Chapter 154 True Dragon: The One Chosen by Fate [VIP]

"So your real name and identity is—"

"Alans is my real name. I am the head of the ten elders of the sect, the leader of the Coexistence Sect, and the result of the Coexistence Sect's research to date."

Alans said sincerely, "More than a hundred years ago, I facilitated the negotiations between the Order and Him."

"ah?"

Xiao Yun was a little surprised.

He felt vaguely uneasy about the excessive sincerity shown by Alans.

After all, although he and Alans had some friendship, it was not close enough to share the organization's top secrets.

"Don't understand why I'm telling you this?"

"Yes, I even suspect you have made a new deal with Him."

"I did come off as a little too sincere, but..."

Alans looked at Xiao Yun cunningly. "As the real power in the cult and the spiritual leader of the Cobalt Blue people, it is my instinct to seek benefits for my people."

"This means you could betray me at any time for the benefit of the Cobalt People."

"I will never betray you for my own personal gain, but when it comes to the interests of my organization and my tribe, I must admit that there are no permanent friends in this world, only permanent interests. Of course, if you betray me and my tribe for the sake of your tribe or your country, I will never hate you."

"Thanks."

Xiao Yun looked at Alans calmly.

"So, let's sit down and get on with our business."

Alans asked Xiao Yun to sit down.

"I am three hundred and fifty-seven years old, and I've witnessed His rise, conquests, and coronation... When He first appeared on the stage of the Eastern Continent, He didn't attract much attention. They thought He was a mage wearing a dragon mask, a charlatan who attempted to deceive the world with religion and rely on faith to gain power in troubled times."

"It turns out he is a humanoid creature with a dragon's head."

Xiao Yun teased.

Alance gave a wry smile.

"Two hundred and fifty-two years ago, the cult received its first assassination commission against Him. At the time, He was worth twenty kilograms of gold. However, before our assassins could even begin, the commissioner's clan was exterminated by Him. Later, He, as required, sent someone to deliver five times the gold required to cancel the commission."

"Two hundred and thirty-one years ago, the cult received its second assassination commission against Him. By then, His worth had risen to one hundred kilograms of gold. Just like the first commission, before we could even act, the commissioning family was completely wiped out..."

“…”

"One hundred and twenty-seven years ago, we received the last assassination commission against Him. The client promised to give us a city with gold mines as a reward. Unfortunately, we failed, as did all attempts to assassinate Him. He gave us an ultimatum: if we accept another commission to assassinate Him, He will regard us as enemies until no one of our entire tribe is left alive."

“…”

"This is the first time the Assassin's Order has suffered such humiliation since its founding. Yet, we are powerless to do anything, because He truly has the power to do it."

"This incident has caused a huge shock, or even a split, within the cult. Some believe that we must not give up our dignity or resistance, even at the risk of annihilation, while others believe that we should accept His invitation and join the new order He has established. I believe that we should admit defeat, abandon the assassination attempt on Him, and maintain our independence."

"Finally, after receiving the ownership of the city with gold mines promised by the original assassination client, which He sent, we decided to accept the peace talks. We will continue to maintain our independence and refuse to join the new order He established. However, we will no longer accept assassination attempts against Him. We will still work for Him when necessary. Of course, He must pay us according to our prices."

"Two years after the peace talks concluded, He, who was officially crowned the Emperor of the True Human Empire, allocated the core area of ​​the northern part of the Imperial Capital to us as one of the Cult's bases in the Imperial Capital. This house is our other base in the Imperial Capital."

Alans added.

"The attack against you—the one who commissioned it was Edmund III. He knew about it, but He didn't stop it. As for me, I was curious about what kind of person Yaris's brother was and what secret plans he had in the Western Continent, so I traveled to Dalavia specifically to meet you."

"Um……"

"The result not only shocked me, but also shook the entire organization—"

Alan said frankly, "After so many tens of thousands of years, the old stubborn members of the organization finally woke up from their unrealistic dreams of returning home and accepted the fact that they had been abandoned by their home planet. With this, the coexistence faction achieved a complete victory."

“…”

"So I promised you asylum then, and I have always been very honest with you now."

"That is to say—"

Xiao Yun touched the "Tower Master" on the plate and asked, "If I ask for your help and pay the corresponding fee, will you accept my commission immediately?"

"Yes."

Alans nodded. "You can ask us for anything, except assassinating Him or overthrowing His regime, which are beyond our capabilities."

"good."

Xiao Yun turned around and took Luke, who was standing outside the door anxiously waiting for him, to Atuo. I hope you can send someone to protect this boy and his friends, and..."

"Owner--"

Luke screamed, "Are you abandoning me?"

"I'm about to go to a dangerous place and do something dangerous, so before I officially take action, I must make arrangements for you and your friends."

"But……"

"You are a strong child, you are more meaningful than anything else, so no matter what happens, you must live well and stay alive!"

"Owner……"

Alans suddenly spoke at this time: Alans narrowed his eyes and looked at Luke seriously: "This boy... I know your story. Without the protection of parents or adults, you survived on your own and even raised a group of children. You are indeed an extraordinary child..."

"I don't want to be extraordinary, and I don't want to live in a big house. I just want to stay with my master."

"Then you should cherish this opportunity, live in this house, learn all kinds of knowledge, and master real power."

Alans said coldly: "If you stay with him now, you will only become a burden to him."

"Owner……"

Luke looked at Xiao Yun pleadingly.

"He's right. You need to learn and become my right-hand man."

"……I see."

The boy lowered his head and clenched his fists: "One day, I will be worthy of standing beside the master!"

"Um."

Xiao Yun patted the boy on the shoulder and signaled Alans's men to take Luke out of the hall.

…

After Luke left the room, Alans suddenly smiled strangely: "I originally thought your commission was for me to send someone into the palace to rescue him."

"Then you can immediately reject me on the grounds that this is beyond your capabilities."

"... Claude Sean, or Lucien Al-Saints, your remarks make me look like a petty and despicable businessman."

"However, you have already discovered that protecting Luke is a very cost-effective deal for you and your tribe."

"Yes, I did find that."

Alans sighed: "Luke is a happy child. He doesn't know yet that he has been chosen by fate."

"Why do you say that suddenly?"

"Luke and his Wild Dog Gang entered my radar two years ago. He was a very capable child, able to protect himself and other weaker children in a dark world full of wild beasts. However—there were at least a hundred similarly gifted children in the Imperial Capital alone. Back then, he didn't possess any unique spark or destiny."

Having said that, Alans smiled faintly.

"But just now, when you introduced him to me, I saw stars shining above his head. I couldn't help but have a strange premonition that he would leave a very important mark in the history of the Eastern Continent and even usher in a whole new era."

"If he can really get that far, both you and your order will benefit from it."

"Thanks."

Alans said to Xiao Yun: "Thank you for choosing him in the name of the agent of fate, and bringing him and his fate to us who are in urgent need of this gift of fate."

"I just hope he won't hate me after knowing the truth," Xiao Yun murmured, "He could have been an ordinary boy, living an ordinary and happy life with his friends..."

“Who can know what the future holds?”

Alance gave a subtle smile.

Xiao Yun nodded: "I should leave now."

"I also think you should leave here as soon as possible, but—"

"But what?"

"I wanted to give you some gifts, gifts that might be useful when you sneak into the Grand Palace and steal Yaris."

"good."

Xiao Yun nodded without hesitation.

Alans stood up and led Xiao Yun into the file room next door and took out two documents from the shelf.

"This is--"

"His commission records for the past hundred years, as well as the records of the Blue Scarf Army's interactions with us over the past ten years."

Alans said nonchalantly, "Our branch in the North City will accept His commissions and handle matters He cannot handle personally. We will also accept commissions from the Green Scarf Army and help them do things. As long as they can afford the price and their requests do not harm our interests."

"I heard that someone within the Green Scarf Army secretly defected to Him."

"Yes."

Arans was blunt: "You only need to simply check these two documents to know who is taking refuge with Him."

"Why give me this information?"

"Because we have decided to adapt to the environment of Ella while retaining as much of our racial characteristics as possible, and become a group capable of surviving naturally on Ella—even though we, with our cobalt blue eyes and cyan skin, may never be widely accepted by Ella's native life, and can only live quietly and isolatedly in our own cities as a special ethnic group. But He intends to transform the planet into a world suitable only for Him and His race to survive."

Alans took Xiao Yun and walked in the huge building.

There was always a strange and special herbal smell in the air.

Xiao Yun knew that the scent of these herbs came from every slender black shadow that passed by him in the white building.

These people were very polite and would bow their heads to show respect when they were about to meet Alans and Xiao Yun. They were not surprised at all when they saw Xiao Yun's face and Floer trying hard to flap her wings.

Compared to the assassin Xiao Yun encountered in the forest near Ted City and the messenger who brought Xiao Yun to this building, the black clothes on these black shadows were obviously looser, more like robes or cloaks. Most of them had expressionless masks on their faces, revealing only cobalt blue eyes, looking mysterious and weird.

"They already know about you and are full of gratitude and curiosity about you."

Alance explained gently, "We insist on maintaining our cobalt blue eyes and cyan skin. Even if we adapt to the environment of Ella, we will never be widely accepted by the outside world. But we still hope that the outside world will show us more kindness and understanding. This is why I believe Luke's arrival is a gift from fate. He was chosen by you and is destined to become a key figure in determining the fate of the Eastern Continent and a bridge between us and the world."

"Well……"

Xiao Yun felt deeply guilty again.

(Because of me...Luke's life has lost its ordinary happiness...)

"Alans—"

"Um?"

"When did you come to our planet?"

"Long, long ago, when we built the first Golden City, your ancestors were still a group of advanced apes who could only fight wild beasts with stones."

"Golden City?"

"Golden City is what we call our city. In Golden City, all of us can go out and move around normally without worrying about the poisonous air of Planet Ella corroding our bodies and internal organs."

"Are there many golden cities?"

"There is only one Golden City. However, no matter how much we adhere to tradition, our bodies are still unconsciously influenced by the planet Ella. Therefore, the environment of the Golden City must be constantly modified according to actual conditions. The most recent large-scale modification occurred five thousand years ago."

"Five thousand years ago? That's not—"

"Just as you thought."

Alans stretched out his hand, trying to touch the "Tower Master" who was coiled around Xiao Yun, but his fingers were burned by the "Tower Master's" fangs wrapped in lightning.

Don't let him touch me!

The roar of the "Tower Master" sounded in Xiao Yun's mind.

Xiao Yun told Alans regretfully: "I'm sorry, it doesn't like being touched by strangers."

"I shouldn't have offended it first."

Alans took out the medicine bottle and dipped his finger, which was burnt by the "Tower Master", into the potion that emitted a strange herbal scent.

"Is the yellow gem embedded in its left eye socket the third eye you dug out from Godalu, the Three-Eyed One who possessed precious royal blood?"

"yes."

"The core of the Golden City's barrier is also supported by a yellow gem. Like the Three-Eyed Tribe's third eye, it sheds light on a war that occurred between six and five thousand years ago, from which no records remain."

Alance said nonchalantly.

Xiao Yun was shocked. Before he could react, the "Tower Master" had already straightened its body with scales spread out.

【That's my eye! My other eye! 】

"What does it mean that there were no records of wars between 6,000 and 5,000 years ago?"

Xiao Yun pretended to be curious.

"I don't know. According to our ancestors' records, that war was a war among the gods, taking place in the core area of ​​the Great Desert of Death. A massive barrier enveloped the sky, and no intelligent life knew what happened except for the gods who participated in the battle. Our ancestors unearthed the yellow gem in the ruins of the battlefield, which later became the core support of the Golden City barrier."

"Did you only dig up one gem?"

"The only thing of value is this gem."

Alance smiled slyly.

The "Tower Master"'s body softened again, and he lay listlessly on Xiao Yunyu's wrist.

[They must have dug up more than just my eye, those cunning bastards!]

"--If you can successfully bring Yaris out of his Grand Palace, I will send people to protect you throughout the journey and help you leave the Eastern Continent safely. I will even consider inviting you to visit our Golden City to admire the yellow gems that support the Golden City's barrier."

"Thank you."

Xiao Yun smiled politely, then, under the guidance of the messenger, found Luke and left the secret base of the "Assassin's Order" on the outskirts of the imperial capital.

…

…

Xiao Yun took Luke back to the imperial capital. When they passed through the South City District, he took Luke to visit the kind shop owner who had once entertained them late at night.

The owner was very happy to see the two of them again and made them two large bowls of noodles piled with vegetables, mushrooms and minced meat.

"These two bowls are for you."

"Boss, you are such a good person."

Luke took the noodles and started eating them in big mouthfuls.

Xiao Yun turned his head and looked at the Grand Palace that was faintly visible in the distance: "Boss, has anything strange happened in Nancheng recently?"

"Strange things?"

The shop owner shook his head: "South City has always been... Oh, by the way, yesterday morning, someone found a tattered body in the garbage dump on East Street."

"Is that strange?"

Xiao Yun was puzzled.

“Very strange.”

The owner and Luke said in unison.

"The public security in the South City has always been good, and there aren't usually things like unidentified bodies in garbage dumps."

"The identity of the body is——"

"I don't know. Rumor has it that they are from the Green Scarf Army."

"Green Scarf Army?"

Hearing this name, Xiao Yun inexplicably had a strange premonition in his heart.

He subconsciously looked at the bustling crowd on the street——

Johnny?!

A figure resembling Johnny flashed by.

Xiao Yun was considering whether to chase after them to confirm, when suddenly a group of cavalrymen holding flags and wearing armor rushed out on the road.

The horses' hooves made a loud sound on the stone slabs, and the cavalry kept shouting: "Get out of the way! Get out of the way!"

Passersby and vendors on both sides of the road were unable to dodge and were ruthlessly knocked down, letting out embarrassing howls.

"What's going on?"

"It seems that an important person is traveling and passing by here."

The shop owner whispered.

At this time, more armored cavalry appeared on the streets, including lizard monsters called "Dragon Tooth Soldiers". The frightened people hurriedly crowded under the eaves of shops on both sides of the road and knelt down to worship them.

Quack! Quack!

The sound of military boots hitting the stone slabs could be heard.

Seeing this, the shop owner said to Xiao Yun, "Kneel down! Kneel down with me!"

"Why are you kneeling?"

Xiao Yun asked back.

"With such a grand procession, he must be a favored figure around the Emperor! He will be beheaded if he doesn't kneel!"

"I won't kneel to anyone."

“…”

The shop owner had no choice but to pull a piece of cloth to temporarily block Xiao Yun who refused to kneel. Bai Ji and Luke knelt on the side of the road with their heads pressed against the stone slabs.

Quack! Quack!

Zaza! Zaza!

The lizard monsters, respected as "Dragon Tooth Soldiers" by the common people of the imperial capital, wore shining armor, rode tall war horses, and walked through the streets with arrogance.

In the center of the team was a luxurious carriage. Five large white horses decorated with golden harnesses were pulling the carriage, marching side by side. The crystal bells hanging on the front of the carriage, which was decorated with a large number of gold and silver reliefs, made crisp sounds in the wind.

Ding ding dang dang!

Jingle bells!

"Who is in the carriage? Is she the Emperor's mistress?"

"Maybe she's the queen's maid."

"The Queen... What does the mysterious Queen look like..."

“…”

Civilians kneeling on both sides of the road discussed secretly.

Xiao Yun also watched with great interest through the cloth as the luxurious carriage, surrounded by lizard monsters, passed through the market in a grand manner.

(Is the person in the carriage really His favorite minister or mistress?)

(Most of the imperial capital's nobles lived in East City and West City, while South City was where commoners and wealthy merchants lived...)

(or--)

As if sensing Xiao Yun's gaze, the convoy suddenly stopped. The lizard knights gathered on both sides of the carriages looked at both sides of the road from their horses, and the reptiles' golden eyes flashed with a chilling coldness.

"I smell dirt."

One of the lizard knights suddenly spoke in human language.

It slowly raised the long sword that was already in the middle——

"Monster! Give me back my family!"

A sharp arrow flew from above with an angry roar, and then more than a dozen adult men rushed towards the carriage with sharp blades.

"There's something dirty!"

The Lizard Knight blinked his inner eyelids, with a look of contempt, as if looking at an ant—

Swish! Swish!

Click!

Snap! Snap!

In the blink of an eye, as if nothing had happened, the convoy passed by, leaving behind a pile of broken bodies.

There was a strong smell of blood in the air.

People seemed to have long been accustomed to this. The market managers quickly collected the body parts in bags and took them away. The streets returned to their former bustle. Only the bloodstains on the ground that had not been washed away proved that a bloody massacre had just taken place.

“…”

Xiao Yun walked out of the shop and stared at the street corner where the convoy disappeared. "Is what just happened a normal occurrence in the imperial capital?"

“Ah…ah…”

The owner looked surprised.

Luke was also puzzled: "Master, this kind of thing..."

"I know what you want to say, but..."

Xiao Yun smiled bitterly.

At this moment, the man who looked like Johnny, who had been seen in the crowd before, suddenly crossed the street quickly and came to Xiao Yun: "Master Claude, is it really you?"

"Johnny?"

"Yes, it's me!"

Johnny took off his hood and whispered, "Sir, we are planning to do something big in the imperial capital."

"ah?"

Xiao Yun was shocked, and the words that Yi Yaris had said rang in his ears.

(He seems to be plotting a conspiracy against the Green Scarf Army recently... Based on his occasional whispers to me, the North City District is about to become the entrance to a trap...)

"Those were members of the 'Family Search Alliance'. They've been wandering around the Imperial Capital for years, determined to find their loved ones, even if it means they're just corpses."

Johnny sighed and stammered, "The military advisor deliberately leaked some information to them, which led to the tragedy just now..."

He obviously did not agree with the military advisor's approach.