Facing Aventurine's blazing gaze, Sylvester's playful smile remained, his brows lifting slightly as a hint of interest surfaced between them.
Worthy of being one of the Ten Stonehearts indeed.
Although what he learned today had never once played out across the star seas in all prior timelines, Aventurine was still able to piece together deeper inferences from the faintest clues.
His breadth of knowledge was vast, and his judgment exceptionally precise.
"Yes." Sylvester uttered only two words.
Yet those two words were like a heavy hammer striking a chisel—inevitable, unquestionable, and crushingly heavy as they slammed straight into Aventurine's heart.
"Mm…"
A deep nasal sound escaped Aventurine as his body went limp like a puppet with its strings cut, collapsing back onto the sofa.
He furrowed his brows and fell silent for a long while.
What was there left to say? What could be said?
He glanced at the little dragon person hiding under the chair, terrified by some unknown sound, and a bitter smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
The Healer Dragon Lady—no, she should now be called the Vidyadhara High Elder. A title long dismissed by most, yet at this moment, it felt more fitting than ever.
Who could have imagined that this High Elder, cowering and trembling with fear written all over her body, already possessed power unrivaled across the cosmos?
Her overwhelming elemental control meant that one hand could conjure spirit incantations capable of destroying planets, while the other could dismantle any terrifying elemental-based killing move into nothingness in midair.
Already monstrously strong on her own, she could also strip her enemies down to bare-handed combatants relying solely on physical strength. Beneath the Aeons, who could possibly be her match?
What—were they supposed to rely purely on flesh and physics to withstand spirit incantations that could annihilate entire star systems?
Don't be ridiculous! Did people seriously believe those tall tales about athletes tanking planet-destroying cannons with nothing more than scraped skin?
The only things this High Elder lacked to stand among the absolute top-tier powerhouses of the star seas were likely age and combat experience.
The outcome matched his deductions perfectly. Under the title as the "Emperor of Elements", everything made perfect sense. And yet, a sliver of hope remained in his heart.
Was there truly no way to oppose her at all?
"Shopkeeper Sylvester!" Drawing upon his meticulous observational skills, Aventurine suddenly straightened up, taking several deep breaths to steady the shock in his chest.
Clinging to his final shred of hope—and his own reasoning—he questioned Sylvester once more.
"Shopkeeper Sylvester, how exactly is this annihilation or elemental dissolution ability activated?"
Watching Aventurine struggle to suppress his turmoil behind a composed expression, how could Sylvester fail to grasp his intent?
How it was activated wasn't the real issue. What truly mattered was the price Bailu had to pay.
Interrupting another's ability or sealing an opponent's elemental usage not only required elemental control, but also meant wresting control away from the enemy. Logically speaking, the cost should have been immense.
If that were the case, then there would still be a way to defeat Bailu.
Attrition warfare.
Endless waves of elemental attacks to drain her strength until she collapsed—only then could victory be achieved.
This had always been the sole method for the weak to overcome an overwhelmingly powerful individual.
The logic aligned perfectly with Aventurine's prior deductions.
Unfortunately, this golden Curio played by no such rules.
"The cost is very low. Just snap your fingers," Sylvester said calmly.
"..."
Aventurine fell silent for half a second before his expression shifted violently. "That's it?"
He recalled Penacony—how he had exhausted himself, forcing Acheron, the Emanator of Nihility, to fight at full strength just to glimpse the secrets hidden deep within the dreamscape.
He had poured everything into activating his Stone, unleashing a rain of gold.
And now, Sylvester was telling him that such a move could be casually interrupted by Bailu with a flick of her little hand?
"Yes. That's all."
Sylvester was starting to feel genuinely sorry for him. Anyone would struggle to accept such a reality.
Especially for someone of the Ten Stonehearts' caliber. Though they couldn't defeat Emanators at the pinnacle of mortal limits, they were never helpless either—true top-tier combatants among mortals.
Yet now, before this young dragon, they were no different from ants by the roadside.
Such an immense disparity—no wonder Aventurine was unwilling to let go. Anyone in his position would feel the same.
Even so, letting go was their only option.
Sylvester patiently explained, "As I mentioned earlier, Bailu can control other elements through the spirit element. Compared to all previous methods of elemental utilization, this approach is vastly more efficient. Naturally, the cost she pays is correspondingly lower."
He swallowed before continuing, "Oh, and there's one more thing. The two Dragon Kings of that world were both top-tier elemental manipulators. As a result, battles between kings were surprisingly fought through pure physical combat. Because of this, the Emperor's origin also carries supreme physical capabilities. After adapting to the universe, it can contend directly with stellar flames."
"The F—CK!"
Aventurine finally failed to restrain his emotions. All the words he wanted to say collapsed into raw instinct.
This was unprecedented for him. Among the Avgin, only foolish brutes spoke crudely; liars who wanted to survive had long since trained themselves into refined gentlemen.
But at this moment, he truly couldn't hold back.
So, it wasn't just unrestricted elemental control? Even physical combat sat at the very top tier?
Now even hand-to-hand combat—the one path he once thought laughable—had been completely sealed off?
Just what kind of monster had this created?
With abilities this complete… what could it even be called?
"Exactly." As if seeing straight through his thoughts, Sylvester chuckled softly. "This is—the Perfect Dragon."
===BREAK===
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