After Rick entered the private chamber, he was greeted by the sight of a young-looking man sipping his tea.
The young man was the very definition of a handsome man from any woman’s dreams.
With his long blue hair tied into a ponytail, it only added to his charm.
His sharp nose, eyes, and lips—everything about him was pleasing to look at.
Beside him was a large window overlooking the city’s scenery. The white imperial palace was clearly visible from here, creating a nice spot to admire its grandeur.
However, upon seeing the man, Rick did not look impressed.
Instead, he clicked his tongue, and his face suddenly transformed into a completely different appearance.
Rick became much younger and more handsome. His brown hair turned short and black, completely changing his appearance.
He walked toward the vacant chair opposite the man and sat down, his posture making it clear that he was quite tired.
"Brother Jin, I already did what you ordered, and I almost died there. I don’t think I can do that anymore. I’ll really die next time."
Rick released a long sigh.
"You need to give me some compensation, Brother."
The person in front of him smiled.
"Of course, I will give you compensation. But is he really that terrifying?" he asked.
"Is he really that terrifying, you ask? Brother, you have to meet him personally. If you only heard my story, you would never truly experience that guy’s aura." Rick replied irritably.
"Moreover, he seemed really angry, especially today when I met him at Zayden’s home. It looked like his atmosphere had changed again. I don’t know. He just seemed more dangerous."
The man he called Jin nodded, and then his face turned curious.
"So, what was his answer?"
"He said, ’Fuck you and your invitation. I don’t give a single fuck about you.’" Rick replied.
"..."
There was a moment of silence before Jin spoke.
"I know that is something that came straight from your heart. I think I have to put more work on you—"
"Wait, wait, I’m just joking. He said that he was not interested in meeting you."
Rick quickly interrupted him.
Jin raised his eyebrows and then nodded.
"I see. To be expected."
He sipped his tea again.
After putting the cup down, he smiled.
"Well, that means he must not trust me yet, and that’s enough for me to think that our goals are the same. He is careful not to make the wrong decision."
Rick’s expression turned curious.
"Brother Jin, I’m really curious. Why do you seem so interested in roping in that dragon? I know that he might be helpful for our mission, but he is only one dragon, and he isn’t even a ninth-stage cultivator. What can he do? Facing a behemoth like the imperial family, we need an extreme being like a peak ninth-stage dragon, maybe even two or three of them."
Jin’s expression turned calm.
"He might be only one dragon, but he is still a dragon. Even more importantly, he is a dragon who shares the same goal as me. Based on your observation, he also seems to be really close to Zayden and his family. Perhaps we could achieve our goal sooner if we work together."
Jin then showed an interested expression.
"Moreover, based on your story, he is only fifth stage, yet he is a dragon and can already take human form. This is outside our understanding. Usually, a dragon can transform into human form starting from the seventh stage, but he can already do it at the fifth stage."
"Are you sure that he isn’t a follower of the dragons instead?"
"No. That kind of aura is something I thought belonged to a genuine dragon. An elder dragon, even. That’s why I was also confused as hell last night. None of our knowledge applied to that man."
Rick replied.
But then his expression turned unsure.
"But then maybe I’m wrong. Maybe he is indeed a human follower of a dragon. But that still doesn’t explain why he has that kind of strong aura of a genuine dragon."
Rick scratched his head.
"Argh, I’m really confused. Whatever he is, he really is one of a kind. He’s the first being that is completely outside of my understanding."
Jin nodded his head.
"Anyway, he now seems to be focusing on the information about Zayden’s daughter. And he now seems to be looking for her," Rick continued.
"Also, this is what I found when I checked Zayden’s home after he left..."
Rick then told Jin about how the man had moved Zayden’s wife and all of his household staff and buried them near the house.
He also found dug-up ground beneath one of the dead plum blossom trees. But whatever had been buried there was already gone.
He believed that there might have been some items buried there by Zayden or his wife.
After telling Jin about everything he had found in the house, Rick continued.
"So I think you need to do something to replace those corpses. If anyone from the imperial family sees that the corpses have suddenly disappeared, they might check the surrounding area and find the graves."
"I have no doubt that they will destroy the graves. If that happens, I don’t even want to think about how furious that dragon will be. He already threatened me that if I damaged the graves, he would come to me personally."
Rick released a long sigh.
Jin nodded in understanding.
"We could look for replacements for the corpses. Make them look like Zayden’s family’s corpses, and no one would be suspicious about it," he said.
But then Jin’s expression turned thoughtful.
"And it looks like that man’s relationship with Zayden is much more personal than I thought. I wonder, since when did Zayden build a relationship that close with a dragon? I’ve never heard of such a thing. Not even from Lord Vilyas."
"There has been no news of a dragon or their followers coming to the empire for the past few decades. So I doubt that Zayden met with the dragon during that time."
Jin released a sigh and then slightly smiled.
"This is really confusing, but truly interesting. I’m really curious about all of these scattered dots that we still cannot connect to each other. This is a puzzle that we cannot yet piece together."
"And the key to all of this is that dragon."
Jin looked at the surface of the tea, where he could see his own reflection.
Rick shrugged as if to say whatever and simply sipped the tea that had already been served in front of him.
"Let’s move to another topic for now. I got information that the empire’s forces are already marching toward the capital city of the Relguis Empire. The only territory separating them from the imperial province is Orvich Grand Duchy."
Rick said this after putting down his tea. His expression was solemn.
"From the northern direction, the united forces of Heavenly Sword Valley and the Tyron Empire are also approaching. Meanwhile, in the south, the Celestial Garden Sect has already breached the Relguis Empire’s defenses."
"Once the Orvich Grand Duchy falls, there will be no obstacle left for the united forces. They will besiege the imperial province. The fall of the Berian Imperial Family is already close. From my estimation, a year at most. A few months if everything goes as quickly as possible."
Jin released a sigh upon hearing this.
"If the Relguis Empire falls, then it’s only a matter of time before the imperial family declares war against the Sky Emperor Sect. The sect will be besieged from all sides without any way out."
He said. But then his expression showed confusion.
"I wonder, what is the Sect Master of the Sky Emperor Sect thinking? Why has he still not made a move? Why is he still keeping the Sky Emperor Sect uninvolved in this war?"
There was no answer.
No one knew.
"That dragon must be on his way to the Sky Emperor Sect at this time. It would be dangerous for him if he encounters the many forces surrounding the sect," Rick commented.
Jin did not say anything. He simply looked outside, where he could see the imperial palace.
He narrowed his eyes.
"I hope that he survives this war. If that happens, I would like to visit him personally."
He fell silent.
His eyes glistened dangerously as his gaze remained fixed on the imperial palace.
There was a hidden emotion behind that gaze.
An emotion that was most likely not a good one.