Arknightcraft Modpack
Chapter 613: This Is a Win-Win
After finally releasing Yelena—who had long since melted into a boneless puddle in his arms—and obtaining the answer he wanted, Steven leisurely left the Infected camp and headed into the forest beyond its borders.
Now that the invitations had been secured, all that remained was creating the time and opportunity for those dates to actually happen.
As long as the Infected Patrols continued hounding the infected groups, his plans were doomed from the start.
With Talulah's and Yelena's personalities, there was no way either of them would abandon their people and run off to enjoy themselves while their comrades remained in danger.
Which meant Steven's next task was actually quite simple.
Just as he had promised before, he needed to have a little chat with the Emperor of Ursus.
It wouldn't take much of his time anyway.
With a casual whistle, Steven summoned Ebony, who appeared to have been busy building some sort of nest nearby.
Honestly, Steven had no idea why an Elder Dragon would bother with such behavior, but it was apparently part of Ebony's instincts. As long as the dragon came when called, Steven wasn't about to question it.
Climbing onto the dragon's back, Steven opened his minimap, confirmed the location, and pointed forward.
"Let's go."
A moment later, Ebony's massive wings spread wide.
With a thunderous gust of wind, the black dragon shot into the sky.
Technically speaking, Steven could have simply teleported directly in front of the Emperor.
But that would have been somewhat disrespectful.
More importantly, suddenly appearing beside the ruler of Ursus would probably get him mistaken for an assassin.
That would create all sorts of unnecessary misunderstandings.
Besides, the Emperor needed to know about Ebony's existence sooner or later.
A dragon of this size wasn't exactly something that could be hidden forever.
Fortunately, Ebony's flight speed was absurd.
Compared to conventional aircraft, it was practically overwhelming.
And thanks to Steven's ridiculous physique, the dragon never had to worry about flying too fast for its rider.
Before long, they arrived above a heavily fortified military encampment.
However, just as they approached, Ebony abruptly stopped in midair.
Not because they had reached Steven's exact destination, but because something below had caught its attention.
The black-clad figures stationed throughout the camp looked insignificant at first glance.
Tiny.
Fragile.
Like ants.
The kind of creatures Ebony could crush effortlessly with a single swipe of its claws.
Yet the instincts of an Elder Dragon were screaming a warning.
These people were dangerous.
Or rather...
Unpleasant.
The aura emanating from them filled Ebony with instinctive disgust.
It wasn't fear.
Far from it.
The feeling was closer to seeing something utterly revolting.
Something that posed little actual threat, yet inspired a deep desire to stay away from it.
Like stumbling upon a pile of filth.
It might not harm you, but you certainly wouldn't want to touch it.
That instinctive revulsion was what caused Ebony to halt.
"That's enough."
Steven patted the dragon's head.
"You can wait here. Leave the rest to me."
Though still somewhat irritated, Ebony obediently remained hovering in the sky.
Steven, meanwhile, stepped off its head and dropped.
The wind howled around him as he plummeted toward the ground.
After several seconds of freefall—
BOOM!
He landed perfectly.
One knee on the ground.
One hand braced against the earth.
The textbook superhero landing.
Steven personally thought it looked incredibly cool.
The nearby soldiers were less impressed.
Within moments, numerous figures rushed forward and surrounded him.
The Emperor's Blades.
Weapons drawn, they formed a tight encirclement around the obvious intruder.
Fortunately, while Steven might not be particularly famous among ordinary Ursus citizens, there was no way the Emperor's Blades wouldn't recognize him.
After all, this was the man who had single-handedly defeated a Collapsal.
That achievement alone was enough to earn anyone's respect.
Not to mention that the Emperor himself had personally ordered them to maintain friendly relations with Steven whenever possible and to cooperate with him whenever necessary.
The implications of that order were obvious.
After confirming his identity, the surrounding Emperor's Blades quietly lowered their weapons.
They knew very well that if Steven intended to fight, their blades would likely be useless against him anyway.
And given the spectacularly high-profile manner of his arrival, he clearly wasn't here to conduct an assassination.
Seeing their hostility fade, Steven smiled amicably.
"If possible," Steven said politely, "could you contact His Majesty for me?"
"There are a few matters I'd like to discuss with him."
"I imagine he won't object to speaking with me at a time like this."
The Emperor's Blades exchanged glances.
Then one of them stepped forward and gave a respectful nod.
"Of course."
"Please wait a moment."
Several of the Emperor's Blades departed to relay Steven's arrival, while the remaining guards escorted him into a reception room.
Even after doing so, however, their attention never truly left the sky.
Above the camp, Ebony continued circling lazily through the air.
Every Emperor's Blade present kept a wary eye on the massive creature.
None of them had ever seen a lifeform quite like it.
The overwhelming sense of power radiating from the massive creature was, if anything, even greater than that of the Collapsals they had encountered before.
If one were to judge purely by threat level, it might actually be more frightening than a Collapsal.
Of course, the massive creature had been brought here by Steven.
But that didn't mean they could afford to let their guard down.
Protecting the Emperor was their foremost responsibility.
As long as Ebony's true nature remained uncertain, vigilance was mandatory.
Seeing the tense atmosphere, Steven simply leaned back in his chair and chuckled.
"Relax."
"It's just a pet I keep."
The surrounding Emperor's Blades collectively twitched at the word pet.
Steven, meanwhile, continued speaking casually.
"It'll probably be active around the tundra from now on."
"If you ever need help fighting Collapsals, feel free to trust it."
"Ebony's actually pretty reliable."
Whether they believed him or not was another matter entirely.
But Steven genuinely intended to leave Ebony roaming around Ursus.
The dragon would inevitably hunt down a fair number of Collapsals on its own.
Steven would earn points.
He wouldn't have to pay feeding expenses.
And Ursus would likely treat Ebony like a national treasure.
A perfect win-win situation.
"...If what you say is true, then allow me to thank you on behalf of the people of Ursus, Mr. Steven."
A calm voice suddenly echoed from behind the gathered Emperor's Blades.
The guards immediately stepped aside.
A figure draped entirely in white robes emerged from the crowd, accompanied by a group of elite escorts.
The Emperor of Ursus had arrived.
"Let's not rush into thanking me just yet."
Steven crossed one leg over the other and spoke as casually as if discussing business with an old acquaintance.
"There are a few things I'd like to discuss first."
"And while we're at it..."
A grin appeared on Steven's face.
"We might as well settle the matter of my reward too."
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Note: Character Illustration is in this Google Drive:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1iuyfwNVFHzIi9H4rWNT_lAm7jTSiah_M
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Tn: I updated the story daily, but if you want to see more chapter of this story ahead of time, please go to my Patreon.
Latest Chapter: Chapter 689: Impossible to Refute[1]
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