"It depends on whether you are willing to make a deal or not," Daniel did not give a direct answer and spoke with a neutral expression.
Even though the old dragon tried to hide it well, Daniel could see the expectation and desire in his eyes. When he heard about the blood of the Fallen, it was as if he had just heard about the most valuable thing in the world.
Is the blood of the Fallen really that valuable? It seems that his blood is worth much more than he thinks and knows.
"What do you want?" The First Elder realized that his emotions had probably revealed too much through his eyes, but he no longer tried to hide anything.
"Your consent to allow me to enter the Ancient Trial."
"My consent alone is not enough." The old dragon did not answer immediately. He hesitated and thought for a moment before speaking.
"If you help me get the consent of the others, I can give you as much of the Fallen’s blood as you want," Daniel said firmly.
The First Elder fell silent again, as if he was weighing the pros and cons. Seeing whether it was worth it or not. And also choosing between his pride and something whose value he might not even be able to measure.
His pride did not allow him to let a lowly human enter the Ancient Trial. On the other hand, he could not ignore the temptation of the Fallen’s blood either.
However...
"I will help you, but I make no promises." He agreed, not only because he wanted the blood. Even if he and all the other elders agreed, as long as this boy did not have the Goddess’s permission, he would not be able to enter.
He was certain that a human could never obtain permission from the Dragon Goddess to enter the Trial.
Daniel smiled. Using mana, he created a dagger and cut his own hand. Drops of blood began to fall.
"What are you doing, human? Hah?" The First Elder frowned, and anger surged in his eyes. Was this human mocking him?
However, the next moment, when he saw the blood, his body suddenly began to tremble. Not from fear, but from excitement and temptation. It was as if his body was strongly tempted to suck that blood.
With his massive body, he moved closer to Daniel and looked more carefully at the drops of blood.
"This is the Fallen’s blood? You carry his bloodline? But that should be impossible." The old dragon waved his hand, and a bowl formed from mana, collecting the drops of blood inside it.
At the same time, he muttered in disbelief. It was as if he could not believe that a lowly human was truly carrying the bloodline of the Fallen, something he had never been able to imagine.
He was certain that the Fallen God had no children or descendants. So how? How had his bloodline been inherited?
Plus he now understood why the Empress had allowed this human to enter. So is it possible that she knows this human carries the blood of the Fallen?
They did not like letting an unknown human inside, and it was done only because the Empress insisted.
But now he understood the reason.
Daniel shrugged and did not answer. As much as he wanted to respond, he did not know the exact answer himself. He had some guesses, but it was better not to say anything for now.
The First Elder did not ask further. After the mana bowl was filled with blood, Daniel used Mana Healing to heal his hand.
"That should be enough, right?"
"More than enough." The old dragon nodded. The way he looked at this human was no longer hostile or full of contempt. Even if he was human, he carried the bloodline of the Fallen.
Among dragons, the Fallen God holds a very high position, almost like a hero. He was the god who took revenge for the dragons by slaughtering and killing the innate gods, even if that had not been his main goal.
Because of that, even though the Fallen God had been human, he holds an excellent position among dragons.
"Can I ask what you need the Fallen’s blood for?" Daniel asked curiously. He had not seen the dragon drink it or do anything with it. He had only stored it away.
"The Fallen’s blood allows dragons to evolve their souls. It is a great help to us dragons," the First Elder replied calmly.
"I see."
"Since you carry the Fallen’s bloodline, obtaining the consent of the other elders will not be difficult. You can simply make the same deal with them that you made with me. I am sure they will accept."
"Can you help me gather them all in one place? Going one by one to the homes of nine other dragons would take some time," Daniel requested.
He had also noticed that all the hostile aura and heavy pressure that had been directed at him had disappeared. It was clear that this dragon had acknowledged him, or at least become neutral toward him.
That alone could be considered progress.
"Since I promised to help you, it’s not a problem." The First Elder nodded, and then a talisman began to form in front of Daniel.
"Keep this with you. In a few hours, I will inform you through it that all the elders have arrived. With its help, you will also be able to find the place where I gather them," he added.
"Thank you."
"You may leave."
Daniel nodded and, after saying goodbye, left the place. He had nothing else to do there and had already achieved what he wanted. He just had not expected it to be this easy.
’So my blood is very valuable to dragons. Now that I think about it, this bloodline probably has far more abilities than I realize,’ he thought while leaving the massive palace.
"Did you succeed?" Seeing him come out, Evangelin slowly walked toward him and asked in a neutral tone, though a bit of curiosity could be felt in it.
"Yes. It was easier than I expected."
"So, are we going to the next one?" She nodded and did not ask further questions, as if she either already knew or simply did not care.
"There’s no need. The First Elder will gather the other elders so I can talk to them." Daniel shook his head and refused.
Evangelin’s eyebrows rose slightly in surprise. This was something she had not expected.
This boy really managed to get that annoying and arrogant old dragon to cooperate with him in just half an hour? How is that even possible? She knew that old man well. Even breathing in his presence was extremely difficult.
However, she did not ask anything.
"So what do you want to do until then?"
"How about we look around a bit?" Daniel thought for a moment and then asked. He had really liked this place. It was exactly the paradise he had imagined.
He wanted to see how big it really was and what the culture and lifestyle of the dragons were like. In short, there were many things to see.
However, he did not expect that this decision would drag him into a big trouble...