Chapter 541: Dareen Hawkmoon
Chapter 541: Dareen Hawkmoon
The next morning.
As soon as Rayne woke up, he saw Olena had already arrived at the mansion.
"Lord Rayne, you've been granted the title of Imperial Guardian!" Before Rayne could ask, Olena rushed over with long strides, her excitement evident.
"I thought you might be delayed because of your lineage..." She stopped mid-sentence, realizing the rest of her words were inappropriate at the moment, and quickly shut her mouth.
Rayne, who had already received the news from Menya, remained much calmer.
He smiled and said, "The news came a bit faster than I expected."
"You knew already?" Olena was still very excited.
"Just a bit earlier than you, Olena. Would you like to have breakfast together?"
"Thank you, Lord Rayne, but I've already eaten. By the way, do you know what benefits come with the title of Imperial Guardian?" Olena asked with a smile.
"I haven't looked into it in detail yet", Rayne replied while eating his breakfast.
"You'll be granted a mansion in the inner ring, and you'll also receive the title of Duke, although I doubt you'll care much about these living conditions."
"The more interesting part comes next. First, you can directly apply for a two-way selection with a dragon, and you'll receive a response within three days."
"Really? I don't have to wait until September?" Rayne raised an eyebrow, surprised.
"Not at all, Lord Rayne."
"Then make the appointment for me."
"Of course, Lord Rayne."
"Additionally, you will be allowed to choose one treasure from the Imperial Treasury, such as a wand, potion, or artifact."
"Oh? That's great. Can I go now?" Rayne put down his knife and fork, wiping his mouth with a napkin.
Rayne was eager to see if the Imperial Treasury had any high-level psi energy enhancing potions suitable for him.
Theoretically, the Imperial Treasury should have potions like the Ancient Dragon Soul Elixir, and not just one type.
If he could obtain one, it would significantly advance his fifth level of the Advanced Meditation Method.
Moreover, if there were other valuable potions, he would have a new goal to strive for.
"Now? If you wait a moment, I'll make the application immediately."
"Sure, no rush", Rayne smiled.
A short while later, Olena ran back, saying, "Lord Rayne, I've made the appointment. We can head to the Imperial Treasury now."
"Thank you, Olena."
"It's my honor to serve you", Olena said, smoothing her hair and bowing slightly.
As they settled into the carriage, Rayne's expression suddenly changed. He sensed a message from the communication rune stone he had given to Hamadi.
After a moment's thought, Rayne decided to act immediately.
"Olena, I need to leave for a moment."
"Huh?"
Before Olena could say anything, Rayne vanished from the carriage.
This left Olena with wide eyes and an open mouth.
Despite her extensive experience with the Empire's Bladesworn missions, seeing Rayne disappear right in front of her left her speechless.
"This..."
"Unbelievable. Could Lord Rayne have mastered the lost space magic?" Olena murmured, still in shock.
Meanwhile, Rayne had already used 'Shadow Traverse' to appear in Prince Everdon's study.
He quickly scanned the room and smiled.
With his peak Dawn perception, he quickly found the hidden door behind the bookshelf.
Without investigating the mechanism, Rayne used 'Shadow Traverse' again to reach the secret chamber with the teleportation ward array.
"I found it. It's indeed here."
Rayne looked at the faintly glowing teleportation ward array on the ground, a smile spreading across his face.
For most wizards, this ward array would be useless without knowing the incantation to enter the mythical realm.
The incantation, in reality, was more of a specific vibration, similar to a key, required to unlock the portal.
"Now, I need to force my way into this small mythical realm. I hope it's stable enough", Rayne muttered.
In the next instant, he disappeared, forcing his way into a bubble-like barrier in a mysterious three-dimensional space.
At the same time, Everton, who had just entered the palace, felt his waist pouch vibrate and his face turned pale. "No, someone has infiltrated the mythical realm!"
He immediately turned around and rushed back to his carriage. "Head back to the mansion quickly!"
"Um?" Buchanan, who was with him, looked puzzled. This meeting was important, and the Crown Prince had already arranged it with several royal elders.
But seeing the prince's grim expression, he understood. "Yes, Your Highness."
Rayne found himself in a dark, stone hall, with large cylindrical containers on either side of the corridor filled with various bizarre corpses and organs. Nearby, a group of strange dragonmen patrolled.
The air was thick with a stifling, medicinal, and pungent odor.
"Intruder!"
Before Rayne could fully assess the realm's resistance, he heard low growls from all around.
He saw several tall, muscular dragonmen wielding long polearms rushing toward him.
Apparently, his entry had been spotted by a patrol of dragonmen.
As more dragonmen and strange dragon beasts joined the fray, Rayne knew he had to act quickly.
He slammed his hand, glowing with intense Dark Silver light, onto the dark gray stone floor. Metal ripples spread out, and metal spikes erupted from the ground, skewering the dragonmen.
They stood like shish kebabs around him.
A hideous creature named Renfril, running and cursing, arrived on the scene.
"Damn it, these stupid dragonmen always make a fuss over small things!"
"Like when an experimental subject escapes, it's not a big deal."
Renfril's words trailed off as he saw the 'forest of shish kebabs' before him.
"This..."
"Who are you?"
"Perhaps you should tell me who you are first."
Renfril, resembling the hunchback from Notre Dame, swallowed hard. "I... I'm Renfril, the supervisor here."
Rayne, intrigued, nodded. "Supervisor? Good."
"Where are the elves?"
"Over... over there." Renfril pointed, trembling.
"Take me to them."
"Of course, sir."
Rayne followed Renfril to the room where the elves were held. Seeing the dazed, slow-moving female elves, Rayne's expression darkened. He emitted a strong aura, looking at Renfril. "What have you done to them?"
"Nothing... nothing, sir", Renfril stammered, shaking. "I... I just gave them a low-dose sedative over a long period."
"To make blood collection easier?" Rayne glanced at the needle marks on their arms.
"Yes, yes." Renfril nodded, clearly afraid.
"Which one is Dareen Hawkmoon?" Rayne asked, infusing his voice with a bit of psi energy.
The special sound waves finally elicited a reaction from the female elves, especially one whose eyes flickered and looked at Rayne.
Rayne recognized her as Anna's mother. They looked very similar, at least eighty to ninety percent alike, and somewhat like Anna's aunt Delana.
"Hello, Miss Dareen. I'm Anna's friend", Rayne said, stepping forward.
"Anna?" She stuttered, her mind clearly clouded, but the name held significance.
From her expression, Rayne knew he had found the right person.
"Yes, Miss Dareen. I'm here to take you out."
Rayne intended to rescue all the elves.
However, he glanced at Renfril, hesitating.
Renfril's knowledge of potions was unparalleled. Killing him seemed wasteful.
Moreover, the elves were only sedated and not physically abused, which was different from what Rayne had feared.
Most importantly, Renfril had cooperated, showing he was easily intimidated. Rayne thought he might be useful for future plans.
So, Rayne decided not to kill him and quickly escorted the female elves out.
Renfril, watching Rayne lead the elves away, was in a state of shock.
He had expected to die.
But he was still alive.
He was certain the person in front of him could have killed him easily but chose not to, leaving him puzzled.
"Could he really just be here to save the elves?"
"Regardless, thank the goddess of luck!"
"Aaarrgh!!" A fierce and chaotic dragon roar echoed from behind Rayne.
"Experiment One has escaped!" Renfril exclaimed.
Rayne's interference had disabled the ward array restraining Experiment One. Without the ward array, the thick chains were no match for the creature.
"Hmm?" Rayne turned to the dark depths of the hall, sensing the powerful aura.
"Near peak epic?"
"What is that thing?"
"Sir... that's my test subject for the Super Evolution Elixir. It's out of control now. It might have grown to the Jiulao Dragon level."
"Jiulao Dragon?" Rayne's eyes narrowed.
No wonder he had sensed something in the depths of the hall.
"Interesting."
Rayne quickly decided what to do next.
In a garden corner of the palace, two elders were chatting.
"Elder Ivan, wasn't Menya's decision a bit hasty? Even if the young Lord Rayne saved her life, it still seems reckless", a royal elder said.
Elder Ivan frowned, unsure how to respond.
According to the Dragun royal lineage, anyone confirmed to have the Multi-Headed Dragon Bloodline must be eliminated. However, from his interactions with Rayne, he saw no signs of savagery or chaos, which contradicted ancient records.
"This... we can't confirm that Lord Rayne has the Multi-Headed Dragon Bloodline yet, can we?" Elder Ivan replied ambiguously.
"But..."
Before the elder could continue, an explosion echoed from the inner ring.
"Boom!!"
A violent explosion came from Prince Everdon's mansion, followed by an angry dragon roar.
Above the Crown Prince's mansion, a monstrous creature with a dragon head and four deformed or shriveled dragon heads appeared, reminiscent of a multi-headed dragon.
This sudden event drew the attention of numerous elite griffin knights who dove down. Since the Crown Prince's mansion was near the palace, several Imperial Dragon Knights also appeared in the sky.
Prince Everdon, arriving at the mansion gates, saw this and was furious.
"Rayne, you dared to invade my mansion!"
"I just came to rescue someone. And this monster was created by your people, right?" Rayne, floating in the air, crossed his arms, a faint smile on his face. "Don't deny it, I have evidence!"
"You!!" Everton's face turned red, his chest heaving.
He had accused Rayne of having the evil Multi-Headed Dragon Bloodline, but now, the creature created by his Brotherhood of Dragonhide looked more like a multi-headed dragon.
Damn!
Rayne's words made the surrounding Imperial Guardians and Senate elders look at Prince Everdon with suspicion.
After all, the Crown Prince had accused Rayne of having the Multi-Headed Dragon Bloodline just two days ago, but now it seemed he had exposed his own secrets by creating a creature that resembled a multi-headed dragon.
This raised doubts about the credibility of the Crown Prince's accusations.
(End of Chapter)
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