When the villagers said that, Yuan Chen knew he had succeeded.
Just as Yuan Chen had expected, Lupe clearly understood how terrifying an Elemental Dragon was. But as she gazed at him, she didn't give an immediate answer. Instead, after silently meeting his eyes for a moment, she said:
"That could work... but I need to make sure."
Hearing this, the villagers nodded in understanding—
Granny Lupe was well-informed and experienced. If she confirmed the plan, then it would surely be foolproof.
Meanwhile, Mordas and the others were tense. They knew all too well that even with Azure Starfire's power, a rampaging Elemental Dragon could still cause horrifying destruction.
After all, even if Nedeli used Azure Starfire, she would only inherit the Dawn Bringer's legacy—not become the Dawn Bringer outright. In this situation, all they could truly rely on was the Heavenly Power of Azure Starfire to suppress the dragon.
Yuan Chen patted Mordas on the shoulder and gave him a "don't worry" look.
Then he carried the sewage into Lupe's large house.
He had barely stepped inside when Lupe, not even waiting for him to sit, angrily demanded:
"What are you doing? All you had to do was drive those Meat-toothed Beasts away, and you could have joined us! Why get involved in the Dragon Hunt?"
Lupe's face was full of displeasure and irritation.
"Don't think I can't tell that the test tube is full of nothing but sewage! You can't fool me! There isn't even the slightest trace of magic in it!"
"You're so scared of the Elemental Dragon that you're shaking in your boots. It's hard to believe you were once an elder of the Yuentar."
Yuan Chen no longer showed Lupe the respect he once had. He treated her as an equal—and Lupe didn't seem to mind.
Perhaps they both knew that once Yuan Chen's identity as a prophet had been confirmed, the rules that had once bound them had gradually lost their hold.
And after Milio's talent had been discovered, Yuan Chen had become a hope for the family's revival in Lupe's eyes. He was no longer the one asking for favors.
"We're negotiating a deal. Don't lecture me from on high—you remind me of those old fools at the Eternal Hall!" Yuan Chen spoke without the slightest courtesy.
But after hearing his words and falling silent for a moment, Lupe let the anger on her face drop. It had been an act.
She had been testing whether Yuan Chen was truly confident of success, and whether he really was the legendary prophet.
Though she still couldn't be certain, she could now sense the confidence in his words—the confidence of someone who had everything under control...
With her test exposed, Lupe wasn't the slightest bit embarrassed. Yuan Chen didn't seem to care either; it felt like nothing more than a harmless joke.
Lupe nodded and sat down.
"So what exactly is your trump card?
"The power of an Elemental Dragon is beyond your imagination. Don't forget, I told you she's in heat. Her destructive power and ferocity will both increase dramatically. Even the Road Protectors of Yishuaoken have been going out less often lately."
Yuan Chen took out the jar that truly contained Azure Starfire.
The moment he brought it out, its azure flames shone through the glass, which wasn't entirely clear, bathing the entire house in an otherworldly glow.
Streaks of stardust swirled through the flames. As Lupe gazed into them, her mind went blank. As a true Elemental Mage, she saw the formation of the universe, the birth of the stars, the evolution of the elements, and even the rise and fall of life...
Just looking at it made her feel as if the door to the elemental realm was right before her. Its myriad shifting colors were the wisdom that flowed at the summit of the stars. She instinctively reached out to grasp it—
But Yuan Chen put it away the very next moment, and the house, which had been filled with its dreamlike glow, plunged back into darkness.
"Your old eyes are about to start drooling."
"What was that?!"
Lupe asked urgently. Even with just a fleeting glimpse, she could sense the boundless mysteries contained within it.
It was... it was like a key to the door of elemental truth!
"You don't need to know. You only need to know that this can let us kill the dragon, help this village become part of the county, and restore your family to its former glory!"
Yuan Chen didn't want to show Azure Starfire to someone who knew what they were looking at—
But he had no choice. During the hunt, he could fool the villagers, who knew nothing about the outside world, with sewage, but he couldn't fool a true Elemental Master. He had to keep the secret—and Lupe just happened to have a knot in her heart she couldn't untangle, along with an obsession she couldn't let go of...
Just as now, having heard Yuan Chen's words and sensed the mysteries in the flame, Lupe had two choices.
One was to take the flame for herself. But she had only caught a fleeting glimpse, and Yuan Chen hadn't given her enough time to examine, identify, or study it.
Yuan Chen himself was a powerful Ionia dancer. On top of that, he could control Water Element as easily as his own limbs. To fight him in this coastal village...
Win or lose, she would make an enemy of a monster who might be a prophet.
The other choice was to cooperate with Yuan Chen... At least from what she could tell, he was very likely to be a real prophet. And Lupe could clearly sense that Milio's Elemental Magic had improved. It wasn't a dramatic change, but he had already started down the right path.
Lupe's expression darkened as she considered it, but she still asked, "What are your chances... of killing an Elemental Dragon?"
"Right now... fifty percent," Yuan Chen said.
"Let me see your real strength before I give you my final answer."--The odds were bullshit; it all depended on what Yuan Chen wanted to say. When he'd tried to convince Mordas earlier, he'd claimed they'd have an eighty percent chance if Nedeli came.
At that, Lupe nodded, then indicated that Yuan Chen could use the Scout Skill he had used on Audan and Milio.
Yuan Chen cast a Scout Skill. Lupe felt the intense malice of being watched.
At the same time, Lupe's attributes were laid out in full before Yuan Chen's eyes.
Name: Lupe
Race: Human (Yixialian)
Status: Guarded, alert, aged, mana abundant
Class: Elemental Mage lv7
Equipment: Vydalian Robe (Epic Set)/Skarner's Wheel (Epic)/Earth Vein Blade (Exceptional)
Skills: Axiom of Earth lv7/Fire Axiom lv4/Axiom of Water lv4/Wind Axiom lv3...
Equipment Skills:
Vydalian Robe (Epic Set): Physical Mana:
A magical construct woven from the ancient Yixialian relic, the Vidalion. It can change into different forms according to its wearer's will. Since the material it is woven from comes from the wearer's own mana, it accelerates the flow of mana while casting, strengthens magical effects, improves stability, and rapidly replenishes mana.
Note: Because of the material used to weave it, this set is bound to "Lupe." Even if someone else wears it, they cannot activate the Set Effect.
Skarner's Wheel (Epic): Heavy Pressure of the Earth Vein:
An Axiom Wheel blessed by Skarner, the Earth Elemental Sacred Beast of Ixialia. When infused with mana, it uses Earth Element to greatly increase its own weight—the wielder is unaffected. Each attack also carries "Earthshaking," inflicting negative conditions such as dizziness, disarming, unconsciousness, and Heavy Pressure.
The chance of success is determined by the target's magic resistance, physical strength, and luck.
Earth Vein Blade (Exceptional)/Earth Vein Enhancement:
A finely crafted weapon made by the Element Artisans of Yishuaoken in imitation of Skarner's Wheel. When infused with mana, it greatly increases the blade's weight—the wielder is unaffected.
Trait: Earth Aura (Exceptional):
An acquired trait gained through a deepening understanding of the Axiom of Earth. When fighting on the ground, the spirit of the earth enhances the wielder's physical abilities and mana recovery, reduces mana consumption, and increases the destructive power of earth-related magic.
Aging (Unranked):
Even with extraordinary talent, a human is still limited by their lifespan. Her powerful elemental talent can sustain her strength, but her stamina declines with age. During intense combat, once her stamina is depleted, she can continue fighting by sacrificing her remaining lifespan.
Seeing Lupe's attribute panel, Yuan Chen's eyes filled with surprise. By any measure, Lupe was incredibly powerful. An Elemental Mage at level 7 was rare even in Ionia.
More importantly, there was her weapon, Skarner's Wheel. It looked like nothing more than a precious Epic weapon, but in reality, it represented much more than what first met the eye.
In the League of Legends lore, Skarner's backstory had been revised several times. In the past, his title had been "the Crystal Vanguard," and he was the last of the Shell People, whose fate was closely bound to Piltover's prosperity.
In other words, Piltover's prosperity had been built entirely on the blood, tears, and deaths of the Shell People.
But with the development of the War of the Two Cities IP, Piltover's dark side had been greatly toned down. Combined with his outdated mechanics, Skarner had naturally been slated for a rework.
And in the latest version of his backstory—which hadn't yet been implemented—he was the Elemental Sacred Beast who taught the people of Ixialia to use the Axiom of Earth...
Yuan Chen had been wondering how he could learn whether this world's Piltover followed the old lore or the new. But now it seemed that, at least, it had nothing to do with the Shell People.
Beyond the lore, there was no doubt about Lupe's strength—
Through diligent practice, she had even acquired an Exceptional trait. Combined with the elemental robe from the Vidalion and Skarner's Wheel, as long as both her feet touched the ground, her casting speed and magical power would far surpass those of her peers.
The only thing to worry about was the trait of aging...
An undeniable DEBUFF (negative condition), and an unavoidable fate for a human, one of the short-lived races...
A mage's casting ability would continue to improve as they studied their magic, but their stamina would decline year by year with age. By now, even an ordinary fight might leave Lupe panting and drenched in sweat...
And, of course, Yuan Chen was safe.
Even if Lupe could threaten him, she couldn't actually kill him. With her lifespan limited, as long as he was shameless enough, there was still a chance he could turn the tables—
Oshirresh, love me one more time.jpg
Lupe simply waited, sensing the thoughts in Yuan Chen's gaze.
After a moment, Yuan Chen said, "If you're willing to help us, we have a sixty-five percent chance. If you go all out, no matter the cost, that chance can rise to eighty-five percent."
"...What do you mean by 'no matter the cost'?"
Lupe asked, "Explain it clearly. You know these things about me?"
"The Vydalian Robe, Skarner's Wheel, Earth Vein Blade, Earth Aura... and the state you enter after your stamina is completely depleted, when you continue fighting even at the cost of your life."
Hearing Yuan Chen's words, Lupe's eyes narrowed—
Scout Skills weren't uncommon in Runeterra, nor were they some hidden, secret art. However, most Scout Skills created conspicuous and powerful magical fluctuations. Even then, they could only reveal information such as a target's general physical condition and magical level.
Furthermore, if the target's magic was twenty percent stronger than the caster's, the target could use reverse magic to forcefully probe the caster for all their information.
Even if the target was at the same level as the caster, or only slightly stronger, there was still a high chance they could reverse the spell and strike back, briefly stripping the caster of their ability to use magic.
In other words, unless you were certain the target's magic was at least half as strong as your own, the disadvantages of using a Scout Skill far outweighed the benefits.
Just now, Lupe had felt nothing but the sensation of being watched. She hadn't sensed the slightest trace of a spell being cast... And the information Yuan Chen had uncovered went far beyond anything she had ever known Scout Skills could reveal!
Was this the prophet's gift for perception and precognitive magic?
Lupe had once read books and manuscripts describing the traits of prophets as a supernatural class. One such trait was their extraordinary sensitivity to precognitive and perception magic.
Prophets could easily sense fluctuations in the Thread of Fate that others couldn't perceive, then use it to foresee and predict the future.
The same talent could be applied to Scout Skills, since those were essentially precognitive magic that had been endlessly reduced, weakened, and simplified...
Thinking of this, Lupe couldn't help sighing. She was envious, but still asked, "And what's in it for me?"
"This is a great achievement. A chance to make your mark."
Yuan Chen knew Lupe had agreed. They just needed to take the final step:
"You're old now... You've been confined to this remote outpost on the edge of civilization. Maybe you'll live out your days and be buried here, remembered as an exile and political prisoner. But now, your family can, in your hands..."
Yuan Chen's words made Lupe's eyes narrow. Then he held his hand out in front of her and clenched it tight.
"...be revived."
A note of resolve appeared in Lupe's eyes.
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