Chapter 14: The White Thing Is About to Come Out ( Part 2 )
If taking the initiative was too difficult, then Leon had just shower Rosvitha with sweet words. As long as she was happy, that was what mattered.
Women—sometimes they were incredibly hard to please, but when they were easy to please, they were easy to~
Rosvitha narrowed her eyes as she watched Leon grinning foolishly to himself. She asked suspiciously,
“You’re definitely up to something, aren’t you?”
Leon snapped back to reality, looking a little dazed. “Up to… what?”
“Lately, you’ve been going out of your way to make me happy, saying things you never used to say. When something unusual happens, there must be a reason behind it. You must have an ulterior motive, right?”
“I don’t.”
Leon asked, “Do you think that little of me?”
The queen seriously considered the question before nodding solemnly. “Yes.”
“…Even though you’ve completely misunderstood me, I’m still happy.”
“Why?”
“Because at least I still exist in your heart.”
Now she was speechless.
“Casmode, I preferred you when you were arrogant and rebellious, always threatening to cut me down. Do me a favor and go back to that version of yourself.”
Rosvitha sighed. “Whatever it is you’re planning, just say it outright. Stop pretending to be all lovey-dovey.”
Because if you keep going… I might believe you.
“Hey, what do you mean pretending? I mean every word from the bottom of my heart!” Leon protested.
“Yeah, right. You’ll keep this up for three days at most, then give up when you don’t get what you want.”
Seeing that she still didn’t believe him, Leon grew anxious.
“Alright, mother dragon, since you insist—”
Rosvitha raised an elegant brow.
Judging by his tone, he was finally going to drop the act.
Hmph, I knew it! This damn man—
But then, to her surprise, Leon continued,
“Then I’ll just say it to you every single day.”
“No, not just every day. I’ll say it for a year—no, a year isn’t enough.”
“I’ll say it for ten years, twenty years, thirty years. Even on the day I’m buried in the ground, I’ll still say those sweet words just to annoy you! Let’s see if you still underestimate me then!”
Looking at his serious and determined expression, Rosvitha knew that he wasn’t lying.
He intended to whisper those sweet nothings to her for a lifetime!
Rosvitha was momentarily dazed. Her silver tail behind her unconsciously curled up slightly.
She quietly pinched the hem of her skirt, trying her best to suppress the waves of shyness stirring in her heart.
“You… You think I’ll be scared just because you say that? If you dare to say it, I dare to listen!”
Their gazes locked, and it felt as if invisible sparks were crackling in the air.
After a brief stare-down, both of them turned their heads away at the same time.
“Childish man,” Rosvitha muttered, then stood up and patted the dust off her skirt. “Let’s go, time for dinner.”
“What’s for dinner?”
Leon asked while following behind her.
“Stir-fried eggplant with carrots.”
“If you make that dish, I swear, Rosvitha, the only thing getting stir-fried tonight won’t just be the carrots.”
“Eat it or don’t. I hate picky eaters the most.”
“I know, I’m the exception.”
“Shameless!”
Bickering as they went, the two of them walked toward the Silver Dragon Sanctuary.
The setting sun stretched their shadows out—long, so very long.
…
Somewhere within the depths of the imperial capital, the echoes within an underground facility were swallowed by thick stone walls, shrouding the place in an atmosphere of mystery and cold composure.
In this deep and hidden space, Elrandir, the supreme commander of the Imperial Dragon-Slaying Army and the Royal Sorcerers’ Order, stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his gaze sharp and unwavering.
He stood atop a cold metallic platform, where dense veins of circuitry pulsed beneath his feet, resembling currents of energy flowing through the entire chamber.
Before him stood a massive cultivation chamber. Though its exterior appeared crude, it was outfitted with a complex array of alchemical devices. Numerous liquid conduits extended from its sides, connecting seamlessly to the chamber.
Inside, the chamber was filled with a pale green nutrient solution that remained still, rippling faintly with an eerie glow. The entire scene was both tranquil and unnerving.
But what was truly astonishing was the object suspended within the solution—a half-decayed head.
A dragon’s head.
A deep, crimson glow emanated from it, like embers buried beneath the earth. Though its flesh had long since rotted and one of its horns was shattered, the head still bore the weight of an unmatched, once-glorious legacy.
“Even after being dead for so long, its majesty can still be felt,” Elrandir’s voice echoed softly in the sealed chamber, carrying an indescribable mix of admiration and fervor.
The air itself seemed to thrum with pressure, an invisible force radiating from the dragon’s remains as if its presence could break free from the confines of the nutrient solution and seep into the visible world.
Elrandir’s gaze pierced through the shimmering liquid and the illusory reflections, locking onto the faintly open dragon’s eye, silently confronting it.
Even after enduring the ravages of time, the head still harbored an unyielding will, as if its master had never truly succumbed to eternal rest and still roamed the world.
Elrandir’s expression grew more and more impassioned. He gently traced his fingers along the transparent casing of the cultivation chamber, as if engaging in a silent communion with the remains of this Dragon King.
“Dragons… truly are the most nearly perfect creatures in this world,” he murmured to himself, his tone filled with both admiration and an insatiable greed.
Ancient bloodlines, immense power, extraordinary longevity, and an indomitable will.
Any single one of these traits was beyond the reach of other races.
But fortunately for Elrandir, he was on the verge of making this perfect being his own.
Here’s the continuation:
After a brief moment, his attendant, Scott, approached him and gave a slight bow before reporting,
“My lord, the first phase of the ‘Dagger Special Forces’ selection process has concluded. Approximately one hundred candidates have passed the basic tests. From these, we will select three to inherit the power of the Primal Dragon King—Noa—and forge them into the Empire’s sharpest blades.”
Good news.
Since the initiation of the Dagger Project, the Empire has invested considerable manpower and resources.
Now that the first phase had been completed, the next step was simply to eliminate the unqualified candidates one by one.
…
Footnotes:
- 事出反常必有妖 (shì chū fǎn cháng bì yǒu yāo)– “When something unusual happens, there must be a reason behind it.” A Chinese idiom meaning that abnormalities or strange occurrences usually indicate an underlying issue.
- “事出反常必有妖 (shì chū fǎn cháng bì yǒu yāo)”– A Chinese idiom meaning “If something unusual happens, there must be a reason behind it,” often implying suspicion toward an unexpected change in behavior.
- “扬言要把我砍了 (yáng yán yào bǎ wǒ kǎn le)”– Literally “threatening to cut me down.” In this context, it’s exaggerated speech referring to past threats or hostility that were never actually carried out.
- “爱吃不吃 (ài chī bù chī)”– A casual phrase meaning “Eat it if you want, if not, whatever.” It’s often used when someone is indifferent to another person’s food preferences.
