novelraw Chapter 261
Chapter 261
Chapter 261: The Brave Hero’s Art of Deception
Lachlan City.
Xia Li searched for two days and two nights before he found this place.
The land here was not fertile, the scenery was not enchanting, and there were no mineral resources worth mentioning.
But it was in such a place that it would become the heart of a new kingdom within the next fifty years.
Fifty years later, they would activate the Plane Summoning Magic and summon a Brave Hero from Earth.
In the name of “slaying dragons” and “saving the world,” that Brave Hero would gain enough confidence and sense of justice.
Then he would draw the sword from the stone and embark on a dragon-slaying adventure across this land… and in the end, by some strange twist of fate, he would fall in love with his greatest enemy.
Hmm, a very good story.
Xia Li had even thought about the content of the story after returning to Earth. After secretly taking so many days off, wouldn’t he have to write a hundred thousand words in one go to honor the readers?
Pulling back his thoughts, Xia Li looked down at his feet.
Lachlan was still a forgotten town at this time.
It was precisely because it was poor and weak, and forgotten in a corner by the empire, that the Lord of Lachlan City had enough time to develop.
Later, after the outbreak of the rebellion, the army from Lachlan City became the strongest main force in the rebel army.
People raised the banner of protest and trampled the empire’s centuries-old hegemonic rule.
The people of Lachlan City were liberated from oppression and reborn.
They crowned the City Lord as their King and established a new dynasty.
The name of this dynasty was the “Lachlan Kingdom.”
This was the “future” that Xia Li had seen.
Although there would still be people struggling to feed themselves in the future, compared to the war and despair brought about by the corrupt rule of the empire, at least the humans on Azure Continent in the future would be born with hope.
The influence of the empire’s foundation was difficult to eliminate in a short period of time. Perhaps in another hundred or thousand years, this resistance would be regarded by future generations as the most important milestone.
“The human civil war will soon be over…”
Lucia stood on the mountaintop, folding her dragon wings.
The Silver Dragon raised her long and beautiful neck, looking down.
Under the night sky, the human city had fallen asleep.
The buildings were silent in the darkness. The city was not large, and the buildings were uneven. It could be seen from the moldy wooden frames and missing tiles on the roofs that most of the residents here had not been home for a long time.
From afar, there was an indescribable desolation and bleakness.
But this desolation was only temporary.
Even Lucia, who disdained human forces, had heard of the name “Lachlan,” which was enough to prove that the future Lachlan had been successful enough.
“Only after the civil war is over will humans turn their attention to other races… After expanding their own territory, they will start thinking about other races. Our dragon race is one of the victims of human desire for expansion.”
Lucia exhaled, her voice filled with grief and indignation.
“That’s true.”
Xia Li sat cross-legged on the dragon’s head.
He did not excuse the actions of humans but instead spoke from a different perspective.
“But think about it, it’s because they want to expand their territory that they are painstakingly researching new magic tools. This is an important process in promoting their own development…”
“It’s precisely because they have this ‘desire’ that they summoned me here, and I was able to meet you.”
“…”
Lucia was moved by Xia Li’s words.
It made sense.
If humans had no desire to fight dragons, then Xia Li would not have come to this world. In that case, she would never have met Xia Li in her life.
Thinking of this, Lucia’s gaze swept over the human town below, and she felt that it looked more pleasing to the eye than before.
For the sake of the contributions this town had made, she would temporarily put aside her prejudice against it.
With the dragon knight on her head, Lucia leaped down, plunging into the night.
◈◈◈
The next day, morning.
As the first rays of dawn rose in the sky.
In the center of Lachlan City, the City Lord’s Mansion.
The City Lord’s Mansion was empty at this time.
When the empire was in turmoil, none of the people or officials in its territory could stay out of it, and Lachlan City was no exception.
In order to actively respond to the empire’s call, the army led by the young City Lord had left the town with great fanfare three months ago.
No one knew where this army had gone in the end. The determination the City Lord had shouted at the city gate when he left had moved everyone.
Everyone knew that this was a battle from which there was no return, and the soldiers who embarked on the expedition would never be able to return to their hometown.
But even so, the support rate for this expedition had reached an astonishing number.
“Ha—Hah!”
In the back garden of the City Lord’s Mansion.
A little boy, who looked to be about seven or eight years old, was holding a wooden sword and waving his arms rapidly at a straw dummy.
At a young age, the little boy had already shown a high talent for swordsmanship and extraordinary magical abilities.
He was the orphan left behind by the City Lord and his wife when they departed.
Because the child was too young, and taking him along would likely make it impossible to cross the western snow mountains, the little City Lord was left behind. Two maids and a swordsmanship instructor also stayed, responsible for taking care of the little City Lord’s daily life.
It was morning, and after the little City Lord got up and washed, he came to the garden to practice his swordsmanship.
He was sweating profusely, and his small hands, which should have been tender, had been rubbed by the hilt of the sword, forming a thick layer of calluses.
Just as the little City Lord was concentrating, the originally clear sky suddenly darkened.
The little City Lord pulled open his collar and wiped his sweat, thinking it was going to rain.
But when he looked up, what he saw were not dark clouds… but a pair of huge lanterns, bigger than his palms.
Looking again, these were not lanterns at all, they were dragon eyes!
A silver dragon, taller than the sky above, was standing silently in the back garden.
The relatively spacious back garden of the Lord’s Mansion seemed quite small under the colossal body of this dragon.
The dragon was like a cat squeezed into a cat bed that didn’t match its size.
The Silver Dragon sat on the ground with her body hunched over, having to coil her tail around her claws and fold her wings in order to just fit in the garden.
“You you… you…”
The little City Lord was still young after all. When he saw the dragon, his reaction was the same as most human children: his eyes widened, he sat down on the ground with a thud, and the fragile wooden sword in his hand flew somewhere.
“Hello, young King.”
As the dragon lowered her head, the man jumped down from her head.
“Dragon, Dragon Knight?”
The little City Lord’s dry throat made a difficult swallowing motion.
It was not that he had never seen the Dragon Knights of the empire’s elite troops.
But the dragons ridden by those Dragon Knights were at most two or three times larger than horses.
A dragon of this size… was almost a Pureblood Giant Dragon.
Even as the well-informed son of the City Lord, the little City Lord understood this in his heart—
No one could conquer a dragon of this size!
This kind of dragon could only exist in the empire’s fossil museum!
His still somewhat childish gaze was stunned by the sight of the dragon.
He looked back at the man in front of him.
The little City Lord couldn’t help but recall the first words the man had spoken.
What did he call him again…
‘Young King?’
“As you can see, I am indeed a Dragon Knight.”
Xia Li smiled faintly and reached out to help the fallen little King up.
This guy, who would have such a solemn and serious face fifty years later, was unexpectedly so timid when he was a child?
But… it was already brave of him that Lucia didn’t scare him into wetting his pants.
“To make a long story short, I am a Dragon Knight from the future.”
Xia Li didn’t waste time. After helping the little City Lord up, he went straight to the point.
Lucia was currently using illusion magic, and no one else could see their presence except for the little City Lord.
After all, Xia Li only needed to make a prophecy to this future King. There was no need to cause too much chaos.
“The future…?!”
The little boy’s face was full of disbelief, deeply surprised by the words Xia Li had spoken.
Xia Li suppressed the urge to laugh and nodded solemnly.
This guy, he used sugar-coated bullets to coax Xia Li into a daze, making him eager to pick up his sword and slaughter dragons, fulfilling his racial righteousness.
With his eloquence and ability to instill chicken soup, he would definitely be among the top high school homeroom teachers on Earth.
Now, seeing his dumbfounded and foolish appearance, Xia Li felt a strong contrast in his heart.
How on earth was he fooled by this little brat before?
“Well… in the future, Lachlan’s war will be successful.” Xia Li said concisely.
The little boy secretly clenched his fist.
Lachlan’s war… this matter should not be known to outsiders except for the people of Lachlan City itself.
In other words, if Lachlan’s betrayal was discovered by outsiders in advance, then undoubtedly, the war would fail, and the entire Lachlan City would be slaughtered by the Lyon Empire.
“Don’t be so nervous, I’m not from the empire.”
It was the first time Xia Li had seen what “thoughtfulness” and “awareness” looked like on the face of an eight-year-old boy.
It was as if he really would swing the wooden sword and, with the mentality of a mantis trying to stop a chariot, strike Xia Li’s neck.
Calm and courageous… this was very similar to the future King of Lachlan.
“The current empire simply doesn’t have the ability to tame the dragon behind me, right?” Xia Li tried to speak in a logical way that an eight-year-old child could understand.
“To put it another way, if I were from the empire, with the power of the dragon behind me, it would be a piece of cake to raze Lachlan City to the ground. There would be no need for me to stand here and talk to you.”
“…”
The little boy listened with a somewhat desperate expression, and the wooden sword in his hand loosened slightly.
The words were rough, but the reasoning was sound.
Without half a guard stationed in Lachlan City, let alone a dragon, even a fifth-order monster could turn the place upside down.
Although he was reluctant to admit it.
He and the city beneath his feet were indeed like ants in front of a dragon.
“Good that you understand.”
Seeing that he had let down his guard, Xia Li breathed a sigh of relief.
The first step, to gain the trust of the little King, had been achieved.
“You said you are from the future.”
The little boy looked up, glanced fearfully at the Silver Dragon behind the man, and then retracted his gaze, focusing on the person speaking to him.
“Yes.” Xia Li nodded.
“The future… what happened to my parents?”
“Well…”
Xia Li hesitated for a second, but still decided not to tell a comforting lie.
Giving him more hope now would only make him more desperate in the future.
Based on the little King’s mental capacity and his great ambitions, Xia Li judged that he wouldn’t collapse here.
“They will live up to expectations and fulfill the promises they made to all the people of Lachlan City…”
Xia Li paused, then added.
“They have never failed anyone in their lives, except their son.”
Xia Li spoke euphemistically, and after a moment of understanding, the little City Lord instantly grasped the meaning of these words.
“It’s okay…”
He lowered his head, his fists clenched again, and moist tears welled up in his red eyes.
“They did not fail me.”
The little City Lord wiped his eyes with his sleeve, sniffed, and said.
“So, I will not fail them either!”
“Yes, a very good determination.”
Xia Li did not comfort him much, but quietly watched the little City Lord’s face. After the young face had digested all his emotions, the little City Lord looked up again and asked Xia Li.
◈◈◈
“What will my country be like in the future?”
“In the future…” Xia Li looked around.
The changes here were significant.
But it was not difficult to see the outline from the distant mountains and the details in the corners.
Xia Li had been here before.
Only at that time, Lachlan City was quite wealthy, a far cry from the current scene.
“The future Lachlan Kingdom, under your rule, will be very stable. Although the gap between rich and poor will still leave some people impoverished… but compared to most human countries in this world, you will do a good job.”
Based on his memory, Xia Li elaborated.
He didn’t add any praise or criticism.
But in order not to overly influence the King in front of him, he gave him an ambiguous space for imagination.
“Is that so…” The little City Lord pondered for a moment, feeling relieved by Xia Li’s answer.
“That’s good.”
“I will also work hard in the direction you mentioned in the future.” He said with a firm tone.
Xia Li smiled and then sighed.
“You will have done well enough under human factors… but as for natural factors, there is a hurdle that you and your people, even with the help of neighboring countries, need to overcome together.”
Xia Li deliberately threw out a bait.
The unsuspecting little King immediately took the bait and asked sternly.
“What hurdle?”
Xia Li raised a finger and said only one word.
“Dragons.”
His pure black pupils were as still as a well, his deep gaze bottomless, and his eyes seemed to truly come from a mysterious future.
The little City Lord was awestruck by his words and actions. He couldn’t help but repeat the word Xia Li had spoken.
“…Dragons?”
“Yes, in the future, the frequent appearance of dragons will be a new disaster for the Lachlan Kingdom…”
Xia Li recited the lines he had prepared beforehand in a mysterious tone.
It was roughly about the increasing number of dragons and their growing activity, the constant friction between humans and dragons over their ill-defined territories… and later, the emergence of Pureblood Dragons, forcing humans to retreat under their power. This would be another disaster for humanity after the fall of the Lyon Empire.
These stories were not entirely made up by Xia Li.
After all, based on his memory, the Lachlan Kingdom had told him similar stories.
In a sense, the words he used to fool the little King would also be used by the little King to fool him in the future.
It was a case of what goes around comes around.
“…I understand. I will summon the Brave Hero at that time.”
The little City Lord was dumbfounded.
The situation was too serious, beyond his imagination.
According to this mysterious Dragon Knight.
If he didn’t activate the summoning magic in fifty years and summon the world-saving Brave Hero… then, let alone the Lachlan Kingdom, the entire world would be doomed!
This was not a matter to be joked about or mishandled!
He must remember this!
“I will set up the summoning circle for the Brave Hero. Activating it is not difficult, it only requires injecting enough magic power.” The man spoke with a serious expression.
“Okay…”
The little City Lord nodded vigorously and then said.
“I have one more question…”
“Ask away.”
“According to you, the Brave Hero comes from another world… he will save my country. But why would he do that? And what kind of reward should I offer him? Logically speaking, this kind of world-saving task is not something that can be motivated by just some gold or benefits, right?”
“Isn’t that simple?”
Xia Li twitched the corner of his mouth.
This guy, who would become a smooth-talking old man in the future, was unexpectedly so naive when he was young.
“Just lie to him.”
“—Lie?!”
“Yes,” Xia Li nodded.
“And, isn’t ‘saving the world’ a motivating enough reason? Young men are easily fired up. You just need to speak passionately, and the Brave Hero from another world is also human, he will definitely be moved by you.”
“…”
The little City Lord fell into a long silence.
This matter concerned the fate of all mankind. Deception seemed too frivolous…
However, what the other party said seemed to make sense.
There was nothing more noble than “saving the world.”
If he had such ability, he might also be moved by it.
“Then one last question…”
After a long silence, the little City Lord finally made up his mind.
Xia Li glanced at the sky. It was getting late, and Lucia’s magic was about to wear off, but he still patiently nodded and said, “Ask away.”
“…After I summon the Brave Hero, how do I send him back?”
“Well…”
Xia Li rubbed his chin.
To be honest, he didn’t know how to go back either.
And, he didn’t know how to go back at that time either.
The old King had only told him that after completing the Pureblood Giant Dragon hunting mission and collecting all the materials, he could go home.
However, Xia Li hadn’t even completed the mission, so how could he know what materials to collect?
But… he could be sure of one thing.
The old King who had said those words didn’t know what materials to collect either.
After all, Plane Teleportation Magic only existed in theory, and humans had not mastered the key to this magic.
The real key was in Xia Li’s hands.
“Angelica sinensis, Atractylodes macrocephala, Poria cocos, Pinellia ternata, Citrus reticulata, Crataegus pinnatifida, Coptis chinensis, Sophora flavescens…”
“Huh? Huh???”
Xia Li chanted like a spell, reciting a string of things that the natives of this world had never heard of.
The little City Lord’s face turned pale.
Not only was the other party’s speaking speed fast, but each pronunciation sounded unfamiliar to him.
“Wait!!”
The little City Lord immediately squatted down and used his wooden sword to write and draw on the ground.
“Please say it again!”
“Bupleurum chinense, Angelica sinensis, Paeonia lactiflora, Atractylodes macrocephala, Poria cocos, Glycyrrhiza uralensis, Mentha haplocalyx, Zingiber officinale…”
“…”
Why did it feel different from what he said before?!
Without time to think, the little City Lord hurriedly wrote down a string of pronunciations that he himself didn’t understand.
Xia Li tilted his head to take a look.
Then he nodded in agreement.
“Yes, that’s it.”
“Really… is that so?” The little City Lord was not confident.
“Don’t worry,”
Xia Li patted the little boy’s shoulder reassuringly.
“He is the Brave Hero who saves the world, he will figure out the rest himself.”
“Okay… I, I understand.”
At this point, the little City Lord could only choose to trust this mysterious man.
Of course, the premise was that the many prophecies the mysterious man had just spoken of came true. Then he would also follow the agreement and activate the summoning circle at the designated place.
“Here, take this.”
Xia Li casually picked up a pebble from the ground and handed it to the future little City Lord.
The little City Lord wondered if there was anything unusual about the pebble that could be found everywhere in the garden?
However, just as the stone was handed over from the mysterious man, the originally ordinary stone surface instantly turned translucent white.
The inside of the stone was filled with an ethereal white mist.
In the very center of the stone, a complex magic circle was slowly rotating.
The little City Lord’s eyes widened.
Obviously, this ability to easily engrave complex magic into a stone was quite mysterious.
It was not an exaggeration to call it a “miracle.”
Such technology did not exist in modern magic.
This further confirmed the fact that the mysterious man was “from the future.”
“This is ‘Summoning Magic,’ you can also call it ‘Plane Teleportation Magic.'”
After Xia Li handed over the stone, the Silver Dragon behind him tacitly lowered her head.
He grabbed the horn on the dragon’s head with one hand and easily climbed up.
“Remember our agreement.”
“Summon the Brave Hero, and then take him to draw the sword from the stone…”
With a gust of strong wind, the mysterious man and the Silver Dragon disappeared.
The mysterious man’s voice lingered for a long time. The little City Lord clenched the stone in his hand and stared blankly for a long time.
It wasn’t until the maid brought lunch at noon that he came back to his senses.
It was as if he had experienced a journey through time and space. He had seen the future he was going to reach…
It was a future that was very reassuring but also a little regretful.
Lachlan would successfully gain independence and establish a kingdom.
And the price he would pay was that there would be no more family in this world…
“Ha!”
After a long silence, the little City Lord swung his sword again.
Even if the future was already set, he couldn’t relax for a moment.
That kind of future was a future that everyone had reached through their greatest efforts.
So now, it was time to act, there was no time to lose!
“Huh…?”
Successfully hitting the neck of the straw dummy with one sword, the little City Lord suddenly remembered something.
He looked down at his feet, at the line of words he had written in a panic earlier.
This line of words held the secret to the Brave Hero’s return in the future. He hadn’t had time to copy it onto parchment.
However, this glance made the little City Lord dumbfounded.
Oh no!
The words he had written on the ground were all gone!
When the dragon took off, it had kicked up dust, and the dust had completely covered the writing.
The little boy squatted on the ground, holding his head in despair, racking his brains to recall the words the mysterious man had spoken.
“White phosphorus, neck core, dragon miscellaneous… no, it doesn’t seem to be those things.”
The more the little City Lord thought about it, the more desperate he felt.
His life of an upright gentleman hadn’t even begun, and it was destined to end in deception!