Seeing Rossweise still didn't believe him. Leon was also a bit anxious, "Fine, mother dragon, since you've said that—"
Rossweise raised her beautiful eyebrows.
Listening to his tone, it seemed like he wasn't planning to pretend anymore.
'Hmph, as expected, I guessed it right, damn man.'
However, unexpectedly, Leon's next half sentence was, "Then I'll say it to you every 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, until the day I'm buried in the ground, I'll keep saying these cheesy words to disgust you! To make you stop looking down on me!"
Looking at his serious and competitive expression, Rossweise knew he wasn't lying.
He really had the guts to say those sweet nothings to her for a lifetime.
Rossweise was a little stunned, the silver long tail behind her subconsciously curled slightly.
She secretly pinched her skirt hem, desperately holding back the shyness rippling in her heart, "You… You think I'll be scared of you just because you say that? If you dare say it, I dare listen!"
The couple locked eyes, and it was as if invisible sparks splashed in the air.
After a brief stare, the two turned their heads at the same time.
"Childish man," Rossweise 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 and carrots."
"If you really make that dish, I swear, Rossweise, tonight the only thing getting stir-fried won't just be the carrots."
"Eat it or don't, I hate picky eaters the most."
"I know, I'm the exception."
"Shameless!"
They bickered as they walked toward the Silver Dragon Sanctuary.
The setting sun stretched their shadows long, so very long.
———
The sounds from a certain underground facility inside the imperial capital's royal city were swallowed by thick stone walls, shrouded in a mysterious and calm atmosphere.
In this deep and hidden space, the Royal Sorcerers and the highest commander of the Imperial Dragon Slayer Army, Elanti, stood with hands behind his back, his eyes fierce and solemn.
He stood on a cold metal platform, with dense vein-like lines beneath his feet, like flowing currents coursing through the entire space.
In front of him was a massive breeding tank. Though its exterior design appeared rough, it was equipped with all kinds of complex alchemical devices, with countless liquid pipes extending from its sides, tightly connected to the tank.
The breeding tank was filled with light green nutrient fluid, gently rippling without waves, emitting a faint fluorescence, everything was tranquil yet unusual.
What was most astonishing was the half-rotten head suspended in the nutrient fluid, a majestic dragon head.
This dragon head emitted a dark red glow, like an ember buried deep underground. Even though its surface was severely decayed and one of its dragon horns was broken and incomplete, one could still feel the heavy trace of its once supreme glory.
"Even after being dead for so long, you can still vaguely feel its majesty," Elanti's voice gently echoed in the chamber, his eyes filled with an indescribable admiration and fervor.
The air seemed to carry the pressure derived from that majesty, as if it could pierce the boundary of the nutrient fluid and connect with the visible world.
Elanti's gaze penetrated the illusions of the rippling fluid and extract, fixing on the slightly opened dragon eye, silently confronting it.
Even after enduring the ravages of time, that head still housed an unyielding will, as if its owner was still wandering the world, never truly having fallen into eternal slumber.
Elanti's expression grew increasingly moved. He gently caressed the transparent shell of the breeding tank, as if engaging in a spiritual dialogue with the remains of this Dragon King.
"Dragons really are the most nearly perfect creatures in this world," Elanti muttered to himself, his tone filled with both admiration and barely concealed greed.
Ancient bloodlines, powerful strength, long lifespans, and that indestructible will.
Any one of those would be far beyond the reach of other races.
But fortunately, Elanti was about to make this perfect creature his own.
A moment later, his subordinate Scott arrived at his side, slightly bowed, and said, "Sir, the first phase of the 'Blade Special Operations Team' selection has ended. Around a hundred passed the basic test. We will select three from them to inherit the power of the original Dragon King, Noah, and make them the Empire's sharpest Blades."
'Good news indeed.'
Since the implementation of the Blade Plan, the Empire had invested considerable manpower and resources.
Now that the first phase had ended smoothly, all that remained was to gradually eliminate those unqualified.
However, Elanti did not seem particularly excited. He merely asked blandly, "Are the three people you initially favored among them?"
"Yes, sir. The three brothers performed exceptionally well."
"Mm, that's good. You're in full charge of this project, and I want to see satisfactory results in the end. Don't end up like that useless Nacho who couldn't do anything right. Understood?"
"Yes, sir," Scott replied respectfully.
In Elanti's brief response, Scott felt a hint of heavy pressure.
He knew this high-ranking official had placed great expectations on the Blade Special Operations Team, and any mistake was unacceptable.
Elanti was famously ruthless. Once a plan failed, his subordinates were like discarded chess pieces, doomed to merciless elimination.
Just like Nacho Salaman.
But if one could succeed under Elanti, what awaited was limitless glory and wealth.
There was never a shortage of gamblers in this world, and Scott was one of them.
His gaze grew more resolute, confident he could seize this opportunity and develop the Blade Team into the Empire's sharpest force.
After a pause, Scott added, "By the way, sir, I've made some progress on the investigation you asked for regarding Tiger Lawrence and Rebecca Clement."
"Speak."
"Though we haven't grasped their movement patterns inside the Empire, I discovered that every three months, they disappear for about twenty days before resuming activity in the Empire."
Scott said, "Though we don't know exactly what they're doing during those twenty days, if we keep digging, we might uncover something. And it's very likely related to Leon Casmodeous."
Upon hearing this, Elanti subtly nodded, "Not bad. Investigate as you said. If you're short on manpower, I can assign you more."
"Thank you, sir," Scott nodded.
Elanti gazed at the dragon head in the breeding tank. "After Nacho's repeated failures, I've finally understood what kind of monster the Empire has produced. Defeating Leon Casmodeous head-on is basically impossible. But fortunately, I never mind using some dirty methods in war."
Scott's eyes shifted as he flattered, "Pardon my boldness, but I think your wording may be inappropriate."
Elanti raised an eyebrow, "Oh? How so?"
"Whether something is dirty or not is decided by the victor. And clearly, in this conflict, the loser will definitely be Leon Casmodeous. A hundred years from now, who would even remember today's events? People will only speak of your glorious deeds."
Scott grinned cunningly, "As for Leon, who's that? A footnote in history, nothing but a foolish obstacle on the Empire's path to world dominance."
Listening to Scott's eloquent flattery, Elanti, though knowing the man was a smooth talker, still couldn't help but enjoy it.
He shook his head and chuckled, "I find you not only more reliable than Nacho, but also better at flattery."
"You flatter me, sir. I'm merely speaking the truth."
Scott said, "But if you really want to use Tiger and Rebecca to threaten Leon, we'll have to wait a bit. After all, those two are elusive, and it's very hard for our people to get to them."
"Mm, I know. After all, Tiger was one of the top Dragon Slayers of the previous generation. For some reason, he quit the army and started living a quiet civilian life. He knows the Empire's style well, it's normal you can't catch him."
Elanti's thoughts shifted as he continued, "However... since Tiger and Rebecca's whereabouts are uncertain, we might as well target someone else."
Scott followed his boss's line of thinking and asked, "Do you mean Leon's other teammate, Martin? But Martin is currently clean and is the son of a royal minister. It's hard for us to investigate him."
"No, I don't mean Martin," Elanti said, "He's not even human."
Scott was slightly startled, "Not... human?"
Elanti nodded and tapped the breeding tank in front of him with his index finger, "When the owner of this head was alive, he once told me that even among dragons, 'family relationships' exist. And the Silver Dragon Queen whom Leon is currently with is the biological sister of another dragon tribe's Queen. So I think, perhaps we can start with that dragon king."
"She's the Silver Dragon Queen's sister... Indeed, if this dragon Queen were in trouble, Leon would likely step in, giving us a perfect opportunity to take him."
Scott paused, then analyzed from another angle, "But given how many times we've failed before, if we really want to use this dragon Queen to threaten Leon, we need to be fully prepared."
"Of course."
Elanti tilted his chin toward the dragon head in the breeding tank, "He is the 'stone' we use to test the waters."
Scott's eyes immediately lit up, barely containing his excitement. The completion of this technology would be a major leap in the Empire's power and signify they stood at the threshold of a new era.
"Sir, has the 'fusion technique' been completed?", Scott asked cautiously, almost able to hear his own heartbeat.
Elanti's eyes were as deep as the sea, "Mm, just the final phase remains."
"As long as we insert the head representing 'burning,' then awaken its sleeping will using the power of the Heart-Protecting Dragon Scale, combined with the bodies of countless S-class danger species—"
"Then we will have created a killing machine."
Elanti placed his palm against the transparent wall of the breeding tank, staring at the dragon head within. His powerful voice grew even more resolute, and the rising emotion seemed to make every bit of air in the space tremble.
"A killing machine that is invincible, tireless, and capable of dragging Leon Casmodeous into hell!", Elanti's voice brimmed with ambition for the future and thirst for power.
He raised his other hand, facing the first, forming a supporting frame before the tank as if declaring his control over the sleeping Dragon King. A grave expression flashed across Elanti's face, then turned into resolute determination.
"Crimson Flame Dragon King Constantine, your flame of revenge shall be rekindled by the Empire!"
His voice echoed in the enclosed space.
Little did he know, the soul that had returned from hell had already seen through everything.
———
On Friday evening, Leon's whole family sat under the pavilion in the front yard of the temple, waiting for the 'school bus' Leviathan.
Luna stood in the yard, holding her little hand above her brows, gazing into the distance at the fiery sunset clouds.
She stood on tiptoes, her tail swaying behind her, full of unspoken excitement about her sister coming home for vacation.
"Luna, sister probably won't be back for a while. No need to rush, come sit and wait," Rossweise reminded her.
Luna reluctantly withdrew her gaze, her little tail drooping listlessly, the tip lightly dragging on the ground as she walked toward the pavilion.
Seeing his daughter a little down, Leon picked her up and set her on his lap, "Missing your sister?"
The little dragon girl nodded hard, "Luna hasn't seen sister in five days. Luna really misses her."
"Daddy misses her too. How about when sister gets back, we race to see who hugs her first, sound good?", Leon patiently coaxed her.
Luna's eyes lit up. Then she proudly put her hands on her hips and lifted her tail, "Daddy is no match for me!"
"So confident?"
"Mm! Because Daddy's body gets weak intermittently. I calculated the time, and it just so happens these two days are Daddy's 'weak' days!"
"..."
He originally wanted to comfort his daughter and distract her, but why did that feel like a stab right in the heart?
'Do I look like a weak man?'
'Daddy's very strong, okay?'
'Your mom knows best.'
"Ah~"
In his spiraling thoughts, Leon heard a sigh from the other side.
He turned and looked toward the pink-haired girl who sighed, "What's wrong, Little Light?"
Little Light leaned forward, hands folded, resting her tiny chin on the backs of her hands, sighing again, "Ah~ A woman's sense of novelty is like the candlelight on the dinner table, it burns for no more than two hours."
Hearing his little daughter say such things, Leon couldn't help but suck in a cold breath.
He immediately looked to the side at Rossweise, suspecting the dragon mom had been secretly teaching Little Light this nonsense.
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