"Ahem! Actually, I can help you locate the world nodes and even the time nodes of any world!"
Lin's voice rang out confidently, and her words took Lin Mei by surprise.
"What? What kind of attribute dragon are you? How is that even possible?!" Lin Mei demanded, her mind reeling.
He had never heard of a dragon possessing multiple attributes, not even in the world of Fairy Tail. And yet, Lin wasn't just helping suppress his dragon transformation—she could manipulate multiple attributes and even adjust the elemental balance in his body.
If Lin hadn't revealed this herself, Lin Mei would never have guessed.
He could almost see Lin rolling her eyes, like an exasperated but amused aristocrat indulging a clueless commoner.
"You never asked," she said simply.
Lin Mei was momentarily speechless.
Lin chuckled before continuing, "Alright, I won't tease you anymore. But think about it—why do you think my mother poured so much dragon blood into you so recklessly? Was she not afraid your body would reject it and that you'd explode on the spot?"
Lin Mei shuddered at the thought. Back then, he had only cared about gaining the power of the Dragon Slayer. He hadn't stopped to consider the risks.
"Why?" he asked, sweat forming on his brow.
"Because," Lin said, her tone turning serious, "your body is special. You possess a unique magical constitution—one capable of accommodating all known magical attributes."
Lin Mei's breath hitched as Lin pressed on.
"My mother took full advantage of this. She gathered the blood of fallen dragons from our tribe and infused it into you, allowing you to absorb all their attributes. And since I can suppress your dragon transformation, your body can adapt to the power without succumbing to it."
Lin Mei frowned. "Okay, but what does this have to do with your attributes?"
"Don't interrupt! I'm getting to the point!" Lin huffed, clearly irritated.
She took a deep breath before continuing, "Since you can house multiple attributes, my mother had a bold idea—she wanted to use you as the vessel to restore my bloodline to its former glory."
Lin Mei blinked. "Restore your bloodline?"
"Yes," Lin affirmed. "Our Dragon God—the pinnacle of dragonkind—was said to wield all elemental attributes. My mother believed that by gathering and fusing different dragon attributes within you, and with me suppressing your transformation, we could replicate that process.
Because of your magical constitution, you can absorb and harmonize all these elements, though it accelerates your dragon transformation. That's where I come in—I suppress the transformation while benefiting from the process myself. The more attributes you master, the more I evolve. And the closer I get to becoming a Dragon God."
Lin Mei stood frozen.
"So basically…" he muttered, realization dawning. "Your mother turned me into your personal cheat code."
Lin faltered. "W-Wait, that's not—"
"Who's the protagonist here? Me or you?!" Lin Mei shot back.
Lin opened her mouth but found herself unable to refute him. From a certain perspective, he wasn't wrong.
All she had to do was keep him stable and prevent a full dragon transformation. In return, she would eventually evolve into something greater.
"Ahem." Lin cleared her throat. "Even if that's true, calling it a 'cheat code' is a bit much." There was an amused exasperation in her voice. "We are symbiotic. Your growth directly fuels my evolution. The stronger you become, the purer the energy I can extract, accelerating my ascent. We're in this together."
Lin Mei fell silent, his mind racing to process everything.
"So… I'm essentially investing in my own future?" he asked slowly.
Lin's tone turned serious. "That's one way to look at it. Every breakthrough you achieve strengthens both of us. Your journey isn't just for yourself—it's for me, for us. Together, we'll carve out our place in this world."
A small smile tugged at Lin Mei's lips, warmth spreading through his chest. He had thought he was merely using Lin's power to manage his dragon transformation. He hadn't realized just how deeply intertwined their fates were.
"Alright, Lin," he said, his voice firm. "I get it now. Since we're bound together, I'll do my best to grow stronger—not just for myself, but for you too. For our future."
Lin's voice softened, laced with relief. "That's the spirit. No matter what challenges come our way, we'll face them together. As long as we stand side by side, nothing is impossible."
At that moment, Lin Mei felt an unfamiliar yet undeniable surge of power coursing through his veins—a testament to the unshakable trust and connection he now shared with Lin.
But why did that feeling seem so familiar?
Wait—no way!
"Lin, were you just PUA-ing me?!"
The sensation just now was like being fed an overly grand, hot-blooded dream.
"Hey, hey, hey! When does this story turn into a battle epic? Where's the blood-pumping action?"
"No! Absolutely not! You're overthinking it, you paranoid capitalist!" Lin denied vehemently.
"No! You totally were!"
"I was not!"
"You were!"
"I wasn't!"
"Yes, you were!"
"Nope!"
Their playful bickering continued until Lin Mei eventually dozed off.
Surprisingly, he didn't dwell much on the fact that Lin's mother had essentially used him as an experimental vessel. He had gained immense benefits in the process, wielding powerful Dragon Slayer magic. If Lin suppressing his dragon transformation also aided her growth, then it was a mutually beneficial arrangement.
Besides, Lin Mei knew Lin wouldn't stay in his body forever.
As for whether Lin Mei could accurately pinpoint the spatial and temporal coordinates of a world, that required a substantial amount of both space and time energy.
With that in mind, Lin Mei immediately set his sights on two targets: the Space Gem and the Time Gem.
The former was still resting deep in the ocean, waiting to be salvaged. The latter, however, posed a greater challenge—it was in the hands of the Ancient One.
Patreon Seasay