By the time the members of the LGD snapped back to their senses, Jeanne had already walked a dozen meters toward the monster. They watched her with bated breath, their hearts filled with the kind of solemn respect one feels when watching a hero march toward certain death.
Many even wanted to follow Jeanne and approach the creature, yet they feared that a rash movement might provoke the behemoth. They remained rooted to the spot, poised to sprint and rescue her at a moment's notice.
The primary reason for their hesitation, however, was that the moment the giant beast saw Jeanne walking toward it, the creature—which had been roaring and spitting fire—actually ceased all its aggression. It watched her approach with eyes filled with intense curiosity.
At this point, they could only pray that Jeanne could work a miracle and stabilize the monster's emotions. If it were to lose control and charge into the downtown district, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Beside them, Ch'en broke into a cold sweat for Jeanne. She wasn't entirely certain if Jeanne's claims were true, but recalling that Jeanne had never been one to boast, Ch'en chose to believe that Jeanne had a way to resolve this crisis. In this situation, she was their only hope.
In contrast to everyone's anxiety, Jeanne showed not a hint of fear as she walked toward the Earth Dragon. Though she had no idea how this little fellow had grown so large, its species remained unchanged. As long as it was a dragon, it would have to obey her. It was precisely because she possessed the power to control them that Jeanne wasn't worried about accidentally creating a creature she couldn't handle.
As the dragon saw the Magic Dragon Banner fluttering in Jeanne's hand, its entire demeanor became increasingly docile. It lowered its head slightly to gaze at the woman walking toward it. The aura radiating from Jeanne was deeply familiar, but because its brain wasn't exactly top-tier, it couldn't quite remember where it had felt it before. Being a "child," a bit of forgetfulness was only natural.
"Don't be afraid. No one is going to hurt you anymore. From now on, just follow my orders..."
Jeanne's hand reached out to stroke the Earth Dragon's head. To her shock, she discovered that this dragon's scales were completely different from a standard Earth Dragon! Small clusters of Originium were actually growing on its scales! Some scales had even become completely "Originium-ized." These crystals worked in tandem with the scales to form a primary line of defense against attacks, greatly enhancing its resistance to Originium Arts.
This was a first even for Jeanne! Could an Earth Dragon actually contract Oripathy? Looking at its state, it seemed healthy enough, seemingly unaffected by the Originium's typical toxicity.
Back when she used the Earth Dragons for mining, Jeanne had worried about them catching Oripathy. Since the animals of Terra could be infected, there was no guarantee Earth Dragons were exempt. However, through testing and the guidance of her Revelations, Jeanne understood that infecting a Dragon-kin required an astronomical amount of Originium—an amount they couldn't possibly dig up even if they worked themselves to death.
Moreover, according to what her Revelations told her, an Earth Dragon contracting this "pseudo-Oripathy" didn't seem to be a bad thing.
She decided to set those questions aside for now. This little fellow's explosive entrance today was earth-shaking enough; it would be a shame if the Lungmen Shadow Guard slaughtered it as a monster.
As the giant relaxed under her touch, its wariness of the surrounding environment vanished. It shifted its body, revealing what it had been protecting beneath its belly. In the next second, several "little" fellows, barely three meters long, crawled out from the dirt. Compared to their six-meter-tall brother beside them, they looked like pocket-sized toys.
"Oh, so it's a mother? It was only being violent to protect its children?"
The onlookers, seeing the smaller creatures emerge from under the giant's belly, immediately jumped to a heartwarming (but incorrect) conclusion. Their gazes softened. Although the beast looked formidable, they realized it hadn't actually caused any wanton destruction to Lungmen—unless you counted helping them dismantle a deeply hidden illegal organization.
If the soldiers locked in the police vans heard this, they would have likely broken out just to argue. That giant isn't their mother; it's just a freakishly fast-growing anomaly!
The LGD, however, remained ignorant of this fact. Or rather, they didn't care. Their guard against these creatures remained high, and they were unsure of the next step. Leaving it here would certainly attract unwanted attention. Yet, attacking it? Based on the accounts of the soldiers, their current gear was useless; they would need much heavier ordnance.
The group watched as the black-armored warrior soothed the behemoth. The interaction between Jeanne and the dragons looked remarkably harmonious.
"I'm going over there! The rest of you, bypass these giants and keep searching for people! We still don't know where that Ursus manager ran off to!"
Ch'en, watching the interaction, cautiously approached Jeanne. Meanwhile, the officers led by Hoshiguma and Swire moved out to round up the remaining suspects in the dilapidated building.
Ch'en didn't dare walk too fast. She wasn't sure if Jeanne's ability to calm monsters had a limit. What if she provoked the creature and Jeanne got hurt?
The giant dragon, perhaps sensing the aura of a "Dragon-Slaying Sword" or simply reacting to a stranger's approach, immediately locked its gaze onto Ch'en with suspicion. If Jeanne hadn't been there to soothe it, the dragon would have likely opted for a "Dragon Breath welcome" right then and there.
"Don't be nervous, and don't attack anyone else. No one will hurt you now," Jeanne whispered, stroking the dragon. Truth be told, her small, armored hand shouldn't have been felt much against those thick scales, yet under her touch, the Earth Dragon truly settled down. However, it continued to eye Ch'en—specifically the Chi Xiao hidden behind her back—with wariness. The aura of that weapon was loathsome to it; it was the scent of something that could actually hurt it.
Feeling insecure, the dragon let out a long huff of breath. The smoky exhalation carried a faint scent of sulfur, as if it were a creature born from a volcanic wasteland.
"How is it? Can you communicate with it? Can you ensure it doesn't destroy the surroundings or charge into crowded areas?" Ch'en asked quickly as she reached Jeanne's side. Faced with such an alien creature, even she had to rely on a professional.
Seeing Jeanne use mere words to make the behemoth obey, Ch'en seemed to guess something and looked at the giant with disbelief.
"Don't worry, I can guarantee it won't cause any losses to Lungmen. I just hope you can inform the others not to attack it rashly. It's... a bit shy."
Hearing Jeanne's words, Ch'en became even more certain of her theory. She remembered Jeanne saying she had a special ability to control the behavior of Dracos and Vouivres... oh, right, and now she had to add Dragons to that list.
Jeanne had truly controlled a rampaging beast with just her voice. Though her tone was much gentler than last time, it was unmistakably a command. And looking at the creature's build and the horns on its head, Ch'en could rule out it being a "Lung." Even though it looked majestic, it didn't resemble the Dragons of her heritage.
"Then I'm relieved. I can promise that as long as it doesn't damage Lungmen, we'll find a way to get it out of the city! But... do you actually know what kind of creature this is?" Ch'en breathed a sigh of relief. She knew how valuable such a specimen would be, but she was willing to let it return to the wilderness.
Though Jeanne didn't say it outright, her actions implied this creature was closely linked to her. Ch'en was willing to play dumb and let Jeanne take it away.
"What kind of creature? Why don't you just treat it as... a very large Originiumslug?" Jeanne scratched her head and gave a blatantly nonsensical answer.