Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 158: Drama Stage

When they embraced, Nol often whispered in his ear. These whispers were mostly soft and gentle, like velvet brushing against the ear. This time, however, it was closer to an ice pick scraping the tip of the ear. Teest turned his head, unable to resist sniffing the air.

Fortunately, he didn’t smell any suspicious stench of decay.

Nol smelled of herbs, mild soap, and sun-warmed linen. He looked at Teest honestly, again having no idea what he had done… Or did he really have no idea?

Whenever Teest thought he had grasped this person, the Nol between his fingers would become ethereal again. He had accompanied Nol all this way, and upon reflection, it seemed that no one in Paradise had truly seen him.

…Maybe Nol sealed the harmful knowledge within himself, which allowed him to live normally.

…Maybe Nol is fake, just a puppet of some existence. This image is its tool, and “self” is just part of the disguise.

…Maybe all the events were arranged by Nol, such as neutralizing the concept of the “Demon King”, such as gathering forces to fight against Star Stealer Sol. Maybe Star Stealer Sol is the “hero” who painstakingly domesticates humans and suppresses the Demon King with all his might. Who knows?

Everything was ambiguous.

Teest’s mouth tasted bitterness. He couldn’t help but sigh, his fingers brushing through Nol’s slightly long black hair. Nol, oblivious, smiled at him, a smile Nol always liked, as if to say, “It’s okay. The difficulties will pass.”

Surrounded by many possibilities, Teest could only be sure of one thing. In his life, he would never again encounter such an enchanting and heart-wrenching mystery—

A delicious and soft God, seasoned with the bitter spices of fear and danger. Maybe with added alcohol, otherwise, the burning sensation in his chest, like frostbite, couldn’t be explained.

“It’s not a big deal.”

Teest kissed the tip of Nol’s nose. “I believe you are aware of your anomalies. The dragon has already proposed a solution, and it won’t delay the important matters.”

Nol breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good.”

To be honest, the back of his head was still a bit numb, and his heartbeat was a bit irregular. He knew he had forgotten something but couldn’t remember what.

What was it?

“In the worst case—if you were to destroy the world, I would still be with you, so there’s no need to worry.” Teest offered a rare sincere comfort.

Nol: “……” It was so considerate, he almost agreed.

And judging by the expressions of Painter and Lynn not far away, his anxiety might have transferred to them.

Miraculously, his irregular heartbeat gradually calmed down.

……

The next day, in the Dragon Council Chamber.

This was the largest cave in the entire Dragon’s Lair. It was located at the highest point of the Dragon’s Lair, with three-quarters of it open to the outside, supported by smooth stone pillars, offering a vast expanse of blue sky.

As promised, Red Dragon Granatum brought them in front of Subelbot.

Subelbot was the oldest dragon in the entire Dragon’s Lair.

He was twice the size of a typical adult dragon, with a snow-white body, and his scales shone as beautifully as pearls. Surging magical power flowed along those scales, creating dream-like halos. He had a pair of silver-white eyes like moonlight, with dragon horn tips nearly transparent, as if they glowed on their own.

At this moment, it lowered its head, looking down at the four unexpected guests.

This white dragon was as beautiful as Nol remembered.

[I recognize this head.] Teest’s very anticlimactic comment came through. [Haven’t seen it in half a year; kinda miss it.]

[You better not mention this.]

Nol was on high alert. Back then, he had jammed the white dragon’s head to beat the Lord of Whitebird City. Fearing that Subelbot would recognize him, he didn’t dare bring Kando with him.

[Alright, I’ll just laugh secretly.] Teest cooperated, showing no sign of last night’s low spirits.

“State your name, Dracolich.”

Subelbot ‘s voice was deep, with no emotion in his vertical pupils. From the moment they entered, he only stared at Nol and Teest, as if the others were just insignificant dust.

At the same time, Red Dragon Granatum also looked over curiously. It was evident that he had wanted to ask earlier but didn’t due to hierarchy.

Good. His bet was right.

“Nolerwin.” Nol confidently said.

One of the oldest members of the Black Dragon clan, the author of the foundational theories of dragon magic, one of the few dragons Subelbot respects. Its ending was disappearance, leaving behind an unknown last work—a side quest of the Dragon’s Lair.

Sure enough, Subelbot narrowed his eyes, silent for two seconds.

The Red Dragon stepped forward with understanding. “That’s great. If I had known it was you, I would have proposed a knowledge exchange yesterday. This generation has a child of mixed red and blue dragon lineage, and their magic system is quite…”

“If your parents are of the same tier, their powers negate each other. It’s possible to remove one side’s magic through medication before the baptism. Since they’ve undergone the baptism, the only option is to destroy the core of both magic systems and manually forge a new circuit.”

“If you can’t perform such a surgery now, I’ll do it myself—I guess that’s what you want to hear.”

Nolerwin did indeed exist, but in the end, all of this was his creation; of course, he could replicate it perfectly.

Nol raised his head, releasing a bit of his aura at the right moment.

“As a bargaining chip, I can also tell you the location of the last work.”

Strictly speaking, this world seemed to have a lifespan of only about 200 years, but to these dragons, Nolerwin indeed disappeared over 600 years ago. No matter how strong a dragon was, being separated from the clan for more than 500 years was considered abandoning the clan. Even if he claimed the title of the dragon ancestors, an “outcast” trying to command the current leader with seniority was absolutely impossible.

Moreover, he was essentially different from the giant dragons, being a Dracolich.

Nol’s only goal was to make the arrogant Subelbot willingly and equally cooperate with him.

“The legacy of the Dragon’s Lair originally belongs to the Dragon’s Lair.” As expected, Subelbot didn’t compromise immediately, his pupils narrowing to a slit. “We have hundreds of years to continue searching. The dragons will not lower their heads for such small favors, outcast.” The other giant dragons stood silently by his side, unmoving.

“Bringing these humans here specially is because of the matter with the White Dragon Telistam. I can’t smell the scent of revengeful liquor… Offering treatment, pointing out the legacy, you want to excuse humans, outcast.”

Subsequently, Subelbot continued with a determined tone.

“They killed Telistam, they must pay the price. The dragons will not ignore the death of their kin.”

Damn. Nol’s back tensed with nervousness, yet he had to force a profound smile on his face. Even knowing Subelbot’s character, this guy was indeed not easy to deal with. The dragon leader wasn’t like the Red Dragon Sage, who had desires that were easy to grasp.

“I see.” Lynn timely took over the conversation.

“Silence, little worm.” Subelbot moved his huge head. “This is a conversation between dragons.”

“I am Mr. Nol—Nolerwin apprentice.”

Lynn bowed respectfully. “Your stubbornness has greatly disappointed my mentor, who prefers not to converse with the obstinate; hence, I shall speak on his behalf.”

Nol watched Lynn excitedly. To be this unflustered, truly a strong person refined by traditional big corporations!

“May I ask Lord Subelbot, which is more important: Telistam, who has been an outcast for over 200 years, or a newly born dragon?”

Anger tinged the White Dragon’s tone. “You dare to compare the lives of dragons…”

“Please answer me directly, to prove my foolishness,” Lynn said with a smile.

“No thing can measure the life of a dragon.” Subelbot proudly lifted his head. “Nor can anything buy the glory of the dragons.”

“I understand. Anyone who dares to harm an innocent dragon must be properly punished,” Lynn firmly agreed. “Those who uphold the glory of the dragons also deserve the best rewards.”

Subelbot: “Yes.”

“What kind of punishment, and what kind of reward?” Lynn asked.

“Those who harm the innocent must pay with blood. Those who uphold the glory will have their kindness remembered by the dragons and receive a fitting reward.”

Lynn’s pale red eyes narrowed. “Then please, make your blood payment.”

“…What?”

“Half a year ago, you ordered the Red Dragon Granatum to execute an innocent. You were convinced he was influenced by the False God, showing aberrations—that was a Chosen One of our God, and you executed him without giving him a chance to defend himself.”

Lynn bowed slightly. “My mentor and I come from Paradise. I believe you are aware of its existence. Not long ago, Paradise eliminated the Demon King, dispersing the ominous shadows over this land.”

“A Chosen One?” Subelbot’s head lowered slightly. “You have no proof.”

Lynn stepped forward, intentionally allowing the other giant dragons to see her clearly. She slightly opened her arms, raising her voice. “The False God only chooses humans from other worlds as their weapons, our God chooses beings from this land. Those chosen by the False God as aberrations can’t be killed. The chosen of our God still obey the cycle of life and death.”

“He even chose two from the dragon race. My mentor and that black dragon. They symbolize death and rebirth, yet you rejected the grace of God and destroyed one of them… You tell me, does this not warrant punishment?”

Subelbot remained silent, still full of skepticism.

Lynn changed the subject. “Just a few days ago, a Chosen One of our God awakened Telistam, allowing it to personally destroy the human tribe that murdered it. If you do not believe, you can let us contact Telistam at any time—it remembers the grace of God. Otherwise, it would have torn us to pieces.”

“Paradise has upheld the dignity of the dragons. What kind of reward do you think is appropriate?”

While Subelbot pondered, Lynn gave Nol an “OK” sign with one hand behind her back.

Nol caught on immediately.

He quietly released the aura of the false god, adding some light effects to the environment with [Creator].

The dim cave suddenly became exceptionally bright. Under the suppression of a false god-level aura, Subelbot’s gaze gradually grew solemn. The giant dragons became somewhat restless, with hundreds of eyes turning towards Subelbot.

“My God is merciful.”

Nol bit the bullet and started boasting about himself. “God won’t ask you to give up your hatred. You need to apologize to those innocent departed and leave the upcoming war to the care of Paradise—I will not let the blood of my brethren be spilled in vain, and I am confident in converting those followers of the False God.”

“Since Telistam has been recalled to the living world by Paradise, I will protect it until the end.”

In any case, first talk nonsense to prevent the dragons from meeting the players!

The leaders of the players aren’t fools; as long as there’s no conflict, there’s still room for redemption.

Subelbot scrutinized the few people before him and did not immediately agree. “You seem to know a lot about gods.”

“Oh, do you even need to mention it?”

Teest said with a smile, “He was secretly killed by the False God and fell, leading to the Demon King’s loss of control, and magic becoming twisted… To counter the Demon King, Star Stealer Sol brought a group of outsiders from another world, causing chaos in this land.”

“My God only wants to reclaim His world and restore the balance of all things. Over the years, He has always been protecting you. How could the dragon race not have His Chosen Ones?”

“I deserted the Temple precisely because I discovered the true face of the False God,” Painter timely interjected. “Even if, in your eyes, I’m just an insignificant pope.”

Nol was surprised to find that he was the least capable of making up stories among the four present.

Before the stage was even set, this group was fabricating grand tales. Nol doubted that given another half-hour, they could concoct an entire scripture of the God of Paradise on the spot.

“Language is just language,” Subelbot said slowly. The stubborn old dragon refused to yield. “Then you handle the matter of Telistam and prove your words are true—if you really can convert those followers of the False God, in the upcoming battle, dragons will hear the voice of Paradise.”

“Of course.” Lynn smiled and bowed.

“Um, I have a personal request.”

Teest raised his hand. “Nol—I mean, Nolerwin is experiencing some abnormalities in his body, and I need your assistance to investigate.”

“You’ve got one thing wrong, worm.”

Subelbot turned his eyes towards him. “We do not entrust the war with humans to you out of cowardice. This is merely an opportunity to prove yourselves—not a transaction. Dragons do not entrust tasks to the weak.”

It wasn’t yet time. Nol shook his head gently at Teest. Teest smiled at him, touching his lips with his fingertip.

The next second, the light in the Dragon’s Lair vanished.

The blue sky that should have existed turned into a vast void of darkness. The temperature dropped rapidly, and the breath turned frosty instantly. Shadows spread, and an ominous black corruption crawled over the dry stone surface. Accompanied by Teest’s nearly brutal aura, a faint smell of blood spread.

A wild provocation.

Subelbot’s silver eyes filled with anger. He instinctively wanted to shatter this aura but was brutally suppressed in place.

“I need your assistance.” Teest looked at Subelbot, repeating with a smile. “Of course, after the war—if you really can’t think of anything you need help with, this wish can be put on credit.”

His tone was incredibly light.

For the first time, Subelbot’s gaze showed wariness. “I only negotiate with allies,” it stated firmly, ultimately leaving some leeway.

“Good.” Teest bowed, not too respectfully.

[What are you doing?!] Nol was shocked and angry.

He was shocked because Teest had gone to such lengths—even if his own condition was strange, it shouldn’t have been such a high priority.

Angry because Teest’s current strength wasn’t enough to completely suppress Subelbot. To reach this point, he must have overdrawn his body—Nol had already smelled an abnormal scent of blood.

[Let’s go quickly. Be careful not to let that dragon notice any flaws.]

Teest, with bloodshot eyes, looked over and tilted his head.

[I just wanted to get to know you a little better, honey.]

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