The meeting room was silent for several seconds as Albaromoz stared at the spot where the Bloodline Patriarch had disappeared from. No, he had been teleported away. For a moment, the dragon had felt a divine presence before the teleportation, making so many questions appear in his head, but it did dispel one doubt.
Albaromoz felt ashamed of even questioning the urgency of the Bloodline Patriarch’s issue. He had thought it was just one of the oldest tricks in the book that people used to get out of meetings early, something he himself had even done several times. However, it clearly was something far more serious than Albaromoz could understand when it was deemed necessary for a god to directly interfere and assist in bringing the Patriarch back. That meant it was a situation where every second mattered.
But… Albaromoz was still perplexed. Why was the Bloodline Patriarch even involved in something of such importance? Who was the god that had acted? Likely his backer.
The formation used to defend Firebound City was created in part by Patron Fireplume herself, a powerful god in the seventh circle of divinity. For someone to so effortlessly teleport a mortal without even triggering an alarm or their presence being recognizable… they had to at least be of the same level or perhaps a god specialized in space magic.
“Uncle… what just happened?” Helenstromoz asked, having also felt the divine presence.
“Something far out of our league,” Albaromoz said with certainty. One thing he knew now was that the Bloodline Patriarch had far more to him than the Emberflight had initially concluded. Sure, they recognized he had a powerful Bloodline, and Helenstromoz even admitted it was more powerful than her own, but that had been it. He had just been a junior who carried something valuable with an unknown S-grade backer.
But now… now Albaromoz was not so sure. We may have severely underestimated the Bloodline, he considered, especially as it seemed like the secrecy around it was enough for gods to get involved. Luckily for the Emberflight, they were not entirely cut off from the Patriarch. They had an in right there in the meeting room.
“Lord Draskil, would you be willing to shed any light on what happened?” Albaromoz asked the Malefic Dragonkin.
“I apologize; I am not,” the young dragonkin answered. The question was asked very specifically if he would be willing to, not if Draskil was able to. It seems their appearance of friendship was not entirely a ruse, he concluded with his lie-detecting skill.
Albaromoz nodded in understanding. “May I ask how long you have known the Bloodline Patriarch?”“Met him when we entered the Order,” Draskil answered honestly. “We both carried the Blessing of the Malefic One and were two of the most powerful there, so it would have been odd for us not to talk.”
“I see,” Albaromoz kept nodding, the answer making sense. “I heard you two even went on a dungeon dive together.”
“We did,” Draskil confirmed.
“You are both from the new universe, so you two bonding shouldn’t come as a surprise. Do tell, how are you integrating with the Order?” Albaromoz asked.
Draskil just grinned in response. “A needless question.”
Smiling, the true dragon thought for a bit. “I must say, I have not encountered any Malefic Dragonkin before you. Your race is incredibly rare, and I am rather curious.”
The malefic dragonkin’s grin just intensified. “Isn’t it a bit early to ask such a question? Though maybe I would share with Lady Emberflight… she did offer a tour of the city earlier; is that still available? I am sure plenty of conversation would happen during that.”
Looking over at Helenstromoz, she simply nodded. “I had my day cleared for this meeting, and seeing the unfortunate departure of Mr. Thayne, there is no reason to decline.”
Good answer, child, Albaromoz approved.“This old one shall take his leave then. May you two have fun and enjoy your time.”
While they had not achieved their goal, getting closer to a Malefic Dragonkin with a Divine Blessing wasn’t a bad thing either. It was unfortunate he had joined the Order of the Malefic Viper fully, making it impossible to recruit him, but it still offered the opportunity of strengthening the bond between the Emberflight and the Order.
Saying his goodbyes to leave the young ones to talk, he left the room and began making his way toward the Firebound Peak. He had not been called there, which mattered a lot due to what had just happened, as that meant his Patron had not detected the teleportation. Either way, he knew he would have to report as this matter had transcended above anything he, as a mortal, should be in charge of.
After considering the situation, Albaromoz reached his conclusion and would report it. The Emberflight had been under the interpretation that the Bloodline Patriarch was backed by an S-grade… but now, that was practically disproved. That still left the question of why the Malefic One would be the one having blessed him, but Albaromoz did see two scenarios where that could be possible.
The first was that he was backed by one of the hidden gods. Recently, Albaromoz had heard rumors that many gods had returned to the Order of the Malefic Viper, rejoining the Malefic One. Many of these gods were notorious figures, some hunted by major factions or powerful individuals, and some outright viewed as cursed creatures to be killed on sight. Perhaps it was even a vampire god, which fit both these descriptions to many. If the Bloodline Patriarch had carried the Blessing of one of these shunned gods, it would have led to many questions and potential issues. Many of them preferred to stay hidden to the level of never giving out Blessings to even hide the fact they were even alive.
This was the explanation that made the most sense to Albaromoz. It fit quite nicely, and even the timing seemed right, though no one besides the gods truly knew when these hidden gods rejoined. It also made sense to bless him with a lower Blessing as it was just a mark to communicate to other gods to not try and bless him. Finally, the fact the Patriarch had not joined the Order fully backed this even more as many hidden gods were still individuals and were more just working with the Viper than outright subordinates.
Though there was one other option that was technically also possible. One that did not include any hidden gods but one that was more than well-known. Based on how the young human acted, the progress he displayed, his presence, Identify-obscuring skills, and his ability to have a Malefic Dragonkin with a Divine Blessing essentially work for him… this option was preposterous, but it was possible, if barely.
If either option proved true, it meant they would have to act far more carefully and not antagonize him in any way. Especially if the second hypothesis of Albaromoz was true:
That he was the rumored Chosen of the Malefic Viper.
The problem was that they didn’t know… and without knowing, Albaromoz was lost as to what they could do without potentially making a huge mistake or pissing someone off even the main clan of the Emberflight couldn’t deal with.
“They looked so spooked,” Villy smiled, shaking his head.
“I do think that went pretty damn well,” Jake also grinned, looking at the recording of the dragons just sitting there staring at the place Jake had disappeared from. “Though it was a bit risky, wasn’t it? Is there a chance they can find out you were behind the teleportation?”
“Nah, no chance unless the Grand Matriarch from the main clan of the Emberflight herself had been present when it happened. Even then, she would only have been able to detect it happening while not necessarily knowing who did it,” Villy dismissed Jake’s concern. “Now, that would probably let her know it was me through the process of elimination, as not many can do that in her presence, but this Fireplume isn’t exactly a top-tier god, so no worries.”
“Aight,” Jake said, a bit relieved. He knew it was a gamble to do all this, but he believed it would work out well. At the very least, it would sow a lot of doubt in their minds and make them apprehensive. At the same time, he had given them a distraction in the form of Draskil, making them focus on him instead. Getting on good terms with him should be something they wanted, and Jake had also tacitly given his approval to use Draskil to try and learn stuff about Jake. Plus, Jake had noticed the way Draskil stared at Helen’s tail… so clearly, the dragonkin approved.
“You will have to come out as my Chosen eventually,” Villy then said. “At some point, you will stand out too much and have too much attention on you. Something will slip, and once just a few people realize, the dam of concealment will break, and the knowledge will spread like an unstoppable flood.”
“I am aware, but I can still try and delay it as long as possible by trying to haphazardly duct-tape all the cracks on the dam,” Jake said, playing into the metaphor.
“Up to you, but I do think you are overexaggerating the problems it will bring,” Villy shrugged. “Though I guess I can see how it would annoy all those around you.”
“That is my main concern. I can handle it, but Meira, Reika, and anyone I would ever bring from Earth would be swept up in the flood,” Jake said.
“If you make sure they are well-prepared and give them life vests beforehand-“
“Okay, I think we can stop with the metaphor,” Jake interrupted the Viper. “Anyway, I decided to delay, and I am sticking to that decision.”
“Not gonna lie, I had kind of hoped you would fuck up and reveal yourself,” Villy said in a joking tone. “Sadly, the damn dragons didn’t cross any lines or annoy you too much. Oh well, there is always Nevermore.”
“Nevermore?” Jake questioned. “What do you mean?”
“I told you there are events at Nevermore, but they are more competitions. There are rankings and stuff. Tell me, are you planning on going there and being mediocre or doing your damn best to try and go as far as you possibly can?”
“The latter, duh,” Jake said without any hesitation.
“So, don’t you think someone will question why this random guy with a lesser Blessing from the Malefic Viper shows up with someone carrying a Divine Blessing from Aeon, a bird with a Divine Blessing from Stormild, a Unique Lifeform, and whoever else you get to go?” Villy asked pointedly.
“That… may be a good point,” Jake said.
“No matter what, there will be a spotlight on you, and I don’t see you remaining in the shadows with that much exposure,” Villy shrugged. “I am also surprised you didn’t ask the Malefic Dragonkin if he wanted to join you for Nevermore.”
Jake opened his mouth to respond before slowly closing it again.
“You forgot to ask him, didn’t you?”
“I got distracted by politics,” Jake defended himself.
“Good thing either way, as it would put him in an awkward spot to reject you,” the Viper said with a nod.
“Huh? He already got a group?” Jake asked in surprise.
“While the Order does not require much of its members, representing it in places like Nevermore is expected of them. A full team of people from the Order of the Malefic Viper will naturally be formed, and Draskil is one of the strongest of this generation, so naturally, he will go with other Order members. Even if you were revealed as my Chosen, your performance in Nevermore would be colored by those you go with, and it would never be called a group from the Order,” the Viper explained.
“Didn’t know that was a thing,” Jake confessed. “But it does make sense; I just didn’t know the Order cared much about the social credit doing well at Nevermore would bring.”
“It helps with recruitment and to establish that the Order is still powerful, especially now that we are making a comeback.”
“Fair,” Jake nodded. “Oh well, thanks for the assist with the Emberflight.”
“What would you have done if I hadn’t bothered teleporting you away?” Villy asked teasingly.
“I know you would, as you would find it amusing, and besides, with how you are constantly stalking me through your little livestream, I damn well expect some kind of payment for the broadcasting rights,” Jake said with a grin.
“Touche,” the Viper admitted defeat. “So, what are you up to now? Back to experimenting with cores?”
Jake thought for a moment before shaking his head. “Maybe I should, but no. I just spent an entire damn day dealing with annoying politics and getting asked about mistresses on three separate occasions. I am bloody exhausted. I need to blow off some steam.”
“I am already feeling sorry for them. Poor termites, just wanting to live peacefully in their hive when the big bad hunter arrives to steal their lives and their cores,” the Viper shook his head in a dramatic way.
“Sadly, it is the cycle of life. They failed to kill me the last time I invaded, and now I am coming back with fury to get my revenge. It is inevitable,” Jake said, joining in on the dramatics.
“Then go, my Chosen, carry out justice in the name of the Malefic One and make my will a reality!” Villy said, holding back a laugh.
“But I am mainly doing it for the loot,” Jake said in a deadpan voice.
“As I, the Malefic One, willed it,” Villy said, grinning. “Now be off and have fun killing insects for a while. But remember to not overdo it with the levels. I feel like I have to keep reminding you, considering your forgetful nature. Oh, and if you decide to create another Sin weapon with apocalyptic properties, do it intentionally this time, alright?”
“No promises,” Jake teased as he jumped off the couch. “And I am not that forgetful. Shit, I even remember that I have to go by Arnold to drop off the things he ordered.”
“I am so proud,” the Viper said without a trace of emotion.
“Ass,” Jake shook his head. “See you around; I do plan on coming back here in not that long and continuing work on the ritual.”
“Have fun committing termite genocide,” Villy said as he disappeared. Jake walked out of the living room and headed towards the teleporter to get back to Earth. On the way, he sent a quick thank-you to Draskil for the help.
Teleporting back to Earth, Jake appeared in the underground laboratory where he had set up the circle last time. Having nothing to do in Haven, Jake quickly made his way out of the laboratory and began One Stepping towards the Fort. Could he have used the teleportation circle? Yes, but honestly, just using One Step was about as fast, and it allowed him not to stand in queue for the teleporter and avoid people altogether.
His not teleporting could be compared to how one couldn’t be arsed to take the car just to pop down to the corner store a hundred meters from home. Maybe it would be slightly faster, but it felt superfluous.
Soon enough, he was at the Fort, and Jake headed straight for the big metal dome Arnold called home. As he approached the Fort, he felt something observe him, and he knew it was whatever monitoring Arnold had set up. This was pretty much confirmed by a hole in the metal dome opening up for Jake to enter through as he got close.
Jake had already seen Arnold with his Sphere and went to the massive workshop to meet the craftsman. Walking in, Jake spoke as soon as he saw Arnold.
“Hey, Arnold, I brought those things you asked about,” Jake said with a big smile, feeling a bit proud of himself.
Arnold turned to him. “Good, then I can restart the delayed project.”
His response instantly made Jake feel bad about his tardiness, and he scratched his head. “Yeah, sorry for the delay; I have had a lot going on.”
Arnold just nodded. “Please follow me to the storeroom.”
Jake did as asked, and they soon made it to a massive underground vault. He was about to ask why Arnold didn’t just store the things in a spatial storage but soon got the answer. The vault was not only there for safekeeping but was far more complicated. Magical formations lined the walls, and the entire thing was practically overflowing with mana, infusing all the items within. It was like a greenhouse for metals.
Dropping off all the things took a while as Arnold categorized each item and ensured they were stored in the right place. Some of the items, like the two Meira had pointed out from the Altmar Empire, he did store in his personal storage.
Once they were done, Arnold seemed satisfied and looked at Jake. “Would you be interested in inspecting the Nanoblade? It is completed to a satisfactory degree.”
Jake smiled. “Who would say no to that?”