As night fell, beneath the cool moonlight, a huge shadow silently rose into the air from the palace's outer courtyard and flew toward the city outskirts.
Flying in a plane and riding a train really were two different experiences. The Wyvern flew faster than Chen Rui had expected, and it didn't take long to reach Blue Wave Lake.
Pagliu lay on the grass by the lake, idly fiddling with the beautiful Independent Diamond Chess set Chen Rui had given him last time. As he put it, this damn lake had been asleep for two thousand years, and he didn't want to get back in the water unless he absolutely had to.
The rapidly approaching shadow caught Pagliu's attention. When he saw that it was a Wyvern, he gave a disdainful sneer. Wyverns were fairly strong and poisonous, enough to make even ordinary Dragons think twice. But Poison Dragons were different. The Wyvern's poison was useless against a Poison Dragon; in terms of toxicity alone, a Poison Dragon could make a Wyvern's guts burst.
However, there seemed to be someone riding the Wyvern. A Dragon Rider? No, to be precise, it should be called a lesser dragon rider or a Flying Dragon rider. To the Dragon Race, those lowly lesser dragons didn't deserve the noble word "Dragon."
Just then, a familiar voice came from the Wyvern. "Pagliu, where are you?"
"Who is it?" Pagliu was under a seal and didn't want to cause trouble. He'd been about to hide, but when he heard someone call his name, he grew instantly wary, secretly gathering his strength and preparing to strike.
The other party spotted him and flew over, saying, "Pagliu Sandro Achilkass, your most important partner is here! You promised to give him all the treasure in Gloomy Night Wetland!"
"Not a chance! You're getting more and more greedy, human!" Pagliu laughed and cursed, then let his power ebb away.
Though the Poison Dragon hadn't changed into his dragon form, the Wyvern instinctively sensed how terrifying he was. After landing, it looked afraid.
Chen Rui jumped down and patted the Wyvern's neck. "Mengda, don't be scared. He's a friend. Go wait over there."
The Wyvern flapped its wings and flew away. Pagliu looked surprised. "These lowly lesser dragons may be stupid, but they do have some strength. How can you control one so easily? Has something changed with that Grandmaster's inheritance?"
"You guessed it." Chen Rui praised the Poison Dragon's sharp mind. "After accidentally absorbing the power of two Vine Stones, I gained the ability to tame beasts. But this ability requires energy from certain rare materials. If you have any, don't be stingy."
"Hmph. Why does good luck keep falling on a greedy fellow like you?" Pagliu glared at him enviously. "I was sealed for two thousand years. What treasures do you think I have on me? Vine Stones are nothing. If you mean magical materials like those, I have even better things in my treasure trove in Gloomy Night Wetland. It just depends on whether you're capable of getting them."
"Really?" Chen Rui seemed to see an ocean of spiritual energy, and his eyes lit up. "To be honest, that two-headed Wyvern came from Gloomy Night Wetland. It took a lot of effort to get it. I did it with the future in mind. I'm still far too weak, but at least now I have a Wyvern. I can come to Blue Wave Lake every day and train with you."
"Wyverns from Gloomy Night Wetland? You've put some thought into it!" Pagliu didn't realize Chen Rui was stretching the truth and looked pleased. "I do have plenty of rare materials and ores in my treasure trove. If you need them, I can give them all to you. The stronger you are, the safer I'll be. But don't assume all magical beasts are easy to deal with. If those Wyverns hadn't been tamed, you wouldn't have been able to communicate with them so easily. Now, let's get straight to training."
"Another sneak attack! You despicable Dragon!"
"You reacted much faster this time, but it still wasn't enough!"
The painful training continued, and with it came a steady improvement in Star Power and a reliable increase in experience.
It was already the middle of the night when Chen Rui returned to the laboratory. Exhausted, he hurriedly took a bath and fell into a deep sleep. He didn't wake until almost noon the next day.
When Chen Rui woke, he felt refreshed and energetic. Thanks to his Star Body's special properties, all his injuries from training had healed. Only then did he remember Shea's instructions. He hurriedly washed up and headed to the Council Hall in the palace.
When he arrived at the Council Hall, Old Gauss, whom Shea had mentioned the day before, wasn't there—perhaps because it was already late. Instead, the Eldest Princess herself was seated at the table, reading through some documents.
"Read through these documents, then write down the important points in the Territory Log. If you can, add a few thoughts of your own," Shea said without looking up.
Chen Rui quickly took the documents and the logbook and got to work. The task wasn't difficult, and there weren't many major events in the territory. Yesterday's Aerial Competition and Aldas's Master Challenge Tournament from a while ago were among them. Chen Rui's university education hadn't been for nothing; he quickly sorted through the scattered details and summarized them in concise prose.
"Good work." Shea took the completed logbook and glanced at him. "Next time, come earlier. Old Gauss has already gone out today."
Chen Rui felt embarrassed himself. He'd been late on his very first day at work, and his boss had caught him at it.
"Actually, Your Highness," Chen Rui said. After a moment's thought, he decided to come clean to Shea about going out at night, using an excuse. Sooner or later, he was bound to get caught. The palace guards weren't fools. If they noticed the nighttime activity around the laboratory, Shea might become suspicious.
After hearing Chen Rui's explanation, Shea frowned. "You rode a Wyvern out in the middle of the night to practice beast taming?"
"Yes," Chen Rui said with a nod. "Last night, I absorbed the Vine Stones you gave me, and my beast-taming ability became more stable and stronger. But I don't want to reveal this ability, so I went out at night to practice, to avoid being discovered."
"For now, it's best not to attract too much attention," Shea said. She had wanted him to remain behind the scenes as a secret weapon all along. "In that case, come to the Council Hall every afternoon from now on, and get as much rest as you can in the morning."
Not a bad boss, though she hadn't given him a raise. Chen Rui continued, "Last night, I had a good talk with the Wyvern somewhere quiet. I learned that they originally lived in Gloomy Night Wetland, where they have a large population. These two were captured by a Magic Beast Hunter while they were out. If the opportunity comes, I'd like to investigate Gloomy Night Wetland."
Magic Beast Hunters made their living by capturing or killing magical beasts, and the profession demanded considerable strength. The two Wyverns had indeed been captured that way.
Shea's eyes suddenly lit up, and she looked moved. "Are you thinking of finding their group and then..."
If Chen Rui could successfully bring this large group of Wyverns over, Darkmoon City would gain a powerful aerial force, one that might even stand against Heiyao's Dragon Rider legion. Shea couldn't help being moved by the idea.
"It's only a possibility," Chen Rui said, seeing that Shea had indeed followed that line of thought. He quickly explained further, "Wild Wyverns are nothing like those two tamed ones. They're hard to communicate with and extremely aggressive. I'm only thinking long term. For now, I should focus on mastering the Beast Taming Technique."
Chen Rui's real reason for going to Gloomy Night Wetland was the Poison Dragon's treasure. Of course, if he could also lure a whole group of Wyverns back, all the better. It would be a nice reward for his beautiful boss and the little girl. By telling Shea about it in advance, he'd be able to make the trip to Gloomy Night Wetland seem perfectly natural when the time came.
Shea calmed down and began to consider whether the plan was feasible. "Gloomy Night Wetland lies north of Chiyou Territory, spanning Chiyou Territory and the Shadow Empire. It's full of extremely powerful magical beasts and is very dangerous. With your current strength, you can't go there. I'll do my best to provide the materials you need. My resources are very limited right now, though, so there's only so much I can offer. Xilang Mountain used to be an important source of minerals and income, but it's been plagued by underground creatures and bandits for years. Its output has fallen sharply, making Darkmoon's finances even worse."
After hesitating for a while, Chen Rui asked, "Your Highness, forgive me for asking so bluntly, but as you work so hard to manage Darkmoon Territory, do you still intend to overthrow Prince Heiyao and reclaim the throne?"
"Does the reason you're asking mean you already have a plan? If so, then let me tell you this." Shea narrowed her beautiful eyes, their light growing even more piercing. "It was my father's lifelong wish. He never let go of it, even as he lay dying. So I must do everything in my power to fulfill it. I will never submit to the Imperial Capital, even if it costs me my life."
Shea's expression was utterly resolute, but what Chen Rui saw beneath it was a faint helplessness and sorrow. This beautiful twenty-three-year-old woman carried too many burdens, yet had no choice but to keep carrying them. It was the same in every world, every plane: wherever there were people, there were struggles. Once caught up in them, one could no longer act freely.
The Demon Realm's situation was like a chess game. Darkmoon Territory and the three great empires were all on the board. Chen Rui had only wanted to be an inconspicuous pawn, free to withdraw at any time, but things hadn't gone as he'd hoped. In truth, from the moment he was reborn in the Demon Realm, he was destined to be part of the game. Once in the game, how could he remain a mere onlooker? Even an insignificant pawn was still a piece. What mattered was how he played it.
If a pawn played its part well, it could even affect the entire game. Besides, a pawn didn't have to remain a pawn forever. Weren't those who truly controlled the game once pawns themselves, rising step by step?
Darkmoon Territory's foundations were too weak. Never mind Prince Heiyao in the Imperial Capital—even Chiyou Territory, which held Darkmoon's fate in its hands, hung over it like the Sword of Damocles, ready to sever Darkmoon's neck at any moment.
The key now was when Heiyao would comprehend the Sword of the Fallen Angel. Otherwise, even if Darkmoon kept a low profile and avoided attracting attention, its destruction would only be a matter of time—especially with Shea's unyielding attitude. Judging by the Master Challenge Tournament and the Aerial Competition, Heiyao was already running out of patience.
The Super System provided an excellent platform. What Chen Rui lacked most right now was time, and Darkmoon Territory also desperately needed time to stabilize and develop. For his own sake, and for Darkmoon's, even though politics wasn't his field, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and plan as best he could.
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