The atmosphere froze in an instant.
“What do you usually do in your free time, Mr. Mo Li?” Emilia broke the silence, the corners of her mouth curling slightly.
“Me? Sunbathe, sleep.” What else is there to do when you’ve got nothing going on? Life is about stealing moments of leisure in the chaos.
If you don’t slack off, how do you even live?
“Rather than sleeping, I think Mr. Mo Li should try filling his brain with some knowledge first.” Emilia’s tone was somewhere between teasing and mocking.
“Oh, then I really appreciate the princess’s advice.
I’ll be sure to keep it in mind.”
“From the Carona Peninsula to the Rhine River, that’s the main territory where humans live.
Beyond the Rhine River, in the far north of the Tain Continent, it’s no longer human territory.
That’s where Aurevigia, White Feathered Dragons, vampires, and all sorts of other non-human races live.” Emilia took on the role of a temporary geography teacher, giving Mo Li a quick lesson.
“Oh… I see.
So the area beyond the Rhine River isn’t inhabited by humans, which makes it especially dangerous, right?”
“You could put it that way.
But the real threat isn’t the fox spirits, dragons, or vampires.
Those high-intelligence races usually don’t go out of their way to mess with humans.
The real problem is the low-intelligence monsters that attack indiscriminately just to satisfy their instincts.
Those are the ones that give people headaches,” Emilia added.
“Fox spirits and dragons… are they friendly to humans?” Mo Li asked again.
“Not exactly friendly, but not hostile either.
To them, humans are just too insignificant—so small that we’re not even worth the effort.”
“Then why don’t they just cross the Rhine River and conquer humanity?” Mo Li was even more confused now.
“Mr. Mo Li, your knowledge of history really needs some serious work…” Emilia said with a sigh.
“Dragons, foxes, even those vampires we think of as lunatics—they were once vassals of the human empire.
They signed contracts not to openly harm humans.”
“Mythical species were once vassals of the human empire??” Mo Li was stunned.
“You didn’t know that?” The three people in front of him looked at Mo Li with even more disdain.
“Dragons, foxes, vampires—these three major mythical races and the creatures under their protection were all once vassals of the human empire… It’s just that the empire no longer exists.”
“Which empire are we talking about?” Mo Li asked, confused.
“Mr. Mo Li, I’m starting to doubt whether you’re even human.” Emilia teased.
“What other empire could it be? In all the heavens and earth, there’s only one nation that dared to call itself an empire, and only one person who dared to claim to be the emperor appointed by the goddess Sera.”
“The Aedin Empire.” Aurora, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke up.
“Ah, the Aedin Empire.
I’ve heard of it.
I just didn’t know it once ruled over dragons and foxes.” Mo Li scratched his head.
“…The Aedin Empire, cradle and origin of human civilization.
It once spanned vast lands.
They say wherever the sun shone, it was all Aedin territory.
The Dragon King, the First Fox Spirit, the Vampire Queen, the Elven King—they all once had to kneel humbly at the feet of the Aedin Emperor and swear loyalty.” Aurora murmured, her expression tinged with a hint of longing.
“And yet, it’s gone now.” Mo Li shrugged, cutting off Aurora’s speech at the worst possible moment.
“Alright, alright, let’s save the history lesson for a more appropriate time.
Looks like we’re running out of time.
I think we should hurry up and hire a carriage to get to the assessment site.”
“Mr. Mo Li, carriage drivers aren’t exactly keen on crossing the Rhine River with us into dangerous non-human territory,” Emilia interrupted.
“Then… we walk?”
“Hey! Great idea.” Emilia clapped her hands, grinning.
“If we start walking now, we’ll just make it to the Palonai Forest in time for next year’s entrance exam.
Classic Mo Li, always thinking on a cosmic scale!”
“…” Mo Li rubbed his nose, not saying a word after being roasted by Emilia.
For some reason, in both his lives, Mo Li could never win against this phoenix princess—whether it was in a war of words or an actual fight.
That said, getting to their destination was indeed a major problem.
Aurora turned her gaze to their mentor, Xing Luo, looking to her for a solution.
“We’re not walking, and we’re not taking a carriage either…” Xing Luo said lazily, though her tone suggested she already had a plan.
“Let’s get out of the Papal State first, to avoid causing any unnecessary disturbances,” Xing Luo added cryptically.
In the end, it was the wealthy Princess Emilia who summoned a large, enchanted royal carriage used by the Papal State’s royal family.
Never mind how luxurious the interior was—the main features of this carriage were its speed and shock-absorbing enchantments.
The wheels were inscribed with wind-element magic runes, and the horses were sweat-blood steeds.
Not quite royal unicorns, but still top-tier.
Mo Li got a taste of the high life, and sleeping in that luxurious carriage was way more comfortable than the shabby hut back at his orphanage.
In less than two days, the four of them had left the Papal State and arrived near the Rhine River.
“Hmm, this should be about the place,” Xing Luo said softly.
She’d spent the past few days holed up in her room sleeping, only coming out for basic needs.
Mo Li hadn’t seen her at all.
He was starting to wonder—when this mentor walked down the street, were they protecting her, or was she protecting them?
“Humm…” Xing Luo took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, all her usual laziness and indifference had vanished.
A pair of massive crimson dragon wings burst from her back.
Then came a deafening dragon roar that shook the sky.
The surrounding trees twisted in the violent wind, and the Rhine River boiled and surged.
“What the…” Mo Li grabbed a nearby branch to keep from being blown away.
Emilia activated her bloodline, a pair of golden flame wings shielding him.
Aurora simply closed her eyes and stood firm like a mountain.
“ROOOAAAR!” The crimson figure in the sky rapidly grew larger, transforming into a massive red true dragon.
The dragon let out a thunderous roar, circled in the air several times, then landed heavily on the ground, the shockwave toppling a large swath of nearby forest.
“Get on.” Xing Luo looked at the three of them, her dragon eyes calm and steady.
So this was the transportation she had in mind—riding a dragon?
Honestly, it was Mo Li’s first time traveling on a dragon’s back, and he was a bit nervous and uncomfortable.
In contrast, Emilia had zero hesitation.
It was her first time too, but her face was lit up with excitement, clearly loving every second of it.
