The envoy's retinue took nearly a month to reach Lin Yan's fief.
Although they had never been here before, they had heard legends of this place from many people.
The changes here were indeed significant. Not to mention the farmlands and grazing livestock, just the merchant caravans along the way had increased considerably.
Merchants were the most perceptive; they were the clearest indicators of a place's transformation.
The so-called "Chaos Territory" had lost its name. Its lord was focused on developing the land, which in turn required the merchants' goods.
Therefore, when the news of Lin Yan conquering the Chaos Territory spread, merchants from all directions brought their wares to do business with her.
The envoys presented their carriages and gifts within the territory. As soon as such a procession appeared, Lin Yan received the news.
However, Lin Yan was currently occupied with awakening Joey's dragon bloodline and had no time to investigate their identities.
The human bloodline had been suppressed, and after Anita and Maurice brought some dragon-related materials, the dragon bloodline was stimulated.
Lin Yan's medicine was very gentle, causing Joey little to no pain. It was as if he had merely slept, and his body began to undergo changes.
These changes were gradual, yet even so, his destructive power grew.
Even the most boisterous human child couldn't compare to a young dragon.
Joey could now casually shatter a solid wood table with a mere touch. Though his claws were still tender, a casual brush could leave deep gouges on a stone wall.
Lin Yan had no choice but to have everything removed from his room and then reinforce it with numerous protective spells.
Once the furniture was moved out, Anita filled the room with gold coins and gems, allowing Joey to roll around in them.
Watching her son change day by day, Anita was deeply pleased.
Olyssis also wished to stay and witness his son's transformation, but their three-party business had just begun, and he had to oversee things on his end.
Thus, he missed this important moment in his son's life. However, he sent many memory crystals for Anita to record his son's changes.
Today was the final day. By midnight, Joey would fully transform into his dragon form, officially becoming a young dragon.
At that time, Lin Yan would release his human bloodline and attempt to merge the two, allowing him to shift between human and dragon forms at will.
It was known that dragons needed to reach at least level six to transform into human form, and level seven to do so freely.
Lin Yan also wanted to see if she could merge his talents. It was said that fire and water were incompatible. Joey was still weak, and his true nature wouldn't be apparent now, but as he grew and his power increased, he would eventually face issues.
Anita had come to trust Lin Yan completely. She did whatever Lin Yan told her to do.
Fortunately, Joey's treatment had been painless from start to finish, so he had no resistance to taking medicine or undergoing other treatments.
When the envoys arrived at the manor, Joey could already transform into a small dragon.
It was a small dragon the same color as its mother. It had a chubby belly, tiny wings, and walked with a wobble, let alone flying.
He enjoyed trying to fly, but each attempt involved vigorously flapping his wings while his body remained tethered to the ground.
He looked dejectedly at his round belly, having eaten a little less in the past few meals.
Seeing him like this, Anita and Maurice found him incredibly adorable. Anita even took many pictures of his cute moments with her memory crystals, planning to share them with her husband back home.
Maurice, seeing her high spirits, couldn't help but pity Joey's future. After all, no one wanted too many embarrassing moments from their youth captured.
Lin Yan, however, was quite fond of the current young dragon. Although he couldn't control his fire breath and had burned one of her tables, with sparks even singeing a few of her clothes.
She gently stroked the young dragon's still-soft scales, and Joey softly nuzzled her palm.
It was at this moment that the messenger entered. Seeing their lord stroking a young dragon, the person did not find it unusual.
"Lady Angelina. There are envoys from the Empire outside, saying they bring His Majesty's rewards and appointments.
Your brother is also among them and has come to see you."
"Brother is here too." She paid no mind to the Emperor's envoys, instead prioritizing the brother she hadn't seen in a long time.
"Let them come in. It's a bit cold outside. I'll go change into something suitable for receiving guests. Take them to the reception room. Inform Maurice to entertain them first," Lin Yan instructed, then picked up Joey and walked upstairs.
Upon reaching the upper floor, she set Joey down to find his mother and then headed to the dressing room to change for receiving guests. A maid was already waiting by the dressing room door.
As the envoys waited outside, they could sense that winter had arrived. They had departed the capital in warm weather, so they hadn't brought thicker clothing.
They had prepared clothes based on the winter temperatures of the royal city, but they hadn't expected winter to arrive so soon here.
They hadn't felt it much inside the carriage, but now, stepping out, they felt the chill.
However, they were soon ushered into the manor.
Upon entering, they saw a fountain in the courtyard spewing steaming hot water. Many people were drawing water from it. The manor walls were inscribed with lines, and at some intersections, red magic crystals were embedded.
The envoys, looking through the carriage windows, observed everything about the manor and mentally estimated the wealth of the former saintess.
Egbert also kept his eyes on the manor. It was not small, but its decoration was somewhat simple. He didn't know what the patterns on the outer walls were, but he saw magic crystals, many of them.
These magic crystals varied in size and magical power, but he could feel the magic flowing through the lines.
It was the energy of fire elements, and he roughly guessed the purpose of these lines, but even so, he found it hard to believe.
These magic crystals were likely meant to be embedded in wands or on enchanted jewelry. Embedding them in walls seemed excessively extravagant.
Once the group formally entered the manor rooms, they felt the difference in temperature.
The cold was completely dispelled by the warmth. By the time they sat in the reception hall, they found their outer garments almost unbearable.
Servants brought tea and pastries. Egbert was not with the others; instead, a maid led him directly to a guest room.
"Sir, the journey must have been tiring. Please take a bath. Miss will likely be down in a while, so you may rest first."
"Thank you," he replied before entering the guest room.
The guest room was somewhat simple, yet it possessed an understated beauty.
There were no layered lace curtains or heavy draperies. Sunlight streamed through the window onto the floor, adding warmth to the entire room.