A dragon king of a thousand years.
The worldview of dragons is fundamentally different from that of humans.
To a dragon king who has lived for millennia, humans are like hairless monkeys.
Humans don't fall in love with monkeys—except maybe San Ge.
So for Pompeii Gattuso, there was no way he would ever fall in love with a pure-blooded human.
If not for the purpose of seizing the Black King's power,
there's no chance he would've done something like that.
That's exactly what Ren Asakura was mocking—
A human falling in love with a monkey.
"Who the hell are you?"
Pompeii Gattuso's voice was still lazy, but his tone brimmed with vigilance and hostility.
"Who am I? The decrepit old men on the Board of Trustees should've told you by now. Something this major happens—they'd disturb your vacation to inform you for sure," Ren Asakura said calmly.
Pompeii Gattuso recalled the message sent to him just minutes ago by the old fossils in his family.
"Ren Asakura?"
"Looks like you did get the message. Good. Let's talk business. The King of Earth and Mountain is in my hands. You've always wanted his power, right? So let's make a deal.
As for the White King—your little lab rat pissed me off, so I decided to kill him. Hope you're not too upset. But even if you are, it won't matter—because I might just kill you too."
Ren Asakura's tone was flat, yet filled with unshakable confidence.
Right now, he wasn't planning on touching the Sky and Wind King.
Because his current target was Herzog—that crusty old chandelier.
You eat a meal one bite at a time.
You kill your enemies one at a time.
You stir up chaos one step at a time.
Ren Asakura had plenty of time—practically infinite.
So he could afford to waste a little.
But if the Sky and Wind King insisted on courting death, Ren wouldn't mind helping him out.
Book 1: The Bronze and Fire King
Book 2: The Earth and Mountain King
Book 3: The White King
Book 4: Odin
The Sky and Wind King came after the White King!
Ren Asakura wasn't in any rush.
"Interesting… Your presence feels wrong somehow. And yet, you clearly exist.
It's like something from another world has intruded into mine—everything feels out of place," Pompeii Gattuso said as he lit a cigarette.
The woman on his bed had already been tossed out the door.
To him, no matter how beautiful, a woman was just a breeding tool.
What came next wasn't something a human should hear.
"Who knows," Ren replied. "But what do you think about my offer?"
He didn't confirm it, but he didn't deny it either—like a man speaking in riddles.
"From what you're saying, it sounds like you're trying to sell me the King of Earth and Mountain," Pompeii Gattuso said, pouring himself a glass of red wine.
Elegant, and still polite.
As if something this monumental was still within his control.
"That's about right. But here's the thing: I don't want to hand over the goods, and I don't want to pay either.
What do you think we should do?"
Ren Asakura spoke like a mafia boss—dead serious.
Pompeii Gattuso's hand trembled slightly as he held the glass.
"Then why the hell did you call me? Just to mock me?"
"It definitely wasn't the plan, but the goods are already tied up, so of course I need to find a way to ship them out. I just wanted to get paid from both sides while also pulling a double-cross. So even though I don't want to give you the goods, I still want to make a deal with you."
Ren Asakura's intent was simple—
Freeload.
He just wanted to freeload off you.
The Gattuso family might be loaded, but even they would be pissed off if someone mooched off them like this.
Pompeii Gattuso had clearly never encountered someone so shameless—
and who could be this righteous while doing it.
"How much do you want!"
"Five hundred million!"
Ren paused, then continued:
"US dollars… or euros, whichever. Oh, and I'm heading to Japan soon, so make sure to convert the money into yen. Wouldn't want to deal with exchange issues while I'm spending it."
"You're freeloading off me and making demands? That's just too much!"
Pompeii sounded annoyed, but the smile at the corner of his lips remained calm and collected.
The old guys had warned him—
this man was dangerous.
Even the King of Bronze and Fire had submitted to him.
Sometimes, mystery acts as a layer of protection.
Especially for someone pulling strings from the shadows.
In a situation full of unknowns, he absolutely wouldn't act rashly.
Because that could very well be the end of him.
Still, if Ren Asakura was going to Japan, there were things that could be done.
The mastermind wouldn't show up in person.
He just had to manipulate his little lab rats to eliminate the enemy.
And it just so happened—Japan was his testing ground.
It was crawling with little rats.
Thinking of this, Pompeii agreed.
After all, Herzog had raised a great number of A-class death-servants—
the strongest and most terrifying killers.
Perfect for probing information.
If Ren Asakura turned out to be strong, the $500 million could be seen as making a friend.
If he was weak, then they'd just take it back—forcefully.
After weighing the pros and cons, agreeing was clearly the smartest choice.
Still, he couldn't just say yes so easily.
"Say… can I refuse?"
"So you're saying you won't pay me?"
Ren's tone turned cold.
"Of course not, I'll pay! But at least give me an account number or something."
"No need. I'll just take it directly."
The moment Ren said that, Pompeii's phone buzzed.
A message popped up.
Someone had withdrawn $500 million from the family account using his name.
The money had vanished.
Pompeii's mouth twitched.
"This is robbery, you know that?"
"Come on. Have you ever seen a robber call ahead to let you know? Please, this was a business deal. You just got scammed on a scam. Anyway, enjoy your little 'seeding' vacation. Oh, and as the King of Sky and Wind, I suggest you visit India sometime. I hear the love there is very open-minded—maybe they'll accept your kind of… interspecies relationship."
Ren hung up.
Call ended.
Looking at the transfer confirmation for $500 million on his phone, Ren nodded in satisfaction.
Then he put down the phone and looked at his team.
Three Dragon Kings, one babysitter, one unlucky guy, and one immortal.
The crew was pretty much assembled.
Next stop: Japan.
But there was a problem—Fenrir's body was way too big.
Transporting him was going to be a hassle.
And a dragon that size would attract every hybrid hunter for miles.
Ren didn't want the fun to die before the trip even started.
This time, his goal in Japan was pleasure first—
if things blew up the moment he arrived, he'd be seriously annoyed.
"Looks like we need to shrink Fenrir down. Or maybe turn him human? That should be a good thing for him."
Snacks like spicy strips and potato chips were delicious.
For regular people, one bag could count as half a meal.
But for a fifty-meter dragon, it was barely a crumb—
not even enough to get stuck in his teeth.
If he shrank down, though, it'd feel like there was a lot more to eat.
That little guy Fenrir would definitely love it.
Ren walked up to him.
"Hey, Fenrir! Do you wanna eat more snacks? Do you wanna stuff your whole mouth full of chips?"
Fenrir blinked—
then nodded hard.
"Perfect."
Ren gently tapped his forehead with one finger.
Fenrir's scales began to recede into his body.
His form began to shrink.
Bones contracted. Organs shifted.
In less than a minute, Fenrir transformed from a massive dragon into a boy about seven or eight years old.
The boy stood there naked, his expression filled with innocence and confusion.
He was adorable, with sun-kissed skin, and didn't seem the slightest bit embarrassed to be nude.
°°°
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