Chapter 399: Steady and Solid

"Please, come in."

The Dwarf, leaning against cushions, felt his eyes brighten suddenly at the sound. He knew he was about to face one of the most important tests since his transmigration, yet compared to the previous ones, he was not panicked now, simply because he had made full preparations.

"I have already learned of the great battle from the day before yesterday. You risked danger alone and fought back the enemy chieftain amidst ten thousand troops; such martial valor has not been seen in our Celestial Empire in the thousand years since its founding."

Given that Sinuoli was severely wounded, the Princess of Nangao stopped him from rising and instead pulled over a silk stool to sit by the bedside. Sinuoli's nose twitched slightly; he caught a trace of fragrance coming from Miaoying.

"Mere brute courage, that is all."

Sinuoli smiled slightly, thinking to himself that his prediction was correct. If an ordinary woman woke up from a coma, her first reaction would surely be to find the person she was with when she last had consciousness to demand an explanation, but as a qualified superior, Miaoying would first get to the bottom of the matter before coming to find him.

In this situation, presiding over the investigation of Chaos cultists to establish a positive image before all the city's people, and then conducting ideological work on Miaoying's confidants so they could tell his story from a third-party perspective, was undoubtedly much more effective.

"You are too modest. That day, it was thanks to your quick wit that the morale of the army was stabilized, but I have no clue as to why you fell into a coma. Do you know anything of it? This matter is extremely strange; one cannot help but be on guard."

Miaoying switched to an honorific. Given her aloof personality, the word "you" (polite form) was originally something scratched out of her dictionary. She had no use for this word with her own kin, and powerful beings of other races outside Zhendan were basically all hostile.

"For the past few days, I have also been pondering this matter while recovering from my injuries. This army of demons came very suspiciously; perhaps it has some connection to them."

Sinuoli stroked his beard in a contemplative manner. A sudden coma was something that would make even the most foolish of men and women fearful; if he showed no signs of thinking about it, it would only arouse suspicion.

"Hmm, that is true. You recovered consciousness very quickly; you must have some unique skills at your disposal. Would you be willing to enlighten me?"

Although both were sitting, Miaoying's upper body was still significantly higher than Sinuoli's. She leaned her torso forward, forcing herself closer. Although she squeezed out a smile on her pretty face like cold plum blossoms blooming in snow, her eyes were filled with coldness.

"Since the Princess insists on asking, I can only tell you the truth."

Sinuoli's mental fluctuations were so calm that even he was surprised; this question was a key item he had prepared for. Compared to other doubts that were difficult to verify, the reasonableness of this answer would directly determine the direction of their future relationship.

"When the Old Ones first created our race of the mountains, they severed our ancestors' connection to the Winds of Magic, or what you call Heavenly Spirit Qi, thereby greatly reducing the possibility of our race being eroded or tempted by external evils."

"Is there such a thing? If the common people of the Celestial Empire also had this ability, would that not be wonderful."

"That is one part. The second is that when I was campaigning in the south to recover the ancestral homeland, I had the good fortune to receive the favor of a phantom left behind by Taiboke, who holds sway over the winds and sacred lands. She gifted me the ability of Transformation into Stone Statue and also helped me Consolidate Spirit Platform."

"Is it the one who appears to others as a strange serpent with wings on its back?"

Miaoying rested her chin on her hand, matching Taiboke from her long memories.

"You have met that Old One?"

Sinuoli asked eagerly. When he shared Miaoying's memories, he was very concerned about whether the True Dragon of Cathay had any intersection with the descending Old Ones, but unfortunately, until the link was severed, not even the figure of a first-generation Slann had appeared.

"Never. My Imperial Father and Mother mentioned it in passing, and I only remember it because that Taiboke also had the ability to control the wind. When the demons from beyond the heavens invaded and drove them away, my strength was not even as good as my ninth sister's is now; I was not yet qualified to intervene."

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The Longnü leaned back, returning to a straight sitting posture. Sinuoli felt the tense atmosphere relax; bringing out the Old Ones, the direct opponents of Chaos, clearly had high credibility.

This kind of deception, where truth is mixed with falsehood and falsehood with truth, is the most reliable. Even if Miaoying went to investigate in secret later, Sinuoli's cracking of the Old One's mystery in the underground of Zhuwangshan was indeed verifiable. As for whether it was bestowed by the Old One, there was no one else in the secret chamber at the time, so who could come out to deny it?

Having successfully answered the most critical questions, the rest was a conversation about the specific battle situation and the aftermath. Miaoying attached great importance to Kairos Fateweaver, this powerful Greater Daemon she had never seen before, and she learned from him with the attitude of seeking advice on how to deal with his true form and his infiltration and erosion.

Sinuoli briefly recounted the strategy he had adopted, and the Storm Dragon nodded repeatedly after listening. Because there had been no interaction before, her understanding of the Dwarf King before her was limited to a few words from the Ming Dragon at the Tianting gathering and some of Sinuoli's actions after arriving in Zhendan.

As the communication deepened, her evaluation of Sinuoli grew higher and higher—beyond his formidable strength, he possessed outstanding insight and courage. In the thousands of years, many brilliant and talented individuals had emerged among the mortals of Zhendan, but without the support of strength, they could not catch the eye of the Storm Dragon at all.

"Alas! How magnificent the common mortals are! By using collective strength and gathering collective wisdom, they can also resist strong enemies. If the time is right, we should swear an oath to strike at the northern barbarians together!"

"With high ambitions, I hunger for the flesh of the barbarians; laughing and talking, I thirst for the blood of the demons—this is the wish of my life!"

The conversation extended from the great battle the day before to the thousands of years of heroic history of resisting Chaos in the Old World. In the relative absence of top-tier combat power, Dwarfs and Humans paid more attention to strategy and tactics.

Sinuoli certainly did not mind taking this opportunity to express his ambitions. He restated the theory of the Northern Expedition he had told Teclis, which led Miaoying to look at him with newfound respect.

"No, the risk is still too great! The general trend is improving; there is no need for me to take such risks."

The exchange lasted from when the sun was high in the sky until the red clouds hung on the horizon. Sinuoli felt the link with Miaoying in his soul again and again, and again and again, he stopped before driving it. The Slaanesh mark had exhausted its energy after being triggered; reason had ultimately overcome the terrifying desire.

The process of establishing the link had already been interfered with, and Sinuoli seriously suspected that Miaoying's strength exceeded the upper limit that the collar could fully control—the eldest daughter of the Dragon Emperor was a Peak Demigod in strength; even a second-rate True God descending to the Mortal World would struggle to suppress her steadily.

"I remember that the military tally and seal were originally placed on the desk, not hanging from your waist. You should look more carefully when looking for things in the future!"

Just before leaving, Miaoying seemed to finally remember, and with a playful look back, she made cold sweat drip down Sinuoli's forehead. After faking his injury and lying in bed, he had not given up his evil intentions; taking advantage of the night, he used the Chenshi Bili to sneak back into the study, intending to do some more cleanup.

But playing the role of a severely wounded person whose life was threatened and who needed care, the opportunity he had painstakingly created was only enough for him to smooth out the clothes of Miaoying that had been pulled open. As for the belt that had been pulled apart, it was an illusion; no matter how capable the Dwarf was, he could not put it back together.

The Dragon Knight reserve also thought for a long time about whether to continue the unfinished business of the day, and ultimately, it was out of respect for her own dignity.