The news of the new prince spread across the Kingdom of Marcel. Messengers from other nations returned to their homelands carrying the heavy news. The people of the Marcel Kingdom were surprised and shocked.
They were eager to know who the lucky boy was that had been adopted by their King!
King Ezerel is the only king said to have married from the ancient kingdom of the Jeng Dynasty, the Chinese family in this mysterious world. Compared to the other nations, the Marcel Kingdom is quite formidable.
Having the highest trade value and artifacts, they are among the ten great nations in the world. Though the Marcel Kingdom isn't well known for swordsmanship or magical abilities, their artifacts make them formidable. They are the nation that produced new generational technologies—weapons feared by other nations. And it's all because of the Soul Stone, which was found three hundred years ago.
The Marcel Kingdom is on its way to becoming the richest kingdom in the world. No one understands how the Soul Stone was found by their ancestors, but it has become a source of wealth and power for them all.
Meanwhile
Ma Feng yawned as he heard a loud knock on his door. He had been given a beautiful and luxurious chamber after being declared a prince. Ma Feng slowly got up from his bed and walked to the door.
"I'm coming," Ma Feng called out as he opened the door. His eyes widened in shock at the sight of the beautiful maid standing before him, holding a tray of outstanding and delicious cakes in her hands.
"Greetings, Prince Ma Feng... I am here to bring your first breakfast," the maid said while bowing her head before him. She was wearing a rather seductive dress, but Ma Feng wasn't into women, not because he disliked them, but because he didn't know how to love—he had never loved in his life.
"My first breakfast? So this is how a royal enjoys life, huh? This is awesome," Ma Feng said to himself as he drooled over the cakes. He wiped his mouth and took the tray from the maid.
"You can leave," Ma Feng said, closing the door with his foot. He walked over to the bed and placed the tray down, rubbing his hands together and licking his lips.
Ma Feng started devouring the delicious cakes within two minutes. It felt like he had ascended to heaven—the cakes were both creamy and delicious. After he finished eating, Ma Feng left his bedroom.
He could be seen walking down the hallway with a smile on his face, still holding the tray in his hand. The hallway looked fascinating and beautiful, but Ma Feng's eyes widened in shock as he swiftly turned.
He ducked just in time to avoid a dagger thrown from behind. Landing on his feet with the tray still in hand, he looked up to see the second prince, Prince Xi Jing, standing firmly with another dagger in his hand.
Ma Feng was surprised that his battle mode hadn't been activated yet!
"Violet, I thought whenever I'm in a combat situation, my battle mode would be activated. Why wasn't it triggered just now?" Ma Feng asked, staring at the prince who stood smiling before him.
VIOLET: NO MURDEROUS INTENTIONS WERE FELT. UNLESS ORIGINALLY ACTIVATED BY YOU, I AM NOT AUTHORIZED TO ACTIVATE BATTLE MODE WITHOUT ANY KILLING INTENTIONS DETECTED IN THE SURROUNDINGS.
"Oh, is that so? Then I guess he wasn't exactly aiming to kill me, right? Well, that's a good thing," Ma Feng said to himself, eyeing Prince Xi Jing, who lowered his dagger while still smiling.
"What was that for? You almost killed me," Ma Feng said.
"Killed you? You dodged that attack without any hesitation. You're quite nimble, aren't you? Now I see why Father decided to make you his son," Prince Xi Jing said while he slowly approached Ma Feng.
"I am not fast. I was just lucky enough to evade your killing attack," Ma Feng lied. He knew he could dodge an attack like that without any problem. When he got reincarnated into this strange world,
he became much more of a ninja, possessing god-like speed when he is in his humanoid form. He is quite fast, but as a dragon, his size and height slow down his speed—but his strength becomes more brute.
"Well, I am sorry about that. I never knew my attack would be that accurate. I am Prince Xi Jing... Son of King Ezerel," Prince Xi Jing said with pride as he stretched forth his hand for a handshake.
"Well, I am Ma Feng, son of a... nobody!" Ma Feng said.
"Nobody? Does that mean you have no idea who your real parents are? Or did they abandon you in the Shadow Forest?" Prince Xi Jing asked. Ma Feng didn't even know what to answer the curious prince before him.
"Well... ehm, that's an answer I don't really know. But all I know is that the Shadow Forest has been my home until now," Ma Feng answered. They both shook hands as they started walking toward the stairs.
"Your name, Ma Feng... Are you from my dynasty?" Prince Xi Jing asked.
"Your dynasty? What are you talking about?" Ma Feng asked as they slowly came down the stairs. Every maid or guard they came across bowed their heads before them—they were royals, after all.
"Yeah, the Jeng Dynasty. The Jeng Dynasty was the supreme royal household four hundred years ago before the Great War ended with our defeat. Now, there are only a few noticeable members of our dynasty."
"My mom fell in love with my dad, who is a Western prince, and now here we are. Only the boys were allowed to keep the Jeng Dynasty names as an honor, but my little sister, Rose, was named by my dad himself," Prince Xi Jing said.
"Oh, that's cool, but I don't know how I got my name though," Ma Feng lied.
Ma Feng was originally Chinese in his former life before his death, his parents being some of the richest before they were killed in an accident. And now Ma Feng is currently a prince of a Western kingdom.
"So tell me, Prince Xi Jing, do you have any magical abilities or are you an assassin?" Ma Feng asked while they continued walking. Prince Xi Jing slightly chuckled when they arrived at the dining hall.
"You can call me Xi Jing, since you're also a prince. My mother accepts you into the family, so we also do. To answer your question... our kingdom isn't really into magic or swordsmanship, so I am a powerful artifact user," Prince Xi Jing said.
"Artifact user? What's that?" Ma Feng asked.
"The Kingdom of Marcel are original warriors who use the powers of the Soul Stone—a god-level generator founded by our ancestors. The scientists of our kingdom began the creation of powerful artifacts."
"So, the royal families are to possess the most powerful artifacts of them all. My father has the most powerful artifacts under his grasp. Though mine is powerful, it hasn't really been perfected," Prince Xi Jing answered.
Both Xi Jing and Ma Feng halted when they faced King Ezerel, and they bowed their heads before the king before going to take their seats at the dining table. It was still an awkward moment for Ma Feng.
"Greetings, King Ezerel and Queen Fei Jing," Ma Feng greeted.
"You shouldn't be too nervous, Ma Feng... You are now part of the family, so you can call me mother anytime. After all, you were adopted by my husband, the king," the queen said with a smile on her face.
Ma Feng nodded as King Ezerel coughed, drawing all attention to him while the maids brought in breakfast for the royal family. Ma Feng looked up to see Princess Rose staring at him with a smile.
"Hello, Ma Feng," Princess Rose said.
"Uhmmm... Hello to you, Princess Rose," Ma Feng said, and everyone chuckled softly—including the king. They could see and understand how nervous Ma Feng was when King Ezerel called everyone to him.
His face was partially filled with excitement and worry at the same time, and Queen Fei Jing noticed it. She stared at her handsome husband and asked him what the problem was before anyone else could.
"My darling husband, what seems to be the problem? You look quite worried," the queen asked.
"My queen... There have been rumors circulating the globe. The priests and priestesses are all worried about the sudden disappearance of one of the Twelve Elder Gods—The Dragon God," King Ezerel answered.
"An Elder God disappeared? How is that possible, Father? The Twelve Elder Gods are said to be the supreme beings of our world. This disappearance is quite shocking," Prince Xi Jing uttered in shock.
Ma Feng gasped softly as he coughed out the wine he drank. Everyone turned to him as the cup of wine fell from his hand. Ma Feng was shocked when he heard of the Dragon God's disappearance.
"Ma Feng... What seems to be the problem?" King Ezerel asked.
"Nothing exactly. But you just talked about the Dragon God. Are you talking about Ozel?" Ma Feng asked, and King Ezerel widened his eyes in shock. The names of the Twelve Elder Gods have been a mystery to the world—except the main kings!
"Who's Ozel?" Princess Rose asked.
"That's the name of the Elder God—the Dragon God. His name is considered a mystery, and it's an abomination to speak out such a name to the public. Who told you his name, Ma Feng?" King Ezerel asked.
"Uhm... nobody exactly. I just happened to hear that name in the Shadow Forest back then," Ma Feng answered. Of course, he was lying. He couldn't just tell people who were still mysterious to him that the Dragon God Ozel is sealed within him.
That's a secret that must never be revealed!