Chapter 314: Chapter 172: The Proper Way to Use the Mercury Serpent (Two in One)_2
"At most, it’s a 6th Order kingdom, without even a Legendary. It doesn’t seem very interesting," Shiayar couldn’t help shaking his head.
With a different Rank, one’s perspective naturally changes. Honestly, I have little interest in the affairs of this petty kingdom now. So what if I became king? I’m the Prince Consort of the Fresta Empire, personally appointed by the Queen. An entire empire’s spoils are waiting for me. Why would I care about this trifle? Compared to this ridiculous palace drama, the Evil Dragon Totem the Knight Commander mentioned sounds far more interesting.
Shiayar’s thoughts stirred slightly, and the image of the silver moon in his eyes slowly faded.
The Knight Commander in front of him, as if awakening from a dream, struggled free from his previous state.
Before the commander could speak, Shiayar beat him to it.
"Since it’s Prince Uncle’s decree, then I understand."
The Knight Commander was baffled. Did he mishear ’sacrificial offering to an evil dragon’ as ’ascension to the throne’?
Unfortunately, parts of the Knight Commander’s memory had already been rewritten and erased by Shiayar’s use of Moon Reading, leaving him wracking his brains in vain for an explanation.
"As a prince, one should naturally be prepared to be dragon fodder." Shiayar dismissively waved his hand.
"When do we depart?"
「Silent Forest.」
This was a boundless forest sea located at the southernmost end of the Western Continent. Countless towering trees formed a continuous expanse, completely obscuring the sun. The reason Shiayar’s kingdom was known as the ’Forest Country’ was precisely because it was situated on the edge of the Silent Forest.
"Your Highness, I can only accompany you this far."
Of course, when he said "accompany," it was really more about overseeing his demise. After all, even usurping the throne needed to appear justifiable, right? If the prince didn’t die, how could Prince Uncle take the throne?
The Knight Commander’s footsteps paused behind him, his eyes warily observing the depths of the forest. From deep within the Silent Forest, a vague and elusive Dragon’s Might drifted towards them. Just sensing it slightly caused the Knight Commander’s battle-hardened body to feel a blood-deep fear, a chill that went to his bones. It was a suppression that originated from the very essence of his bloodline.
He looked at Shiayar, who gazed into the depths of the Silent Forest with a nonchalant and lazy air. To the Knight Commander, Shiayar already looked like a dead man.
The Knight Commander had been prepared to betray his charge on the spot and force compliance by strength, yet the process turned out to be smoother than he had expected.
"Right, I can make my own way from here on."
Shiayar paused. "However... don’t you feel stifled? Your own strength isn’t weak at all, straddling the line between Peak 5-Ring and 6-Ring, so why must you serve beneath another? Are kings, nobles, generals, and ministers destined for their roles by birth? Since the path to the throne is already crooked, if my Prince Uncle can seize it, why can’t you?"
Along with Shiayar’s beguiling words, a flame inexplicably surged within the retreating Knight Commander’s heart.
It was the flame of ambition.
A true man stands tall between heaven and earth; how can he long endure being under another’s heel!
And Shiayar, who had casually planted a psychological suggestion in the Knight Commander’s mind using ’Moon Reading,’ still had his gaze fixed on the depths of the Silent Forest.
I probably won’t be going back to that kingdom. What I just did was on a whim, to see if I could stir up some entertainment. This Knight Commander even calls Duke Sylas his adoptive father. It would be a shame if things didn’t get a little ’fatherly and filial’ between them.
However, at this moment, what Shiayar was more concerned with was the entity deep in the Silent Forest.
That’s a true Fabled Creature, a giant dragon! The dream beast for any Beastmaster!
Since his arrival in the Western Continent, Shiayar had constantly heard legends of giant dragons. Whether in the stories of wandering poets or the textbooks of Black Tower and St. Roland Academy, countless accounts depicted the might of giant dragons. Even a Black Scales Drake, a drake with relatively high blood purity, was of Emperor Rank in Species Rank. One could only imagine the staggering potential of a pureblood giant dragon’s bloodline. Even the weakest of the dragon kin, the White Dragon, could reach Legendary Rank upon adulthood, not to mention the superior Red Dragons and Black Dragons.
But true pureblood giant dragons had long since vanished from the Western Continent. Even with Shiayar’s standing, he had never seen one.
Now, in this authentic First Era, many of the ancient and Fabled Species that had faded into oblivion in the future could finally be witnessed in reality.
「The deepest part of the Silent Forest.」
There stood an ancient tree reaching for the heavens. Though not yet possessing Spirituality or its own will, the mere aura emitted by this ancient tree was enough to suppress ordinary Demigods.
Legend had it that during the early years of the Cataclysm Era, it was one of two segments of the World Tree’s branches that had been cut off. One segment fell on the Lost Island, inhabited by the advanced Elf Tribe, becoming the ancient elven tree revered and honored by them. The other landed in the Silent Forest, growing into the immense forest sea seen today.
High atop the Silent Ancient Tree, countless thick, red-gold branches were woven into a vast dragon’s nest. From the outside, it seemed but a lair made of World Tree branches and leaves. However, upon entering, one would find that beside each branch and leaf of the World Tree, the Space Law caused an odd distortion.