Chapter 142: There Are No Evil Dragons in the World (14)
Kentius decided that he didn't need to continue the conversation with this dragon any longer.
"Talking to a mad dragon for too long is a waste of time."
Moreover, in order to delve deeply into his own story, Min-jun's story needed to be mentioned. The suggestion he had planted in his mind prevented that. Eventually, he decided to wrap up the conversation.
"No... I'd prefer if you just forget what I said."
But he added a comment to preserve his own honor.
Kentius didn't want to degrade himself to the level of a madman who couldn't even differentiate between his own species and others.
"Anyway, I'm different from you. I think of myself as a dragon and I'm content with that fact."
"Yeah…"
Leo's expression fell. He murmured quietly.
"Is there… no way?"
A way to discard the dragon's body.
Kentius timed his departure and asked.
"You don't want to die, right?"
"It might sound silly, but dying is frightening."
Kentius pretended to contemplate deeply and spoke nonchalantly.
"There is a way to transfer to another body without dying."
The reason something popped into his head at that moment was because he was currently moving with Min-jun. If there had been no special reason, it was an idea he wouldn't have come up with. The reason being, it had little practical feasibility, and suggesting it to a friend would be considered unethical.
However, Kentius had already lost his enthusiasm for seriously engaging in this conversation and spoke in a manner as if he were just spouting whatever came to his mind.
"There is one way."
"What is it?"
"The Committee is doing that sort of thing. On criminals who have committed sins and are imprisoned."
"...Hmm? You mean those sentenced to forced labor and living as slaves? Like that agent in the next room?"
"Exactly. I see you didn't know this. The human-like body we're seeing now, which belongs to that person, is not originally his body."
"······?!"
Leo's eyes widened in surprise as if hearing this for the first time.
His youth and lack of experience, combined with his indifference towards the Committee's criminals, had kept him unaware of this.
Kentius shared information he himself hadn't known for long.
"At the moment a person is sentenced to forced labor, the Committee forcibly removes the soul from the original body. Then, they select a suitable artificial body and transfer the soul into it. It's similar to how ghosts or spirits inhabit an empathic body. The difference is that the artificial body doesn't need to have empathic abilities, and... it involves stuffing the soul of a still-living being into the body. No one other than the Committee has been able to figure out the exact principles. No one knows how they create or where they obtain such bodies. Perhaps the secret is hidden in the body itself."
"Th... then."
"Yes, it's theoretically possible, but it's a technique unrelated to us. For some unknown reason, the Committee handles this technology with great caution. There are no records of it being used for purposes other than forced labor. Officially, that is."
Kentius was wrapping up the conversation.
"By the way, they said they never give a dragon's body to the convicts. That means it's impossible for the Committee to create a dragon body, right? So, a dragon who becomes a slave of the Committee after committing a suitable accident will end up trapped in the body of another creature with a 100% probability. With their memory erased, of course."
This was almost sarcastic.
He was pointing out that such an extreme situation had no chance of becoming a reality, intending to urge Leo to abandon that delusional dream.
Knock, knock.
At that moment, someone knocked on the door of the room where they were.
"Come in."
The Oriental man who opened the door and showed his face was Raymond's servant.
"Master is ready to meet with the guests."
"Oh? Alright. Let's go."
Kentius briefly bid farewell to Leo and left the room. He moved to meet Raymond, accompanied by Min-jun, who had been waiting outside the door.
After he left, Leo sat on the sofa, deep in thought.
"······."
Kentius's words echoed in his mind like a refrain.
"Welcome. It's good to see you again after a few days. Both of you."
Raymond Wong, who welcomed them in his office, had the face of a typical middle-aged human with a slight build.
Min-jun recognized that this was a polymorph based on a 3D rendering portrait created by psychologists and other experts.
It was designed to embody a face that the people of the Guangdong Federation would have emotional, instinctive, and historical reasons to like and trust.
Although this great dragon held no official position in the Federation government, the fact that he was the de facto ruler of Hong Kong was an open secret. He understood well that it was better to rule through the respect and reverence shown by the people towards the actual powers of the Federation.
"Please, have a seat. Thank you for responding to the sudden call."
He offered his condolences once more to the child who lost the lord, and Kentius responded with a calm expression.
Min-jun and Kentius sat as if they were indifferent to why he had summoned them, but in reality, they were both staying on high alert inside.
The great dragon that Inaice had identified as the lord's killer. And Raymond, who had called them to Hong Kong just as Min-jun accepted the commission.
What was his intention?
"The reason for bringing you here is simple. Since we're all busy, I'll be direct."
Raymond spoke with emphasis in his voice.
"I want you to sell me the inheritance left in the private vault in New York by the Dragon Lord."
"······?!"
Min-jun and Kentius's expressions hardened at the unexpected proposal.
"I've heard rumors too. That you passed on the inheritance you received from your father to Kentius? But just hearing that doesn't make it clear what it means. Whether you completely transferred it in exchange for some deal, or if you're just temporarily safeguarding it... Seeing you both moving together made it even more confusing. So, I thought it would be best to openly call both of you and discuss it."
Kentius frowned and said.
"Wait a moment. I don't understand. Why would a dragon like you care about the inheritance left to this convict by the lord?"
Kentius was incredulous.
Most dragons, who had lived long enough, were curious about what the lord had left to the convict, but it was merely out of interest. They had too much to compete with the younger dragons over such things. Participating in such matters among the young dragons would only diminish their stature. Yet Raymond was openly showing greed.
Meanwhile, Min-jun now understood why Raymond's gaze had been mixed in with the ones following him in New York.
To think he had the same motive as other dragons.
But why was he so interested in what was in that vault without knowing its contents?
Receiving questioning looks, Raymond said.
"To save time, it's better to be honest. If you don't understand the reason, you won't hand it over willingly."
Kentius replied.
"Honestly, that's right."
"You know I was very close to your father, right?"
"...Is that so?"
"Yes, it was. And even the day before he tragically passed away, we met and had a chat. We played a game of Go for the first time in a long while. To make it more interesting, we placed a bet."
Min-jun's eyes sharpened.
"That day, perhaps due to bad luck, I lost, and as a result, I asked him to pick something suitable from my treasure vault. Do you know what the lord chose?"
Kentius and Min-jun remained silent. Raymond then grinned and continued.
"He chose an artifact created by an ancient race. I had almost forgotten that I had such a thing in my vault. Of course, its value is extremely high in itself, but… you know, right? For the reason both of you can guess, I reluctantly handed it over to the lord."
"...So?"
"But after leaving that day, I changed my mind. It was too precious to give away as a prize for a game of Go. It was an impulsive choice. So, I decided to pay a fair price and buy it back. I intended to contact the lord again once day broke. But then, that accident happened."
Raymond wore a sorrowful expression. Min-jun scrutinized his face with a razor-sharp gaze. Then he interjected.
"What does this have to do with the inheritance I received?"
"There is a connection. As a great dragon, I also participated in listing the lord's inheritance. I cataloged the items found on-site and the treasures stored in his lair. But…"
The following words were identical to what Inaice had already confirmed.
"It was nowhere to be found! It was as if it had vanished into thin air. The artifact I handed over completely disappeared!"
Min-jun was confused.
Was this a diversion?
Inaice had speculated that Raymond was the one who retrieved it, secretly destroying the evidence.
"The witnesses and heirs investigated the lord's lair and private vault. Still, it couldn't be found. Of course, other heirs don't even know that the artifact disappeared. They don't know he obtained it right before his death. But I know, don't I?"
Raymond's gaze deepened.
"Then I suddenly thought of something. Others might believe they've searched through all the lord's lairs and vaults. But in reality, there is one place that hasn't been checked yet."
Min-jun mumbled to himself.
"The private vault on West 34th Street."
"Exactly."
Raymond revealed his teeth and smiled.
"For a dragon of the lord's caliber, moving treasure to a vault on the other side of the world is a trivial matter. If I know him, he would have put another vault inside that vault. Judging by your expressions, I'd bet a hundred thousand dollars that you haven't opened that second vault yet."
Kentius countered.
"That's just a guess. What if the artifact wasn't part of the inheritance?"
"But when all other options are ruled out, that's the only place left. I must buy back that artifact. It's too much of a loss for a mere game of Go."
Min-jun sent a telepathic message to Kentius. Complying with the instructions, the dragon recited the message.
"The inheritance received by this convict has been handed over to me. And I'm sorry, but I can't agree to this deal."
Raymond looked puzzled.
"Really? Why not? Without even hearing my terms?"
"I can't provide detailed reasons."
He couldn't mention that the inheritance was in the form of a cube, that it hadn't been opened yet, that its value couldn't be assessed due to unknown contents, or that he still suspected Raymond of killing the lord.
Thus, instead of giving detailed reasons, he aimed to refuse the deal vaguely.
He needed time to sort out his thoughts.
'What's his real intention? Why mention the ring's existence in front of us and insist on retrieving it so openly? It only sounds like he's planning to destroy the evidence late. If what he said is true... if the lord really placed that ring in the vault just before his death, it's even more crucial that it doesn't fall into his hands. If that ring is a clue to the lord's cause of death.'
"Hmm? Well, that's a pity."
It seemed like he was going to retreat easily.
But.
Voom!
Kentius cried out in a state of panic.
"What are you doing right now!"
The surrounding space froze and solidified.
A barrier against the outside.
"The next dragon council is still over 90 days away. Until then, the position of Dragon Lord is vacant. Moreover, this place is my domain."
Raymond smiled arrogantly.
"Offering the deal was the utmost courtesy for the son of my deceased friend. It's foolish that you can't even make use of that courtesy."
"...So, you were planning this from the beginning!"
"I already suggested a moderate solution. It was you who refused."
As the atmosphere rapidly froze.
Min-jun quietly thought.
'Raymond Wong is a brain dragon.'
Coincidentally, he belonged to the same type as the dragon he had most recently slaughtered.
He instinctively envisioned a series of processes in his mind. Remembering the sensation of stabbing his tongue into the dragon's head and crushing its brain inside the skull.
The ruler of Hong Kong, misunderstanding Min-jun's stiff expression as fear, laughed.
"I am a rational dragon who understands the weight of the Draconic Code and knows that conflicting with the Committee is utterly pointless. So, I have no intention of killing you both. But I'm also a rational dragon who hates to lose. Until you sign a contract agreeing to the deal in front of me, know that neither of you will see the light of day again."
End of Chapter 142: There Are No Evil Dragons in the World (14)