Vagnerd

Having learned his lesson from last time, Mantou crept back without making a sound and whispered, "What should we do?" Singo rubbed his chin, analyzing the situation. "It looks like... this white dragon was trapped here by Vagnerd as experimental material. The monsters we saw earlier probably all carry this white dragon's bloodline—you could even call them its brood." Tiansheng Zhankuang pointed at the transparent vat connected to hundreds of tubes. "That must be the dragon's true blood." For native dragons, the only way to create dragon bloodline creatures was through their true blood—a precious essence condensed from their body's magical energy and transported through specialized fundus vessels. Vagnerd, however, had thrust nearly a hundred tubes directly into those fundus vessels, greedily siphoning the white dragon's true blood dry. Singo fixed his gaze on the slumbering white dragon, suddenly grinning. He said to Mantou beside him, "Mantou, interested in... destroying that old bastard's century-old collection? We might even free this white dragon and stir up a world of trouble for the scumbag who experimented on his own daughter." Mantou had long been eager for this. "Hell yes!" "Take these!" Singo fished several round metal spheres from his backpack, shoved them into Mantou's hands, and called out to Tiansheng Zhankuang: "Brother Zhankuang, smash open that blood vat for me!" "On it!" Tiansheng Zhankuang swung his battleaxe with all his might, slamming it into the transparent container. *Clang! Clang! Clang!* The container was inscribed with magical runes, making it far tougher than ordinary glass. Yet under the barbarian's relentless strikes, tiny white pits appeared along its wall, quickly branching into radiating cracks. The fractures spread wider and wider until the vat shattered completely, sending magic-infused dragon blood surging out in a torrent. Singo rushed forward, filling several prepared bottles to the brim before letting the rest of the precious true blood spill across the floor. Tiansheng Zhankuang was still bashing the chilling laboratory equipment, relying on sheer brute force to reduce the meticulously calibrated devices to scrap. The slumbering white dragon was finally awakened by the racket made by the players. It opened its eyes and slowly struggled to rise. The magical chains coiled around its body rattled violently, and the tubes embedded in its flesh swayed with the motion. The circle beneath it flared with intense magical radiance, ultimately binding the dragon fast and forcing it back down. *Awooo—* Its struggle ended in failure once more, and it turned its head. Its vertical pupils locked onto the players before it, gleaming with long-suppressed fury. Startled by those frigid eyes, Mantou reflexively raised both hands in a French salute. Regardless of whether the dragon could understand him, he babbled: "Don't eat me, Brother Dragon—wait, no, Sister Dragon!" "I'm a dragonborn after all! I just wanted to smash some stuff to spite that old pervert. We're on the same side!" *Roar—* The white dragon did not answer, offering only a manic roar. Its massive body thrashed again, its scales nearly standing on end. Yet its gaze was not on the players; it was staring fixedly at a spot behind them—an altar carved with a ferocious dragon's head. Singo realized the roar was not directed at them, but at whatever was behind them. He quickly ushered the others to take cover to the side, then peeked out to watch. Ripples spread through the air. A pair of gruesome claws tore through space, rending open a jagged rift. A man stepped out from the dark void. He wore a black hooded robe, his face veiled by a strange mist. On his chest hung a tarnished, rust-pocked medal emblazoned with an eyed flame burning upon a dragon's claw. The man—or rather, Vagnerd—let out a raspy cackle. "Ah, I have returned." "Long time no see, my dear 'Sleeping Beauty.'" *Roar!* The white dragon's slit pupils flared with venomous rage. If looks could kill, it would have flayed the black-robed figure alive and swallowed him whole. It let out suppressed, hoarse growls as its massive frame thrashed and rolled, slamming against its bonds again and again, completely indifferent to the deep, bloody gashes being gouged into its flesh. The black-robed man paid it no mind, speaking in a "doting" tone: "Heheh, after all these years, you're still throwing these little tantrums." He chuckled softly and raised a hand slightly. Vagnerd's Dragon-Binding Circle beneath the white dragon blazed with terrifying magical radiance. Countless fresh chains rose from the ground, wrapping around the dragon's battered form. The magical chains solidified as never before, constricting tighter and tighter like a python crushing its prey, nearly encasing the white dragon entirely. The white dragon's scales fractured, its bones groaning and creaking under the pressure. *Whimper—* Its head drooped, its neck pinned helplessly to the ground as a mournful wail escaped deep from its throat. Vagnerd walked forward at an unhurried pace, gently stroking the small, sharp beak-like crest on the white dragon's snout. "Tinia, my most precious specimen... are you finally willing to submit of your own accord?" Just then, the white dragon, seemingly near death only a heartbeat ago, suddenly lunged. Stretching its neck as far as it could, it opened its gaping maw and snapped at the black-robed man. *Snap!* Yet its jaws slammed shut on empty air, its interlocking teeth colliding with a crisp crack. Nothing remained in the dragon's mouth but a faint wisp of mist. Vagnerd had already reappeared dozens of meters away. He laughed hysterically, clapping his hands incessantly, his entire body trembling with feverish excitement. "Haha, hahaha!" "Wonderful! That's it! That's my beloved dragon! I love watching you struggle with everything you have. It's simply—too beautiful! Just like over a hundred years ago, when that red dragon devoured Catherine! That image is burned into my mind, unmatched by any work of art, unforgettable for eternity!" "Come on! Use every ounce of your strength to tear me to shreds! Better yet, eat me alive!" "I would cheer for it! I would rejoice in ecstatic bliss!" Vagnerd spread his arms toward the white dragon like a fanatic pilgrim. Meanwhile, the white dragon repeatedly battered against the binding circle, its eyes burning with monstrous hatred as it tried again and again to strike at him. The scene was grotesque and unsettling. Hiding in the shadows, Mantou felt his scalp tingle, inwardly marveling, *This guy... is an absolute fucking lunatic!* As if sensing something, Vagnerd paused. "Still, before enjoying our happy hours together, I have to deal with the little mice that snuck in." "What mischievous little creatures... making such a mess of my home." His voice carried a faint trace of gritted teeth.