Pioneer Lord: I Have Conquering System

In the Lord’s Hall, a shadowy figure suddenly crept out from the back kitchen, tiptoeing as if terrified of being discovered. It was none other than Sophia, the Silver Dragon Maiden who had joined High Cliff Castle after signing an exploitative labor contract with its unscrupulous Lord.

Just as Sophia was about to leave the Lord’s Hall, a look of delight on her face, a sudden voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Hey, you. Yeah, you. Get over here."

Levi’s face lit up with joy. He had just been worrying about how he was going to prove his point, so he quickly called out to Sophia.

The Silver Dragon Maiden trembled when she was called out. Her body went stiff. But with most of the eyes in the Lord’s Hall now on her, she fought a fierce internal battle before finally turning around, resigned to her fate.

The moment she turned, the Lord froze. His smile instantly vanished, replaced by a look of utter misery.

’Dammit, my treasured snacks!’

’You scarfed them all down!’

Levi’s tone was as mournful as a ruined king who had just lost his beloved.

It was no wonder Levi was acting this way.

The Silver Dragon’s cheeks were puffed out, and she was chewing nonstop. Her arms were laden with all sorts of snacks he had specially bought from Bailiu City, like matsutake cakes, golden melon seeds, and more.

All these snacks had been specially purchased from Bailiu City to entertain Liya. The Lord had, of course, decided to line his own pockets with them... no, that wasn’t right. He’d paid for them himself, so it was just moving money from one pocket to the other.

In any case, he had planned to set some aside for himself as a rare treat to satisfy his own cravings. And now? Not a single crumb was left.

It’s always the thief in your own house that’s hardest to guard against.

The Silver Dragon Maiden blinked her impossibly beautiful silver eyes, looking completely innocent. But the movements of her hands only quickened, and in just a moment, she had eaten all the food she was holding.

Then she puffed out her chest, ready to accept whatever punishment the Lord saw fit to give her, a look of someone who had nothing left to lose.

"What an adorable Dragon Maiden," Liya remarked, her gaze also drawn to the scene.

Just as humans and various Beastmen could have children with Alien Race traits like cat ears or ram horns—Half-Beastmen—so too could Giant Dragons and humans produce humans with Dragon Bloodlines.

There were even Dragon Vein Goblins, let alone Dragon Vein Humans.

Though not common, they weren’t exactly rare either. When Liya had visited the Royal Court in the past, she had often seen them in Debei, the political heart of the kingdom.

"Alright, spill it. Who put you up to this?" The Lord crossed his arms, a cold sneer on his face.

It wasn’t that he was some reincarnation of Conan, able to identify the mastermind at a glance; it was simply that he knew this Silver Dragon Maiden didn’t have the guts to do this on her own.

Sophia shook her head frantically and whispered, "I decided to do it myself."

"Heh. It’s not that I look down on you, but do you really think you’re clever enough for that?" Levi was somewhere between angry and amused.

’He hadn’t expected this timid Silver Dragon to be so loyal.’

"I’m not clever?" The Silver Dragon Maiden pointed at her own face in disbelief, her hand trembling.

She was the acknowledged genius of Dragon Island, a prodigy with immense magical skill! Even the elder dragons couldn’t compare to her Transformation Technique.

She swore this was the first time anyone had ever insulted her intelligence, and she couldn’t help but want to argue back.

’You can insult my Long Ge, but you can’t insult my intelligence!’

The Lord had no interest in discussing matters of intelligence with her. After all, her lack of it was plain for all to see, and arguing with a halfwit would only make him look bad.

"Zat, why are you sweating so much on such a cold day?"

Baisitina looked over at Zat, asking with some confusion.

It was so cold that a fire was lit in the Lord’s Hall fireplace for warmth, yet beads of sweat were pouring from the Beastman commander’s forehead.

He was also fidgeting in his seat as if he were sitting on pins and needles.

"Haha, Chief Steward Tina, I’ve just been feeling a bit... heated lately. Body and soul, you know," Zat said with an awkward laugh, wiping the sweat from his forehead while his eyes pleaded with Baisitina for mercy.

Baisitina understood instantly, covering her mouth to hide a giggle.

"Right, right, right. I should have known. Who else but a lummox like you would dare put someone up to scheming against me, your Lord? My High Cliff Castle truly is a shallow pond full of troublemakers. To think I’ve managed to gather both a Wolong and a Feng Chu at the same time."

How could their subtle exchange possibly escape the Lord’s notice?

"Boss, you’ve got it all wrong!"

Zat immediately proclaimed his innocence. Honestly, he had only casually mentioned in front of Sophia that their boss was hoarding good food again.

Whether this "casual mention" was intentional or not, who could say?

He never thought the Silver Dragon would actually take it to heart and go steal the snacks.

And if she stole them, well, that would give him an excuse to ask for a share later. He just hadn’t expected her to be caught red-handed, with both thief and loot secured.

"I’ll settle the score with you two later."

With the two outsiders, Liya and Si Kai, still present, Levi couldn’t very well enact his house rules. He waved his hand as if shooing away flies, dismissing the two of them from the Lord’s Hall.

After all, one shouldn’t air their dirty laundry in public. He could curse out and beat his subordinates all he wanted in private, but he had to give them some face in front of outsiders.

"See? That Dragon Maiden with the horns just now, that was a Giant Dragon!" Levi said with a perfectly straight face. "Don’t mind that she looks a little dopey. She’s a genuine, True Giant Dragon that I moved heaven and earth to capture."

"A Giant Dragon? Lord... ha... hahaha..." Si Kai tried to hold it in, but he couldn’t help himself. A laugh escaped the corners of his mouth.