Rebirth of the Prime Dragon Master novel Chapter 227

"Unfortunately, Commander Marin could not be present at this time. Something has gone amiss out on the front line. So she asked me to come here, in her stead, in the name of the northeast military camp," Rocky replied.

"She asked you to represent the entire northeast military camp?" Isis looked him over mistrustfully. There were two Deputy Commanders in the northeast military camp, and as protocol dictated, one of them was meant to have been sent over. Rocky was neither, and hence she wondered why Marin would have sent him.

"I see..." Isis sighed, unsure of the situation. "Well, you can come with me later. In the meantime, please wait for me outside." After a moment's deliberation, Isis still remained unconvinced. She decided to head to the Isis Pavilion.

Rocky, realizing that he had no real choice in the matter, went outside to wait for her. He didn't have to be patient for long, as Isis presently returned in roughly fifteen minutes' time. Emerging from the Isis Pavilion, she was a resplendent sight adorned in her brilliant, burnished copper armor. Isis stood as a figure radiating of bravery and charisma, of a heroic spirit that did not lose its gentleness. It was as though she drew even more strength from her femininity. For a moment, she took Rocky's breath away.

As Isis moved towards him, Rocky carefully rose to his feet, out of both surprise and respect. "I didn't expect you to don your armor," he said. After all, the last time that he had met her in the Spiritual Fairyland, her clothing was casual. This was the first time, as far as he could remember, that he had seen her wearing her armor.

"Ordinarily, I wouldn't wear it," Isis admitted coldly before brushing past his shoulder.

'She's embarrassed, ' Rocky noted to himself, flashing a skittish smile. Apparently, the secret between them had changed things, and she wasn't quite as amenable to talk to him. He jogged to Isis to catch up. As he did, the squad of female guards who watched over her joined them in their walk.

"Well," Isis began after an awkward pause, "I asked Marin to send you a message. Did you receive it?" Her eyes seemed shifty, clearly still unsure of what to make of him.

"I got the message," Rocky replied, a little more at ease now that he knew what her problem was.

"And...do you understand?" Isis continued, every word weighted with meaning as she stared at him.

Now, Rocky knew where this was going. He was certain that Isis had planned some trickery one way or another, and so he feigned ignorance. "I'm sorry, Deputy Commander in Chief, but I'm afraid I don't understand precisely what you mean. Your words are a little obtuse. Unfortunately, I'm merely a feeder, and nowhere near as erudite as you. I don't have the wisdom to interpret what you're trying to say."

"Oh...just forget it, then. Don't worry about it," Isis quipped placidly peacefully while keeping her eyes on Rocky, who felt himself grow a bit more relaxed. It would appear that his response was exactly what she was hoping for.

The fact of the matter was that Rocky knew he would not be able to outmaneuver whatever Isis had in store for him. As Sheridan himself had told him, Isis was extremely smart. And between Marin's words and Isis' own probe, it was obvious that Isis had arranged everything in advance. Should he make a single mistake, the game would be up as Isis would know right away. And the only reason she could have orchestrated all of this was to confirm that Rocky had obtained the Heaven Divine Lotus Seeds.

'She is even tougher to deal with than Marin. I'd better make sure to steer clear of her, ' Rocky thought grimly to himself.

Before long, the group arrived at a cliff just northwest of the base. Looking down at the drop-off below, he saw a sprawling scene that appeared to be a simulated battlefield. It had everything needed to train troops in all kinds of terrain: Forest, flatland, valley, hills, and other variations of natural topography were found in this single area.