Chapter 297

Nacho stood at the entrance, not allowed to step inside without Ailandi's further order.

After a brief silence, Ailandi slowly began to speak.

"Brahman, Jaggs, Hammy, Felix, Walton, Kaila, and counting Ravi and Starr from before, a total of eight Dragon Lords have died since I gave you this task. I want to know, is killing Leon Casmod really that difficult, Nacho?"

Nacho stood at the door, his whole body tense, even swallowing his saliva with extreme care.

He stared wide-eyed, cold sweat trickling down his forehead. After a long silence, Nacho replied.

"This is an accident, sir. I personally witnessed him disappear into the spatial rift, who knew he would come back..."

"I never believe in accidents, Nacho."

The implication is clear: stop talking nonsense.

Nacho pursed his dry lower lip, bowed deeply, and said, "I'm sorry, sir, it was my carelessness that caused these losses."

Ailandi snorted coldly, then changed the subject, "Come and sit down, I've made some tea."

"Yes, sir."

With Ailandi's permission, Nacho finally dared to step into the house and go to the balcony.

He sat down on the other side of the tea table, but still looked very nervous.

"You must be tired from your journey. Have some tea to soothe your throat." Ailandi didn't look directly at Nacho, continuing to gaze at the darkness outside.

"Yes, sir."

Nacho picked up the teacup with both hands and took a small sip.

The tea was starting to cool down and wasn't as good to drink anymore.

Nacho knew that Ailandi wouldn't invite him for tea for no reason.

But he didn't dare to ask.

When working alongside a leader, the most important thing is to ask fewer questions and do more.

"How's the tea?" Ailandi asked.

"It's delicious, sir."

"Is that so? This tea is called 'Red Robe' and it comes from the Eastern Continent."

After a pause, Ailandi slowly turned his head and looked directly at Nacho. "It's also your father's favorite tea."

Nacho was visibly taken aback when he heard the word 'father' from Ailandi's mouth.

He instinctively gripped his teacup tighter, not daring to reply.

Seeing Nacho's serious expression, Ailandi continued.

"After Victor was executed by Leon, you took over the task of killing Leon from me. I trusted you, which is why I let you supervise and manage Ravi and the others. But the results you gave me are really hard to be satisfied with, Nacho."

Glug—

The bitter taste of tea filled Nacho's mouth. He swallowed hard, his heart pounding with nervousness.

Nacho understood the meaning behind Ailandi's words:

You don't need to do this job anymore.

"Although the Dragon Kings decide their specific actions, you are still involved in the overall plan, right?" Ailandi asked slowly.

"... Yes, sir."

"Yes, this was something we agreed upon after we initially reached a cooperation agreement with the Dragon Race."

Ailandi sighed, "But losing eight dragon kings at once, plus Constantine from a long time ago, Leon Casmod really taught us and the Dragon Race a harsh lesson."

"Grown ups..."

"The Dragon Race has already recalled Adam in order to kill Leon; shouldn't our Empire also make some changes? What do you say, Nacho?"

That's already made very clear.

Nacho wasn't stupid; he immediately stood up and spoke very quickly.

"Please, my lord, give me another chance! I'm sure I can lead the Dragon King to kill Leon Casmod!"

"I've given you many chances, Nacho."

Despite Nacho's pleas, Ailandi remained unmoved. "But it turns out this task is far beyond your capabilities. Perhaps..."

Ailandi looked down at the Red Robe tea in his cup and smiled faintly, "You'll have to find another way to get your father out of prison."

"Grown ups!"

Thump—

This time, Nacho knelt directly in front of Ailandi, clutching his trouser leg, pleading frantically.

"Please, sir, give me one more chance, my last chance, I promise—"

"Alright, Nacho, it's actually a foolish thing to take on a task that's impossible for you just to clear your father's name."

"My lord! I... I—"

"The tea's gone cold, Nacho."

"..."

Ailandi sneered, then shook off Nacho's hand, stood up, and strode toward the room's exit.

He didn't linger, nor did he give Nacho any further opportunity to swear allegiance.

Loyalty?

Ah, the empire has no shortage of 'loyalty'.

Countless people are firmly under Ailandi's control, and Nacho Salaman is no exception.

Snap—

The door lock clicked, the door opened and closed, and the sound of leather shoes tapping on the wooden floor gradually faded away.

Nacho knelt on the spot, the cold midnight wind rushing in from the balcony, seeping into his collar, and the chill instantly engulfed his entire body.

He turned his head blankly and looked at the tea on the table.

"The tea's gone cold, Nacho."

Ailandi's last words echoed in Nacho's ears.

Helplessness and frustration overwhelmed him.

At that moment, he seemed to understand that in the face of absolute power, black and white can be reversed, and right and wrong can no longer be clearly distinguished.

Such power had once been placed before Nacho, but in the end, it slipped through his fingers like sand.

He didn't hate the guy who couldn't be killed no matter what he did; he only hated himself for not recognizing the absurdity of this world sooner.

Nacho reached out his trembling hand, picked up the teacup, and drank the cooled tea in one gulp.

Then he got up, left the inn, and walked alone through the midnight empire, dragging the moonlight behind him.

His back view was dejected and emaciated, like a broken puppet that had been abandoned.

After leaving the post station, Ailandi returned to the Imperial City by carriage.

Scott, the servant, stepped forward to report.

"My lord, the Heart-protecting Dragon Scale of Blaise and the other dragon kings have been recovered."

"Um."

"Also, sir, there has been new progress on the 'project' in the Far North. Would you like to take a look?"

Upon hearing this, Ailandi raised an eyebrow.

It seems tonight isn't all bad news.

"Lead the way," Ailandi said.

"Please come with me, sir."

The two eventually arrived at a secret underground chamber in the Imperial City.

The secret room contained numerous Demon Suppressing Stones.

In the center of the Demon Suppressing Stone was a white, luminous object.

It floated silently, its light crystal clear and milky white.

Ailandi's eyes lit up. "Is this the 'Primal Power' unearthed from the Far North?"

"Yes, sir."

Scott said, "After Ravi's death, without the assistance of spatial magic, the Dragon Race ceased their activities in the Far North, but we still achieved some results. That is what you see now."

Ailandi gazed at the white, glowing energy ball, and even though he had never practiced magic, he could feel the power within it.

It is restless, yearning for a container that can perfectly accept it.

No wonder so many Demon Suppressing Stones are needed to suppress it.

"Well done, Scott," Ailandi praised.

Scott bowed. "Thank you for the compliment, sir."

"Don't be too happy yet. Now that the Primal Power has been found, has its vessel been found?"

"There are already several candidates. But I'm optimistic about these three brothers."

As he spoke, Scott handed over a list.

However, Ailandi only glanced at it casually and did not look at it in detail. "This is the task I gave you. You just need to show me the results."

"Yes, sir."

"With these, the 'Sharp Knife' project will be completed soon," Ailandi said quietly.

Scott's eyes darted around as he chimed in, "That's right, sir. By then, our cooperation with the Dragon Race will be able to take another step forward."

Ailandi glanced at Scott indifferently. "Sharp Blade Plan was indeed initially launched to achieve deeper cooperation with the Dragon Race Clan, but that idiot Nacho still hasn't dealt with Leon Casmod. So... we have to change the original intention of formulating Sharp Blade Plan."

"Does Your Excellency mean... to use the Sharp Blade Plan against Leon?"

"That's right. No matter how strong Leon Casmod is, he can't possibly defeat the Primal Power of the Dragon Race."

Ailandi gazed at the white energy before him and spoke with confidence.

"Your Excellency is wise," Scott, offering timely flattery.

"Then, does this Primal Power come from the Dragon God Tiamat?" Ailandi asked.

"That's not it, my lord. Even the Dragon Race haven't found Tiamat's place of death yet."

Scott explained,

"However, the Primal Power we have received comes from the First Generation Inherited Dragon King of Tiamat, who is known as the 'First King' in the myths and legends of the Dragon Race."

Ailandi was slightly surprised. "Oh? You've got quite a background."

"Yes, sir. Although this Primal Power is only a small part of his strength, it is still immeasurably powerful."

"The First King appears in various legends of the Dragon Race. He is present throughout the history of the Dragon Race and has made outstanding contributions to Dragon Race development. He is hailed as hero of the Dragon race. Even today, people still sing his name."

Scott also looked at the restless Primal Power.

"His name is... the Primal Dragon King Noah."

Noa leaned against the Holy Temple entrance as a huge silver figure slowly descended into the courtyard.

Little Curly crossed his arms and called out, "They're back!"

The next second, a small figure sped out.

"Daddy Mom, you're back!"

Mu En jogged up to greet him.

Losweiser was about to kneel down to greet her baby daughter, but the scoundrel beside her beat her to it.