Dragon Heart. Land Of Magic. LitRPG Wuxia Saga. Book 6

"T

he way of the ancestors," Dora repeated. "It sounds amazing."

"It sounds crazy." Tom snorted. "Everything he just told us contradicts the Imperial doctrine about the path of cultivation."

"Don't you think that what Hadjar did is beyond the scope of our knowledge?" Anise asked, finishing her third bowl of herbal tea. By now, the mess that was her broken channels had mostly recovered.

Tom nodded and shut up. He'd never heard of anyone who didn't just borrow power from their Spirit, but exchanged it with them instead, merging together and doubling their power in the process. The way Hadjar had fought with his Bird Spirit made him as powerful as Anise. He envied him.

"I wonder if the orcs remember the way of the ancestors…"

"I know what you must be wondering: why didn't they try to conquer the Empire?" Hadjar said. "They don't need it. They roam, hunt, and live in peace with nature. They don't need human cities and countries. To them, those places are hunting grounds."

"In other words, they already consider this land their own, and its people their cattle."

Hadjar hadn't looked at the situation from that angle. He hated to admit it, but Anise had a point. Just as mortals let the animals breed in their forests, so too did the orcs let the humans fornicate on their hunting grounds. After all, humans wouldn't go to war with rabbits.

"What did you do for them to honor you so much?" Anise asked. "Those feathers in your hair… Orc hunters have only one white feather in their hair."

Hadjar wasn't surprised to learn she knew so much about a race he hadn't even known existed until recently. The nobility, unlike most people, received a good education. Even if those people had once lived in a Royal Palace. Hadjar used to be a Prince, sure, but he'd been born in a small border Kingdom. In Lidus, a Heaven Soldier was a mythical creature that could control the elements and fly. And the people there unfortunately didn't know anything about orcs and elves.

"I took part in their celebration," Hadjar said. It was a half-lie. "That's where I got these."

His companions weren't stupid. They knew that Hadjar wasn't going to share everything with them even though they'd been sworn to secrecy. In the world of martial arts, people respected each other's secrets, so no one tried to force him to say anything else.

"Interesting." Tom nodded. "The oath we took will save you a lot of trouble, barbarian."

A man who knew the way of the ancestors wouldn't be welcome in the Empire. Without the Wolf Broth, this path was closed to cultivators. To think that those who could walk it would be able to double or even triple their power... The Empire didn't want anyone like that nearby, fearing that they'd cause more trouble than they were worth.

Hadjar looked at Einen. Unlike the islander, the other three often forgot their manners and sometimes interrupted Hadjar to ask him questions. Einen, who'd just finished tending to his friend's wounds, looked as calm as ever. Hadjar looked at him silently. Using the sign language of the hunters that Hadjar had taught him, Einen gestured to him that it was too dangerous to talk now and that they'd catch up later. In private.

Hadjar didn't know what Einen was hiding, but he trusted him. After all, no one but the islander knew all of his secrets.

"And now for the most important thing," Tom whispered, looking over his shoulder as if he were afraid that someone might emerge from the darkness and hear them. "How do you know about the Last War?"

"The Last-?"

All three aristocrats hissed at him.

"Not so loud!" Anise also looked around. "It isn't something one should be shouting about."

Hadjar and Einen glanced at each other. Who, or what, could be so horrible as to intimidate a group of nobles?

"Guess I should be the one asking questions this time," Hadjar drawled. "What's so dangerous about it?"

"The mere mention of those times can end badly, even for a noble," Dora whispered, turning slightly pale. "Information about that period was erased from all libraries, historical books, and scrolls."

"Why?"

"Because that was the war that created the seven Empires," Anise said harshly. "And summoned their masters."

"The masters of the Empires?"

"Ssshhh!"

"Shut up, barbarian!" Tom hissed through gritted teeth. "If you breathe a word of this in Dahanatan, you'll be taken to the interrogation room of the Imperial Chancellery. If you don't want to live, just tell me. I'll be happy to send you to your forefathers."

Hadjar decided to let it go.

"That's why we were so surprised that you knew about it," Anise said. "Commoners shouldn't know anything about that period."

"Even most nobles don't know about it."

"Most?"

The three nodded in unison.

"Only the ruling families of the seven great clans have the right to learn and pass on this knowledge," Tom said, puffing his c.h.e.s.t out with pride.

"What are you talking about?" Hadjar asked, furrowing his brows.

The trio exchanged glances. They debated in silence for a while, until Anise said:

"All seven Empires are subjects of the Dragon Land. We serve monsters, the Lords of the Heavens."

Kill the Dragon Emperor! Sounded in Hadjar's head.

"F.u.c.k.i.n.g damn it! I hate intrigue!" He swore.