I Love Giving Dragons Baths!

Now that was interesting!

The corners of Bai Xuan's mouth lifted.

Didn't that mean he could command his legendary beings from a distance?

Perfect!

And that wasn't all. The Legendary Book's charge had changed too.

A progress indicator for Epic Charge had appeared!

[Epic Charge: 30%]

[Rare Charge: 50%]

"Ordinary E- and F-rank missions only build up Rare Charge. Looks like I'll need to take on D-rank missions or higher to earn Epic Charge..."

Bai Xuan rubbed his chin, lost in thought.

Now that he had reached an E rating, he should be strong enough to tackle D-rank missions.

"Human!"

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

"?"

Bai Xuan closed the World Book and looked at Marée Alaira.

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

"No!"

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

"All right, then~"

Bai Xuan didn't mind too much.

After all, giving a Dragon a bath was something he had fantasized about before...

"Come with me."

"Okay~"

Bai Xuan led Marée Alaira into the bathroom.

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

But in the brief time he was gone, Marée Alaira had shed her dragon scales like a set of clothes, revealing her body to him.

Ahem—

Bai Xuan touched his nose and stole a glance.

Little Marie was less than five feet tall, yet she had a pair of enormous, snowy mounds... The sight was almost overwhelming!

They definitely rivaled Xilin's!

Were those huge snowy mounds meant to store magic?

"Human! Hurry!"

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

"Okay, okay~"

Bai Xuan shook his head with a smile and walked over to Marée Alaira.

He poured shampoo onto 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, you know~"

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

"But luckily, I had you, human!"

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

"So that's what happened..."

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

"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 just a pile of bones by now!"

"Oh?"

A thought struck Bai Xuan. 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 while brushing her teeth in front of the bathroom mirror, she suddenly sensed something strange about her body!

"Hm?"

To Bai Yu's surprise, her skin had become unusually elastic!

"What's going on!?"

She hurriedly pulled the toothbrush from her mouth, disbelief all over her face.

"My skin... Why is it like this?"

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

Bai Yu held her face, too stunned to speak.

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

How could this happen...

"An Esper ability!"

At that moment, her eyes seemed to sparkle with starlight!

It was the only explanation she could think of!

She had awakened an Esper ability!

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

"All done."

"Thank you, human!"

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

He had barely stepped through the doorway when he heard his phone ring.

Hm?

Bai Xuan hurried over and answered it.

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

"Bai Xuan!"

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

"Take your time, my dear sister," Bai Xuan said with a smile. "What happened?"

"Ahem~" Bai Yu calmed herself a little before explaining, "I've awakened an Esper ability!"

"An Esper ability!?"

Surprise tinged 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 from The Incredibles?"

"More or less."

Bai Yu leaned against the headboard and smiled faintly. "I don't know when it awakened, but it feels pretty good."

"So~"

Bai Xuan teased, "Does that mean I can just rely on you from now on?"

"In your dreams!"

Smiling, Bai Yu continued testing her new ability as she spoke. "But once we reach 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 turned toward Xilin and Marée Alaira, a faint smile on his lips.

The world was quietly changing...

Inside the White Sea City Investigation Bureau.

The man wearing the "Three of Diamonds" mask was bound tightly 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.

"None~"

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 it was all for nothing again?"

Li Hongyou frowned slightly as she pressed for an answer.

"Not quite~"

Liu Mufei smiled faintly. "We found a mind controller. With her help, we may be able to learn what these people are really after."

"A mind controller?"

Li Hongyou looked at Liu Mufei in surprise.

Mind controllers were exceedingly rare, even worldwide.

And possessing the ability alone wasn't enough. It took immense mental strength to truly control a target.

A mind controller capable of forcing a D-rank Anomalies agent to reveal secrets would have to be at least a D-rank Esper herself!

There were probably no more than three mind controllers above D-rank in all of Huaguo.

"Where is she?" Li Hongyou pressed.

"Ninghang City. Sorry for the trouble, but it looks like you'll have to make another trip," Liu Mufei said with a small shrug. "And she won't be easy to deal with, given both her background and her values."

"Also, the Evil Organization seems to have set its sights on this mind controller. You'll need to be careful."

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