Chapter 15: Man, What Can I Say

In the Empire, within a certain underground facility in the Imperial City, the sounds were swallowed by thick stone walls, creating a mysterious and cold atmosphere.

In this deep, hidden space, Ailandy, the Imperial Court Sorcerer and highest commander of the Empire’s Dragon Slaying Army, stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze stern and composed.

“Even though it’s been dead for so long, you can still faintly feel its majesty,” Ailandy’s voice echoed softly in the secret chamber, his eyes carrying a mix of admiration and fanaticism.

You could almost feel the pressure of that majesty in the air, as if it could break through the barrier of the cultivation fluid and connect with the visible world.

Ailandy’s gaze pierced through the illusion of waves and extract fluid, fixing on the slightly opened dragon eyes, silently confronting it.

Despite the ravages of time, that head still harbored an unyielding will, as if its owner still lingered in the world, never truly falling into eternal sleep.

The expression on Ailandy’s face became increasingly moved. He gently stroked the transparent shell of the cultivation tank, as if engaging in a spiritual communion with these dragon king remains.

“Dragons are truly nearly perfect creatures in this world—” Ailandy muttered to himself, his tone carrying both admiration and undisguised greed.

Ancient bloodlines, powerful strength, longevity, and that inextinguishable will.

Any single one of these traits was beyond the reach of other races.

But fortunately, Ailandy was close to turning this perfect creature to his own use.

A moment later, his attendant Scott arrived at his side, bowing slightly in greeting, and said,

“Sir, the ‘Dagger Special Forces’ selection has completed its first phase. About a hundred people passed the basic test. We will select three from these hundred to inherit the power of the Primordial Dragon King Noah, making them the Empire’s sharpest daggers.”

It was good news.

Since the implementation of the Dagger plan, the Empire had invested considerable manpower and resources.

Now that the first phase was successfully completed, all that remained was to continuously eliminate those who didn’t qualify.

However, Ailandy didn’t show much excitement, only asking flatly,

“Are those three brothers you initially favored among them?”

“Yes, sir. The three brothers performed excellently.”

“Good. This project is under your full responsibility. I want to see satisfactory results in the end – don’t be useless like Nacho. Understand?”

“Yes, sir,” Scott responded respectfully.

Scott felt a heavy pressure in Ailandy’s brief response.

He knew this high-ranking official had placed great hopes in the Dagger Special Forces, and no mistakes would be tolerated.

Ailandy was famously cold and ruthless. Once a plan failed, his subordinates became like discarded chess pieces, inevitably facing merciless elimination.

Just like Nacho Salamander.

But if one could succeed under Ailandy, what awaited Scott would be endless wealth and glory.

The world never lacks gamblers, and Scott was one of them.

His eyes grew more determined. He was confident he could seize this opportunity and cultivate the Dagger Special Forces into the Empire’s sharpest unit.

After a pause, Scott added, “Also, sir, regarding the investigation you asked me to conduct on Teg Lawrence and Rebecca Clement, I’ve made some progress.”

“Speak.”

“Although we haven’t figured out their movement patterns within the Empire, I’ve discovered that they disappear for about twenty days every three months before resuming activities in the Empire.”

Scott continued, “While we don’t know what they do during these twenty days of absence, if we follow the trail, we might uncover something. It’s likely connected to Leon Casmode.”

Hearing this, Ailandy gave an almost imperceptible nod. “Not bad. Investigate as you suggested. If you need more manpower, I can assign more people.”

“Thank you, sir.” Scott bowed.

Ailandy stared at the dragon head in the cultivation tank. “After Nacho’s several failures, I’ve finally understood what kind of monster the Empire has cultivated. Defeating Leon Casmode head-on is practically impossible, but fortunately, I don’t mind using some dirty tactics in warfare.”

Scott’s eyes shifted as he flattered, “If I may be so bold, I think sir’s choice of words isn’t quite appropriate.”

Ailandy raised an eyebrow. “Oh? How so?”

“What’s dirty or not is determined by the victor. And clearly, in this struggle, the loser will definitely be Leon Casmode. A hundred years from now, who will remember what happened today? People will only pass down tales of your glorious deeds, sir.”

Scott smiled slyly. “As for Leon, who is he? Looking through history books, you’ll find he was just a foolish stumbling block on the Empire’s path to world supremacy.”

Although Ailandy clearly knew this fellow was just smooth-talking, even high-ranking officials like him were susceptible to such flattery.

He shook his head with a smile, “I find you’re not only more reliable than Nacho, but better at flattery too.”

“Sir, you jest. I’m merely stating facts.”

Scott continued, “However, sir, if you really want to use Teg and Rebecca to threaten Leon, we’ll need to wait a while. Those two are like ghosts, appearing and disappearing – our people find it truly difficult to capture them.”

“Yes, I know. After all, Teg was one of the top dragon slayers of the previous generation. He retired from the Dragon Slaying Army for certain reasons and now lives a low-profile civilian life. He’s familiar with how the Empire operates, so it’s normal that you can’t catch him.”

Ailandy’s thoughts shifted as he continued, “But… although Teg and Rebecca’s whereabouts are uncertain, we might try targeting others.”

Scott followed his boss’s line of thinking and asked, “Sir, do you mean Leon’s other teammate, Martin? But Martin is currently clean, and he’s the son of a royal minister – it’s not convenient for us to investigate him.”

“No, I’m not talking about Martin,” Ailandy said. “She’s not even human.”

Scott was slightly startled, “Not… human?”

Ailandy nodded, reaching out to tap the cultivation tank with his index finger. “When this head’s owner was still alive, he told me that among dragons, ‘family relationships’ also exist. And the current Dragon King of the Silver Dragon tribe, where Leon is now, has a sister who is the Dragon King of another tribe. So I think we might be able to start with this Dragon King.”

“A sisterly relationship with the Silver Dragon King… Indeed, if this Dragon King falls into trouble, Leon would likely intervene, making it a good opportunity to capture him.”

Scott paused, then analyzed from another angle, “But after failing so many times before, I think if we really want to use this Dragon King to threaten Leon, we should make more thorough preparations.”

“Of course.”

Ailandy gestured toward the dragon head in the cultivation tank, “This will be our ‘stone’ to test the waters.”

Scott’s gaze immediately became intense, unable to hide his excitement. The completion of this technology would mark a great leap in the Empire’s power and signal their standing at the threshold of a new era.

“Sir, is the ‘Fusion Technique’ complete?” Scott probed tentatively, he could almost hear his own heartbeat.

Ailandy’s eyes were as deep as the sea, “Yes, we’re just at the final stage.”

“We just need to place the head representing ‘burning’ inside, then use the power of the heart dragon scales to awaken its sleeping will, combined with the bodies of countless S-class dangerous species.”

“Then, we will have a killing machine.”

Ailandy placed his palm on the transparent wall of the cultivation tank, gazing at the dragon head within. His powerful voice grew more determined, and the rising emotions made every bit of air in the space seem to tremble.

“A killing machine that is invincible, tireless, and capable of dragging Leon Casmode to hell!” Ailandy’s voice was filled with ambition for the future and thirst for power.

He raised his other hand, positioning both palms against the tank to form anchor points, as if declaring his control over the sleeping Dragon King. Ailandy’s face flashed with gravity before settling into determined resolve.

“Flame Dragon King Constantine, your fire of vengeance will be rekindled by the Empire!”

His voice echoed in the enclosed space.

Yet little did he know, the soul returned from hell had already seen through everything.