<h4>Chapter 79: Viin Simtor, Ch 79</h4>


    [Entering immersive mode...]


    Before Lucas could react, Seamus suddenly raised his arm. What had been a thin, frail limb rapidly expanded into a monstrous ck w, resembling that of a beast, which he swung at Lucas with terrifying force.


    A powerful gust of wind sliced through the air, instantly shredding the cloak Lucas had used for his disguise into pieces.


    "I never imagined that even my dearest daughter would betray me," Seamus said with a calm smile. "But no matter—she will understand my intentions eventually. Everything I''ve done has been to fulfill her mother''s wish."


    "Her mother is dead," Lucas said coldly. "You talk to a corpse every day—have you really convinced yourself otherwise?"


    "Shut up!"


    Seamus, who had maintained a smile all along, suddenly flew into a rage upon hearing Lucas''s words. "My wife is still alive! Her greatest wish was to see the Gunnhildr family restored! Once I fulfill her wish, she''ll recover from her illness!"


    But then, Seamus''s expression shifted abruptly, and he spoke in a different voice, mimicking his wife''s tone: "Darling, don''t be angry. I see everything you''ve done for me."


    Just as he had in the room before, Seamus started ying both parts of the conversation, impersonating his wife and speaking to himself. The scene was eerily unsettling.


    "It''s all over," Lucas said tly. "My men have surrounded this ce. Once you admit your guilt, this farce wille to an end."


    "You mean these men?" Seamus pped his hands softly, and the church doors suddenly swung open. A group of followers entered, each carrying a severed head in their arms.


    The heads belonged to Lucas''s enforcers—the very ones he had carefully stationed around the church beforehand.


    But those enforcers had been handpicked elite troops. There was no way ordinary followers could have overpowered them.


    Even if they were somehow outmatched, it should have been easy for them to retreat and report back. How could they have all been killed here?


    "Did you really think I''d rely solely on ''truth'' to overthrow your family?" Seamus sneered, his face now showing a faint pattern of scales, and his vertical pupils glowed with murderous intent. "I and my followers have already been infused with the Dragon''s Scales. Now, witness our power!"


    The Dragon''s Scales?


    Lucas froze for a moment.


    In this simtor world, dragons were supposed to be extinct. There shouldn''t be any trace of them left.


    As Seamus finished speaking, the followers removed their hoods, revealing grotesque transformations on their faces and bodies. They had all undergone mutations, and they now surrounded Lucas, their eyes filled with predatory intent.


    Although Lucas was strong, he didn''t have the overwhelming power he once wielded in his past life. The mutated followers possessed inhuman strength, and after a grueling battle, Lucas eventually sumbed to his injuries, copsing to the ground, gravely wounded.


    Was this how this simtion would end...?


    "Truthfully, I don''t want to kill you," Seamus said, standing over Lucas. "After all, Jean loves you so dearly. But your existence is a hindrance to me. Don''t worry, though—I''ll give you a glorious death, as a sacrifice to our great Dragon God!"


    Dragon God...?


    Upon hearing these words, Lucas felt a sharp pain in the back of his head, and his consciousness faded.


    ...


    "Ugh..."


    Lucas slowly regained consciousness, unsure how much time had passed. He hadn''t returned to the real world, nor had the system finalized his death.


    So... I''m not dead yet?


    Lucas nced around and was shocked to find himself inside a vast temple. The dim glow from candles lit the walls, which were inscribed with ancient symbols resembling some sort of incantation.


    A faint, metallic smell of blood hung in the air. In a corner not far away, the remains of various creatures were scattered about—livestock like cattle and sheep, as well as... human bones.


    "Offerings to the Dragon God..." Lucas muttered to himself, recalling Seamus''s words. "Are they nning to feed me to something? But what exactly is this Dragon God, and where does their strange powere from?"


    Just then, a deep growl echoed from the depths of the temple. A dark shadow darted toward Lucas, knocking him to the ground before he could react.


    Pinning him down was a massive ck-purple dragon-like creature... and it seemed oddly familiar.


    "Roar!"


    The ck dragon roared and opened its jaws wide, seemingly about to bite Lucas''s head off. But just as its teeth were mere inches from him, it stopped abruptly.


    "Sniff sniff..."


    The dragon, which had been ferocious a moment ago, suddenly started sniffing Lucas''s face like a curious puppy. Then, it extended its tongue and gave him a gentle lick.


    At that moment, Lucas''s memories clicked into ce, and he recognized the dragon from his past life. "You''re... Ursa?"


    Yes!


    It was the fearsome dragon Ursa!


    Even though Lucas had reincarnated, he remembered this creature clearly.


    However, Ursa seemed smaller than before, which was probably why Lucas hadn''t recognized it at first.


    Upon hearing its name, the dragon''s eyes filled with tears.


    Then, Ursa''s body began to emit a faint glow. When the light faded, standing before Lucas was the familiar figure of a ck and purple-haired dragon girl.


    Since Ursa had knocked Lucas down earlier, she was still sitting on top of him.


    "I''ve finally... found you!" Ursa''s thick tail wagged energetically like a long-lost pet reunited with its owner. "That green guy didn''t lie to me after all!"


    "The green guy?" Lucas was still bewildered by the situation. "What''s going on? And why are you here?"


    Even though Lucas had reincarnated, his appearance and scent remained quite simr to his previous life, so it wasn''t surprising that Ursa had recognized him.


    "Well, using human terms... it''s a long story," Ursa said, preparing tounch into a lengthy exnation. "A thousand years ago—"


    "Uh, could you get off me first?" Lucas interrupted, his face turning a bit pale. "I''m having trouble breathing."


    Although Ursa had taken on human form, her tail alone weighed as much as her entire body, making it hard for Lucas to breathe.


    "How is that possible?" Ursa tilted her head. "I used to sit on you like this all the time, and you were fine."


    That was true. Back then, it wasn''t just sitting—there were plenty of times when they would "ride" together, so to speak.


    But in his past life, Lucas had been far stronger, capable of handling Ursa''s yful roughhousing.


    "Could it be..." Ursa blushed, looking a bit embarrassed. "Have I... gained weight?"


    That wasn''t the issue at all. From Lucas''s perspective, her slender waist and defined abs showed no sign of excess weight.


    "No, it''s me," Lucas admitted with a sigh. "I''ve been reincarnated as a human. All my previous powers are gone."


    "It doesn''t matter!" Ursa chirped, unfazed. "I''ll protect you, just like I always did."


    "Anyway," Lucas said, still trying to make sense of things, "tell me what happened."


    "Around a thousand years ago, after you died, I wandered aimlessly around Teyvat. I didn''t know what to do," Ursa began, helping Lucas to his feet. "But to keep the Mondstadt people in check, I would still fly back asionally. Even though I stopped eating people, they were still terrified of me."


    "Who wouldn''t be?" Lucas said with a wry smile.


    Ursa continued, "Then, that green guy... Barbatos, he found me and offered me a deal. He told me that if I agreed to be sealed in this temple for a thousand years, I''d get to see you again!"


    "Wait!" Lucas suddenly realized something was off. "You''re telling me that wasn''t just his way of tricking you into being sealed?"


    After all, Barbatos had been known for pulling tricks—he''d even faked contracts in the name of the Geo Archon. It wasn''t far-fetched that he''d trick Ursa into a seal to prevent her from causing trouble.


    "Of course I had my doubts!" Ursa''s face turned red, her eyes shifting nervously. "I''m not that stupid!"


    "But... since you''re here now," Lucas''s gaze softened, "I guess you agreed to the deal, didn''t you?"


    "Being sealed here for a thousand years was boring, but I wanted to see you, so it was worth it."


    "Not being able to fly across the skies was frustrating, but I wanted to see you, so it was worth it."


    "Not getting to taste all the delicious food of the world was painful, but I wanted to see you, so it was worth it."


    Ursa''s excitement poured out as she spoke rapidly. "Didn''t you tell me that all trades need to be fair exchanges? For me, even if there was only a tiny chance of seeing you again, a thousand years of waiting was truly worth it!"


    Hearing this, even Lucas, whose heart had grown cold and calcting over the years, felt his eyes sting with emotion.


    "Are... are you crying?" Ursa asked cautiously.


    Lucas shook his head


    "It''s just the rain."


    "Liar!"


    Ursa, showing no concern for sparing Lucas''s dignity, shot back, "There''s no rain inside this temple."


    "So, you''ve been here for a thousand years?" Lucas nced around, confused. "But there''s no food or water here. How have you survived?"


    "Barbatos cast some forbidden spells on this temple," Ursa pointed at the inscriptions on the walls. "While I''m in this space, my metabolism slows down significantly. And besides, I''m a dragon. Even if I didn''t eat for hundreds of years, I wouldn''t starve."


    "What about those remains?" Lucas suddenly recalled something important. "And why are you being referred to as the ''Dragon God'' by Seamus?"


    "Because of the contract I made with Barbatos, I can''t leave this temple. But humans cane and go freely," Ursa exined as she stroked her chin, recalling. "About twenty years ago, a human couple identally stumbled in here. While I don''t need to eat, I did feel like indulging myself..."


    "I was about to devour them," she shrugged, "but the man begged for mercy and promised to bring me food regrly if I spared them. So, I held his partner hostage until he brought me something to eat."


    "Wait..." Lucas''s eyes narrowed. "That man... was Seamus, wasn''t he?"


    "Yeah, I think that''s his name," Ursa nodded. "He kept his word and brought me some cows and sheep. I had a feast. You told me before that in human society, people pay for meals, but I didn''t have any money. So, I gave him a little gift."


    "A gift?" Lucas quickly asked.


    "A scale, of course," Ursa said casually. "You know how valuable dragon scales are. They''re rare enchantment materials. Even regr armor and weapons, once embedded with a dragon scale, be priceless equipment."


    "And..." Lucas muttered, his thoughts racing, "what if those scales were embedded... inside a person?"


    "Huh?" Ursa blinked, caught off guard. "I never thought about that. It''d probably hurt a lot, I guess?"


    "I think I understand now..." Lucas nodded thoughtfully. "Keep going."


    "After I ate, I let them go. I figured that would be the end of it. But a few monthster, that man came back with more livestock—chickens, ducks, cows, you name it," Ursa licked her lips as she remembered. "He said he''d continue bringing food if I gave him more scales from time to time."


    "Since dragon scales are like human nails and grow back, I agreed. Even though I don''t need to eat, I still enjoy it."


    It seemed Seamus had lucked out by stumbling upon Ursa''s weakness—her love for food. As long as she was fed, she was willing to part with dragon scales, even if they were immensely valuable.


    "Not only that, he seemed to respect me greatly," Ursa added, clearly pleased with herself. "Sometimes he''d ask me questions. If I knew the answers, I''d tell him. If not, I''d just make something up."


    "Wait..." Lucas''s heart sank. "You told him about the events that happened in Mondstadt a thousand years ago, didn''t you?"


    "Of course! Especially the time we attacked the city together!" Ursa said excitedly. "I told him that story so many times!"


    Great! Mystery solved!


    No wonder the content in The Millennium Lie felt so authentic.


    It came directly from the source... or rather, from the dragon''s mouth!


    Lucas quickly pieced everything together.


    Twenty years ago, Seamus, after marrying into the Gunnhildr family, stumbled upon Ursa''s temple by ident. He struck a deal with the dragon, trading food for her scales.


    Later, Seamus learned the truth about what happened a thousand years ago from Ursa herself. He realized that this information could be used to overthrow the Lawrence family and restore the Gunnhildr family to power. With the added strength granted by Ursa''s dragon scales, Seamus began to prepare.


    For the past two decades, Seamus had been carefully setting his n into motion. Now, public opinion in Mondstadt had reached a boiling point, and his "Dragon Scale Army" was likely ready.


    At any moment, Seamus couldunch a rebellion to overthrow the Lawrences, putting E, Lucas''s family, and everything he held dear in grave danger.


    "Ursa!" Lucas suddenly snapped to attention. "We need to get out of here immediately! Can you take me out?"


    "I told you, I''m bound by my contract with Barbatos," Ursa shook her head. "I still have three more years before the contract ends."


    "Three years?" Lucas rubbed his temples in frustration. "Seamus could have taken over Mondstadt by then... I can''t wait that long!"


    Lucas rushed to the temple''s grand entrance, attempting to force the doors open. But without his former strength andcking any weapons, he couldn''t budge the massive doors.


    Ursa, bound by the temple''s enchantment, couldn''t help either—she was forbidden from damaging anything within the temple.


    What should he do?


    ----


    Author''s Note: Seggs?