Elden: Ring of Calamity

Chapter 368 Agreement
Lucia sighed in her heart. Not to mention that the "nine out of ten" statement was somewhat exaggerated, she just had no chance to get close to them in recent days since she recovered from her injury.

Lani knew that his next plan was to go to Kalia for the alliance. Their engagement was also part of the alliance, so it was natural that a conclusion had to be made. She rushed back early to prepare.

After hearing the news, Marenia was unhappy for two days, and suddenly decided to run back to Michaela, saying that she had wasted too much time in recent years and must concentrate on practicing swordsmanship.
Only Lance was still around these days. Although the two of them were extremely close and trusted each other, there seemed to be a vague barrier between them and they could not see each other's feelings clearly.

In addition, there were many affairs to be dealt with in the initial stage of the East Territory, and both of them were busy like spinning tops and couldn't stop. It was only at this moment that they had some leisure to relax and chat, but it was time for Lance to rush back to the Far East overnight.

The newly installed magic street lamps on both sides of the plank road cast soft light. Snowflakes fell silently in the dark purple night sky, reflecting a crystal-like luster in the light beams.

Lucia listened to the rustling sound of her boots stepping on the snow, and her heart beat faster and faster.

Now he is more and more like a true king, a king that the entire Ancient Dragon Dynasty has longed for for thousands of years. No matter he is facing the common people, peddlers, or those heroes at the top of the world, his heart is as calm as an ice lake. Even in front of Lani and Marennia, he is always more mature, stable, and the one who shoulders more responsibilities.

But only in front of Lance, he always felt a little "guilty and short of breath".

They have always called each other brother and sister, but that relationship is not a real brother and sister - since the ancient dragon king Praton Sanx, every ancient dragon royal with the name "Sanx" is an innate life born from the furnace giant tree. Only the dragon mother Guior was named "Guiaor" by the dragon god Heraris because her innate form was different from that of traditional ancient dragons.

As for the other ancient dragons, they are all descendants born from the royal family. Although they do not have the eternal life and powerful strength of the royal family, they are still the most powerful race in the world.

When the Supreme Will descended on the border, the Crucible Tree turned into the golden tree of the new era, and the Sky City of Fam. Azra was completed, the Dragon King and the Dragon God transplanted part of the tree heart of the ancient dragon royal family born in the Crucible Tree to the Royal Court, and set up many barriers around it with the power of time, space and elements, and named it the Nest of Ten Thousand Dragons. The later ancient dragon royal families were all born from this huge tree heart like a mountain range, so there was a legend in the mortal world that the ancient dragons were born in storms and thunder.

Lanceshanks and Fulshanks are a pair of twins born in the royal court recently after the Forbidden War. They are also the only two ancient dragon royal families in thousands of years.

In terms of blood relationship, Lance has no direct connection with Fordu, let alone with Lucia; in terms of age, the Supreme Egg was born long before the Star-Moon Era, and strictly speaking, Lucia is several hundred years older than Lance.
But when he faced her, what always appeared before his eyes and filled his heart was her pale face when she came to rescue him across thousands of miles despite being injured, her lonely figure busy in the temple and supporting the dynasty through ups and downs, her lone sail leading the fleet across the ocean, and even the dragon roar that resounded over Dikedas, and the white dragon shadow that descended from the sky and shocked hundreds of golden knights.

In front of her, he seemed to always be in a position of being cared for, protected, and guarded. Obviously, she had done so much for him, but she still seemed to be never satisfied and embarked on a longer journey and gave him more everything.

When he heard her ask with a smile "What do you want", he wanted to promise something to show his gratitude, but then he thought, as the one being protected, what position did he stand in to be qualified to make such a promise?

And what exactly should she repay to make up for everything Lance had given, and how could she possibly accept the so-called "reward"?
He turned his head as if possessed by a demon, and unexpectedly met Lance's furtive gaze. Her pupils were also the same deep blue as an icy lake, but three points lighter than Lucia's. The moment she was discovered, she trembled suddenly, and her eyelids drooped shyly, and her delicate snow-white skin was stained with a delicate rose-like blush.

But after all, she was not a naive little girl like Lani and Marenia. The next second, she raised her face calmly and looked straight at him, with a gentle smile flowing in her eyes as misty as lake water.

At this moment, Lucia suddenly realized that this time, she was the one who first caught the feelings of both of them that were difficult to express, and she deliberately asked this rather straightforward question to avoid the embarrassment of speaking first.

He turned his gaze, stopped, stared at the ground in a daze for a moment, and suddenly laughed out loud.

"What are you laughing at?"

"I was wondering if we should search the world for a guy named Vic and kill him early." Lance raised his eyebrows. "Emissary or heretic?"

"Nothing, just a guy who might ruin my plans—" He smiled and looked into her eyes, "But I won't do that again in the future."

There was a warm touch at her fingertips, and Lance felt her palm being gently grasped by him. His five fingers passed through her fingers and held her palm.

Lucia felt the jade-smooth hand tremble slightly, and then quickly calm down, as if nothing had happened, just like Lance Shanks had always been gentle, calm and composed.

"That's it?" she asked with a smile.

"That's it for now," he replied. "I will be going to Kalia soon to hold my engagement ceremony with Ranie. When I come back, I will give you an identical ceremony."

When he said this, his eyes were no longer hesitant, and his heartbeat returned to being stable and peaceful.

He was the king she had chosen long ago, and that was how a king should be.

Before they knew it, the two had reached the end of the plank road. After sending away the servants, there was only so much private space left. Going further ahead, they could already see the fleet that was ready to set off.

Soon, Lance will lead 80,000 dynasty soldiers back to the Far East.

"I always feel like I'm going to be tricked into working for a bad check again—" Lance raised his head and looked at the snow falling all over the sky. "You tricked me for three years last time, how long do you plan to take this time?"

This time, Lucia would not talk about the long lifespan of the dragon race. He just held her hand and said solemnly: "In one year - at most one year, I will return to Fam Azra and hold the coronation ceremony."

Lance lowered his eyes slightly to hide the relief on his face, and deliberately said, "So this is the 'grand ceremony' you were talking about?"

"No," Lucia said calmly, "Only when I ascend the throne can I hold a coronation ceremony for my queen, right?"

Lance suddenly felt his hand tighten, and a gentle force surged, and he unconsciously leaned forward half a step.

The next second, she fell into a warm embrace, like a trap that had been planned for a long time and finally paid off.

Closing her eyes and listening to the strong heartbeat, her tense body slowly relaxed and she whispered, "Well, I'll wait for you to come back."

(End of this chapter)