Chương 113: Reborn as the Dragon — Chapter 113 - Teleportation

"Bath time," they called it. For Su Nian, that concept simply didn't exist. It was just a dragon sitting in water. No bath attendant. No masseuse. No one to scrub his back. Dull didn't begin to cover it. That said, he was a dragon of considerable sensitivity, and he certainly wasn't going to let Anna suffer through the same dullness. So after the two of them, one elf, one dragon, had soaked for a while, Su Nian's gaze drifted over to Anna.

"Anna, let me scrub you down~""A good scrub relaxes the body and the mind."

"Huh?" Anna stared at the Black Dragon in front of her. Her peach-blossom eyes, round and soft, were swimming with confusion. Her gaze traveled from his claws to the sheer scale of him. A scrub?! His claws were bigger than her whole body. Did he understand that? But she didn't want to say no. He meant well, she knew that. A blush crept across Anna's cheeks. She tilted her head and thought about it for a long moment, turning the question over without arriving anywhere useful.

Finally she looked up and asked, soft and a little uncertain:"But — but brother, your wingspan is twenty meters. How would you even...?"

"Heheheh." Su Nian looked at her. He licked his dragon lips. He smiled and said nothing. Something knowing glinted in those pale golden eyes.... Southern Continent. Holy Aulist Kingdom.

"Your Highness, the mercenary army has entered the Sacred Wall of Felinir."

"By tomorrow night, they will reach the royal capital." The armored female knight knelt on one knee before Celestine. Her expression had always been steady, but the steadiness had cracked, a trace of sorrow had crept in, and helplessness alongside it.

"Do we have any strength left to resist?" Celestine pressed her lips together. They were dry. The faint light of hope in her eyes swayed like a candle in a wind that was slowly winning.

"Knight Commander Alicia Alucutorus is leading her forces back from the First Fortress. Approximately three more days..." The female knight stopped. She pressed her forehead to the floor, her voice dropping to a plea.

"Your Highness. Let us flee."

"Flee." Celestine's voice was quiet.

"How many of the kingdom's subjects could we take with us?" A pause. The knight's head sank lower. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness. We... not a single one." Celestine closed her eyes.

"I will not leave. I will stay. I will protect Holy Aulist, I will protect my people, until the very end."

"Your Highness—""That is an order." Her voice was cold. Final. She turned and walked away without looking back, leaving the knight kneeling behind her with tears running silently down her face. There was still one sliver of a chance. She would pray. If that existence was willing to help her, everything standing in her way would crumble.... Again. Again! God damn it. That summoning call had been going since last night, wailing all the way to midnight.

Su Nian had been curled up with Anna, thoroughly asleep, and he hadn't spared it a single thought. But now here he was. Early morning. Sky not even light yet. And it had started again. Did this thing not understand that dragons need sleep? He'd only just helped Anna bathe yesterday, in the very special way that only a Black Dragon could manage. His mind had still been drifting through that particular dream, picking up right where things had so pleasantly left off. And then this. Interrupted.

Directly and completely. Was he supposed to just take that? Su Nian had decided: if he ever accepted the teleportation, the very first thing he would do upon arrival was breathe the summoner into ash.

"System. Can you block this summoning sound? It's driving me insane." He lay flat on his back on the rebuilt bedrock platform and pulled up the system interface. Anna was curled on his exposed belly, tucked under one wing, sleeping soundly. The Silvermoon Forest ran scorching hot during the day and bitterly cold at night. His newly upgraded Molten Heart had found a second calling as Anna's personal heated blanket. [Host... why not go take a look? Just a look.] [If it doesn't work out, you can always come straight back.]"..." Su Nian was quiet for a moment. He didn't particularly care either way. Go or don't go, fine. What he cared about was Anna. He didn't want to leave her. She was clingy, and she'd wake up sad. But the summoning wasn't going to stop on its own. He'd already tried waiting the caller out, hoping they'd just die. Apparently they were more persistent than that.

"I'll go. Can I bring Anna?" [Theoretically... no...]"Then I'm not going." [Yes. Of course you can. However, the host will need to pay a separate teleportation fee specifically for Anna.]"How much. Don't drag it out." [Anna's level is relatively low, so only 1, 000 system points are required for her to accompany the host into the teleport. An additional 1, 000 system points will be required as the return fee.]"Two thousand. Fine. I want to see exactly what kind of creature has been howling at me all day long."

Su Nian snorted and paid. He'd assumed the [Decree: Sacrificial Ritual] would at least give him a moment to prepare. It did not. The moment he initiated the transfer, a low hum resonated through the air. Behind him, the intricate patterns of a teleportation array bloomed into existence, spiraling outward, spreading until they covered the entire bedrock platform. Then a flash of silver. The platform, Su Nian, and Anna vanished.... Thousands of miles away. The royal capital of Holy Aulist Kingdom.

Celestine's clasped hands slowly parted. She opened her eyes. She licked her dry lips. Something warm moved across her face, relief, or the beginning of it. The hollow look that had settled in her eyes began to lift. She had felt it. That existence had finally answered. Was it His Majesty the Conqueror himself? Even if it wasn't, even if it was only one of his Slaughter God Army, that would be enough. As long as this kingdom could be saved before it drowned in chaos, anything would do.

Silver light bloomed around her. The teleportation array rotated as it expanded, its six outer points igniting one by one. It was coming. Celestine's chest filled with something she hadn't felt in days. The light grew brighter, brighter still. The first thing to materialize was a massive rectangular platform. Celestine blinked. Her head tilted slightly. She didn't follow. An earth-element creature, perhaps? The Hellfire Lord from the Conqueror's forces, rumored to have an affinity for stone and rock?

Before she could follow that thought anywhere, the teleportation was finished. The silver halo dissolved slowly outward, and what it had been carrying came into view. A Black Dragon. Lying flat on its back. By its sheer size, it had to be a juvenile at minimum, perhaps a young adult. Its head was tilted slightly to one side. Its eyes were wide open. Its mouth hung slightly ajar. It did not look especially intelligent.

And stranger still: curled up on this Black Dragon's belly was a small half-elf girl, delicate as carved jade, blinking at her surroundings with the bleary, unfocused expression of someone who had been woken up too soon. What on earth was this combination? Celestine didn't have time to work that out. Her soul lurched. Something seized her, a wave of awe and submission that bypassed thought entirely and went straight into her bones, and before she understood what her body was doing, she was on her knees.

"Great master." Her voice came out low and reverent.

"Please — grant your humble servant even the smallest measure of salvation." ➤ Next: Salvation