Chapter 1561: The Plans Going Forward
Vasilissa had met all of Arad’s wives one by one.
It didn’t matter if she introduced herself as Vasilissa or Violet -everyone already knew she was Arad’s mother. The similarities between her and the doll were clear.
Black and purple were the two colors she loved to use most, in her clothes, jewelry, and even in subtle things like the color of her eyes and hair. Because she could change her and the doll’s look with ease.
In the middle of the conversation, Violet had demonstrated that ability by changing form to that of one of the maids, and none of Arad’s wives was the wiser.
They only thought she went to the bathroom, while she just tricked them all to demonstrate how her shape-changing power was one of a kind. But there was one person who didn’t get fooled.
It wasn’t Merida, it wasn’t any of Arad’s wives. The one who didn’t get fooled was Lexi, Aella’s maid, who was in Arad’s small world earlier.
Vasilissa asked Lexi about how she didn’t get fooled, but Lexi refused to answer her question, saying that it would be inappropriate for her to speak of something the maid that Vasilissa pretended to be should only know.
It seemed that while Vasilissa had a few minutes to observe and study the maid she wanted to disguise herself as, she failed to pick up on small details that sold her out.
The thing that Lexi noticed was simple to her, but not something anyone else would. Due to the recent events of her getting too close to Arad and Aella, the other maids serving Aella were trying to get close to her.
Before long, if Lexi kept developing her relationship with Arad and especially Aella, she might end up chosen as a concubine, or at least a mistress.
The maid didn’t behave like Lexi expected, and so she felt that something was off.
***
Far away, Arad, who still waited on the mountain peak, sighed.
"I have to fix this later." He looked at the sky, then followed the clouds with his eyes into the horizon, "How long will it take for the fortress to recharge?"
Kinryuu shook his head, "Only the Queen knows. The bombing wasn’t what consumed all of the fortress’s energy; it was teleporting all of the orcs into a place where they could be killed safely that drained our reserves."
"It seems that I’ll be responsible for stopping those orcs. The problem is, I need to finish things here first before heading out." Arad summoned a large chair from his stomach and sat down.
"Tell the queen that whatever she wants from meeting me, we need to get it fast. And, I would appreciate it if you guys don’t start another war with the Chromatic dragons."
Kinryuu laughed, "Another war? I doubt we’ll keep the peace for long. But I can at least say that we’ll work together to block the orcs’ invasion. Ignis is already in his way here."
The main reason the Chromatic and Metallic dragons were at constant war is the humanoids.
To the Chromtaic dragons, humanoids are lesser creatures, food, and slaves, nothing more than that. They use them the same way humans use animals, either for food or labour.
But the Metallic dragons recognize the intelligence of humanoids as something that puts them above animals and monsters. They don’t eat humans, and never enslave them for labour. But that reality isn’t as good as it looks, because the Metallic dragons decide what’s good and evil based on their own draconic morals, which rarely align with what humanoids consider moral.
In both cases, dragons see humanoids as lesser creatures that are beneath them.
"The dragons can keep watch..." Arad looked at Kinryuu, "But I bet you’ll need help from everyone else, especially the titans."
"That won’t do." Kinryuu shook his head, "We dragons can fly; the titans can’t. The orcs’ flood would wash them away, not even their bones would remain."
Arad pointed at the sky, "I didn’t say anything about them fighting on the ground. They can use the flying fortress and the rainbow mountain as bases to fight back. Of course, I’ll be helping as well."
"Speaking of you helping. I know you’re powerful enough to resist the endless flood of orcs. But what about everyone else? Do you have anything to fight with?"
Arad smiled, "I have many flying vampires, demons, and angels. Well, I got the vampires, my wives have the angels and demons under control."
Kinryuu frowned, "I still can’t believe you married Kali out of every monster in the world." He coughed, "Excuse me, I shouldn’t be calling your wife a monster, should I?"
He looked at Arad with a smile, "But then, you also have Eris, who almost tore this world apart not too long ago. I believe Kin sent me a report saying that she saw several powerful people walking into your private quarters."
Arad laughed, "Several, I guess. I bet she was talking about either the drakainas or Mathilde."
"Not just them, almost everyone you come in contact with is powerful enough to cause a disaster." Kinryuu sighed and started floating, "I’ll leave now. Someone has to keep the fort under watch while the queen is out. From my estimation, you should be able to come in just a couple of hours."
Arad lifted an eyebrow, "I thought it would be days."
"Days to recharge energy, yes. Just hours to register you so you won’t get blasted. Not that I think our cannons can hurt you." Kinryuu looked at Arad with a smile, "I don’t want us to end up in the same situation Sylph’s heaven ended up in."
"How did you know about that?"
Kinryuu shrugged, "How do you think? The Queen’s father is Bahamut, our Metallic dragon god. News travels fast in the divine realm, especially when it’s about a mortal barging headfirst into a fortified divine heaven and living through it. Who does that, attack a heaven?"
Arad shrugged, "Me. I was coming in as a guest and found them pointing their magic at me. If there is one thing Alcott taught me, it’s that if someone invited me to their house, then I saw someone pointing a bow at me from inside the house through the window, it’s probably a trap."
"What if they were just being cautious? Did you consider that, with how much power you have?"
Arad laughed, "Me? It doesn’t matter how powerful I am. Walking into a god’s heaven, I’m at a huge disadvantage. I would’ve understood it if they had defensive barriers up, but not their weapons pointed at me." He looked at Kinryuu, "Point a weapon at me, I point my weapon at you. Fair and simple. I even made sure they attacked first."
Kinryuu sighed, "That’s how the Chromatic dragons think. I’m certain you baited them to attack first and get a reason to defend yourself."
"That’s what Gamond taught me. Sorry, but I’ve got many Chromatic drakainas as wives, but only one Metallic drakaina. You can say I’m getting influenced."
Kinryuu stared at him for a second, then smiled, "That’s not a problem I can solve. But you’re right, we can’t have you getting on the Chromatic side too much."
Kinryuu then flew away, leaving Arad alone on the mountain’s peak. "The trip to the Metallic dragon’s flying fortress was going to start soon; at the same time, Arad’s mother would be announced to the public in the castle."
Arad would’ve had to pick one thing over the other, but thanks to him having multiple incarnations, doing both at the same time was easier.
"Meeting the Metallic queen, probably holding a summit to discuss the coming orc invasion, mediate things between the dragons and get them to work together, then go visit Gojo... Aella did report that there were some troubles at the border between us... so probably mother’s discussion would have to wait."
He shook his head and stretched his arms, "Too many things to do and I can’t even say that I can’t do them at once."
Arad did consider splitting up, sending one incarnation to Gojo, leaving one in Alina, getting one to meet the Metallic queen, while his last one stays with Sena at the university to complete their experimentations.
But, he doesn’t need to find a way to create a new body for Doma; she already got one.
At that moment, a blob of black tar and pink eyes emerged around him. "{What are you thinking about? This is a body, but not one that I would want to use.}" Doma tried to take a human shape, but the only thing it could do was look like a horrifying monster trying to look humanoid in shape.
"Yeah, we need to get you a real body. Did you try shapeshifting?" He asked, and she sighed without a mouth.
"{I can do that}" She suddenly turned into a perfectly looking elvish woman, taking the shape of her original body with ease.
"{But look}"
Opening her mouth, Arad could only see a wall of black tar and eyes inside.
"{This doesn’t help me that much. I look human, but I’m not. You can’t stick it in mud and eyes.}"