Beginning The Search

The Dynasty’s King was a strikingly handsome man with youthful features, wearing a sleek black suit.

His eyes were abyssal, as dark as the void, matching his jet-black hair, and his gaze was sharp and unwavering.

With effortless grace, he descended from his throne and calmly approached the Dragon Lord ...

When he was only two steps away from the Dragon Lord, he spoke in an interested and polite tone

"To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit, oh honored Dragon Lord?"

The Dragon Lord felt satisfied with the treatment he was getting ...

He put his hand on his chin and rolled his eyes, acting as if he was trying to remember something ...

After a couple of seconds, he snapped his fingers

"Ezekiel, right? Ezekiel Echelon"

The King felt displeased

'Such bothersome and prideful creatures'

Nevertheless, he didn't let anything show on his face and continued

"You're correct, Dragon Lord. That's my name."

"I came with an offering, Ezekiel"

Ezekiel nodded

"I am listening"

The Dragon Lord dramatically waved his hand, opening his pocket dimension ...

Instantly, scales from the Fire Dragon he had skinned earlier cascaded onto the floor with a metallic clatter ...

After all the scales were on the floor, the Dragon Lord pointed at the pile and proudly declared

"Full boy scales of an adult, Elite Fire Dragon"

Ezekiel's poker face faltered for a split second as his eyes widened in shock ...

He gulped

'What the hell ...'

'For these creatures to willingly offer their scales, it must be something troublesome'

But even if it was troublesome, Ezekiel knew that the scales were worth it

He looked into the eyes of the Dragon Lord and asked

"What is it that you want?"

The Dragon Lord spoke nonchalantly

"To locate a child"

Ezekiel tilted his head and spoke in a slightly surprised tone

"A child?"

'Nothing makes sense today ...'

'The Dragon Lord is searching for a child ...'

A scary idea came to his mind

'Don't tell me that he slept with a human female and she ran away with his heir or something'

‘That would certainly make for an interesting novel’ he mused, struggling to suppress a chuckle ...

While Ezekiel was thinking about all sorts of bizarre scenarios, the Dargon Lord continued

"Indeed, a child. I don't know the specifics, I only have a vague description"

Ezekiel nodded

"What is it? And where do you want us to search?"

The Dragon Lord elaborated

"A human child that should currently be around the age of 2 years old.

He should be smart and strong enough to stand out. And the only way to distinguish him from other talented fledglings is the fact that he's aware of the name of the Summoning Lord, Sal"

Ezekiel considered everything for a moment before responding

"It's not ideal, but I think we can work with it. Where should we search?"

The Dragon Lord maintained his nonchalant tone

"The entire world"

Ezekiel inwardly facepalmed

'OF COURSE'

'I should've expected something like this ...'

His gaze unconsciously drifted towards the scales, seeking some motivation ...

' ... Ahh, these wonderful scales are worth the trouble'

'It's almost impossible to acquire Dragon Scales nowadays'

'It can't be helped'

He turned back to the Dragon Lord, a hint of resignation in his voice as he spoke

"Even if we initiate a full-scale worldwide search right now, it would take years just to compile a list of potential candidates. And after that, verifying each one would add even more years."

The Dragon Lord waved his hand with annoyance

"I don't care about all these bothersome details. Just find out the exact name and location of the child as soon as you can"

Ezekiel liked what he was hearing, his black eyes gleamed

'He didn't give an impossible deadline!'

'This actually doesn't sound too bad!'

He quickly replied

"I accept"

"Very well"

The Dragon Lord turned around and was about to leave, but Ezekiel hurriedly stopped him ...

"Wait, Dragon Lord. Assuming that we found the target, how should we contact you?

No one can enter the Draconic Domain, and even if we managed to sneak someone in, I very much doubt that he'll stay alive until he reaches you"

The Dragon Lord paused, realizing that Ezekiel had a point

"Ahh, indeed"

He pondered for a few moments then decided

"I'll visit you every alternate winter"

Ezekiel smiled and extended his hand forward

"Very well then, glad to do business with you"

The Dragon Lord looked at him with disdain, then turned his back and walked away, leaving Ezekiel's hand awkwardly hanging in the air ...

Ezekiel felt annoyed, but he didn't dwell much on it.

He turned his attention back to the Scales ...

'These will be extremely useful'

The Echelon Dynasty is supposedly fighting in two Strife Zones, the Scales won't only give them prestige, but also power

'There are so many uses for these'

A smirk appeared on Ezekiel's face

'Unlimited potential!'

Suddenly, Ezekiel called loudly

''Elroy!!!"

Within seconds, the Throne Room’s door swung open, revealing a black-haired young man with dark eyes, bearing a striking resemblance to Ezekiel.

As the young man stepped inside, his gaze immediately fell on the scales scattered across the floor.

He cautiously entered, his eyes scanning the room, keeping in mind that someone else might be there ...

He carefully approached Ezekiel and spoke respectfully

“I’m here, My Lord”

Ezekiel waved his hand and spoke casually

"No need for formalities, Elroy, only the two of us are here now"

Immediately, Elroy relaxed

"Is that so? Then what happened? And what are these?"

Ezekiel's lips curled upwards and he said proudly

"Dragon Scales"

Elroy's eyes almost popped out of their sockets

"For real? DRAGON SCALES?"

Ezekiel lightly hit Elroy's head with his hand

"Control yourself"

Then he continued

"Of course, it's for real. I got them from the Dragon Lord himself"

Elroy narrowed his eyes and looked at Ezekiel for further explanation ...

Ezekiel only shrugged

"Don't look at me like that. He suddenly showed up out of the blue with an offer"

Elroy's tone turned worried

"What do we have to do in return? I hope it's not something ridiculous"

"Just to search for a child"

"A child?"

Ezekiel nodded

"Yeah. Who knows, maybe it's his lost son, maybe it's a dragon in disguise, who cares? Just listen to the details"

Ezekiel repeated his encounter with the Dragon Lord to Elroy ...

After hearing everything, Elroy replied in a serious tone

"Then shall we begin the search now?"

Instantly, Ezekiel's demeanor shifted, and his tone turned solemn

"Yes. Right now, Elroy. Use the Shadow Agency and find him as soon as possible. It'll take years, but don't let it drag on"

Elroy replied curtly

"Understood, brother"

Then he walked out of the Throne Room ...

That night, a letter was dispatched to every single agent of The Dynasty's secret unit ...

The largest, most effective spy network in the entire world ...

The Shadow Agents

Tens of thousands of envelopes were distributed across the world ...

(Operation: Shadow Tracer

Objective: Locate and pinpoint)

And like that, the Era's most monumental Search Mission was set into motion ...