"That Silver Dragon Queen marrying a human isn't sci-fi?"
"Shh~"
Noah interrupted the father-daughter pair's nonsense, "We're about to reach the main gate, be quiet."
Everyone immediately held their breath and pressed tightly against the bottom of the carriage.
The carriage convoy stopped at the Empire's gate for the routine inspection.
The so-called inspection was really just a few casual glances; as long as there were no suspicious or dangerous items, everything would be let through.
Such laxity, besides being due to the security squad's usual laziness, also relied on the mighty Empire they served.
Just like the captain had said earlier, besides Leon, there really wasn't anyone else who dared to cause trouble in the Empire.
As the most powerful nation within human territory, even having the chance to pay tribute to them was something to be thankful for. Who would dare secretly plot trouble?
Inspection over, Leon and his daughter successfully blended in with the carriage convoy and snuck into the Empire.
After walking through a few streets, and making sure there were no patrols from the Empire nearby, the group took their chance and slipped out from under the carriage, hiding in a nearby alley.
Leon stood at the mouth of the alley, pressed against the wall, sticking his head out to look around. He wasn't being watched, and hadn't attracted the attention of any passersby.
He turned back and began discussing strategy with his daughters.
"The report from the informant didn't specify the exact location where the dragon scale is stored, it only said it's in some hidden fortress within the royal city."
Noah said, "If we want to find the dragon scale, we'll need to put in more effort."
Leon nodded.
He had already expected from the beginning that it wouldn't be easy to find the Heart-Protecting Dragon Scale.
The Empire wouldn't collect such things without a reason.
To dragons, the Heart-Protecting Dragon Scale was an essential "insurance device"; as for what humans would do with it, the possibilities were endless.
So with something this valuable, the Empire definitely would keep it secret after obtaining it.
The fact that Noah's mysterious informant could even find out "the Empire is collecting Heart-Protecting Dragon Scales" was already impressive. If they could even find out the specific storage location, then the Empire's intelligence agencies might as well all resign.
The enemy isn't stupid. Getting past the security was just the beginning; now comes the real challenge.
"I have two plans," Leon said, "First, we split into teams of two, and investigate around and inside the royal city, until we find where the dragon scale is stored."
"Second, capture a relevant person in charge and interrogate them to obtain the intel we need."
"The first method is relatively safer, but it takes time;"
"The second method could get us the location of the scale faster, but the risk will rise accordingly."
"My thought is, we start with the search. If we get nowhere in the short term, then we take the risk and grab someone. What do you think?"
The three sisters looked at each other, then nodded tacitly, expressing no objection to their dad's plan.
"Alright, now let's determine the teams."
Leon said, "Noah and Little Light in one team, me and Luna in the other. No problem, right?"
Luna blinked her beautiful big eyes, excited and expectant, "I get to go on a secret mission with Daddy?"
"Mm, happy?", Leon smiled and asked.
"Happy! Super happy!", Because they were infiltrating the Empire, the daughters had hidden their tails; otherwise Luna's tail would definitely be wagging sky-high in joy right now.
Noah lightly poked her little sister's cheek, "Alright little tag-along, once we split up, behave, don't run around, don't hold us back."
"Pfft, Sis, you still treat me like a kid," Luna pouted.
Noah lovingly rubbed her little head, "In front of this guy, you always look like you're not growing up."
"Hmph~"
After making the initial action plan, Leon reminded them again, "If we run into an emergency, avoid fighting as much as possible. Best not to use magic. Remember, our goal in infiltrating the Empire this time is the Heart-Protecting Dragon Scale."
Speaking of magic, Aurora suddenly remembered something.
"Oh right, Second Sis, if you do have to use magic, try to only use one element. Don't use both at once. Dual-element awakening is super rare, and yours are lightning and fire. If there are people in the royal city familiar with Dad and Mom from back then, they'll easily guess who we are."
Luna nodded, "Mhm, got it."
"Then, let's move out. Whether we find the dragon scale's location or not, we'll regroup here in three days," Leon said.
"Okay."
Noah and Aurora left first.
Leon took Luna through the small path behind the alley.
Noah and the others' faces had never appeared in the Empire before, and for twenty years the three sisters had deliberately avoided contact with the Empire's dragon-slaying forces.
So no one inside the Empire should recognize them, and they could walk the streets without disguise.
But General Leon, he was a top-tier wanted criminal from twenty years ago. Once hailed as a dragon-slaying hero who "fell" into being a traitor to humanity, his fame and story were textbook level.
Even after twenty years, he still risked being recognized. To be safe, he had to stick to the small paths.
"Daddy, are we going to the royal city now?", Luna asked, following beside Leon.
"Let's wait until it's dark. We're not like Noah's team who can walk the streets freely. Nighttime is our best cover."
"Oh oh, okay!"
One benefit of splitting into teams was that not all the daughters had to sneak around with Leon.
Noah and Aurora, who had never shown up in the Empire before, had much more freedom of movement.
Even if the three of them were together, they would still attract attention. That's why Leon decided to split into two-person teams, so they could watch each other's backs.
Father and daughter took the back route to the rooftop of an abandoned clock tower. From there, they could see the royal city in the distance.
"Now, we just wait for nightfall."
Leon stared at the magnificent and resplendent buildings. Who knew what kind of terrifying beasts hid beneath that glamorous exterior?
———
At nightfall, after figuring out the patrol routes of the Empire, Leon found the right moment and took Luna to the base of a high wall on one side of the royal city.
This spot was hard to detect and had patrols only every ten minutes.
The two crouched beside the wall, studying how they might sneak in.
Trying to enter the central area where the royal city lay wasn't nearly as easy as sneaking into the Empire during the day.
Those living here were all royal nobles of the Empire. Even the lowest ranked ones traveled with at least four or five guards.
As for those in power, needless to say.
Leon raised his hand and gently pressed against the outer wall of the royal city.
Cold and rough, and there seemed to be a flow of magical energy within.
"As expected, there's a barrier here too," Leon said.
The Empire's outer walls had sensing barriers, so the royal city was no exception.
And the strength and function of the royal city's barrier definitely surpassed those on the outer walls.
"If we climb over, the barrier will definitely detect us."
Leon said, "I'll try to open a hole in this barrier. Luna, stand guard and let me know if anything moves."
"Yes, Daddy," Luna immediately stood up, alertly scanning their surroundings.
Leon began trying to disable the barrier.
Back in the Dragon-Slaying Academy, the teachers had taught him some basics on breaking barriers, since you often encountered enemy-placed magical barriers during military operations.
But no matter what kind of function the barrier had, at its core it was still a magic formation.
As long as you found its operational pattern, there was a chance to break it.
However, Leon's attempts all ended in failure.
He didn't dare forcefully break through, as that would definitely draw the attention of the "Royal Magus Corps."
The barrier systems of the outer walls, the royal city, and various major imperial buildings were all handled by the Royal Magus Corps.
They also taught magic to royal family members and their offspring.
Leon had disliked that bunch even during wartime years ago.
Every single member of the Magus Corps was a nutcase, and ones with no moral or ethical boundaries.
Before the Silver Dragon War, Leon had already heard they were experimenting with raising dangerous species using magic. Judging from the dangerous creatures he ran into last time in the Empire, those nutjobs had likely succeeded.
Who knew what even crazier stuff they'd come up with after twenty years?
"No good, this barrier is way more complex than it was twenty years ago."
Plus, breaking barriers wasn't Leon's specialty.
He could blast through the wall with one Chidori, sure. But that would completely expose them.
They came here risking everything to get the Heart-Protecting Dragon Scale, not to stir up trouble.
Luna gave it a try too, but had no luck.
Her little ahoge drooped, and the little moonlit girl looked dejected, "Why is it like this…"
Leon raised a hand and patted her head comfortingly, "It's the royal city's barrier, made by a bunch of pros. If we could crack it so easily, those guys might as well pack up and retire."
"Then what do we do now, Daddy?"
"Hmm… if we can't sneak in, let's see if we can do what we did during the day. Find a cover, and slip in unnoticed."
"Okay."
Honestly, this plan didn't have high odds of success.
But it was better than doing nothing, worth a try at least.
Leon led Luna to dodge the patrols and looped around to the roof of a courier station near the royal city's main gate.
From there, they had a clear view of the royal city gate's situation.
Not many carriages came and went, and from their luxurious configurations, every one of them carried rich folks.
Just about the only thing missing were diamond-studded horseshoes.
"Unlike the outer gate, the royal city guards carefully inspect every carriage going in and out. Hiding under one would definitely get us caught," Leon said quietly.
"Daddy, didn't you use to come to the royal city often when you were in the Empire?", Luna asked.
Leon thought for a moment, then shook his head, "At first I came often, later... not so much."
"Eh? Why?", Luna was curious.
"For frontline grunts like me, unless I was being awarded or had distinguished service, I wasn't allowed in the royal city at will."
Luna blinked, "Then how come you said you came a lot in the beginning?"
"Because Daddy earned lots of merits."
Leon recalled, "Back then... it was about one Dragon King per month, so I had to come to the royal city every month to get decorated by that damn emperor. Normal folks get decorated once a year."
"After a while, they got tired of it, I got tired of it, so we agreed to just do it once every six months."
Luna's eyes widened slightly as she looked at her dad with admiration,
"Wow~ Daddy, you're so awesome."
Leon coughed lightly and didn't continue basking in his daughter's praise.
Why?
Because back then, her mom was also a top-tier merit achiever in General Leon's eyes…
Sigh, old stories, all old stories.
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