Chapter 85. Preparing to Leave, Dragon Mother Daenerys
William was walking along the palace corridor, where the carved patterns on the columns cast mottled shadows beneath the candlelight.
Suddenly, three young men in fitted combat attire hurried after him. Stopping in front of him, they dropped to one knee in perfect unison.
“Your Highness, please accept us as your Attendants. We are willing to offer you our absolute loyalty.”
The leading youth’s voice was loud and clear, and his eyes were filled with sincerity.
William stopped and let his gaze sweep over the three of them.
Though they were dressed respectably, they were not wearing the attire of Royal Family descendants.
“What can you do for me?” William’s voice was calm and unreadable. “I have no shortage of empty words about loyalty.”
The youth at the front hurriedly replied, “Your Highness! The three of us have trained in the Legion since childhood. We also spent five years stationed at Despair Fortress in the Northern Frontier with our fathers.”
William gave a faint nod and lightly tapped the hilt of the knight’s sword with his fingertip.
“You’ve trained in the Northern Frontier?”
He bent down and helped the leading youth to his feet.
“Get up. Loyalty isn’t spoken. It’s proven by what you do from here on. Follow me for now.”
The three were overjoyed when they heard this, and answered in unison, “Thank you, Your Highness. We will never fail Your Highness’s expectations.”
William said no more and turned to continue on his way.
The three quickly rose and, together with Aila, followed closely behind William step by step.
After passing several more corridors and crossing half a courtyard, no one else came forward to recommend themselves.
William stopped and turned to look at the four behind him. Aila stood straight and tall, while the three young men looked at him with burning eyes, all of them in a posture of waiting for orders.
“The four of you, come to my residence tomorrow morning.”
His voice turned firm as he instructed them, “Before then, take care of whatever matters you have at hand and pack your things properly. After that, you’ll leave the Secret Realm with me and head to the Royal Capital.”
“Yes, Your Highness,” the four answered in unison, unable to hide the excitement in their voices.
William gave a slight nod, then turned and headed back toward his room.
After returning, he shut the door, sealing off the noise of the outside world.
The candlelight in the room flickered gently. From inside his robe, he took out a bottle of deep blue High-Grade Meditation Potion. The silver lines on the label shimmered faintly in the light.
The moment he pulled out the stopper, a cool, pure energy filled the room. William tilted his head back and drained it in one go. The potion turned into a warm current as it passed down his throat, slowly flowing through his meridians and into every part of his body.
William sat cross-legged on the bed, letting his consciousness sink into his sea of consciousness.
The dense Mana of the Secret Realm surged toward him like a tide, aided by the gentle potency of the High-Grade Meditation Potion.
He could clearly feel the magic particles around him becoming more active, while his realm steadily climbed toward the mid-stage Bronze Mage level.
At some unknown point, the sky beyond the window began to pale, and the horizon gradually took on a soft golden hue.
William slowly exhaled a turbid breath, rose to his feet, and stretched.
After summoning the maids, he washed up with their assistance and ate a simple breakfast. Before he knew it, morning had arrived.
Xilan pushed open the door and entered, holding a crystal engraved all over with Runes, which he handed to William.
“Little William, Ancestor asked me to give this to you.”
“Don’t underestimate it. As long as you pour Mana into it, Ancestor’s side will sense it immediately, and he’ll definitely arrive within ten minutes.”
“Of course, if you enter another Secret Realm, the sensing speed will be slower.”
William took the crystal. His fingertips touched its cool surface, and the Runes lit up faintly as if they had come alive. The information transmitted into his mind made him understand it instantly.
“So this is an ‘Ancestor summoner’?”
“Pretty much. But little William, don’t go summoning Ancestor for fun whenever you feel like it, or he might just spank you.”
William rolled his eyes at Xilan.
Xilan burst out laughing.
“All right, enough joking. Let’s go. Those four little ones have already been waiting outside for quite a while. Are four enough? Why didn’t you pick a few more?”
William shook his head. “I took a round yesterday, and these four were the only ones willing to come. Looks like my personal charisma isn’t enough. Besides, I don’t have a fief right now, so four are enough.”
Xilan nodded. “That makes sense. Your talent may be extraordinary, but you’re still too young. There aren’t many willing to gamble everything on you yet.”
William only shrugged indifferently.
Xilan pushed the door open and walked out, and William followed after him. When the four outside saw William and Xilan emerge, they immediately bowed.
“Let’s go. We’re quite lucky today. Ancestor has arranged for Dragon Mother Daenerys to take us.”
“She’s a top-tier Dragon Tamer Professional. She commands three Legendary Giant Dragons, and she herself is a Legendary Archmage. She’s extremely powerful.”
The group hurried toward the Dragon Nest. Xilan’s steps were especially quick, clearly because he did not dare keep Dragon Mother waiting. Ancestor might be able to command her at will, but that did not mean he possessed that kind of standing himself.
From afar, they could already see a massive open-air palace, its obsidian vault gleaming with a cold luster in the sunlight.
Before they had even drawn near, several deafening dragon roars burst from within, the shockwaves making the ground tremble faintly beneath their feet.
A moment later, a Giant Dragon with scales the color of red bronze spread its wings and flew out of the palace. Standing on its back was a figure in a black robe that snapped sharply in the wind. It was none other than the valiant Dragon Mother Daenerys.
The Giant Dragon descended slowly, stirring up a fierce gust of wind.
Daenerys leaped down from the dragon’s back. Her skirt swayed lightly as she landed. Her gaze swept across the group before finally settling on William.
“I received Ancestor’s message. However, there’s something I’d like to trouble you with, little William. You don’t mind me calling you that, do you?”
William quickly bowed. “As you wish, Lady Daenerys.”
Daenerys laughed softly. Then, with a wave of her hand, Mana stirred. A gentle current of air wrapped around William and carried him straight into the open-air palace.
The sight inside made William pause.
Several dozen Dragonkin were bowing their heads as they went about menial work. They had humanlike forms, yet their bodies bore dragon scales and finned tails, and everything they did was orderly and precise.
Passing through the corridor, Daenerys brought him deep into the dragon lair.
Warmth filled the cavern. Eight enormous dragon eggs lay quietly upon stone platforms covered in soft grass, while Dragonkin carefully maintained the temperature around them with Magic.
Not far away, a pitch-black Giant Dragon was curled up asleep, faint traces of Dragon Breath escaping with each exhalation.
“Little William,” Daenerys said, pointing to the dragon eggs, “I want to know their aptitudes. Can you tell?”
William focused his gaze. Above each dragon egg, a faint halo gradually appeared. The colors and the speed at which they flowed were all different.
He quickly distinguished them.
“I can. Lady Daenerys, the second, third, and seventh eggs have Domain Aptitude. The eighth has Sky Aptitude. The remaining four all have Legendary Aptitude.”
A flash of shock passed through Daenerys’s eyes. She quickly walked over to the eggs to verify them. Only after a long moment did she turn back around, her voice full of amazement.
“Incredible. By experience alone, I only recognized two of them. I couldn’t judge the rest at all, yet you saw through every one of them at a glance... The Royal Family really did find a treasure this time.”
As she spoke, she took a dark-gold scale out of her Spatial Ring. Its edges gleamed with a smooth luster, and a faint draconic aura flowed through it.
“This is for you. It’s a Giant Dragon’s Reverse Scale. Show it at a critical moment, and the Dragon Clan will give you a measure of respect when they see it. It may save your life.”
William accepted the Reverse Scale. It felt warm and smooth in his hand, and a steady force seemed to travel up through his fingertips. He immediately offered his thanks.
“Thank you very much for your generous gift, Lady Daenerys.”
“It’s nothing,” Daenerys said with a wave of her hand. “Come on. It’s time to set out.”