At the same time, opposite to the docks where Rotell and her entourage were waiting—
The main pier, the largest 'structure' in the harbor, cut straight through its center and stretched out all the way into the open water, ending in a small artificial island.
At its far end sat what could only be described as a 'small town', built directly atop the island.
Structures clustered together, forming a compact district surrounded entirely by water. Like the fairgrounds and the harbor city district, this 'pier-town' was also part of, albeit a bit disconnected, the ongoing festival.
Despite its much smaller size, it was just as lively!
Water encircled it, leaving the pier as its only connection to the harbor district and the City of Llynun.
This 'walkway' made the place feel both isolated and private, setting it apart from the rest of the city. The air carried laughter, music, and the constant hum of conversations, all softened by the sound of the sea and the weight of the waves striking the stone beneath the artificial island.
* * *
Near the outer edge of the small settlement was a 'large restaurant'.
It was a two-story structure with a distinctly foreign aesthetic, and its form and materials were unlike those commonly found on the Cross Continent. The unique design made its purpose clear immediately, and that was to cater to guests from overseas.
This didn't mean the 'current' overseas guests, no, this restaurant, like all the other things built on this small island, were designed specifically for 'any' overseas guests! (At any time…)
The building had existed for a long time, but it was most often used when outsiders came to the Cross Continent for negotiations, formal meals, or high-level political gatherings.
In short, it was extremely 'high end'!
-
Currently, on the second floor, inside a private room overlooking the Moonstone Harbor, a 'very special guest' was dining.
Inside—
The room was bright and colorful, filled with a seaside atmosphere that felt 'deliberately welcoming'. The cool sea air drifted in with the wind, carrying the scent of salt and sea, leaving the space feeling fresh, open, and free. The interior was far larger than a standard room, and leaned towards an eastern, almost oceanic aesthetic, with smooth, flowing lines and an aquatic motif.
In the center of the room sat a large square table, close to the ground and wide enough to seat twelve people, arranged for cross-legged seating, which wasn't very common in Pillomal.
Around the room hung numerous pieces of art, many of which originated from overseas.
Along the inner wall stood six figures—
They wore matching 'black suits', tailored in a very 'fantasy style'.
Their appearances were slightly feminine, but their posture was sharp and disciplined, each handsome, silent, and unmoving, with their hands clasped behind their backs like professional bodyguards.
But! Upon closer inspection—
These girls were Petra's maids!
All six of them!!
These six tall tomboys were Petra's attendants for the day, as well as half the human servants she had taken from the city lord's mansion back in Sevensen! They had trained under Elli and Levy, and were finally 'let free' after a full year…
Petra had completely failed to prevent their 'transformation', and somewhere along the line, they had lost the femininity they had when they were first picked up.
It happened so quickly—
Just thinking about it made Petra almost want to cry.
One day, they just vanished, and three months later, they were already like this.
Petra didn't even have time to stop it! Because—
She didn't know…
With that said, it wasn't that bad, especially when you remembered that Petra absolutely refused to hire male servants!
These girls were a good replacement.
On a side note, Noah and Rose were extremely jealous of their 'special treatment'. When they learned about what had happened, and how these girls, unlike them, seemed to become less ladylike—
They went on strike!
That strike ended in a day…
Anyways, If the beast girls were considered Petra's 'maids', then these six, no, these twelve, were their counterparts, the 'butlers'.
And if they were here, then naturally…
That 'very special guest' was—
Petra!
- Insert party shakers!! Wo-woo-wooo—!
She sat alone before the massive table, with the twins not far behind, completely surrounded by food.
There were dozens of seafood dishes, some nearly as large as her. Tomato pomodoro with mussels, fresh crab piled with corn and potatoes, drenched in garlic butter, towering mounds of garlic shrimp, thick slices of crispy garlic bread meant for dipping, and at the center of it all was a massive filleted fish, nearly twice Petra's size, glazed in something resembling a dark honey teriyaki.
Around the main dishes sat countless smaller plates, garnishes, appetizers, and some side servings. Some of them existed purely because Petra was a 'valued customer', while others were 'gifts'.
She ate like a gluttonous monster, literally shoveling food into her small mouth with her two tiny trotters. The speed at which she devoured the food was enough to terrify even seasoned servers, and when she was finally done, she let out a satisfied little burp, then collapsed backwards onto the floor, rubbing her small hands over her bulging belly.
It was blissful.
Petra hummed, then lazily extended a hand upwards and snapped her fingers—Swoosh!
A black-suited figure appeared in the open window, a seventh girl, and stepped inside without a sound. Petra mumbled to herself, stretched out her arm, and casually accepted a report.
After opening it and holding it between her and the ceiling light, she skimmed it briefly, her eyes glazing over as she got bored, then immediately tossed it to Lilly.
Lilly read through it carefully…
"The 'Royal Ring Secret Realm' seems to be the 'condition' the empire used to enlist the overseas experts," she said, and paused. "No, not even that. From what we collected, they simply agreed to 'open it', so anyone can go in..."
Petra rolled her head to the side.
"Open it?"
Petra had heard of 'Secret Realms' before, Imai had one, but she had no idea what that actually meant. Using 'Earth Logic' didn't mean that she knew the rules or how they functioned.
Lilly continued, "After the festival, there'll be a short break, then the Secret Realm will be opened to all practitioners across the continent, naturally, outsiders included…"
"This is why so many adventurers from the outside world have come to the Cross Continent so qu—"
"—What's the Royal Ring Secret Realm?" Petra interrupted.
Lilly paused.
She glanced around the room, silently checking if anyone else knew, but no one responded…
Lilly sighed.
"We can check the History Museum or Royal Library later; there should be some records for something so important."
Petra nodded from the floor.
A gust of wind swept through the window, pushing Petra's hair across her face, and—
Achoo!
She sneezed!
Sitting up quickly, she brushed the hair aside and frowned.
"Do any—" Dong-ding, ding-ding-ding—! She froze, "Mm~?"
Petra turned her head. "That bell is…?"
That was the bell used to signify a 'special arrival', but it was much louder than the previous bells.
She scrambled to her feet and trotted over to the window.
Pushing past the curtains, she stepped out onto the small balcony overlooking the harbor. The wind was stronger, cutting through the air and stirring the waves below.
Petra leaned forward, her upper half extending past the railing.
Her eyes widened.
There, on the distant horizon, cutting through the water with an overwhelming presence, was a massive dragon-shaped boat…
* * *
The 'Dragon Boat' was a massive ship unique to the Dragon Race.
It wasn't merely a ship, but a colossal artifact, one capable of flying through the skies, sailing the seas, and diving deep beneath the ocean. It was an all-purpose ship. Its structure was formed from countless 'dragon-born materials', such as bones, scales, tendons, skin, and claws, all tempered, refined, and reforged by the finest artificers (Seventh Order and above…) from the Dragon Clan.
-
Among practitioners, the concept of 'collateral damage' was a very serious problem! Ordinary materials were simply not viable in normal construction, especially at the later levels, because they could not endure the pressure of a high-level being. Even without combat, the accidental release of spiritual energy from a powerful practitioner could reduce common things such as wood, stone, paper and cloth, into dust quicker than you could blink!
This was not an exaggeration…
At the most extreme end, if a ninth-order existence were to appear, the Dragon of Destruction, for example, then the simple act of existing would exterminate ninety-nine percent of all life in the surrounding area, and if it released its spiritual energy without restraint, an entire continent could be stripped bare and turned into a desert within minutes.
This was why gods didn't walk among men…
At least, that was the common belief!
For this reason, regardless of origin or orientation, construction materials always scaled with the strength of their surroundings.
The Dragon Race was no exception to this rule. If anything, they were forced to be even more cautious.
Their 'dragon forms' made size an ever-present issue, and their sheer mass placed an unimaginable strain on anything beneath their feet, especially when that was condensed into their 'human forms'. Even standing still was enough to crack stone…
The Dragon Boats were created to accommodate many of these problems.
They were designed specifically for the Dragon Clan, but this 'design' came with an unavoidable 'consequence'.
At least, for others…
Because they were crafted from the flesh and blood of dragons, just approaching one felt less like approaching a ship and more like standing before a true dragon! Not a manifestation, no, but something close, something unrestrained, yet undeniably present, not an aura or a projection, no, a will, similar to a 'Dwarven Echo', only more like a perpetually angry 'Artifact Spirit'. To those below the third order, it was nearly impossible to remain standing in the presence of a Dragon Boat.
Knees buckled, breathing became difficult, and one's instincts would scream as their body began to perspire. Their emotions would become uncontrollable, and their minds would feel foggy. This was the body's reaction to a higher-level cultivator! And this feeling would only continue to worsen, until the body simply refused to acknowledge it, often resulting in those of a higher power level becoming undetectable. This was the result of the range of their 'vibrations' exceeding an individual's perception, but make no mistake, the damage was still there, only on an imperceptible level.
Mm, anyways…
Even Rotell, who had just broken through to the Golden Core Realm, felt her legs tremble, and her body shake as the Dragon Boat drew closer.
The pressure was not 'aggressive', no, it was 'suppressive'—
But that only made it worse…
It was the same thing as facing down a tornado. There was no aggression, only an unstoppable momentum that would obliterate anything in its path.
The unconscious need to kneel, to bow the head, and to grovel on the ground, it was intolerable!
As for the Dragon Race itself—
* * *
On the deck of the Dragon Boat, a young woman stood at the bow, her posture straight and trained as she looked forward.
She had long navy-blue hair that flowed freely down her back, catching the light as it rippled in the wind. Her dazzling blue eyes reflected the sea below, while a pale blue robe draped over her slender frame, accented by a dark blue mantle. Silver ornaments adorned the fabric, and each piece bore the black crest of the Blue Dragon Clan's royal family, the 'Cledaureus Family'.
Her most striking feature, beyond the long blue reptilian tail and the faintly glowing patches of scales that peeked out from her robe, was the pair of crystal horns rising from her head.
Each horn was as thick as her wrist, curving outwards before twisting back and snapping forward into an aggressive point. The horns were flawless, translucent, and caught the sunlight like twin gemstones.
Her body was petite and graceful, yet she carried herself with the calm authority of someone in power. Her eyes were slitted, undeniably dragon, and a long tail poked out of a special slit behind her robe.
There was something familiar in her presence, a bit like Elena's 'big-sister energy'.
This was 'Trillilisk Cora Cledaureus', or just… Trilli, for short.
She stood with one hand resting on the railing, gazing towards the distant outline of the Cross Continent. As the Dragon Boat cut through the waves, her eyes narrowed slightly, and her nose twitched. Something about the air seemed to bother her, but she couldn't put her finger on what…
Tap, tap, tap…
Footsteps approached from behind.
She didn't turn, but her face seemed to almost darken.
"What's wrong, little Tril?" a voice called out from behind, light and mocking. "You 'begged' so hard to come, so why do you look so unhappy? Hahaha!"
The man who stopped a short distance behind was tall, broad-shouldered, and radiated heat from his body, even when standing.
His slitted amber eyes rippled with mischief, and his slicked-back, spiky red hair framed a face locked in the permanent grin of a troublemaker.
Unlike Trill's forward-pointing crystal horns, his were four large amber horns, two small and two large, that jutted backwards, sweeping along the curve of his head and disappearing into his hair before peaking back out.
This was 'Rifrit Rubeu Scorda'.
He grinned like a hooligan, showing no restraint. "Are you worried about what the young emperor said?" he continued.
Trill's grip tightened around the railing.
"A bit," she said calmly. "Is such 'cruelty' really necessary?"
"Pfft—!" Rifrit burst into laughter!
"Hahaha! Coming from you, that's rich! Don't think I've forgotten what that brother of yours did not too long ago! We all know! Hahaha!"
Trilli pursed her lips.
He wasn't wrong…
For the sake of 'efficiency', her brother could be ruthlessly cruel, even to the point of 'atrocity'. If Red Dragons were defined by their wrath, and Green Dragons were tricky, then Blue Dragons were strategic to a fault. They calculated, optimized, and executed, even when the cost was… 'unpleasant'.
Her gaze remained straight.
"It's almost time to go," she said.
Trilli turned, her expression freezing over in an instant.
She passed Rifrit without another word, moving across the deck with the face of an ice queen.
Rifrit watched her leave, his grin widening.
"Heh," he muttered. "Why do I feel like this is going to be a good trip?"
His eyes rippled with joy.
He laughed softly to himself, then followed after her…
* * *