Becoming the Demon Lord: Taming the Demon Queen Begins

"Rumor has it that the dragon race carries the fortune of heaven and earth and is protected by the saints of the human race. If you present them with the grand gift of nine dragons encircling, it can summon the blessings of the gods from the Celestial Realm."

"So, this is the gift you were talking about," Timothy nodded thoughtfully.

Azura seemed quite pleased with herself: "How about that? Just thinking about it feels grand, doesn't it? I guess only a gift this big is worthy of a goddess."

"Yeah, it's indeed impressive," Timothy admitted, feeling for once that Azura was actually making sense. He couldn't deny it was a good idea.

Flying with the wind, it didn't take long for them to reach the Shrine of the Oceanic Dragon. However, the atmosphere at the shrine was noticeably off compared to before.

"You are Timothy, from Goddess Sylvia's side?" The dragon guard at the shrine recognized Timothy and was clearly very respectful.

But upon seeing Azura, the guard's expression turned somewhat strange.

"Welcome, Princess Azura. Please, go right ahead."

The dragon guard hesitated for a while before stepping aside.

Even as he entered the Shrine of the Oceanic Dragon with Azura, Timothy sensed something was amiss, not to mention the guard's odd behavior.

"Princess Azura? Shouldn't he have referred to Azura as the Dragon King? Has something happened inside the Shrine of the Oceanic Dragon?" Timothy turned to Azura and asked, "Azura, are you hiding something from me?"

"This..." Azura's expression changed, and she awkwardly stuck out her tongue.

"Hehe, I actually did keep some things from you."

She guiltily lowered her head, her index fingers tapping each other.

"I had anticipated this, although the Shrine of the Oceanic Dragon shows submission to Goddess Sylvia. They only truly submit to the Sky Sanctuary and Goddess Sylvia, not to me. These dragons never wanted me to ascend as the Dragon King. Now that I've also signed a beast contract with a human, they probably have even more reason to push me out."

Timothy frowned slightly, "But I remember several elder dragons were quite supportive of you."

"True, a few elder dragons do stand by me, but they are pitifully few compared to my brothers and sisters. After all, many of them were born centuries before me and have numerous supporters.

Although my second elder brother's Ancestral Dragon bloodline isn't as pure as mine, it's only 1% less pure, but I suspect that during my absence from the Shrine, his supporters among the dragons and the Sea Folk have already monopolized the power within the Shrine. I guess my position as the Ocean Dragon King is nearly just for show now."

Azura's words revealed a barely concealed bitterness.

[Ding, Azura has signed a contract with the host, sharing honor and disgrace. System task released: Help Azura reclaim her position as the Ocean Dragon King and secure her status within the Shrine of the Oceanic Dragon. System reward: 2 hours of usage rights for the Exorcist's Rod, plus one Binding Immortal Rope.]

[Note: The Exorcist's Rod is a Mythic-level relic with a strong restraining effect on all demons. The Binding Immortal Rope is a one-time use item that can temporarily restrain a Holy Emperor strong enough to step into the Transcendence Realm.]

Even without the system task, Timothy was ready to step in for Azura. After all, he still needed to find nine dragons at the Shrine of the Oceanic Dragon as a Valentine's Day gift, and he couldn't allow other dragons to undermine Azura's position.

His pet beast was his to tease, not for other dragons to strut around.

"Let's go. You help me figure out the Valentine's Day gift, and I'll handle the business here at the Shrine of the Oceanic Dragon," Timothy said decisively to Azura.

Instantly, Azura's eyes, which had been somewhat dim, lit up.

"But you're not from the Shrine of the Oceanic Dragon, is this really okay...?"

"Just follow me," Timothy said, tugging on Azura's ear.

"Okay!"

Azura nodded immediately, her eyes brimming with trust.

Along the way, they occasionally passed Sea Folk from the Shrine of the Oceanic Dragon. Seeing Azura, these Sea Folk not only refrained from calling her Dragon King but also showed a bit of strangeness in their expressions, even deliberately walking around them as if trying to avoid the pair.

No Sea Folk dared to speak to Azura, and the atmosphere in the entire Shrine of the Oceanic Dragon became somewhat oppressive.

Just then, several figures appeared in the distance. Surrounded by several elder dragons and turtles, was a young man in a brocade robe, but with two dragon horns on his head. Although not as majestic as Azura's blue dragon form, these horns were clearly different from those of other dragons around.

"So you're Timothy?" Prince Aegir looked at Timothy, a slight smile on his lips. "I've heard you're a human who has awakened the Enlightenment Body and are highly regarded by the goddess. But..."

His gaze coldly shifted to Azura, his tone mocking, "I never said she was welcome in the Shrine of the Oceanic Dragon."

"What do you mean?" Timothy's brow furrowed.

"It's simple. A dragon who has signed a beast contract with a human no longer deserves to be accepted by the Shrine of the Oceanic Dragon. As for her position as Dragon King, I think it's also unnecessary."

Although Aegir's words were teasing, he turned to Timothy and said, "If you wish to come alone, I would indeed like to invite you in for a drink. But as for her, it's best she no longer appears in the Shrine of the Oceanic Dragon."

"What if I don't want to go in for tea at the Shrine of the Oceanic Dragon and instead want Azura to reclaim her rightful seat?" Timothy responded sharply.

"What did you say?"

Hearing this, Aegir's expression changed instantly.

"Human, the Shrine of the Oceanic Dragon indeed swears loyalty to Goddess Sylvia. But matters concerning Azura are internal affairs of our dragon race. I advise you not to interfere. Besides, wouldn't it benefit you if Azura lost her position as Dragon King? Then she'd have no home, and you could forever be her master. Haha, think about it, isn't that all to your advantage?"

As Aegir laughed somewhat hysterically, many eyes within the Shrine of the Oceanic Dragon turned their way.

Timothy could feel that many of the elder dragons' gazes were not friendly, even carrying a hint of chill.

Azura's connections in the Shrine of the Oceanic Dragon were indeed good. Some Sea Folk and weaker dragons showed signs of sympathy. However, these Sea Folk held low status within the Shrine and, despite their willingness, were powerless to change the situation.

After all, those supporting Aegir were elder dragons with high status and experience within the Shrine, far beyond what they could contend with.

With his smooth talk and the advantage of being the second prince, Aegir had almost monopolized the upper echelons of power within the Shrine. Even if other dragons wanted to help Azura, they were powerless in such a scenario.

"Attack him, Azura," Timothy suddenly said.

With all her might, Azura let out a dragon roar she had been practicing.

Fiercely adorable!