The night at the campsite was silent, with only the crackling of the bonfire breaking the stillness.
Reylo's heartbeat was still rapid. He forced himself to calm down and carefully recalled everything he knew about dragons.
The white fur, corresponding to the color of a silver dragon's scales;
The enormous appetite, in line with a dragon's powerful digestive capacity and energy needs;
The ability to breathe fire... that was the dragon's breath of a silver dragon.
As for why it appeared as a white-furred lynx, it was probably because this terrifyingly magically gifted young silver dragon had mastered shape-shifting magic in its infancy.
All the clues, like scattered puzzle pieces, swiftly fell into place after the key evidence of "breathing fire" emerged.
The answer was almost obvious.
This seemingly harmless, greedy, and adorable white-furred lynx before him was, with a high degree of certainty, the young silver dragon he had been searching for in vain for days!
This discovery made Reylo's blood boil with excitement.
No wonder he could only find some traces deep in the mine but never its true form.
This little guy had simply strolled into his campsite in another form, feasting every day!
What a... sly and greedy dragon!
After finishing the last bite of meat, the little creature contentedly licked its paws, its amber eyes narrowing comfortably, and a contented purr emanating from its throat. It was completely unaware that its identity had been exposed.
Reylo took a deep breath and suppressed his excitement.
Now was not the time to startle it.
Now that he had identified his target, the next step was to figure out how to form a pact with it.
Forming a pact with a magical beast, especially one with a dragon, was extremely difficult.
Dragons were proud and powerful creatures, possessing extremely high intelligence, far beyond that of ordinary beasts.
And silver dragons, among all dragon species, were renowned for their elegance and preference for wisdom, and were also much... pickier.
It was practically a fantasy to expect a silver dragon to willingly form a pact.
But Reylo looked at the little creature still savoring the taste of the roasted meat, completely unguarded, and a faint smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
Perhaps, dealing with an inexperienced and clearly a "foodie" young silver dragon didn't require such complexity.
Forcing it would definitely backfire.
Seduction was the only option.
And the best bait was obviously the delicious food it couldn't resist.
Reylo didn't make a fuss. Like usual, he waited for the bonfire to gradually die down before returning to his tent.
But he didn't immediately fall asleep. Instead, by the faint light of a magic lantern, he carefully took out a scroll from his innermost pack.
This scroll was made of a special material, not ordinary parchment or papyrus, but a strange substance with a faint silvery sheen and a warm, smooth texture. The surface of the scroll was adorned with intricate and ancient runes, with magic flowing faintly.
This was the magical beast pact scroll he had purchased at a high price before leaving Reylo City.
He needed a perfect opportunity, as well as a "feast" that the little gluttonous dragon couldn't refuse.
The next day, Reylo still went into the mine to explore as usual, but his mind was obviously not entirely focused on finding ore veins.
As dusk approached, at Reylo's command, Ed hunted down a plump, faintly energy-radiating wind rabbit.
This small magical beast had tender and delicious meat, a rare delicacy.
Night fell again, and a bonfire was lit at the campsite.
As the flames licked at the meat, grease dripped continuously, making a sizzling sound. A rich aroma began to permeate the campsite.
Sure enough, it wasn't long before that familiar figure appeared.
The white-furred lynx practically ran over following the scent, its amber eyes fixed firmly on the golden-brown, aromatic wind rabbit that had been roasted to perfection. The purring in its throat sounded like a small blower, and drool was almost dripping.
It even forgot its usual reserve and vigilance, running straight to Reylo's feet and rubbing its head against his trouser legs, making urgent "meow" sounds.
Reylo smiled and cut off a succulent rabbit leg with his dagger, but didn't immediately hand it over.
"Want to eat it?"
Reylo's voice carried a hint of temptation as he waved the rabbit leg.
"Meow!"
The white-furred lynx was so anxious that it paced in circles, its front paws constantly scratching the ground.
All its attention was focused on that delicious rabbit leg.
Reylo slowly extended the rabbit leg, deliberately bringing it close to the scroll.
The little creature couldn't wait and stretched its neck to reach for it.
"Little guy, I know you're smart," Reylo said as he unrolled the pact scroll.
"Form a soul pact with me, and from then on, we'll be partners for life and death!"
"And as partners..." Reylo coaxed, "I'll give you endless roasted meat."
The dragon's instinct made it sense the power of the pact, but its youthful curiosity, the slight trust built up from the two-legged creature's continuous feeding over the past few days, and most importantly, its intense desire for the delicious food, ultimately overcame its caution.
It only hesitated slightly before grabbing that fragrant rabbit leg and contentedly chomping down.
The scroll lit up, and Reylo placed his hand on the little creature's forehead.
There was no resistance.
Reylo felt an intangible connection establish itself between him and this "white-furred lynx."
It was a wonderful feeling, as if his spiritual tendrils had extended out, gently touching another unique and powerful soul, building a bridge of communication.
Although it was still very faint, it was real.
The pact was formed!
The magic light gradually faded, and the runes on the scroll returned to their dull state.
He had succeeded.
Using the simplest, and perhaps the only feasible method, he had formed a soul pact with a young silver dragon.
Although this silver dragon currently looked... more like a gluttonous cat that had been captured by roasted meat.
Reylo picked up the remaining roasted wind rabbit and tore off another large piece, placing it in front of the little creature.
"Eat up, there'll be plenty in the future," he said softly.
The white-furred lynx cheered happily and pounced on it without hesitation.
While it was buried in its meal, its body seemed to flicker extremely faintly and unnoticeably, as if for a moment, under that snow-white fur, a faint glimmer of delicate silver scales could be seen, before it returned to normal.
As the night deepened, the dying embers of the bonfire emitted their final warmth.
Reylo looked at the "white-furred lynx" buried in its food, its mouth covered in oil, a contented purr emanating from its throat, and the tip of its tail unconsciously swaying gently.
The majesty of a silver dragon?
Wisdom?
At this moment, they were nowhere to be seen, leaving only a youngling completely conquered by delicious food.
"After eating mine, you're my dragon from now on,"
Reylo muttered softly, with a hint of playfulness and a touch of seriousness.
"I'll call you 'Moonlight.'"
His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached the little creature's ears as it was tearing at the rabbit meat.
Moonlight's feeding movement paused slightly, its ears twitched, and its amber eyes lifted to look at Reylo. There wasn't much complex emotion in that gaze, more a kind of innocence and... a slight displeasure at having its meal interrupted.
Moonlight soon lowered its head again and continued its battle with the delicious roasted meat, as if the previous pause had just been an illusion.
Reylo smiled and didn't disturb it further.
He leaned against the side of the tent, gazing at the deep night sky dotted with stars.
The pact was formed, and this seemingly barren mining area suddenly didn't seem so dull anymore.
A powerful partner, even if it was still just a youngling that did nothing but eat and sleep, was enough to change many things.
He could feel that as the pact stabilized, the spiritual connection between him and Moonlight was slowly but steadily strengthening.
Although complex communication wasn't possible yet, he could clearly perceive some basic emotions, such as Moonlight's current contentment and peace of mind.
The night was deep, and the bonfire flickered.
Reylo wrapped himself in a blanket and slept beside the fire. This time, the white-furred lynx didn't run off after eating as usual, but yawned and lay down beside Reylo.
The next day, Reylo was licked awake by a large, furry face covered in drool.
[Today's intelligence has been updated.]
[1: Faint signs of earth element gathering have been detected deep in the third branch passage of Blackrock Mine. There may be an unexplored ore node.]
[2: The wolf pack inhabiting the eastern rocky slope had a small-scale conflict last night. The old wolf king was driven out, and a new wolf king ascended to the throne. The new wolf king has awakened a variant wind attribute, breaking the shackles in its bloodline and advancing to become a second-order magical beast.]
[3: A thunderstorm is approaching. Please take measures to protect against lightning. This thunderstorm, which will cover the entire northern mountain range, is expected to last for about two hours.]
[4: There is a杂货铺 (zá huò pù, general store) called "Thorn's Whisper" on the commodity street of Blackstone Town. Among its inventory is an old, tarnished brass ring that has been sitting unsold for a long time. This brass ring is actually a magical ring that became non-functional due to the absence of an embedded magic stone. After replacing it with a new magic stone, it can be restored to normal function. The ring has a second-order spell "Wild Heart" sealed within it. After use, it can enhance the user's strength, agility, and stamina by approximately 20%, lasting for 1 minute.]
[5: The silver dragon "Moonlight" is currently in its infancy. Feeding it magical beast meat with higher energy content can accelerate its growth and help it enter the growth stage more quickly.]
[6: To the east of Black Forest Town, thirty kilometers away, in a patch of short woodland, a large area of blood-clotting grass has matured. Blood-clotting grass is a common medicinal herb for brewing first-order potions, and alchemy shops regularly purchase it at stable prices in large quantities.]
[7: Traces of suspected "Ground Sloth" activity have been found five kilometers away from the campsite. Ground Sloths are third-order magical beasts. They move slowly, are prone to drowsiness, but possess immense strength.]
[8: The nine-headed magical snake Hydra is on the verge of breaking through to a higher rank and has fallen into a long sleep to accumulate strength. In the absence of restraint from Hydra, its vast army of minions occasionally bursts out of the swamp and invades the human kingdom. This morning, a group of Hydra's minions will appear within the territory of Blackstone. If the invasion of Hydra's minions cannot be stopped, your territory will never know peace again.]
...
[10: After forming a pact with the silver dragon, due to Moonlight's variant attributes, you have not only gained an improvement in your physical constitution but also a significant enhancement in your magical talent. With your talent全面提升 (quán miàn tí shēng,全面提升, comprehensive improvement), you will soon break through and become a full-fledged knight. Perhaps becoming a magic knight would be a suitable path for you.]