Chapter 185: 184 – Going To The Ancient Caves
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"Big Brother's son is finally home," the Dragon Queen said in a soft voice full of emotion. "It is good to have you home, child."
Fang nodded, his purple eyes full of emotion as well. He gripped Ren's hand tightly.
"Are you two feeling well enough to travel to our ancestral caves in the afternoon?" the Dragon Queen asked. "I was thinking that we could go after lunch – but I wouldn't want to tax the two of you too much, either. We could go tomorrow morning as well."
"We can go today," Ren said, before Fang could object.
Fang frowned at Ren. "Won't you be too tired?" he asked. "Don't force yourself."
Ren shook his head. "I'm perfectly fine, my big darling. There is no need to fuss," he said in a comforting voice. Then he turned to the Dragon Queen. "I am very curious about the ancestral caves and what you guys had mentioned back in Cosmopolis about Fang's father's familiar."
The Dragon Queen laughed. "You really are very clever, Nephew Ren," she murmured. "Indeed, it is in relation to this very matter. My Big Brother – Nephew Fang's father – had a magical familiar, just like you have your eldest daughter Sylvia. When my Big Brother was murdered, his familiar went dormant – however, his magic is still active, and we believe that he may have either entered into a dormant state voluntarily or lost too much magic which reverted him into an egg, or that he might have passed away as well along with my Big Brother, but left a child to be the magical familiar of my Big Brother's magical heir. We would learn the truth only when we are able to awaken him. He does not respond to either Una or Uno, so we wondered if Fang may be the one to bring him back to life."
Ren frowned. "Magical familiars are rare in this world, isn't it?" he asked.
The Dragon Queen nodded. "At the time, my Big Brother was the only one in the world who had a magical familiar," she said quietly. "Of course, not many people know of the existence of magic, either. It is shocking enough that both of you have magic – and especially you, Nephew Ren. I had not expected you to possess such powerful magic. You may actually be the most powerful magical person in this world."
Ren raised his eyebrows. "You could gauge my magic?" he asked.
The Dragon Queen chuckled. "Do you remember the first time you visited us, Ren? Remember that glowing threshold you crossed, which lit up with a bright golden light when you entered? That is an ancient magic detector which had been set up in the imperial palace of the Dragon Nation at the time when this palace had been constructed. From what I have read, this world had an abundance of magic at the time – not the mere trickle that we have in most places in the world. Fortunately, the Dragon Nation has managed to preserve some of its magical heritage, but modern places like Cosmopolis are quite lacking in magic," she explained. "The ancient magic detector showed me back then that you were at the level of an ancient master. That is why I was particularly delighted that you had chosen to be Nephew Fang's partner. At the time, I didn't know if I would ever be able to disclose the truth to Nephew Fang about his heritage, but still, it was comforting to learn that he had such a powerful protector by his side. In fact, the magic of Nephew Fang is also quite powerful by ordinary standards, actually, just like those of your friends CEO Pax and Wolf. However, you, Nephew Ren, seem to be a powerful magical master who is born once in a millennium."
Ren flushed, and Fang grinned proudly.
"Ren is really amazing," Fang said like those annoying lovestruck people who can't say ten words without referring to their significant others – except that Fang was too good looking to be considered annoying and his voice was very pleasant, and that his declarations of Ren's awesomeness were the literal truth most of the time.
The Dragon Queen smiled again. "Indeed," she said. "We are blessed to have both of you in our family properly now." She reached out and patted both Ren and Fang on their shoulders. "I shall not keep you young ones any longer. Please feel free to rest until lunch, and after that, we shall visit the ancient caves."
Fang and Ren agreed, of course. When they were alone with the babies, the two of them settled the babies in first, and then freshened themselves up as well. Neither Ren nor Fang felt sleepy, so they sat in the lounge with the babies and relaxed. All of them enjoyed the rich magical air of the Dragon Nation until an attendant came to call them for lunch.
Lunch was a delicious affair – both Ren and Fang liked the hearty cuisine of the Dragon Nation anyway, and they all ate well.
After lunch, as promised, the Dragon Queen, along with Prince Uno and Princess Una, led Ren and Fang to the ancient caves. Zeus stayed back in the imperial palace to play with the babies.
"Mother, I am planning to tell Zeus about the existence of magic," Princess Una said, as the group of five made their way to the ancient caves which only the members of the royal family of the Dragon Nation could enter. On their way here, Ren had clarified with the Dragon Queen earlier whether he, as the fiancé of Prince Fang, would be eligible at the moment, since they were not officially married. The Dragon Queen had laughed and told him that it was fine since they had consummated their relationship anyway, and that official papers made no difference. Of course, Ren had been too embarrassed to enquire any further, while Fang had pulled Prince Uno to the side to get more details from him about the conditions and when Fang re-joined Ren, his face was as flushed as Ren's. The culture of the Dragon Nation, even since ancient times, was really liberal, both of them thought silently.
The ancient caves were located on a scenic mountain near the imperial palace, and were only accessible from inside the imperial palace. Steps had been carved into the mountain, but one still needed to climb up to get to the ancient caves.
Fang had been worried the moment he saw the location.
"We have to climb all the way up?" he asked, dismayed. For Fang, it was not a big deal at all; Wolf had systematically trained him to increase his stamina and strength and Ren and Chef Jules had fed him nutritious food until he has become so strong that he could pick up Ren with one hand. So, Fang could walk up these ancient mountain stairs without any problems. However, Ren was delicate and low on stamina to begin with, and with his recent weakness, it would be very difficult for him to walk up a mountain.
"Yes," Princess Una said. "Would that be a problem?"
"No, no, not at all," Ren said quickly before Fang could tell the others that Ren would find it to be quite an arduous task to climb a mountain like this.
"Of course there's a problem," Fang snapped. "Ren, I'm going to carry you, and you are not allowed to protest."
"You can't carry me all the way up a mountain!" Ren protested. "Do you think you are made of steel or something? Don't be silly. Let's start walking up, and if I feel tired, I will let you know and maybe we could rest for a few minutes before resuming our way up."
"That does make sense," the Dragon Queen said. "Ren, please do let us know whenever you feel tired or uncomfortable, all right? We wouldn't want you to fall ill or over exert yourself."
Ren nodded. "I will, thank you," he mumbled, feeling rather embarrassed.
Fang kept an eagle eye on Ren as the five of them climbed up. For the first one third of the journey, Ren was all right, and they chatted about various things (including Ren's eligibility to be counted as a member of the royal family of the Dragon Nation). After that, Ren's steps began to slow down, and before Ren could say anything, Fang picked him up and walked up, making Princess Una and Prince Uno burst out laughing.
Prince Uno even pulled out his camera and started taking pictures of Fang carrying Ren, and he sent off several pictures to Pax, who was back in Cosmopolis.
Ren and Fang had no idea that Prince Uno was doing this, naturally.
"They make a really cute couple, don't they?" Princess Una murmured softly.
"They do," Prince Uno said. "Cousin Fang has really found himself a treasure, hasn't he?"
Princess Una raised her eyebrows.. "You think Ren is a treasure? Why do you constantly provoke him, then?" she demanded.
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"Big Brother's son is finally home," the Dragon Queen said in a soft voice full of emotion. "It is good to have you home, child."
Fang nodded, his purple eyes full of emotion as well. He gripped Ren's hand tightly.
"Are you two feeling well enough to travel to our ancestral caves in the afternoon?" the Dragon Queen asked. "I was thinking that we could go after lunch – but I wouldn't want to tax the two of you too much, either. We could go tomorrow morning as well."
"We can go today," Ren said, before Fang could object.
Fang frowned at Ren. "Won't you be too tired?" he asked. "Don't force yourself."
Ren shook his head. "I'm perfectly fine, my big darling. There is no need to fuss," he said in a comforting voice. Then he turned to the Dragon Queen. "I am very curious about the ancestral caves and what you guys had mentioned back in Cosmopolis about Fang's father's familiar."
The Dragon Queen laughed. "You really are very clever, Nephew Ren," she murmured. "Indeed, it is in relation to this very matter. My Big Brother – Nephew Fang's father – had a magical familiar, just like you have your eldest daughter Sylvia. When my Big Brother was murdered, his familiar went dormant – however, his magic is still active, and we believe that he may have either entered into a dormant state voluntarily or lost too much magic which reverted him into an egg, or that he might have passed away as well along with my Big Brother, but left a child to be the magical familiar of my Big Brother's magical heir. We would learn the truth only when we are able to awaken him. He does not respond to either Una or Uno, so we wondered if Fang may be the one to bring him back to life."
Ren frowned. "Magical familiars are rare in this world, isn't it?" he asked.
The Dragon Queen nodded. "At the time, my Big Brother was the only one in the world who had a magical familiar," she said quietly. "Of course, not many people know of the existence of magic, either. It is shocking enough that both of you have magic – and especially you, Nephew Ren. I had not expected you to possess such powerful magic. You may actually be the most powerful magical person in this world."
Ren raised his eyebrows. "You could gauge my magic?" he asked.
The Dragon Queen chuckled. "Do you remember the first time you visited us, Ren? Remember that glowing threshold you crossed, which lit up with a bright golden light when you entered? That is an ancient magic detector which had been set up in the imperial palace of the Dragon Nation at the time when this palace had been constructed. From what I have read, this world had an abundance of magic at the time – not the mere trickle that we have in most places in the world. Fortunately, the Dragon Nation has managed to preserve some of its magical heritage, but modern places like Cosmopolis are quite lacking in magic," she explained. "The ancient magic detector showed me back then that you were at the level of an ancient master. That is why I was particularly delighted that you had chosen to be Nephew Fang's partner. At the time, I didn't know if I would ever be able to disclose the truth to Nephew Fang about his heritage, but still, it was comforting to learn that he had such a powerful protector by his side. In fact, the magic of Nephew Fang is also quite powerful by ordinary standards, actually, just like those of your friends CEO Pax and Wolf. However, you, Nephew Ren, seem to be a powerful magical master who is born once in a millennium."
Ren flushed, and Fang grinned proudly.
"Ren is really amazing," Fang said like those annoying lovestruck people who can't say ten words without referring to their significant others – except that Fang was too good looking to be considered annoying and his voice was very pleasant, and that his declarations of Ren's awesomeness were the literal truth most of the time.
The Dragon Queen smiled again. "Indeed," she said. "We are blessed to have both of you in our family properly now." She reached out and patted both Ren and Fang on their shoulders. "I shall not keep you young ones any longer. Please feel free to rest until lunch, and after that, we shall visit the ancient caves."
Fang and Ren agreed, of course. When they were alone with the babies, the two of them settled the babies in first, and then freshened themselves up as well. Neither Ren nor Fang felt sleepy, so they sat in the lounge with the babies and relaxed. All of them enjoyed the rich magical air of the Dragon Nation until an attendant came to call them for lunch.
Lunch was a delicious affair – both Ren and Fang liked the hearty cuisine of the Dragon Nation anyway, and they all ate well.
After lunch, as promised, the Dragon Queen, along with Prince Uno and Princess Una, led Ren and Fang to the ancient caves. Zeus stayed back in the imperial palace to play with the babies.
"Mother, I am planning to tell Zeus about the existence of magic," Princess Una said, as the group of five made their way to the ancient caves which only the members of the royal family of the Dragon Nation could enter. On their way here, Ren had clarified with the Dragon Queen earlier whether he, as the fiancé of Prince Fang, would be eligible at the moment, since they were not officially married. The Dragon Queen had laughed and told him that it was fine since they had consummated their relationship anyway, and that official papers made no difference. Of course, Ren had been too embarrassed to enquire any further, while Fang had pulled Prince Uno to the side to get more details from him about the conditions and when Fang re-joined Ren, his face was as flushed as Ren's. The culture of the Dragon Nation, even since ancient times, was really liberal, both of them thought silently.
The ancient caves were located on a scenic mountain near the imperial palace, and were only accessible from inside the imperial palace. Steps had been carved into the mountain, but one still needed to climb up to get to the ancient caves.
Fang had been worried the moment he saw the location.
"We have to climb all the way up?" he asked, dismayed. For Fang, it was not a big deal at all; Wolf had systematically trained him to increase his stamina and strength and Ren and Chef Jules had fed him nutritious food until he has become so strong that he could pick up Ren with one hand. So, Fang could walk up these ancient mountain stairs without any problems. However, Ren was delicate and low on stamina to begin with, and with his recent weakness, it would be very difficult for him to walk up a mountain.
"Yes," Princess Una said. "Would that be a problem?"
"No, no, not at all," Ren said quickly before Fang could tell the others that Ren would find it to be quite an arduous task to climb a mountain like this.
"Of course there's a problem," Fang snapped. "Ren, I'm going to carry you, and you are not allowed to protest."
"You can't carry me all the way up a mountain!" Ren protested. "Do you think you are made of steel or something? Don't be silly. Let's start walking up, and if I feel tired, I will let you know and maybe we could rest for a few minutes before resuming our way up."
"That does make sense," the Dragon Queen said. "Ren, please do let us know whenever you feel tired or uncomfortable, all right? We wouldn't want you to fall ill or over exert yourself."
Ren nodded. "I will, thank you," he mumbled, feeling rather embarrassed.
Fang kept an eagle eye on Ren as the five of them climbed up. For the first one third of the journey, Ren was all right, and they chatted about various things (including Ren's eligibility to be counted as a member of the royal family of the Dragon Nation). After that, Ren's steps began to slow down, and before Ren could say anything, Fang picked him up and walked up, making Princess Una and Prince Uno burst out laughing.
Prince Uno even pulled out his camera and started taking pictures of Fang carrying Ren, and he sent off several pictures to Pax, who was back in Cosmopolis.
Ren and Fang had no idea that Prince Uno was doing this, naturally.
"They make a really cute couple, don't they?" Princess Una murmured softly.
"They do," Prince Uno said. "Cousin Fang has really found himself a treasure, hasn't he?"
Princess Una raised her eyebrows.. "You think Ren is a treasure? Why do you constantly provoke him, then?" she demanded.
"Big Brother's son is finally home," the Dragon Queen said in a soft voice full of emotion. "It is good to have you home, child."Fang nodded, his purple eyes full of emotion as well. He gripped Ren's hand tightly."Are you two feeling well enough to travel to our ancestral caves in the afternoon?" the Dragon Queen asked. "I was thinking that we could go after lunch but I wouldn't want to tax the two of you too much, either. We could go tomorrow morning as well.""We can go today," Ren said, before Fang could object.Fang frowned at Ren. "Won't you be too tired?" he asked. "Don't force yourself."Ren shook his head. "I'm perfectly fine, my big darling. There is no need to fuss," he said in a comforting voice. Then he turned to the Dragon Queen. "I am very curious about the ancestral caves and what you guys had mentioned back in Cosmopolis about Fang's father's familiar."The Dragon Queen laughed. "You really are very clever, Nephew Ren," she murmured. "Indeed, it is in relation to this very matter. My Big Brother Nephew Fang's father had a magical familiar, just like you have your eldest daughter Sylvia. When my Big Brother was murdered, his familiar went dormant however, his magic is still active, and we believe that he may have either entered into a dormant state voluntarily or lost too much magic which reverted him into an egg, or that he might have passed away as well along with my Big Brother, but left a child to be the magical familiar of my Big Brother's magical heir. We would learn the truth only when we are able to awaken him. He does not respond to either Una or Uno, so we wondered if Fang may be the one to bring him back to life."Ren frowned. "Magical familiars are rare in this world, isn't it?" he asked.The Dragon Queen nodded. "At the time, my Big Brother was the only one in the world who had a magical familiar," she said quietly. "Of course, not many people know of the existence of magic, either. It is shocking enough that both of you have magic and especially you, Nephew Ren. I had not expected you to possess such powerful magic. You may actually be the most powerful magical person in this world."Ren raised his eyebrows. "You could gauge my magic?" he asked.The Dragon Queen chuckled. "Do you remember the first time you visited us, Ren? Remember that glowing threshold you crossed, which lit up with a bright golden light when you entered? That is an ancient magic detector which had been set up in the imperial palace of the Dragon Nation at the time when this palace had been constructed. From what I have read, this world had an abundance of magic at the time not the mere trickle that we have in most places in the world. Fortunately, the Dragon Nation has managed to preserve some of its magical heritage, but modern places like Cosmopolis are quite lacking in magic," she explained. "The ancient magic detector showed me back then that you were at the level of an ancient master. That is why I was particularly delighted that you had chosen to be Nephew Fang's partner. At the time, I didn't know if I would ever be able to disclose the truth to Nephew Fang about his heritage, but still, it was comforting to learn that he had such a powerful protector by his side. In fact, the magic of Nephew Fang is also quite powerful by ordinary standards, actually, just like those of your friends CEO Pax and Wolf. However, you, Nephew Ren, seem to be a powerful magical master who is born once in a millennium."Ren flushed, and Fang grinned proudly."Ren is really amazing," Fang said like those annoying lovestruck people who can't say ten words without referring to their significant others except that Fang was too good looking to be considered annoying and his voice was very pleasant, and that his declarations of Ren's awesomeness were the literal truth most of the time.The Dragon Queen smiled again. "Indeed," she said. "We are blessed to have both of you in our family properly now." She reached out and patted both Ren and Fang on their shoulders. "I shall not keep you young ones any longer. Please feel free to rest until lunch, and after that, we shall visit the ancient caves."Fang and Ren agreed, of course. When they were alone with the babies, the two of them settled the babies in first, and then freshened themselves up as well. Neither Ren nor Fang felt sleepy, so they sat in the lounge with the babies and relaxed. All of them enjoyed the rich magical air of the Dragon Nation until an attendant came to call them for lunch.Lunch was a delicious affair both Ren and Fang liked the hearty cuisine of the Dragon Nation anyway, and they all ate well.After lunch, as promised, the Dragon Queen, along with Prince Uno and Princess Una, led Ren and Fang to the ancient caves. Zeus stayed back in the imperial palace to play with the babies."Mother, I am planning to tell Zeus about the existence of magic," Princess Una said, as the group of five made their way to the ancient caves which only the members of the royal family of the Dragon Nation could enter. On their way here, Ren had clarified with the Dragon Queen earlier whether he, as the fianc of Prince Fang, would be eligible at the moment, since they were not officially married. The Dragon Queen had laughed and told him that it was fine since they had consummated their relationship anyway, and that official papers made no difference. Of course, Ren had been too embarrassed to enquire any further, while Fang had pulled Prince Uno to the side to get more details from him about the conditions and when Fang re-joined Ren, his face was as flushed as Ren's. The culture of the Dragon Nation, even since ancient times, was really liberal, both of them thought silently.The ancient caves were located on a scenic mountain near the imperial palace, and were only accessible from inside the imperial palace. Steps had been carved into the mountain, but one still needed to climb up to get to the ancient caves.Fang had been worried the moment he saw the location."We have to climb all the way up?" he asked, dismayed. For Fang, it was not a big deal at all; Wolf had systematically trained him to increase his stamina and strength and Ren and Chef Jules had fed him nutritious food until he has become so strong that he could pick up Ren with one hand. So, Fang could walk up these ancient mountain stairs without any problems. However, Ren was delicate and low on stamina to begin with, and with his recent weakness, it would be very difficult for him to walk up a mountain."Yes," Princess Una said. "Would that be a problem?""No, no, not at all," Ren said quickly before Fang could tell the others that Ren would find it to be quite an arduous task to climb a mountain like this."Of course there's a problem," Fang snapped. "Ren, I'm going to carry you, and you are not allowed to protest.""You can't carry me all the way up a mountain!" Ren protested. "Do you think you are made of steel or something? Don't be silly. Let's start walking up, and if I feel tired, I will let you know and maybe we could rest for a few minutes before resuming our way up.""That does make sense," the Dragon Queen said. "Ren, please do let us know whenever you feel tired or uncomfortable, all right? We wouldn't want you to fall ill or over exert yourself."Ren nodded. "I will, thank you," he mumbled, feeling rather embarrassed.Fang kept an eagle eye on Ren as the five of them climbed up. For the first one third of the journey, Ren was all right, and they chatted about various things including Ren's eligibility to be counted as a member of the royal family of the Dragon Nation. After that, Ren's steps began to slow down, and before Ren could say anything, Fang picked him up and walked up, making Princess Una and Prince Uno burst out laughing.Prince Uno even pulled out his camera and started taking pictures of Fang carrying Ren, and he sent off several pictures to Pax, who was back in Cosmopolis.Ren and Fang had no idea that Prince Uno was doing this, naturally."They make a really cute couple, don't they?" Princess Una murmured softly."They do," Prince Uno said. "Cousin Fang has really found himself a treasure, hasn't he?"Princess Una raised her eyebrows.. "You think Ren is a treasure? Why do you constantly provoke him, then?" she demanded.
