Hate Me, Witch!-Chapter 174: Xia Ya: Did I Just Become the Guardian Minister?

“is because ever since the Cataclysm Calendar began, countless explorers and voyagers have set sail, seeking that mythic island said to be drifting beyond the West, filled with relics and treasures from the Age of Glory.”

“But without exception, those who set out either returned with nothing… or vanished forever in the endless waves.”

As Xia Ya spoke, the Golden Dragon let out another hoarse rumble.

“That is only natural.”

“When the Great Cataclysm erupted, before the Elven King fully succumbed to corruption and madness, he used the last of his royal Authority to summon the power of the World Tree, and severed the Elven Court from the tree.”

“He created a massive barrier, eternally sheltering the elves’ sanctuary from the taint of that forbidden sun.”

“It was a bloodline-restricted barrier—unless you’re a fellow High Elf, or granted permission, then even if you reach the island’s edge, you’ll never be able to enter.”

“But—”

“In the very beginning, in the era of brilliance, whether giant, elf, or ancient dragon, all our royal courts were once connected to the World Tree.”

“Even though its first light has long gone out, and the World Tree has since died—”

“Some of its branches remain. They are the foundation of the mortal world.”

A faint glow passed through the Golden Dragon’s clouded eyes as it looked back at the vast, ruined remains.

“This place—was one of the fragments of the World Tree, though it has long perished.”

“But even so, as one of the former rulers of this royal court—”

“I am now one of only two beings left in this world who can still tap into the links between the World Tree’s branches, awaken this world, and guide you to the Lost Isle.”

The murk in its eyes faded slightly as the Golden Dragon stared intently at Xia Ya.

“Unless you can find the Giant Royal Court…”

“Assuming it still exists after a thousand years… and still retains a successor with the Authority to connect to the World Tree…”

“Otherwise, I am your only option. Even if you found a sane True God, you’d never find the Lost Isle.”

It slowly raised a claw, half-blackened and half-tinged with gold.

In the next instant—

that dragon egg, cloaked in thin shadow, deep and mysterious like starlight scattered in night’s curtain, appeared before Xia Ya.

The Golden Dragon looked at the Egg of Night, and its murky gaze grew a bit wistful.

“This is not my child.”

“Or rather, I have no right to call myself its parent.”

“This is the child of the King.”

“Even the Elven King, before losing control, had time to use his final strength to sever the Elven Court from the World Tree, to create the Lost Isle and the Eternal Night Barrier, protecting more than half of the High Elves from the Calamity of Light.”

“As Ancient Dragons, mightier even than the High Elves, we should have done even better than him.”

“But… the moment the Sun God fell from the Divine Throne, just happened to be the time when our King had only just completed the egg, having transferred nearly all of their power and Authority into it, at their weakest.”

“At that time, as the appointed heir to the royal court, the strongest pure-blooded dragon besides the King, and one of the only two ancient dragons able to command the World Tree’s branches—”

“I… was a coward.”

A flicker of deep, uncontrollable regret passed through the Golden Dragon’s eyes.

“When my people needed me most, I let fear of death cloud my heart. I chose to run.”

“And by the time I made up my mind and returned to the royal court… it was already too late.”

“Under the light of the fallen sun, the frenzied dragons, driven by their primal hunger for devouring and evolution, tore apart our King—newly born, drained of power—devouring them into fragments.”

“Then they turned on each other, fighting to steal what little divinity they had obtained.”

“When I arrived, all that welcomed me—

was a ruined court,

and countless dragon corpses—

once brothers and sisters, now rabid, blood-soaked beasts.”

“And amidst it all—

the King who endured being torn apart, flesh and divinity devoured by their own kin, yet still refused to run—

to protect this child.”

“The majestic royal court of the Ancient Dragons—

was dragged into its tragic end because of my cowardice.”

“From that day on, I became a wraith clinging to these ruins… or perhaps a vengeful spirit.”

“Because of my mistake, the glory of the Ancient Dragons has dimmed.

Perhaps some dragons escaped, fleeing to the Western Continent…

but those maddened creatures, even if still alive, even if they left descendants with dragon blood—

it means nothing.”

“They are nothing more than oversized lizards with diluted dragon blood, long forgotten the glory of the royal court.

They are not worthy of the name Ancient Dragon.”

“This is my sin.

No matter how many years I spend repenting, no matter how much I atone—

it cannot be erased.”

The Golden Dragon’s gaze softened slightly as it fell upon the Egg of Night.

“The only thing I can still do—

is protect this child whom the King sacrificed everything to shield.”

“They are the King’s child—

and the last descendant of the royal court.”

“For a thousand years since the Age of Glory ended and the Cataclysm began—

they have been absorbing the remnants of power from the shattered World Tree.”

“They are the last living witness to that age—

to the glory of the Ancient Dragon Royal Court.”

“And the history of this shining court—

will one day be sung through them.”

The Golden Dragon paused briefly.

The next moment—

a surge of Crimson-Gold divine light burst from its once-dull eyes.

The black rot that had cloaked its body faded, revealing brilliant Crimson-Gold scales beneath.

At long last—

this spirit that had haunted the royal ruins for centuries

regained a fraction of its former majesty—

the brilliance of a true Golden Dragon.

“The influence of the Fallen Sun still persists.”

“And as a race born above the clouds, we suffered the worst of the corruption—even the slightest sunlight brings a tendency toward madness and loss of control.”

“Even the High Elves had to create a perpetual night to hide themselves within a massive Eternal Night Barrier, sealed forever within the Lost Isle.”

“No one knows how long the Fallen Sun will continue to shine. Perhaps a thousand years… or maybe several more Eras.”

“But I know this place won’t last that long.”

“For the past thousand years, I’ve survived only by relying on the remaining power of the World Tree fragment buried within these ruins.”

“But now, even that last strength is nearly depleted.”

It looked directly at Xia Ya: “I’ve heard… recently among the human race, a new type of contract has been developed—”

“One that allows a human’s spiritual energy to connect with a transcendent creature’s soul.”

“In the past, whether dragon, giant, or elf, we all looked down on your kind.”

“We believed humans lacked innate racial talents, had short lifespans, and that even a single adult pure-blooded dragon could easily wipe out the mightiest of human warriors—you were nothing more than an insignificant Black Iron-tier species.”

“But now, I’ve realized… we were wrong.”

“Precisely because you humans are born with nothing—no divinity, no power gifted by the Creator Gods—you are also unbound.”

“Not shackled by the Fallen Sun, you are free to walk beneath its light.”

“And only by relying on the help of a pure-blooded human soul, and forming a contract with a human, can we have any chance to restrain the madness and instability that haunts upper races like us.”

“What’s more…”

“Even among those born with nothing, someone like you still emerged.”

The Golden Dragon looked at Xia Ya, pausing for a breath.

“Form a contract with the King’s child. Protect them on behalf of the King.”

“In return, I will use my royal authority as a successor of the Ancient Dragon Court, and leverage the World Tree's branches to create a path leading to the Lost Isle.”

By the end of its words, the Golden Dragon’s tone even held a trace of pleading.

Xia Ya didn’t respond—he simply stared at the dragon in silence.

For some reason, under Xia Ya’s gaze, the Golden Dragon actually felt a flicker of cold fear.

It was as if it had returned to its childhood, standing in the royal court for the first time, brought by its parents to meet the King upon the throne.

Deep and unfathomable.

“Are you really sure?”

The Golden Dragon heard a calm voice echo beside its ear.

“This sub-plane’s power can only be sustained for about a hundred more years.”

“If you do this, the World Tree branch will be drained instantly.”

“Without its protection, exposed directly to the Fallen Sun—

in your current state of body and soul, you’ll plunge into madness completely, with no hope of ever regaining your mind.”

“At that point, to protect myself, I’ll kill you first.”

Hearing Xia Ya’s words, the Golden Dragon gave a bitter smile.

“As expected… nothing escapes Your Excellency.”

This might have been the first time since the First Era’s dawn that an Ancient Dragon had ever addressed a human with the title ‘Your Excellency’ (冕下).

“But, I won’t trouble Your Excellency to do the deed.”

“I’ve already lived a thousand years in disgrace as a sinner of the dragon race.”

“A few more decades of cowardly survival… would mean little now.”

“My only wish… is that the King’s child will no longer be trapped in these ruins of death and ghosts.”

“But instead—

walk proudly beneath the light.”

Xia Ya raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll just devour the King’s child and absorb them?”

“A hatchling who inherited half a Dragon King’s authority, still in their juvenile stage… If they appeared in the Western Continent, even True Gods would be tempted.”

“And surely your Ancient Dragon Court had allies in the Age of Glory? Why entrust such a thing to me—a complete stranger?”

Xia Ya was confident in his charm, but this was a dragon, not a human.

To entrust the King’s child across species lines on the basis of a brief meeting? He didn’t buy it.

“I have no choice left.”

“After the Cataclysm, even those Mythical Creatures who still seem rational on the surface—

deep down, their souls have already been tainted by the Calamity of Light.”

“They merely suppress it with methods, but they could lose control at any time.”

“Compared to them—

I would rather trust Your Excellency, a pure-blooded human.”

Of course, there were things the Golden Dragon didn’t say aloud.

For instance—

Back when it was still in relatively good shape, it had once left the sub-plane of the World Tree fragment to study humans in the outside world.

That was how the legend of the Evil Dragon, the Princess, and the Prince came to exist in that small kingdom known as the Forest Kingdom.

Ordinary humans might be unaffected by the Fallen Sun—

but their soul strength, untempered by cultivation, was nowhere near capable of bearing a contract with an Ancient Dragon, let alone suppressing its madness.

Before the Golden Dragon could go further in its research, exposure to the Fallen Sun had already begun to take effect—

it slipped into a half-mad state.

Only a sliver of lingering rationality had kept it from harming the Egg of Night.

If Xia Ya hadn’t awakened it—

it likely would have withered away in confusion, never realizing the end had come.

Now, this mysterious, abnormally powerful human, who had easily pulled it back from madness,

was its only lifeline.

If he were truly just an ordinary man,

he would never have qualified to be entrusted with the King’s child.

The Golden Dragon looked at Xia Ya and blinked its murky eyes.

“Dragon Authority might be incredibly valuable to other Mythical Creatures… but Your Excellency clearly doesn’t walk that path.”

“Besides—

I trust that snake’s judgment.”

“To be someone followed by the Mercury Serpent, I doubt you’d be a scumbag.”

A flicker of mercurial light shimmered and vanished.

With a thought from Xia Ya, the little silver snake popped out from the Soul Pact Space, looking up at the Golden Dragon. “You know me?”

“I’ve heard the King speak of you.”

“Favored Child of Fate, Mercury Serpent.”

The Golden Dragon’s eyes glinted with a trace of nostalgia as it looked at the little serpent.

“I remember the King once said—

in the early days of the Age of Glory, you had a particular fondness for the Ancient Dragon Court’s treasure vault.”

“Every time we did inventory, you’d always be coiled around some Holy Relic, eyes sparkling, refusing to leave.”

“Some of the dragon elders once suggested locking you up in a cage,”

“but the King would always laugh it off and refuse, letting you come and go freely—sometimes even gifting you little trinkets.”

“But ever since I joined the royal court, I’d only heard that you had disappeared, never to be seen again.”

“And then came the Calamity of Light, the Great Cataclysm…”

“Thinking back now, perhaps you received a warning from Fate, a glimpse of the future… and foresaw it all in advance.”

Xia Ya glanced at the little snake perched on his shoulder.

This guy… had a shady history like that?

Waltzing freely through the Ancient Dragon Court’s vault of Holy Relics?

Envy didn’t even begin to cover it—no, that was straight-up infuriating.

Yet the Mercury Serpent simply flicked its tiny pink tongue in confusion.

“Did that really happen? Why don’t I remember any of that?”

“Of course you don’t.”

Xia Ya flicked its head, then tossed it back into the Soul Pact Space.

He’d figured it out by now—you just couldn’t treat this thing like a true Mythical Creature.

It was a full-fledged slacker.

No wonder, despite living through the First Era firsthand, it couldn’t answer any of Xia Ya’s questions and left him to figure it all out himself.

Then again—

while the Great Cataclysm at the end of the Age of Glory devastated the mighty races of Ancient Dragons, Giants, and Elves,

this completely powerless Mercury Serpent had survived unscathed.

Maybe that Child of Fate title wasn’t just for show.

The Golden Dragon once more turned its gaze toward Xia Ya, awaiting his answer.

“Since that’s the case—”

“Deal.”

Xia Ya spoke softly.

After his time in Eden, he still had plenty of open Soul Pact Slots.

Even though his Seventh Soul Pact was taken by the Mercury Serpent, his Fourth and Sixth Soul Pacts were still vacant.

And if the Fourth was unusable due to Augustina’s anomaly—

he could just make that simping Holy Grail give up the Sixth slot instead.

As for suppressing the madness and corruption of the Fallen Sun—

Sorry, but this master of Illusion Arts had always been a natural counter to rampaging tailed beasts.

“Alright.”

The Golden Dragon, hearing his reply, nodded quickly.

In the next instant—

BOOM—

Crimson-gold flames surged around its body.

All the murky black rot burned away, revealing the Golden Dragon’s Mythical Creature form in full.

It was burning the last of its life essence.

It never asked Xia Ya to form the contract first.

Never imposed any checks or safeguards to enforce the deal.

The Golden Dragon knew full well—

before someone like Xia Ya, who had effortlessly suppressed and awakened it from a half-mad state—

it had no leverage.

This black-haired, dark-eyed human was the true master of this deal.

All it could do was show its utmost sincerity.

BOOM—

As the blazing light roared,

the desolate, blackened world—along with the crumbling ruins of the Ancient Dragon Court—

let out a resounding hum.

It was the ruined court itself answering the final wish

of its former heir, now the dragon race’s greatest sinner.

In that moment, Xia Ya saw a towering phantom of a World Tree appear silently above the desolate sub-plane.

Then—

a faint, timeless connection, transcending space and reality, spread outward from that tree’s phantom silhouette.

And finally—linked to somewhere in this world.

Rustle.

The lush, sprawling branches stretched out.

Xia Ya saw a single leaf drift slowly downward from the phantom World Tree.

A droplet of pale gold sap gradually formed on the leaf’s edge.

Drip—

In a flash, that drop of sap turned from phantom to real—

and fell upon Xia Ya’s forehead.

A cool clarity bloomed between his brows.

And the moment the sap made contact,

within his spiritual sea—

the dim starfield formed by thousands of Sands of Time twinkled in unison, flaring with radiant starlight.

The spiritual energy Xia Ya had tempered over ten years in Eden—

stable for so long and rarely progressing—suddenly surged forward.

The growth wasn’t enormous,

but considering the scale of his current spiritual ocean,

even this was a tremendous leap.

Compared to ordinary deep meditation,

this improvement was equivalent to a full year’s worth of hard cultivation.

At the same time—

a vague, ethereal coordinate and connection was etched into his mind, carried by that pale golden droplet.

It was exactly what the Golden Dragon had promised—

the guiding mark for the Lost Isle, home of the High Elves.

“Originally, a ‘Blessing of the World Tree’ would elevate a newly joined Ancient Dragon’s racial potential by an entire Tier.”

“But with what little power remains in the World Tree’s branches,

this was the best I could manage.”

The Golden Dragon’s voice was faint now.

The crimson-gold flames that had engulfed its body gradually faded,

and even its golden scales dimmed along with them.

With a body corroded for a thousand years, burning its remaining life essence like this—

was a price that meant only one thing: death.

And still, it watched Xia Ya.

Its golden pupils dimming,

the light within slowly dying.

“I just hope… Your Excellency will keep your promise.”

“Don’t let the King’s child repeat our path…”

“Let them grow up safe and whole.”

“And walk freely…

in a world filled with light.”

Its voice faded into silence.

Life receded from that once-mighty body.

The flickering fire in its eyes went out.

But in the next moment—

the Golden Dragon’s eyes opened wide.

It saw the black-haired, dark-eyed boy kneel gently.

And place his hand upon the ruins of the royal court.

Illusory light scattered—

and began to spread outward.

Within that mercury-colored glow,

the Golden Dragon saw the Ancient Dragon Court come to life once more.

In radiant sunlight, dragons came and went.

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Green Dragons tended wildflower gardens in verdant valleys.

Dream Dragons wove wistful, sorrowful illusions in the skies above.

Ancient Dragons in human form played lutes and bone flutes,

cheering on the duels between Metallic Dragons.

Feasts abounded.

Gold piled high in treasure vaults.

Countless relics, inexhaustible wealth.

And high on the throne—

the King of Dragons sat quietly,

watching over it all with peace in their eyes.

“...My King.”

The Golden Dragon whispered.

Its flesh quickly faded away—

becoming soft golden motes of light,

dissolving into the slowly fading phantom of the World Tree.