Chapter 5: Primal Dragon King

At midnight, in the Empire, Nacho Salamander walked wearily into an inn.
After exchanging secret signals with the innkeeper, the owner led Nacho upstairs to a private room.
Standing at the door, Nacho knocked and cleared his throat, respectfully saying,
“Lord Ailandy, I’ve returned.”
Then, a deep male voice came from inside the room, “Enter.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Nacho pushed open the door, and the innkeeper tactfully closed it for him before turning to leave.
Entering the room, the man called Aylandi was sitting at a tea table on the balcony, legs crossed, gazing into the heavy night.
A pot of tea sat on the table, wisps of steam rising from it.
Nacho stood at the doorway entrance, not daring to step foot inside without Ailandy’s next command.
After a moment of silence, Ailandy slowly spoke,
“Blai, Jagus, Hanmi, Felix, Walton, Kayla, plus Ravi and Sta from before – eight Dragon Kings have died since I gave you this task. I want to know, is killing Leon Casmode really that difficult, Nacho?”
Nacho stood tensely at the door, even swallowing carefully.
His eyes widened as sweat dripped from his temples. After a long while, Nacho replied,
“It was an accident, my lord. I personally watched him disappear into the spatial rift back then. Who knew he would return…”
“I don’t believe in accidents, Nacho.”
The implication was clear – stop making excuses.
Nacho pressed his dry lips together and bowed. “I apologize, my lord. It was my carelessness that… caused these losses.”
Ailandy let out a cold snort, then changed his tone, “Come sit, I’ve made tea.”
“Yes, my lord.”
With Ailandy’s permission, Nacho finally dared to step inside and went to the balcony.
He sat down on the other side of the tea table, still appearing very nervous.
“You must be tired from your journey. Have some tea to wet your throat,” Ailandy said without looking directly at Nacho, still gazing out into the night.
“Yes, my lord.”
Nacho lifted the teacup with both hands and took a small sip.
The tea had started to cool, making it less palatable.
But Nacho knew Ailandy wouldn’t call him here just to drink tea for no reason.
Yet he didn’t dare ask about it.
When serving leaders, the most important thing was to do more and ask less.
“How’s the tea?” Ailandy asked.
“Very good, my lord.”
“Is that so? This tea is called ‘Red Robe’, produced in the Eastern Continent.”
After a pause, Ailandy slowly turned his head, finally looking directly at Nacho, “It was also your father’s favorite tea.”
Nacho was visibly stunned when he heard the word ‘father’ from Ailandy’s mouth.
He unconsciously gripped his teacup tighter, not daring to respond.
Seeing Nacho’s grave expression, Ailandy continued,
“After Victor was executed by Leon, you took on the task of killing Leon from me. I trusted you, which is why I let you oversee and coordinate Ravi and the others. But the results you’ve given me are very difficult to be satisfied with, Nacho.”
Gulp—
The bitter taste of tea filled Nacho’s mouth as he stiffly swallowed, his heart pounding anxiously.
Nacho understood the meaning behind Ailandy’s words:
You’re off this job.
“Although the Dragon Kings’ specific actions were decided by themselves, you were still involved in the overall planning, weren’t you?” Ailandy asked leisurely.
“…Yes, my lord.”
“Mm, this was what we agreed upon initially after establishing cooperation with the Dragon Clan.”
Ailandy sighed, “However, losing eight Dragon Kings at once, plus Constantine from long ago – Leon Casmode has really taught both us and the Dragon Clan a harsh lesson.”
“My lord…”
“The Dragon Clan has recalled Adam to kill Leon; so our Empire should also make some changes, don’t you think, Nacho?”
The message was very clear now.
Nacho wasn’t a fool. He immediately stood up and spoke rapidly,
“Please give me one more chance, my lord! I can definitely lead the Dragon Kings to kill Leon Casmode!”
“I’ve given you many chances already, Nacho.”
Faced with Nacho’s plea, Ailandy remained unmoved, “But facts have proven that this task’s difficulty far exceeds your capabilities. Perhaps…”
Ailandy lowered his eyes to look at the Red Robe tea in his cup, smiling faintly, “You’ll need to find another way to rescue your father from prison.”
“My lord!”
Thud—
This time, Nacho directly knelt before Ailandy, clutching his pants leg, frantically pleading,
“Please, my lord, give me one more chance, just one last chance, I definitely—”
“Enough, Nacho. Taking on an impossible task to clear your father’s name is actually quite foolish behavior.”
“My lord! I- I—”
“The tea has gone cold, Nacho.”
“…”
Ailandy smirked, then shook off Nacho’s hand, stood up, and walked toward the room’s exit.
He didn’t pause at all, nor did he give Nacho any chance to pledge his loyalty.
Loyalty?
Heh, loyalty was the last thing the Empire lacked.
Countless people were firmly grasped in Ailandy’s hands; he didn’t need Nacho Salaman.
Click—
The door lock sounded, the door opened and closed, the sound of leather shoes hitting the wooden floor gradually faded away.
Nacho remained kneeling in place as the midnight cold wind rushed in from the balcony, creeping under his collar, instantly enveloping his entire body in chills.
He numbly turned his head to look at the tea on the table.
“The tea has gone cold, Nacho.”
Ailandy’s final words echoed in Nacho’s ears.
Helplessness and dejection invaded his body and mind.
At that moment, he seemed to understand that before absolute power, black and white could be reversed, right and wrong no longer distinct.
Such power had once been within Nacho’s grasp, yet in the end, it slipped through his fingers like sand.
He didn’t hate that unkillable fellow; he only hated himself for not seeing through this absurd world sooner.
Nacho reached out with trembling hands, picked up the teacup, and drained the cold tea in one gulp.
Afterward, he stood up, left the inn, and walked alone through the Empire’s midnight streets, dragging his shadow in the moonlight.
His silhouette was haggard and thin, like a discarded, broken puppet.
…
After leaving the inn, Ailandy took a carriage back to the imperial city.
His attendant Scott came forward to report,
“My lord, the heart dragon scales from Blay and the other Dragon Kings have all been recovered.”
“Mm.”
“Additionally, my lord, there’s been new progress with the ‘project’ in the Far North. Would you like to take a look?”
Hearing this, Ailandy raised an eyebrow.
It seemed tonight wasn’t all bad news.
“Lead the way,” Ailandy said.
“Please follow me, my lord.”
The two made their way to an underground chamber in the imperial city.
The chamber was filled with numerous demon-suppressing stones.
And in the center of these stones floated a white, luminous object.
It hung there silently, its light crystal clear and translucent, milky white in color.
Ailandy’s eyes lit up, “Is this the ‘Primordial Force’ excavated from the Far North?”
“Yes, my lord.”
Scott explained, “After Ravi’s death, without the aid of spatial magic, the Dragon Clan ceased their activities in the Far North, but we still achieved some results. This is what you see before you.”
Ailandy gazed at the white luminous energy mass. Even though he had never practiced magic, he could feel the power within it.
It was restless, yearning for a vessel that could perfectly accept it.
No wonder it required so many demon-suppressing stones to contain it.
“Well done, Scott,” Ailandy praised.
Scott bowed, “Thank you for your praise, my lord.”
“Don’t be too quick to celebrate. Now that we’ve found the Primordial Force, have we found its vessel?”
“We have several candidates. But I favor these three brothers.”
As he spoke, Scott handed over a list.
However, Ailandy merely glanced at it briefly without reading in detail, “This is the task I gave you, you just need to show me the results.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“With these, the ‘Dagger’ plan can soon be completed,” Ailandy said softly.
Scott’s eyes darted around as he agreed, “That’s right, my lord. By then, we can advance our cooperation with the Dragon Clan further.”
Ailandy gave Scott a faint glance, “The Dagger plan was indeed initially launched to achieve deeper cooperation with the Dragon Clan, but that idiot Nacho still hasn’t managed to eliminate Leon Casmode. So… we have no choice but to change the original purpose of the Dagger plan.”
“My lord means… to use the Dagger plan against Leon?”
“Exactly. No matter how strong Leon Casmode is, he cannot defeat the Dragon Clan’s Primordial Force.”
Ailandy gazed at the white energy before him, speaking with complete confidence.
“My lord is wise,” Scott delivered timely flattery.
“Then, is this Primordial Force from Dragon God Tiamat?” Ailandy asked.
“Actually no, my lord. Even the Dragon Clan hasn’t found Tiamat’s place of death yet.”
Scott explained,
“However, this portion of Primordial Force we’ve obtained comes from Tiamat’s first-generation inherited Dragon King, who in Dragon Clan mythology holds the title of ‘First King.'”
Ailandy was slightly surprised, “Oh? Quite the distinguished background.”
“Indeed, my lord. Although this Primordial Force is merely a small fraction of his power, it’s still immeasurably powerful.”
“And this First King appears in all sorts of Dragon Clan legends, spanning through their history and making outstanding contributions to the Dragon Clan’s development. He’s revered as a hero of the Dragon Clan. Even today, people still sing of his name.”
Scott also looked at the restless Primordial Force,
“His name is… Primordial Dragon King Noah.”