Arcane Emperor

Humming a tune softly, Matthew finally felt the weight lifted from his heart after temporarily escaping the threat of death.

Now, he began cheerfully tallying the spoils of the battle.

"70 pieces of Flesh Essence, they are ingredients for several precious potions."

"Over the more than ten years as the Scarlet Moon gradually wanes, their value should increase."

"I can take advantage of this period to buy more, accumulating some initial development funds..."

"The assassin contributed over 300 Gold Coins, with 150 left, to be used as daily expenses, since Yaya's appetite is not small."

"Shadow Fang×2, Fine Gold-crafted daggers of excellent quality, attack +5, sharpness +4, sturdiness +3, enchanted with Magic Breaker."

"Well-crafted, a rare find, one could market for 3500 Gold Coins, and a set could sell for at least 8000!"

"Good stuff, considering keeping them, as circulating them could also bring me trouble."

Just as Matthew put aside the two Shadow Fangs, Yaya, who was sound asleep, suddenly opened her eyes.

She came over curiously, smelling a very tempting scent on these daggers:

"Yaya? What's this food? Looks delicious!"

Before Matthew had a chance to answer, he saw Yaya open her mouth and swallow them down.

"Wait, you can't eat th—... What the heck?"

Yaya, who had triumphantly gulped down the Shadow Fangs, let out a satisfied burp and affectionately rubbed her head against Matthew's hand when she saw it approaching.

After that, she yawned widely, and fell back into a snoring sleep, while Matthew stared bewildered at the display appearing above her head:

Name: Yaya.

Species: Dragon-Beast.

Occupation: Not yet assigned.

Age: 1 day, (Hatchling Stage).

Challenge Level: 9+!

Equipment: Shadow Fang×2

Status: Dormancy Evolution underway (Do you want to spend 5000 EXP + 500 Destiny Coins to promote a perfect evolution?)

"Spend 5000 EXP + 500 Destiny Coins? Is this for real?"

Indescribable joy surged in his heart, and as Matthew looked at Yaya, whose size hadn't changed much, he thought carefully about his memories of young dragons and contracted creatures.

"I remember the number one contract creature on the official player ranking list is a young red dragon, Olayna."

"She had a contract with a representative released by the Huaxia officials and received tremendous cultivation from the entire official body."

"Before falling, Olayna's Challenge Level had reached 25+, and she possessed a leader-class template, destroying the Goddess of Fortune Church Headquarters, perishing together with two demigods."

"But, Olayna's first perfect Dormancy Evolution only required 3500 EXP and some epic materials..."

"Yaya's future..."

Gently stroking the fine scales of Yaya, Matthew originally thought she was just a common Time Dragon-Beast.

But now it seems her origins and potential are far more than what he thought!

"Agreed!"

5000 EXP might be a lot, but compared to Yaya's perfect evolution, it was nothing.

Wrapped in a bluish glow, Yaya's grey-black scales on her back started to become more transparent, while her dull yellow belly scales began to shift toward her back.

An inexplicable anticipation filled Matthew's heart.

"Who doesn't enjoy nurturing and perfecting their favorites?"

Moreover, Matthew wasn't in a hurry to advance his Level 1 Arcanist Level.

The main reason was:

The power of spellcasters lies in the number and mastery of spells they control, as well as whether they have sufficient money!

A wealthy arcanist's combat power can shake the heavens and the earth.

A poor arcanist might end up selling magic scrolls...

The secondary reason was:

When the soldiers, under Angela's command, killed a Mutant Boar with a Challenge Level of 1+,

The EXP feedback to Matthew changed from the initial 10 points of EXP to now only 5 points.

While Yaya was evolving, Matthew checked the next two pieces of magic equipment the assassin had, a cloak and a pair of shoes.

"Shadow Cloak, crafted from Shadow Lion-Scorpion hide, of fine quality, Stealth +3, Magic Resistance +2, enchanted with the spell - Magical Barrier."

"Well-crafted, scarce in stock, the market price is 3600 Gold Coins."

Matthew didn't hesitate, decisively draping the Shadow Cloak over himself. Stealth was somewhat negligible for him, but Magic Resistance +2 was very useful.

Not to mention the extremely important Magical Barrier.

Matthew was quite familiar with the Magical Barrier enchantment, having once relied on selling its scrolls to get through a financially challenging time.

The 3600 Gold Coin price tag of the Shadow Cloak, its enchantment alone was worth 3000 Gold Coins.

Whether for magical experiments or combat, Magic Resistance +2 and Magical Barrier would provide very good effects for him.

"Boots of Haste, crafted from Wind Serpent Skin and Loc Feather, of fine quality, Movement Speed +6, enchanted with the spell - Charge!"

"Another fine piece of equipment, with speed reaching +6 and even enchanted with a spell, Charge is wasted on an assassin but is perfect for warriors and paladins..."

"The displayed market price, at only 4800 Gold Coins? That doesn't take supply and demand into account..."

Matthew analyzed the data once more, stowing the Boots of Haste, and with a hint of a cold smirk on his handsome face, he reflected on the richness of the assassin's possessions:

"A mere Level 7 assassin, with equipment and spell scrolls that together value easily over 20 thousand Gold Coins, richer than the average high-rank professional..."

"Such a great expense, just to kill a mere Level 1 Arcanist like me, is somewhat too generous..."

Several suspicious targets flashed through his mind, but Matthew didn't ponder their motives too much. After all, he had only one principle when it came to enemies:

"No mercy!"

"Roar...!"

A roar, youthful yet imposing, suddenly filled Matthew's ears. Yaya, completely transformed, curiously gazed at her shining silver scales, her little head filled with immense wonder:

"Yaya? Why have my scales turned silver? But they look nicer than before..."

"Mmm... I'm hungry again, daddy!!"

Yaya, having woken up hungry once more, naturally had all her requests met, transforming into a little foodie, happily nibbling on jerky.

Matthew, who had thought Yaya might want to eat the flesh of magical creatures, observed her changes more carefully.

Although the legendary Time Dragon had healed her, Yaya's wings were still small since she wasn't a True Dragon, and flying would always be strenuous for her as she grew.

Now, Yaya's wings had grown twice as big, easily able to wrap around her entire body.

The fine scales were covered with densely packed mana patterns, slowly emitting fluctuations.

More striking than her physical changes was Yaya's data:

Name: Yaya

Race: Dragon-Beast.

Class: Level 1 Sorcerer.

Age: 1 day (Hatchling Stage).

Challenge Level: 9+!

Equipment: Dark Fang

Feats:

Extraordinary Feat - Dragon's Might LV1, releasing a frightening aura, exerting a Will-5 opposing pressure on all nearby creatures!

Extraordinary Feat - Exile Breath LV1, emits a Temporal Linear Breath on items or enemies, banishing them within time for a duration of one month!

Attributes:

Strength: 12

Agility: 14

Intelligence: 18

Constitution: 14

Perception: 20

Charm: 22

Luck: +5.

Evaluation: A powerhouse not to be missed!

Drawing a breath sharply, Matthew looked at Yaya who, having only been born a day ago, already had a total attribute score of 100 points.

Repeatedly seeing the "Exile Breath" characteristic only of the Time Dragon, he completely agreed with the evaluation:

"Yaya truly is the main support!"