An Understated Dominance (Dustin Rhys)

“Give me a moment to think,” Dustin said.

Grace’s words sent him into deep thought.

After all, carrying the fate of Dragonmarsh was no small burden. First, he had to be tough enough to handle it. Then, he needed the resolve to accept what came with it. Once he carried that burden, it meant taking on a heavyweight.

He used to act on his own terms and do things as he pleased without worrying too much about the consequences. But once the nation’s fate was involved, everything changed.

Not that he had many options.

Dustin could either hide in Sacred Wrym Summit and hope Arion would protect him, or take a risk and absorb the Dragonmarsh’s fate to push through his cultivation’s bottleneck. Between the two, he was leaning toward the latter.

“I can give your plan a shot,” Dustin said suddenly. “But we’re still missing a piece of the Dracan essence. If we’re doing this, we need to find that last one first.”

Only once all five pieces of Dracan essence were united could he truly wield the full force of the Dragonmarsh’s fate.

“You’re right.” Grace nodded. “I already arranged for people to locate the last piece. We’re pretty sure it’s in Nathaniel’s hands. But we still haven’t figured out exactly where he’s keeping it.”

Her intelligence network was strong, but she couldn’t fully infiltrate the royal family. Digging up even this much had already pushed the limits.

was risky business. One leak could

slightly. “Yeah, that

addition to his noble status and the vast power behind him, getting the Dracan essence back from him would

an idea, but it’s risky. I’ll need your help to pull it

an

for him. If he wants to ascend the throne, he’ll need at least three to maximize his power. We can use

“Diversion?” Dustin looked confused.

have to draw out the one he’s hiding. When the time’s right, we’ll

nodded slowly. “It’s a bold move, but

wolf out with bait, then take it down. If it worked, they’d

and the future of the Dragonmarsh, this risk is worth it. As

you need me to do?” Dustin

you to pretend to switch sides. Then, you offer Nathaniel one of the Dracan essences to

inside and the timing’s right, you’ll retrieve it. If luck’s on your side, you might be

would keep both together. That meant once Dustin retrieved the marked Dracan

was essentially baiting a trap. Whether it worked