Chapter 606: Where Are You? (1/2)
Dragon Lord Alder eyed the Suugon ambassador warily as he rolled his impressive bulk over. He knew the Suugon ambassador was a snake, in fact, all the Suugons were snakes to his reckoning. The fact that the ambassador came over and disclosed such news meant that the Suugons were up to something again.
”Why does it even matter to me?” Dragon Lord Alder replied lazily as he picked up another piece of sweet meat. ”The Iron Kingdom's succession will not affect the Dragon Domain.”
”It might not now,” Lord Lei replied with a smile. ”But it might change when they announced the next successor to the Crown Prince's position...”
Dragon Lord Alder paused in his action and narrowed his eyes at the Suugon Ambassador and growled, ”Do not speak in riddles! Speak to the point!”
”Of course, great one!” Lord Lei gave a bow of apology before he continued. ”The Third Prince seemed most promising to be the next in line of the succession.”
”The Third Prince?” Dragon Lord Alder frowned as he scoured his memories of the Iron Kingdom Prince.
”The Prince of Fire,” Lord Lei helpfully added. ”The Prince who supports the Industrialists and thinks that... dragons and magic are relics of the past... Only worthy to be adorned as trophies on his wa-”
”Enough!” Dragon Lord Alder reared up to his full height in anger as he recalled the person. The Suugon delegates stepped back in fright at the sight of his oversized bulk towering over them. ”That... That... beast!”
”That... beast killed so many of my peers!” Dragon Lord Alder growled angrily. ”He is the enemy of all dragons!”
”And we the people and the Emperor of the Suugon Dynasty agrees with you,” Lord Lei bowed deeply.
The Iron Kingdom Third Prince born from the second Queen of the Iron Kingdom was a person who greatly embraced the modern ideas of steamworks and clockworks. He had pushed for many reforms within the Iron Kingdom, changing old and obsolete customs to a new age of radical ideas and thinking.
His modernization and industrialization reforms earned him the moniker The Prince of Fire among the people and he was also a vivid hunter. In his palace, he had a museum filled to the brim with stuffed carcasses of every known monster or creature. But his prized collections were dragons.
This earned him both the enmity of the Dragon Domain and the Suugon Dynasty. It was only after a few years of conflict between the Dragon Domain and the Iron Kingdom did the Iron King of the Iron Kingdom ceded an apology and agreement that the Third Prince shall never hunt a dragon ever again. Despite that promise, the hatred of the Dragons did not vanish.
”That beast must never become the next Iron King!” Dragon Lord Alder snapped. ”If it happened... that beast will declare war on the Dragons!”
”The Eternal Emperor is worried about this too,” Lord Lei said and bowed. ”The Eternal Emperor sent word to me to assist you and the Dragon Matriarch against the Iron Kingdom to prevent the Third Prince from becoming the Crown Prince!”
Dragon Lord Alder took a deep breath as he stared at the bowing Suugon Ambassador. He do not believe that the Suugons were so kind to willingly offer their help. There must be a catch to all these but now it was not the time to find out for this news must be sent to the Matriarch immediately!
”I shall call upon you once I informed the Matriarch of this!” Dragon Lord Alder said and he rang a bell. A small troop of maids entered and they bowed to Alder. One of the maids held a tray with a pure white jade phial. Dragon Lord Alder impatiently gestured the maid to bring the jade phial over and he used his sharp claws to pierce the underside of his wrist and allowed the thick ruby red blood to drip into the phial until it was full.
The rest of the maids quickly came over and wrapped the puncture wound on his wrist while the jade phial was sealed and the maid carried the tray over to Lord Lei who was staring greedily at the jade phial filled with dragon's blood.
”Take it!” Dragon Lord Alder growled. ”We shall speak again!”
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The Old World, Protectorate of Ramuh, Capital of Ramuh
The chorus of bells and hymns woke the sleeping child and it let out a cry of hunger. The woman paused in her farm work and quickly hushed the child that was wrapped in a piece of cloth around her scrawny body. She mumbled to the hungry child in her arms and gave an apologetic bow to the Overseer who was frowning at the sudden halt of work.
She lowered her robe and allowed the child to suckle on her nipple and the baby finally calmed down and happily fed away. The Overseer walked over, a sneer on his scarred face and he leered lechery at her exposed body. The woman cast her eyes down and turned away from the Overseer and allowed the baby to have its filled before she covered herself up and returned to work.
”Back to work you lawless!” The Overseer cracked his cruel whip. ”Bast in the glory that your deeds here today shall restore the order that you have lost!”
The Overseer cast one last lecherous look at the woman before he walked off to another area of the farm. Hundreds of repentanters toiled the fields around the farm, all seeking penance from their crimes and seeking redemption from their sins. For their dutiful labours and penance, the toils of their efforts will be used to pay off their sins.