Chapter 69

Regardless, one's own people must be protected first.

Luo Li quite agreed with this, and while Makoto was drafting the order, he took the initiative to order the Shogunate guards standing watch outside.

"Summon Mikoshi Chiyo, Takamine, and the others to the Imperial Court."

Since the hidden dangers of Khaenri'ah had already been exposed, he no longer needed to continue laying out his back-up plans obscurely; he could completely issue orders openly and honestly.

First and foremost, it was essential to ensure that all threats within Narukami Island were eliminated, preferably by resisting war and slaughter outside the island to minimize losses.

Luo Li had a premonition that the war of Khaenri'ah's destruction was not far off.

…………

At this moment, in the ancient kingdom of Khaenri'ah, far away on the other shore.

Totems symbolizing the Black Sun were everywhere.

If it continued to develop like this, it probably wouldn't be difficult for the entire Teyvat continent to be planted with the flag of the Black Sun.

Unfortunately, this kingdom, which was once powerful enough to rival the gods, was now encountering quite a few troubles.

Due to the spread of curses and rumors, resistance against the mysterious underground power was circulating among many people.

If the high-level officials of the court intervened, they could suppress it whether it was good or bad.

But strangely, in the face of this situation, the high-level officials did not take any action.

Regarding this, Dainsleif, known as the Twilight Sword, who had returned from Enkanomiya, walked through the city of the ancient kingdom, questioning the righteousness of his actions for the first time.

He wanted to figure out what the alchemist Gold was doing, and even more, he wanted to understand the thoughts of the high-level officials.

However, because his mission to Enkanomiya had failed, he was held accountable by his lord.

Although there was no major punishment, it was not easy to get involved in the court during this period.

Feeling depressed and unable to get answers, Dainsleif decided to personally ask the culprit who started the incident.

Gold, Rhinedottir.

As colleagues, the two had met by chance on one occasion, and their relationship was not bad, much better than a mere nodding acquaintance.

Having made up his mind, his direction suddenly changed, and he headed toward a place outside the palace.

Unlike what most people imagined, Rhinedottir's laboratory was not near the palace, but was built in a desolate place.

Even though Khaenri'ah's alchemy was extremely advanced, the possibility of failure could not be ruled out, and for a powerful alchemist like Rhinedottir, the consequences of failure would be terrifying.

So it took Dainsleif about half an hour to reach his destination.

It was a place that didn't look particularly outstanding at first glance, located deep underground.

Dainsleif did not encounter any obstruction and entered it easily; what surprised him was that there wasn't even a single guard.

However, after entering, a faint sense of ominousness enveloped his entire body.

Dainsleif frowned, his thirst for the truth overriding his instincts, so he gritted his teeth and continued deeper.

Unexpectedly, the mechanisms set up in the passageways were dim and lifeless for some reason, and the mechanical puppets responsible for guarding were all unresponsive, as if the path to the depths of the laboratory was completely unobstructed.

He didn't know how much time had passed when light suddenly appeared ahead.

"That is... what?"

Dainsleif paused and gradually quickened his pace.

Passing quickly through the dark and cramped space, as the light grew brighter, he couldn't help but squint his eyes.

The next moment, like a severed pipe, a huge underground space appeared before his eyes.

Dainsleif was shocked as he looked at the scene ahead.

There, countless large and small culture vessels stood on the ground, filled with green and viscous flowing liquid.

Countless pipes were interconnected, leading to unknown depths underground.

The most eye-catching was the culture vessel in the middle, roughly a hundred meters high, inside which a pitch-black creature shaped like a giant dragon was curled up, its back and tail covered in ferocious and fierce barbs.

Even though it hadn't woken up yet, just its appearance and the momentum it inadvertently emitted gave one an irrepressible and terrifying sense of oppression.

"That thing, is it alive?"

Because it was too quiet, the sound Dainsleif inadvertently made drifted through this dead space.

At the same time, the figure standing under the huge culture vessel looking at the giant dragon turned around upon hearing the sound.

Dainsleif then realized that there was someone else here, and their gazes met.

It was a woman with a cold face, giving an impression of being rigid.

"Dai Yin?"

The woman seemed very surprised that there was an outsider coming at this time, and one she knew at that.

"Rhinedottir, what are you doing?"

Confirming that Dai Yin seemed to know nothing, the woman named Rhinedottir looked at him for a few moments before withdrawing her gaze, her tone returning to being as calm as an ancient well.

"As you can see, I am conducting a branch project of alchemy: creating life, and it will be completed soon."

She didn't seem to do anything at the console, but the giant dragon in the largest culture vessel suddenly moved, and several huge bubbles appeared and rose inside.

Feeling a bit uneasy, Dai Yin felt his skin prickle, not knowing if it was because of the cold air.

"You still haven't said what you came to me for?" With her back to Dai Yin, Rhinedottir went about her own experiment.

"I want to know about the strange things that have happened in Khaenri'ah recently; it is rumored that it has something to do with you, so..."

"I see."

Rhinedottir was not very surprised, her eyes fixed straight on the culture vessel, checking various instruments and the current state.

Dai Yin hesitated: "Don't you have anything to say?"

"No."

As a top alchemy master, there was almost nothing in Rhinedottir's eyes that could occupy her vision other than experiments.

Such an answer obviously could not satisfy Dai Yin, and he wanted to continue questioning.

"It's a success!"

"What?"

Following Rhinedottir's inexplicable words, he subconsciously followed her gaze and looked up at the huge culture vessel.

PS: Seeking flowers! Seeking evaluation tickets! Seeking comments and suggestions! ===== CHAPTER 71 =====