddled in a corner of the basement; and slaves accompanying the army were herded to the front lines like livestock under whips. This was not a malicious distortion, but a straightforward display of the dark side of the the North countries.

Keosius knew that his rhetoric was very appealing to the kind-hearted Silver Dragon, especially the Young Silver Dragon whose worldviews were not yet fully formed.

At least on the surface, his country still appears respectable, hiding the "man-eating" things in the shadows and profiting by manipulating invisible chains. The young Silver Dragon, with little social experience, is completely unaware of these things.

The Northern Nobles were so uncouth that they openly and blatantly engaged in cannibalism that even the dragon Keosius thought they were going too far.

As expected, just as Keosius predicted.

Olivia's eyelids drooped, and her heart began to waver.

"Perhaps... this is the justice I've been seeking?"

"Is this the true order that aligns with human nature?"

"So everything I did before was meaningless, or even hindered the progress of history?"

Staring intently into the Silver Dragon's lake-like eyes, Keosius pressed his advantage. "Olivia, as the supreme ruler of the Embers of the Burned Kingdom, I sincerely invite you to join the kingdom."

"Once the Anzeta Great Wasteland is unified, I will not ask you to become a so-called ' Evil Dragon Kin.' You can even become a member of the kingdom's council through proper procedures, speak out for the weak, help the common people who are oppressed by the Northern Nobles, and better realize your own ambitions."

The voice of the Red Dragon echoed in Olivia's ears, bewitching her like a devil.

The Eloquent Speaker

Under this extraordinary charm that could distort reality, the Silver Dragon was deeply bewitched and even at a loss, falling into a quagmire of hesitation and entanglement.

In the past, she could have relied on the glorious image of "Anher" to strengthen her resolve.

But after that encounter, the truth came out, and some of the things she had held onto vanished, turning into nothingness.

"I have no idea."

Olivia bit her lip, stammering, unsure of what to say.

She had already planned to use this opportunity to "save" Keosius, to bring him into the camp of goodness and justice, and even to convert him to the "King of the North Wind," Bahamut.

However, it turned out that this was just wishful thinking on her part, and she couldn't even convince herself.

Throughout the conversation, Olivia was completely under Keosius's control, falling into a carefully designed trap. Moreover, her inexplicable dependence on the Red Dragon made it even more difficult for her to break free.

Keosius approached her and offered a reason she couldn't refuse:

"The unification of Anzeta by the Embers of the Burned Kingdom is an irreversible historical trend, and I believe you, being intelligent as you are, are well aware of this. However, you can use your power to accelerate this process, so that more innocent people can be spared from sacrifice and can live better under the kingdom's order."

As he spoke, reality was distorted, and Hell battlefield appeared before her eyes. The gushing rivers of blood, the mountains of corpses, and the agonizing screams caused Silver Dragon immense heartache—she did not want to see such a sight, but it was very likely to be the not-too-distant future.

This scene finally broke down her last psychological defenses.

"I"

Olivia's lips trembled slightly, her blue-gray eyes filled with conflict.

Finally, she looked up at Keosius with a complicated expression and sighed with relief.

"I agree."

"However, you can't force me to kill anyone, and I will only carry out orders that I believe are right."

For some reason, Olivia always felt so powerless in front of the Red Dragon, as if she were forever being manipulated by him, yet she couldn't find a way to resist. The additional demands she made were her last act of defiance.

Keosius smiled with pleasure, clasping his two different colored paws together.

"Very good."

"Then, it's a pleasure to cooperate."

"Perfect timing. There is an important mission that concerns the kingdom's situation, and I believe you are the best and only person to do it."

Olivia immediately became alert and frowned slightly.

Her repeated experiences of being scammed taught her that whenever Keosius smiled, nothing good was coming.

Sure enough, Keosius's calm voice rang out.

"Your grandfather, Oszedro, the Silver Wing, has arrived in Anzeta. Unfortunately, he has been blinded by false justice and chosen to support the rebels of the the North. He will stand in my way of unifying the the North, so..."

"Keosius! You—"

Olivia was so angry that she was trembling all over, and her voice even sounded like she was about to cry.