The Right Way to Use Renee

Wind battered the inn door, and the sweet, metallic smell of blood slowly spread through the air.

After a while, Jiavette, the Dragonkin outside, asked again, "So, do you agree or not?"

Xia Lun looked at Renee. She immediately shook her head.

"Xia Lun, please tell him for me," she whispered. "I refuse the contest, but I'm willing to admit he's more dragon than I am." Xia Lun nodded, cleared his throat, and relayed her words exactly.

Jiavette fell silent for a moment, then said, "Your Highness, the Annihilation Cult will find you soon. There's no way you'll reach the Pilgrimage Site within four hours."

"But I used to be an inner-circle member of the Temple of Memories, so I know a secret Teleportation Point. Through that hidden Pilgrimage Site, you and Xia Lun can avoid every enemy and teleport straight there. I can also upgrade your equipment."

"But first, you must agree to compete with me in our mastery of the Flint Dragon Path."

Xia Lun exchanged another glance with Renee. He made a slight throat-slitting gesture, but she shook her head, so he reached out and opened the inn door.

Forcing Jiavette to cooperate would certainly have been more efficient, but if Renee wanted to try working with him first, Xia Lun did not mind spending a little time on it. The door swung outward, and a cold wind swept darkness into the room. Jiavette adjusted his pointed hat and walked slowly inside. Though the Dragonkin and the middle-aged detective Xia Lun knew in reality were both named Jiavette, they looked almost nothing alike. The Dragonkin's face had become entirely reptilian.

In the flickering firelight, Xia Lun saw that the change extended beyond Jiavette's face. The flesh of his body had turned to scales like weathered rock, and