Chapter 276: Chapter 169: Preparations Before Opening the Mountain (2)
Faced with no other choice, the Clan Elder Council held an emergency overnight meeting to deal with the crisis. To handle the Dragon Calamity, they had to move up the date of the Dragon Hunting Ceremony, which indirectly affected the elder daughter Isabella’s standing within the family.
Only the Curse Technique of the Dragon Hunting Ceremony could open a large-scale path into the mountains. Furthermore, the Dragon Spear that manifested with the technique had an inherent suppressive effect on the Dragon Descendants deep within the range, which could briefly delay the Dragon Calamity’s eruption.
However, since the Dragon Hunting Ceremony was the Beowulf Family’s ritual for selecting their elites, it had strict age restrictions for the Trial Takers. After the Technique of the "Dragon Hunting Ceremony" was used to open a path into the mountains, the rules of the Barrier stipulated that only Law Enforcers under the age of thirty could participate.
Dragon Guides, on the other hand, were required to possess a Dragon Summoner Badge issued by the Beowulf Family, which was used specifically to cross the Barrier.
Due to scarce raw materials and difficult forging, these badges were finite in number. They also had to be used in conjunction with a Dragon Scale from the Dragon Race—the very same ones issued by the Dragon Guide Association to each Dragon Guide to certify their identity and Tier.
This, at least, reduced the possibility of cheating.
As for Baron... Jack had activated his purely by accident, having happened to place the Red Dragon Scale against the badge.
This was also one of the justifications those two Silver Dragon Guides used in Baron’s defense.
Incidentally, the two Silver Dragon Guides responsible for the investigation were none other than Jose and Tune, the Silver Masks present now.
At the time, Isabella had been in Inner London for an engagement ceremony at the Lancelot’s Family estate, causing her to miss the prime opportunity to recruit. This also set the stage for her to later bring in a character as bizarre as Master Jack.
Hearing that the ceremony was about to begin, Lucy, who had been stuffing her face, suddenly perked up. She grabbed a piece of fish and chips and eagerly plopped down beside the elder daughter.
"Isabella, do you want me to stick with you during the Trial?"
"That Dragon Guide of yours doesn’t seem very reliable... Even though those two Silver Masks recommended him, they work for Jose and Tune. I wouldn’t put it past them to have deliberately saddled you with this guy, Isabella."
Lucy said bluntly. Meanwhile, the "White Mask" on the other side was being besieged by various Copper Masks.
It was less of a siege and more of a social ambush. The Copper Masks who sensed Baron was a fraud were trying to win the elder daughter’s favor by deliberately peppering him with questions about the habits of the Dragon Race under the guise of "seeking his guidance."
Baron’s answers were smooth at first, but the questions grew increasingly technical. His amateur act was starting to wear thin, and he knew he was finished if he couldn’t answer and got exposed.
He was just about to resort to playing the part of a cold, aloof master when, to his surprise, the two Silver Masks came over and bailed him out.
They essentially told the crowd that if they had questions, they shouldn’t just pester Master Jack; they could ask them, too.
Having been bailed out by the two Silver Masks twice now, Baron felt a small flicker of gratitude, even though he’d already guessed their motives. ’The Bronze Masks see I’m a fake but won’t call me out because of the Silver Masks. Meanwhile, the Silver Masks are acting on behalf of their employers to weaken Isabella, the biggest threat in the Trial.’
Baron understood all of this. ’If I were in their shoes, I’d do the same.’
He was only playing along to find a convenient chance to escape once they entered the mountains. He also needed to prevent Isabella—the childhood friend of this body’s original owner, according to the diary—from seeing through his disguise. If she did, everything would blow up in his face, bringing Wilder and that Nun down on him.
In truth, Baron wasn’t sure if Isabella had already seen through him. As a Dragon Knight, he had been able to overhear Bass’s earlier warning, but Isabella had simply brushed it aside noncommittally.
This kept Baron on edge.
As someone who had shared a bed with her (scratch that), he knew all too well how sharp the observations of Beowulf’s elder daughter were.
’Right now, my identity is in a quantum superposition of being both exposed and not exposed...’ He desperately wanted to believe Isabella didn’t suspect him, but unfortunately, this wasn’t a novel. Given her behavior and his own current role as the designated unlucky guy, things looked grim.
Baron figured he might as well just make a run for it the second he entered the mountains. ’As long as I don’t reveal my identity as a Dragon Knight, the worst they’ll suspect is that I’m an impersonator. If they’re smart, they might connect it to the theft at the collection room last night...’
’So where the hell did Jack go? He randomly dumps me on Isabella’s bed, then gets himself thrown into a confinement cell...’
While Baron was scanning the crowd for Jack, Windsor suddenly appeared before him. Her face flushed red as she lifted the hem of her Mage Robe and gave him a slight bow. "Master Jack, thank you."
’Because you have warmed my seasons.’ Baron couldn’t resist another snarky comment in his head, but outwardly he just gave a slight nod. "It was nothing, miss."
He knew Windsor was thanking him for catching her when she’d nearly fallen earlier.
Windsor also gave a slight nod of acknowledgment to Isabella, who was beside Baron, then smiled and returned to her own seat with poise and grace.
Seemingly uncomfortable with the stares she was getting, she lowered her head in embarrassment, the tips of her ears turning bright red.
As Baron was silently critiquing his newfound cousin’s personality and figure, a sweet, lovely face with a dab of cake on its nose leaned in close to his mask.
Lucy reached up, wiped the cake from her nose, and stuck her finger between her rosy lips to lick it clean.
"Master Jack, you have beautiful eyes. Have we met somewhere before? Can you tell me your birth date and time? I’d like to run your chart."
Baron’s heart skipped a beat, but he wasn’t particularly nervous.
He had anticipated this. A proper disguise had to be thorough, after all. Thanks to the Glimpse of the Mysterious Crystal, his pupils had already been turned an emerald green.
There was no need to worry about her seeing anything.
From the corner of his eye, Baron saw Isabella look his way. Realizing this was likely another test, he replied steadily, "The year Geng-Zi, the month Ding-Hai, the day Bing-Chen. I don’t recall the exact hour, but you can give it a try."
Lucy, whose smile had been radiant, froze. Her eyes went wide, and the gentle sway beneath her robes came to a screeching halt.
Isabella’s lips parted slightly. Her delicate brows furrowed, and the suspicion that had been forming in her mind instantly dissolved.
The nearby Bronze Masks who had been secretly watching, and even the Silver Masks, all stared in shock. The feeling in the air was like Ultraman seeing Godzilla for the first time.
It wasn’t just that Baron could accurately state the year, month, and day pillars of his birth chart—which was certainly enough to surprise Lucy—but that alone wasn’t enough to make everyone else freeze in their tracks.
What truly stunned everyone present was that Baron had answered Lucy in Chinese.
"You’re from China?" Lucy raised an eyebrow.
’At least this will divert some of the attention.’ Baron said, "I’m from Norway. I just happened to have formally studied Chinese."
"Why would you study Chinese?" Lucy seemed determined to get to the bottom of it.
’Because China number one,’ Baron thought, referencing a meme, before saying aloud, "I wanted to study China’s Alchemy."
"Oh..."
Lucy was now very interested in Baron. She probably never expected to hear a Silver Dragon Guide speak a language that she herself had struggled with for so long.
Lucy whispered to Isabella.
"So few people speak Chinese... Could I have been wrong about him?"
In 1987, the West, on both the Outer Side and the Inner Side, still harbored a natural and arrogant prejudice toward China. Not many people bothered to learn Chinese.
Especially not with the kind of fluency Baron displayed. That level of proficiency could only be achieved by the well-educated elite, those who could afford one-on-one private tutors.
This fit the profile of someone from a prominent Dragon Summoner Clan in Norway. After all, most people who impersonated Dragon Guides did so for a quick buck. The identity didn’t require one to be a Law Enforcer, and since Dragon Hunting took place in the mountains, an impersonator could simply find an excuse to slip away after entering the range.
Of course, the possibility that Baron was actually from China couldn’t be ruled out either.
But, looking at those emerald eyes beneath the mask... ’People from Asia don’t have that eye color, right? Could they be cosmetic contacts?’
Lucy’s curiosity was piqued, and she was about to press further, but another dragon’s roar cut her off.
A stir went through the crowd. The ceremony was about to begin.
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