My Baby! (1/3)

"Trust me, this is really good stuff!"

"Look at this design, look at this material, look at this texture... Absolutely top-tier craftsmanship!"

Herbert kept cajoling, trying to make Valentina accept his heartfelt gift.

Just accept it!

Stop fussing, it's for the kid!

However, Valentina, whose guard was already up, showed very little interest. She glanced at it once and then quickly looked away.

"Hmph."

She let out a soft snort and continued chewing the food in her mouth.

*(Munch munch munch)*

Did he really think something like this could bribe me?

No way!

Absolutely no way!

"Mm-mm-mph!" ("I don't want it!")

She chewed her food with a smug sense of contentment, completely oblivious to the fact that she had already been thoroughly bribed by the food itself.

*(Munch munch munch munch munch)*

After trying earnestly to persuade her for a long time, Herbert finally let out a helpless sigh when she still refused to yield.

"Sigh."

He sighed, somewhat helplessly, and dangled the Ring of Bitter Sorrows, his fingers gently rubbing the massive gemstone inlaid upon it.

"Putting everything else aside, just look at this gemstone on top! Isn't it exceptionally rare and top-notch?"

Gemstone?

Valentina's chewing noticeably paused, and her gaze drifted over uncontrollably.

It really was a gemstone!

Moreover, it was a sapphire of exceptionally high purity and exquisite cut.

Perhaps because she had never possessed a proper dragon's lair of her own, she didn't have quite the same obsessive fixation on treasure as other dragons.

While those glittering items over there looked nice, they couldn't be carried around on her person.

Still, if you asked whether her innate draconic bloodline actually liked them, the answer was most likely yes.

*Gulp.*

Thinking her swallow had been discreet, she forced her head to turn away.

However, since she had already talked a big game just moments ago, Valentina absolutely refused to lower her proud head now!

Dragons never bow their heads!

*Click.*

The faint sound made Valentina's ears twitch. She glanced back out of the corner of her eye and saw that Herbert had placed the Ring of Bitter Sorrows right in front of the railing.

"...I said I don't want it."

Valentina struggled internally for a moment, but ultimately said with a gloomy expression, "Take it away. Hurry up and take it away."

Take it away quickly!

Otherwise... I'm afraid I won't be able to hold out.

The more she looked at it, the more she felt her heart bleeding.

"I'm not taking it. If you want to throw it away, do it yourself, haha."

Herbert chuckled softly, turned around, and walked toward the other side, calling out without looking back, "Since I've given it to you, there's no reason for me to take it back."

"Alright, go ahead and eat. I'm going to go check on the other prisoners."

Herbert left.

Valentina could confirm this; his scent had vanished from the area.

"..."

Looking around stealthily like a thief, she slowly—ever so slowly—scuted her rear end forward until she was right in front of the Ring of Bitter Sorrows.

It's mine!

She instinctively reached out to grab it, but suddenly remembering something, her hand froze halfway.

Hesitating for a moment, Valentina gently blew a breath against her palm, exhaling a tiny puff of flame.

*Hiss—*

The flame dissipated. Her fair palm naturally suffered no harm, and the grease stained upon it was instantly burned clean.

If Herbert had seen this scene, tears of emotion would have surely filled his eyes.

Folks, my dog finally learned to wash her hands after meals!

With squeaky-clean hands, Valentina acted with utmost caution, gently hooking the Ring of Bitter Sorrows with her fingertip.

As she gazed at the magitech artifact and the sparkling sapphire upon it, her guarded expression gradually melted into a soft smile. She rubbed her cheek against the blue gem and let out a goofy, silly giggle.

"...Hehe."

Treasure.

My precious!

As a reclusive dragon shunned by her own kind, this was the first time she officially possessed a treasure entirely her own.

Even more importantly, this treasure wasn't something she had plundered from someone else.

It was something someone had willingly given to her!

Prior to this, she had never received a gift from anyone—of course, the tributes offered by low-level monsters subjugated and enslaved by her dragon's might did not count.

She had never dared to dream that anyone would give her a gift.

Valentina had always been entirely alone, and she expected to remain alone forever.

She had accepted that reality and had no intention of fighting against it.

The strong are always lonely; that was simply how things were.

But now.

At her lowest and most wretched moment, a person had appeared before her, wishing to become her friend.

He brought her food, chatted with her, laughed and joked with her, and gave her a gift...

Will I still be lonely?

Valentina didn't know.

Yet, at this very moment, she hoped her future... would no longer be as lonely as her past!

If possible, Valentina hoped she would never lose this somewhat annoying yet always heartwarming... friend.

"Ah, right."

At that exact moment, Valentina suddenly recalled something her former female sorcerer subordinate used to say.

"When you receive a gift, you're supposed to... hit them back? No, that doesn't sound right."

Her pure, uneducated brain felt somewhat confused at the moment, and she struggled to recall what that wretch had told her in the past.

"An eye for an eye? A tooth for a tooth? That doesn't sound right either."

"Tsk! How did it go again..."

Meanwhile, Herbert had indeed left the Endless Labyrinth.

However, this time he didn't enter the Deepwater Prison. Instead, he wandered through the labyrinth for a little longer until he came before an unfamiliar door.

Hesitating for a moment, Herbert pushed the door open and stepped right into a pitch-black, lightless space.

Amidst the darkness, Herbert smiled silently and nodded in pleasant satisfaction.

"Hehe, I guessed right!"

The Third Disciplinary Ward, Third Zone, The Prison Without Light!

"As I thought, the Endless Labyrinth is more than just a place that merely shifts its scenery on the surface..."

Upon receiving the Archprelate's permission, Herbert had gained the ability to reward monster-kin.

Yet this wasn't merely a unilateral upgrade; it had directly granted him higher clearance.

Herbert's warden clearance had significantly increased!

If the total clearance was divided into nine levels, he had likely risen from level three to around level five.

His authority had just barely crossed the halfway mark, allowing him the freedom to exercise discretion in matters without causing a catastrophic disaster.

He had been promoted!

He went from being a bottom-tier coolie to a middle manager.

And this level-five management clearance allowed him not only to easily modify cell specifications, but also unlocked several additional functions.

While most of the other abilities would require Herbert to explore and research them, the one right before him was the most direct and practical—it allowed him to travel directly from the Endless Labyrinth into any of the first five zones!

That's right, this ability was none of other than...

The Anywhere Door!