"Damn it, make it go faster!"

A majestic beast of burden, its vibrant crown signifying a rare and superior bloodline, raced along a secluded path, pulling a carriage. Despite its best efforts to run, the anxious, fearful urging from within the carriage spurred the driver to relentlessly whip the beast.

lightsΝοvεl ?οm Even though its hide was tough, the repeated lashings left it bloodied and wounded. The creature did not resist; it only let out a few mournful whimpers before the pain drove it to run even faster, carrying its abuser in a desperate flight.

Perhaps it was their enduring, submissive nature that made these beasts the chosen ones for 'training' and 'breeding' by people?

No one really cared about a beast of burden. If one was ruined, there would always be another. This was their fate as mere tools. But for Charl, in the carriage, his sole focus, as he kept urging, was to go faster, faster still.

The once high-ranking minister of the Dragon Nation, now in a state of disarray, looked every bit the part of a man in a hurry. His hair was unkempt, and several buttons on his clothes were mismatched, a clear sign of his hasty departure.

If he didn't escape quickly, what awaited him was the wrath of the Empress and a certain judgment.

The thought twisted Charl's expression into something even more grotesque.

"Damn it!"

He had always maintained contact with the Grand Priest of the ancient Wolf Clan in the southern lands. Bal was his direct superior within the Old Alliance. The moment Charl couldn't reach Bal, he knew something had gone awry in the south, likely his worst fear: the Empress had uncovered everything.

The majestic dragon roar (Chant) that echoed throughout the Dragon Nation and the lifting of the curse on the non-human races was a cold, shocking reality for Charl. He never imagined that even a mysterious and powerful figure like the Grand Priest, a core member of the Old Alliance, would fall to the Empress in less than a day.

Terrified out of his wits, Charl didn't bother transferring his assets. He abandoned the wealth he had amassed over centuries using his ministerial power and fled into the night, desperate to leave the Dragon Nation behind.

Fortunately, Charl had been one of the first to know about the Empress's movements in the southern territories, thanks to the information he had obtained from "Caroline" of Sin City. This foreknowledge allowed him to plan his escape should the worst happen.

Among the five major powers ruling the continent, the Holy Kingdom was the closest to the Dragon Nation and the easiest to flee to. However, its weak national power meant it couldn't shelter him. Moreover, Charl saw the people of the Holy Kingdom, especially the official church, as fools blindly following a laughable faith. In their doctrine, someone like him would likely be apprehended by the church's knights before the Empress could even reach him.

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The best place for refuge, undoubtedly, was Sin City. As the largest neutral and independent city that advocated freedom and tolerance, Sin City was almost welcoming to any foreigner. It had become a haven for many fugitives like Charl, who could no longer stay in their own countries.

Unfortunately, Sin City was far too distant for the urgently fleeing Charl. Moreover, the attitude displayed by "Caroline" who seemed to be a high-ranking figure in Sin City, was not friendly. Sin City's excessive "freedom" and emphasis on "equality" meant that Charl's status as a former Dragon Nation minister wouldn't afford him the respect and position he expected immediately upon arrival.

Thus, after weighing his options, Charl was now fleeing to a new power situated on the opposite side of the Dragon Nation - the Mechanical Alliance.

As the largest supplier of weapons and following the Dragon Nation's principle of "survival of the fittest" the Mechanical Alliance had always been a premium customer for the Dragon Army's many supplies and equipment. This substantial client order had made Charl, with his considerable influence, a favored figure among many "companies" within the Mechanical Alliance, who tried to win large weapon orders from the Dragon Nation through various means of bribery.

Among them, Kael Technology had "pleased" him the most and had the best relationship with him.

Charl immediately contacted the higher-ups of Kael Technology, and upon understanding his situation, they happily agreed to not only shelter him upon his arrival in the Mechanical Alliance but also absorb him into the company with a high-ranking position. They even dispatched an elite armed force to rendezvous with him at a predetermined location and provided a private jet for his direct flight to the Mechanical Alliance.

Charl wasn't particularly moved by Kael Technology's gestures of goodwill. After all, his status as a former minister spoke for itself. Even a camel on its last legs is bigger than a horse, as the saying goes. Moreover, he had no doubts about Kael Technology's capabilities.

Over the years of collaboration, he knew that Kael Technology was a leading force in the military equipment sector within the Mechanical Alliance. Thus, Charl had full confidence in the armed force sent by Kael Technology to escort him. Unless the Empress herself intervened, he believed that meeting up with Kael's troops would guarantee his safety.

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However, Charl wasn't naive enough to put all his bets on one company. He had done his research on the Mechanical Alliance and knew about a renowned medical insurance company specializing in personal safety.

Once in the Mechanical Alliance, Charl planned to immediately get coverage from the "Emergency Response Team," a well-known medical insurance company, and he had pulled strings to obtain a "Gold-level" membership. The top-tier "Platinum-level" membership was not directly available and required building a certain level of cooperation, which was a pity for Charl. With a "Platinum-level" membership, it was said that no one could harm you within the bounds of the Mechanical Alliance if you were under the protection of the "Emergency Response Team."

Besides these arrangements in the Mechanical Alliance, Charl had his own ace up his sleeve, his greatest source of confidence, which originated from...

"Lord Charl, if everything goes as planned, we should reach the location you marked on the map in less than half an hour!"

Surrounding Charl's carriage was a six-person escort team, and the one reporting to Charl with the map was one of them.

These were Charl's absolute confidants, fiercely loyal to him, valuing him even over the Empress in their hearts.

Most crucially, all six were Relic Users. There were only forty-two Relic Users in total in the Dragon Nation, and having six of them as devoted guards was a luxury only Charl could afford. This formidable setup was the source of his confidence.