Ancient Dragon in Arknights

Crack! Facing the approaching fist, Aldebaran was not intimidated. She even stepped forward and slammed her elbow into Indra's fist. Both of them were in the hardest part of their bones, and this collision would probably hurt both of them.

"Oh!"

Such a fierce fighting style is nothing like that of a warlock. Alleide's high-profile entrance just now made everyone think that she would use magic as an offensive means next.

"It's not over yet!"

Indra is not someone who can only throw one punch. Nesario, who has fought with her, knows this well. Indra's punches are completely unpredictable because she has never learned proper boxing. Her skills come from countless street fights. As a result, Indra's fighting instincts are extremely sharp.

The moves she uses are always the most effective and coordinated; facing her fists is like a hailstorm, not only powerful and heavy, but also relentless.

Thump, thump, thump—the dull sound of punches rang out continuously. At first, both sides were still on the defensive, but when it got heated, it was a complete brawl.

Abandoning all defense, just to land a punch on the opponent.

"..."

Nesario didn't understand. He thought Alde would use magic to quickly deal with Indra and then go to Vina to have a heart-to-heart talk with her. Why was he now fighting with Indra?

"enough!"

As blood dripped from both sides, Vina finally spoke up to stop the fight. This was no friendly competition; it was two people venting their anger on each other.

"Aleide, is it? Have I offended you?"

"No."

"Then what does this mean?"

"I just want to fight."

"..."

"Pfft-"

Upon hearing this, Nesario laughed out loud. A duke, running around in a thug's boxing gym in the Sadion district, getting beaten up?

"why are you laughing?"

Alde glared at Nesario with extreme displeasure. She was right; initially, Alde did want to quickly eliminate Indra, but after several exchanges, she saw Indra's determination to defend Vina.

This touched Allardy somewhat; she had always thought that only the Cumberland family would be so "foolish" as to protect Aslan.

But it seems that Aslan has never lacked followers, even though she is young and inexperienced.

The two white tigers suddenly had the urge to compete. One was born into wealth and the other into humble origins. Originally, they would have had no connection, but now they were intertwined because of Vina.

"Aldey, you can challenge me. But not today. Let's wait until you've recovered."

After saying that, Vina turned and left. Morgan would take care of Indra's injuries; she needed peace and quiet.

Vina still remembered Alder's initial target—herself. Vina didn't know where this fighting spirit came from, but she saw the light in Alder's eyes.

That light looked incredibly complex, as if it held many unspoken thoughts. Vina had only ever seen such an expression on those who were about to face their end.

With strength comparable to Indra's, she naturally has the right to challenge him. More importantly, she feels as if she has seen him somewhere before, and a flutter of excitement stirs within her.

'Nesario! That guy definitely knows something.'

Vina quickly turned around and pushed open the door—but by then, Nesario and Alde had already left.

“Master, that wolf cub named Allady is a good fellow.”

Morgan was applying medicine to Indra, and when she saw Vina, she casually recounted her feelings from just now.

"To put it another way, it's like we've known each other for a long time... Well, I can't say it like that, I've never added that person on my WeChat; anyway—it just feels very familiar, like I know what she's thinking."

"Huh? When did you start saying such ambiguous things?"

Morgan knew that Indra was a man who didn't like to think and always spoke bluntly, or rather, rudely. Why was he suddenly spouting these cryptic words today? Could it be that he had suddenly become enlightened and was secretly reading a book?

......

Outside the boxing gym, Nesario was watching a doctor finish treating Alede's wounds at a small clinic.

"What can you possibly learn from just one meeting? Why don't you just throw Indra away and then fight her in person?"

"No...you won't get much that way. I'd rather see how her people are doing and how the places they govern are faring."

Nesario figured it out—he was jealous.

Aldée, originally a lone loyalist guarding the last honors of Cumberland, envisioned a future where Vina would make a strong comeback, and she would lend her support, just as their ancestors had.

The majestic Aslan and "Eternally Noble Cumberland" will be written into history and sung by poets.

But now it seems that he is not important. Vina has no shortage of ministers, some of whom are even more steadfast than he, a wavering fellow.

A feeling of frustration simmering inside her, which she couldn't vent, ultimately led Aldette to do something wrong.

'Bring the lion's oxen? That doesn't seem like a bad idea...'

The dangerous idea flashed through his mind, but Nesario weighed it and decided against it—Cumberland didn't suit his taste; a fallen family was nothing more than a decoration.

What he needs is real support, such as a powerful grand duke.

Chapter 83 Joint Hunt

After seeing Alledie off, Nesario's previously anxious heart finally calmed down a bit.

The Duke of Cumberland could coexist peacefully with her, and even have her do things for him. As long as Vina was safe and sound, the alliance could continue.

"However... Alde is a staunch supporter of Aslan, and Vina and I have a good relationship now; but when it comes to the succession to the throne..."

Nesario asked himself if he wanted to be a king, above all others, noble and luxurious, with no one to rival him!

"Forget it. I might be able to be a tyrant; but I probably can't be a good king."

The position of king is never a good job. The loyalty and motives of those around you, the conflicts within the country, and the happiness of the people—a tyrant can disregard all of these, but he will soon be put on the execution platform; as for being a wise ruler, Nesario doesn't have that ability.

As for joining forces with other dukes and acting as a mascot, a symbol of the king, while actually exercising the power of a duke—this kind of life is not necessarily unacceptable. As long as Nesario is obedient enough, a luxurious life and beautiful women can all be satisfied.

Unfortunately, Neltharion has the blood of a dragon flowing through his veins—dragons do not obey anyone, let alone be kept as pets.

"We'll take it one step at a time. If things go wrong, we can always slip away. There's nothing to miss about Victoria."

As for the other duke—Kester, the Grand Duchess, spy, and ambitious woman; she will come after Nesario one day, but she will not start a war directly, and there is still room for negotiation between the two.

With these two heavy burdens removed, Nesario found that his carefree school life was about to return—as long as he could get through the large-scale exercise in two days, he could return to the rosy youth of studying and living with the girls.

Goodnight, Victoria.

Nesario lay on the bed and soon fell into a deep sleep.

His situation in Terra is looking promising, but what about in the New World?

The familiar feeling of weightlessness returned, this time with an added sense of inversion, just like being on a plane about to crash.

'This is bad...this is really bad...wake up! My body!'

Boom!

A sharp pain shot through his face, and Nesario instantly regained consciousness—he had fallen to the ground, onto a very hard stone surface.

Sitting up, Nesario first observed his surroundings—unlike the arid desert of the "Great Anthill Wasteland," nor the lush, verdant environment of the "Ancient Forest," and with the scorching sun high in the sky, it wasn't the "Valley of Miasma" either... Where was he?

The solid ground was entirely made of stone, and it felt warm to the touch. There must be a volcano nearby, as the stones on the ground were all lava rocks. White crystals could be seen on the distant cliffs and the surrounding environment, with seven-colored fluctuations emanating from them, which looked somewhat dangerous.

"Nesario! What are you doing here?"

A familiar voice came from behind him, and Nesario turned around—sure enough, it was the receptionist from the investigation team.

"Hello... I don't know what happened either, it's probably... a coincidence? By the way, why are you here? Is it part of the investigation team's mission?"

The receptionist gestured for Nesario to follow her up a hillside. Behind the hillside, a camp was hidden! The surrounding crystals and boulders provided excellent cover for the camp.

"You guessed right, the mission for Azure Star is to investigate the ecology here and find a very dangerous guy."

"Meow?"

"Ah! It's the Palicoes!"

Before the receptionist could finish speaking, the sound of cats meowing came from the tents in the camp—three Felynes walked out of the tents with puzzled expressions.

"Here we go again? My hunting spirit is already burning!"

The Swaying Eel Palico performed steadily, quickly grasped the situation, and was eager to join the hunt.

"How did we end up here again? We're not combatants, meow!"

"Oh...where is this? Those crystals contain a very high level of energy!"

Why did Scholar Cat and Craftsman Cat come too? The investigation team certainly needs these two capable cats, but they're not needed for the battle on the front lines, are they?

"You two, wait at the camp with the receptionist. Leave the hunting to us."

Nesario didn't intend to send non-combatants into battle; even a powerful planet like Azure Star didn't take its hostess on a hunt. Clerical staff could simply focus on their tasks.

"If you're going hunting... please bring these with you."

The receptionist took out a lot of supplies from a large box placed in the camp—green recovery potions, several packaged pills, and a broken thorn.

"this is?"

Based on his follower cat's instructions, Nesario quickly identified the pills: a Demon Drug to boost strength, a Hardening Drug to improve physical endurance, a Stamina Enhancement Drug to boost stamina, and a secret potion for use in dire situations.

But he couldn't figure out what use this broken thorn was.

"This is the hunting target—the spikes of the Nergigante. You can use a Scoutfly to track the clues."

"Nergigante...?"

Nesario swallowed hard. This name sounds even more domineering than Dragon Slayer.

"That guy is an Elder Dragon that feeds on Elder Dragons, and he is extremely dangerous, so—if the mission can't proceed, our safety should be our top priority."

"..."

Neltharion recalled his companion's teachings—ancient dragons, dragons capable of damaging or even altering the ecological environment, most of whom can control the natural elements and unleash unimaginable power.

And now—you want me to challenge something that can prey on ancient dragons?

What's going on with the task allocation for the investigation team?! This kind of being definitely not something a few people can handle!? It should require the entire group's resources to resolve!

"Has Azure Star already set off?"

"Yes."