Chapter 18: The Eye of Inquiry

The "Great Red" steadily advanced northeast.

For the past few days, Aegon and Irene had been living tirelessly...

[Ding~ You have gained 50,000 experience x4]

[Level 81 → Level 82]

[Interface upgrade successful.]

Aegon held the delicate body with strands of scarlet hair clinging to his neck and face.

"Let me rest for a while..."

She nestled in his arms, her breathing slightly rapid.

"Alright." Aegon gently patted her back.

While Irene was resting, Aegon also finally took a look at his interface, which indeed had undergone some changes.

Aegon (Level 82) [Max Level 99]

Species: Dragon — Black Dragon Acnologia (Evolving)

Length: 36 meters

Attribute: None

Abilities: Devour, Magic Immunity, Evolution, Transformation (Dragon Form/Human Form)

Skills: Black Dragon's Roar, Meteor Fall, Mach Strike, ... Chaos Descend, Chaos Flame.

Next Stage Evolution Options: Deathwing Neltharion, ...

Required Conditions for Evolution: Level 99

...

His abilities, level, and skills hadn't changed, so he quickly glanced past them.

The change in the interface was the addition of new features — Companions and Subordinates.

Companion: Irene Belserion [Intimacy: 99/100]

Subordinates: Heine, Juliet, Mera [Loyalty: 100/100]

Juliet and the others had a loyalty rating of [100/100].

Subordinates had another function, [Experience Sharing].

Half of the experience points from the opponents they defeated would be shared with Aegon, although this amount of experience was mostly negligible. However, having more subordinates could accumulate small gains over time.

This change in the interface was within Aegon's expectations, as these two functions were part of the original game.

Subordinates couldn't be casually recruited but required a certain level of loyalty and Aegon's own intention to be considered as subordinates.

Looking at it this way, Irene's Additional Personality Magic was naturally a divine skill for creating subordinates, as the summoned personalities had full loyalty.

However, Aegon didn't plan to let Irene summon more personalities for the time being, as there was no immediate need.

As for the choice of a steward, he had other plans.

Regarding why Irene's intimacy was one point short, Aegon had an answer. It was due to the scar on her left side and her daughter, Erza, whom she never mentioned.

Aegon had asked about this issue many times, but Irene never wanted to answer directly, and Aegon didn't force it. This matter could take time...

After all, Erza was still a young and inexperienced girl.

They had encountered some flying beasts along the way, which Heine and Juliet dealt with, gaining negligible experience.

As for Aegon and Irene, they didn't live endlessly day and night...

The two sat leisurely on the main deck, sipping tea, which had become a favorite pastime for Irene after regaining her sense of taste.

Aegon casually asked, "Still not planning to tell me about your scar?"

Irene stared intently at Aegon's face without speaking, "I can tell you, but in exchange, I want to know... your secret."

Aegon's expression remained calm, "What secret?"

Irene put down her teacup and shook her head, "I can't guess, but I can tell you have a secret."

She knew Aegon too well by now, knowing he wouldn't get angry or annoyed by such words.

Irene bit her lip slightly and, after a long time, said:

"Some things can't be explained lightly in a few words. Are you sure you want to know? Even if it's... a very ugly truth?"

It was the part of her that had been hurt, the ugly part she didn't want this man by her side to know.

Aegon nodded calmly, "Yes, as an exchange, you can ask me about my secret."

He didn't reveal that he already knew some of the general details.

Irene wasn't wrong. What could be summarized in a few words as an outsider's perspective was, for Irene, three years of imprisonment, over three hundred years of isolation in the mountains, and over ten years of suffering from the side effects of dragon power after reverting to human form.

If Irene really laid out her situation to him, he wouldn't mind telling her he was from another world, considering this world already had the concept of other worlds.

The alternate world of Edolas was a basic common knowledge among the high-levels of each continent, so telling her he came from a world different from Earthland wasn't something astonishing.

His habits couldn't change all at once. Irene was smart, and more importantly, they spent all their time together. As long as Irene wanted to observe, she would definitely notice.

Irene looked complicated, "Give me some time to think about it."

Aegon didn't know if she really needed time to think or was just delaying, but compared to her previous refusal to talk, it showed she was somewhat willing to open up.

As long as there were signs of opening up, Aegon wouldn't push further, "I look forward to that day."

Northern Continent, Guiltina —

After nearly ten days of sailing, the "Great Red" steadily arrived at Guiltina.

Mera looked back at Aegon and Irene, who were dining, "Lord Aegon, we'll arrive in Ermina in at most thirty minutes."

"Finally here..."

Irene had set the first destination as Ermina, not only because the Water God Dragon, Mercphobia's location was relatively clear but also because Ermina was closest to the Alvarez Empire...

Ermina, located in the southernmost part of the Guiltina continent in the Valeria region, was a port city adjacent to the ocean.

White snowflakes drifted down from the sky.

"Huh?! Is it snowing?"

On the deck, Juliet caught a snowflake in her hand, her eyes sparkling with joy as she shouted towards the interior:

"Lord Aegon, Lord Irene, it's snowing outside!!!"

Since Irene used to fear the cold, she had chosen to station in Akylos City in the southern part of the Alvarez Empire, where it never snowed in winter. Juliet had never seen snow before.

Heine also caught a snowflake, frowning:

"This is strange. Why is it snowing now?"

It was late August, typically the hottest time of the year. When they left the Alvarez Empire, they could barely wear short sleeves and shorts. The climate difference between the southern part of Guiltina and the Alvarez Empire shouldn't be this vast.

"And it's not even cold here."

Irene explained their confusion: "This isn't snow. It's magic energy in the air that's so dense it looks like snowflakes. In reality, it's magic crystals."

With Irene's reminder, Juliet looked closely and exclaimed, "Wow! They're really magic crystals?"

Irene looked at the magic crystal in her hand, feeling emotional, "The magic energy here is so dense that it can be seen with the naked eye, forming large crystals. The magic energy here is so abundant?"

Aegon, standing on the deck, could also clearly sense the magic power emanating from the snowflakes.

"Maybe it's because such dense magic energy is needed to nurture beings like the Five Dragon Gods."

In the northern continent of Guiltina, the Six Dragon Gods are respectively the Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, and Moon Dragon Gods. However, the Earth Dragon God was killed by an unknown entity decades ago, leaving only five Dragon Gods now.

This was what Mera had previously told Aegon.

Feeling the magical particles permeating the air and the earth, Aegon had some speculations.

The fact that the Six Dragon Gods could grow strong enough to be revered as deities was not solely due to their bloodlines and innate talents. The magically rich environment of Guiltina likely played a significant role as well.

Irene furrowed her brows slightly. "Given the circumstances, the Five Dragon Gods might not be easy to deal with. You should be cautious."

Aegon nodded. "Don't worry."

Even without Irene's reminder, he wouldn't be careless. He had seen enough instances of overconfidence leading to failure.

Irene gazed into the distance, murmuring softly:

"Since we're already outside the deck..."

"Eye of Inquiry."

A cross-shaped pattern appeared in Irene's eyes, and the sky over the southern region of Ermina in Guiltina suddenly dimmed.

A huge eye with the same cross-shaped pattern appeared in the sky.

If one wasn't intimidated by the eye's inherent aura and dared to look directly at it, they would realize it was unmistakably a woman's eye.

Aegon, curious, looked at the eye and marveled, "That's quite a remarkable reconnaissance skill..."

Aegon himself couldn't achieve this. He hadn't learned any reconnaissance or support skills, only offensive magic...

Irene soon retracted the Eye of Inquiry, looking meaningfully towards the east:

"Besides the Water Dragon God, there seems to be another interesting presence here..."

Through the Eye of Inquiry, she had seen a building with a stone dragon sculpture. The interesting presence she referred to was an old man.

She quickly formulated a plan...

"Do not reveal your identity for now."

"Why?"

"To set a trap."

Aegon immediately understood. Irene's grand declaration of her arrival was meant to draw attention to herself, while Aegon, looking nothing like the rumored humanoid form of the Black Dragon, could act inconspicuously.

Of course, it wasn't exactly playing the fool. After all, Irene had already demonstrated her immense magical power.

...

In the northern part of Giltena, a vast volcanic and lava region, lived the Fire Dragon God Ignia, the son of the Fire Dragon King Igneel.

In his human form, he had red hair, a bare upper body, and a black sun pattern on his chest. His body temperature seemed even higher than the surrounding lava, causing the air around him to distort.

Sensing a power distinct from the other Four Dragon Gods and known strong individuals, he opened his eyes while absorbing the heat from the volcano and the magic in the air.

"A visitor? It's been a long time since such a powerful guest came to Guiltina..."

He smiled, his eyes burning with battle lust.

The Fire Dragon clan was inherently combative, and Ignia was an avid fighter even among them...

Clenching his fists and feeling the surging magic within, his gaze burned intensely. "I heard that the Black Dragon Acnologia has resurfaced..."

The news of the Black Dragon's return had spread to Guiltina after over a month of fermenting.

Ignia's goal had always been to surpass the Black Dragon. To that end, he needed constant battles to continuously enhance his strength, preparing for the day of their final showdown.

A colossal palace, with a full moon hanging high above—

The palace was silent. The Moon Dragon God Selene,

also sensing Irene's magical power, was sipping wine alone by the window, gazing southward.

Just having finished a bath, she was dressed in a robe. Selene had a slender and delicate frame, long limbs, and an elegant neck curve, along with a surprisingly ample bust for her slim figure, making her quite striking.

Her hair, casually pinned up, had a few strands of platinum blonde falling freely, still damp. The evening breeze gently blew, and the moonlight perfectly outlined her facial features and exquisite appearance.

More importantly, her eyes were focused and thoughtful, with a clear reflection of Irene's Eye of Inquiry. A natural smile appeared on her lips.

"Interesting..."

This was the first female whose magical power could rival hers since Selene was known as the Moon Dragon God.

Of course, this excluded the Gold Dragon God Vearnis, whose gender Selene still couldn't determine.

"Who is that man beside her? He's quite handsome..."

Selene quickly shifted her gaze to Aegon. Aegon was already handsome, and with the luxurious clothes Irene had prepared for him, he looked even more distinguished. Despite the wide sleeves and long robe, he wore them well, adding a touch of nobility.

Selene gazed at Aegon intently. "He's tall, with good proportions, broad shoulders without being overly muscular..."

As a fan of good looks, Selene almost had stars in her eyes...

Men are visual creatures, and so are women. Good looks can affect first impressions and subsequent interactions.

She was now somewhat intrigued by Irene and Aegon.

...

Selene (Image)