Fate Won't Wait for You to Grow Up

Alan was still in a daze when he left the imperial palace. The Ryan Empire was going to do business with a lich? This was the first time he had heard of such a thing. Why hadn’t his eldest brother, Ang, told him beforehand? Had the front lines become so desperate that they had to cooperate with a lich? The emperor's words left Alan deeply troubled. Without a second thought, he returned home and activated the magic mirror as fast as he could. Alan waited for ages before Anbaixiu's skeletal face finally appeared in the mirror. "Alan? What do you want with me?" Anbaixiu was holding an assortment of bottles and jars overflowing with green light, looking for all the world as though he were conducting some sinister experiment. Alan had no time to worry about that. Agitated, he asked, "His Majesty told me to do business with you. Has my brother already contacted you?" Anbaixiu nodded casually. "That's right. He wanted to buy airships from me. Why ask about this all of a sudden?" Alan was taken aback by Anbaixiu's calm demeanor and pressed on, "Don't you find anything wrong with that? Ryan reaching out to collaborate with you?" "Haven't you been working with me all this time as well? What is there to be surprised about?" "That... I..." Alan was at a loss for words, unable to clearly explain what had startled him in the first place. Indeed, he had begun trading with this lich long ago, starting with those five thousand gold coins. Anbaixiu understood Alan better than Alan understood himself. He said slowly, "You aren't shocked that a lich is cooperating with a paladin. You're just stunned that Ryan has fallen so far that it needs a lich's help to fight the orcs. Alan, you need to hurry up and face reality. Ryan can no longer keep up with the times. Otherwise, an orc prodigy wouldn't have wiped the floor with your brother." Alan remained silent for a long while before murmuring defensively, "Ryan's overall strength is still greater than the orcs'. It's just that we have other borders to defend..." "Making enemies on all sides was your own doing, too. Enough of the nonsense—did you contact me just to verify this?" Growing impatient, Anbaixiu poured two potions together. But as soon as he shook the concoction, dazzling flames burst forth. With a flick of Anbaixiu's finger, the flask on the verge of exploding was frozen in midair. Under the effect of Time Stop, even the explosion was suspended in place. After closely examining the impending blast within the flask, Anbaixiu called out, "Naomi!" Naomi, dressed in a white assistant's coat, stepped into view. With a curve traced by her fingertips, the mixture before Anbaixiu rapidly separated and flowed back into two different test tubes, as though nothing had ever happened. Instead of mixing the potions again, Anbaixiu pulled out a thick stack of draft paper and began recalculating, muttering to himself, "Did I get the proportions wrong? This stuff really isn't easy to replicate..." Watching this unfold, Alan felt the turmoil in his heart gradually quiet down for some reason. Was this what it was like when a lich conducted experiments? Though Alan had never studied alchemy, ever since Anbaixiu had demonstrated power terrifying enough to topple a nation overseas, the various alchemical inventions he created had naturally entered the public eye. The "God of Alchemy Selected" brand was now renowned everywhere. People knew of jet engines, they knew of the Fountain of Youth, and alchemists across the lands were striving to duplicate Anbaixiu's alchemical creations. Alan had seen other alchemists conduct experiments before. Yet compared to this, the difference was staggering. Time Stop and time reversal—were these standard protocol for everyday laboratory work? Alan finally understood what Anbaixiu meant when he said Ryan could no longer keep up with the times. It wasn't just that Ryan had fallen behind; this lich had far outpaced the era. As such, his weapons of war were the decisive factor in conflicts, leaving the people of Ryan with no choice but to deal with him. Alan spoke earnestly, "Master Ultraman, I didn't come today just to confirm rumors. Could you please sell the airships to Ryan? We need those weapons to resist the orc invasion." Anbaixiu paused his work and asked, "You came to discuss this with me? Where is your emperor?" "It was His Majesty himself who told me to negotiate the trade with you," Alan explained. Anbaixiu waved a hand, directing Naomi to tidy the desk and organize the notes, then looked at Alan with deadly seriousness. "Your emperor told you to seek me out? You went to the Ryan Imperial Capital?" "Is there a problem? Master Ultraman, as you often say, gold coins know neither good nor evil. A trade is the same no matter who negotiates it." "The problem is massive. Alan, don't you know the condition I set? I wanted an audience with your emperor to speak face-to-face. Yet he sent you to deal with me instead. That all but confirms something for me." "Confirms what?" Alan still had no idea what Anbaixiu was driving at, but from the lich's solemn tone, it sounded like something monumental. "Confirms that your emperor has been replaced. Alan, your emperor has likely fallen under the control of the Dragon Blood Curse and become a newly reborn time dragon." Alan froze, as if unable to process the words, before a look of utter shock broke across his face a few seconds later. "Are you out of your mind?! Do you know what you're saying?" "Forget it. The history is too convoluted, so I'll give you the short version. Your Holy King Arthur Ryan was also killed by the Dragon Blood Curse, and the crux of it lies with the Dragon Tyrant Armament—your father should know a bit about that. Right now, I suspect the Dragon Blood Curse has fully erupted. Your emperor's body has been taken over by the awakened soul of the Demonic Dragon. He is completely replaced." Alan said agitatedly, "Evidence! What evidence do you have?!" "The evidence is that he doesn't dare see me. Given how boastful and hungry for acclaim your emperor used to be, would he repeatedly refuse a meeting with me?" "There could be other explanations. For instance, His Majesty might fear you're plotting some scheme." "What scheme could kill an emperor of the Ryan Empire inside his own realm? He didn't even ask about the time or place—he simply rejected it outright. He isn't worried about my schemes; he's terrified of exposing himself." Anbaixiu didn't need any further proof. For the young emperor to act this way, it was ninety-nine percent certain his body had been seized. Whether there was hard evidence or not, Anbaixiu was proceeding under the assumption that the emperor was now the Demonic Dragon. But that raised a glaring question: Ryan was essentially under the dragon's control, so what was this tyrant actually doing? "Something isn't right. The Demonic Dragon's behavior doesn't make sense. All of the young emperor's disastrous blunders were smoothed over by him. Ryan was pulled back from the brink of collapse, and it's even held out against the ferocious orc invasion... Shouldn't the dragon want to destroy Ryan? Why is he protecting it instead?" Alan overheard Anbaixiu muttering to himself. Like a drowning man grasping at a straw, the young paladin hurriedly chimed in, "Exactly! How could the Demonic Dragon still be alive? Even if he were, he would never protect Ryan! He would do everything in his power to destroy the nation founded by his nemesis. You've guessed wrong—His Majesty hasn't been possessed by the Demonic Dragon." Anbaixiu couldn't be bothered to argue with Alan's self-consolation. Without a doubt, the emperor's drastic change in behavior meant he was being controlled. Even if his soul hadn't been supplanted, he had been forcibly altered by a greater power. A takeover by the Demonic Dragon remained the most likely scenario; it was just impossible to decipher the dragon's intentions for now. The best approach was still to speak with him directly. Hearing a lie told face-to-face was vastly different from hearing it second-hand through an intermediary. Thus, an in-person meeting with this "Demonic Dragon Tyrant" was essential. Seeing that Anbaixiu was ignoring his points, Alan pleaded, "Master Ultraman, I will find a way to investigate this matter. Please don't jump to conclusions..." Before Alan could finish, Anbaixiu cut him off with a roar. "Alan! What you need to do right now isn't uncover any truth—it's to get out of the Ryan Imperial Capital and get back to your own territory!" Alan protested, "What are you talking about? Whether this is true or false, I have to find out the truth!" If the Dragon Blood Curse was real, then the greatest threat facing Ryan wasn't the orc invasion, but the resurrected Demonic Dragon Tyrant! Without uncovering the truth, Ryan was doomed to destruction. "How do you plan on investigating this? Is that your job? Is that something you're even capable of?! Recognize your position and your responsibilities, you idiot!" Anbaixiu cursed in a rare outburst of fury. While Alan stood there completely stunned, Anbaixiu berated him: "Do you have anyone in the capital to help you? How will you investigate? Where will you even begin? You don't even know the origins or mechanics of the Dragon Blood Curse, so what makes you think you can look into it? You're completely on your own in the capital—how do you expect to conduct a secret investigation without the dragon noticing? If the Demonic Dragon truly has revived, do you think you can escape? The moment you start digging, you're dead!" How terrifying had the Demonic Dragon Tyrant been in his day? Even Arthur Ryan in his prime had gone into their duel prepared to die. Did Alan possess even half of Arthur Ryan's skill? Alan couldn't even last thirty rounds against Gareth, and he didn't even have a decent artifact to his name. Fight? He wouldn't stand a ghost of a chance! Seeing Alan open his mouth to argue, Anbaixiu cut him off again in fury: "Do you think you're still the ignorant hothead you used to be? Is your life something to throw away so casually? Have you given a single thought to what will happen to the people who chose to follow you? "You are the spiritual leader of half of Ryan right now! Start acting like one! 'Sacrifice' rolls off the tongue easily enough, but how will you face the people who placed their trust in you?! If you die in the capital and the Demonic Dragon truly has returned, who will lead Ryan against him? Are you expecting me, a lich, to clean up your mess for you?!" Anbaixiu was genuinely furious. He had thought the boy had grown up and that Ryan could finally develop along the lines of his plans, only for Alan to let hot blood rush to his head at the critical juncture. If Alan died in the capital, Ryan would fall completely into the hands of the Demonic Dragon Tyrant, and all of Anbaixiu's efforts to fracture Ryan would have been for nothing. Anbaixiu's words left Alan speechless. He remembered the people of Ryan who had supported him with all their might, willing to defy the emperor just to stand by his side. It was only because an external invasion seemed to be reuniting the realm, coupled with the shock of hearing about the dragon's revival, that Alan had lost sight of that entirely. Alan took a deep breath and nodded. "You're right. I was too impulsive." Anbaixiu sighed. "Alan, I know sacrifice is part of a paladin's oath, but sometimes sacrifice is the easy way out. Staying alive is the hard part! Grow up already, or your family and friends will suffer for your recklessness." Alan had fully snapped out of it. He said to Anbaixiu, "Understood. I will leave the capital immediately and prepare everything back home." "Then get lost. When the Demonic Dragon truly returns, I want to see you march an army to the capital, not go charging in by yourself!" Anbaixiu angrily terminated the call. He could only hope the boy wasn't merely paying lip service; at a critical moment like this, he couldn't afford to see an ideal setup squandered. Once the connection ended, Anbaixiu prepared to speak with Arthur Ryan. The Demonic Dragon Tyrant was Arthur's nemesis; Arthur was undoubtedly the best person to consult on how to deal with him. To his surprise, Arthur seemed to have been waiting nearby all along. The moment he saw Anbaixiu, he couldn't help asking, "Has the Demonic Dragon really revived?" Anbaixiu sighed in exasperation. "You overheard my conversation with Alan?" "It hardly sounded like a conversation; it sounded more like a brawl. Your voice was booming, and this place isn't that large." The soundproofing in Anbaixiu's demiplane was indeed practically nonexistent, and Anbaixiu had gotten somewhat heated just now, his voice far louder than usual. Anbaixiu grumbled sourly, "Alan, that idiot, is going to be the death of me. After everything he's been through, he's still as childish as a greenhorn!" Arthur Ryan countered, "Give him time. Back then, from our very first council to slaying our first true dragon, it took us three full years. Alan hasn't even been away from Ryan for a single year yet. Besides, he's still just a boy, far younger than I was in those days." "Only a year? Why does it feel like it's been ages?" "In this private space of yours, a year inside equals a day outside, so of course it's felt like a long time to you. But Alan was just a paladin setting out on his first pilgrimage a year ago." Although Arthur Ryan had met Anbaixiu later than Alan had, he took a special liking to this "junior" of his and had continually kept tabs on him, even knowing that Alan had been scammed out of five thousand gold coins by Anbaixiu. In Arthur Ryan's eyes, a young noble born into luxury was a beneficiary of all of Ryan's extreme practices. For him to still see through the corruption and rot of Ryan was already extraordinarily rare. Very few people who enjoyed privileges could see the bloodstains behind them. Arthur Ryan felt that an old skeleton with centuries under his belt like Anbaixiu was being a bit too unsympathetic. Perhaps Anbaixiu also realized he had been a bit harsh. A twenty-year-old greenhorn raised on Ryan's teachings—it wasn't strange for hot blood to get the better of him. Even so, Anbaixiu shook his head. "Unfortunately, fate won't wait for you to grow up. If Alan can't keep up with the times, he won't be the only one who ends up dead." Arthur Ryan chuckled. "Doesn't he have you to bail him out? I certainly didn't have such a powerful lich backing me back in my day." "Me, back him?!" Anbaixiu scoffed. "The minute he stops generating gold coins for me, I'll sell him out to the Demonic Dragon without hesitation." Arthur Ryan simply smiled and said nothing, merely looking at Anbaixiu as though he couldn't be bothered to argue. In Arthur Ryan's view, this lich would sooner or later be crowned upon the Peaks of Eronia by the Lord of the Dawn. Whatever he might claim, he would never let the Demonic Dragon rule this world again. Sure enough, without waiting for any comfort from Arthur Ryan, Anbaixiu cut straight to the chase: "Your Majesty Arthur, the Demonic Dragon is your nemesis. Assuming he has already possessed the soul of your descendant, how do you suggest we deal with him?" Arthur Ryan pondered for a moment before replying, "We cannot be certain whether the Demonic Dragon has truly revived, nor how far that revival has progressed. How much memory he retains, how deep his hatred for mankind runs, how much power he commands—without knowing these things, it is difficult to devise any plan. Didn't you want to meet with him? I fully agree with that idea. We must confirm the situation first!" Anbaixiu said helplessly, "The problem is that he doesn't dare face me. And for now, I can't think of a suitable way to force him into a meeting." Arthur Ryan spoke calmly, "It's simple. Put me forward. Tell him that a heroic spirit of Arthur Ryan still lingers in this world. If he retains his past memories, he will definitely come to see me."