Year Two of the Dragon Calendar, Golden Coast.
It was the season of spring rain; the mild climate made the drizzling rain seem less bothersome.
In this vibrant season, even the sound of the ocean tides crashing against the island reefs and coast seemed exceptionally surging.
Ships came and went incessantly at the harbor docks, becoming even more crowded and busy over the past few days. Numerous vessels flying noble banners and merchant group flags had arrived one after another at the Golden City, which had already gained some fame among the civilizations of the Northland continent.
This was because the first opening time set by the Dragon Auction House was approaching.
Not only did some nobles who had secretly cooperated with the Dragon clan send their agents, but even some nobles and factions who secretly harbored hostility toward the Dragon clan sent their own representatives.
The Dragon Clan Territory's debut as a formal political force was an opportunity that those nobles who moved in political and social circles would not refuse, not to mention they also wanted to learn more about this power that had begun to stir the muddy waters in secret.
Even though they, like other nobles, still had secret trade dealings with the Dragon Clan Territory, they still did not understand why a region ruled by evil True Dragon s would gradually become a place representing hope and beauty in the word-of-mouth accounts of many commoners.
In the full-throttle publicity of the Culture and Propaganda Department managed by the Alfred, "everyone can eat their fill" and "surplus grain for every meal" had become one of the labels of the Dragon Clans Territory.
Furthermore, the storybooks being distributed and the many games intentionally influenced by propaganda proved that life in the Dragon Clans Territory was prosperous, and they had begun to gradually emphasize the construction of spiritual, cultural, and entertainment activities.
The stories spreading from the Golden Land had also begun to circulate and become popular within the territories of many nobles, being adapted and performed in opera houses everywhere.
The simple card games that arose in this territory were also embraced by many people, and the taverns that managed to open in the territories of various noble lords became places of recreation for many.
There were also the much-discussed matters within the Dragon Territory, such as the many beautiful elves appearing there. In the Ekania World, elves were almost becoming legends among ordinary people, much like the gradually disappearing Chromatic Dragons.
This was different from the remnants of the Orc Kingdom, which had been driven to islands to be raised and left to fend for themselves. Although those elves had also stepped down from their positions of ruling power like the Orc Kingdom, they could at least maintain a relative sense of decency.
In the Endless Elven Forest of the Western Continent, there existed the homes of those elves, the remaining branches of the elven empire, the Five Great Elven Kingdoms.
But the arrogance of creatures like elves had always been one of the stereotypical labels attached to them, and fittingly so. The closed-off Five Great Elven Kingdoms rarely communicated with the outside world; even among the human nations on the Western Continent, traces of these elves were not frequently seen.
There were also legends of the massive colosseum that had been built, which not only circulated in the Golden Land but also influenced the outside world.
In the colosseum within the Dragon Clans Territory, as long as one achieved a hundred consecutive victories, they could claim the crown of a gladiator. Not only could they have an audience with the ruler of the Golden Land, one of the ruling Dragon Lords, but they could also receive a reward that would make countless people's hearts race.
The warrior who claimed the gladiator's crown could choose any single item from the treasury of the Golden City or obtain a promise from one of the Dragon Lords.
Although no one knew exactly what was in the treasury of the Golden City, it could be seen from the list provided by the Dragon Auction House that it certainly wouldn't be ordinary goods like gold and silver.
However, to this day, no one had yet achieved the hundred-victory milestone in the Dragon Colosseum.
This was not only because of the Dragon Colosseum's random matching challenge mechanism but also because the warriors in the True Dragon Legion were equally yearning for this honor.
Those adventurers and ranger-knights who often prided themselves on their martial prowess came to this colosseum to challenge for the rewards, but some howling legion warriors would always jump out to defeat them for the sake of honor, then triumphantly accept the cheers of the crowd.
Even a knight known as the 'Sword of Dawn' in the human nations, Kelo, was defeated after a whole morning of fierce fighting with a legion centurion.
Fortunately, there was no rule for life-and-death battles in the Dragon Colosseum. Although they advocated martial valor, they still maintained respect for powerful warriors, which allowed this 'Sword of Dawn' Kelo to survive.
There was also a powerful hunter from the Orc Kingdom—Krasi the Berserk. This warrior, who treated enemies as prey, was powerful enough and quite famous among adventurers; he had just achieved his tenth victory.
Additionally, some renowned powerful individuals like Lightning Sting and Shadow Venom Mother were also undergoing trials and challenges in the colosseum.
Bards especially loved to spread these tales, so every powerful person challenging for the hundred-victory honor of the colosseum received some extra attention.
This also led to the rebuilt Golden City welcoming its largest flow of people to date. With a permanent population of nearly fifty thousand, plus these visiting guests and merchant caravans, the bustle of the Golden City was no longer inferior to the capital city of any noble lord.
The magistrate of the Golden City, the Ocean Dragon Nakson, rearranged the entire Golden City according to his own plan, including the defenses of the coastal port, to ensure that no major trouble would occur during this period.
Every patrol of Kobold Soldiers would be equipped with at least one spellcaster to facilitate rapid communication when encountering difficult problems.
An ordinary-looking but exceptionally wide carriage traveled along a street wide enough for sixteen massive Earth Dragons to pass simultaneously, heading out of the city.
From the opening lifted at the carriage window, a pure and beautiful face was revealed—it was the former princess of the Catha Empire, Liya Caesar.
Liya Caesar looked at the lively scenes in the Golden City as if looking at the former capital of the Catha Empire. The people living in this city seemed happier, stronger, more active, and more full of life than the ordinary subjects of the Catha Empire.
However, she was not worried about the changes in the Dragon Clan Territory but was instead thinking about her father, the current Duke Charal Caesar.
Leah always felt that her father was undergoing some changes. Although Charal Caesar had sent his most beloved daughter out on the pretext of gaining experience, Leah always felt that her father was intentionally or unintentionally distancing himself from her, sending her away.
Although the True Dragons were their enemies and both sides would do everything to eliminate each other on the battlefield, private business still had to be done.
Leah had been entrusted with an important mission on this trip; she not only needed to buy some required treasures at the auction but also needed to expand the scale of arms trade with the Dragon Clans Territory.
However, now that the Dragon Clans Territory had begun transforming into a formal kingdom, the auction house was managed only by relevant mid-level officials of the Golden City. She could not reach the officials in charge of military trade at all because such important transactions, which were highly prone to corruption, were all reviewed and approved by the Dragon Lord governing the Golden City, Dos.
But Dos was not currently in that towering city lord's fortress, so Leah took a group of guards and intended to travel to another city to seek the approval of another Dragon Lord.
"Sigh," Leah suddenly let out a sigh, pulled the curtain shut, and looked at the loyal guard beside her, Nali, who was disguised as a personal steward, saying, "Of the many nobles the Orc invited last night, who accepted the invitation?"
"No human noble would agree to meet with an Orc, not even an Orc noble, Your Highness," said Nali, who was around fifty and appeared to be in his prime, not looking nearly as old or dim as other humans of that age.
"I don't know what that Orc noble wants, contacting so many nobles privately. For a simple banquet, an Orc noble would not endure human arrogance and disdain,"
The young Leah was no longer the simple princess of the past; time always makes one grow, either in wisdom or in folly.
"I heard that the Orc Kingdom is very close to the leftover Orc tribes on the plains and often uses the Dragon Clans Territory for trade dealings,"
"And they once tried to seek a territory large enough to settle in within the Dragon Clans Territory, and for this purpose, they vigorously befriended the officials of the Golden Land, attempting to use these officials to lobby and influence the Dragon Lords who rule this land,"
Nali, looking serious, spoke calmly while quietly observing this last remaining descendant of the Caesar family.
Leah's delicate eyebrows furrowed as she pondered the connection, then she asked back in surprise, "Could it be that these Orcs are plotting against the True Dragon s? Have they set their sights on this fertile land nurtured by the True Dragon s?"
"But how is that possible? Although the Orc Kingdom is strong enough, this is a united group of True Dragons. They have many loyal retainers; this is almost a kingdom of True Dragons."
A satisfied smile appeared in Nali's eyes. He looked at the pure princess and said with a smile, "If True Dragon s were truly invincible, there wouldn't be so many True Dragon -slaying tales in the Ekania World, Your Highness,"
"With a premeditated plan, a few hundred warriors can kill a young True Dragon, but without preparation, a single young True Dragon is enough to destroy a small country. In battle, power and wisdom go hand in hand."
The steward, who looked like a man in his thirties, smiled and said, "Moreover, True Dragon s have an inescapable iron law: they must enter a deep sleep at the end of their age stage to seek their own growth."
"In such a situation, unless they encounter a fatal danger, it is very difficult to wake these True Dragons. And according to estimates, most of the True Dragon s in the group will be entering their slumber."
"Most importantly, the bond of the Dragon clan, the Red Dragon who rules everything, will also step into slumber. When that time comes, the True Dragon s will be leaderless, and no matter how many retainers they have, it will be difficult to muster the strength to oppose the Orcs."
"It's quite possible that the other evil True Dragons, when facing danger, will take the initiative to divide the treasures in the territory and flee with their own retainers. Those evil True Dragons are proud yet cowardly at heart, haha,"
This steward, who had been diligently guarding the Charal Caesar family since his youth, was clearly also a clever man, teaching his future master and the successor of the family.
"But wouldn't the Orcs fear that other human nations would send legions to oppose them?" The skin between Leah's brows hadn't smoothed out; her little head might have already been spinning with ideas.
"Haha, as long as the Orc Kingdom doesn't attack the human nations on the continent, those human nobles will certainly not act. I know the nature of those nobles well—no, perhaps it's more appropriate to describe it as human nature."
...In the sky, the True Dragons soared. Young Red Dragon Kadilos flew at the front, while Akzi and Carlit were in the middle, talking.
Although Carlit had made up her mind to re-embrace the True Dragon group, the crime of betraying the group was too heavy, making her feel a sense of trepidation similar to "homesickness upon approaching home," even wanting to flee to avoid punishment.
It can only be said that the slaughter she encountered when she was weak, seeing the adult Blue Dragons of her family die one by one at the hands of that hunter, had a massive impact on this female True Dragon, scaring her out of her wits and turning her into a cowardly True Dragon.
Meanwhile, the adolescent female Green Dragon Ellie followed behind the other True Dragons with the Wyverns she had tamed.
Although this female Green Dragon was enslaved by Akzi's enslavement contract, after seeing the prosperity of the Dragon Clan Territory, she instead had the thought that this wasn't bad. Since she couldn't resist, she might as well enjoy it.
She looked at the distant mountains, at the peak spewing fire and black mist into the sky. There was an extremely strong Red Dragon aura there, but it wasn't the aura of the Young Red Dragonin front.
For the Green Dragon who took the initiative to try and sense it, her mind was filled with a shocking sense of oppressive heaviness, as if that peak had also been tainted by the will of its master, becoming exceptionally aggressive, intending to suppress any will that dared to peek.
There was also the peak of the Green Dragon; that massive Green Nest Palace also filled her with envy.
There were the peaks of the black True Dragon s, the nests of the Blue Dragons, and she actually sensed the aura of a Metal Dragon, which made this adolescent Green Dragon personally experience the prosperity and strength of the True Dragon group.
"Maybe joining this powerful Dragon clan isn't a bad idea,"
The Adolescent Green Dragon Ellie thought to herself, but a strange scent, subtle yet enough to catch her attention, came from afar in the breeze, causing her to feel confused.
The female Green Dragon turned her head to look toward the source of this strange scent. On the road carved through the distant forest, a group of guards in bright armor and on spirited horses surrounded a wide carriage, traveling along the main road.
That was the source of the scent.
"What is this smell? It doesn't seem like a scent that any biological creature could emit. I haven't smelled it before, so why does it feel so familiar?"
Ellie the Green Dragon sniffed the air mid-flight. She didn't notice at all that the scales and horns on her body had dimmed a bit more, as if her life force was slowly draining away with the passage of time.
"How strange. This smell makes me want to have a huge feast—I even want to eat all the True Dragon s in front of me!"