Tales of The Mighty Dragonair

Alex kept his calm smile over his face while replying:

"I just want something that will be beneficial to both of us."

"The sleeping youths?"

"They won't be sleeping when you come back, and they were told to follow the one who will awaken them from their sleep; treating you as their lord and master to serve."

Arthur didn't speak for a while. For him this was a good deal indeed, where he wouldn't lose anything and in return he would gain more of the talented personnel. "What's the catch here?" he asked, as he was sure this wouldn't come like this seemingly free meal.

"These youths have great potential and talent, but they didn't have enough time to train and grow. So, you will need to support their growth and help them evolve."

Arthur knew the bad news didn't come yet, and so he remained silent, letting Alex add his last hidden piece of bad news:

"However doing so will instigate the wrath of the great clans in your current time. The sky castle is famous, very famous and the souls they disturbed and killed all had such valuable info."

Arthur knew this was the bad news he was waiting for, so he didn't speak again, letting Alex continue his own words. "I have seen bits of your future after having the youths; bloody and full of great wars! Your city will be subjected to relentless attacks even after leaving the world. so, I have another thing to ask."

"Ask."

"I want you to take them back with you when you leave here. if you left them here, most of them will be killed, and the future of our people will be lost."

Arthur thought about it for a second, knowing he didn't own the right to decide such a thing, so he chose to be honest with Alex as he replied:

"Despite me wanting to do that, I can't promise it. the decision of such a thing isn't in my hand to make. Plus isn't taking them away makes your world lose its future offsprings? They are the hope of your world, while many spilled their lives for them to live. It's better if they continued living here, even if many died, they will know the cruelty of your current world and adapt to it."

"Sigh, it's not that simple you know," Alex replied with this long and deep sigh, "first you have the right to bring them, as from the moment of your return, they will be literally your slaves; and in your academy slaves are allowed to join their masters. As for the current world of ours, it's beyond repair. The only hope is for you and them to leave here, get stronger fast in your own world, and then come back from time to time to rage wars and purify the present evil."

His words weren't easily refutable by Arthur, who remained silent for a long time thinking about this. "Will the great clans of my time attack my city?" he asked.

"Each month a huge army will befall upon you, plus the small clan you live next door to it will start attacking you in a week or two from the moment of your return."

Arthur went to silence again. if it was the middle clan of Dorfis then he was pretty sure of his current ability to crush them. however the great clans were something else.

He knew that one army a month wasn't much, giving him enough time to prepare. This time wasn't given to him by the generosity of these clans, but because of the large distance separating him from the clans' bases.

So, after some defeats, and as the time of his departure would draw near, they would work together to form an army he couldn't face alone! "The last battle will be tough, right?" he simply asked, as his line of thoughts led him to this simple conclusion.

And Alex just nodded as he said nothing.

"What's the odds?" he asked.

"Without the help of your dragonair system, your survival chances are low, pretty low."

"My dragonair system?" he muttered, while Alex nodded as he said:

"When you come back the system will be instantly activated. Try to follow and complete its requirements, and I'm sure you will gain a massive boost from these missions."

Arthur didn't yet fully understand the system, so he couldn't evaluate the current situation he was facing. However, the gains weren't that easy to neglect, and he was pretty sure after a few months, as his city would be fully built and more villages and towns would join him, he wouldn't be able to lose, not this easily.

He had many cards in hand to use, like the pets, like the monsters he left sleeping inside the mountains, like the huge arsenal he was currently having; plus the villagers he snatched from Dorfis' claws and the new talents he would now acquire.

"It's a deal then," he finally expressed his agreement, while Alex showed a beaming smile. "I knew you would agree, and I hope you will make right choices and be bold enough so you will be able to live and thrive."

Alex then waved his hand towards Arthur as if he was throwing something away. "Now go, it's my time to wake up, and your time to return."

"Wait, what about the books here? I love reading new books a lot!"

"I have stored them all inside the castle, so feel free to check them when you have time. now go, you have many things to do."

The next moment Arthur felt a repulsion force driving him away. He went inside a vortex of black and white, kept spinning there for an unknown period of time before finally opening his eyes, finding himself still standing on the doorstep of the castle.

"Ding! The esteemed creature is bound successfully to your soul. From now on, he chooses to be called the system."

"Ding! The system is exploring your memories to assess your suitable path of evolution."

"Ding! The system found two paths for you; a cultivation path and a dragonair path."

"Ding! Be aware that if you chose the cultivation path, you wouldn't be able to get the help of the system until you leave this world and your past world."

"Ding! Which path will you choose?"

Arthur was tempted to choose his old cultivation path. He had reached the pinnacle in it, however the warning he received made him hesitant, plus the vision he had seen just now made him lean more towards choosing the dragonair system.

As for the messages that kept ringing in his head, he didn't expect the system Alex spoke about to be so noisy! Despite that he didn't question the system about its existence, not yet, not now.

"Ding! You have five minutes to consider, if not the system will choose by default what's best for you."

"I choose the dragonair path!"

He didn't want his path to be chosen by anyone but him, or else he wouldn't feel true to it and always would be doubtful. Doubt was one of the most devastating feelings any cultivator would have! And as a past habit, he decided not to take such risk!

"Ding! Dragonair path is chosen, the system is now activated, and the system will be called from this day forth the dragonair system."

"Ding! The system won't fully function now, as your own energy is so low. The system planned your future path of evolution, please accept the tasks and try to complete them in the shortest duration of time. to assign a new task just ask for it."

Arthur reached a point where he couldn't follow up with the system anymore. "What are tasks? What's the benefit I will gain from them?"

"Ding! Tasks are the nodes system had chosen in your dragonair path. Following this path, completing the tasks will give you great rewards based on your performance and the number of tasks finished in a certain period of time."

Arthur wasn't yet satisfied as he asked again:

"So time is an important factor to you, right? And from where did these rewards come from? Can you give me an example of these?"

"Ding! Time is the most critical currency in the world, in any world. completing any task won't only give you rewards, but will also harvest part of the natural energy of the world, gaining more recognition of the world, and this energy and recognition are the most essential growth elements for the system and its host. As for the rewards, you can explore them by asking for your first task."

Arthur was able to relay, somehow, to the words of the system. The natural energy of the world was the thing he used to care most when he was a cultivator. However since he came here, he wasn't able to harvest any of it!

"So I need recognition of the world first to be able to use its energy? That's a first!" he murmured, before feeling some movements around him. he turned to see all the sleepy youths inside these strange caskets were now standing in front of him, gathering from everywhere, as they were now fully awake; just like what Alex told him.