“I’ll make sure he returns safely from China. With me there, he won’t have to face the Dragon King. But after that, whether he chooses Xia Mi or you, that’s none of my business. Some things… if I were you, I’d fight for it.” Caesar raised his glass. “Goodnight, Susie.”
“Take good care of Nono. She was really happy when she got your engagement message that night. But if you’re really proposing, you should bring a ring.” Susie closed the door behind her.
Italy, Rome.
Frost tossed the report he’d finished reading onto the table and sighed. “We never expected to be able to remove Anjou as Principal with this alone, but if we could find something wrong with Chu Zihang, it would at least shake Anjou’ standing. But Caesar… that boy seems like he’ll never understand the family’s love for him.”
“It was my mistake,” Parsi said respectfully, standing in front of the table.
“It wasn’t your fault. You did your best and did well,” Frost encouraged him kindly. “Who issued the bounty to hunt the dragon on the Hunter’s Market? Any leads?”
“None. The ID belongs to a veteran hunter, but according to reliable intelligence, he was devoured by sharks while vacationing in Tahiti a few months ago. Because his body wasn’t recovered, the police still list him as missing, which is why the Hunter’s Market hasn’t immediately canceled his ID.”
“What an unusual way to die. And then he reappeared like a ghost on the Hunter’s Market, issuing a bounty to hunt a dragon for the entire world to see?” Frost smiled. “Our opponent is very bold.”
“Indeed,” Parsi said. “This challenges the rule that all hybrids abide by: never reveal the secret of the dragons to humans. But sir, can this information be trusted?”
“I wish it were just a rumor,” Frost said after a moment of silence. “But unfortunately, it’s not.”
“We’ve detected signs of the awakening of the ‘Earth and Mountain King’?” Parsi was shocked.
“Yes, through seismic frequency monitoring.” Frost laid out a map on the table—a map of China, marked all over with dense symbols.
“The awakening of the Four Great Monarchs is actually easier to detect than that of ordinary dragons because their power is too immense, causing catastrophic events. The awakening of the ‘Bronze and Fire King’ went unnoticed only because the Bronze City sank into the Three Gorges Reservoir, and the heat generated during his awakening was absorbed by the vast amount of water. When the life-long professors deduced that the one awakening this time was the ‘Earth and Mountain King,’ we began collecting seismic data from around the world. The earth is always trembling, with small earthquakes occurring every day. But if the frequency and magnitude suddenly increase in a particular area, then something unusual is definitely happening in the crust. All these markers are seismic records, and after calculations, our focus finally settled on this city.” Frost pointed to the red star in the center of the map. “Beijing, the place the Chinese say is ‘where the dragon’s energy converges.’ The last Chinese dynasty, the Qing Dynasty, took over this capital from their enemies after entering through the Shanhai Pass, just to the east of the Yan Mountains, which they believed to be the remains of an ancient dragon. The Manchus followed the dragon into the pass and saw the dense ‘dragon energy’ atop Beijing. These theories are considered superstitious geomancy, but history often turns into legend. Now, all clues point to that city. There may indeed be something related to the dragons hidden there, perhaps… even a real ancient dragon.”
“Have we started operations in Beijing?” Parsi asked.
“Not yet. What confirmed the presence of something there was an incident a few days ago. We lost contact with two agents stationed in Beijing. The family has been cultivating reliable individuals in the Execution Bureau, with satellite trackers embedded in their molars. Even if they died, the trackers should still work.”
“The signal disappeared?”
“It didn’t disappear. Every two and a half minutes or so, the two signals reappear for unknown reasons. We haven’t yet figured out why. But clearly, something happened to them. Before we lost contact, they managed to issue a warning call, but it was forcibly cut off, and we haven’t been able to reach them since.”
Parsi pondered for a moment. “If the signal appears every two and a half minutes in a cycle, they could be on something that moves in cycles. Although we can’t be certain if they’re still alive.”
“Leave this for Caesar to figure out. We’re sending Caesar’s team, and Anjou is sending Chu Zihang’s team—this is a direct competition for the candidate in the ‘Nibelungen Plan.’ But the final honor must belong to Caesar. The Earth and Mountain King, Fenrisulfr, will be the second dragon to die at Caesar’s hands. Moreover, we must secure his remains!”
“Understood. However, intelligence is very limited this time. It’s not as clear as it was during the Three Gorges operation. I’m worried that Caesar won’t have any leads to start from,” Parsi said.
“That’s why we gave him the Philosopher’s Stone extracted from the Dragon King’s bones.” Frost smiled. “It’s not just a weapon; it’s also bait. It’s the blood of a Dragon King. All dragons will be drawn to that strong scent of blood, and they will come for Caesar. The Earth and Mountain King will be no exception.”
Parsi’s face changed: “But Caesar still doesn’t know…”
“Don’t worry about him. Caesar is the person the family has waited hundreds of years for,” Frost said softly. “He just needs training, but we will never allow him to fall prematurely. He is the one we chose to usher in a new era.”
Within the family, there had been descendants far purer in bloodline than Caesar. They displayed all sorts of dangerous Yanling abilities, which were carefully recorded, but they were never cultivated as heirs. Instead, they were quietly removed from the family records and sent overseas in secret. The family waited for decades, enduring disappointment after disappointment, until the elders held that silent baby handed to them by a blood-stained nurse. The baby made no sound upon leaving the womb, but its icy blue eyes were already open, observing the world.
“His name shall be Caesar, after the great king in Italy’s history,” the elder said, touching the baby tenderly. “He is the one we have waited for, for a thousand years.”
Caesar Gattuso, the chosen one in a million, among tens of thousands. Even with all his pride, Caesar struggled to imagine his own future because it was destined to be grand and vast, surpassing this era entirely.
But, unfortunately, he was rebellious!
Stubborn children were always the most troublesome. Sometimes, seeing that defiant face of his, it really made you want to slap him. But what use would that be? Even if you struck him hard enough to make his cheek split and blood splatter into his eyes, those icy blue eyes wouldn’t even blink, and they’d look back at you in disdain. This was true defiance—defiance until death.
“Everyone has a rebellious phase,” Frost sighed.
It was midnight at Chicago International Airport. A Boeing 747-400 was waiting for its transatlantic flight. At this hour, only the red-eye flights were still active, and the tarmac was quiet. A shuttle bus dropped off the passengers below the plane’s wing.
i8l4r0