Speaking of which, it’s only been a day since we separated from the Foolish Big Guy. Yet, when he saw us, he looked incredibly excited. He blocked the doorway, waving vigorously to greet us, with an innocent and harmless smile on his face—anwhile, the Iron Knight trio outside was probably already preparing for a charge formation.
"Big Guy, co sit over here!" I waved forcefully at the Foolish Big Guy while Qianqian also shouted toward the counter, "Boss, another... you decide how many portions of food to serve."
The retired veteran behind the counter squinted at the Foolish Big Guy, then nervously went to the back kitchen to assign tasks.
The Foolish Big Guy took large strides toward our table, causing the ground to shake. As soon as he left the doorway, I heard Joseph’s voice outside: "Charge formation, ready—charge... hey, wait a minute!"
Soon, three people in National Knights’ standard armor scrambled in, the first being that handso elf, Joe. Second, was Joseph, big as a bear (though compared to the Foolish Big Guy, more of a teddy bear), and third, a red-haired woman in female armor, was Anna—it’s true, won are treated better, for even though she ca in scrambling, at least she could lie atop two layers of at shields, even if they were wrapped in steel plates.
Steel clashing against steel and crashing onto the wooden floor, naturally, it made a series of loud noises. The few patrons in the restaurant imdiately quieted down, suppressing laughs all around; most likely, the ones here were rcenaries from outside and ordinary soldiers under the Knight Order. Joseph’s trio might be comical, but at least they had a knight’s title, so sort of officer rank, hence no one dared to laugh openly. But so people didn’t care about such matters; the old restaurant owner heard the commotion outside and ca bustling out, spry as a young man, calling out, "Which little rascal is dueling in my place again! This damn noise sounds like knight armor... it’s you three?"
The restaurant owner, a retired veteran, clearly recognized Joseph’s trio. Watching the three armored figures scrambling up from the floor, he imdiately judged that they tripped over the doorfra as they rushed in: "Got starved out of your minds?"
The trio: "..."
The three Iron Knights, faces ashen, ca over to sit opposite us, their armor clattering chaotically. I sympathized deeply and ordered each of them a glass of frothy wine (that’s what the locals call it, a low-alcohol drink, not quite beer) and pondered how these three could be Iron Knights for fifteen years. Joseph patted Joe on the shoulder, the latter’s elven pride still sowhat intact, looking especially dejected. As the leader of the trio, Joseph felt the need to offer so counsel: "Joe, rember the knight’s oath?"
The handso elf looked puzzled, "You an the one that’s ’control your emotions, never rage’?"
"The one that says ’endure setbacks as they are honing us’. "
Then the two reckless big guys laughed heartily together, clinking their glasses, "Cheers!" "Cheers!" "To honing ourselves!" "To challenges!" "To soon being promoted to Sword Knight!" "Damn it, don’t bring that up..."
My eyes couldn’t help but fall on the red-haired lady knight of the trio, thinking how could soone like Anna, looking so composed and proper, be with two old mischievous brats, then instantly recalling this lady had goaded Joe into getting beaten by the Foolish Big Guy fifteen tis in a row. Now it all made sense: appearances can be deceptive; she might be quite similar to Qianqian...
"We’ve been looking for you for a long ti," the Foolish Big Guy said as he took a wooden mug and downed it in one gulp, repeating what he’d said when he first entered. The chair beneath him seed a bit confining for this giant; he uncomfortably scooted it back a bit, "The camp outside is really big, and we can set up our own tent, much better than the military camp. I’d love to switch with you all."
Bingdisi glanced at the Foolish Big Guy, "Didn’t Qianqian say yesterday she’d co to the fortress to find you...? Oh, all three of you together, this must be official business?" With that, she turned to Joseph’s trio, adopting a disinterested stance, "Isn’t it said that nobody oversees free rcenaries? What official business do you Knight Orders have to waste our ti?"
"This is the first ti I’ve seen people like you..." Anna looked at Sister Bing in surprise, then waved her hand, "Don’t worry, no official matter, just following protocol to check on your camp situation, see if you need assistance or might need to draw so supplies in advance. rcenaries from afar can draw so from the fortress warehouse if supplies are insufficient, and settle up after completing the Knight Order’s commission. We three are your guarantors after all, and since you have a sorcerer, part of a frontline unit, we’ve got to act responsible."
Bingdisi imdiately bead, "Hmm, you really know how to please , most wouldn’t dare say that last part out loud."
At this point, Joseph and Joe clinked glasses again, the forr exhaling wine vapor, "eting with the rcenaries you’re guaranteeing, that counts as official business, right?"
Joe tucked his head down, clutching his cup, "If Anna says it doesn’t count, it doesn’t count. Haven’t you realized this after chasing her for nearly ten years?"
Qianqian and Lin Xue’s ears perked up at the hint of a scandal, but Joe and Joseph continued their drinking spree. Disappointed, Qianqian went back to fiddling with her trinkets, while Lin Xue squinted with a mischievous smile. I suddenly realized sothing, breaking out in cold sweat: It’s not scary having a voyeur who always knows what you’re up to, but terrifying is soone like Lin Xue, who observes your entire life openly and discreetly, without you realizing others have already seen everything about you. No wonder prophets don’t et a good end elsewhere; this ability to draw hatred is tantamount to two camps of defense warriors or twelve Sicaros standing together...
"What are you thinking? Am I that unethical a person?" True to our long-standing love-hate relationship, Lin Xue knew what I was thinking just from my breathing, and Miss Lin shot a displeased glance, "I’m just doing my routine alert."
She quietly added a small note at the end, "I’ve only ever closely watched one person."
I felt touched yet unnerved: Thank goodness I’ve stopped watching porn since I got married...
At this point, our food was finally served. I had no idea what exactly Qianqian ordered, but even though this world’s food tasted sowhat odd, it was quite palatable. The dishes before everyone resembled stews, offering a taste of the otherworldly cuisine. The restaurant owner thoughtfully prepared a simple and hearty al for the Foolish Big Guy given his size: a basin of noodle-like soup. I saw the basin was practically as large as a pot.
"This is the pot we use for cooking." The young waiter, catching my hushed murmuring, candidly admitted.
The Spiritual God Cat, Little Black, jumped down from the Foolish Big Guy’s shoulder, extending its neck, opening its mouth, "Feed ."
I was about to point out cats shouldn’t eat anything too hot when I suddenly rembered this is the otherworld, and this black cat defies conventional wisdom, so I quickly held back that thought, switching the subject, "Big Guy, how’s living away from ho treating you?"
"What’s there to get used to?," the Foolish Big Guy said with a hearty laugh, using a fork to roll the noodles into small portions and placing them before the Little Black Cat, "I’ve traveled long distances before, never been to a big city, but I can sleep anywhere."
"But not having your own room is bad," the Little Black Cat grumbled, pawing at the noodles, "As a noble cat, not even having my own room is truly sad—and my master has to share a room with three people."
"You’re quite demanding for a cat," Joseph cast a sidelong glance at Little Black, "Where you sleep is a small matter, you should worry about what your master wears. There’s nothing in the entire fortress to fit him, and even a long spear is just a short pole for him. The quartermaster is losing it—Big Guy, how did you grow so big? I always thought I had a decent build."
The Foolish Big Guy was already almost finished with his half-pot of soup and replied with a smile, "Eat a lot, fight bears, and you’ll grow."
Joseph scratched his chin, contemplating, "Eating’s easy, fighting bears... I’m not so sure about."
As everyone ate and chatted, the entire restaurant suddenly grew quiet.
The situation ca very suddenly. One second, the small restaurant was filled with the loud voices of rcenaries and soldiers bragging and joking; the next, it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. The expressions of the diners, who had just been engrossed in idle chatter, froze on their faces, as if a petrifying wind had swept through. Everyone suddenly sensed an unnerving presence, and no one dared to speak.
Except for a few of us—Qianqian continued studying her bowl of stew to figure out the best order in which to eat it, Lin Xue continued to pick out the food she didn’t like and placed it in my bowl, Pandora and Visca were devouring their als in perfect sync like shadows, and Bingdisi tapped the table hard, speaking to the Iron Knight trio across from us (who were also stunned): "What’s up with you guys? Gone dumb?"
"Didn’t you feel it?" Joe, who rarely spoke, looked at us as if we were monsters, "Hey, how are you all acting like nothing happened?!"
"What happened?" Qianqian finally noticed the strange atmosphere around us, looked up cluelessly, and glanced around, "I didn’t stop ti... Oh, it really didn’t stop, that person just blinked."
At this point, the eerie "Peaceful Wind" seed to have finally passed. The diners in the restaurant, as though they had just survived an earthquake, gradually ca back to life. Many were patting their chests and taking deep breaths, then engaged in soft murmuring. Everyone’s voice was much lower than before, as if the invisible, unnerving presence was still lurking around, its influence lingering.
We were utterly baffled, and I even wondered if a female version of Stallone, visible only to locals, had just streaked through. In the end, it was Lin Xue who raised her head and said, "You an Dragon’s Might, right."
"Oh, so you felt it too? I thought soone might actually be immune to that pressure like the heroes in legends," Joseph exclaid, patting his chest brashly as if trying to boost his own courage, "But why weren’t you nervous? Oh, I see... you’ve got good composure."
I slightly tilted my head towards Miss Lin, asking through the spiritual connection, "Dragon’s Might? What’s going on?"
Miss Lin nodded imperceptibly, "There was just a wave of pressure descending from the mountain, but I didn’t actually feel it either. I only knew what was happening by directly observing the ’truth’ with my ability."
"Oh, no wonder we didn’t feel it," Bingdisi, who was eavesdropping on the spiritual connection, suddenly realized, "That thing only works based on rank, effective against beings lower on the life ladder than oneself, completely ineffective against those higher—since we rank directly on the Void Ladder, we ignore these things."
By now, the Iron Knight trio had huddled together, nervously discussing, while Elf Joe, who was usually calm, also seed sowhat uneasy: "Do you think it might be that soone has co..."
"I heard it too," Joseph replied mysteriously, "Master Soya has already arrived. Do we have a chance to see a dragon this ti?"
The Foolish Big Guy scratched his head and bellowed, "Who are you talking about?"
"Dragon!" Joseph declared solemnly, "The oldest and only Ancient Dragon with a pure bloodline in the world. She rarely appears before mortals, but whenever there’s sothing related to the Dark Moon, she will definitely be there. We heard a while ago that she would co to the Northern Fortress..."
Bingdisi’s eyes suddenly glinted: "How ancient is this Ancient Dragon?"
"It’s said she existed even before the first war. The Dragon Clan was led into battle by her," Anna looked at us, sowhat curious, "Didn’t you know this? These are legendary creatures. I grew up hearing these stories."
Of course, we knew the Dragon Clan participated in the first war. The Bible of the Goddess Sect ntions it, and these mysterious creatures appear every ti there’s a war. So, although the Dragons always act independently, they’re also considered part of the Surface People’s Alliance Army. But that Bible never ntioned an Ancient Dragon living to this day!
It seems that the dragon in this world has beco an immortal creature.
"Let’s go see," Bingdisi suddenly said through the spiritual connection, "I know where that dragon is now... Tch, didn’t notice before. Chen, you’ve t her."
I was bewildered, but before I had ti to ask, Bingdisi dragged up. We hastily bid farewell to the Iron Knight trio and the Foolish Big Guy, then directly headed to the Church’s Corps’ headquarters at the top level of the fortress. The local Church Army and the Second Line Corps camp outside the fortress, but the Pope-led Imperial Church Army, like the National Knights, is stationed at the top level. The Upper Zone is heavily guarded, strictly prohibiting rcenary access. Of course, this ans nothing to us; Qianqian fixed the ti, and we all brazenly went up...
The group arrived at the fortress command post near the mountain top, a stone structure almost semi-embedded in the hard mountain rock, possibly hollowed out from the mountain itself. We activated our invisibility field and smoothly entered the stone fortress. Bingdisi’s Louse Spirit popped out from who knows where, leading us all to the war conference room.
The reason I knew it was a war conference room is that within this brightly lit large room were tactical maps of the Long Bridge Mountain Range surroundings, a magical device resembling a projection sandbox at its center, and—most importantly—a sign hanging on the wall...
The guards here seed to have been dismissed, and the large door to the room was tightly closed. After phasing through the walls, we found the vast war conference room occupied by only two people. One was an old man clothed in a long purple robe with gold trim, hair and beard white, his fra thin but spirit lively; he stood at a large table, his expression seed quite excited. Bingdisi casually pointed at the old man: "See, that’s the Pope."
And standing in front of the Pope was a tall woman in a plain dark leather armor, with short white hair, slightly pale skin, lips of an unusual light purple color, and a pair of purple-red vertical pupils... wasn’t this the expressionless sister we encountered earlier?
"See, that’s the dragon." Bingdisi pointed at the woman.
"No way! So she’s from the Dragon Clan, didn’t recognize her in human form," I scratched my head, "How did this legendary creature end up pitching a tent at the rcenary Camp for a night? Here to experience life like us too?"
"I didn’t notice either, hmm, must’ve not been paying attention, honestly just needed a little discernnt to recognize her true form, but who would have thought to run into such a one at the rcenary Camp," Bingdisi snorted through her nose, "Never mind, let’s quietly listen to their argunt."
Indeed, the atmosphere between the Old Pope and the most ancient Female Dragon King was not pleasant, and considering that demonstrational Dragon’s Might, it was clear the two were in conflict, maintaining a tense silence, unaware that a line of uninvited guests stood several ters away, observing them. The first to break the silence was the old man, who tapped the stone floor with his Tin Staff: "Soya, you’re putting in a difficult position."
"I’ve been in a difficult position for thousands of years," the White-haired Female Dragon King’s voice lacked any emotional fluctuation, and though she was complaining, there was no anger detected, she was just stating a fact, "I need to go to the Moon and talk to the people there."
The Old Pope spread his hands, "The Dark Moon Lord may still be in hibernation, with the Blood Princess in charge at the Moon Palace. Who do you think you can talk to? And by the ti the Dark Moon Lord wakes, the war will officially begin. Going up is useless."
"Then I’ll wake that guy up in advance, this cycle of his is not a solution. What we discussed back then is still problematic as it seems now—you’ve been through dozens of reincarnations, you know this world is worsening, the power of the Divine Artifact is weaker than the Demon’s. This isn’t sothing mortals can just fix with effort."
"So you truly refuse to honor the Ancient Agreent," the Old Pope firmly tapped his Tin Staff again, "But even if I agree, what can you do, you know the Twin Star Transmission Station was locked by the four of us together back then, to prematurely activate it before official connection would require at least three of us to unlock it, and now with the Dark Moon Lord asleep, the Blood Princess won’t heed you—how are you going to go?"
We listened from the sidelines, thoroughly engrossed! (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (qidian) to vote for recomndations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.)
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