Chapter 308: Chapter 217: Mysterious Old Man
"Hehe, now that the Master has returned, Your Majesty, the Emperor, why not let the Master kill Long Yi? With the Master’s strength, killing Long Yi would be a piece of cake!" Toen said. Even the Crown Prince in his mouth had become His Majesty, the Emperor.
"The Master has more important things to do here!"
With someone backing him up, the Crown Prince’s courage naturally swelled.
"Yes, of course!" Toen smiled in flattery. He then moved his plump body and slowly retreated. "If that’s the case, then I’ll take my leave. I just lost eight assassins. The headquarters of the Blood Coagulation will definitely want to settle accounts with me. I’m going back to prepare to face the punishment. Your Majesty, the Emperor, and the Master, please continue your conversation."
Big fat Toen slipped out of the Imperial Palace, finally heaving a long sigh of relief. He glanced back at the palace with contempt, shook his head, and left.
"How is it going?" Crown Prince Tilian asked the old man.
"I’ve already investigated several possible places. Now, there’s only one place left to check," the elder said.
"Where?"
"The Dragon Knight Academy, the library."
"The thing you’re looking for could be in the library?"
"Let’s hope it’s there, otherwise, things will get complicated."
Tilian knew that the old man was looking for something, but he didn’t know what it was. The old man suggested four places to Tilian: the Empire’s armory; the Empire’s grain depot; an abandoned warehouse of the Imperial Research Institute; and the library of the Dragon Knight Academy.
These days, the old man, with the Emperor’s edict, had already inspected the first three places. His so-called inspection was just a glance inside. He didn’t touch or move anything, he only looked. Although the soldiers guarding did not think the Crown Prince was the Emperor, no one planned to offend a person who might be the Emperor.
However, the last place, the Dragon Knight Academy, was a big problem.
Firstly, it was easy to enter the Dragon Knight Academy. If you just want to go in, you can climb over the wall or go underground. However, entering the library was not so easy. As a student of the Dragon Knight Academy, you could stroll into the library. But the old man was not a student, and the library would block him out.
Moreover, not just anyone could enter, the library had various restrictions, each level required a certain level of Fighting Aura.
But the old man couldn’t delegate this task to anyone else.
"By the way, have you heard anything about the whereabouts of Prince Jack Blake?" The elder suddenly asked Tilian.
"Not yet, I’ve been asking around. The people who came to the White Dragon Empire with him have been found, but he’s nowhere to be found. The people who came with him don’t know where he was taken."
"Then keep asking," said the elder with a somber look on his face, as if the inability to enter the library of the Dragon Knight Academy was indeed a challenging issue.
Tilian was very curious about what the old man was after. But in the armory full of fine weapons, he didn’t touch anything. Not a grain was moved in the Empire’s grain depot. The abandoned warehouse of the Imperial Research Institute was completely empty. Clearly, they didn’t have what the old man was looking for. Tilian had asked many times, but the elder never told him what he was looking for.
Even though Tilian was compliant in front of the old man, it did not mean he was a treacherous traitor. In his eyes, he was just using the power of the Black Dragon Empire to achieve his own goals. Once he became the Emperor, it would be time for the rabble of the Black Dragon Empire to get lost.
Alright then, do whatever you want, fool. What important thing could be in a rundown library? If there really were something important, wouldn’t I, a prince of the Empire, know about it first?
"By the way! What about the prince of the Black Dragon Empire who was detained by the Emperor?" Long Yi asked during dinner.
"Jack Blake?" The second prince, Kirei, thought for a moment, "I don’t know where he is either. Father said it’s a place that could buy us some time in a critical moment."
"With your intelligence, you can’t figure out where that is?"
"Even if I’m incredibly smart, it’s not easy to guess."
"That proves you’re not smart enough."
"I’m not smart? If you’re so smart, why don’t you guess?"
"I’m not smart either. There are probably not many people in this world smarter than your old man."
Long Yi’s evaluation of the Emperor was not high or low, but the moniker of an old fox was inevitable.
"By the way!" Speaking of the Emperor, Long Yi suddenly remembered something.
"What?" The second prince had gotten used to Long Yi’s sporadic way of speaking.
"Not long ago, the Emperor took away a piece of battle armor, which you previously thought was a golem. Do you know about this?" Long Yi asked.
"Battle Armor?" The second prince thought for a moment, then his face lit up with strange wonder. "I know nothing about it! But the armor displayed in my father’s study suddenly changed, and now that I think about it, the new armor did seem a bit clunky!"
"Did you know?" Long Yi lowered his voice even more, "A person wearing that battle armor could have survived under the situation at the time. Provided they were not poisoned or stabbed through the heart."
The second prince nodded, a smile spreading across his face. "Long Yi! Thank you, once again you’ve given me hope!"
"Don’t thank me, I was just making a casual remark. I have no idea whether your old man is dead or alive." Long Yi waved dismissively.
Although these words were harsh, the second prince knew that this was just how Long Yi was. He spoke without a filter, but he meant no harm.
The second prince then suddenly froze.
"I think...I know where Jack Blake is!"
"Really? Did hearing good news suddenly make you smarter?"
"Maybe it did. But I’m guessing Jack Blake must be in that place!"
At night, a man in a black robe stood alone in front of the library of the Dragon Knight Academy. He hesitated, for this library was known for its complex and strict prohibitions. He was somewhat worried that the thing he was looking for might actually be here. If he could get it in one go, that would be fine, but if not and he alerted others, then it would be troublesome.
But chances are fleeting! Let’s see!
The old man then pushed open the front door of the library.
As expected! He was instantly confronted with a retaliatory force! The old man held his breath and focused intently. But, the retaliation disappeared almost as soon as it appeared.
This weak?
How could it be?!
The old man found it hard to believe. He had experienced the strength of the prohibitions of this library before, hence why he considered it a possible location.
But that ridiculously weak prohibition just now was laughable!
What was going on?
Could it be?!
A chill ran down the old man’s spine!
He hurriedly ran into the library.
At this time, the library was empty and deserted. The recent series of events had left people with no mood to sit down and read, leaving the old man with the perfect opportunity!
The prohibition on the first floor! As good as non-existent!
The prohibition on the second floor! Barely perceptible!
The tenth floor! Barely scratching the surface!
Damn! How could the prohibition’s power be so weak! Could I have arrived too late?!
Finally, the old man came to the top floor. The heavy metal door covered in dense runes let the old man realise that behind this door was what he was truly searching for.
Giant’s Armour!
He reached out his hands, ignoring the pitifully weak retaliation, and slowly pulled open the heavy doors.
What met his gaze was not the great weapon he had imagined, but rather a Black Dragon, mysteriously suspended in mid-air.
There was a man on the dragon’s back!
That man, was actually the Crown Prince of the Black Dragon Empire, Jack Blake!
"Your Highness!"
The old man rushed over, and suddenly black arcs of electricity attacked him from the ground. Every time the arcs appeared, the Black Dragon in the centre of the room would twitch, while Jack Blake had long since stopped moving; he looked as if he had died! When the black electricity targeted the old man, he immediately felt his Fighting Aura being steadily drained away!
Rules!
The runes scattered all over the ground were actually representing rules!
The old man quickly withdrew his Fighting Aura.
"Black Dragon! What happened to your knight!"
The old man shouted, and Little Black, the small black dragon on his shoulder, followed his lead.
The Black Dragon in mid-air opened its eyes. Seeing the old man, it immediately opened its mouth for a low growl.
"What? The White Dragon Emperor trapped you in here?" The old man could hardly believe his ears. This was just too ridiculous. What kind of insignificant rank did the Emperor of the measly White Dragon Empire have? How could he possibly trap a Black Dragon in here?
"Once the Dragon Clan enters here, they can’t get out? And a mature dragon is immediately restrained by this array once it transforms?! You try it!" The old man said to Little Black on his shoulder. Little Black immediately flew towards the door, but just as it reached the entrance, a surge of electricity rose up from the ground and ensnared Little Black. No matter how much it struggled, it couldn’t get away.
"Come back! This is an ancient array, it represents rules, and it’s a work of the Giants, you won’t be able to break free." The old man spoke in a gentle voice.
"Huh? Did I just overhear someone mention the Giants?" The voice of Long Yi echoed along with his figure appearing. Naturally, the second prince, Kirei, was right behind him.
"Long Yi!" The old man’s eyes narrowed.
"Isn’t this the old guy who was scared off by Professor Yavenny before?" Long Yi pointed at the old man’s nose and spoke.
"Dasaide!" The second prince recognised the old man with shock.
"Huh? You know him?" Long Yi turned around.
"Well, it’s not just a mere acquaintance." The second prince gave a bitter smile. "Dasaide, the strongest of the Black Dragon Empire’s Guardian Dragon Knights, with the power of nine Dragon Marks. Not a hundred, but at least ninety Dragon Knights have died by his hand."
"Ninety-eight people. Looks like my record today is going to increase by two, making up a round hundred."
Dasaide retorted with a chilling smile. (To be continued. If you like this novel, please vote and subscribe on qidian.com. Your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile users can read on m.qidian.com.)
