His legs were still shaking slightly and his palms were sweaty.
What does it mean to survive a disaster, Douglas only now fully understands it.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled it, then inhaled again, and exhaled it again. After repeating this several times, his heartbeat gradually returned to its normal rhythm.
He turned around and walked out of the Dragonpit passage and returned to the ground. The night wind blew in his face, carrying the salty smell of sea water and the sulfur smell of the magma river in the distance.
He stood there, letting the night wind dry the cold sweat on his back and the sweat stains on his face, and then walked towards the direction of the Black Wall Castle.
His pace was much slower than when he came, but every step was steady.
Redd left and looked back at Volantis.
The verbal test just now was actually giving Douglas a chance and a test.
Douglas did not choose to resist.
You know, Redd gave King Ghidorah's scales to him, and asked some Demon Dragon to remember Douglas's face, giving him partial control of the Demon Dragon legion.
Coupled with the military power he controls, his power has reached a terrifying level.
Redd's last words were to let him solve the problem by himself.
Douglas is a smart person, he will know what to do.
He will restrain his behavior more strictly, report to Redd more frequently, and be more proactive in reducing the power in his hands that may arouse suspicion.
He will realign important positions in the army to ensure that no subordinate is only loyal to him and not to Redd.
He will suspend all actions that may be interpreted as independent tendencies and submit all major decisions to Redd for approval.
He will lock the King Ghidorah scales in the safe and will never take them out for use unless Redd personally orders them.
He will become a more prudent, more transparent, and more blameless agent during Redd's absence.
Because he already understands where the bottom line of Redd is, and also understands the consequences of crossing that bottom line.
The aftermath of King Ghidorah's flapping wings continued to echo at the entrance of Dragonpit for several breaths before gradually dissipating.
Douglas stood there, looking at the direction in which the behemoth disappeared, feeling the residual tremors from the ground under his feet. He did not dare to move until he confirmed that Redd had gone far.
He first took back the hand that was supported on the rock wall. His fingers were a little stiff from clenching them for a long time.
He unclenched his fists, moved his wrists a few times, then bent over and rubbed his knees.
Although I didn't kneel for long just now, the stone floor was hard and cold, and my kneecaps were slightly sore from the pain.
He stood up straight, straightened the front of his robe, tightened the skewed belt again, and tucked the hair that was scattered in front of his forehead behind his ears.
His movements were slow and steady, as if he was using these small movements to help his brain gradually transition from the tense state just now.
He turned around and walked out of the Dragonpit passage. The dim light in the passage was left behind, and the night wind outside blew in his face, carrying the salty smell of sea water and the smell of sulfur from the distant magma river.
He stood at the exit, letting the night wind blow on his face and body, feeling the coolness evaporate the remaining cold sweat on the surface of his skin bit by bit.
His breathing gradually slowed down from rapidity, his heartbeat gradually dropped from beating wildly, and the suffocating feeling that was pressed to the bottom of his chest by Redd's gaze and questions was slowly fading away.
He stood at the exit of the passage for a while, and after his breathing and heartbeat returned to normal rhythm, he walked towards the the Black Wall castle.
He walked a few steps, stopped, and looked back at the dark passage behind him that led to the depths of Dragonpit.
King Ghidorah's scales were still on the inside of his breastplate, close to his skin, and the golden object the size of a human face still retained the residual warmth from Redd's palm.
In the darkness, he reached out and pressed the outside of the breastplate to confirm that the scales were still in place, then put his hand down and continued walking forward.
His pace was much slower than when he came, but each step was very steady. The sound of the soles of his boots on the slope was even and solid, as if he was reaffirming the relationship between himself and the ground in this way.
After returning to the Black Wall Castle, he did not go to the government hall, but went directly to the tower.
His private study room at the top of the tower was small, with only a desk, a chair, an oil lamp and a wooden cabinet filled with documents.
He closed the door, sat down behind the table, and lit the oil lamp.
The flames danced a few times inside the lampshade and gradually stabilized into a warm yellow light, clearly illuminating the curled-up documents and maps on the surface of the desk.
He leaned back in the chair, closed his eyes, folded his hands on his abdomen, and began to reorganize what had just happened.
Redd asked him if he would betray.
This problem itself is not new. Any superior will use a similar method to beat the subordinates from time to time to remind them who is the real master.
But Redd asked this question in a different way - he didn't use an angry tone, he didn't use suspicious eyes, and he didn't even show any obvious dissatisfaction.
He just said the question in a steady tone, as if he was confirming something small, and then waited for a long time.
When Douglas realized enough in that silence, he changed the topic, as if the question had never been asked.
This kind of treatment scares Douglas more than any anger or reprimand.
Because Redd didn't give him any chance to explain, nor did he give him any outlet to defend. He just asked him to kneel there and answer with silence.
Silence itself is an answer - Redd already knows that Douglas has the ability to rebel. He does not need Douglas to admit or deny it personally. He only needs to let Douglas know that he knows.
This "knowing" itself is enough to constitute a constant pressure, allowing Douglas to remember where the bottom line is every day in the future.
Douglas has thought this through clearly. Redd's behavior today is a blow and a reminder.
He was reminding Douglas that power was given by Redd and can only be taken back by Redd.
No matter how many armies, how many battleships, or how many Demon Dragon Douglas controls, all of them can be taken back within one day as long as Redd is willing.
That golden scale is an example - Douglas can command Demon Dragon, but that is only when the scale is in his hand.
If Redd takes back its scales, those Demon Dragon will immediately resume their disdain and alienation towards Douglas, and he will never be able to approach them again.
More importantly, Redd can completely make Demon Dragon disobey Douglas's instructions without retracting its scales, because Demon Dragon's ultimate allegiance is to King Ghidorah, and King Ghidorah only obeys the spiritual link of Redd.