Manifold. Ethereal Realm. Glutton's Domain.
"What's wrong? Why are you shuddering?" Atrament gently asks, however his face makes him looks more like a sly creature tricking his prey.
"Ah, nothing. I just remembered a few things."
"Are those things related to His Ho... your owner?" The snake hurriedly asks.
"Ah, not really... I'm sorry I can't give you Mana at the moment. Origo just entered a human city. They probably don't tolerate a monster..."
"Those puny humans! A monster? They should be kneeling in front of you!" Atrament says with anger in his voice, even frighten Glutton a bit. "Ah, sorry."
Glutton shakes its head, finding how irony the situation be. Is this Karma for being impudent to its master? It can't even escape this Domain. At first the wolf thought it could hide in Material Realm. However a Spirit can't completely exist outside Ethereal Realm, just like any being with Soul have to have their Soul in Soul Realm. It can Shift/Project its mind to other realms, but its true "body" will always stay in Ethereal Realm.
"...If I could get there now, I'd have them know their place!" Atrament keeps rambling on and on, but this sentence draws Glutton's attention.
"You can't get there now? But earlier you threaten me..." Glutton's question makes the snake freeze. Even the purple tendrils stop moving.
"I.. I..." The snake turns to look at his nymphs. The nymphs shake their heads, don't know how to reply.
"I see, you lied that time. You can't get to Material Realm, or you can but you don't know how to get to Origo... Are you using me?" Glutton stands up on its throne, getting into defensive pose and lowly growls. Though as a Lv7, it doesn't have much hope standing against a Lv41.
"Ah no, I didn't lie that time. If I absorb you.. I mean absorb a Spirit while it's in other Realm, I could use that Spirit as a beacon like a part of my own." Atrament hurriedly explains, though his serpentine face couldn't show sincerity.
"Yes yes." "Our Lord never lie... to you." The nymphs hurriedly follow.
Glutton frowns. Despite his words sound trust-worthy, it brings up a new problem: If it didn't tell its status, Atrament was about to absorb it that time anyway.
"To be honest..." Seeing the distrust in Glutton's face, the snake sighs with a hiss. "I'm waiting for you to get stronger so you can summon me there and I can..." The snake abruptly stops. "I envied you for serving His Holiness."
Although that sounds like Atrament left out something, Glutton doesn't find the snake's words suspicious at all. For now, it calms down and returns to lay on its throne. Atrament steps aside, telling the nymphs to teach Glutton about Spirits, mostly to earn the wolf's complete trust.
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After seeing that wolf fade away, the knights starts moving toward the gate. One of them is carrying the Toothpick. It seems the wolf could Project himself to this weapon from Ethereal Realm.
I turn to look back at the gate which is now getting closer and closer. It was decorated colorfully, but I don't have time to admire that. A crowd is waiting in front of the gate, and I feel nervous just by looking at them. I want to run but the chain won't get me anywhere.. I tried.
"Don't worry, we will tell them." The priest says then signal a Holy Knight in front.
As per our previous agreement, that knight hastens his steps and gets to the crowd standing on the side of the road. Raising his voice, he announces.
"The Origin Dragon loves us all like his own children..." I really don't like this speech. If only I know where my ears are so I could plug them... "...He wants everyone to treat him like a Friend..." Friend my cloaca, you fanatics! "...Do not Kneel. Do not Praise. And for his safety, do not get close!"
That knight keeps yelling his religious-like speech while walking forward, torture along the way. As we reach the lines of human.. and other races, they start making various exclaim. I have to try my best to ignore them along with the cries and the sound of fainting, staring straight into the city through the gate. Although I wanted to close my eyes, the priest offered me a deal: If I could look straight at them, he would remove the chain after we get into the city.
The closer I get to the gate, the noisier it become. If my scale could sweat, I'd turn blue by now... But luckily, with more people inside the city saying their fanatical words, it becomes a mess and I couldn't make out a word.
The moment my tail pass through the gate, I hear a slight clink sounds. The priest keeps his promise, I can't feel the chain on my hint legs anymore. I look back at the city wall and let out a sigh. It's way taller than what I could fly pass under a minute, and these "Holy" Knights are specifically trained to "protect" me, from both outside harm and... myself. I wonder if they dare to openly cast spell to stop me in front of these crowd, but the glare from the priest makes me change my mind.. No one saw that? That was blasphemy!
I avert my eyes from the priest in front. I look to the left, the people there faint. I look to the right, they break out in tear. Am I that handsome? I haven't even smiled yet. If I did, are they going to die? Will I get Exp from that? Though I don't want to try...
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Along the way, there are some people try to get close to me. If they could get through the lines of city guards, they could lift a finger in front of a Lv60 Holy Knight. I have the road all for myself. That's good, I don't want anyone else come to kiss my feet.
"Sniff, sniff..." Suddenly I smell something.. good. Isn't that.. roasted mushroom? Why do I notice that smell? Ah Personality Leak. I try to suppress my drool as I lean my head toward the direction of the smell. With a huge body, my head easily passes above the group of Holy Knights to my right. The people on the right collapses on the spot, only a few people with relatively high Level can stand and continue admire me.
Even when I lay on my belly, I'm still at least four to five meters high, so I could easily spot the food stall on the side walk filled with people. The entire stall is hidden behind the crowd save for its roof decorated with a steaming mushroom.. and a red dragon puppet. Now that I notice it, the colorfulness of the city came from various colorful painting, puppet and banner of dragons. It's probably not me, because I'm black and they are really colorful.
"Halt!" I say out loud as my floating platform reach the mushroom stall. However the knights who was used to not listening to my demand keep moving forward. I could just jump off to the ground, but they are surrounding me... "I said HALT!" I say again, this time with a growl.
Some of the knights stopped, other slow down and look at the priest; making the platform lightly shake. I can't see what the priest doing as I have my eyes on th food stall, but I'm sure he nodded as the undecided knights decide to stop.
"What do you want,... Your Holiness."
A sudden chill is sent down my spine by the priest's words. It's the first time he calls me like that. I give him a confused look, and he quickly raises his eyebrows to glare at me then returns to his gentle face with a bow.
Ignoring him, I turn back to the food stall. With my claws, I motion the crowd to part away. Some of the quickly comply, though some seem to die on the spot and are dragged aside.
The stall's owner is an "old" man. Well, old for humans, because I'm way older than him. His hair and beard are all white, reminding me of Vitae, but there aren't many wrinkles on his face. Though what I'm amazed about is his level. [Lv32 Fire] silently floats above his head. He looks up at me, his body is shaking, probably (not!) because he is old.
"Um, before you collapse, can I have some mushrooms?" I say with the most gentle tone my dragon throat can manage while pointing at the food on his stall.
It's too small for me to see clearly, but I can make out the stall is a simple wooden table with a wooden roof. On the table is a metallic rack, seemingly heated with magic, filled with mushrooms. Mushrooms! Ah, calm down, I don't want to thrust my head into the stall like an uncivilized dragon.
After I admire the poorly looking stall and my maw is filled with drool I suppressed, the old man still not moving. Well, he is still shaking, but he hasn't react to my words yet... To punish you from making me wait, I'm going to mess with you!
"Oh, you want money right?" I try to say with the most serious tone I could manage over the urge to laugh. "I have plenty!" I say as I rub my right arm with my left, pretending to prick one scale out. The knights hurriedly try to stop me. Well, I don't intend on pricking it.. though I don't want to eat for free either. Seeing the old man opens his mouth in shock, I continue to jest. "Oh? Is my scale worthless? Do you want my head then?"
Suddenly the Holy knights around me pull out their weapons. What? They couldn't differentiate between reality and a joke? Panic raises in the crowd and the city guards, they don't seem to understand what is happening at all.
A sigh comes from the high priest. I glance at him as he motions the knight to put away their weapons.
"Your scales aren't worthless, they are priceless." He says something not entirely unexpected as he walks toward the mushroom stall, I move my head to look after him.
"Hey.. I was just messing with him..." I suddenly think about the worst case scenario where the old man gets executed because he ignored me.
However, the priest only silently walks to the front of the stall, raising his hands and casting a spell, probably an identify spell, on the mushrooms. After that, he nods and looks at me.
"It's safe to eat. Just grab what you want,... Your Holiness."
"Will you pay for them?" I hurriedly ask. My conscience probably wouldn't let me take them for free.
"You paid more than enough,... Your Holiness." The priest calmly says, reminding me of what I am to this world. Although I feel a bit wrong about it, I still reach my right claw over.
"Wait!" The old man, who is now alive again, suddenly says. "I want to offer them by myself!"