Translator: AnubisTL
Deep within the royal court of the Kingdom of Lothurn, located in the southern region of the Atlantis Continent, stood a vast and majestic hall.
Crystal Princess Eileen stood alone in the cavernous space, her slender figure appearing even more graceful against the grandeur of the hall.
The interior had been stripped of all ostentatious and redundant decorations. At its very center stood a single, silent orrery.
Its design was unique, as if constructed from countless interlocking miniature planets and intricate celestial orbits. The surface was etched with countless magic runes, and the entire structure emanated a deep, mysterious glow.
Eileen exhaled softly and deeply.
Then, with light steps, she approached the massive orrery.
A beam of azure light, interwoven with countless fine runes, swept across her, silently verifying her authority as a princess of the Royal Family.
"Good day, Your Highness Princess Eileen," the orrery chimed with a gentle hum. An elegant female voice emerged from within, devoid of the coldness of mechanical synthesis, instead carrying an indescribable warmth and a hint of human-like tenderness.
"Good day," Eileen replied politely.
Gazing at the rotating celestial orbits, she cut straight to the point: "Last night, something noteworthy occurred in the Sierre Wilderness. I wish to see it with my own eyes."
The magical satellites, suspended like stars beyond Bernardo Planet and observing its continents, were overwhelmingly owned by the vast empire.
However, a few dazzlingly bright and powerful kingdom-owned satellites dotted the celestial sphere, quietly circling the night sky and silently monitoring events on the earth below.
For instance, the Kingdom of Lothurn, with its deep heritage and exceptional mastery of magic and alchemy, secretly controlled more than one of these extraterrestrial eyes, investing vast sums and cutting-edge technology in their creation.
Though their coverage didn't match the empire's, they were far from insignificant.
Their power was linked and manipulated through orreries strategically placed across the land.
As a princess of high status within the royal court, Princess Eileen could, even while confined within the heavily guarded royal city, use the court's orrery to gain a panoramic perspective of the world, allowing her to observe the unfolding changes in the outside world.
The core of the orrery pulsed with a steady light, responding:
"Please provide the specific coordinates and temporal anchor you wish to observe, Your Highness."
Eileen fluently recited a string of numbers—the precise coordinates of a mine in the central Sierre Wilderness, known for its high-quality saltpeter and owned by the Duchy of Abel—and added clearly: "The temporal anchor is last night, during the moon's eclipse and the stars' disappearance."
Upon receiving the precise spatio-temporal coordinates, the core of the orrery paused momentarily.
Then, it began to rotate in reverse.
Whirring—!
Brilliant light erupted from the orrery's center, instantly filling every inch of the grand hall.
Light and shadow intertwined, twisted, and reformed, vividly constructing a breathtakingly dynamic scene.
The image began with the red-iron dragon, a harbinger of doom wreathed in crimson flames and golden lightning, tearing through layers of dark clouds from the heavens as it plummeted downward.
Its formidable, muscular figure, radiating boundless ferocity and power, was clearly reflected in Eileen's vision.
She blinked her beautiful eyes almost instinctively, holding her breath.
With a subtle movement of her fingers, she froze the image, magnified it, and zoomed in... Her gaze meticulously scrutinized every steel scale and every muscle line of Garos.
Deep in her heart, she found it utterly impossible to reconcile this ferocious dragon, a manifestation of unstoppable might, with the plump, lazy, yawning fat iron dragon currently sprawled on the courtyard's plush carpet.
If not for repeated and rigorous verification from multiple sources, she would never have believed that this red-iron dragon, a living embodiment of natural disaster, was actually Gordon's blood-related brother!
Eileen flicked her fingers again, allowing the frozen, heart-stopping vision of destruction to resume its flow.
She felt as if she were immersed in an immersive, theatrical drama, witnessing firsthand the Ignis Dragon Clan's irresistible, unstoppable advance as they reduced the Duchy of Abel's hard-won strongholds to dust and rubble in mere moments, along with the soldiers and golems who had stubbornly resisted.
A moment later, she saw the decisive scene.
The red-iron dragon took a deep breath and unleashed its world-ending dragon breath upon the saltpeter mine.
In an instant, the earth trembled and shook. A terrifying chain explosion erupted like the awakening fires of hell, its towering flames piercing the rain-soaked sky and blooming into a magnificent fireworks display woven from pure destruction, blood, and death—the most brutal, yet most dazzling fireworks imaginable!
The image froze again.
That blooming flower of death became the sole light source in the hall.
"So beautiful..."
Princess Eileen murmured softly, her eyes shimmering as they clearly reflected the radiant bloom of death.
A mere observer witnessing this scene would have felt only terror and profound dread.
But she was different.
She knew in her heart that this fireworks display, which shook the wilderness and lit up the night sky, was blooming for her. It was the Ignis Dragon Clan fulfilling their promise to her.
This meant...
She finally possessed the fulcrum to tip the scales of war and defend the kingdom's glory in her own way.
A quiet sense of joy and satisfaction spread through her heart.
After quietly admiring the frozen beauty of the fireworks for a moment longer, she seemed to awaken from a stunning dream. She closed the orrery, turned gracefully, and left the hall.
Following a familiar path, she arrived at the courtyard reserved for Iron Dragon Gordon's rest, now covered in thick, soft carpets.
Iron Dragon Gordon had been lying listlessly on the carpet, his massive belly rising and falling with his long breaths.
Seeing Eileen's figure at the courtyard entrance, he immediately perked up, lifting his enormous body. With a hint of anticipation, he asked, "How is it? Are you satisfied with the gift from the dragon pack?"
Crystal Princess Eileen walked gracefully to him and nodded slowly.
"Of course I am," she replied, her voice clear and bright, tinged with delight.
She added, "Gordon, tell your kin that I very much like this gift."
After a slight pause, as if recalling an ancient proverb, she turned to the iron dragon and said, "I've heard an old saying: 'Steel and mead should never be hoarded. Those who scorn this truth will have their names spat upon by the gods.'"
Eileen extended her hand and gently patted the iron dragon's massive foreleg, covered in cold, metallic scales. A faint smile curved her lips.
"The Ignis Dragon Clan will soon receive my reciprocal gift."
Since the red-iron dragon had presented her with such a pleasing gift, the Crystal Princess naturally wouldn't be stingy with her own.
This wasn't merely an exchange of treasures; it was a declaration of her unwavering support.
As for the federal garrison in the Sierre Wilderness, she had already smoothed over any potential future complications.
"What about mine? I'm an indispensable member of the Ignis Dragon Clan! I'm a vital link!"
Iron Dragon Gordon immediately thrust his massive head forward, affectionately rubbing against Eileen's arm, shamelessly demanding his share of the hard-earned reward and his intermediary fee.
Eileen didn't answer immediately. She tilted her head slightly, her gaze lingering on Gordon's massive frame with a mixture of curiosity and calculation, making the iron dragon feel inexplicably uneasy.
"Uh... Eileen, your look is a bit strange," Gordon rumbled, unable to help himself. "What are you thinking about? Are you considering giving me a treasure?"
A few seconds of silence passed, the air seeming to freeze.
Eileen sighed softly, then said with utmost seriousness, "Gordon, I'm thinking... perhaps it's time we seriously consider reducing your monthly food budget."
As she spoke, her gaze swept over the prominent curve of the iron dragon's belly.
Before, she hadn't seen a truly magnificent and powerful dragon, so she'd found Gordon's round, plump appearance rather endearingly simple and cute.
But now, the red-iron dragon's perfectly sculpted, powerful form was deeply imprinted in her mind, sparking an idea to "improve" her own lazy, overfed dragon.
"Nooo!!"
Gordon's heart plummeted. His massive dragon head shook violently like a ship's mast in a gale, his resistance palpable. The very ground of the courtyard seemed to tremble slightly.
"My food allowance is my lifeblood! Eileen! You can't be this cruel!"
Seeing the iron dragon's exaggerated reaction, Eileen changed her tone. "How about this: we'll set up an incentive program. For every hundred pounds you lose, I'll reward you with a thousand Lothurn gold coins, with no upper limit."
She had thrown out a tempting offer.
Iron Dragon Gordon certainly had no shortage of food and drink at the royal court, with rare delicacies readily available. But when it came to true treasures that could make his eyes light up—wealth he could freely control—Eileen had always been strictly restrictive, rarely letting him touch it.
At the mention of the reward, Gordon's eyes widened like saucers.
A thousand gold coins for a hundred pounds?
This seemed like a worthwhile deal.
"Agreed!!" He puffed out his chest, desperately trying to suck in his belly. His massive dragon claws slammed onto the plush carpet with a resounding thud, declaring, "It's a deal, Eileen!"
"For gold, I'll at least earn ten thousand coins! No! Twenty thousand!!"
(End of the Chapter)
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