Chapter 2.1 - Gray
Inside Black Dragonrider general headquarters, the current O’Brien attracted quite a few gazes. Most of them couldn’t even recognize this Arthur family master, but not due to his clothes of appearance, but due to his temperament. In the past, O’Brien was filled with sunlight, cleanliness, strictness, and also a bit of romance and idealism. In reality, this couldn’t be blamed on him either, since as the inheritor of one of the three great influential families, O’Brien received the most perfect care since birth. In addition, he was only 19 years old. 19 years, in the wilderness was a weather-beaten age, but in Dragon City, this was an age when one only started to take on responsibilities.
The current O’Brien that stood in general headquarters’ main hall seemed to possess an austere and reserved aura. This was something that could only be obtained from the battlefield’s blood and flames, an aura obtained over the piled corpses of enemies.
O’Brien didn’t head straight for the sixth floor like in the past and instead headed for the right side of the first floor. This was the division of dragonrider general headquarters that dealt with missions.
Several minutes later, O’Brien completed the corresponding formalities and replaced his supplies, with the most important piece being the portable tactical system of course. After completing these tasks, the lieutenant commander behind the office table got up and shook O’Brien’s hand. With a respectful and formal tone, he said, “I am honored to have the privilege of informing you that your distinguished self is already a lieutenant. Congratulations! Your distinguished self O’Brien, your rate of advancement is something I have rarely seen.”
The lieutenant commander was over 40 years old already, and he was starting to put on weight. Like Julio, he had already separated himself from the battlefield and instead became a member of general headquarters’ bureaucratic system. The amount of respect he showed O’Brien was appropriate, because as the head of the Arthur family, O’Brien’s power and influence was undoubtedly extraordinary. Apart from this, if O’Brien’s sixth level magic domain abilities were paired together with his background, then that would make him extremely terrifying. The young man in front of him already possessed far greater power than most people in Dragon City, yet he personally immersed himself in the battlefield and even displayed outstanding military service again and again. This type of decision of placing himself in danger could be thought of as foolish, but it could also be considered wise. However, the lieutenant commander knew well that if O’Brien didn’t die this year, then another formidable person would appear. Regardless of what O’Brien’s fate was after today, the lieutenant commander wasn’t willing to offend him at this moment. If he could develop friendly relations, then that would be more than a good thing.
In the age of turmoil, authority and strength were equally important. In the wilderness, weak people didn’t have the privilege of life, and in Dragon City, smaller characters didn’t have the word dignity in their dictionaries.
O’Brien thanked the lieutenant commander for his congratulations, maintaining humbleness, etiquette, as well as a suitable amount of distance. There was an air that a powerful family’s inheritor should possess.
As the lieutenant commander personally sent him out through general headquarters’ main entrance, he continued to praise his rise in rank along the way, However, this time, O’Brien didn’t show any gratefulness and insteads said coldly, “No, I believe my rise in military rank can’t be considered fast. At the very least, I am aware that Captain Su has advanced faster than myself.”
“This…” The lieutenant commander really wanted to say that these weren’t the same things. Su was a barbarian from the wilderness and relied on his pretty face to obtain Persephone’s favor, thus becoming a Black Dragonrider. The achievements Su obtained on the battlefield were to be expected, while O’Brien inherited the Arthur family, and he himself was gradually showing talent that was comparable to Persephone’s. It was normal for someone of his identity to not enter the battlefield, because risking his life on the battlefield was a questionable decision on its own. After all, in the end, there was a difference in status. However, when the lieutenant commander who knew the ways of the world saw O’Brien’s face and then associated this with O’Brien’s relationship with Persephone, his intelligent self decided not to bring up this subject again.
Outside the main entrance, O’Brien respectably said goodbye to the lieutenant commander. The lieutenant commander didn’t see any vehicles parked at the entrance and felt inwardly shocked, wondering how O’Brien was preparing to return home. Each time O’Brien came, there would always be a special vehicle to pick up and drop him off.
After separating from the lieutenant commander, O’Brien’s new tactical system continuously vibrated, and a row of messages appeared inside. O’Brien looked it over roughly, seeing a large amount of information regarding the rewards from missions and appraisal values of biological specimens. Apart from his military successes and evolutionary points, O’Brien didn’t have any interest in these rewards. He wasn’t an idiot who would choose not to touch the family’s large resources. Personally experiencing these battles was for the sake of sharpening himself and challenging his limits, so he would always prepare enough equipment and supplies before doing so. For example, when O’Brien lead his troops deep into the southeastern direction, they ended up fighting bitterly against some mutated creatures, causing most of Poseidon’s Trident elites that followed him were wiped out. If not for these elites accompanying him, O’Brien would have long turned into another piece of these mutated creatures’ genes.
Inside this string of information, there was one piece that drew O’Brien’s attention. It was a rather ordinary looking rank promotion message.
O’Brien calmly opened it, silently reading it for an entire minute. Then, he hatefully smashed this tactical tablet he had held for less than an hour on the ground!
He gazed into the gray sky and took a deep breath of the ice cold air, allowing the bone-chilling coldness to slowly cool his blood down. A moment later, the calmer O’Brien returned to general headquarters to pick up a new portable tactical system. Then, O’Brien who excelled at the Magic Domain left just like Su, relying on running to leave general headquarters. When other people saw this, they felt shock and curiosity. Some of them even began to think pensively.
Dragon City had a church as well, and it was grand and majestic. The mural paintings along the four walls were a bit weathered by the passage of time. Due to a lack of sunlight all year round, the high brightly colored windows rarely displayed their former brilliance. The great cathedral that could accommodate the prayers of several hundred people now only had three people taking care of this place. There was one priest, a night vigil elder, and a youngster in charge of cleaning the place. Even though the priest would help with everything, this large church was not something three people could clean. As such, there were areas that were unavoidably dusty.
This cathedral named Saint James once had a splendid past, but in this era where power prevailed over all else, the power of faith was already very small. In addition, the teachings currently being spread inside of this church were different from that of the olden era’s as well.
The hands of the great clock in the church pointed at three in the afternoon. The sky outside was already quite dim. Cold winds whistled through the empty streets, releasing heart raising murmuring sounds. For Saint James that would oftentimes go many days without a single visitor, there was even less of a chance that someone would come at this time. The weather was quite terrible, and the majority of Dragon City’s residents would stay inside with the warmth of their families.
The youth that was cleaning the church was just about to close the half opened small door when he suddenly saw someone running from the end of the street. He hesitated for a moment and didn’t make the decision to leave the door opened or closed, instead watching to see if that person was coming to the church even if the chances were extremely low.
Under the dusky sky, that individual ran over from the empty street at a constant speed. At this moment, the entire world seemed to only have this lonesome figure left.
The youngster had originally thought that the one running over was Su, because there was only a single barbarian in all of Dragon City that relied on his two feet to get around. When that person approached closer, the youngster saw that it wasn’t Su, but instead a stranger with tattered clothes that seemed to have just come out from a battlefield. However, the youngster’s feeling was quite accurate, and that stranger was indeed running towards the church.
When he saw the youngster at the entrance, O’Brien called out with a smile even from far away. “Little Mark, is the priest here?”
The youngster heard a familiar voice and immediately jumped. He stopped himself, and only after staring for a while did he ask with some hesitation, “You are… his distinguished self O’Brien?”
O’Brien smiled as he patted little Mark’s head and said, “I already said many times to just call me O’Brien. Is the priest inside?”
“The priest is tidying up the church’s works. Your distinguished self will have to go to the church’s library in the back to find him,” said the young Mark.
“I understand.” O’Brien nodded and made his way into the church.
The youth closed the door, and after thinking for a while, for some reason, he decided to leave the little door open a while longer. Even though this will allow cold winds to continuously enter through the opened door, many times even making him shudder from the coldness, the young Mark was still hopeful. Perhaps O’Brien’s arrival had lit some previously non-existent hope, and the little bit of expectation made him choose to leave the small door open.