"Your Majesty, the spaceship's ready. We can launch anytime," Cohen's face appeared on my screen. "Got it. The war with the demons is nearly over. We'll decide after the National Day ceremony," I said. "Alright, my Young Master," Cohen shrugged.
Thanks to our intervention, Flying Dragon Star (our name for this planet) is now a paradise. The fusion of magic and tech has sparked massive changes, making life insanely convenient. The people here jumped straight to the space age. Humans adapt fast—new gadgets don't shock them anymore. Everyone's got video phones, and transport runs on magic-powered motorcycles and cars, driven by magic arrays. Zero pollution, no noise. To keep laziness in check, every citizen must train in magic and martial arts outside work hours, or they'll end up like Earth's slobs. There's a mandatory biannual test, and every two years, we hold a national Magic-Martial Tournament. Top three get prizes or government jobs, plus titles. Contestants need a minimum skill level to enter. It's lit a fire under everyone's butts.
The kingdom's thriving. Even that old fart Finland Lei's got nothing to complain about—he's got it easier than ever. No crime, no corrupt officials. We pay officials fat salaries to keep them honest. Education's free for twelve years, covering up to Earth's high school, basically college-level. Higher education trains elites in tech, magic, and martial arts. I'm not letting kids study for twenty years from age six, only to jobless like Earth's system. We assign roles by ability. Don't want to work? Love adventuring or treasure hunting? Basic income ensures you won't starve. No birth control here—have as many kids as you want, the state raises them. With my wealth, supporting tens of millions is nothing, especially since they're generating crazy riches. Some products and fruits even export to Earth. Only downside? The demon war's still dragging, with both sides holding East and West in a standoff.
"National Day parade begins! His Majesty the Emperor will inspect the troops!" Riding the parade car, I brimmed with pride, reviewing this steel army. "Comrades, you've worked hard!"
"For the people!"
"Comrades, looking good!"
"Long live Your Majesty!" (Don't call it stealing—I'm borrowing.)
Back at the reviewing stand, the parade kicked off to a rousing march. First came the tri-service honor guard (field army, navy, space force), followed by the Imperial Guard, army formations, then Yellow Dragon, White Dragon, Black Dragon, and Azure Dragon Legions' formations. Next were tri-service units, then the women's formation, followed by reserve men's and women's formations—each with three hundred soldiers in armored uniforms, wielding laser guns and swords. Then the mechanized units: single-soldier mech warriors, followed by magic-martial mechs, moving like humans in neat ranks, their four-meter-tall frames clutching dual cannons (laser and particle), striking fear into enemies. Next, large magic cannons powered by high-energy cosmic crystals. Lucky for us, the debris around this system's loaded with these crystals—none in the Milky Way yet. Cohen's mining them like crazy. A thumb-sized crystal holds a trillion volts. Nuts, right? We call them high-energy crystals. On Earth, I'd be swimming in cash. They need a magic energy converter to work, though. Then, look up—four kilometer-long dragon-shaped warships, gleaming with black crystal, soared overhead.
These warships can space-jump and teleport, packing laser, particle, and electromagnetic cannons, plus magic energy shields. Small but mighty. Standard speed: three-quarters light speed. Crew: two hundred. Total military: six hundred thousand.
Post-National Day, the army went on high alert. I decided to visit Dragon Island—yep, where dragons live. It's far from the Saint Demon Continent, in Flying Dragon Star's south. Normally, only dragons can reach the continent. Even archmages can't teleport there—magic doesn't hold for the distance. But now I can, riding a warship. After landing, I chose to go solo to reduce hostility. Post-God-Demon War, dragons moved here, cutting ties with other races. I tried satellite scouting, but like the Demon Realm, a magic barrier blocks the view. My martial arts didn't even catch it. It's my fourth day here. Dragon Island's about six million square kilometers—huge for an "island." Who's the idiot who named it? Besides dragons, it's home to beastman tribes—cat, fox, and bear—around ten million strong.
"Damn, I'm beat," I collapsed under a tree. The island's all forest, with trees six meters taller than the continent's. The tallest hit two hundred meters. Nutrition here's unreal. I pulled food from my storage ring, ate, and donned a hat woven from some herb to mask my scent and repel bugs. Must-have for adventurers. No one's patented it yet—I could make bank.
I don't know how long I dozed, dreaming of epic battles with my wives, when a faint trickling sound and a stench hit me. The herb hat on my face was being whipped by something, waking me. I was pissed. Guess what I saw—swear I swallowed hard. Sixty centimeters from my head: a snow-white butt, sporting an eighty-centimeter white tail, mid-pee. The owner was humming a tune, her tail swaying, smacking my hat, testing my patience.
I'm a perv, I admit. Your butt's gorgeous, I'll give you that. But you can't piss over my head! That's basically shitting on me. You do the first, I'll do the fifth. I grabbed a stick nearby and rubbed it on her butt. She froze, tail shooting up at a 45-degree angle, muscles tensing. Probably thought it was a snake—if she stayed still, it'd leave. But she didn't expect me, His Majesty. I rubbed both sides of her butt a few more times. Her fists, from the side, were clenched at her chest, body trembling with nerves. After ages, the 'snake' still slithered on her butt. Fear beat patience, and she started crying. I couldn't hold it and laughed, blowing my cover. She screamed at max volume, yanked up her pants, and yelled, "Catch the pervert! The creep peeping at my butt!"
A mob came out of nowhere. No explaining this—run! Shouts chased me. I bolted blindly, splat, and fell into a pit. Damn, trapped. I hid, hoping they'd miss me. When the voices faded, I sighed, casting a fireball spell to check the pit.
"When I get out, I'm marrying that little kitty," I swore. Someone said the best way to hate someone is to love them. She got me stuck in this pit. Butt-first landing, but it still hurt. How could I not hate her?
Surprise—there was a cave under the pit. Me and caves, destined or what? Something always happens in them. I walked twenty zhang (about sixty meters) into the cave, finding a descending staircase to the left. No clue where it led, but I'm here, so why not check? With my skills, what can't I handle? Worst case, I run.
About thirty meters down, I reached a five-meter-high door, made of some unknown metal. Flanking it were two winged bronze statues, a man and a woman. "Angels," popped into my head. Like Earth's Western myths. Is this place tied to Earth? What's behind this door? My heart raced with curiosity.
I pushed—locked. A mechanism, maybe? I checked the statues, nothing odd. Maybe they rotate. The male one didn't budge on the first try, moved on the second. Door still shut. The female one turned too, but no luck. Both rotate, so it's a mechanism. Maybe direction matters. Male left, female right—worth a shot. Click, a seam opened, and the door swung inward, releasing a musty stench.
Inside was empty, except for a high platform with a female statue, white wings behind her. Probably a main goddess—why else have just her in this huge hall? She smiled at the entrance. Building a temple here, on Dragon Island, is dumb—not great for spreading faith. I'd never do it. Waste of money and manpower, all pain, no gain.
Behind the statue was a door. Inside, a pool sat in the room's center, growing some weird tree. Poisonous? Nah, probably not here. Eighty percent chance it's a miracle herb. They say long illness makes a doctor—my herb instincts are usually spot-on.
The tree, about a foot tall, was white, bearing ten heart-shaped, silvery fruits glowing softly, each ping-pong ball-sized. I plucked one, bit it—damn, hard. Not giving up, I lasered a hole and sucked out the juice. Words can't describe the taste—pure bliss. I'm greedy, I know. Can't help it with good stuff. Last time with vermilion fruit, I needed stalactite milk to balance the heat. I stopped after four fruits, noticing the pool's liquid. Water, but not quite, like a flowing essence. Screw it—I bottled two jade vials of it, stashing them with the five remaining fruits in my storage ring.
As I finished, my body felt off. A tingling itch started in my dantian, spreading upward, enveloping me. Yet, I felt detached, like a bystander watching my cells split, recombine, and restructure in a bizarre dance.
I stood frozen, organs on pause, brain racing. Time dragged—maybe a day, maybe a month. Loneliness stretches time. I guessed two days. When I could move my limbs, my body felt transformed—agility and toughness upgraded, muscles brimming with power, urging me to unleash it.
I didn't know then: my life was now eternal, tied to the heavens. I cycled true energy to check for changes. Besides confirming I'm still human, nothing stood out. Risk always brings reward. Without my superhuman physique, four fruits' energy would've wrecked me. The muscle restructuring alone was unbearable.
Leaving the temple, I leapt from the pit, resuming my hunt for dragon traces in the vast forest. I doubled back, finally spotting signs of life in these creepy mountains. The cat tribe's lived here forever—they must know dragon secrets or gathering spots.
I darted through the woods, spotting a cat tribe village, guarded by soldiers. No problem for a genius hunk like me. I slipped through their blind spot to the village's far side, near a cliff. A small wooden house stood there. I nudged open the window and climbed in. A bed inside—probably a bedroom. Then, a curvy figure walked in, yawning, heading for the bed, looking beat.
I sprang, covering her mouth to stop any noise. She struggled, but I pinned her to the bed, my body over hers. When our eyes met, we both froze, like seeing the impossible.
Goddamn, small world. It was the kitty who got me stuck in that pit. Now, pinned under me, she looked at me like I was a thug about to assault her.
Her eyes, red and teary, stared in shock, face flushed to her neck. "Don't scream. I'm not a perv. If you stay quiet, I'll let go, deal?" She nodded. I released her and got off.
Suddenly, she flipped, pinning me before I could balance. "Miss, you're so young—don't do anything rash! Raping me? I'm not even married! Be gentle," I teased, acting scared.
"Deadbeat! Pervert! Sneaking into my house at night—what're you up to? Think I don't know? You've been stalking me since the forest. Those idiots let you escape!" she snapped.
"Whoa, whoa, don't slander me. I'm pure as snow, unlike some cute, pretty girls who secretly pee anywhere in the forest. Not just near my head—crushing flowers and grass is bad enough!" Play with me? Kid, you're out of your league.
"You—you liar! Peeping at my butt!" she yelled, face red.
"Peeping? Your butt's nothing special. Just a white tail, flat as a board. I wouldn't bother, you little brat," I said, smirking with disdain.
"Is my butt really that flat?" I nearly fainted. She thinks I'm a creep but wants to discuss her butt? Female brains, man. I stared, speechless.