Voyage, a Flood Dragon Is Not a Dragon

"Oh my god!"

At this moment, even the always calm and rational Serena Feng and Sean Xuan couldn't help but exclaim, "I must be seeing things."

Dragons—they actually saw two dragons flying out from the treasure palace, and one of them was fighting Prince Nolan.

"Are those dragons? There really are dragons in this world." For a woman who'd only ever seen dragons in pictures, Serena's reaction was perfectly normal.

"No, they're flood dragons." Prince Nolan replied. Even though he was entangled with the flood dragon, his movements were agile, and the beast couldn't gain the upper hand.

As for the other flood dragon, it was locked in a tense standoff with the Eighteen Riders. Their arrows were aimed at the creature, and seeing this, the flood dragon simply stayed still. The Eighteen Riders dared not shoot recklessly, so both sides held their ground.

"Where did these flood dragons come from?" Serena had lived two lifetimes and had never seen such a creature. Sea monsters she'd only ever seen on TV—this was her first time seeing one with her own eyes.

"They're guardians of the treasure tower. The Lu family's key can release them." At this moment, Prince Nolan wasn't using his usual long soft sword, but the Heaven-Son Sword.

"Don't tell me these flood dragons were trained by the Lan Clan and locked up here on purpose, just to make it easier for the warship to leave port." She said it skeptically, but in truth, Serena already believed her own theory.

The warship was enormous, but this port only had a patch of shallow water, and it was so narrow that the ship could barely pass through. There was no way for the ship to sail on the surface; even ordinary rivers wouldn't do—it needed a vast river or the open sea.

"That's right." Prince Nolan gave Serena a definite answer. The Heaven-Son Sword in his hand moved with unpredictable grace, blooming with sword flowers before the flood dragon's eyes. The beast seemed stunned, staring blankly at Nolan, unable to fight back at all.

"Is Prince Nolan trying to tame the flood dragon?" After watching for a while, Serena finally picked up on the signs. But... would the people of the Former Dynasty really teach Prince Nolan how to tame a flood dragon?

"The flood dragon has already been tamed. Prince Nolan just needs it to recognize the Heaven-Son Sword. If my guess is right, the person who originally tamed the flood dragon used the Heaven-Son Sword. To get the treasure, you need the Lu family's key and the Lan Clan's Heaven-Son Sword—both are indispensable." Sure enough, the map alone is useless.

"Looks like the Phoenixfield Clan was never the Lan Clan's confidant." Thinking of the Phoenixfield Grand General who was refined into a Ghost General, Serena's face stiffened for a moment.

According to the Phoenixfield Clan's history, even when they held enough military power to overthrow the Former Dynasty, they never wavered. They guarded the Lan dynasty's borders generation after generation, living and dying to protect this land. Yet in the end...

They still couldn't win the emperor's favor, were still suspected, and ultimately had to bear the stigma of 'ruining the nation.'

"No one lets another sleep soundly beside their pillow. The Phoenixfield Clan held too much power—any emperor would fear them. Compared to them, the Lu pirate clan was much smarter. The Lu family received the emperor's reward—a wooden box—because they relinquished power early and went off to live freely overseas." At the same time, they could defend the dynasty's sea borders under the cover of piracy. Any emperor would appreciate such loyal subjects.

While Serena and Sean Xuan were talking, Prince Nolan had already tamed the flood dragon—or rather, reached an agreement with it.

The flood dragon would help them get the ship to the sea, and in return, Nolan would set it free.

It was the only way out.

Although the flood dragon was tamed by the Heaven-Son Sword, Prince Nolan didn't know the Former Dynasty's method for taming it. Even with the sword, its power was much diminished, so he could only negotiate with the flood dragon—both sides had to compromise.

Flood dragons might haggle, but they're single-minded. For Prince Nolan, tricking them was the easiest thing in the world.

"You can even negotiate with a flood dragon? Impressive." After hearing Nolan explain the whole situation, Serena couldn't help but tease him a little.

Prince Nolan's face darkened, and he tapped Serena on the head: "Dummy."

"Calling me dumb again? I haven't done anything foolish—at least I didn't try to reason with a flood dragon." Serena snorted, firing back. Nolan's mouth twitched, and he silently stared at the sky.

A real man doesn't argue with a woman. When it came to verbal sparring with Serena, he never won. She could twist logic in circles, and even with a thousand mouths, he'd lose every time.

Nolan kept quiet, and naturally Serena wouldn't pick a fight. Resting her head on his lap, she yawned, "We can leave here tomorrow, right?"

"No idea." Nolan really didn't know. After all, he couldn't truly communicate with the flood dragon. The so-called negotiation was just the Heaven-Son Sword's pressure. Whether the dragon understood was anyone's guess.

Still, one thing was certain: even if the flood dragon didn't understand everything, it got most of it—otherwise, it wouldn't have stopped fighting.

"Go ahead and fool me. One day, I'll expose your tricks and kick you out of bed." Serena's voice was drowsy, softer than usual, making Nolan's heart itch.

"If one day you find out I've lied to you, would you really kick me out of bed?" Prince Nolan followed up on Serena's words, his eyes shining in the pitch-dark cabin.

It was a trap—a trap set to ensnare Serena.

Serena was half-asleep, not thinking much at all. She nodded and mumbled, "Of course. If you dare lie to me, I'll kick you out of bed, even if you become emperor someday."

"Good, remember what you said tonight... If I ever lie to you, all you can do is kick me out of bed. Nothing else."

"Mm..." Sleepiness overwhelmed Serena; she barely heard what Nolan said, but answered anyway. Nolan was still unsatisfied, whispering in her ear, "You have to remember what you said tonight. Don't forget."

Drowsy and unable to resist, Serena sold herself out for a good night's sleep, obediently echoing, "I won't forget."

Only then was Nolan satisfied. He adjusted Serena's position so she could sleep more comfortably. As for himself, he held her close, keeping an eye on the two flood dragons at all times.

Never harm others, but always guard against them. Even with the Heaven-Son Sword, Nolan didn't know how to truly tame the flood dragons. They weren't really under his control—only restrained by the sword's power. If they turned on them, it would be perfectly normal.

Fortunately, Nolan and Serena's luck held out. The two flood dragons were clever enough not to attack that night, so everything was peaceful. Whether they'd turn on them later was beyond Nolan and Serena's control...

There was nothing they could do—after all, they were the ones who needed help from the dragons!