Draco spawned in Cario City with Qiong Qi, Roma and Rila with him. Unlike his usual form, he was disguised as Drake. Even further was the fact that his status bar was displayed as that of an NPC.
Draco wasn't foolish enough to appear in a player populated city with three things that shouldn't be accessible to players yet, or even have crossed their minds.
A mount, an NPC servant and a child. Allowing players to see him with all three would bring their minds down to the matter and realize that it was possible to achieve these things.
Draco had a few theories on what would happen at that time, but the fact was it would probably trigger a strong butterfly effect which would ruin things.
His biggest fear was to lose his advantage of reincarnation, even a little bit. His future knowledge and skills made him unparalleled in the Western Fantasy section of Boundless, but when he eventually migrated to other sections, he would be like a baby chick now hatching into the world.
Draco would only have the advantages he built up while he was in this realm to take with him, which was why he strived to acquire more and more pinnacle items.
Draco entered Cario City like this, attracting a few stares from players and NPCs alike. It wasn't just due to the strange Lion or the exotic dark-skinned beauty beside him, but mostly due to the adorable little girl held to his chest.
The fellows couldn't help but feel envy, wishing they could have such a cute daughter to pamper too. The ladies couldn't help but swoon, finding the aesthetic of a handsome young father being clingy to his cute daughter so unbearably lovely.
Draco ignored them as he neared the Guild Hall. His mind was slightly tense, as he was excited and nervous. Not about Umbra's progress or the like, but solely about Eva.
He felt like a boy heading to his date's house to pick her up for prom night. That c.o.c.ktail of anxiety and excitement roiled through him despite his willpower and mental strength.
We'd always heard about how cold or arrogant women became like little girls before the men they loved, so what about a cold and arrogant man?
Looking at Draco right now, it was clear that the same applied to him.
Qiong Qi walked along while taking in the sights of Cario City with interest. He hadn't bothered to interact with the human world at his former Rank, but it seemed he would be around this area for a while.
It wouldn't hurt to see how these soft skins lived.
Roma was a bit curious as well, but the heaviness of her heart was a dampener on her mood. She would require some time to adapt to all the changes before her, especially her role in Draco's life.
Draco walked through the crowds that still thronged in front of their Guild Hall to this day. The number of applicants for the Tradeskill and combat membersh.i.p.s were terrifying, and the majority of the human race hadn't joined the game yet.
Still, everyone made a pathway for Draco instinctively, feeling a strange suppression on their minds and bodies as he walked by them. The noisy area became silent, like the noisy classroom when the headmaster passed by.
They all gazed at his form, his nobility and genetical superiority pressing down on them, though they had no idea of this. They just felt like Draco was super cool and super scary.
When he entered the Guild Hall, they began chattering away even more vibrantly than before.
"Who was that?!"
"Do I look like an Oracle mate?"
"Nah, you kinda look retarded to be honest. You okay there?"
"…"
Nearer to the Guild Hall's entrance, some elites who were about to take the test had their eyes gleam as they saw Draco and his entourage. Their motivation to pass the test and join this mysterious, yet top-tier guild growing exponentially.
"Was that an NPC noble?"
"It's possible, he had this regal aura around him…"
"And he had a lion as a pet."
"I wish I had a lion as a pet… I could catch so many girls with how cool I'd look."
"You'd probably need it too, with a face like that."
"…"
Draco walked up to the Receptionist and smiled. When she saw him, her face froze for a bit before Draco removed his disguise. She was definitely startled, but her own identification skills showed that it was 100% Draco and not an impostor.
"Guildmaster, greetings. The Vice Guildmaster is currently in a rally meeting with the various members of the guild. Would you like to go there?"
The Receptionist spoke cordially and with utmost respect. She was an NPC and a bit of a unique one. She was bestowed knowledge of the real world and of the game world, so she could understand just what kind of monster Draco was.
"Please do."
Draco smiled slightly.
"Follow me, Sir."
The party were led by the receptionist to the floor with the Assembly Room, which was where almost every member of Umbra happened to be at the moment.
Draco's throat was dry and his heart was pounding. Soon… he would see Eva again.
After his body had been rebuilt by his bloodline, the special connection between him and Eva that allowed them to sense each other had disappeared for some reason. Draco didn't believe that it was gone, only that it had been muted.
As such, it would be a surprise for Eva to see him suddenly pop up during her rally. Though, Draco wondered exactly what this rally was about. Did she plan to lead a Guild War?
Eventually, the elevator opened and they walked into the Assembly Room with a bow from the Receptionist.
Draco entered the spacious room with the stage near the end, where Riveting Night, Sublime Notion and some others stood while two groups of players stood to one side each.
The players on the right all wore various pieces of armor or had staves in their hands. The ones on the left all wore normal clothes or robes. They were each standing in order of their rank in the guild, which Draco could tell from the color of their badges.
It wasn't that he knew what each color denoted, it was just that those at the front row all had violet emblems, those behind them had azure emblems and those at the last row had dark green emblems.
It didn't require a genius to put two and two together.
Draco stood near the entrance as he listened to Riveting Night.
"…The monster is our target! Tradeskill players, your duty to to begin forging throwaway weapons and armor for the serf troops! Do not bother to put thought into quality, we need only quantity!"
Riveting Night turned to the combat players and spoke again with a sharp tone.
"Combat players, you are our true fighting force! Make sure you have your best weapons and armor equipped! If not, seek a talented Tradeskill player to make one for you! Don't waste your time with the trash you were given at the start of the game!"
Riveting Night clapped her hands when she finished her talk, as if she was about to dismiss them. However, a certain signal was coming from her passive Control that made her heart tremble and flutter chaotically.
Her breathing became rough and her face became flushed under her hood, but no one could see that. They only saw the Vice Guildmaster freeze while looking in a certain direction.
Naturally, everyone turned to see who was there.
Then they saw one of the most bizarre lineups in their lives.
There was a Lion that looked so bored that he might just decay into a fossil where he stood. There was a shockingly beautiful caramel-skinned girl with snow white hair, who dressed like a belly dancer. There was a man who was so handsome that even the Gods would strike him down out of anger, with black armor that had a lion's carving in the center of the chestplate.
What really baffled the members of Umbra was that the fellow was carrying a toddler around in his arms. Granted, it was a cute and adorable little girl, but…
Draco saw that he had been noticed by Riveting Night and could not help but laugh internally. She was always so focused when leading that her passive Control didn't acknowledge anything but incoming threats.
He simply walked forward, and the crowd parted as they saw his advance. As Draco nearest the closest player, everyone could see an emblem forming on his chest.
It was as black as the night, shining with an abyssal glow. The difference between his and the others was that the Black Dragon seemed to be alive and roaring, while the matagama symbols surrounding it glowed with brilliance.
It didn't put any pressure on the players, but the visual aesthetic added a certain vibe to Draco that was exactly what every player dreamed of. This ability to look cool in public was something that they'd kill for.
Draco climbed onto the stage with Roma and Qiong Qi behind him.
Riveting Night stood only a few steps away from Draco, but her body was frozen as her mind was in chaos. The Council of Riveting Nights were rapidly cleaning up her mind and hiding the debris from their earlier conflicts.
Her legs trembled slightly, but it wasn't noticed by the other players of Umbra. All they were focused on was Draco for the females, Roma for the males and Rila on both sides.
Rila was fast asleep on Draco's chest, so he couldn't move to hug Riveting Night, so he reached out with his hand and cupped her face through her hood. It was almost like he could see through her everdark hood, gazing the red and teary eyed face within.
He whispered the words she wanted to hear the most.
"I'm back, Eva. I've missed you."
Draco didn't know where his confidence came from, but seeing Eva again made him feel so satisfied that he felt like a drug addict who had been craving a fix, and finally gotten it.
He felt startlingly calm at this moment, which was the main trait of his obsession for her.
Eva was a mess inside as well as under her hood. She didn't dare to speak and let the members of Umbra hear her shaky voice that was filled with tears, otherwise it might affect her ability to lead his guild on a future date.
Draco smiled at this and turned to Sublime Notion.
"Take over from here. Lead my companions to my suite on the top floor."
With those words said, Draco blinked away with Eva and Rila, leaving Roma and Qiong Qi with the members of Umbra.
......
The Evil Duo re-appeared in the suite of the Vice Guildmaster, which was Riveting Night's own room. The moment Riveting Night realized no one was around, she broke down.
She began crying and touching Draco all over like she was scared he would disappear. Her hands cupped his face, much to his laughter.
He placed Rila down on her bed and hugged Riveting Night properly. She was a mess of emotions, ranging from excitement to euphoria to fear.
She uttered the question that was prevalent on her mind. "Why did you take so long?"
Draco pulled back her hood and stared at her visage with soft eyes. His kissed Eva square on the lips with as much passion and care as he could, trying to calm her down.
Eva did calm down when she was kissed by Draco, and her c.o.c.ktail of emotions bled away as she felt pure bliss. Everything that happened after Draco forgave her felt like a fever dream, something she made up to console herself after they both died.
But it was moments like this that made her certain that they were very much alive, and this was definitely real.
Draco released Eva from the kiss and smooched her on each side of her cheek. He smiled and pulled her to a sofa, placing her on his lap and resting her head against his chest.
Naturally, the metallic segments of his armor had receded into his skin, leaving only the cloth segments there, so she could feel his body's warmth, which was unforgettable to Eva.
"Well… to explain why I took so long, it would take some time. First, have you noticed anything different about me?"
Draco asked this question with a sneaky smile.
Eva became curious due to his tone, but when she focused on him properly, she was so shocked she spasmed.
"Y-Your bloodline…!"
"Hehe, that's right. Your handsome soulmate has finally been freed of the shackles my dog family put on me. I'm sure you understand what this means, right?"
Draco was enjoying Eva's shock so much that his eyes turned to crescent moons.
Back when they were together in the previous timeline, before the tragedy, Eva had abused her skills as an assassin to jumpscare Draco all the time. Since he did not have Control at the time, he would scream like a little girl, to which Eva enjoyed shamelessly.
Now that he could make her feel such bafflement, he felt like he had achieved a life goal.
"Draco… with your bloodline free…"
Eva's face scrunched up in fear.
Draco's happiness bled away as he saw this, feeling a bit melancholic inside. After all, he knew Eva's fear was not of fighting the Lineages or some Lineage war, but a lingering terror that had been imprinted in her heart from the events of their past life.
It was precisely because Draco was the prodigy of the Lucifer Lineage that the tragedy occurred. Local Lord would never had gathered even the slightest bit of confidence to threaten Eva had he not found out about Draco's heritage.
When a person experienced trauma due to a certain event, they would always react strongly when something related to that event cropped up. It could be a child who was bitten by a dog as a child, who as an a.d.u.l.t, still feared them despite being bigger.
Eva had faced her own traumatic events after the tragedy, which was imprinted into her mind. She would never forget her suffering, though she had moved on from it.
Her fear was not of the past, but of the future. It was a bit irrational, but it couldn't be helped.
"Fear not. I have already begun to lay a foundation in the real world. In fact, here's a rundown of what happened…"
Draco filled Eva in on everything he did while offline as well as the contents and happenings of the Flora and Fauna quest. He left nothing out, telling her of the escapades with the Wood Elf girls, Roma and the Dryad.
Instead of reacting like a normal person and being hurt, she was nonchalant about the Wood Elf girls - though she noted Draco's tastes down in her sick mind - and she was angered by Flora - similar to Roma, but she had no problems with the Dryads themselves - and she was extremely pleased with Roma.
Eva was worried that Draco would get bored when she was pregnant with their child, but with Roma around, there should be no problems, especially since Roma was so agreeable too. Zaine was more of a plaything with a hidden agenda of her own, which the Evil Duo found amusing to no end.
Eva was also startled by Rila's existence and the revelations Draco shared. This cute little girl was such a powerful being, yet she was so attached to her soulmate…
"At least, she can be an older sister to our child." Eva remarked languidly.
"That she will. Tell me when you arrive in the Central Country so I come pick you up." Draco added with a gentle kiss on her forehead.
"I will. I'll be setting off today even." Eva replied with a glint in her eye.
Draco laughed. "So excited are we? I am too."
"Of course, Draco. I've held my v.i.r.g.i.nity for you in the real world for two whole lives. I've wanted your child since as long as I've come to love you, and I can finally have that chance!"
Eva did not blush as she said this, but was deadly serious. This was one of her life's goals, to bear the child of Draco.
Draco was so moved that his heart melted into putty. His Black Dragon - which was always frowning - smiled and puffed a bit of destruction energy. His Lucifer Lineage bloodline tingled lightly, making him feel like electricity was running through his body.
It wasn't limited to just their own personal feelings, but from their bloodline compulsions. Lucifer's dream had been to have a child with Amaterasu and the same went for Amaterasu.
Their bloodlines were naturally excited by the idea that it would finally happen after so many millennia and with the two descendants of their line who were so close to their progenitors that it was scary.
If the world had a prophecy of incoming danger and only one noble hero/heroine would be able to rise up and save the world, it would probably be the child between them.
Not even Lucifer or Amaterasu were sure of what their child would have been like. Everything was up in the air regarding that.
"So, enough about me. Tell me all about you, my Celestial Beauty."
Draco leaned back into the sofa as he passed the reins of the conversation to Eva.
"Well, this is what I did with the guild during this period…"
Eva informed Draco about her recruitment scheme for both the combat classes and the Tradeskill classes, their dungeon forays and their acquisitions during the time. She also told him about her trip to The Bazaar and how she used it to educate the core members of Umbra.
She paused here, waiting for Draco's opinion on the matter, with some amount of worry pervading her thoughts. However, it was all for naught, because…
"Good! Good! Good!"
"Ah, Eva! You are too good!"
"You are literal perfection! This is perfect! Hahaha!"
Draco was so happy with what she had done that he kissed her over and over, to which Eva received in a fl.u.s.tered manner, but deep down she was so happy that she wanted to cry.
"Oh yeah, what were you rallying about?"
Draco suddenly remembered this matter. Eva had not explained what Umbra had been doing during the last 3 days that he was offline. After all, his 30 or more hours offline translated to just over 5 days in Boundless time.
What had happened then?
Eva's face became somber as she replied Draco, her eyes glinting with seriousness.
"There has been a new event that was announced while you were away. It is an event that never appeared at any point during our past lives and should never appear during this time period either."
Draco's heart skipped a beat. "What is it about…?"
Eva took a deep breath and dropped a bombshell.
"The event is titled 'Dragon Slaying'. We are supposed to kill a Supreme-Ranked Dragon."