Safekeeping, This Prince Belongs to You

Neither Prince Nolan nor Serena had ever seen the Heaven-Son Sword before. So even with the sword in the box, neither could be certain it was truly the legendary blade. But...

Prince Nolan took out the sword. The moment he saw the Nine Provinces Decree emblem on it, he knew without a doubt—this was the Heaven-Son Sword.

The Nine Provinces Decree emblem is impossible to imitate. No matter how skilled the craftsman, none can reproduce the true spirit of the Nine Provinces Decree.

Others might not notice the difference, but for Prince Nolan—who holds the Nine Provinces Token and commands all those with sub-tokens—one glance was enough to confirm the emblem on the sword matched the master token exactly. It was not a sub-token, but the very same pattern as the master token.

“This should be the Heaven-Son Sword.” Prince Nolan didn’t speak too absolutely—after all, no one knew what other secrets the Former-Dynasty Lan clan might have. He was their descendant, but it was clear the other Lan survivors kept many things from him.

“As long as it’s the Heaven-Son Sword, that’s good. Otherwise, this whole trip would’ve been a huge loss.” Serena grumbled—her back was nearly broken from all the bending.

Prince Nolan’s eyes lifted slightly, a faint smile at the corner of his lips. “Even if it’s not the Heaven-Son Sword, it’s still worth it. This bamboo grove is quite unique—when we get back, I’ll have someone build one for you.”

This bamboo grove is a perfect place to store important things. Of course, it’s not bad for imprisoning people, either.

“You’re right. When we get back, let Zuo An give it a try—maybe he really can pull it off.” Compared to these silver threads in the bamboo grove, infrared alarm systems from her old world seemed downright feeble.

“He definitely can.” Breaking through is hard, but building one isn’t that difficult.

Prince Nolan turned to glance at the bamboo grove. All the bamboo inside had been shredded by the silver threads, leaving only short stumps exposed. The clearing was packed with swords, and under the sunlight, they glittered with flashes of silver. Serena knelt beside Snow, checking his mouth. "Hold still, big guy. If this injury gets infected, you won't be able to eat beef for days."

Now this—now this is the real Myriad Blades Grove! Snow, hearing Serena's warning about beef, froze, eyes widening in horror at the thought of losing his favorite rations.

But Prince Nolan had no interest in these swords. The blades in Myriad Blades Grove weren’t free for the taking. They weren’t greedy—getting the Heaven-Son Sword was enough. Serena glanced at the Lizardman. "If Snow can't eat beef, all the rations will go to you. Don't get too excited." The Lizardman blinked, startled, and quickly shook his head.

Prince Nolan placed the Heaven-Son Sword back in the box, closed the lid, and handed it to Serena. "For you." Snow immediately glared at the Lizardman, baring his bloody teeth. The Lizardman jumped in alarm and hurriedly held out his hands, as if to return the sword to Serena for safety.

"Huh... for me?" Serena didn’t take it right away. "Didn’t you just say this is the Heaven-Son Sword?" She scolded Snow, finally storing the sword, and then carefully treated his wounded mouth before the group set out to leave the grove.

“Yes.”

“You’re giving it to me?” Was this what she thought it meant?

Prince Nolan nodded. “Is there a problem?”

“Of course there is! This is the Heaven-Son Sword. Something this valuable—you should keep it yourself.” Serena didn’t know exactly what the Heaven-Son Sword could do, but just by the name, she knew it represented the Lan dynasty’s imperial authority. Maybe it wasn’t much use to them, but if it ever fell into Jason Lan’s hands, the consequences would be enormous.

“What difference does it make if you keep it or I do? I already belong to you—what’s one sword compared to that?” Prince Nolan was dead serious, not joking at all. Serena was left speechless by how he could say something so emotionally loaded with such a straight face...

This man—he could take a line meant to tease, a line that could make anyone’s heart race, and deliver it with such seriousness, as if he were discussing official business.

Could you please be a little less boring?

Serena was speechless. Before putting away the Heaven-Son Sword, she handed it to the Lizardman beside her. He took it, eyes shining, and gave Serena a big thumbs-up: This is the sword!

"Awooo..." Snow watched them all ignore him for ages and grew increasingly frustrated. He squeezed the Lizardman out of the way, baring his bloody mouth at Serena: Begging for comfort!

"What happened? You're hurt this badly?" Serena was startled, immediately crouching in front of Snow. Satisfied, the big wolf handed her his broken tooth from his paw, then bared his teeth at Prince Nolan: He’s the culprit.

"There was nowhere else for the Tiger Claw Grappling Hook to latch onto," Prince Nolan explained calmly, pointing at the still-swinging hook.

Uh...

Well, there was no one else to blame—Snow’s complaint was for nothing. Serena patted his head apologetically. “You worked hard.”

"Awooo..." That’s not the answer he wanted.

"I’ll set it back in for you later," Serena promised, offering a practical benefit.

"Awooo..." Even if it’s set back, he won’t be able to bite with it again—the tooth was never going to be strong enough.

So what should they do then?

Serena looked at the blood-stained wolf tooth in her palm, troubled. "How about I drill a hole through it and make a necklace for you? It’ll be a symbol of your bravery." Wolf teeth are said to ward off evil and fright—coming from a spiritual beast like Snow, it would be especially powerful.

"Awooo..." He already had a mouth full of teeth—wearing a wolf tooth necklace would look ridiculous. He wasn’t some fool like Dorian ‘Beanie’ Owen.

Still not good enough?

"Then... I’ll wear it myself," Serena tried. Snow was still dissatisfied. So she asked, "How about we give it to Little Feng Jin?"

That could work...

Snow was already convinced, but didn’t want to show it too soon. He pretended to think deeply, then finally nodded with arrogant pride under Serena’s expectant gaze: If you can get Feng Jin to wear the wolf tooth necklace and stop fearing me, I’ll graciously forgive you.

“Thank you for your grand favor, my lord.” Serena nearly dropped to her knees—she’d never met such a proud wolf.

Snow basked in the praise, nodding with satisfaction. He opened his jaws wide, letting blood and drool spill out. Serena pocketed the tooth, and had Snow open up so she could check his mouth.

"Alright, enough fuss—let me see how bad your mouth is. If it’s too serious, you won’t be able to eat beef for several days."

What? No beef?

No beef meant all the rations would go to the Lizardman. That was absolutely unacceptable.

Snow glared fiercely at the Lizardman, who nearly jumped out of his skin and quickly handed the sword back to Serena. "No..." he insisted, waving his hands—he’d seen enough.

"You..." Serena flicked Snow on the head, put away the Heaven-Son Sword, and after treating Snow’s mouth, the group set off back the way they came.

It took another three days to get back, and once again, they reached the fissure’s mouth at night.

Leaving through the fissure was the same whether it was day or night. Serena and Prince Nolan could have left immediately, but out of consideration for the Lizardman, they decided to stay one more night.

"I know you’re afraid of the outside world, afraid of being hurt by humans. But if you don’t take this step, your world will always be this small. We’ll leave tomorrow—you have one more night to think about it. Tell us then if you want to come with us."

"One thing you can be sure of: since we’re taking you out, we won’t just abandon you. I can’t promise what your life will be like, but I’ll do my best to heal your illness and keep you safe. No one will force you to do anything. If you really can’t handle life outside, and want to come back, I’ll make sure someone brings you back." Without the Lizardman, they never could have gotten the Heaven-Son Sword or crossed the bamboo grove safely.

They owed the Lizardman their lives. Serena was willing to help him, so he wouldn’t be left to fend for himself here.

"Ahhh..." The Lizardman clutched his head in agony, torn with indecision.

Serena’s offer was tempting, but he truly didn’t know what to do.

The Lizardman hugged his head and squatted down. Serena and Prince Nolan exchanged a glance, then quietly left to let him think by himself.

Animals always understand each other best. The Lizardman might be human, but his instincts and thoughts were animal-like. Snow could clearly sense his unease and hesitation. After a moment’s hesitation, Snow padded over and gently patted the Lizardman’s back with his paw...

Brother, if you can’t decide, just follow me—I’ve got your back!