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*****
The blue dragon's intuition was not wrong. George indeed possessed countless methods to obliterate a dragon's soul. In fact, if he weren't concerned about offending the Dragon God, Akatosh, devouring the soul directly wouldn't have been a difficult task for him either.
However, what the dragon did not know was that George did not wish to expose his true capabilities so soon; therefore, he had no intention of utilizing those overwhelming powers for the time being.
It was precisely because she did not know this that she dared not make any other choice. Trembling uncontrollably, she responded, "As long as you do not kill me, I am willing to submit to you!"
"Very good."
Seeing the blue dragon forced to choose submission under his immense pressure, George secretly injected a sliver of his own soul into her body.
Although he could not currently use magic or his special abilities, separating a tiny fragment of his soul and inputting it into the blue dragon was not an issue.
Crucially, this action would not alert any Creator-level existences to an anomaly. Splitting one's soul was not a magic or ability unique to other worlds; any creature with a soul in any world could theoretically attempt it.
Injecting this sliver of soul into the blue dragon did not give him direct control over her. The dragon's submission was entirely due to the threat against her life, not out of sincere loyalty.
George currently had no way to cast binding contract magic to restrain the dragon, nor could he chain her up in Winterhold like a dog. However, because of the existence of this soul fragment, he could locate the blue dragon at any time and engage in long-distance telepathic communication with her.
If the dragon attempted to flee, the moment she strayed too far from Winterhold, he could chase her down immediately and make her understand the consequences of escape.
Although dragons flew swiftly in the sky, without Arvel dragging him down, George's full speed far exceeded that of a flying dragon. He would be able to catch her again in no time.
"Warrior, are you alright?"
By this time, Jarl Korir, who had finally recovered from his shock, led the remaining guards cautiously to the edge of the massive crater created by the blue dragon's impact and called out to George inside.
George leaped lightly out of the giant pit.
"Greetings, Jarl Korir. I am George, an adventurer. There is no need to worry about this dragon; she has been subdued by me and will cause no further trouble."
"Subdued?"
Korir looked down at the blue dragon shaking its head inside the pit, his face filled with astonishment and disbelief.
The Breton man before him, named George, had not only defeated a dragon but had actually subdued one. This was something that had never occurred in all of recorded history.
To be honest, before seeing this blue dragon with his own eyes, Korir hadn't even been sure that real dragons still existed in the world. After all, dragons had not been seen for over two thousand years.
"Jarl Korir, what is happening here?"
Just as Korir was reeling from George's words, a Dark Elf wearing magnificent mage robes approached from the other end of the street, leading a large group of mages.
When Korir saw the Dark Elf, a flash of disgust passed through his eyes, but on the surface, he maintained a polite smile.
"Arch-Mage Savos, a dragon attacked Winterhold. Fortunately, this warrior saved us, defeating and subduing the dragon, allowing us to survive."
Like most people in Winterhold, Korir believed the "Great Collapse" was likely the fault of the College of Winterhold, so he naturally disliked the College's Arch-Mage. However, the power of the College far exceeded that of the current Winterhold, and if a crisis occurred, the city would need the mages' help. Thus, he dared not offend the Arch-Mage openly.
"Subdued a dragon!"
Savos Aren turned to look at George, his eyes revealing a look of amazement.
In truth, while rushing over, he had witnessed the scene of George leaping into mid-air and striking down the blue dragon with a mere chop of his hand.
He had been startled at the time; he hadn't expected such a powerful warrior to exist in the world. Even the legendary Nord heroes of old could not defeat a dragon with their bare hands.
And now, the Jarl was claiming this warrior had not only defeated but subdued the creature.
Subduing a dragon was infinitely harder than defeating one. At least until now, Savos had never read in any history book of a human taming a proud dragon.
"That is because, under normal circumstances, dragons do not fear death," George said. Although he couldn't use his psychic abilities, he could roughly read Savos's internal psychological activity through his expression.
During the Dragon War, why did the dragons who followed Alduin refuse to surrender even when defeated by humans, preferring death instead?
It was because they simply did not fear death. As long as Alduin lived, he could resurrect them infinitely.
The reason the Red Dragon in the legends eventually surrendered to the Dragonborn was that he knew the Dragonborn could absorb dragon souls—meaning if he died, he would truly cease to exist.
The same applied to this Little Blue Dragon. She sensed that George possessed the ability to obliterate her dragon soul, which was why she chose to submit so quickly. Furthermore, George's aura of intimidation was even stronger than Alduin's, making her feel that submission was an acceptable alternative.
Of course, there was another reason: she planned to submit first, and then, when George was asleep at night or too busy with other matters to pay attention to her, she would secretly escape.
"Respected warrior, thank you for stepping in to save Winterhold!"
Savos performed a mage's bow toward George.
All of the College of Winterhold's daily supplies came from the city of Winterhold. If the city were destroyed, the College would suffer as well. In this land of ice and snow, the mages couldn't very well be expected to farm for themselves—how would they find time to research magic?
"Mr. George, you took action to subdue the dragon and have made a tremendous contribution to Winterhold. I have decided to appoint you as a Thane of Winterhold and reward you with ten thousand Septims!"
Korir did not neglect George either. His eyes darted around as he had an idea, and he immediately made the offer.
"Thane" was an honorary title with no real administrative power, but the status was high; every city had such positions. They were primarily established for adventurers, mercenaries, and bounty hunters who made significant contributions to the city.
Once one became a Thane, not only did they gain the right to purchase property in the city, but they would also command the respect of the guards. As long as they did not commit any major crimes, minor offenses could often be pardoned.
George's contribution was undeniable, and his strength in subduing a dragon was unquestionable. Korir believed that making such a powerful warrior a Thane was an excellent move. If Winterhold faced any crisis in the future, George, as a Thane, would be obligated to help.
"Then I thank the Jarl," George nodded with a smile, not refusing the offer.
Establishing good relations with the local lord would do him no harm.
"Dragons have been gone for so many years; why would one suddenly appear?" Savos looked at the blue dragon, which was struggling to crawl out of the giant pit, with a puzzled expression.
George had no intention of hiding the truth. After all, news of the dragon attack on Helgen and the resurrection of Alduin would soon spread across all of Skyrim due to the appearance of the dragons and the Dragonborn.
"I'm not entirely sure myself. Little Blue, can you explain it to us?"
(End of Chapter)