The homemade fruit tea gave off a faint fragrance as it bubbled in the pot.
The meal was over.
Ruger sipped his tea with a smile. Much as during the meal, the four of them who had met here by chance sat together, though their arrangement had changed slightly. Instead of sitting in two facing pairs, they now formed a more natural circle of four.
Ruger glanced at the teacup in his hand.
That genuine, visceral terror was his gift to Lawrence.
A thousand magic stones?
Worth every stone.
His gaze swept across the table. The Dragonkin Girl, Yige, was no longer in her chair.
She seemed curious that Zhizhi had fruit tea to drink too, or perhaps she had sensed something special about it that piqued her interest. At some point, she had gone over to Zhizhi and watched her drink mushroom slurry and fruit tea from her own large cup. Yige crouched there with her cup in hand, apparently quite fond of the fruit tea's flavor herself.
"Little One, did you know? The Aberrant Dragon Management Association doesn't just manage Hybrid Dragons. Ordinary, intelligent Dragonkin can register there too. Then you can negotiate with your Wizard master about magic stones. Hard-fought battles deserve rewards," the Dragonkin Girl said quietly. "Any dragon that doesn't belong to a recognized dragon breed or subspecies can be considered a Hybrid Dragon. Registration is mandatory for them, and they have to undergo an assessment. Some rumors have made many dragons afraid, but the Aberrant Dragon Management Association really isn't that frightening, especially for intelligent Dragonkin who aren't pureblooded. For someone like you, leaving your name there means recognition of your strength and intelligence. You'd no longer be seen as just a Drake Beast..."
Zhizhi looked up, somewhat stupefied by what she heard. Her