Cassius took a few slow paces forward, his ferocious draconic face adopting a look of sullen wrath. Flames kindled within his pale golden pupils, and white smoke smelling of sulfur seeped between his teeth.
"So... is this how your Tower of Time shows goodwill?"
"By having a chronurgy wizard become a so-called 'dragonslayer' and courting death standing before me?"
"My deepest apologies, Your Majesty Cassius."
Facing the red dragon's aggressive pressure, Talin Archimonde maintained his deferential posture.
The time dragon even lowered his head slightly, curving his graceful neck in an apology.
"This was not our design, but a chance twist of fate. On behalf of the Tower of Time, I offer our apologies for Klein's insolent offense."
"The future does not change easily, and Klein still has a mission belonging to him in days to come—as I fear you know in your heart, you will not kill him."
Cassius narrowed his eyes slightly. Looking down coldly at the human on the ground, his gaze turned abruptly grim.
"And if... I insist on killing him?"
Instantly, an immense, near-tangible Frightful Presence flooded outward. A murderous aura tinged with the scent of blood filled the air, as though countless dragons were roaring within the void, freezing the entire space in its tracks.
"Lord Archimonde, save me! Save me!"
"He really is going to kill me!"
Klein was frightened out of his wits. Twisting and struggling on the ground, he crawled toward the feet of his protector.
The time dragon hurriedly took a step forward to keep the red dragon from doing anything rash. "Your Majesty Cassius, there is no need to probe any further. We will certainly provide due compensation."
The Frightful Presence vanished abruptly, and the aura of slaughter dissipated with it, allowing Klein once again to feel the relief of having survived a disaster.
The corners of Cassius's mouth curled into a ferocious grin. "Very well."
"However, I expect to see the Tower of Time's sincerity. You must understand that this is the life of a legendary wizard—one can easily imagine its price."
"You will be satisfied," Talin Archimonde replied in a deep voice.
The surrounding space-time twisted abruptly. An exquisite scroll and an emblem carved with a clock tower appeared before him—both items pulsed with iridescent veins, as if the tides of time were flowing across their surfaces.
"This is a scroll of the ninth-circle spell Time Stop, penned by an ancient time dragon himself, not one of those flawed, common goods made by humans."
"And the other item is the emblem of the Tower of Time. When you pour your will into it, you will receive the aid of a time dragon, as well as any assistance within a reasonable scope from the Tower of Time."
"Not enough. Far from enough."
"A ninth-circle spell and a blank check are not enough to buy the life of a legendary wizard."
Glancing at the floating items, Cassius gave a slight shake of his head and spoke calmly.
The time dragon seemed to have anticipated this. Extending his right claw, an invisible force acted upon Klein.
Instantly, a golden pocket watch flew out from his breast pocket. Klein scrambled to reach out for it.
"No, my watch—"
Yet catching Cassius's menacing glare, Klein glumly pulled his hand back, his face filled with wrenching heartache and misery.
"It is yours," Talin Archimonde said.
Cassius used a force spell to hold the golden pocket watch aloft.
Tick, tock, tick...
The hands upon it continued to turn in rhythmic motion, emitting crisp clicks. Its dial was etched with intricate magical circuits, still shimmering with those iridescent veins of flowing time.
[You have acquired legendary equipment: Time Pocket Watch]
Time Pocket Watch
Quality: Legendary
Creator: Roald Stefanovich
Description: The ancient time dragon Roald collected items related to time—from ordinary sundials and delicate pocket watches to bizarre clockwork water clocks. Over the span of countless centuries, he discarded and recollected them hundreds of times.
These collections often lay quietly beside the time-breathing dragon. Over time, they grew steeped in the power of time, transforming into peerless treasures.
"You say I abandoned my treasures? No, that is true only for mortal minds. One day, they will always return to my side. Though as for this pocket watch, perhaps not. —Roald Stefanovich"
Effects:
Time Stop: 1/day
Temporal Stasis: 1/day
Breath of Temporal Power: You possess a portion of a time dragon's might, making you difficult to affect with temporal spells.
Time Stop
9th-circle Transmutation
You speed up your personal temporal flow, causing your actions to take virtually no time at all. The surrounding environment remains frozen for the spell's duration.
Temporal Stasis
8th-circle Transmutation
Places a helpless creature into a state of suspended animation. The time surrounding it freezes, all bodily functions cease, and it cannot be harmed during this process.
Cassius nodded in satisfaction, but after a moment's contemplation, he spoke once more: "Is the Tower of Time always so stingy?"
"Still not enough."
"If I kill this wizard, this pocket watch would fall into my clutches anyway. Your Tower of Time hasn't really paid anything extra, have you?"
"..."
The time dragon was growing numb, momentarily at a loss for words.
He looked up at Cassius, glanced down with a sharp glare at Klein, and finally spoke in exasperation, "Of course not..."
"Six hundred thousand gold coins. In ten days, we will send someone to deliver them to your palace. We only ask that, when the time comes, you temporarily lift the surrounding antimagic field."
Stowing these precious items away, Cassius nodded in satisfaction, not forgetting to ruffle his wings.
"That's more like it. I see a bit of your sincerity now. However..."
"Your Majesty Cassius, we at the Tower of Time have a busy schedule and other business to attend to. We shall disturb you no longer. Farewell!"
Before Cassius even finished speaking, Talin Archimonde blurted out his farewells with extreme haste. Immediately afterward, he took Klein and fled the scene like someone escaping for his life.
"Tsk, I wasn't finished talking."
"As expected, even a legendary time dragon is still just a dragon at heart, retaining that stingy nature."
Cassius did not stop them. He simply stood quietly where he was, gazing at the space-time still faintly warped by the teleportation spell.
"The future..."
"Judging from that time dragon's behavior, my future doesn't seem too bad."
"And yet... is this so-called future truly set in stone? If it were, how could a 'Fate Alterer' like me be here in the first place?"
His pale golden pupils flickered slightly, his thoughts unreadable.
"Roar..."
A moment later, the red dragon let out a low rumble. Brutally ripping open the space before him with claws and fangs, he created a blazing portal, tucked his wings, and plunged in.
His kingdom still awaited his return.
Compared to a distant, hazy, and unknown future, Cassius cared far more about the tangible gains right before his eyes.
Chapter 339