Chapter 118: The Dragon Egg (Part 2)

“I demanded that you take us to our lodging first, and then to the World Expo site,” Ignacio said flatly. “And I do hope the lodging meets our requirements.”

“Ah, yes,” Gregor replied quickly. “We have prepared an exclusive building at the Trampton Hotel. Its facilities are luxurious, the staff are excellent in hospitality, and the building itself can accommodate up to two thousand guests. Since… you specifically brought your own builders to construct your pavilion for the expo.”

“We don’t need the staff. Only the place,” Ignacio said. “And not just builders. We also brought our own servants and cooks.”

He pointed toward the other ships in his fleet. As they disembarked, streams of people poured out—soldiers, builders, attendants, uniformed servants, cooks, and logistics personnel moving with practiced efficiency.

“Ah…” Gregor muttered. “Hence the fleet.”

“Correct,” Ignacio replied coldly. “We do not wish to be… contaminated by any undesirable food. Or people.”

Silence followed.

Not the awkward kind. The deliberate kind. The kind Ignacio clearly intended.

“Oh my,” Levi suddenly said, politely covering his mouth. “You shouldn’t have to go that far.”

Ignacio’s eyes flicked toward him.

“Not paying full participation fees because you decided to build your own pavilion is one thing,” Levi continued pleasantly. “But bringing your entire accommodation staff with you as well…”

Levi then bowed deeply.

“We are terribly sorry if the invitation timing was too short,” he said earnestly. “We did not realize how great a financial burden it would be for Celeste and Elvandar to have to cook their own food. Please know that we can offer a huge discount on every hospitality service during your stay.”

He remained bowed.

No one moved.

The Celeste foreign minister and the Elvandar Grand Magus both froze, their faces turning a deep, unmistakable red. Levi’s tone was flawless. His posture impeccable. His mockery surgical.

“BUAHAHAHAHA!!”

The sound burst out from the dwarfs delegation.

“Mmphh!”

The laughter was immediately cut off as Vixen panicked and clamped a hand over Cinderclaws mouth, dragging him backward.

“Y-Y-You demon—” Ignacio stammered, pointing. “Do you mean to say we cannot affo—”

He was just about to explode when someone stepped between them.

“Good day, Foreign Minister Ignacio.”

Hannya bowed courteously, her movement precise and practiced.

“I am Ambassador Hannya of the Murican government. And the Ravendawn officials are ready to escort you to your lodging and the expo site. Please—your vehicles are already prepared.”

She gestured calmly toward several Bentleys parked nearby, their doors already opened.

The timing was flawless. Like she had experienced on doing this for many times.

Any attempt to escalate now would look childish. Loud. Public.

Hannya smiled politely, the kind of smile that made it clear she had ended the conversation.

“Ah, that’s right!” Levi added cheerfully, clapping his hands together. “You’ve all been through such a long journey. I shouldn’t delay your rest any further, hahaha.”

Ignacio stood there, visibly trembling with restrained fury.

Then Paerith placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Ignacio,” Paerith said quietly, “let it go. It has been a long journey. Let us finish today’s tasks and earn some rest.”

Ignacio clicked his tongue.

“Tch. Fine…”

The Concordat delegates followed Hannya and the Ravendawn officials toward their designated vehicles.

As they walked, Paerith cast a sharp side-glance at Cinderclaws—clear, unmistakable judgment aimed squarely at the dwarf.

Cinderclaws returned the favor by casually flashing a taunting grin, as if he declared he’s ready for any kind of fights.

Ignacio and Paerith entered the Bentley with visible stiffness.

It was a mode of transportation neither of them had ever seen before, let alone ridden. The interior alone was enough to betray that this thing cost more than several villages. Still, both chose to remain outwardly composed. Giving the hosts the satisfaction of seeing them act like village folk was unacceptable.

Once seated, Ignacio finally spoke.

“Demon woman.”

Hannya paused beside the open door and turned her head slightly.

“Do you remember our conversation on the mana-comm several months ago?” Ignacio asked.

He fixed her with a menacing stare.

“Do not think I would ever forget your face or your voice during that… unacceptable day.”

The memory was obvious. The assassination of High Priestess Gabrielle.

Hannya looked at him without flinching.

“I’m terribly sorry, Mr. Foreign Minister,” she replied evenly, a thin smile forming, “but I don’t quite remember the day you’re referring to.”

Her smile sharpened just a little.

“Perhaps because, for us, it was just another… business day.”

“How dare y—”

Slam.

Hannya closed the Bentley door before Ignacio could finish his sentence.

She stepped back smoothly and gave a courteous bow toward Ignacio and Paerith through the tinted window.

“Have a pleasant ride,” she said calmly. “I will meet you again at a later time.”

The VIP convoy began to roll out of the premises.

Inside the Bentley, Ignacio could be seen shouting furiously, his gestures animated and unrestrained.

Outside the car, there was only silence.

“Hahahaha,” Levi muttered under his breath. “This is going to be very interesting all the way until the expo.”

Gregor let out a tired sigh.

“…Now I think I understand the real reason why you all insisted the expo to be held in Dawn City.”

---

Dwargonia, Silverfist HQ

It had been three days since Solo arrived at Silverfist HQ.

At the moment, he was seated in the mana-comm room, speaking to Lilith’s projection on the mana-comm crystal in front of him.

“Heheh, yeah,” Solo said casually, leaning back. “They always give me plenty of grilled meat and alcohol over here, so you don’t need to worry about me.”

“Hmph,” Lilith replied, puffing her cheeks. “That’s cheating. I can’t even smell grilled food anymore without wanting to puke.”

“Heheheh,” Solo chuckled. “Just be patient, honey. The morning sickness only last three months.”

He leaned closer to the mana-comm, his tone softening.

“And I’ll be back after another three months,” he added. “Maybe faster.”

“Oh…” Lilith’s projection reached out, placing her hand gently against the glowing surface of the mana-comm. “I miss you, Solo.”

“I miss you too…” Solo replied warmly.

“…mommy.”

Lilith chuckled, clearly amused by her new title.

---

Moments later, Solo stepped out of the mana-comm room.

He nearly bumped into Dwordoug, Hilda, and Irving, all of whom were standing directly behind the door as if they had been waiting there the entire time.

“Huh?” Solo muttered. “What is it?”

“Sir,” Irving said crisply, “I believe we have deciphered the egg.”

---

Dragon Egg Research Room

Solo, Dwordoug, Hilda, and the misfits stood before the dragon egg chamber.

Several tables had been dragged in, now covered with papers filled with dense scribbles, notes, crossed-out equations, and diagrams. The accumulated results of three full days of work.

Solo stared at them.

“My,” he muttered, genuinely surprised, “you were all actually… working?”

“Of course, sir,” Irving replied, snapping into a salute. “We always perform our tasks seriously.”

Beside him, the other misfits also saluted.

Perfect posture. Perfect timing. Perfect synchronization.

Too perfect.

“Hmmm…” Solo rubbed his chin, suspicion creeping in. Something about this felt wrong.

He decided to ignore it. For now.

“So,” Solo said, “what did you find?”

“It’s slightly different than expected, but…” Irving said, unfolding a paper and presenting it forward.

On it was a string of carefully written numbers.

“The Morse code is definitely indicating coordinates.”

The paper read:

14°17′ North, 68°42′ East

“I see,” Solo said. “And where exactly is that?”

Without a word, Kovalski stepped forward and raised an iPad, presenting it flawlessly to Solo, Dwordoug, and Hilda.

Again, perfectly timed. Perfectly angled.

Still too perfect.

“The coordinates point to an island north of Dwargonia,” Kovalski said.

Solo, Dwordoug, and Hilda leaned closer to the iPad.

“…Beast Island,” Dwordoug muttered.

“Beast Island?” Solo repeated.

“Yes,” Dwordoug replied. “It’s our only neighboring island to the north. Roughly sixteen hundred kilometers from our northern border.”

Solo’s lips curled into a grin.

He hesitated. But still grinning.

“A mechanical egg that spits out mysterious coordinates,” he said. “Now that really picks my curiosity.”

He turned toward the misfits.

“Good work, all of you,” Solo said. “It’s late. Go get some rest before we continue our journey to the island. I appreciate it.”

With that, Solo, Dwordoug, and Hilda left the room, leaving the misfits behind.

As they walked down the corridor, Solo muttered, “So… what exactly can you tell me about this Beast Island?”

Their voices faded as the door closed behind them.

The moment it did, every misfit’s grin slowly widened.

Unnaturally.

“Kukuku… we did it,” Irving whispered, his smile stretching ear to ear.

“Fiuuuhhh…” Bella let out a long breath. “I totally thought we were going to screw everything up when our captain here admitted he only remembered five letters of Morse code.”

“Hey, you can’t blame me,” Irving protested. “That Morse lesson was many, many decades ago.”

“Then you shouldn’t act so reliable in front of the Prime Minister,” Ivy growled. “We’re lucky I know that little secret about Megan—that she’s dating the Ravendawn King and is still a virgin.”

“She must have the worst luck imaginable,” Kovalski said calmly. “Meeting you at the Murican embassy when extending her passport.”

“Kukuku, you should’ve seen her face when she realized I was working there as an intern,” Ivy grinned.

“Fufufu,” Irving chuckled darkly. “Blackmailing a senior BICH officer into helping us while we take all the credit? That’s another achievement unlocked.”

He then turned to face the rest of the misfits.

“But remember,” Irving said, his tone suddenly serious, “our mission now is to make Prime Minister Solo owe us a huge favor. We make ourselves heroes—that is untouchable by anyone once we return home.”

“Agreed,” Kovalski nodded, smiling. “That status alone will be worth a fortune. Hehehe…”

“We’ll rescue him from any dire situation that might happen during this dragon hunt,” Bella added excitedly.

“Even if we have to…” Ivy paused, adjusting her evil grin,

“…create those dire situations ourselves.”

“MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

The misfits burst into laughter.

Once again, they planned an evil—yet incredibly stupid—adventure for their own benefit.

Even if it involved the most important person in the country.

Especially because it involved the most important person in the country.