Vol. 3 Ch. 4

As they made their way back to the cave, Leon and his mentor Tiger were still deep in conversation about various recent events.

Hearing footsteps, Leon glanced back.

He saw Rebecca and Rosvisser walking side by side, chatting, their faces beaming with smiles as if they were long-lost friends reunited.

Leon was taken aback.

Just half an hour ago, these two weren’t that close, right?

How in the world did they become best friends in just twenty minutes?

“Captain, old man, we’re back!” Rebecca cheerfully ran over. “Did you finish your chat?”

“Almost,” Leon replied, eyeing the unusually excited Rebecca before looking over at Rosvisser, who was standing behind her. “What did you say to her?”

Rosvisser spread her hands innocently. “I didn’t say anything to her.”

She was the one who did all the talking, hehe.

Leon pursed his lips, mumbling something unintelligible before returning to his conversation with Tiger about matters concerning the Empire.

He repeated everything that had been discussed about the next six months and then inquired about the Sea Dragon Clan and the *Gate of the Nine Hells*.

“The *Gate of the Nine Hells* was written by the Sea Dragon Clan? Huh? I’m not sure. I just had someone casually swipe a body technique manual from the Empire. I didn’t expect them to steal something so powerful.”

Predictably, Tiger’s response was, “I don’t know.”

Leon didn’t press further. Even though he had a hunch that Tiger was hiding something, he figured that if he was being so blunt about it, and his mentor still wouldn’t open up, then there must be a good reason.

“Oh, and by the way, Master, can you also look into these three people?” Leon handed over a list.

Tiger glanced at it. “Gini, Gitai, Gimei… Just from the names, these guys sound like trouble.”

“Yeah, in the future, they’re known as the ‘Empire’s Special Forces,’ incredibly powerful. They spent years hunting Dragon Kings, but there’s something strange about their power. It doesn’t seem like normal human magic,” Leon explained. “If you get a chance, dig into their backgrounds.”

Tiger nodded, carefully tucking away the list. “Alright, I’ll start investigating as soon as I return.”

In the future, Leon had only crossed paths with this Special Forces trio for a brief moment—nothing that could even be considered a real fight. But even so, the strength they displayed left an impression on him.

What’s more, it wasn’t just Leon who felt there was something off about them. Even future Noa and Little Guang mentioned that the trio’s power seemed unnatural.

So Leon thought it would be a good idea to investigate them.

It would be best to nip this potential threat in the bud before it grew into something dangerous.

After all, who knew what kind of otherworldly schemes the Empire might come up with?

“Anything else you want me to check on?” Tiger asked.

Leon had brought back plenty of intel from the future, and they needed to make the most of it.

The key was using this information gap to their advantage.

Catch that damned Emperor off guard.

Leon thought for a moment before speaking. “Yeah, look into someone named Nacho Salaman.”

“Nacho Salaman?”

“Yeah, he used to be a minor official in the Empire’s dragon-slaying army. But after I was thrown into the space rift, he quickly climbed the ranks and ended up close to the royal family. The trio I just mentioned is closely connected to him. We might be able to learn something through him.”

“Understood. Anything else?”

“Hmm… The rest isn’t really about the Empire.”

Tiger smiled. “Go ahead, say whatever you need to.”

“Master, do you know anything about Primordial Magic?” Leon asked.

“Primordial Magic…”

As soon as she heard them mention Primordial Magic, Rosvisser, who had been waiting quietly nearby, turned her attention toward them.

She was a little surprised because, before coming here, Leon hadn’t mentioned anything to her about asking his mentor about Primordial Magic.

That said, ever since she’d decided to practice Primordial Magic, progress had been slow.

Just as she initially suspected, records on Primordial Magic were scarce. She had to piece together bits and pieces from various ancient texts and documents, which was a painstakingly complex and time-consuming process.

“I’ve heard of it, but I don’t know much. Why? Are you thinking of practicing it?”

Leon blinked. “Yeah, I’d like to give it a shot.”

“You’ve already finished training with the *Gate of the Nine Hells* that I gave you?”

“I told you, in the future, your granddaughter helped me master most of it. Plus, it’s always good to know more techniques. Who wouldn’t want more skills?”

Tiger reached out and tapped Leon on the head. “You greedy little brat. Fine, when I get back, I’ll ask some old friends if they can find any books on Primordial Magic. I’ll bring them next time we meet.”

“Awesome, thanks, Master!”

Having discussed all the serious matters, Leon finally asked about his master’s wife.

“Oh, your master’s wife… After you disappeared into the space rift, I met her once.”

Tiger sighed heavily. “She beat the crap out of me, saying that if I didn’t bring you back, I shouldn’t bother coming home either. I have to thank you, Leon. If it weren’t for you coming back, she might have divorced me by now.”

That seemed a bit of an exaggeration, but Leon could tell that his master’s wife had been genuinely worried about him.

“Then next time, bring her along when we meet. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen her,” Leon said.

“Well… I can’t promise that. Her family is pretty… cautious. They know we’ve tangled with the Empire and don’t want her getting involved.”

Leon quickly nodded. “Oh, I get it. No pressure. We can visit her after everything is settled.”

“Alright. If there’s nothing else, that’ll be all for now.”

“Okay, Master.”

“Be careful on your way back, and remember to keep training. Don’t slack off,” Tiger reminded him.

“I will, Master. You and Rebecca, and Martin, take care of yourselves too.”

“Of course.”@@novelbin@@

Rebecca trotted over, grinning. “Captain, I wish you and your sister-in-law a long and happy life together!”

Leon froze. “W-What did you just say…? And what’s with this ‘sister-in-law’ thing? Rosvisser, did you seriously let her call you that?”

The Dragon Queen elegantly sat on a wooden chair, legs crossed, and lazily responded, “Why not?”

Seriously?

They’d only known each other for a short time, and now they were acting like lifelong besties?

Rebecca: ?

Fine, fine. You two can pretend you’re not close all you want.

“Alright, see you later.”

Leon waved goodbye to the pair, then headed toward the cave entrance with Rosvisser.

The Queen spread her dragon wings, glancing back at Rebecca and giving her a sneaky wink.

Rebecca raised her hand and flashed an ‘OK’ sign in return.

Watching their exchange, Tiger couldn’t help but ask, “What kind of signals are you two sending each other?”

Rebecca grinned, a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Old man, your disciple’s married life is about to get a whole lot more interesting.”