Chapter 943: Dueling Tournament

“Huh, what’s strange about a name like ‘Slayer of a Hundred Heads’?”

Not fully aware that Long Wang himself was the Hundred-Headed Dragon, Dorothy blinked at her mother’s warning—she actually thought the name sounded pretty cool.

But Mother wouldn’t harm her, of course.

So the Zhaimonv didn’t rebel; she nodded, indicating she’d remembered.

As for the Slayer of a Hundred Heads in her hand, Dorothy tossed it into the air, where the absurdly massive bow instantly shrank, finally becoming a delicate bracelet clasped around her left wrist.

Weapon transformation was a basic ability—nothing worth mentioning.

The bracelet was also shaped like a dragon-serpent, but unlike the ancestral necklace around her neck, this one bore a hundred heads, their fine, intricate forms woven together like delicate cords into an elegant braid—at a glance, it looked quite pretty; upon closer inspection…

The hundred heads were terrifyingly fierce, for this bow was a true weapon of dread, heavy with malevolent aura.

“Hehe, by the way, Mother, you actually held back and didn’t come out—I thought you’d leap out and beat him up.”

The Zhaimonv glanced at Long Ma’s gloomy face and grinned mischievously.

Adam was already far away by now, so she just said it—Long Ma wouldn’t seriously chase after him and beat him again.

Still, Adam and Anne really did sneak around in vain—when Dorothy first opened the window, her special intuition had already faintly sensed Long Ma’s presence arriving too.

Naturally, Long Ma had been burned once before; once bitten, ten years afraid of wells. Even though she never said it, the Zhaimonv could still feel the near-omnipresent, weblike security detail surrounding her room during these past days at home.

Not to mention two living adults like Adam and Anne—even a mosquito lingering too long nearby would likely be seized and checked to see if it was a shape-shifter.

“He’s still your father. Though I truly wanted to beat him up, I’m not so cruel as to forbid a father from offering his daughter a birthday blessing. And this time, he was actually sensible—didn’t do anything unnecessary.”

In response to her daughter’s teasing, Euphilya said this.

Of course, though she spoke these words, the Dragon Queen’s tone carried a faint sourness.

She still envied Adam for being so close to her daughter; though her relationship with Dorothy had warmed quickly after their misunderstandings were cleared, the time was still too short—they weren’t quite as open with each other yet.

Less than a year of mother-daughter bonding couldn’t compare to his fifteen years of father-daughter ties.

But Adam was still a mortal; only fifteen years had passed, and he’d already transformed from the handsome youth in her memory into this middle-aged man. Mortals are short-lived—time was not his ally against a witch like herself.

The one who would truly accompany her daughter’s growth over the long future was still her, the mother.

Thinking of this, Euphilya’s mood instantly lifted.

This was the first birthday she’d spent with her daughter—and in that long future ahead, she’d accompany her through countless more birthdays. Could Adam ever do that?

Win. Win big.

Across from her, Dorothy had also keenly noticed her mother’s desire to grow closer. She scratched her head, feeling slightly awkward herself.

After all, she’d turned eighteen today—counting her past life, she’d been an adult long ago. Now that she was grown, she couldn’t act like a little girl and pester her mother for cuddles, could she?

And just imagining herself flinging herself into Long Ma’s arms, begging for hugs, made her break out in goosebumps.

Oh my god, we really aren’t suited for normal mother-daughter affection, are we?

Still, though deeply uncomfortable, seeing her mother’s face remain its usual cold, dignified self—but her eyes holding a quiet, hopeful expectation—Dorothy sighed.

Sigh. After all, a child’s birthday is also the mother’s day of suffering. If this was Long Ma’s wish, she’d grit her teeth and play along.

Right then, she rubbed her face, then smiled like a child, reaching out her hand toward Long Ma.

“Mom, did you get me a birthday present too?”

Dorothy blinked her eyes and squeaked in a high-pitched, cutesy voice.

Though inside, she was vomiting.

Oh my god, I never thought I’d live to play the cute little girl today—something precious in me just shattered. That was my former manly soul.

Oh right, I was a shut-in guy—I was never a real man to begin with. Never mind then.

Long Ma: “.”

Euphilya stared at her strange daughter, silently stepped back, crossed her arms, and looked like she was rubbing away goosebumps.

Dorothy: “.”

Mother, you really stepped back? I just put in so much effort being cute!

The Zhaimonv immediately put on a clown mask.

Yet after locking eyes for a moment, both mother and daughter burst into laughter.

“Hahaha, Dorothy, that kind of cutesy act doesn’t suit you at all. Sorry—I’m not laughing on purpose, but I just can’t help it. But I’ve already memorized that look of yours—I’ll definitely get a special photo album made to preserve it.”

The usually stern Dragon Queen laughed heartily, doubling over with mirth.

But Dorothy’s smile froze the moment she heard this.

Oh no, Mom, please don’t make a photo album of my embarrassing moments! Do all mothers keep a black-history album of their kids? If you’re going to do this, skip the filters—just blur my face, please.

“Mom—”

She could only protest, flustered.

But the moment she said “Mom,” Euphilya, still laughing wildly, suddenly froze—and shivered involuntarily.

Yes, this was the feeling—this time, it wasn’t acting. It felt natural. What? Dorothy, you really can be affectionate.

“Alright, alright, I won’t laugh anymore. I’ve already prepared your gift—it’s a surprise, so I won’t give it to you now. Just wait and look forward to tomorrow morning.”

Euphilya said cheerfully.

Then the Dragon Queen turned and left, her steps light, almost bouncing—clearly, Euphilya was overjoyed.

Dorothy: “.”

Wait, Mom, seriously? You tease me with anticipation and then vanish? How am I supposed to sleep now?

The Zhaimonv fumed, trembling with irritation.

I hate mystery people. Give me back my old, serious, slightly clueless mother!

But she couldn’t possibly chase after Long Ma to ask what the gift was—she’d already pushed herself to the limit with that performance. She simply couldn’t do that kind of whining, cutesy begging.

Damn it, sleep.

She shut the window and prepared to go back to bed.

But barely a few seconds after lying down, she snapped her eyes open again.

“Wait—today’s my birthday, so doesn’t that mean tonight is the finals of the Dueling Tournament’s Youth Division?”

Dorothy suddenly remembered.

She’d already participated in the preliminary rounds of the Dueling Tournament when she first arrived in the Dragon Realm, and now two months had passed—it was nearly time for the finals.

Though she hadn’t entered the competition herself, her sisters had—all of them—and she’d originally planned to go watch their matches, but then she’d gotten lost in shipbuilding and nearly forgotten entirely.

“Damn it, no more sleeping—get up and go!”

The Zhaimonv leapt from the bed like a leaping carp, yanked off her pajamas and flung them away, then snapped her fingers—instantly changed clothes and washed up.

“Senior, wake up, time to watch the match.”

Dorothy grabbed the hat-senior still snoozing beside her pillow, carefully hung the ancestral necklace, then grabbed one hand with the cat and the other with the dragon, and leapt straight out the window.

“Eh, Qian Bao, what are you doing? I’m not ready yet!”

The startled hat-senior blinked in confusion, flailing her tentacles for several seconds before regaining her senses.

“Eh… watch a match?”

She looked puzzled.

“Yeah, the Dueling Tournament finals—Sophilaya and the others are definitely there.”

Dorothy gave the hat-senior a suspicious glance—something felt off about her today. She’d slept so deeply, even after Adam and Long Ma had come and gone twice, and she’d seemed to be having a strange dream just now.

Something’s wrong. Very wrong. The hat-senior was the sovereign of the Dream Realm—unless she’d been too absorbed in something inside the Dream Realm, she shouldn’t be this sluggish.

“Senior, are you secretly preparing a birthday gift for me?”

She asked.

Instantly, the hat-senior panicked—her entire hat leapt off Dorothy’s head. Had Dorothy not reacted instantly, she’d have been blown away by the wind.

“Who’s preparing you a gift? I did prepare one, but that kind of thing doesn’t need overthinking—I—”

Hmm, the witch was flustered, babbling incoherently.

“Hehe, go ahead and be tsundere—I’ll just wait and see what kind of gift you’ll give me.”

Dorothy grinned happily at the hat-senior, whose face was turning crimson.

Hmm, this joker was never straightforward—always loud and shameless in daily banter, but when you pierced her heart, she instantly turned into this.

“Who asked you to wait? No need to expect anything—it’s just an ordinary gift.”

The hat-senior tried to protest further, but gradually fell silent.

Dorothy didn’t tease her further. The Zhaimonv was now frantically urging her broom forward—only now, rushing for time, did she realize she really ought to upgrade her broom. This ordinary one bought at the start of term was fine for daily commuting, but it wouldn’t hold up on the battlefield.

She could have Fauna armor-enhance the broom, but on the battlefield, the little dragon would need to transform into battle armor first—she couldn’t spare energy to reinforce other gear.

As she flew, she also pulled out her spellbook to message her sisters about the current match status.

Forest Fairy: Hey, Audrey, are you in the Dueling Tournament too? How’s the match going?

She sent a message to her junior.

Soon, Audrey replied.

Fox Carrot: Yeah, Senior, I’m here. Did you wake up?

Fox Carrot: Fox knee-pillow.jpg

Forest Fairy: Yeah, just woke up—only now remembered it’s finals day. Heading to Dragon Roar now. Why didn’t you wake me?

Forest Fairy: Little Dragon angrily spitting fire.jpg

Fox Carrot: The president said not to wake you—you’ve been exhausted and need rest.

Fox Carrot: I also think you need rest right now.

Fox Carrot: Nine-tailed Fox pouting, tail poking itself.jpg

Forest Fairy: Okay, how’s it going now? Have you finished your match?

Forest Fairy: Wide-angle lens photo of a hatchling dragon with a distorted, huge eye.jpg

Fox Carrot: I finished my early matches, but unlucky to face my sister—she’s brutally cruel. I regretfully stopped at 66th place, but I thoroughly beat Alice.

Fox Carrot: Fox laughing comically.jpg

Forest Fairy: Hatchling dragon’s thumb.jpg

Forest Fairy: Hmm, wait, I’m almost there.

After a brief chat with Audrey, Dorothy gained a decent understanding of the situation over there.

Little sister is an art student after all; though her talent is extraordinary and her theoretical strength is high, her battle experience doesn’t compare to Alice’s—she’s just treating this duel tournament as a game.

Her match pattern is either: start with charm and dominate with the Magic Eye to instantly kill opponents, or fail to charm and get brutally crushed by enemies.

In mentalism, if you can’t control them, you’re done.

But Audrey is naturally superior to Alice’s brute style—a smooth combo of charm and domination nullifies Alice’s nearly invincible HP advantage entirely.

Of course, Alice entered the duel tournament just for fun; no one expected her to achieve anything serious.

Yet the results were surprisingly good: Audrey placed 66th, Alice 88th, both in their first duel tournament.

Before the finals, regular matches are ranked by match points; Audrey’s peerless mentalism allowed her to dominate opponents effortlessly, giving her a higher win rate than Alice’s grueling combat style, so she ranked higher.

But the little witch is still young and just recently gained a new talent—her future is promising, very promising. Once she develops further, combat arts are a late-game class—eventually, she’ll punch one Yingying Hu into oblivion at a time.

In short, this ranking is already extremely high. This duel tournament is open to the entire witch world—no one knows how many prodigious witches showed up. To place in the top hundred in your debut among countless gifted girls is an astonishing achievement—true genius.

But beyond these two sisters just coasting through, the other sisters were absolutely slaughtering.

Sophieelia, Mia, and Madeline all made it into the top ten and are now in the finals.

Finals in progress.