Ancient Dragon in Arknights

Neltharion's invisibility cloak hadn't failed; he hadn't yet revealed himself. How had the other party discovered and attacked him?

'The winds around here... they're constantly rotating counter-clockwise around the mansion.'

Damn, the school textbooks are so rigid.

This mansion lacks high-tech cameras and infrared sensors, as well as primitive traps and human security, but it does have a large Originium magic circle covering the entire estate, which creates a wind field.

Nesario didn't know Originium Arts, but he was familiar with the effects of this spell, and he was currently standing within the opponent's "domain".

If there is no way to destroy the Originium array, or to use powerful wind-attribute Originium techniques to fight against it, then one will be in a very passive position.

"Tell me, who's behind you? What did you take with you?"

"..."

“I know a lot about how to get people to talk, and it seems like that’s exactly what you need!”

Judging from the scar above her eye, this woman was definitely not joking; she was a real fighter.

"stop."

As Nesario spoke, the raging winds around them finally calmed down.

“I don’t belong to anyone; I’m here just for this thing. If I could, I would even buy it.”

Nesario took the scales out of his pocket, and the woman in front of him finally saw what the stolen item was.

'Those are... luxury gifts from other nobles.'

As the owner of the mansion, Aldean Cumberland inventoried all the family's possessions after assuming the position, including many artifacts and antiques.

That item was given by a nobleman at a certain annual party to annoy the Cumberland family.

Everyone knows that Cumberland is a staunch supporter of the Aslan royal family, and even now, in an era where the royal family has been completely wiped out, Cumberland has never left Lentinium.

What happens to those who lose power in political struggles? They are simply kicked around by all their adversaries.

The origin of that "artifact" is unknown, but because its enormous scales resembled those of the extinct Drak, it was delivered to Cumberland by the villains—a purely disgusting act.

As for why Allardy didn't discard and destroy it... the Cumberland family was not what it used to be, and they had to cut back on all expenses so that they could contribute when necessary.

Nesario didn't want to escalate the situation. He only wanted to take the scale and give it to the Palicoes to study. As for the land beneath his feet? He wouldn't be coming back.

"Unfortunately, I never do business with cowardly people."

Alde's patience had reached its limit. This was her territory, and the masked intruders had broken into her home, so any counterattack she could take was permissible!

'Whoever you are, grab me first!'

As Aldebaran waved her staff, massive tornadoes rushed toward Neltharion from both sides of her body. If Neltharion were to be caught by these two tornadoes, his invisibility cloak would likely be destroyed.

"Ugh......"

With negotiations failing, Nesario had no choice but to retaliate.

He pulled open the cloak behind him, and the tail that had been tucked in slowly unfolded—from which a sharp blade gleaming with cold light was drawn.

'What? ! ’

Alder is not one of those officers in the Royal Guard School who hasn't yet accessed the core secrets; she is the Duke of Victoria! Even in her fallen state, she still stands at the top of the Victorian food chain.

"Draco! A living Draco!"

"whispering sound!"

Seeing the shocked expression on her face, Nesario knew that this woman definitely knew what Drak was like. Of course, it was normal for a nobleman to know such secrets.

'Kill her to prevent future trouble? No... A noblewoman dying in her own home would likely cause a stir throughout Londinium.'

Frustration—Nesario had never been so annoyed. It was unbelievable that such a situation actually existed in the world, where he couldn't kill her or deceive her.

The shock was fleeting; the tornado was already close to hitting Nesario.

Neltharion's counterattack was ready—as his tail swept across the ground, the steel that had been gleaming coldly instantly became scorching hot.

Along with the tail whip, there was also a scorching gale—surging flames swept out from the tail, landing in front of Aldebaran like a slash. The violent explosion disrupted all the wind fields, and even the two tornadoes that were about to hit Neltharion were torn apart by the scorching slash.

The problem of high-energy matter has also been solved; what a clever scholar, meow!

He cultivated a material called gunpowder grass, which was originally used to mix explosives, but—after Neltharion's initial attempts, he discovered that it could be used to charge Razorblades.

'Wild dragon-slaying beasts also consume gunpowder herbs besides those found in coal mines! This hypothesis is correct! My research is accurate!'

The scholar cat's jubilant voice still seemed to echo in my ears, having thoroughly analyzed a monster from beginning to end—something scholars seemed to dream of. Therefore, every breakthrough in a hypothesis was a success worth celebrating.

"If anyone is instigating me, it is King Aslan of Victoria. Great nobles, you are doomed. The lion's fangs will crush your skulls."

Before leaving, in order to divert some of the trouble, Nesario betrayed Vina without hesitation.

A living, suspected Draco, and the Aslan that Draco speaks of—who do you think is more dangerous?

Is it Draco, whose lineage has died out and whose influence has completely faded, or Aslan, whose influence still lingers?

Chapter Sixty-One: No Disguise

"Come on, I've been discovered."

"Follow me."

Nesario sprinted forward, and thanks to the invisibility cloak, he was not seen by passersby.

After returning to the pipe, the invisibility cloak completely failed, and a primitive man covered in leaves appeared in front of Vina.

Vina wanted to ask him what he had done to become like this, but Nesario's next words immediately set off alarm bells for her.

The two fell silent. Vina led the way and quickly ran deeper into the pipe, with Nesario close behind.

The two ran until they reached a completely dark place before slowing down.

"what happened?"

"..."

After sorting through the situation, Nesario breathed a sigh of relief. He had betrayed Vina's information; although he hadn't named her, she now knew that an Aslan was operating in Londinium. Should he tell her this?

If we still need to use her and the Glasgow Gang, it's best not to say anything that's detrimental to unity.

However, she and Nesario were bound together by fate, their fortunes intertwined. They both knew each other's identities and names; if Vina were caught, he wouldn't get far either, since they were the only two people the Victorian nobles least wanted to see at the moment.

“I successfully obtained what I needed, but the owner of the mansion, a white-grey-haired feline woman, seemed very domineering. I didn’t know who she was, and she caught my little tricks, so we fought.”

"She didn't see my face, but she did see my tail, and because of this distinctive feature, she judged me to be a Drak."

Upon hearing this, Vina frowned slightly; this was not good news.

She was well aware of her situation—the eye of the storm was actually the safest place.

If Nesario were exposed, the trouble he would face would be no less than his own; many hidden ambitious men are interested in Draco's claims.

'We will become enemies, and eventually we will turn our blades against each other.'

Vina actually quite liked the aloof Draco, perhaps because of a little bit of empathy—neither of them dared to raise their voices, and both hid from each other because of their identities and bloodlines.

"Then I chose... to expose you. I told her that it was Aslan who instructed me, and I even threatened her. Because I wanted to divert some of her attention."

"..."

To be honest, Nesario was even prepared to take a punch.

Violence inflicted by others can be resisted, but this time it was Nesario who acted disloyally first, so he deserves this beating.

Thump-Thump-

The leather boots echoed clearly as they stepped on the steel pipes. Vina continued walking forward, showing no sign of anger.

"You're not going to say anything?"

Are you troubled?

"what?"

Vina turned around, her face perfectly calm; she was indeed not angry!

“In fact, all those dukes know I’m in Lentinium. They could even catch me if they wanted to.”

Vina finally found her chance to shine; she stopped and fixed her dark eyes on Nesario.

"But they didn't make a move. Do you know why?"

"Because of political reasons?"

"Yes. I still have some use to them, so the ambitious ones keep me alive; and the royalists, who prioritize their own safety, also keep an eye on me. In short—Lentinium still has a place for me."

Vina turned and continued walking into the darkness. Nesario understood what she meant—don't worry about her.

The ambitious want Vina's claim to the throne, to seize it through legitimate means. The royalists, on the other hand, need the blood of Aslan as a unifying force...

'The Glasgow Gang was Vina's refuge; those behind-the-scenes guys only allowed her to wallow in the mud, not to touch anything too dangerous.'

'But at the same time, Vina was also accumulating her power, deceiving the nobles into believing she was merely a boorish wild girl, while simultaneously maintaining her regal bearing.'

Nesario understood.

This was a gamble—the nobles who opposed the imperial power were betting that Vina couldn't amass the power for revenge and ascension to the throne from the streets and alleys; while Vina herself was betting that she could gain the power to overthrow Lentinium before the other side reached out to her.

'Won't those nobles be fools? Vina has a powerful backer; her fate has been predicted long ago.'

Nesario believed that even if he hadn't met Vina, this girl would eventually overthrow Lentinium.

The two quickly returned to the Sadion district from the pipe. Vina headed towards the Glasgow Gang, while Nesario went to the "Terra Continent Survey Team Temporary Base".

"Nesario meow!"

"Oh! Where are the little craftsmen and scholars?"

"He's in the plant biology research institute in the back."

"Here you go, the newly bought catnip."

"Meow!"

Nesario handed a packet of catnip to the craftsman catnip. This stuff could only be found in spice shops run by people from Yan, and it was rare in Victoria.

However, the Palicoes really liked it, and Nesario also bought a few packs along the way.

After passing through the wildly converted house, Nesario found the scholar cat among the flowers, trees, and shrubs in the backyard, where he was observing the hatching of insects.