Chapter 992: Win-Win Deal

“No way, are you really that ruthless?”

Upon hearing the House Witch wanted her eyes, the Dragon Emperor’s voice instantly grew urgent.

“You don’t just want my eyes—you’re trying to kill me! Eyes are the windows to the soul, don’t you know? I’m already a dead ghost; all that’s left of me is this tiny fragment of soul and consciousness trapped inside these eyes. Take them, and where am I supposed to live?”

The massive serpent skull leaned right up to Dorothy’s face, as if a mountain were about to crush her features—overwhelming pressure radiated from it.

Hearing the Dragon Emperor’s accusation, Dorothy grew even more guilty.

“Uh, I didn’t know you were still alive! I just thought no one would come back for them. Since you still need them, I’ll leave them alone.”

The House Witch hurried to say this.

It was indeed her true thought—even though she really did want the Dragon Emperor’s pair of eyes.

Since this elder was so powerful in life, the Intimidation Eye potion crafted from her eyes would surely be incredibly potent.

Maybe I could even get a free talent.

Pfft, pfft, pfft—I don’t need any more free talents! If I keep freeloadin’, I’ll be stuck with this belly for a whole year, actually experiencing pregnancy.

Hmm, I’ll just spend a bit of mana. A little won’t hurt—mana’s plentiful anyway.

Besides, this isn’t really about mana—it’s about special talents. Using the eyes of a Chimera Serpent or Rock Serpent might only yield a normal Intimidation Eye talent, but using the Dragon Emperor’s eyes as material? There’s a real chance I could inherit some of her traits.

These are the traits of an Ancient Dragon King who once competed for the Dragon God throne! Even a single drop leaked from such a mighty one’s fingers is a mountain of gold to me.

In short, the benefits are enormous—and deeply tempting.

But no matter how tempting, Dorothy had no intention of forcing it. She had clearly defined her own heart: if she took this benefit today, tomorrow she’d break another rule, and the day after, she’d go even further.

That would ruin her Heart Contract—each violation is real, tangible damage.

She didn’t want to kill Mrs. Zola before; now she certainly wouldn’t harm the Dragon Emperor elder.

Besides, she didn’t absolutely need the Intimidation Eye talent. Though the control talent was indeed perfect for her as a bow novice, even without it, she could develop control spells as substitutes.

Magic might be slower and weaker than talents, but it’d be good enough with some effort.

She could just spend more time practicing archery, improving her shot accuracy—once she could hit every target, control techniques wouldn’t be so necessary.

That’s what Dorothy thought.

“Then, Elder, sorry for the disturbance—we’ll be leaving. Rest well.”

She immediately prepared to lead the sisters away.

But just as she turned, the Dragon Emperor elder’s sultry, low, mature voice rang out.

“Wait—you don’t have to give up my eyes.”

She suddenly said this.

“Huh?”

Dorothy stopped and turned back, puzzled, gazing at the mountain-sized serpent skull.

“But where would your soul fragment live then?”

“Of course, inside your bow.”

The Dragon Emperor elder said it as if it were obvious.

“Besides, Typhon’s got too many heads—his body’s already cramped. Adding one more soul won’t make it worse.”

The massive gem-like serpent eyes stared at Dorothy’s Bow of a Hundred Heads, gleaming with eager anticipation.

“Wait, this… this is possible?”

Dorothy was stunned.

From what she knew, souls entering other bodies was possession—and possession always ended in one side dying. How could they coexist?

“Why not? The strength of dragons is beyond your puny human imagination. And Typhon’s worse off than I am—I still have consciousness; she’s only got instinct left. My consciousness merging with her instinct? Perfect fit.”

“So? Are you in? If you let me live inside your bow, I’ll give you the eyes.”

The Dragon Emperor elder confirmed again.

Dorothy paused to think.

To be fair, the Dragon Emperor elder’s request wasn’t unreasonable—in fact, it was a double win for Dorothy.

She’d get the Dragon Emperor’s eyes, and simultaneously give Bow of a Hundred Heads a powerful bow spirit.

But opportunity always comes with danger.

If Bow of a Hundred Heads truly needed a ready-made spirit, the Hero Adam wouldn’t have erased Typhon’s consciousness entirely—leaving only the dragon god’s ferocious instinct.

No matter how advanced a weapon, it’s still a weapon—and weapons must always be controlled by their wielder. If the weapon becomes stronger than the user, the outcome is rarely good.

Like those tragic souls on the Eastern Isles, enslaved by the Demon Blade Mistress.

Hero Adam feared that if Typhon’s consciousness remained, it might corrupt or even devour his daughter—so he erased it entirely, keeping only instinct.

That way, after receiving this ten-thousand-year-old gift, Dorothy could cultivate her own bow spirit over time.

Spirits nurtured by long-term use by their master are usually far more loyal and reliable.

But if Dorothy accepted the Dragon Emperor elder’s offer now, Hero Adam’s efforts would be wasted.

After all, the Dragon Emperor King’s threat level isn’t much lower than Typhon’s. Once her consciousness takes over Bow of a Hundred Heads, who knows if the bow will still obey?

Don’t end up getting the Dragon Emperor’s eyes but losing Bow of a Hundred Heads—that’d be trading a mountain for a sesame seed.

But…

“Alright, let’s do it. As long as it doesn’t harm you, I’m fine with it.”

Dorothy finally nodded in agreement.

Hmm, if she were truly a weak, pitiful, helpless mortal, accepting this deal with the Dragon Emperor elder would be far too risky.

Though the Dragon Emperor elder had seemed friendly so far, they’d only just met—she wasn’t close enough to trust. Who knew if this kindness was genuine?

But the House Witch was clearly no mortal—she was a witch, and her backer was terrifyingly powerful.

The Dragon Emperor elder better be a good dragon with no ill intent—otherwise…

Dorothy didn’t even know what the consequences would be; she had no idea what methods her frail older sister and her deranged disciple would unleash in rage.

And besides, she’d been staying in the Dragon King’s Palace under the Dragon King’s very gaze—if the Dragon King truly inherited Emora’s will, then this one was a true dragon slayer.

No witch understands dragons better than the Dragon King.

“Huh? You actually agreed? So bold? Don’t you know how powerful I am? I’m the Dragon Emperor King Patemela!”

Seeing Dorothy agree so readily, the Dragon Emperor elder was thrown off-balance. She shook her massive skull, suddenly urging the House Witch to reconsider.

By the way, she’d finally revealed her name—but Dorothy had never heard of “Dragon Emperor King Patemela.”

After all, this elder Patemela had fallen far too long ago. Since she was once Typhon’s rival, she likely died before Typhon ascended—and Typhon was an ancient dragon god.

The witch race, with its mere hundred-thousand-year history, certainly had no records of the Dragon Emperor elder. Her name was probably forgotten even among dragons.

Time’s power is immense—it erases everything. Countless warriors who once shook the Western Cosmos have turned to dust. Only in the Spirit Realm might their legends still linger.

“No need to reconsider. Elder, since you’ve shown me such sincerity—even offering your final relic—I won’t doubt you.”

The House Witch spoke sincerely.

It wasn’t a lie.

After all, she didn’t need to doubt—once she took the bow back, the Three Kings would likely dig up the Dragon Emperor elder’s entire ancestral lineage from the river of time.

She truly hoped the Dragon Emperor elder was a good dragon. After all, meeting was fate—she genuinely wanted to get along with this ancient, yet amusing elder.

“Wahhh, you’re such a good girl! Then it’s settled. Don’t worry—I’ll protect you. I mean no harm; I’ve just been stuck in this hellhole too long. And since I’m too strong to die easily, I just want to see how the outside world is now.”

Deeply moved by Dorothy’s trust, the Dragon Emperor elder’s gem-like eyes flooded with waterfall-like tears, cascading down and nearly drowning the witches below in the valley.

And so, the deal was struck.

The sisters were already used to this. Though they thought Dorothy was taking a risk, they’d known her too long—they knew the House Witch was a scheming little devil. Everyone else got cheated; she never did.

So if Dorothy agreed to this deal, she must have some hidden control method.

Long Ma, too, knew her daughter—seemingly sweet but secretly cunning—and said nothing.

Only Time Dragon Mevis strongly objected. She truly thought the young lady was too reckless, and watched the massive serpent skull with sharp vigilance—if the ancient spirit inside showed even a hint of malice, she’d strike first.

Fortunately, what followed went surprisingly smoothly.

With a dragon’s roar, a massive spectral image of the Dragon Emperor emerged from the gem-like eyes, swirling in the air before flying straight into the House Witch’s great bow.

Of course, Bow of a Hundred Heads wasn’t happy. Though stripped of consciousness, Typhon’s primal instincts still recoiled violently from this old rival—its innate revulsion flared into terrifying dragon aura and killing intent.

But it was useless.

“Hehehe, didn’t see that coming, Typhon! You rejected me back then—but now I’ve got your body, and I’ll become your heart instead!”

The Dragon Emperor’s soul let out an excited, eerie cry.

Dorothy: “.”

Uh… did I just hear something disturbing? Do dragons really play that way? Are those rumors about dragon biology actually true?

The House Witch mentally grumbled.

Soon, the massive dragon-serpent specter vanished entirely into Bow of a Hundred Heads—now, the already powerful Xiong bow felt even stronger.

Meanwhile, the serpent skull, stripped of its soul energy, began to rot, crumbling into a pile of ash—only the two giant gem-like serpent eyes floated gently down, landing before Dorothy.

The House Witch reached out and took the two eyes, exhaling a sigh of relief.

Hmm, though there was a small surprise, the hunting goal had finally been achieved.

“Then let’s go.”

She tucked the eyes away and turned to leave—when suddenly…

“Wait…”

Patemela’s voice came from Bow of a Hundred Heads. On the bow’s handle, one of the previously dull hundred heads now moved with startling liveliness.

“What is it, Elder?”

At the sound, the sisters, Long Ma, and Mevis all tensed, fearing betrayal—but Dorothy remained calm. After all, her mother was beside her, and around her neck hung her ancestor.

"Why are you in such a hurry to leave? Didn’t we agree to come here to dig up graves and steal tombs? Can’t you be more professional? My dragon bones may have lost most of their power and suffered severe weathering, but the bone powder is still valuable—take it back and brew it into tea, it nourishes yin and strengthens yang. And my dragon scales? Top-grade alchemical materials."

Hmm, this Elder She-Dragon was definitely a comedic fool—after all, which normal dragon would happily guide others on how to better grind their own remains to dust?

Yet, as expected, only one truly understands oneself. Elder Patemela’s arrangements and utilization of her own corpse left Dorothy deeply shocked—and immensely benefited. The group quickly followed her instructions and stripped the valley clean of all high-grade dragon materials.

Clean as if they’d dug down three feet.

In the end, the group returned laden with treasures.

And as soon as they returned to the Longqi Army’s forward outpost castle, the Elder She-Dragon spoke again.

"Hey hey, need me to show you how to use my eyes? My eyes are precious—humans have such limited knowledge; don’t waste something so fine. Let me guide you on how to—wait, why are you holding a pot?"

Seeing the House Witch pull out a giant golden pot, the She-Dragon’s eyes filled with a string of question marks.

The Elder She-Dragon was puzzled.

The power is out at home, it's terrifying.

(End of Chapter)