âYou want to buy ALL of it?â Autumn asked incredulously.
âYes.â Khellendra said resolutely. âName your price. I will pay you anything.â
âNo.â Khalendros said as firmly as Khellendra. âYouâre my wife, and I forbid you to sacrifice yourself this way.â
âI am your wife, but my life is mine to give away!â Khellendra replied stubbornly.
âYour life has been given to me the moment we became one. I am yours as you are mine, Lendra! You cannot give it up without even talking to me about it first!â Khalendros said forcefully. âDo you not remember your vows to me?â
âI remember.â Khellendraâs face turned soft and gentle at that. But only for a moment. It turned hard once more within seconds. âBut the clan is above us. Itâs larger than you or me. In fact, you should join me and pay the price as well! That way, weâll remain together, whatever happens!â
âNo. Remember what you told me just this morning when I was thinking of signing that contract with Elliot? If weâre able to win a new home for the clan, we donât even need Emperors anymore!â Khalendros grabbed his wifeâs hand and squeezed it hard.
âI remember! And I also remember saying that one Emperor wonât solve our problems. But this⦠This wealth right here will give birth to multiple Emperors! One Emperor canât solve our problems, but FIFTY Emperors can!â Khellendra twisted her hand away from Khalendrosâ!
At that, the two dragons entered into one of their very rare arguments. They glared at each other angrily, both feeling slightly hurt at the otherâs lack of understanding.
âHey, hey, why are you two arguing? I havenât even agreed to sell them to you.â Autumn said loudly to break the awkward silence which was forming. âAnd I donât know about how marriages work, but whatâs with the âI am yours and you are mineâ thing? Itâs so cheesy!â
âItâs not cheesy!â Both Khalendros and Khellendra replied loudly in unison. At that, they turned to look at each other in surprise, before breaking into gentle smiles. And just like that, their quarrel was over.
âSo cheesy.â Autumn said under her breath as she shook her head at the two lovebirds. Ehm, lovedragons.
âAlright.â Khellendra said and leaned in for a quick hug.
After that, both of them turned to face Autumn with a united front.
âAutumn, I know weâre being greedy and ungrateful at the already great kindness youâre showing us.â Khalendros began. âBut for the clan, I must do this. Please sell us the knowledge of these runes which are merely âpublic propertyâ for you, but which are so, very, very incredibly precious to us! These runes would mean that my clan can stand tall once more, and we wouldnât have to be bullied by others!â
âI understand. Iâll sell them all to you.â Autumn shrugged and dropped a massive bombshell on them very casually.
âWHAT? You will sell them to us? Just like that?!!â Khalendros couldnât believe his ears! He had merely unleashed the opening salvo of his âpersuasion speechâ and had many other things to say. He totally didnât expect to succeed with just one try!
âYes. But in return, I would like the both of you to work for me for the next decade. How does that sound?â Autumn asked them.
Khalendros and Khellendra looked at each other, and saw the excitement within their eyes.
There was no need for discussion.
âWe can work for you in the months after we rescue Elliotâs sister. But after 10 months, we have to return for the Battle of Kings. Once thatâs over, we will do whatever you want for 10 years. How is that?â Khalendros asked.
âDeal. Letâs seal it.â Autumn agreed easily.
The two dragons went on to seal the deal with their bloods with dumbfounded looks on their faces. They couldnât believe the amount of wealth they had just received!
It was like a beggar falling down into a pond and realizing that the pond is full of gold!
âAlright. Hereâs the data. Remember to tell your elder that you two will die horrible deaths if these information were to be purposely leaked out.â Autumn said as she passed them the pink device. âIâve unlocked it completely so you guys can use it.â
âThank you, Autumn. The Tempest Dragon Clan now owes you a massive debt. You are officially our benefactor!!â Khellendra said fervently and gratefully as she clutched the pink device in her hand.
âGood. Please remember that when I come knocking on your doors for help.â Autumn said with a smile.
âDefinitely.â Khellendra said.
âLetâs meet here in three days on the day Elliot comes back. Iâll join you in your rescue mission, and then you both can leave directly with me.â Autumn said as she slipped into a superior position without even realizing it.
The two dragons were happy to oblige.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
âScan the planet.â Autumnâs Second Senior Brother Dulak Damendu ordered.
He was standing on the bridge of a very large Dome Palace, one that was approximately the size of a football field. From his vantage point right at the very top of the dome, he could see a beautiful blue planet surrounded by fluffy white clouds.
At that moment, completely contrary to Autumnâs predictions, he had already arrived! His Dome Palace was hovering just a hundred kilometers away from Earth!
Autumn had vastly underestimated the importance that Dulak Damendu had placed on Elliotâs abilities. Dulak Damendu had instantly activated a large-size long distance teleportation spell that was powerful enough to instantly transport his Dome Palance a huge distance away.
And Earth just happened to be within its range.
âScan complete. Two hundred eighty four Emperor level lifeforms detected. Seventy three thousand three hundred fourteen King level lifeforms detected.â A gentle voice replied softly from behind him.
âScan for Autumn Rosenbloom.â Dulak Damendu ordered once more. âGet me her coordinates. Get me also the coordinates of the top fifty strongest Emperors.â
âScanning.â