thefictionvixens Page 318
Page 318
[Although you don't know what records Emperor Phowa left behind, it's unlikely to be a positive legend. However, this suits your purposes perfectly. The greater your fearsome reputation, the more attention you'll attract from various forces, and the more you can stir up trouble and gather more information in this simulation.]
Meanwhile, your mole, Princess Slinger, is still pulling the strings. She tells you that the examiner you're dealing with is named Carter Sham, and provides you with information about his identity and other details.
You couldn't help but smile to yourself. Although you hadn't had a chance to meet the princess, you were still so familiar with each other. You had already told her your new address, and perhaps after the assessment, she would come to visit your floating island.
The long drive fell into complete silence. As the scenery outside the window gradually became desolate, examiner Carter finally couldn't sit still any longer. He glanced restlessly at the sky outside the window and couldn't help but ask:
"Your Excellency Titania, have we not arrived yet? If I remember correctly, there shouldn't be any other large settlements east of Lundia..."
"Don't rush," you said calmly, closing your eyes.
"This..." Carter hesitated for a moment. He had just received fragmented records from the capital via the beacon. Titania's infamous reputation made his hair stand on end. Thinking of this, he trembled and almost ran away. However, as soon as he rubbed his feet, he felt a tightness under his feet and couldn't move.
He glanced down at the green vines that had somehow become entwined around his feet in the carriage, swallowed hard, and cold sweat instantly soaked through his ornate aristocratic robe.
Hours later, when you stepped out of the exhausted carriage, Carter's eyes had rolled back, and he was trembling.
Seeing his expression, as if he knew he was about to be sold to Burma, I couldn't help but laugh and said, "Alright, Mr. Carter Sham, please get out of the car. My 'property' has arrived."
"W-what?" Carter looked up in a daze, and in the afterglow of the setting sun, he staggered off the train. He glanced around blankly, but saw nothing but an empty forest and distant clouds.
"Your Excellency, please don't joke around." He forced a smile and said, "It's getting late, and it's not safe to be out in the wilderness. Let's head back to Lundia as soon as possible..."
"Don't rush, Your Excellency Carter," you patted his shoulder and said, "Her Majesty the Queen is still waiting for your assessment of my businesses. Do you think such a foundation is sufficient to establish a presence in the capital and bestow noble titles upon them?"
"Your Majesty..." Carter murmured instinctively, then his eyes widened in horror as he recalled how you had addressed him—"Your Excellency Carter"—when he hadn't even told you his name!
He was about to look up at you when he heard a crisp snap of fingers, followed by a deafening dragon's roar that echoed through the sky.
【"Roar!"】
Carter collapsed to the ground with a thud. His ears ringing, he looked up blankly at the suddenly dissipating clouds. In the shimmering glow of the setting sun on the surface of the swirling clouds, he instinctively squinted, then his eyes widened abruptly.
—From within the clouds and mist, a dark blue-green forest dragon crashed onto a towering platform. The moment it landed, a cloud of blue mist dissipated, transforming into a burly man wearing a hooded coat.
The burly man turned around, gazed at the setting sun, grinned smugly, then leaned back and sat down with a grand air on a throne even larger than the queen's.
Wearing a formal gown and with her hair styled in wheat-like curls, Silver Shul peeked shyly from behind the throne and, at your prompting, carefully sat on your lap.
[A magical puppet, clad in menacing armor and radiating mysterious power, silently appeared behind you. Upon seeing this, Carter felt as if his blood was about to freeze, and he trembled violently.]
[And there are nine of these terrifying and ferocious puppets!]
Cold sweat poured down his body like a waterfall, soon soaking the ground. In the chilly autumn wind, he couldn't help but shiver, glancing at the revered name beneath your throne.
"Emperor of the Ditch (crossed out)!"
"Simulator, you son of a bitch, I'm going to fight you to the death!"
Latis sprang up from his chair and punched the air in a fit of impotent rage for half a minute before gasping for breath and covering his face.
"Damn it, I completely forgot about this. This damn simulator is really everywhere, it's even hacking me!"
"What's wrong, brother?"
Ateliers tilted her head, stood up, took Latis's large hand, and asked curiously:
"What happened again, hmm... something rather 'abstract'?"
Latis snapped out of his reverie, sighed helplessly, scratched his head, and led the half-elf back to his chair, explaining:
"It's a misunderstanding about 'gouzi' (a slang term for a ditch). You're not used to using the magic network, so I didn't tell you..."
Amid Latis and the half-elf's conversation, the simulated text continued to pulsate silently.
[You passed the examiner's assessment very smoothly, or rather, too smoothly, to the point that the capital was being overly cautious in approving your noble status.]
[Thinking about it, while other potential nobles are still running small family businesses, showcasing their neighborhoods, buildings, and estates, you are a mysterious ancient remnant, possess magic that resembles dragons, magical puppets, a throne and a capital city, and a floating island...]
[Forget about being a newly promoted noble; they'd be more than qualified to become an ally of the royal family!]
Therefore, they have to start carefully considering your true purpose in using this channel. The capital city certainly knows that every year some external forces or powerful families want to establish themselves there, but you are nothing like those who plot in secret. You are too arrogant!
[Therefore, due to this cautious approach, the main part of your assessment was delayed, while in the meantime, you received other guests.]
These guests didn't come in droves, but rather sporadically, and they didn't discuss anything in depth with you; they merely represented their organizations and made very superficial contact.
[You and Teacher Yin compiled a list of the visitors, which included certain research associations in Lundia, representatives of caravans from Senhai Territory, black market merchants, minor nobles from the capital with shallow roots, some curious Planeswalkers, envoys from other floating island families, a rare goods merchant wearing a black veil (clearly from the Black Hat organization), and members of the Lundia Mage Association.]
However, there is another visitor whose purpose you are unsure how to categorize.
This visitor was none other than Pope Doyle of the Holy City of Romnia.
[As you already knew, the Church of Light has two holy cities in the Wilderness Territory. One is in the more open western part, called Promia Holy City, which is under the jurisdiction of the old, frivolous pope who "officiated" your and Jennifer's wedding. The other is in the sparsely populated eastern part, near the deep pit of the floating island, called Romnia Holy City.]
The holy city of Romnia rarely engages in outside activities, so you've seldom heard news about them. This sudden visit by the Pope of Romnia certainly gave you a fright.
However, Pope Doyle did not have a deep conversation with you. He merely looked at you with a kind expression and then said that it would be convenient for you to travel between you, and that you would see each other often in the future.
Watching Pope Toylai's gaunt figure slowly depart, you were suddenly puzzled. Admittedly, if you followed the deep pit of the floating island, there wasn't even a fork in the road between you, but for an old man, exchanging only a few words in one visit seemed rather strange.
You immediately asked Jennifer about the Holy City of Romnia via the beacon. After a moment's thought, Jennifer told you what she knew about the Holy City of Romnia.
[It turns out that although the Holy City of Promea and the Holy City of Romnia both belong to the Church of the Light, they are actually two separate factions.]
[Promea's Holy City is exactly as you see it: a very positive and uplifting atmosphere. The priests and knights within are also very active, and the Pope has even pulled off the astonishing feat of creating a God of Light; he even plays with "Fate Gods."]
[As for Romnia, I've heard they're somewhat the opposite. They're a bit like a small, unofficial organization called the Illuminati in the Wilderness Territory. They both firmly believe that light itself has a will, so their main goal isn't to shape the image of light through a shared quest, but rather to revive the will of light that once existed.]
[And indeed, there are ancient texts in the holy city of Romnia that corroborate their claims; therefore, the two holy cities rarely interacted, except for occasional acts of mutual assistance.]
[You pondered for a moment. You had heard of the light with its own will before, but this idea seemed to be more prevalent underground. Could it be that the true lineage of Romnia actually resides underground?]
After realizing you couldn't figure it out, you temporarily put the matter aside. It wasn't a particularly important issue for you; after all, Romnia had been an isolated island for a long time, and it wasn't like that for the first time.
After spending half a week repairing Titania with Teacher Yin, the topic for the noble assessment finally arrived. You received the mission assignment from Carter Sham, unfolded it, and suddenly frowned.
The mission's objective is actually located near the holy city of Romnia.
Chapter 319 Dragon and Romnia
Before heading to the assessment location, you spent almost half a week practicing dual cultivation with the half-elf.
[It's called dual cultivation, but it's really just erotic stuff. Her "Life Rhythm" spell can infuse you with a massive amount of life energy during intercourse, enough to propel you to the level of a high-ranking mage.]
You didn't want her to use such a self-destructive method to help you, but unexpectedly, she used the excuse "This is just a simulation" to shut you up.
However, looking into Ateliers's smiling, azure eyes, you know that only that foolish dragon Serfal would actually believe the idea of a fake world. To your little sprite, even in a simulation, she is, of course, truly alive.
You sighed silently in your heart, pulling someone into silence, only offering the little sprite a bittersweet joy in return.
When you left Lundia, you were already a fifth-circle mage and legendary warrior. After asking Silvershur to help you build a mage tower on a floating island as his lover in Titania, you immediately prepared to set off.
[Although you previously unlocked the Titan Palace with physical strength equivalent to a legendary warrior, you only came into contact with its secrets after you truly broke through to the legendary level.]
It turns out that one of Phowa the Great's wives, the owner of this palace, did not accompany him to the outer plane, or rather, most of Phowa the Great's wives were unable to leave with him.
[You gleaned a clue from Lady Oriana's test earlier, when she said that if it were Emperor Pova, he would never hesitate to use his woman. That's why you were surprised by the mutual consideration between you and Silvershur.]
[And your great-grandmother, who remained in this Titan palace, lived out her days in solitude after Emperor Pova hastily embarked on the path to godhood and departed. Before her death, this alchemist had considered learning alternative paths to transform herself into a lich, but ultimately gave up.]
Since Emperor Phowa is gone and will not return, there is no need for her to continue waiting.
Hearing this story saddened you. Although you knew that people in this other world didn't have such strong moral and family values, and that having multiple wives and abandoning one's spouse was normal for them, in your heart, the girls around you were all family. Even if they hadn't developed a real relationship, you wouldn't abandon any of them, and would rather face these dangers alone.
[If you don't want to judge Phowa's personal morality, you can only use this as a warning to yourself: never let any girl down, lest they end up like this great-grandmother.]
Before you left, you, Silver Squire, and the magical puppets held a funeral for your great-grandmother, which also served as a tribute to the other wives abandoned by Emperor Pova.
Yin Xiuer was also somewhat moved. For her, admitting that she liked you was just the beginning of a new life. She still needed to think hard about what she could do for you and for this family.
[You don't seem to have any demands on her. She's currently on leave from school to avoid being scrutinized by the examiners. Once you've established yourself, she can easily return to her teaching career. In short, everything will be alright.]
To be honest, you do feel that the older generation's romantic relationships weren't very smooth.
Before setting off, you chose two magical puppets to accompany you: one was the "Trainer," possessing strong physical conditioning and healing abilities, and the other was the "Executioner," reforged and now primarily focused on combat.
As for their leader, the "Decision Maker," you originally intended to bring her along, but considering that Titania still needs her assistance in maintaining order, you decided to leave her behind.
For some reason, although Lilia is still inside the "Executioner," she has suddenly stopped speaking, which makes her seem very unfamiliar.
[Only after you were out of the "decision-maker's" sight did Lilia's chattering voice suddenly reappear in your mind. Only then did you realize that she had just been pretending to be a master without saying a word!]
[You listened helplessly as Lilia launched into a lengthy rant about being dragged into ideological education by the "decision-makers," only to learn that all magical puppets must periodically undergo a soul-stabilizing spell to prevent them from disintegrating over long periods.]
[Although Lilia had previously resided within the "Eye of Herod," she was forced into a deep slumber due to the prolonged absence of stabilizing magic.]
These souls are the souls of girls whom your great-grandmother saved. In that ancient era, they didn't have the opportunity to travel to many places, which is why Lilia was so willing to reside in your necklace.
[However, upon hearing this, you suddenly felt a bit uneasy, recalling how you had sprayed the "trainer" all over your body during a bloodline ability check. The thought that it was actually a real person's soul inside made you want to dig your toes out of your shoes.]
[You and your group silently continued your journey, only to find that Serfal had flapped his wings and flown to your side. After thinking for a moment, you first sent the puppets to keep watch on the sidelines, and then began to chat with the silly dragon.]
[It turns out that after a period of reading and seeking knowledge, Serfal, feeling restless, decided to return to Dragon Valley to explore.]
According to her, Dragon Valley, being a demiplane of the continent of Atlantis, has welcomed more travelers from other planes than the prime plane. These travelers occasionally leave behind some wealth in Dragon Valley, and perhaps some of it will be useful to you. Therefore, she plans to search for this wealth.
[That being said, something still feels off. You've seen heroes from other planes pass through Dragon Valley in previous simulations, so this isn't surprising. What's strange is Serfal's wise expression, which makes you feel somewhat uneasy.]
But you didn't want to dampen her enthusiasm, so after a brief period of intimacy, you let Serfal, one of the dragons, fly away.
Just as you were about to continue your journey, you suddenly picked up a book from the ground. You thought back and realized it had accidentally fallen out of your pocket when you were groping under Serfa's skirt. You were so busy being intimate that you forgot about it.
You picked up the book, glanced at the cover, and saw the title: "The Self-Cultivation of a Dragon - The Art of Entrapment." The first chapter detailed how to impersonate a dragon to lure others into attacking you and then extort their ransom.
"Wait, is the wealth she's talking about something that's still with someone else?" Your expression changed drastically; you suddenly felt that Serfal's future was bleak.
However, since you can't bring her back to discipline her right now, you can only call the little elf several times to ask her to look after the silly dragon.
After making the call, the "executioner" and "trainer" you had sent to keep watch returned slowly. You nodded to them without changing your expression and said, "Let's go."
The "executioner" jumped up excitedly, while the "trainer," under a slightly strange gaze, said nothing and placed his hand on your back.
A sharp pain pierced your back, and you felt a surge of blood coursing through your veins. Then, the lingering anger in your body gradually subsided, and a rush of fresh blood began to fill the areas that had been depleted.
"Master. This is... treatment." The "Disciplinarian" explained her actions to you very calmly, but for some reason, you seemed to see a hint of mockery in her eyes.
"…Never mind, cough, let's go!" You decisively ignored the awkward atmosphere, transformed into a dark blue-green forest dragon, flapped your wings, and prepared to take off with the two puppets on your back.
Suddenly, you notice a new energy within your body. Recalling your recent intimate encounter with Serfal, you have a hunch that after your fused bloodline ability was activated by the "Trainer," it has indeed displayed its powerful side.
[You attempted to activate the second, now-filled level of the Holy Grail within you. Suddenly, your body jolted, and as the puppets shoved at you, the moss and vines on your body rapidly receded. A burning sensation swept over you, and sharp spikes extended from your skin. You couldn't help but open your mouth wide and exhale a breath of dragon's breath into the air.]
【boom! 】
A burst of lava-like breath exploded in the sky, sparks flying. You exhaled a long breath, noticing a faint smell of sulfur in your nostrils.