"Oh, magical beast~! Let's make a deal. I'll give you what you want—so long as you guarantee my daughter's safe return!"
The Emperor narrowed his eyes as he looked at Fang Chen, a flicker of danger flashing in his gaze. Though he called it a deal, this was also his bottom line.
After all, since Fang Chen had come here, he had contributed nothing, unlike the other royal children's magical pets.
Even Yun Fei'er's Vertical Cloud Cat would never harm her—but this Earth Lizard was different.
If he had known things would turn out like this, he never would have given it to his daughter in the first place. From beginning to end, they had underestimated this magical beast.
Fang Chen, of course, could clearly see what the Emperor meant. The corner of his mouth lifted slightly—as if to say, there was no need to speak. He would get what he wanted regardless.
He slowly stood up, elegance on his face like the smile of someone who had just claimed victory.
He had never planned to refuse this deal. He could see this Emperor was one of those rare rulers who genuinely loved his children.
To be honest, he rather liked this empire. Even though he hadn't contributed anything since his arrival, no one had raised a hand against him—and that alone spoke volumes.
This Emperor was no different. He hoped his children would be successful, yes, but he prioritized caring for them.
There was no hint of prejudice. His daughter loved the battlefield? Then let her grow there—even if it meant swallowing his pride to ask a magical beast for help.
His son loved politics? No problem—he assigned him to a trusted aide and made clear divisions to prevent any power struggles for the throne among the royal daughters.
And maybe because of this, the Second Prince, despite not having a claim to the throne, didn't rebel. Instead, he focused wholeheartedly on building the empire.
The Third Prince and Second Princess simply pursued their own happiness, content with a carefree life.
Fang Chen's judgment of this Emperor was… foolish… but he didn't dislike him.
Because of this, Fang Chen slowly extended a claw. Even Allen began to tense up.
"Your Majesty… what if this magical beast…" Barre asked hesitantly.
What if he asked for too much? What if he became too greedy? The Emperor hesitated for a moment.
"No matter. Are you saying the Cloud Dragon Emperor Empire can't even meet the desire of one magical beast? Besides… this one is different. He understands balance. Am I right…?"
The Emperor narrowed his eyes as he looked at the outstretched claw and then reached out his hand.
A surprisingly human gesture—it almost felt like a handshake. But for Fang Chen, it was just waving his claw.
The corners of his mouth curled up as he stood and slowly walked away, not bothering to look at the people behind him.
He had set his eyes on a certain place long ago. He had just never revealed his intentions—until now.
The Emperor watched Fang Chen's back and then nodded toward Yun Ying. "Set out. Be careful. He'll catch up. He knows what's at stake."
The Emperor spoke with complete confidence.
"Yes, Father…" Yun Ying looked at Fang Chen's retreating figure. After a moment of silence, she nodded.
From beginning to end, had she always underestimated her magical beast? His intelligence was undoubtedly on par with humans—no, not just any human, at least on the level of Allen or even the Emperor.
Meanwhile, Fang Chen could feel the gaze behind him as he walked toward the empire's edge. He paid no attention to the passersby on the road.
The townspeople were used to his presence by now. In fact, when a little girl saw him, she didn't shy away from his monstrous appearance.
Instead, she was drawn to his grace and ran over to offer him an apple.
After gently nuzzling the girl, he continued walking until he reached a small hill.
"Is this… the Rock Thorn Cave?" Barre, who had followed behind, looked puzzled as he watched Fang Chen crawl into the cave.
The cave contained nothing but countless thorn-like rocks.
It got its name because those jagged rocks resembled barbs, and an old farmer who once explored it dubbed it the Rock Thorn Cave. But in reality, there was nothing inside.
Just densely packed, spiny stones—nothing of value.
At first, the Empire thought it was a mine and even sent troops to investigate.
But aside from getting scratched up by all the thorny rocks, they found nothing noteworthy.
So it was essentially an abandoned cavern. Barre furrowed his brow and walked to the entrance.
What he saw next stunned him.
"Crunch! Crunch!" The sound of relentless chewing echoed.
Fang Chen crouched by a cluster of thorn-shaped rocks, chewing them one by one.
"...Earth Lizards eat rocks now?" Barre was genuinely at a loss, unsure how to react.
Among all known magical beasts, aside from the Rock-Eater Beasts, this was the first time he'd seen any creature willingly consume stone.
Even ore wasn't something most magical beasts ate.
Barre flicked his robe and turned back to report to the Emperor. This matter was just too bizarre.
Fang Chen glanced at the retreating Barre, then lowered his head and continued chewing.
Within his body, his true essence was still flowing. Though it seemed like he'd spent the past year idling in human territory, he had been constantly sensing one of his innate gifts.
Evolution. The current appearance of the Earth Lizard was merely a result of transformation—but Evolution, while one tier lower, was still an innate ability.
Unlike skills, innate talents were more instinctual for Fang Chen.
Even though he had the system… still… if every ability, skill, and power came solely from the system, it gave Fang Chen the impression of someone whose brain had gone numb from reading too much.
And as Fang Chen suspected, even after transforming into other forms… while the skills and powers remained those of his original self, innate talents manifested under the guidance of instinct.
The barbs on his back emerged, and as he continued devouring the thorn rocks, all the absorbed energy was directed toward those barbs.
He now had an idea—a path toward becoming stronger.
The existence of the thorn rocks had reinforced this idea, and so he had chosen this place without hesitation.
To the Emperor, this cave might have been a useless place.
But to him—
It was the seed of power.
A method of growth with limitless potential.
A method that might even give birth to… a third innate ability greater than most Dragonkin could ever dream of.
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