CHAPTER 14: Nine Parts Truth, One Part Balls
"Even those barbaric orcs in the south can have one, why can't I?" I shot back, not caring about his rage. Deathwing wouldn't dare to act here. Once he did, he'd attract the attention of the other Dragon Aspects. He wouldn't risk it.
Sure enough, under a warning glare from Deathwing, Nefarian grunted and suppressed his anger. "Okay, I bet. Where is your notebook?"
"You can talk about it after you win. Haha, get your dragonling mount ready, I'll take it later. Now... do you know what the Shadowlands are?"
I didn't mind throwing the Jailer out there to attract attention. Right now, the barrier between life and death was strong.
"Shadowlands?"
Deathwing, his daughter, and his son were all silent for a moment. They knew Deepholm, the Maw of the Abyss, the Throne of Wind... they even knew about the Underworld. But the Shadowlands? That was new.
Gotcha.
"After the death of all things, the souls are taken to the Shadowlands by messengers, and the memories are judged by the Arbitrator. Warlike souls go to Maldraxxus. Demigods and natural souls go to Ardenweald. And souls who are extremely evil but can still be saved, such as... you."
I pointed right at Nefarian. "You... will go back to Revendreth to be whipped and punished until your sins are purged."
"What else?" Deathwing couldn't help but ask. This surprised Onyxia. Her father had always been cruel and calm.
"Souls with unforgivable sins will be thrown into the Maw, where they will be tortured for eternity until their soul consciousness dissipates. This is the Retribution. As for me, a Paladin, I will go to Bastion. The messengers of Bastion are the ones who take souls to the Shadow Realm. You must want to ask me why I know this, right?"
I smiled mysteriously.
Deathwing, Onyxia, and Nefarian... oh no, the three dragons... all nodded at the same time, without even reacting.
"Because I've seen it!" I smiled sinisterly.
"What! Aren't you a living person?" Onyxia exclaimed, with a look of disbelief in her eyes.
"Can't a living person go and see it? A Dragon Aspect can become a world destroyer, a sow can climb a tree, and a rooster can place an order. Do you need your approval for all this?" My expression was playful, making them hate me, but also shocking them to their core.
After two full seconds, Deathwing stared at me and asked, "How do you prove it?"
"Yes, how do you prove it? Who knows if you are lying to me!" Nefarian shouted, having finally rebooted his brain.
The atmosphere became cold. Right. How to prove it? They're not going to kill themselves to check.
Onyxia originally thought I was panicking, but she didn't expect me to be so calm. I even had a hint of mockery in my smile. Why? Because I'm mocking an immortal dragon, and it feels great.
"First, you can go to the Hades in Stormheim to find Hela. She has taken refuge in the Shadowlands. Second, if you can meet Odin in Valhalla, you can ask him. He must know—he lost his eye because of a deal with the Shadowlands. Third, you can enter the Shadowlands by dying once."
I didn't tell the whole truth. Nine points of truth and one point of lie are the most difficult to expose.
Deathwing's pupils suddenly dilated, as if he thought of something terrible. His voice sounded hoarse, and the temperature around him began to skyrocket, as if it was going to roast people. "Your Highness, you seem to know too much."
Okay, getting a little warm. A holy light burst from my body, isolating the temperature. "It's nothing. Although I don't know who you are, you are very powerful. I don't care who you are, as long as you don't destroy the alliance, I don't care about you. After all, I have seen too many dragons. Bronze dragons... eternal dragons."
Bluff. Counter-bluff. Your move, big guy. I'm literally just listing game expansions at this point, but he doesn't know that.
Onyxia was still alert, but Nefarian had already taken a fighting posture, flames coming out of his body. "What a pity, Your Highness."
It seems he wanted to kill me, but—
PAH!
Nefarian was slapped and flew out, knocking down two tables before stopping. What confused him was that it was not me who made the move, but his father, Deathwing.
And the idiot goes flying. Note to self: Dad is the only one who matters here.
"Who told you to do this to His Royal Highness! Go out and bring your bet to His Royal Highness! Katrana, go and bring in my collection of red wine. I want to have a couple of drinks with His Royal Highness. Sorry, Your Highness, I am not a good parent."
I was relieved. If we had really fought, I wouldn't have been able to crack Deathwing's toenails. The gap was too big. I could only play the pig and eat the tiger, as I did now.
"You're welcome, Your Highness. Why don't you tell us your intentions? We can help each other. Strength does not represent the majority. If the victory or defeat was really determined by strength, then the orc army could just be lined up to kill."
"Oh, I don't know what Your Highness wants?" Deathwing's eyes flickered. He couldn't see Odin, but he could go see Hela.
"A branch of the orcs in the south called the Dragonmaw Clan has obtained a treasure forged by dragons in ancient times. I want that treasure. Is there any way for you to help me, my Lord Duke?"
I said it lightly. Just then, Onyxia came back in with two bottles of red wine. Her graceful waist showed what slenderness meant, her elegant movements showed what sexiness meant, and especially her casual smile... it made my heartbeat speed up a bit. This was an irresistible beauty.