Chapter 60
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: The Golden Dragon's Probe
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From now on, the task ahead was an exceedingly difficult one.
Not the slightest mistake could be tolerated.
Ruyan drew up a tiny strand of energy, barely equivalent to less than a year's worth of internal energy, and infused it into Theo.
Slipping in smoothly.
The small thread of internal energy flowed into Theo's crown. Following the incantations of the Return Heart Technique, he began guiding it along the Lesser Heavenly Circuit.
Humming softly.
Theo's meridians weren't open yet, but neither were they fully blocked.
His body, utterly free of impurities, was like a blank sheet of pure white canvas.
The internal energy trickled through like a gentle stream, filling the blank page and tracing a path.
By the time the Lesser Heavenly Circuit was about halfway complete, sweat was pouring down Ruyan's forehead like rain.
'Focus. I must become one with the natural energy itself.'
Guiding circulation in another's body was no easy feat under normal circumstances.
And if that body lacked even a dantian? It was all the more impossible.
Hadn't Ruyan experienced it himself in the past? Without a vessel, energy simply scattered.
In truth, to circulate a mere year's worth of internal energy, Ruyan was expending over a hundred times more.
This was something only the top ten masters of the Central Plains might dare attempt.
And to top it all off, starting not from the dantian but from the Baihui acupoint? It defied all reason—fundamentally impossible.
Yet Ruyan was pulling it off, by assimilating himself fully with the natural energies.
The internal energy slowly completed the Lesser Heavenly Circuit in Theo's body and finally returned to the Baihui point.
'Theo, this is the flow you must sense.'
Ruyan dispersed the returned internal energy back into nature upon finishing the circulation.
Whoosh.
The subtlety of the Return Heart Technique! The gears of that cycle began to turn.
The scattered energy drew in denser, vaster natural forces and seeped back into Theo's Baihui.
Ruyan's role ended there.
Theo's body now knew the sensation of energy entering through the Baihui.
His body would remember that path.
'From here on, it's up to you.'
Ruyan withdrew every last bit of the energy entering Theo's Baihui.
In a state where the Yongquan acupoint wasn't yet formed, this energy would only act as poison.
As he finished the circulation and opened his eyes, Ruyan's body was drenched in sweat.
'What a long road lies ahead.'
He had only just opened the path. Next came teaching the dantian, then overlaying mana circles atop it.
And ultimately, imparting the Return Heart Technique. How much time would it take?
It all depended on Theo's resolve.
Ruyan gently stroked Theo's head before rising to his feet.
'The lesson is done. Now then...'
A heavy fatigue washed over him, but it wasn't time to rest yet.
More work remained.
'Time to swat some flies.'
Ruyan suddenly hurled himself out the window.
'Eek!'
The man leaning against the wall of the opposite building, spying on Ruyan, flinched as he vanished in an instant.
'Damn, he spotted me.'
The man hurriedly tried to flee.
But as he turned, Ruyan was already waiting.
An impassive gaze, devoid even of irritation, pierced right through him.
"You're that guy from the tavern back then."
Ruyan spoke slowly.
Surprisingly, he already knew the man's identity.
"Wh-what are you talking about...?"
"Did Alize run up a tab or something?"
The information broker who had dealt with Alize in Trvente Village.
They had been watching Ruyan.
Deep underground, yet the vast space blazed with bright illumination.
But in all that expanse, there was only one thing: a massive chair.
Cassius, seated upon it, stroked his long golden hair.
'They've probably met by now.'
He hadn't even hoped they wouldn't be noticed.
On the contrary, he had sent the man precisely hoping they would be.
'I wonder how he'll respond.'
A flicker of intense curiosity passed through Cassius's eyes.
GoldeN Pub.
Cassius was the owner of the Golden Tavern.
Of course, it wasn't some ordinary tavern peddling drinks.
A secret organization dealing in information!
Just as Ruyan had suspected.
But even Ruyan hadn't anticipated this: Cassius's true nature.
He was no human.
A Gold Dragon!
The great being from legends—that was Cassius's true form.
Even just a century ago, dragons weren't mere myths. They lived alongside humans as guardians, maintaining the world's balance.
But sixty years prior, during the Empire's Great War, countless dragons met their end.
Some clashed over differing convictions, others fell to human hunters.
'I thought once the war ended, things would return to normal...'
No. After the war, the dragons' extinction only accelerated.
It was the fate of a race tasked with preserving peace and equilibrium.
Those who failed their duty withered away.
Even the mighty dragons.
Now, sixty years later, only five dragons remained alive.
'I wonder how the others are faring.'
It had been ages since they'd last been in touch.
Everyone was occupied with their own duties.
Cassius had his mission too.
Since ancient times, Gold Dragons had stood at the forefront of upholding balance.
Now, he alone remained to carry it out—the last survivor of the golden lineage.
Operating the "Golden Pub" information network was all part of that mission.
-Survive. Wait while alive. He will surely come.
The dying words of the golden clan's elder dragon, as it returned to nature, left Cassius with many questions.
Who was "he"?
What sort of being? Or rather, what could he do?
For the past sixty years, Cassius had pondered that endlessly.
But no answers came.
Only one thing could be inferred.
A being capable, somehow, of righting this dire state.
"Wait while alive" clearly meant to aid "him."
'If need be, I'll rip out my own heart and offer it.'
To him, it was life itself; to humans, a legendary elixir and the finest magic crystal.
If the moment came, he wouldn't hesitate for a second.
But such an extreme measure could wait until meeting "him."
To be of use at that crucial juncture, Cassius had preparations of his own to make.
And so the Golden Pub was born.
To gather every scrap of information "he" might need. To serve as his eyes and ears.
'There were a few standout humans over the years.'
Some talents had caught his eye.
One who wielded 7th Circle magic.
One nearing Grand Master.
One with unbreakable will.
But sadly, none were "him." Just exceptionally gifted humans.
'Tch, and I thought that one was the real deal.'
The last human Cassius had watched closely was Ephes XII.
A Sword Master who walked his path unyieldingly, despite a harsh life!
'But even he wasn't it.'
Ephes XII had died twenty years ago.
Perishing in a stand against the Empire's assassins to protect his daughter.
Perhaps from lingering regret.
Cassius had kept an eye on Alize Ephes XIII, just in case.
Then, out of nowhere, a peculiar human emerged.
The Black Lion Knights' vice-commander knelt before a mere twenty-year-old youth.
'This time, could it be...?'
Cassius's blood ran hot.
No more leisurely waiting.
He was weary too. And fading by the day.
So he decided to test.
Send a man to probe this Ruyan's temperament.
'Let's see what you've got.'
With a casual flick of his finger, space rippled, and a screen materialized.
Perfect timing—the screen filled with Ruyan's expressionless face drawing near.
"You're that guy from the tavern back then."
Ruyan said.
Staring straight at Cassius.
"You know me? What's this about a tab out of nowhere...?"
The Golden Pub's informant tried to play dumb first. He wasn't fool enough to confess just because he'd been exposed.
"Is that so? Guess you're not here to collect a debt."
Ruyan could tell from the informant's attitude alone.
If it were debt collection, there'd be no beating around the bush.
Underworld types might be rough, but they were meticulous with accounts.
When debts were owed or due, they stated it plainly.
"Then why were you tailing us?"
"Hey, what the hell are you even saying?!"
Second dodge. The informant sidestepped Ruyan's question again.
Normally, his neck would've snapped already.
But Ruyan held his patience. He furrowed his brow slightly but didn't strike.
He understood the business.
"It's just your job, so I won't kill you. But answer carefully this time."
Final warning.
Sparing him twice was generosity enough.
"Who gave the order? And what for?"
For an instant, killing intent flashed in Ruyan's eyes.
Gulp.
The informant swallowed dryly.
He knew without doubt now.
His life hung by a thread.
"I... can't say."
The informant's demeanor shifted.
Ruyan was already certain he was from an information guild. Dodging further would just get him killed.
Better to give the best answer he could.
"Just a small fry, then."
Ruyan stared him down piercingly before shaking his head.
'This one's clueless.'
A greenhorn who didn't even know why he'd been assigned.
He was sure of it.
'No suicide order, so routine duty. No zeal to extract info even at death's door, so no clear agenda.'
What more to ask of someone so ignorant?
Pointless.
"You probably don't even know who issued it."
As Ruyan remarked casually, the informant's eyes wavered.
Bullseye.
In truth, the informant knew only that the order came from very high up.
Ruyan reached his verdict swiftly.
"They tossed you out as bait."
This informant was a stone to skip across the water.
Knowing full well it'd be noticed, yet flung out anyway: "Handle as you see fit."
A trite way to gauge a reaction.
"Arrogant bastards. Testing me, are you?"
Kill him? Or let him go?
The informant had staked his life on the experiment.
"Fine. Here's your answer."
Ruyan approached the terrified informant with measured steps.
Just walking slowly.
Yet the informant couldn't budge as the distance closed.
That gaze alone!
Before the absolute's pressure, resistance was unthinkable.
"This is my response."
Ruyan seized the informant's right elbow and crushed it with all his strength.
Crunch.
The elbow shattered completely, echoing gruesomely.
"Guhhh!"
The informant couldn't even scream properly, forcing it down with gritted teeth.
"Find a healer. You'll manage daily life at least."
He wouldn't slaughter blindly, even if thrown at him.
Especially not as someone's pawn.
But he wouldn't send them back unscathed either. Provoke him, and pay the price.
"That your answer clear enough?"