The Record of Unusual Creatures

Panda Novel

Hao Ren found it challenging to understand how a vast kingdom like the Dragon Empire managed to remain efficient and stable. The direct rule of the long-lived species over short-lived species could produce many hidden dangers as well as troubles. If the emperor had really inherited the soul of the dragon and become immortal, his way of thinking would inevitably tilt toward that of the long-lived race. He would accumulate tremendous wisdom and incredible experiences, but that was precisely the reason why an insurmountable gap appeared between him and the short-lived people.

Take for example when an eternal ruler decided to implement a millennial plan for the benefit of his people, who would only live a hundred years at most and no one in the first ten generations would get to see the benefit of the plan. How could people understand and support the idea?

Hao Ren had not personally seen such a thing, but similar examples were aplenty in the database.

Nevertheless, the Dragon Empire seemed to be running well.

People probably held high regard for the Dragon Soul Emperor as his majestic sculpture in black armor was everywhere in the city. The people of the Empire regarded the emperor as their eternal protector, and obedience to the emperor was a natural thing to do. It seemed that no one had ever questioned any order from the imperial capital. In the history of the empire for the past thousands of years, there was less than a handful of turmoil, and every time a disturbance occurred, they could quickly subdue it.

At least, this kingdom appeared to be stable.

That was the impression of the empire that Hao Ren got from what he saw on the scenes outside and what he heard from Awenna. Since he had just arrived in the kingdom, it would take some time before he could get a grasp of the real situation.

The caravan quickly found a place to settle for the night in the town. It was a semi-government-run inn popular among the caravans. For reason of their identity, Awenna and Charlemagne had rarely come out in the outside world, but they apparently had excellent common knowledge. With the help of the bodyguards, who had a good understanding of how things worked in the Dragon Empire, everyone settled down in the inn without a hitch.

Once inside his room, Hao Ren came before the window that had inlaid diamond-shaped glass and rose pattern. He pushed it open. Since the building he was in was tall while the civilian buildings outside were low, Hao Ren had a vantage view of the town scenery.

Dark-colored buildings were dominant in the empire. Buildings of different heights spread out in Hao Ren’s field of vision with the Gothic spires, eaves and small towers giving the town a strange, mysterious vibe. The town was by no mean large nor rich, but it was neat and tidy. Apart from the inns, uncluttered shops and mills also lined on both sides of the avenue that passed through the town. Alchemy props, the making of magic instruments and accommodation were the main trades and sources of income for the town, and the customers were usually the passing travelers and merchants. There was an airfield nearby. It was not large but bringing a lot of traffic.

At this moment, the setting sun was shining its golden rays on the town. Roofs and towers glimmered, and the churning of the machine from the mills could be heard. All this gave the town a pleasantly warm atmosphere.

Suddenly, there was a rush of hooves coming from Bluestone Avenue, where there were fewer pedestrians now. Curiously, Hao Ren looked in the direction from where the sound came and saw a few knights in black armor and black sword on their waists passing by below on horseback. The leading knight was holding a blue flag with a double-sword pattern.

Pedestrians, who apparently feared the knights, quickly gave way.

Was this the legendary Knight of the Ebon Blade? Hao Ren frowned.

A few moments later, footsteps were heard outside the door and accompanied by a rhythmic knock. It was not Lily; Hao Ren knew it. Lily would have taken down the door and swaggered in by now had it been her.

Sure enough, he heard Awenna saying, “Mr. Hao Ren, may I come in?”

“The door is not locked,” Hao Ren said.

The door opened, and Princess Izzo, who had a pair of beautiful light gray eyes, stood outside the door accompanied by her elder brother, Charlemagne.

Hao Ren invited them to come in and looked at them curiously. “Is there any problem?”

“We are here just to see how you are doing,” Awenna said. She appeared poised and totally devoid of the pride and arrogance of a typical royalty. “It can see that this inn is a far cry from your ship. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Stop the pleasantry, I am not used to it.” Hao Ren waved his hand. “The condition here is good enough, much better than sleeping in the cave. I have had harsher experiences, and as an established religious person, I should be much tougher than the royalty like you two.”

Charlemagne forced a smile. “Your way of speaking is strange. I can understand the words, but not much the sentences.”

Hao Ren smiled. Then the black knights that he saw from the window came to mind. “You do not come here just to ask me about how I am doing, do you? I just saw several knights in black passing by outside. Are they from the legendary Knights of the Ebon Blade?”

Charlemagne and Awenna exchanged a look, and the prince nodded. “Yes, that is the dress code of the Knights of the Ebon Blade. Their mechanical swords are unique in L’Haronne and hard to miss.”

“So, that is the mechanical sword,” Hao Ren said. “I don’t know much about the Knights of the Ebon Blade. Do you mind telling me about it?”

“The Knights of the Ebon Blade are the symbol of the military strength of the Dragon Empire, and the most powerful regular army in the world.” Awenna had always been like a tour guide, and there was no exception this time. “The knights are under the direct order of the emperor of the Dragon Empire. They have a strict organizational system. Every Knight of the Ebon Blade is an elite selected from the best fighters. They must not only be good in martial arts but must also be trained in magic, culture, history, pharmacy, and the unique ability of the Dragon Seal. These knights are usually scattered throughout the empire to maintain the order of the kingdom and convey the decree of the emperor. But if breaks out, the knights could quickly assemble. Their speed and level of cooperation are incredible.”

“As the knights are scattered all over the kingdom all year round, many of them do not meet each other for more than ten years after leaving the barracks. But they could quickly assemble following the original formations without having to re-familiarizing and running-in. Kingdoms all over the world have not figured out who they do it. Without thinking, people of the empire call this the miracle of the emperor His Majesty.

“That is really amazing.” Hao Ren’s admiration was genuine. The selection criteria and training of the Knights of the Ebon Blade were unusual enough, but their unique mobilization was even more eye-opening. Had Hao Ren not seen the legion of the guardian giants before and had an even more disciplined army of drones under his command, his jaw would have dropped to the ground. “But as you said, they are the most powerful regular army; is it that there are people from the non-regular army who are even more powerful than the Knights of the Ebon Blade?”

“Of course, there are,” Awenna said. “The Knights of the Broken Blade are strong, but they are products of mass training. There are many warriors with immeasurable ability in the world. For example, the Runic Warriors from the ancient kingdom of Izzo, the Tidecallers from the Gray Mist Strait, and the Forest Whisperers of the White Elf. If fighting one on one, each of them is stronger than the Knight of the Ebon Blade. But they are rare—so rare that they could be classified as a national treasure and must not be compared to the ubiquitous Knights of the Ebon Blade.”

“Are there such non-regular elites in the Dragon Empire?” Hao Ren was curious. Every kingdom had some ultimate weapon up its sleeve. Just like nuclear deterrence, a kingdom that built fundamentally on its military strength must have a secret weapon in its arsenal.

“Of course.” Awenna nodded. “The Princess, who is called the Dark Dragon Lady, personally commands the Knights of the Broken Blade, which is only one-hundredth the size of the Knight of the Ebon Blade. But the Knights of the Broken Blade are incredibly strong—almost superhumans—and never carrying out any tasks. Perhaps no one knew what they had done. That is the hidden trump card of the Dragon Empire.”

“Wait a minute.” Hao Ren was baffled. “There is a princess? You mean the emperor of the Dragon Empire has a daughter?”

What he had wanted to ask was whether the immortal emperor had any sons and whether these sons planned to succeed to the throne. He could smell trouble when an immortal emperor had offspring.

But considering the frivolous nature of the questions, he could only keep them to himself.

Although Hao Ren did not ask, Awenna still looked at him with a strange look on her face. “The Basilica of the World Tree is indeed extremely isolated.”

“It is. We have been busy at maintaining world peace in places where you can’t see,” Hao Ren said without blinking an eye.

His biggest virtue was that he was an honest man.

“The Dragon Empire certainly has a princess, Constance Dragon. No one who does not know her. But her father, the eternal emperor, Berentine Dragon, is not married.”

Hao Ren’s expression suddenly changed—was there something that he did not know?

“I know what you are thinking, but please keep it to yourself.” Awenna shook her head. “No one knows the true background of Princess Constance. People only know that two hundred and twenty years ago, there was a strange phenomenon near the imperial capital. It is said that a mountain has disappeared without a trace overnight, only leaving behind a large pit filled with hot lava. Berentine His Majesty personally went to investigate and brought back a baby girl whom he adopted as his daughter. She is Princess Constance. Of course, people had been speculating whether she was the daughter of Berentine His Majesty born out of wedlock. But two hundred and twenty years have passed, and the princess is young and apparently possessing a non-human bloodline. Voices of doubt do not last forever, and over time, no one raises the question again.”