Seraphine’s words hit the bottom of the cliff like a match to kindling, setting everything ablaze with renewed intensity.

The Fire Rock Dragon’s massive head snapped up at the mention of “Flame Heart Stone,” sending cascades of rubble tumbling from its scaled hide. Xue Bufan’s face went ashen as he pressed his hand against the beast’s stone-like scales.

“Fire Rock Dragon, don’t forget our agreement!” he hissed under his breath. “I swear I’ll find you a Flame Heart Stone—just come back with me!”

He kept making promises, but the dragon’s burning eyes stayed locked on Seraphine like she was the only thing in the world that mattered.

Meanwhile, the young beauties of Luanyang Palace fluttered around in silk robes and jade ornaments, serving tea and burning incense with practiced grace. Each one possessed their own brand of ethereal charm, yet none could steal even a fraction of attention from the woman lounging on the silk couch. She monopolized spring itself—every ounce of elegance and intoxicating allure belonged to her alone.

Even a passing ant would’ve been dazzled by her radiance, let alone a dragon.

Nobody questioned whether Seraphine would lie about having a Flame Heart Stone. With her status, deception was beneath her.

Xue Bufan’s panic intensified.

“Don’t forget—if he hadn’t saved your life back then, you wouldn’t be alive today! His orders were to follow me!” he warned in a desperate whisper.

The Fire Rock Dragon’s head drooped slightly, clearly torn.

Seraphine held her teacup with elegant fingers, watching the man and beast’s “negotiations” like she was enjoying premium entertainment. Amusement sparkled in her eyes. Elder Li from the Lianshan Sect seemed to have lost all confidence in the Fire Rock Dragon over this Flame Heart Stone business—he just stood there sighing instead of speaking up.

Xue Mengtao watched Xue Bufan with obvious worry before quickly lowering her head and retreating to an inconspicuous corner.

And me? Well, I couldn’t help but pull out the ice pop that 019 had given me.

Time for a lick! Moments like these definitely called for snacks.

Seraphine caught my movement from the corner of her eye, glancing over with raised eyebrows.

What the hell is that thing?

I was a silver orb of light, using two matchstick-thin appendages to grip a square object with a handle. Don’t ask me how I did what came next, but somehow the green square thing suddenly lost a corner, and my perfectly round body started trembling. Green color began spreading through my internal systems while electrical currents crackled across my surface in cascading waves of gold.

I was basically a walking light show—so garish that Seraphine couldn’t bear to look directly at me!

Did it eat something toxic? she wondered.

I floated over like I’d been drinking bootleg alcohol, wobbling dizzily as I held up my ice pop.

“Host, this thing… it actually has what humans call ‘sweetness’!” I announced, thoroughly bewildered.

This was my first time learning that the Main System’s snacks actually had flavor. I’m a system—how the hell was I supposed to taste anything?!

But somehow I had. Sweet and cooling, the sensation nearly crashed my data streams.

The Main System really was the Main System—they’d already developed this kind of functionality!

The shock left me even more disoriented, generating a moment of pure existential confusion as my two large circles and one small circle stared straight at Seraphine.

Seraphine: …

Get away from me before I go blind.

She transmitted her disgust directly to me, telling me to stop being an eyesore, then casually picked up a delicate pastry from a nearby servant’s tray and held it next to me.

Here. Eat.

The Luanyang Palace pastries were works of art—this one was shaped like a phoenix with golden silk tail feathers spread wide, its eyes dotted with sesame seeds. Still dazed, I slowly drifted forward and enveloped the pastry, which was about the same size as me. The phoenix seemed to spread its wings inside my silver form.

But I couldn’t actually taste it.

Strange sensations surged through my data core as I carefully tucked the partially-eaten ice pop into my inventory, staring intently at the item now labeled “Half-Eaten ice pop.”

Looked like I needed a vacation too.

Seraphine’s attention remained fixed on me—apparently watching a multicolored glowing orb was more entertaining than observing a half-dead dragon and an underdeveloped “protagonist.” She shot an impatient look at them.

“Have you made up your minds yet?”

“Roar.” The Fire Rock Dragon’s head slumped to the ground in defeat.

Seraphine glared at it. “What’s with the roaring? Do I look like I speak dragon?”

Xue Bufan’s mouth twitched. “Palace Lord, it is still a dragon, after all.”

Not human, so naturally it can’t be expected to speak human language.

He patted the Fire Rock Dragon’s scales consolingly.

See? The Luanyang Palace Lord might be rich and powerful, but she’s got a volatile temper and isn’t easy to get along with. Why not choose me instead?

Seraphine casually tossed her pastry back onto the tray and dusted off her hands before standing. “I don’t have time to waste on this. Since you’re not interested, I won’t force the issue. It’s just one Fire Rock Dragon—I’m not that desperate to have it.”

Xue Bufan felt a surge of unexpected hope at this reversal.

That’s when Siyi, standing beside the couch, smiled sweetly and chimed in: “Exactly! After all, Palace Lord, you were born with supreme-grade Fire spiritual roots. Every time you advance, you achieve Great Perfection completion. Less than twenty years of cultivation and you’re already at the Golden Core stage. Give it another century and you’ll probably shatter your core to form a Nascent Soul. Fire-attribute spirit beasts are just icing on the cake for someone like you. If a fire-attribute spirit beast were truly willing to follow you, I imagine that when you reach the Nascent Soul stage, any spirit companion following you might also advance and cultivate a human form.”

Seraphine’s lips curved into a smile as she transformed into a streak of flowing light, shooting up toward the cliff’s edge.

Siyi followed behind, placing her hand on Xue Mengtao’s back to urge everyone back to the palace while laughing: “It’s such a shame about all those fire-attribute treasures in the palace treasury. Who knows when they’ll find a suitable master.”

“Oh, that reminds me.” Siyi turned around, glancing at Xue Bufan with a slight smile. “Young Master Xue, I heard that before your spiritual roots were destroyed, you had Lightning roots? Lightning and fire… they complement each other quite well.”

Xue Bufan felt there was something unnervingly meaningful in Siyi’s gaze. His heart lurched when she spoke, and by the time she finished, the Fire Rock Dragon beside him let out an enraged roar, dragging its massive body in desperate pursuit of the Luanyang Palace group without looking back.

“Fire Rock Dragon!” Xue Bufan cried out in shock and fury. He never expected that the moment Seraphine released her claim, the previously hesitant dragon would immediately choose her instead!

“Damn it, why?! Isn’t it supposed to be my spirit beast? And it clearly knows my spiritual roots have already been…” His rage peaked, his expression cycling through multiple emotions before settling into an eerily calm mask, as if someone had counseled him back to composure.

I scanned and recorded Xue Bufan’s entire emotional sequence, filing it under [Host’s Complete Victory]. Just before the proximity warning could trigger, I zipped back with a “whoosh.”

The Luanyang Palace spirit ship waited in place as I slipped through a window into the cabin.

Seraphine was gripping the Fire Rock Dragon by both horns, studying it like a fascinating specimen. She glanced at me sideways, released the dragon’s horns, and called out for departure.

The formation arrays blazed to life, spiritual energy flowing as the ship carried its passengers—and one dragon—homeward.

In private, Seraphine was far more relaxed and indulgent than her public persona. She kicked off her shoes and sprawled bonelessly across the couch, letting one leg dangle while her foot rested on the Fire Rock Dragon coiled on the floor. She beckoned me over with a mocking laugh.

“Come meet your sister—Error.”

Me: ???

“Echo and Error…”

Seraphine repeated our names with obvious relish, her foot rubbing against the Fire Rock Dragon’s gray scales—the contrast making her skin appear even more luminously pale. She propped her cheek on her hand, eyes sparkling with sudden inspiration as she sat up abruptly and clapped her hands in delight.

“Perfect! Echo and Error—you two sound like every IT department’s worst nightmare!”