I Love Bathing Dragons!

Now that was interesting!

Bai Xuan's lips curved into a slight smile.

Didn't that mean he could command his Legend from afar?

Perfect!

The Legendary Book's charge had changed, too.

Progress toward Epic Charge had appeared!

[Epic Charge: 30%]

[Rare Charge: 50%]

"Ordinary E-grade and F-grade missions only build Rare Charge. Looks like I'll need to take on missions above D-Rank to gain Epic Charge..."

Bai Xuan stroked his chin, deep in thought.

Now that he had advanced to E-grade, he should be strong enough to challenge a D-Rank mission.

"Human!"

Just then, Marée Alaira called to him. "I'm all dirty. Can you help wash me?"

"Huh?"

Bai Xuan closed the World Book and turned to Marée Alaira.

After a moment's silence, he asked, "How about I get Xilin to help you?"

"No!"

Marée Alaira shook her head vigorously. "I want you, human!"

"All right~"

Bai Xuan didn't mind too much.

After all, bathing a Dragon was something he'd fantasized about before...

"Come with me."

"Okay~"

Bai Xuan led Marée Alaira into the bathroom.

He brought over a small stool for her to sit on, then turned to fetch a fresh towel and some body wash.

In the brief moment he was away, Marée Alaira removed her scales as though slipping off her clothes, revealing her body to him.

Ahem—

Bai Xuan rubbed his nose and stole a glance.

Little Marie was under five feet tall, yet she had a pair of enormous, snow-white mounds... The sight was rather overwhelming!

They definitely rivaled Xilin's!

Were those huge mounds... for storing magic?

"Human! Hurry up!"

Marée Alaira called excitedly to Bai Xuan. "Wash me! Here! And here!"

"All right, all right~"

Bai Xuan smiled and shook his head, then walked over to Marée Alaira.

He poured shampoo into her hair and gently washed her flame-red locks. Then, as if something had occurred to him, he asked, "Little Marie, are you a newly hatched Young Dragon?"

"I'm an adult Dragon~"

Marée Alaira swung her little legs as she answered. "I fought a bad guy before, and I ended up turning into a Dragon Egg."

"But luckily, I had you, human!"

"Thanks to you, I got out of the Dragon Egg!"

"So that's what happened..."

After hearing how she had become a Dragon Egg, Bai Xuan nodded thoughtfully.

"But don't worry, human!"

Marée Alaira planted her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest, pride filling her voice. "I took that guy down! He's probably nothing but a pile of bones by now!"

"Oh?"

Something stirred in Bai Xuan's mind. He suddenly remembered the dragon bone Li Hongyou had given him. Could the Dragon Marée Alaira killed... have been that black dragon?

Meanwhile, inside the safe base.

Bai Yu lay in bed reading.

As the night grew late, she got up to wash before going to sleep.

But as she brushed her teeth in front of the bathroom mirror, she suddenly noticed something strange about her body!

"Hm?"

To Bai Yu's surprise, her skin had an unnatural elasticity!

"What's going on!?"

She pulled out her toothbrush, her face full of disbelief.

"Why is my skin... like this?"

She instinctively pinched her arm and found that it barely hurt. Her skin stretched and changed shape visibly under her fingers!

Bai Yu cupped her face, too stunned to speak.

The feel of it, the elasticity—it was just like rubber!

How could this have happened...

"A Superpower!"

At that moment, her eyes seemed to sparkle!

It was the only explanation she could think of!

I've awakened a Superpower!

Without even wiping the toothpaste foam from the corner of her mouth, she rushed out of the bathroom, grabbed her phone, and quickly made a call.

"All done."

"Thank you, human!"

Bai Xuan carefully dried Marée Alaira's wet hair and soft tail with a towel, then walked out of the bathroom with her.

He had barely stepped outside when he heard his phone ring.

Hm?

Bai Xuan hurried over and answered.

"Hello? What's up, Bai Yu?"

"Bai Xuan!"

Bai Yu's excited voice came through the phone at once. "I have something important to tell you!"

"Don't rush, my dear sister," Bai Xuan said with a smile. "What happened?"

"Ahem~" Bai Yu calmed herself a little and explained, "I awakened a Superpower!"

"A Superpower!?"

Surprise colored Bai Xuan's voice as he asked, "What kind? Invisibility? Or can you turn your body into diamond?"

"Neither. It's..."

Bai Yu paused and looked down at her right hand. "My body's become elastic, like rubber."

"Oh? So you're a rubber person now?" Bai Xuan asked with a laugh. "Like Elastigirl in The Incredibles?"

"More or less."

Leaning against the headboard, Bai Yu smiled faintly. "I'm not sure when it awakened, but it feels pretty good."

"So~"

Bai Xuan teased, "From now on, all I have to do is cling to you for protection?"

"In your dreams!"

Bai Yu smiled as she familiarized herself with her new ability. "But once we get to Ideal City, we'll be safe."

"Ideal City?" Bai Xuan asked, puzzled.

"It's getting late," Bai Yu said. "Get some rest."

"Okay."

Bai Xuan hung up and looked toward Xilin and Marée Alaira beside him, a slight smile on his lips.

The world was quietly changing...

Inside the White Sea City Investigation Bureau.

A man wearing a Three of Diamonds mask was bound securely in an interrogation room.

Liu Mufei and Li Hongyou stood in the observation room, watching the interrogator question him.

"Any progress?" Li Hongyou asked Liu Mufei.

"No~"

Liu Mufei shook her head lightly. "He won't talk. He refuses to reveal who's behind the organization or what they're really after."

"So we went through all that for nothing?"

Li Hongyou frowned slightly.

"Not necessarily~"

Liu Mufei smiled. "We found a mind controller. With her help, we might learn what these people are really after."

"A mind controller?"

Li Hongyou looked at Liu Mufei in surprise.

Mind controllers were extremely rare, even worldwide.

And having that Superpower wasn't enough on its own. They needed tremendous mental strength to truly control a target.

So a mind controller capable of forcing a D-Rank Anomaly to reveal secrets would have to be at least a D-Rank Esper herself!

In all of Huaguo, there were probably no more than three mind controllers above D-Rank.

"Where is she?" Li Hongyou asked.

"Ninghang City. Sorry to send you on another trip." Liu Mufei shrugged lightly, then added, "And she won't be easy to deal with, given both her background and her values."

"Besides, the Evil Organization seems to have its eye on this mind controller too. You'll have to be careful."

Li Hongyou considered this for a moment, then asked, "Tell me her name."