The Record of Unusual Creatures

The Dragon Empire had a long history.

Just like a dragon, the kingdom named after it was said to have stood proudly in the divided world, becoming a shelter and lighthouse when the world was still in chaos and the light of civilization had yet to shine.

Legends were always exaggerated, but the people of the empire had always been proud of their long history and firmly believed that at least nine out of ten of the legends were true. In the magnificent imperial city built with black frosted spar, a mountain of books and antiquities from ancient times filled the palaces and academies. Clusters of ancient ruins were scattered around the empire, silently telling of the old stories of the kingdom with all their vicissitudes as if they lent credence to the notion that the kingdom originated since the era of chaos.

Whenever the proud people of the empire talked about the ancient kingdom of Izzo on the other side of the world, a sense of superiority would rise within them. They even felt that the word ‘ancient’ was an eyesore. Which kingdom, other than the most ancient empire, was worthy of the word ‘ancient’?

Military strength was the foundation of the Dragon Empire.

This ancient empire, located on the apex of the western hemisphere of planet L’Haronne, had stood the test of time even thousands of years had passed. The vast empire that ruled half of the planet did not come into being because it was lucky but by the iron and blood of many generations of the people of the empire.

The land where the empire now ruled once existed many fearless barbarians and formidable kingdoms. This empire was once one of these kingdoms. But under the leadership of the legendary, immortal emperor, the Black Sword Knights of the Dragon Empire had defeated all its enemies, including the Frostridge Tribe that had copper skin and iron bones, said to be ten times stronger than humans, and the Magic Kingdom of the elemental bloodline. Wherever the double-sword flag of the Black Swordsmen went, every inch of land and ocean would become the territory of the empire. This had almost been the default phenomenon in the West L’Haronne.

The loyal, powerful, and united Knights of the Ebon Blade, with their heroic achievements, became the role model for all the knights and warriors of the world of L’Haronne—not just in the western hemisphere but also in the eastern hemisphere. Even the White City Federation had very high regard for the Knights of the Ebon Blade.

Every member kingdom of the White City Federation was well aware that the peaceful relation between the federation and the powerful, ancient empire existed only because of the World Crack. This natural barrier prevented the Knights of the Ebon Blade from marching to the eastern hemisphere. Once this natural moat disappeared, the warmongers of the empire would sooner or later point their swords in the east direction. Despite this, the federation members still held the black lion on the other side of the world in veneration.

But how long could the black lion hold up in this world?

…

A village in the empire, like any other hamlets, was little known and did not appear in the historical work of any scholars only because it had some famous specialties. It also did not appear in the bard of any poets because it was the birthplace of some heroic man. For centuries, the village lay quietly without a sense of presence on the plains at the southwestern edge of the empire. Soon, history would remember it as the turning point of an event.

After a night of bloody fighting, the warring parties left the battlefield where both sides suffered massive casualties. Flames were still burning in the ruins of buildings, and smog billowing from the charcoaled beams and trees rose to the sky in the distance. On the blood-soaked land, broken weapons and equipment were strewn around.

Among these discarded weapons was a black, broad sword with a strangely complex body lay quietly in the mud. The bloodstain on the blade had turned black. Nearby, a burnt flag with a crossed-sword pattern on blue background had fallen to the ground.

But one of the swords in the pattern was broken.

…

In a medium-sized town in the south of the empire, a caravan was hustling through Bluestone Avenue, the thoroughfare of which the town most prided itself.

It was a small caravan that was common in the empire. As a highly developed kingdom with a vast landmass, prosper trading activities, and the flowing of a massive amount of goods were the fundamental conditions for ensuring the regular operation of the country. Caravans of different sizes traveled between cities around the clock. Among these caravans were even merchants of the barbarians and from the other side of the World Crack. The people of the empire had long been used to all this.

Three magic-powered runic caravans were hustling through a town. Several armed guards sitting on the banister on the edge of the caravan watched listlessly at the scene on the streets. The last caravan appeared to be the ride of the caravan owner with its modified, enlarged, and sealed cabin.

Charlemagne looked carelessly out of the caravan window at the scene on the street and then pulled the sunshade close on the window.

Like Awenna, Charlemagne had put up a guise by dying his gray-white hair pale gold with an alchemy remedy, and wearing a clever makeup on his face. In this world where fingerprint recognition and DNA tracking technology were non-existent, such a guise would do the job well.

Ordinary civilians might not recognize the faces of a pair of royal siblings, who rarely ventured out beyond their palace, but people who planned the pirate attack must already have mastered all the information of the royal siblings. Wearing the guise had become a forced choice.

“This is a prosperous place.” Hao Ren was impressed by the level of prosperity that the town enjoyed. The crowded market and the magic-powered vehicles and public facilities were a real eye-opener. Although the technology might be different, the magic energy that this planet used to power their airships allowed the people to enjoy a living standard that could rival that of the middle-income countries on Earth.

“We love our homeland, but we have to admit that the Dragon Empire is far more advanced in magic-powered technology than the countries in the eastern hemisphere. Even the ancient kingdom of Izzo is no match for it,” Awenna said with a soft voice. “Izzo has great attainment in magic energy, but our classic magic system is not fully compatible with the widely used magic technology. In Izzo, many traditional mages are disdainful of the increasingly popular magic-powered technology as they think that this seemingly cheap technology without substance is symbolic of the new rich. But few people could give a thought to what the rapid development of the Dragon Empire in the magic-powered technology means.”

“This ancient empire is not only strong but is becoming stronger.” Charlemagne sighed softly. “The oldest kingdom is having the youngest mindset. How do they do that?”

“Is it because they have an immortal emperor?” Vivian’s brows arched.

“But are guys like this not stubborn? They have lived for so long after all,” Lily said.

Vivian and Rheia’s eyebrows twitched in unison.

Charlemagne and Awenna laughed and did not take Lily seriously. “Be careful when you say this here; people here might not like their emperor being ridiculed.”

While looking at the disguised car, which underneath its magic-powered skin was a secondary psionic drive, Hao Ren began to recall what happened before.

After clinching the deal with Charlemagne and his sister, they had quickly decided on a plan to put up a disguise and sneak into the empire. To divert the attention of the enemies that might be lurking in the empire and to ensure the secrecy of their operation, Hao Ren had first flown the Petrachelys to the border city of the Dragon Empire, closest to the World Crack. There, the spaceship dropped the ‘passengers’ on the avenue in the suburb and left while the ‘passengers’ were still in a daze. The Petrachelys flew another one thousand kilometers before landing near a town in the southern part of the empire.

Then Charlemagne and his sister, Hao Ren and his team, and a few Charlemagne’s trusted bodyguards used the camouflage props produced in the Petrachelys ship bound factory to disguise themselves as a ubiquitous small caravan.

The camouflage props included a new set of clothes for each person, the cheap swords in the hands of the bodyguards—as the original fine weapons were too eye-catching, a few magic-powered caravans made according to Awenna’s description, and a variety of goods loaded on two cars.

It would make a perfect disguise.

The ‘passengers’ led by Captain Birken, who disembarked near the border city, would seek help from the Izzo embassy. There might be some delay, but eventually, these people would return to their homeland safely, and news of the attack of the White Pearl and the safe return of the survivors would spread. This would create confusion among the conspirators. Never would they have thought that while the refugees flocked to the embassy for help, Charlemagne, Awenna and their bodyguards were already on their way to complete their journey.

What surprised Hao Ren was that the caravan had no problem moving in the vast empire. At first, he thought they would have to go through strict checkpoints and security checks. But apart from some routine interrogation and inspection, the caravan had not encountered any trouble. They did not even have to flash their fake passes and IDs.

“Only the imperial capital and a few big cities have high-security measures; the governance of other places in the Dragon Empire is relatively lax,” Awenna explained the situation to Hao Ren. The princess had bought the story of the isolated Basilica of the World Tree, and the ignorance of Hao Ren and his team about the situation of this world had further reinforced this notion. “Rules and order depend on the augustness of the emperor and the Knights of the Ebon Blade while law took a backseat. The emperor and the knight were the double swords that the people held in high regard. The swords protect the people from the foreign enemy while also eliminating crimes in the empire. Few people violate the imperial decree.”

“But is the fact that we could disguise as a caravan and swagger around in the empire not prove that this governing method is flawed?”

“It is because we are doing what a caravan is supposed to do.” Elvina smiled. “From the cars and the people to the goods and route, everything—except for our identities—stays within the rules and passes the inspection.”

What a wonderful kingdom, Hao Ren thought to himself.