Miss Wang Weina, even your cousin won't do!

But a single sentence from Theresa shattered her illusions. Theresa was married, and judging from the expression on her face when she mentioned her husband, she seemed very happy.

Talulah had never heard of the mastermind getting married. Shouldn't they all just swiftly behead the man and then utter a profound statement like, "Men? Ha, they'll only slow me down from becoming the number one martial artist!"

Talulah couldn't figure out Theresa's tactics anymore, so she could only shift the blame to Patriot, silently complaining to herself:

"Mr. Patriot knows everything, but he just won't tell me anything!"

Seeing Talulah inexplicably drift off into thought, Theresa looked up in confusion and glanced at Surtr beside her. But Surtr wasn't Kal'tsit and couldn't understand Theresa's meaning. Talulah was currently lounging lazily, wrapped in a cotton coat she'd found in a supply crate, leaning back in her chair like a sleepy koala, eyes closed, purring softly. She seemed to be enjoying herself even more than Theresa, the leader.

Theresa could only roll her eyes, turn around, and take the initiative to ask:

"What's wrong with Miss Talulah?"

"Ah...it's nothing." Talulah was startled, suppressing her small complaint, and hurriedly replied, "I'm also curious, why would Princess Theresa's...husband...mention me? Your husband lives in Victoria now, which is too far from Ursus."

Theresa could see that Talulah was nervous. This was probably the first time Talulah had encountered such a kind "leadership" person as Theresa. The memories Koschei left her with were so bad that she subconsciously had a strong sense of defensiveness towards Theresa and didn't know how to communicate with her calmly.

At this point, only I can guide her, just as I guided Vina step by step back then.

She smiled and nodded, saying, "Miss Talulah should know about her lineage, right?"

Talulah frowned. Bloodline was a noble thing, and as someone who had sworn to overthrow the corrupt nobles of Ursus, to rebuild order, and to bring fairness, she didn't particularly like discussing the issue of "bloodline." But since Theresa had asked, she answered truthfully:

“I know. I am a hybrid of Draco and a dragon.”

"Do you know the meaning of Draco?" Theresa asked again.

Talulah raised an eyebrow; she really didn't know that.

Her father had passed away before she could remember. After she could remember, she was taken care of by Wei Yanwu and lived with Chen. To be honest, if it weren't for the difference in their skin color and the fact that Wei Yanwu had mentioned it to her, she really wouldn't have known that she was not a "dragon" but a "drake".

What does the word "Draco" really mean? Why did Kosichek mention this race, but no one ever told him what secret it pointed to?

She shook her head seriously: "I don't know," she paused, her eyes narrowing slightly, "Is this why you came here?"

Theresa looked at her wary expression, then shook her head with a wry smile.

"Not entirely, don't be nervous, Talulah."

“Your lineage is only one of the reasons I came here. My husband is Aslan, a race you must have heard of.”

Talulah bowed: "The royal family of Victoria is Aslan."

"But Drake is also a member of Victoria's royal family."

Talulah paused for a moment, then her eyes widened suddenly: "What did you say?"

Theresa nodded firmly. Talulah turned around somewhat dazedly, took a few steps, then turned back as if to say something, but couldn't utter a word. After a long while, she asked awkwardly:

"You're not here to ask me to go back and inherit the throne or something, are you?"

Theresa was taken aback by this statement and asked, both amused and exasperated, "Why would you think that? Of course not."

Talulah breathed a sigh of relief. First, Koschei wanted to take her back to inherit the dukedom, and then there was the Victorian throne. She really couldn't handle it.

Theresa, fearing that she might overthink things and be unable to explain later, quickly added:

“Theoretically, you do have a right to the throne, but unless Aslan and the Drak both die out, it’s highly unlikely that it will be your turn. I’m here to find you only because my husband wants to help you. To help a Drak with ideals. This is also Mr. Bozocasti’s wish.”

If Aslan dies out, and Draco also dies out, then it's only my turn. It does seem quite unlikely.

But Theresa later realized that there seemed to be only two Draks left, and only two Athruns left as well. Considering all that, it seemed that Talulah's chances of inheriting the throne weren't actually that low.

Let's not talk about this anymore.

Talulah asked curiously, "Help me? How can you help me?"

Money, power, or equipment—but bypassing the Ursus Empire's surveillance to transport the goods to the snowfields is virtually impossible. How does Theresa plan to help him?

Theresa leaned closer to Talulah and said mysteriously, "I'll help you get rid of Koschei."

Talulah's gray eyes narrowed.

Chapter 140 Levadin! Levadin! Levadin!

Black Serpent wanted to send his greetings to the ancestors of that Aslan man named Wayne.

As an immortal being, he rarely lost his composure like this. But as the saying goes, the purpose of convention is to allow for exceptions, and this was his "exception." Black Serpent had lived for so long, and this was the first time he'd ever seen someone so fond of meddling in other people's business.

Indeed, his definition of Wayne was that he liked to meddle in other people's business. While Victoria wasn't far from the Ursus Empire, it certainly wasn't close either. And if Victoria's capital, Londinium, were a tiny village on the eastern border of the Ursus Empire, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it was a world apart. So why was Wayne, a prince of Victoria, inexplicably targeting him, a duke of Ursus?

Did I provoke you?

Well, it seems you and I do have a tiny connection, after all, the body I've set my sights on belongs to a Draco. Given the irreconcilable conflict between Dracos and Aslan, it's not unreasonable for you to be targeting me. Aside from admiring your pettiness—wanting to kill even a half-Draco—I, Black Serpent, have nothing more to say.

So be it, he could just find another body. As an immortal, he naturally wouldn't put all his eggs in one basket; he had backup options, such as Silver Ring Serpent Nine, who was also from Fydia. Black Serpent was already prepared. If Wayne really came and wanted to kill Talulah, he would be decisive, abandon Talulah, and quickly head to Lungmen to find Nine, implementing Plan B.

But he never expected that Wayne would be so ruthless!

He not only wanted to kill Talulah, but also to eliminate all traces of her, even annihilating her soul. And the one who did this for him was none other than the current Demon King!

The "Black Serpent Seed," which had been lurking in Talulah's body and had already minimized its presence and even removed its consciousness from the invasion, was utterly furious and chilled when it heard Theresa mysteriously say, "I can help you get rid of Koschei."

What's wrong with this world? There's persecution of the immortals everywhere. Will Ursus ever recover? I've shed blood for the Empire, I've rendered service to the Emperor, you can't treat me like this! I'm so angry that I'm sweating profusely even in this freezing weather!

There was no other way. Seeing that Talulah was starting to feel attracted to him, the black serpent couldn't hold back any longer. He had no choice but to risk being captured by the Demon King and forcibly release all the power he had accumulated over the years, sending it straight from his heart to Talulah's skull!

In that instant, Talulah, who had not been affected by the corruption for a long time and was completely unprepared, suddenly felt a darkness before her eyes. When she opened her eyes again, her originally light gray pupils had turned golden yellow, with black snake shadows in her pupils.

When wielders of Originium Arts specializing in mental magic cast spells, their eye color undergoes subtle changes. This is true for Theresa, Wayne, and Michael. Theresa's eye color, being a Demon Lord, is white; Michael's is a cross stained with the crimson of dusk and gold; Wayne's is the most orthodox and powerful pure gold; while Talulah's eyes at this moment appear somewhat eerie and sinister.

Theresa noticed Talulah's change almost immediately. She took a small step back, her expression gradually turning cold, and said seriously:

“Originally, His Highness Bruce told me that Talulah, one of the only three remaining members of the Drak bloodline in the world, was entwined with a terrifying black serpent. I was somewhat puzzled as to why he, being so far away from Ursus, would know such a secret. But now it seems that, whatever the reason, at least he wasn't lying to me. Undying black serpent, should I call you Duke Koschche?”

The black snake's expression was not very pleasant after its true form was exposed.

He had heard the name Wayne Bruce countless times in the past few days! From the moment Bozocas returned to the guerrillas until the arrival of the Demon Lord Theresa, the shadow of "Wayne" had been haunting Black Serpent's mind. He had never met this person, and hadn't even known much about him, yet now this person, who should have been completely unrelated to him, was standing in his way.

"Who exactly is Wayne?"

The black snake asked, its face dark. Theresa chuckled and countered with:

Why should I tell you?

The fewer people in the world who know Mr. Bruce's identity and abilities, the greater his safety will be. Especially for an immortal being like Black Serpent, whose strength is unfathomable and whose schemes are numerous, the less they know, the better.

"All you need to know is that he is your nemesis, that's all!"

Theresa raised her hand, and the ring on her right ring finger burst forth with a light as bright as day, instantly filling the entire room. The black snake felt a burning sensation all over its body, a burning sensation that did not come from the body, but from its very soul.

This is the Demon King's power: an attack directly targeting the soul. On the Terra land, where research into the spiritual realm is weak, it's practically unsolvable. This is also one of the reasons the Demon King has been demonized without restraint. No one wants to see a race with inheritable, difficult-to-defend Originium Arts and their king become powerful; otherwise, no other nation would be able to withstand them—perhaps before the war even begins, their own upper echelons will already be controlled by the Demon King?

A murderous glint flashed across Kosich's face. Even he had no way to defend against this dazzling white light, but not defending did not mean he could not attack. As long as he dealt with the Demon King himself, this mental attack would naturally stop!

And Draco happens to possess that kind of physical strength!

Without further hesitation, the black snake manipulated Talulah's body to raise her hand. Talulah herself was an infected, capable of casting spells without a staff. Coupled with Drak's unique [Temperature] Originium Arts, she could unleash formidable combat power even in the frigid winter, which was not suitable for fire-type Originium Arts users.

A ball of flame, heated to a deep blue, condensed in Talulah's hand. With a sharp shout from the black serpent, it transformed into a fiery whip and lashed out at Theresa. But to the black serpent's surprise, Theresa neither dodged nor evaded the terrifying fire attack. She didn't even change her posture, maintaining her raised hand that shone with white light, a hint of mockery even appearing on her face.

What gives you the right?

The thought flashed through Black Snake's mind, and the next second, she knew the source of Theresa's confidence.

In the corner of the tent, a red-haired Sarkaz girl who had been ignored all along spoke with a defiant and dissatisfied voice:

"I promised His Highness Wayne to protect Theresa. Isn't it a bit too confident of you to play with fire in front of me?"

"I don't know what Theresa meant by 'black snake,' 'psychic,' or 'nemesis,' and I don't know what your Drak, Koschke, or 'black snake' stuff is. All I know is that I only need one move to deal with you!"

Surtr flung the blanket around her, pulling out Leivatin hidden beneath it with the imposing air of a general tossing off his cloak. Her eyebrows shot up, she pointed her sword at Talulah, and shouted sharply:

"Leivatin!"

The fire demon erupted and collided with the burning red dragon's flames.

Chapter 141 Roasted Snake, Tarua Gives a Thumbs Up

Damn it, what's wrong with this Sarkaz?!

The Black Serpent intensified its Originium Arts output for the third time. A ferocious expression, once unmistakable on Talulah's face, now betrayed its former confidence. Even so, the raging flames failed to breach the red-haired Sarkaz's defenses. The towering, humanoid fire demon formed from flames was like a bottomless pit, absorbing every ounce of power and temperature the Black Serpent increased.

At this rate, forget about breaking through Surtr's defenses or even harming the Demon King behind her. I might even lose control of my body due to excessive mental energy depletion, losing control of Talulah's will. Then, wouldn't I be completely at the Demon King's mercy?!

"Hiss—damn it, I've never heard of Sarkaz being good at fire magic!"

“That’s because you’re ignorant,” Surtr said with an air of dominance, putting her hands on her hips. “Not only do I know how to play with fire, but no one on this earth can do it better than me!”

Arrogance is arrogance; in her area of ​​expertise, Surtr never holds back. Just like how she bluntly tells her teachers at school, "You're all so weak, how dare you teach me?" While this personality trait isn't always endearing, Surtr undeniably possesses a strength that, despite making people dislike her, compels them to admire her abilities.

With this kind of personality, every word she utters when facing enemies, whether intentional or unintentional, is a highly insulting taunt.

Black Serpent's expression grew increasingly grim. Using Talulah's body to unleash Drak's flames was already an overstepping of her bounds. If Talulah had been willing, it wouldn't have been so bad. But Talulah wasn't the desperate girl she had imagined, "with nowhere else to turn but to plunge into the abyss and never return." Instead, she was a tundra warrior, invigorated by Theresa's arrival and Victoria's support. How could she willingly watch Black Serpent use her own body to harm someone, especially someone who had traveled so far to help her?

As the spiritual energy consumed by releasing Originium Arts increased, Black Serpent gradually felt his strength waning. Talulah's resistance grew increasingly fierce. If she weren't ignorant of spiritual power and unable to find a suitable method, Black Serpent, with his current level of consciousness, might have been momentarily careless and been interfered with by Talulah.

"This can't go on forever. I can't do anything about this weird Sarkaz."

The black snake gritted its teeth, its cherry lips slightly pursed, giving it a rather pitiful appearance.

We need to find a way to get out of here!

The Demon King's light constantly seared her soul, accelerating her decline. The Black Serpent began to gradually reduce the output of its Originium Arts, shifting from offense to defense, hoping to buy more time and find a suitable opportunity to leave.

A body can be found again. Although Talulah's bloodline and identity are extremely rare and precious, nothing is more important than one's own life!

However, the flames released by the black serpent had barely weakened when Surtr immediately drew his flaming greatsword, Levadin, and slashed down with it almost as one with the Balrog. The remaining flames of Drak and the Balrog's fire wrapped around the greatsword mingled into a giant wave, and before the black serpent could react, it was instantly engulfed by the flames.

"you!"

The black snake only had time to let out a terrified scream before its body became a blur in the wave of flames. Surtr smiled disdainfully, looking all cocky, and put his hands back on his hips.

"Hmph, nothing special. If I come, I'll kill them all!"

Theresa opened her mouth in astonishment as she stared at Talulah, who was engulfed by Surtr's flames. Her face turned from rosy to pale in an instant, and before she could even control the light on her ring, it flickered twice and then suddenly went out.

She gasped, stopping Surtr who was about to add fuel to the fire, and said:

"Stop! Stop! Spare their lives!"

Surtr, held down by Theresa, tilted his head, looking at Theresa with a puzzled expression, seemingly not understanding why she had restrained him at this crucial moment. The flames subsided, and Theresa quickly ran forward, helping the dark figure lying in the snow inside the tent to her feet. She immediately checked Talulah's breathing. Though weak, it was still relatively stable; Drak's resilient constitution had saved her life, allowing her to barely withstand the blazing fire.

Theresa hurriedly took a bundle of bandages from the medical kit next to her, wanting to help Talulah wrap her bandages, but looking at the "black beauty" in front of her, she held the bandages and didn't know where to start for a moment.