Chapter 540 - a.s.sa.s.sins
"What happened? Why do my brows seem to be twitching?"
The Forest Dragon King, Rita, was sitting in a tent in a camp not far from the Elven King and the others. She set the teacup down and scratched the gap between her brows.
When she was at the fortress city, she was overjoyed to see Watson. She had planned to stay in the fortress city, but Watson had met her to acquire some information. She also had a contract with the elven army, so she had to return.
Her tremendous strength helped her feel the vibrations outdoors. She felt a deep sensation of threat in her heart for no apparent reason. She was a Divine Nature Dragon, and the only things that could challenge her were G.o.d-like beings.
"Is it possible that a G.o.d has appeared in the world? It is simply not conceivable. Even as an advanced elite, I can stay in this world for a year before being ejected. Foreign G.o.ds usually have a difficult time entering this world."
She stood up and walked out of the camp, mumbling to herself. She vanished in a flash from where she was. She was already at the source of the threat at the next moment.
"What are you doing?"
Looking at the elves led by King Jersey, it appeared that they were nothing out of the ordinary. They were the same as before, but there were shrubs more than a meter tall among the luscious trees.
With a serene look, the Elven King responded, "Nothing."
"Really?"
The Forest Dragon King remained silent before she turned to go. She appeared to have fled, but in reality, she had covered her figure behind an ancient tree that the elves could not see. She paused for a while as she faced the old oak, but she put out a finger and swiped it across the tree trunk.
Crack!
That made an ear-piercing screech as her finger slashed at the tree's rough bark. The trunk was hacked open, revealing the emerald-green liquid within. The odor filled the air immediately, and the tree trunk trembled as if it were alive. A bizarre creature's roar accompanied it.
"What is that?"
The Forest Dragon King was taken aback. Then, she took two steps backward and snarled, "Don't tell me those foolish elves used their race chess piece's power in such a spot! People have always overestimated themselves and wished to do something dumb, from ancient times to the present. It has taken the elves tens of thousands of years to evolve and lose the tree spirits' appearance, yet many desire to repeat the past mistakes. I will wait and see what happens to those folks."
..
As the Forest Dragon King left, King Jersey remained motionless. "Have you gone and done it?"
"Yes, I have," Landon said after taking a look around.
"Excellent."
King Jersey extended his right hand, and a branch fell from the sky and landed in it. The leaf folded and flapped gently as it dropped, transforming into an emerald-green b.u.t.terfly that flapped its wings and soared high into the sky. After reaching a particular alt.i.tude, the b.u.t.terfly gradually developed into a little bird. Then, the small bird flew into the sky, expanding its body to become a slightly smaller pterosaur.
"As I predicted, the elven race chess piece allows biological evolution and promotes non-biological evolution. Furthermore, non-biological evolution is faster. Thus, there is no need to be concerned about the problem! What kind of powerful thing will arise when evolution is free of the constraints of bloodlines or even species? It is difficult to imagine. Without a doubt, the elven race chess piece carries the world's most powerful power."
King Jersey's eyes were ablaze with flames as he waved to the elves in attendance.
"Before conquering the Holy Dragon Kingdom, I still need to make certain plans. During this time, I will have to bother everyone to capture Watson for me, no matter the cost, no matter if it is life or death! I will launch a sweeping a.s.sault on the Holy Dragon Kingdom three days later. Oh, I still need to dispatch someone to notify the Winter Nation that it is time to act. We must take the lead. If the Winter Nation dares to break their promise and drag us down, we will seize the opportunity to destroy them after we have destroyed the Holy Dragon Kingdom."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
The 100 elven soldiers humbly lowered their heads and agreed. They transformed into light streaks and flew toward the fortress city outside the primeval forest.
...
At the fortress city.
Watson had got there a day before. Throughout the day, he had progressively a.s.sisted the people in reviving soldiers who had died in the battle. The sea folks also transferred supplies from the royal city to the fortress city via the Dragon Palace Network, a.s.sisting in the city's reconstruction. After a day, a portion of the city had recovered from its deteriorated state.
Many of the residents had already risen early in the morning, as the sun had just risen. They brought buckets of water to the banks of the Golden River, which ran through the fortress city, and drew water from there.
"After drinking water from the golden river, a person would be promoted to a gold-tier elite. Using it to soak our body can provide it with a powerful protective s.h.i.+eld that can defend against swords and spears. It is very incredible! We would not have lost terribly to the elves if we did not have the golden river."
A guard in armor grabbed a pail of water from the golden river and cleaned his face with it. He stated that with renewed vigor.
A swarm of troops dressed in the same gear was near him. One of them attempted to remove his armor and place it in the bucket, but his partner stopped him. "What are you doing?"
"You'll see. I am soaking my armor in the river. Since the water can alter the human body, will it have the same effect if we put weapons and armor in it?" the soldier asked.
"His Majesty brought the river water here; it is a gift from the kingdom. It is quite valuable. How can you use it to accomplish such a feat?"
"I understand how valuable the river water is. His Majesty said that it is prohibited to toss items into the river. If you wish to drink from it, you can't do so directly. Instead, you must take it from yourself using clean containers. However, there is a limit to how much we may use it. The river is now being used by hundreds of thousands of people in the fortress city. However, the water level appears to remain constant. That is enough to show that the river has greater capacity than we thought. Perhaps it is limitless."
"How can the world have inexhaustible resources?"
The other soldier mocked him. A golden light appeared on the soldier's drenched armor at that precise time. It exuded an even stronger aura. Even though it had not been upgraded to gold-tier, it was far more powerful than the previous bronze-tier armor.
"The river is not only effective for humans, but it also works on armor and weaponry. After soaking it in the water, it has been upgraded to silver-tier. Its protective ability is no longer inferior to gold-tier armor."
The soldier yelled in astonishment as he took the armor from the bucket. The soldiers around him wanted to criticize his behavior, but after watching that scenario, they started taking off their armor and soaking them in the bucket too.
On both sides of the river, people dressed in Holy See regalia were also there. Their garments were spotlessly white, and a golden insignia of the Holy Dragon Kingdom was emblazoned on their chests. A portrait of a young man was on the insignia.
That attire was the signature outfit of the Holy Dragon Kingdom's new Holy See. Watson, the Guardian G.o.d, was depicted in the insignia. It was Queen Avril's strategy to create that collection of garments; the goal was to increase people's trust in Watson.
"Praise be to the wonderful Young Master Watson, who has bestowed upon us this holy water. Believe in him as much as you believe in the sun!"
"The Huberian Cathedral is looking for more faithful followers. If you join now, you will receive the holy supper, blessed by Young Master Watson, every day. He will also help you get a stronger ability."
"Would you like to get stronger? Then pay a visit to the Huberian Cathedral! Have you hit a snag in your cultivation? The Huberian Cathedral is your only option. You will be able to break through whether you are a warrior, a mage, or an archer. The Huberian Cathedral is a refuge, a gathering place for gorgeous men and beautiful ladies."
One by one, the believers carried buckets of water while handing out Holy See pamphlets to pa.s.sersby in order to propagate their faith.
Fawkes was wrapped in a beautiful robe and stood by the riverbank. As he looked around, he could not help but sigh at the young man in front of him.
"The fortress city has recovered in just one day. The residents appear to have forgotten about the battle. Your Highness, you are truly a remarkable individual! I am curious why you invited me here so early, Your Highness."