The Record of Unusual Creatures

Panda Novel

On the fourth day, after the Knights of the Ebon Blade left, a strange atmosphere filled the town.

It seemed that no one had issued an order for a news embargo. Perhaps someone was stirring the pot as rumors quickly spread. The mayor’s wife gossiped about what she heard at the ball. The maidservants at the ball told the cooks and servants bits of what they had heard. The cooks and servants brought the news out and spread it throughout the town.

People may have been afraid to discuss it in the open, but that did not prevent them from blabbing and exchanging information in private. When the buzz spread far and wide, it inevitably affected everyone’s daily life.

Food prices soared, and caravans began to get more rigorous checks. People appeared more cautious on the street, and the rich who used to indulge in partying started to shut their doors. Open feasts had turned into secret meetings behind closed doors. There were talks of people spotting the only nobleman in town, the mayor, Baron Will sending his butler to the nearby airfield at night. The butler had allegedly rushed there with a letter in hand, but no one could verify the news.

Hao Ren and his team were supposed to leave the place and go to a nearby city called Graymountain two days ago. However, when the bodyguards heard some rumors, they decided to stay until the situation cleared up to avoid falling into danger.

In the inn where Hao Ren’s caravan stayed, a bodyguard disguised as a merchant returned from the outside. Charlemagne knew that his bodyguard had found something shocking based on their facial expressions.

“Have you confirmed it?” Charlemagne first allowed the bodyguard to take a sip of water and catch his breath. “Is it true?” he then quickly asked.

The bodyguard scanned around cautiously, making sure that there was no one listening. He did not have to be overly cautious, but the news was too hard to believe that he could not help but be extra vigilant. “Yes, Your Highness, it has been confirmed. The only child of the Dragon Empire’s emperor, Princess Constance has revolted. The Knights of the Broken Blade have wiped out an entire corps of forces stationed near the imperial capital. Under the command of the princess, they have moved north and established a stronghold in Frostsnow City. The entire northern part of the empire has pledged its allegiance to Princess Constance. Sporadic battles are happening in the south and west. The Knights of the Broken Blade, who come and go like ghosts are attacking the Knights of the Ebon Blade. The most recent and biggest battle happened five days ago where they clashed near Copulus River. One village was destroyed in the fight.”

Rumors had been flying around for the past four days. News beyond comprehension filled the taverns and streets. There were even talks about doomsday prophecies. Of all the tattles, only stories brought back by the bodyguards seemed to be pretty self-consistent, albeit they still sounded ridiculous.

Charlemagne suddenly got to his feet and paced around the room with his brows tightly knitted together. After a while, he halted. “The situation has developed beyond what we have expected. We cannot go to Graymountain anymore.”

Noticing the look on Hao Ren’s face, Awenna said, “Graymountain was a territory that once belonged to Princess Constance, who elevated the mayor there. But now, the Knights of the Broken Blade have established their base in the north, and the south is under the control of His Majesty, Berentine. That means Graymountain will soon become a hot spot. It is definitely unwise to go there.”

Hao Ren nodded in agreement. “At least, there is good news. We are now sure that the Knights of Ebon Blade who came a few days ago were not after you two.” He tried to loosen everyone up.

Charlemagne sighed. “Assuming that it is good news, the situation has still become more chaotic. We are not here to watch a civil war.”

“Can’t you tell us about your secret mission?” Lily looked at the royal siblings curiously. Her eyes lightened up. “Since things are getting chaotic, maybe we can help if you tell us what this is all about.”

Awenna did not immediately decline. “We will tell you when the time is ripe, and let us be honest, now is not the right time.”

Hao Ren shoved Lily a piece of snack. “Let’s not push them. After all, it has little to do with our mission.”

A husky with unfulfilled curiosity would become a wrecker over time. However, it usually just took a piece of snack to pacify the husky—until the next time when her curiosity struck again.

“In any case, we must plan our next move,” Vivian said. “Nowhere is safe when there is a civil war in the kingdom. We should keep moving. Since Graymountain is a no-go place, do you have other suggestions?”

Apparently, that was something Charlemagne had thought about before. “Greenway in the north. We can cut through Black Pine Forest, avoiding the conflict between the Knights of the Broken Blade and the imperial army. But, Black Pine Forest is dangerous. I am not sure—”

“It is not a problem for us.” Hao Ren waved. “You just need to plan the route, and we will take care of the rest.”

Lily began to rub her fists with a mean look on her face as if to say that she was ready to fight.

Charlemagne looked at Lily, baffled. Nevertheless, he still decided to trust these people. After all, they were elites from the mysterious Basilica of the World Tree. They should be pretty good fighters.

However, were they really the elites? Charlemagne was doubtful.

Charlemagne and Awenna left the room to gather their men as well as plan for the journey. The smile faded from Hao Ren’s face. “This is a little too sudden.”

“Do you mean something’s wrong?” Vivian glanced at Hao Ren.

“Definitely. According to Charlemagne and Awenna, Princess Constance has been a staunch protector of the empire for more than 200 years. She has the trust of her father, and her loyalty to the Emperor of the Dragon Soul is unparalleled in the world. She has been in charge of the Knights of the Broken Blade for 200 years, where she has had many opportunities to revolt, yet she chose not to. There have never been signs of her wanting to do such a thing. So, why now?”

“Plus, the entire northern region of the empire was so quick to choose sides.” Vivian shrugged. “Who the hell is going to believe that this wasn’t premeditated.”

“We don’t know much about this world. What we’ve heard so far about the Dragon Empire comes from the mouths of Charlemagne and Awenna. But the two siblings are not from the empire, so we should take what we hear with a grain of salt.” After she finished her snack, Lily appeared to be more intelligent. “Princess Constance’s revolt isn’t important. The key here is that war’s about to break out. Mr. Landlord, shall we intervene?”

The urge to take part in the merriment was too hard to resist for the husky even if there was an ongoing war.

The itch would last until a super-strong opponent appeared. Then the husky would flee with her tail between her legs at the first opportunity.

Hao Ren could not be as simple-minded as the husky maiden. He knew that he could completely suppress the conflict on the planet with his drone cluster. Despite that, it could not be his default choice. “This conflict hasn’t worsened to the extent of jeopardizing the survival of any civilization; inspectors have no right to intervene in such a war.”

“You mean, we have to just sit by and watch?” Lily pouted.

“All I can tell you is that I can’t intervene in the war as an inspector.” Hao Ren glanced at the maiden. “With that said, intervening in the local battle on a personal capacity shouldn’t be a problem. Don’t forget that we have a job to do on this planet. We can always respond on the grounds of self-defense.”

Meanwhile, in Graymountain.

Earl Naeem stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window in his favorite golden-red robe, watching the clouds rising in the distance. The expression on the face of the old earl gradually eased.

Graymountain was not a mountain but a cloudscape formed by the unique environment of that place. The clouds rose due to geothermal heat, which gathered at high altitudes, and they were stacked together to form a mountain-like cloud. The clouds would then float over the plains for six months each year, and that was how the name Graymountain came about.

Naeem had inherited his father’s title from a young age. Ever since he became the mayor of the city, Naeem liked to stand in front of the floor-to-ceiling window to look through the clear crystal glass and watch the clouds in the sky outside. Those amorphous clouds, which took a long time to dissipate reminded him of his past. He used to be an arrogant dandy, but he did not manage to escape from that land. When he woke up from his excesses, he finally realized that his arrogance was just a ripple in his life.

Just like those clouds, it was ever-changing, but Graymountain remained the same.

The princess’s cold gaze seemed to pierce through from behind the clouds, and Naeem could not help but squint.

Human life was short, but mortals found pleasure in it.

Footsteps came from behind, and the old earl turned around.

His bloated body and wrinkled face due to his old age made him look particularly weak. His frail appearance probably magnified the contempt of those who had just walked into his room.

Five men stood before Naeem, and these individuals were enough to make most people in the kingdom shiver in fear. They were wearing black body armor, black steel helmets, and full-faced visors, which mimicked dragon heads. Each of them had a black mechanical sword that hung by their waists, while light flickered from the magic-powered mechanisms on the blade and the hilt. Each blade was also inlaid with three gold stars. The men were Knights of the Ebon Blade—higher-order knights.

“Earl, it seems that you have made up your mind in terms of which side you stand on,” one of the knights spoke with a suppressed voice under the visor. “We are delighted to see that you still possess the same wisdom. This rebellion will not last. It is not too late for you to assert your stance.”

Although the knight spoke with polite words, there was nothing respectful in his tone of voice.

Naeem’s already bloated body appeared even more sloppy now he lowered his head slightly. “Yes, I have something to tell the loyal knights of the emperor.”

A little red light flashed across the eyes of the knights, and Naeem disappeared right before them.

*Buzz!*

Their five black mechanical swords activated with a buzz almost simultaneously. The powerful magic energy heated their blades to a thousand degrees until the blades began to vibrate. A knight clenched the hilt of his sword, but before he could draw it, his head slowly slipped off his shoulder.

The second and the third knight managed to unsheathed their swords, but their sword-wielding arms were severed and flung to the corner of the room. Blood spurted out from their bodies before they fell to the ground with a thud.

“How dare you!” The fourth knight roared, and his black body armor glowed with an intricate golden-red pattern. The power of the Dragon Seal slowed the time around him, and he finally spotted the old earl.

He saw a young man dressed in Earl Naeem’s long, golden-red cloak, seemingly dancing past the splashes of blood in the room. The young man was wielding a slender sword, which he condensed magic energy into. It was aimed straight at the forth knight’s glabella.

In his gradually inclining field of view, the Knight of the Ebon Blade saw the head of his last comrade cut off by the magic sword before he could do anything.

Earl Naeem then reappeared in the room. His body quickly returned to its bloated and clumsy state, and his face appeared wrinkly again. Even his robe automatically readjusted itself around his bloated body. The earl looked down at the bodies on the floor and bent down slightly.

“That’s all I have to say.”

The door was pushed open as a middle-aged man, who looked like a butler, walked in. “Master.”

“Take these monsters away and burn them. Toss their swords into the furnace.” Naeem nodded slightly. “They did not manage to send the signal out; we still have some time.”