Warm water enveloped her body, washing away bloodstains and the dungeon's chill, yet it couldn't erase the icy touch of the chains binding her wrists, nor dispel the oppressive aura of Lucifer that permeated the air.
Lin Xi rose from the water, her soaked garments clinging to her skin, tracing the contours of her lean yet supple frame. Black hair dripped, sliding down her pale cheeks, over her collarbone, and disappearing into the wet bandage tightly wrapped across her chest. She did not glance at the man by the pool, who stood like a supervisor. Instead, she silently, with a calmness bordering on numbness, raised her hand to wring the water from her hair.
Lucifer's gaze never left her.
His gaze felt tangible, carrying assessment and scrutiny, but above all, a deep, forcibly suppressed possessiveness. He watched her skin, made more luminous by the water, the mark on her shoulder—his own bite mark—glowing a dark red in the mist, every subtle movement—devoid of an Omega's softness, yet possessing a unique alertness and stubbornness, like that of a wounded lone wolf.
"Out."
His command cut through the steamy silence.
Lin Xi paused, then stepped out of the bath as ordered. Warm water instantly drained from her body, carrying away a bit of warmth. The skin exposed to the air sent a fine shiver through her. Soaked clothes clung to her, cold and heavy.
A thick, oversized black velvet robe was flung at her headfirst, carrying the sharp scent of Lucifer's pine and gunpowder, instantly enveloping her.
"Put it on."
Lin Xi grasped the robe, her fingertips touching the soft, expensive fabric, yet her movements faltered. Wearing it meant being completely enveloped by his scent—a sensation more confining than shackles, an invisible restraint that weighed heavier than chains.
"Do you need me to help you?" Lucifer's voice carried a hint of impatient mockery.
Lin Xi hesitated no longer, swiftly wrapping the oversized robe around herself. Its generous cut nearly swallowed her whole, revealing only a face flushed faintly red from steam yet still expressionless, and a slender ankle encased in shackles.
"Come."
Lucifer had already turned and walked toward the study area on the other side of the bedchamber. There stood a massive obsidian desk piled high with scrolls and maps, flanked by floor-to-ceiling bookshelves displaying various texts and peculiar collectibles. The air was thick with the scent of leather, ink, and ancient paper.
He sat back in a wide armchair, his posture languid yet commanding, like a lion at rest.
Lin Xi dragged her still-damp body and heavy shackles to a halt near the desk. Beneath her velvet robe, her body trembled faintly—whether from the cold or the pervasive sense of oppression, she couldn't tell.
"You claim your value lies in being one of a kind." " Lucifer spoke, his crimson pupils flickering like two dancing ghostly flames in the study's dim light. "Beyond this body that piques my interest and a mouth that dares to defy me, what else do you have?"
He casually picked up an oddly shaped ornament from the desk—resembling some sort of beast skull—and idly toyed with it in his palm.
"Prove it to me. Now."
[Time Remaining: 1 hour 15 minutes]
Lin Xi's heart pounded heavily within her chest. She knew this was another test. The blood pact restricted violence, but it did not prevent him from shattering her will through other means.
Her gaze darted across the desk, over the scattered files, and to the map of the Northern Realm hanging on the wall—marked with faction territories and wolf patrol routes. Finally, her eyes returned to the beast skull ornament in Lucifer's hand.
It was the skull of a ferocious creature called the Shadowclaw Beast, bearing a distinctive spiral pattern on its forehead.
"Shadowclaw," she began, her voice still hoarse from earlier exertion yet unusually clear. "Gregarious, cunning, masters of ambush using shadows and terrain. Their sense of smell is seven times that of wolves, but their hearing is dull—particularly vulnerable to specific sonic frequencies."
Lucifer paused in his manipulation of the skull.
Lin Xi continued, her tone as calm as if stating common knowledge: "The spiral pattern on their foreheads isn't decoration—it's a resonance cavity. Striking the third joint of their jaw connection with Alpha-level force emits a subsonic wave inaudible to humans and most wolf clans, yet capable of instantly driving every Shadowclaw Beast within a hundred meters into madness and collapse."
She lifted her eyes to meet Lucifer's suddenly deepened crimson pupils.
"Three years ago, the Seventh Squad of the Northern Frontier Patrol was ambushed by a pack of Shadowclaws in Shadow Canyon. They were wiped out. Had someone known this method then, they might have survived."
A deathly silence fell over the study.
Only the flickering firelight from the hearth danced in the distance, casting an uncertain glow over Lucifer's face. The skull in his hand creaked softly under his grip.
This weakness of the Shadowclaws belonged to ancient, nearly lost knowledge of the wolf clans, recorded only in the depths of a few rare texts—texts he himself might not even have the patience to consult. How could a "sacrificial offering" from another realm, disguised as a useless alpha wolf, possibly know?
"Continue." His voice was low, devoid of emotion.
Lin Xi's gaze shifted to the map of the North on the wall, his finger pointing to a swamp marked "Dangerous Restricted Zone."
"The 'Misty Mists' of the Rot Poison Swamp aren't naturally formed. They're spores exhaled by the millennia-old 'Withered Vine Demon' slumbering beneath the marsh. It fears intense light and extreme cold. On full moon nights, its core exposes itself at the largest bubble vent in the swamp's center. At that moment, a single arrow imbued with ice magic is enough to send it back into a century-long slumber, and the Misty Mists dissipate."
Her finger moved to another borderline where the Wolf Clan and Blood Clan constantly clashed.
"The Crimson Pass, bordering the Blood Clan, holds vast deposits of photophobic crystals underground. The energy field emitted by these crystals greatly weakens the Blood Clan's blood magic and perception, yet has minimal effect on the Wolf Clan. If we could secretly mine them and lay them at key conflict points..."
She pointed out several locations on the map where the Wolf Clan faced dire straits or potential threats, offering concise yet incisive solutions or strategic insights. Some drew upon her expertise as the Chief Wolf Tamer, while others were deductions born from the fragmented memories of "Kyle" she had assimilated after her transmigration, combined with her own keen observational skills.
Her words flowed with logical clarity and unique insight, carrying the cool precision of a seasoned strategist accustomed to commanding positions of authority.
Lucifer listened in silence, the languid expression vanishing from his face, replaced by an intensely focused, razor-sharp scrutiny. He leaned forward slightly, elbows braced on the desk, fingers interlaced beneath his chin. His crimson pupils fixed on her without blinking, as if intent on dissecting her inside and out.
When Lin Xi finally paused, the study fell silent once more, filled only by the sound of breathing and the distant crackle of the fireplace.
After a long while, Lucifer slowly leaned back into his chair.
"Where did you learn this?" he asked, his voice devoid of emotion.
Lin Xi answered calmly, "My value lies not in my origins, but in... usefulness."
Lucifer stared at her, suddenly pulling a cold smile into place.
"Very well." He rose, circled the desk, and stepped toward her, his towering presence once again imposing a heavy weight. "You've proven you're more than just an interesting vessel."
He extended a hand, not touching her, merely tracing the curve of her shoulder, swathed in velvet robes, with his fingertips through the air. His touch lingered at the spot marked by the bite.
"Then, starting today," he leaned closer, his scorching breath brushing her earlobe, his voice low and thick with unquestionable possessiveness, "you will remain by my side."
"As my... 'advisor'."
"Use your 'uniqueness' to earn what you desire... 'willingness'."
He straightened, his gaze settling on the shackles around her wrists.
"As for these," his tone grew cold, "keep them on until you truly earn my trust, or... until I complete the marking."
"A reminder for you, and for me," a cold, determined gleam flickered in his crimson pupils, "our game has only just begun."
"Now," he turned and walked toward the inner chambers of the bedchamber, "follow me. The first lesson for an 'advisor' is learning how to... please your King."
[Time Remaining: 1 hour 07 minutes]