Chapter 625 - 454: The Whereabouts of "Coal Ball" and the Fate of Count Remon
Chapter 625: Chapter 454: The Whereabouts of "Coal Ball" and the Fate of Count Remon
’Things probably aren’t as simple as Avril made them sound.’
"How long have they been gone?"
Raylo asked.
"Two days now," Avril replied.
Raylo fell silent.
"Don’t worry too much."
Lillian noticed Raylo’s concern and patted his arm.
"Teacher and Mage Delin are both top-tier Casters. They’ll be fine."
Raylo forced a smile.
He stayed and chatted with Avril and Lillian in the tower for a long time.
They talked about everything from the Cloud Sea Giant Whale that had recently joined Black Stone Territory, to Lillian’s growing bond with her Red Dragon, Blazing Flame, and even the progress Avril was making with her Spiritual Magic.
Raylo didn’t get up to leave until just before dawn.
"I should get back. There’s a ton of work to do in the territory."
Avril saw him to the door and carefully straightened his collar.
"Be careful on your way back."
"Don’t worry."
Raylo hugged her, then ruffled Lillian’s hair.
"Take care of your sister-in-law."
"I know already, you nag!"
Lillian made a face at him.
Raylo turned and walked out of the stone tower. Lightning was waiting outside, locked in a staring contest with Lillian’s Red Dragon, Blazing Flame.
He vaulted onto the dragon’s back. The Thunder Dragon soared into the sky, transforming once more into a streak of lightning and vanishing into the pre-dawn gloom.
...
The next day, as the first hint of morning light pierced through the gaps in his campaign tent, Raylo opened his eyes.
He sat up, about to stretch his stiff limbs, when a newly updated system notification caught his eye.
[10. Your companion, Coal Ball, is an offspring born from the coalesced Origin Power that dissipated from a slumbering World Destruction Level Space Giant Dragon. As such, it was born with an incomplete Origin. Coal Ball’s ascension to the Domain Level triggered this flawed inheritance deep within its bloodline. The slumbering World Destruction Level Space Giant Dragon was awakened by the fluctuations from this ascension and has initiated a cross-planar bloodline summons to complete Coal Ball’s Origin. After a period of time, Coal Ball, its Origin now complete, will return to Black Stone Territory.]
Raylo stared at the notification, motionless for a long time.
’So that’s what happened.’
He’d been wondering why Coal Ball had suddenly disappeared. Now, he finally had his answer.
’He’d gone home.’
’It’s just that this "home" sounded a little terrifying.’
’World Destruction Level Space Giant Dragon.’
Raylo rubbed his temples, pushing the heavy revelation to the back of his mind.
He got dressed and stepped out of his tent. Ed was already waiting outside with the Personal Guard.
"Lord, breakfast is ready."
"That can wait."
Raylo waved his hand.
"Let’s go take a look at the construction site."
The construction site for the new Black Stone City was a hive of activity.
Over a thousand workers and soldiers were busy on the site.
Towering Mammoths strained against heavy winches, slowly hoisting massive, cut stone blocks into the air.
Raylo walked beneath the nascent city walls. The ten-meter-high ramparts stretched across the land like a gray-black mountain range.
"Lord!"
Evan, the Scribe in charge of overseeing the work, spotted him and hurried over.
"How’s the progress?" Raylo asked.
"It’s going smoothly."
Evan pointed at the city wall extending into the distance.
"The main structure of the wall is ninety percent complete. All that’s left is to reinforce the sections for the East and North Gates. In three more days, at most, the walls will be fully enclosed."
Raylo nodded.
Raylo walked a full circuit of the walls. Everything at the construction site was proceeding in an orderly fashion.
After lunch, those two—Moonlight and Lightning—had slipped off to who-knows-where to roughhouse again.
Sun, meanwhile, was sprawled out beyond the camp, lazily basking in the afternoon light.
The moment Raylo stepped into the main tent, he saw Gaius standing inside.
A figure was kneeling on the ground before him, back to the entrance.
"Your Highness."
Seeing Raylo enter, Gaius stepped forward to greet him.
Raylo’s gaze fell on the kneeling person.
The man wore a reasonably respectable set of noble attire, though it was caked with mud and bits of grass. His hair was disheveled, and he cut a rather pathetic figure.
"You brought him?"
Raylo walked to the head seat and sat down.
"I have not failed you." Gaius stepped aside.
Raylo gave a slight nod.
The kneeling man’s body trembled. He slowly raised his head and turned to face them.
The man kneeling on the ground was none other than the Lord of Iron Pine Territory, Count Remon.
A man who had once fought alongside him in the war against the Fiery Sun Kingdom.
"Count Raylo..."
Raymond’s voice was hoarse and dry. He looked at Raylo, his expression a complex mixture of emotions.
Raylo looked at Raymond.
"Count Remon. You’ve pledged your allegiance to the Blood Rose Prince."
Count Remon’s body trembled again. He bowed his head, not denying the accusation.
"Why?"
Raylo’s voice was very calm.
Silence filled the tent.
After a long moment, Raymond finally spoke, his voice raspy with the resignation of a man with nothing left to lose.
"Why?"
He let out a self-deprecating laugh.
"Your Highness, you are a genius. You cannot understand the despair of people like us."
He raised his head, his bloodshot eyes staring directly at Raylo.
"I’m forty-nine years old, and I’m still just a Tier Four Sky Knight. It took me thirty years to climb from a common Knight to where I am today. But then what?"
"I see no hope of ever reaching the Domain Level. My talent, my bloodline... they’ve taken me as far as they can."
"In another ten years, maybe twenty, my power will begin to wane, and then I’ll die of old age. My family, my territory... they’ll all fall into decline without a worthy successor. I couldn’t accept that."
Raymond’s breathing became rapid.
"And that was when the Blood Rose Prince’s people found me."
"She promised me eternal life. She promised me the power to break through to the Domain Level."
"All I had to do... was pledge my loyalty to her."
Raylo listened quietly, not interrupting him.
He’d heard these same words many times before, during the interrogations of other nobles who had pledged themselves to the Vampires.