Chapter 1430 - 607: Royal Zoo

Chapter 1430: Chapter 607: Royal Zoo

Hearing Surya’s inquiry, Emperor Carl Franz couldn’t help but feel a bit hesitant and embarrassed.

There is indeed a dragon kept underground in the Empire’s Royal Zoo, but this matter is classified as top secret. How did Laine find out?

"Is there really a dragon?" The Duchess "Surya," who was holding Laine’s arm, continued to ask.

The Emperor always felt something was off about this "Surya" in front of him. In his impression, Surya was a Duchess with a sense of nobility, civilized and elegant, with the demeanor of a grand lady. But today, she seemed very lively, liked to take the initiative to speak, and even her tone had changed. Her tone towards Laine shifted from mutual respect to one with subtle commanding undertones. If it weren’t for the continued respect in her voice for Laine, Carl Franz might have thought Surya had been swapped.

"Surya!" Laine somewhat reproachfully said to Surya, "This is His Majesty Carl’s secret, you shouldn’t press like that."

"It’s alright." Seeing this, the Emperor gestured with his hand showing he didn’t mind, and after considering slightly, Carl Franz spoke, "There is indeed a dragon beneath the zoo, called the Imperial Dragon, the Guardian God of Brunswick. But this dragon is usually in a deep sleep and rarely awakens. I’ve only ridden it once and am not very familiar with it, but if we have the chance to bring Greg Matak, head of Amber Academy, here, he could give you a tour of the dragon."

What he meant was, we can’t visit it now, Laine thought to himself.

Amber Mages from the Amber Academy are essentially the same as Druids. After binding with the Amber Wind, their body hair grows wildly, their behavior is extremely wild, their nails and teeth sharpen like animal claws, they enjoy wearing animal skins, bare-chested, holding staves made of wood, bone, and amber, moving through the wilderness. The most powerful Amber Mages can transform into animals to fight or travel.

So, what’s the difference between Amber Mages and those Druids?

The difference is that Amber Mages accept the leadership of the Imperial Court and believe that nature must unite with humans to defend against external enemies. These Amber Mages deeply love the Empire and its land. The loyalty oath they swear to the Empire is stronger and firmer than any vows they’ve ever made.

Of course, even so, these Amber Mages constantly clash with the nobility and the city’s bourgeois class, with mutual distrust.

"Thirty percent new means guests, fifty percent new means friends, seventy percent new means brothers."

— A saying describing the freshness of Amber Mages’ clothing and their relationship with visitors.

At this moment, in Surya’s mind, the female knight was conversing with the Lake Fairy.

"Lady, don’t be so rude!" Surya felt slightly embarrassed, "Doing this puts Laine in a difficult position."

"I just want to put him in a difficult position." The Lake Fairy insisted, "Surya, don’t you think you’re too accommodating to him? Sometimes you need to have your own thoughts and demands. Only then will Laine take you seriously and cherish you."

"Lady, I don’t think this is a good idea..." Surya instinctively felt the Lake Fairy was being troublesome, and the female knight felt uneasy, "We are now in the Empire, in front of His Majesty Carl. As a wife, we should still give him face..."

"Don’t worry, I know my limits." The Lake Fairy waved her hand, and seeing this, Surya could only agree without further protest.

On the other side, Laine was still chatting with Emperor Carl Franz, "I met Matak last time... but the strange smell on him was really unpleasant. He even invited me and Tygris to his Beast Mansion as guests, but we didn’t dare to go in."

"Matak isn’t a bad person." The Emperor laughed and shook his head repeatedly, "He’s just like all Amber Mages, enjoying staying in the wild, covered in mud, sleeping in the forests. Rumor says he brews a fine red tea, rich in flavor and sleep-inducing. Drinking it makes you drowsy."

"Yes, that’s why I’ve never tried it." Laine sneered.

"Neither have I." The Emperor paused, then responded with an understanding smile.

The two men exchanged smiles.

The Royal Zoo is divided into several areas, namely the "Mackensen Coach District," "Northern District," "Hawk District," "Oster District," "Southern District," "Western District," and the central Griffin Zone. It hosts almost all rare and exotic creatures from the Old World, including Giant Demons and Chaos Eggs. Many people from the Imperial Academy and Wizards and sect members conduct research on various exotic creatures here.

Additionally, the Royal Zoo provides horses, Pegasus, half-Griffins, and powerful Griffins for the Emperor’s army as an added function.

The group first visited the stables, which housed robust warhorses. These horses, from the horse-producing province of Avey Territory, undergo strict training and can fearlessly carry knights into chaotic battlefields.

However, neither Laine, Surya, nor Amelia showed interest in Imperial Warhorses, which left the Emperor somewhat embarrassed, as well as the horse attendants and coachmen who came to welcome them.

Because no matter how excellent Imperial Warhorses are, they are far inferior to Brittania’s horses. Most of Brittania’s horses are descendants of Elf Warhorses and Brittania Forest Horses. The Knight Kingdom’s horses have more or less some Elf Warhorse blood, displayed in their superior stamina, sprinting ability, speed, load-bearing capacity, and jumping ability.