Chapter 313: Chapter 172: The Proper Way to Use the Mercury Serpent (Two in One)
I thought you were here to help me don the yellow robe.
But after all this—it turns out you’re actually planning to capture me and feed me to an evil dragon.
Shiayar observed the Knight Commander kneeling respectfully before him. The man’s eyes kept unconsciously stealing glances at him, his hand resting instinctively on his waist. Shiayar couldn’t help but sigh deeply.
As the saying goes, ’Mysticism doesn’t save the ill-fated, nor can wealth alter destiny.’ Even though I’ve contracted with the Serpent of Destiny, my initial identity in this Echo of History doesn’t seem to have improved much. Compared to being a prince about to be sacrificed to an evil dragon, an orphaned commoner with no background seems like a better lot.
"Speaking of which," Shiayar began, "didn’t you just say that the King has passed away? And that I am the only prince?"
He looked down at the Knight Commander before him. "Then, to offer His Highness the Prince to an evil dragon as a sacrifice... I’m rather curious, who is intended to rule this country in the future?"
"That, naturally, will be the concern of my adoptive father, your uncle, His Grace Duke Sylas."
"Oh... your adoptive father, the Duke, eh." Shiayar cast a meaningful glance at him.
Such a familiar role. It reminded him yet again of his dear Comrade Norton, and Comrade Guderian, who died with his ambitions unfulfilled.
"Which means," Shiayar continued, "my royal father’s passing was no coincidence, I presume?"
"Yes. It was I who, in His Majesty’s food and drink..."
Halfway through his words, the Knight Commander suddenly came to a startling realization.
How could I have been so careless as to divulge all this information so recklessly? Especially the fact that I secretly acknowledged Duke Sylas as my adoptive father! This is my greatest secret! No, with my strength approaching the 6th Order, even if I were careless, I would never make such a rudimentary mistake. All of this must have a source—
He looked with shock at the black-haired, black-eyed prince before him. He saw that this prince—who had always appeared sickly and unconcerned with state affairs, regarded by ministers and nobles as nothing more than a puppet—was now simply smiling at him.
Though his form was still as thin and frail as ever, an air of mystery now inexplicably clung to him in the Knight Commander’s eyes. That slender, black-haired, black-eyed figure seemed to grow increasingly imposing, increasingly majestic.
In those pitch-black eyes, three blood-red tomoe were slowly rotating, then expanding. Eventually, the pupils, originally the silver-white of moonlight, sublimated into Red Gold. Within those Red Gold eyes, it seemed as if molten lava was flowing.
"My apologies," Shiayar said. "This is my first time using Moon Reading in the environment of the First Era, which is suppressed by Divinity, so I’m a bit rusty. Since my attempt at subconscious guidance was seen through, I have no choice but to resort to something more direct. Please forgive me."
As he spoke those words, tinged with a hint of apology, the slender, black-haired, black-eyed figure grew ever more towering and magnificent in the Knight Commander’s eyes.
The calm voice sounded again, yet it carried an undeniable and irresistible authority. "Now, I need you to tell me everything you know."
...
A moment later.
"Master, all the information recorded is right here." Jayee, who resembled a Metal Fairy, fluttered her dainty fairy wings and landed obediently beside Shiayar.
Dragon Serpent Mercury materialized into lines of delicate text, appearing before Shiayar’s eyes.
Shiayar’s gaze swept over them.
Compared to the Serpent of Destiny, this Knight Commander’s strength was merely 5-Ring; the level of intelligence he could provide wasn’t particularly high. At least, one couldn’t expect any secrets from him regarding the True Gods. However, he could precisely fill in the details that the Serpent of Destiny lacked.
Shiayar’s gaze landed on the first line of text presented by Jayee.
[Calamity Era Year 928]
This was the year of the era Shiayar currently found himself in.
The Knight Commander did not know the origin of the Cataclysm Era; he only knew that a long time ago, a disaster known as the ’Great Cataclysm’ or the ’Calamity of Light’ had erupted. Thus, chaos replaced order, becoming the dominant theme on the Western Continent. This was an Era where Fabled Creatures roamed rampant across the world. Chaotic divine wars spilled from the Astral Realm to the Spirit Realm, and then into the Main Material Plane.
In this era of disorder, Humans, as the weaker party, could only survive by aligning themselves with Fabled Creatures—worshipping them as totems in exchange for a modicum of protection from the fallout of the divine wars.
The Forest Country, where Shiayar currently resided, lay under the protection of a giant dragon totem.
Of course, regardless of the era, even one beset by internal and external troubles, the human species is naturally prone to internal strife. Take, for example, this Knight Commander right here, who colluded with the Duke—the Prince’s uncle—in a plot to usurp the throne.
According to the standard script... a weak prince is replaced by a transmigrator, so what follows should be the prince’s tale of revenge. It’s just this opponent...
Shiayar couldn’t help but shake his head.
In the First Era, neither magictech technology nor the Wizard system had yet appeared. It seemed that the supernatural cultivation systems of Humans relied entirely on the path of tempering the physical body. But as the saying goes, ’Humans excel in wisdom, while monsters excel in might.’ Lacking fangs or claws, potent regenerative abilities, or long lifespans, for Humans to physically surpass those long-lived species and Fabled Creatures was undoubtedly a fool’s dream.
According to this Knight Commander’s memories, his 5th Order strength was already considered quite formidable within the Forest Country. Even the Knight Commander’s adoptive father, the Duke who plotted to usurp the throne, was merely 6th Order.