I am the old, fiery-faced man from the senior department.

The young man laughed.

"Second Uncle, have you forgotten who I am?"

Red Dragon paused for a moment, then laughed helplessly.

"...Heh, it was I who was stupid."

"But it's still the same problem."

Red Dragon touched his face. He was getting on in years; wrinkles were slowly creeping up his face, and just half a month ago, he had even found several gray hairs. His body, which had once been able to easily carry a young dragon over the palace walls, was now somewhat weakened.

"Time is an obstacle we can never overcome."

During the day, I pick up my teacup and gently swirl it, watching the tea leaves rise and fall inside.

"Second Uncle, do you know?"

"Human abilities have limits. I've learned one thing from my short life."

"Oh?"

Red Dragon listened intently with great interest.

"The more you scheme and plot, the more you'll discover that human capabilities have limits."

"..."

"Unless you surpass humanity."

A light rose in the True Dragon's eyes, and the Crimson Dragon looked at him in confusion.

"Ah Xi, what exactly are you trying to say?"

"I'm not human anymore, Uncle!"

He drank the tea in one gulp during the day, and the empty cup fell to the table with a crisp sound.

"Human life is short, and we are destined not to be true companions with those who live forever."

He stood up, looked at the red dragon, and spoke passionately.

"Only by becoming a more powerful being than humanity can we break free from the shackles of time."

"Only in this way can I...go to her side."

"You want to live forever."

After listening for a long time, Chilong finally understood what his nephew meant.

"Yes, I want to live forever."

He held the thin pen in his hand during the day, as if he could see her.

"So, Ah Xi, what is the price of immortality?"

Chilong was not surprised by his nephew's choice.

The Great Yan Dynasty has had examples of short-lived species that lived for hundreds of years and still had white hair and youthful faces. It has also had examples of true dragons pursuing immortality.

But in reality, no one can truly achieve immortality. Those so-called immortals and those who attain enlightenment all eventually die. They either die from their own methods of achieving immortality or vanish into the world without a trace.

Immortality gained through ingenious tricks and gimmicks ultimately cannot withstand the test of time.

The nephew's idea was good, but Chilong wanted to know how he planned to do it. If it was a dangerous method, Chilong would rather break his legs than let him leave the capital.

Seeing that Chilong agreed, Baizhou immediately sat down happily and began to talk to him.

"Second Uncle, do you remember when Grandpa had a foreigner who became a county magistrate in our area?"

"Hmm? A foreigner?"

Red Dragon frowned.

In the Great Yan Dynasty, there are no taboos. As long as one is talented and willing to work hard for the Great Yan, one can become an official in the Great Yan.

There were quite a few such foreigners in the Great Yan.

"That... Felin named Kal'tsit, who was praised by the Inspector as a talented person who was sharp-tongued but good at serving the people, and who was doing well in his job, but suddenly abandoned his post and ran away the day before he was to be promoted."

Where is Route 58?

"Kal'tsit... Kal'tsit..."

Chi Long frowned and pondered deeply, but still couldn't figure it out.

Left with no other choice, he passed the problem on to his nephew.

"Just tell me straight, what does this have to do with Kal'tsit?"

Bai Zhou took out two portraits from his robes.

One of them is an official portrait that was once recorded. It depicts a young and beautiful woman in a blue official robe, in the prime of her life. However, she has a stern face and seems rather cold.

The other image was newly presented. The portrait still featured the same woman, now wearing a black cloak and talking to some villagers.

"This……"

Upon seeing these two pictures, Chi Long appeared slightly surprised.

"How... how come they don't seem to age? Are they descendants? No, how can they look so alike?"

"Right?"

Bai Zhou poked at the face of the film on the image.

"This was discovered and recorded by my Imperial Guards who were sent out by chance. This is in the border area between Yan Kingdom and Kazdel. A village was affected by the Originium Insect Plague. Some people in the village were injured. This kind passerby helped them drive away the insects and treated the wounded."

“You mean, Second Uncle, nearly a hundred years. To have contracted Oripathy and still live this long... No, I think Oripathy is less painful for her than a minor cold. Who would believe that someone like that is healthy?”

"..."

The red dragon nodded slightly.

"Are you going to see her?"

"Correct."

Bai Zhou smiled lightly as he put the painting away.

"I'm going to find her and uncover her secrets. And I'm very curious, did she abandon her post and run away because she felt it was too unfair to work for my Great Yan?"

The red dragon remained silent for a moment, then gave his reply:

"I can only give you three more years."

"Three years... that's too short, Second Uncle, not enough, not nearly enough."

Looking at the red dragon, Bai Zhou revealed a strange smile.

"I want you to stay here, Second Uncle. If you agree, then this seat is yours to sit in."

"What!"

Red Dragon was shocked. He stood up in confusion and reached out to grab Bai Zhou.

"This is impossible!"

"No one but you is qualified to sit in this position! I am not qualified! And those collateral branches are even less qualified!"

You can!

During the day, he supported him and looked him in the eye.

"Second Uncle, you can do it."

“I know this position is not easy to hold, and it’s difficult to sit in. I’ve been in it for ten years, and I know there are too many difficulties involved.”

“I didn’t step down to shirk responsibility. If I were afraid, the one who was struck down by the heavens back then wouldn’t have been me, not you, Second Uncle, but some miscellaneous dragon, or a whole bunch of miscellaneous dragons.”

"I am willing to be a qualified true dragon, and I am willing to let the Great Yan continue to prosper."

"But... Second Uncle, you don't want an immortal dragon to appear in the Great Yan, do you?"

Bai Zhou never considered failure.

"..."

Red Dragon did not respond and slumped into his chair.

He knew that an immortal dragon would have an unimaginable impact on the Great Yan Dynasty.

An excellent ruler can become the sole voice of the country before he is fifty years old. His every word and action determines the future of the country and the future of the people living in it.

An immortal ruler may seem to lead the country to endless glory like the rising sun, but if that ruler makes even the slightest lapse in judgment, the price could be the suffering of countless people for the rest of their lives.

"But this position..."

What did the red dragon want to say?

Seeing that he had backed down, Bai Zhou interrupted him with a smile.

"When you get tired of this seat, Uncle, you can just give it to my nephew."

"what?"

Red Dragon sensed something was wrong.

"Here."

Sitting down again, Bai Zhou took out another box of strange medicine.

"Now that Second Uncle has taken this position, he can't be like me. The matter of future generations concerns the world, so it's time for him to have a child to carry on our family's bloodline."

"..."

Chilong glanced at the box of mysterious medicine, then at Bai Zhou with his strange smile, and reluctantly accepted it.

They came prepared.

"Your Majesty has given the order, and I have no choice but to obey."

"I am still your subject, Second Uncle. Why don't we think about the new era name after the coronation?"

Ignoring his nephew's teasing, Chilong looked at him.

"I understand what's going on, but Ah Xi, how do you plan to leave the capital?"