novelraw Chapter 355: Dragon People
Chapter 355: Dragon People
The core area of the undead lair.
Garoth stared unblinkingly at the changes occurring on the altar.
The first Dragon Scale Modification ritual was quietly nearing its conclusion, the entire process taking much less time than anticipated.
Black dragon Seraphina chanted the final syllable.
Green dragon Ludwig, using the tip of his tail dipped in dragon blood, drew the last stroke of a complex pattern.
Whoosh!
An intangible energy wave suddenly spread across the altar.
Negative energy, representing death and finality, cold and silent, flowed along the runic chains like a living thing, coiling and permeating the human body on the altar.
Simultaneously.
Natural energy, representing life and vitality, warm and vibrant, burst forth along the freshly drawn blood-red dragon scale patterns, emitting points of soft yet pure radiance.Two completely opposing energies converged and surged upon the human body at the altar's center.
The deeply unconscious human began to tremble uncontrollably, as if enduring some internal agony.
However, compared to the scene of a normal dragon bloodline transformation ritual that could almost burn the subject from the inside out, the sight before them was remarkably calm.
It was merely like experiencing an insignificant, brief nightmare during a deep nap.
As the human body trembled slightly, bathed and shaped by both life and death energies, the patterns meticulously outlined by dragon blood on his body gradually sank beneath his skin like brands, merging with his physique.
Immediately following.
Shimmering black scales with a metallic, cold hardness sprouted like bamboo shoots after rain, visibly growing and layering along the merged pattern pathways, breaking through the skin.
Simultaneously, a dramatic transformation occurred in the human's appearance.
The deep wrinkles on his face, like ravines, rapidly faded one by one.
His withered, decaying skin quickly plumped with moisture, becoming elastic and glossy.
At a visible pace, he transformed from a decrepit old man who seemed ready to collapse at any moment into a middle-aged man with well-defined muscles and an upright, powerful posture.
His originally faint life force, like a candle in the wind, began to climb steadily.
Finally, he ascended from an ordinary human with no supernatural talent and zero level, to a strength equivalent to a Level 2 professional.
This was roughly equivalent to the power level possessed by a five or six-year-old White Dragon.
Furthermore, a faint yet undeniably real draconic aura emanated from him.
"Completed."
Black dragon Seraphina and Green dragon Ludwig breathed a sigh of relief almost simultaneously.
Although the first Dragon Scale Modification ritual was theoretically the most basic and simple step, not particularly troublesome or complex, there was still a certain probability of failure during the process.
Fortunately, the entire ritual proceeded without any unexpected interference or complications.
They had not failed their leader's trust.
On the altar, the trembling of the human body completely subsided.
His chest rose and fell with long, steady breaths, and his closed eyelids began to flutter.
Faint light gradually tore through the darkness before his eyes.
"I... I actually... survived..."
As his consciousness slowly cleared, Nick's lips moved, murmuring in a low voice.
When he had stepped onto this altar with a death-defying resolve, his heart had actually been filled with despair and doubt.
He had never heard of any twenty-step modification ritual; he had almost been certain this was a one-way sacrifice, only stepping onto the altar clutching a final, faint thread of hope.
Unexpectedly.
This seemingly impossible modification ritual had actually succeeded!
He felt his condition was unprecedentedly good.
His blurry, murky vision had become sharp and clear; his labored, difficult breathing was now smooth and long; those joints and organs that had troubled him for years with dull aches were now functioning healthily.
His heart beat within his strong chest with unprecedented force, powerful and vigorous.
This was truly... like being reborn!
Even with the mature temperament forged by Nick's thousands of years of ups and downs in the business world, he was completely unable to suppress the overwhelming joy and excitement surging within his heart, weeping with happiness.
Immediately after, he pushed himself up.
Making an effort to calm the turbulent emotions in his heart, he began to examine his new body.
Thick pectoral muscles bulged like two shields.
Distinct abdominal muscles were tightly tensed.
The muscle lines on his limbs were smooth and full of explosive power.
...This was a robust physique he hadn't even possessed in his prime youth.
Undoubtedly, this was the miracle brought by the dragon blood modification, making him look like an adventurer who regularly trained his body.
And those pitch-black scales, as if forged from refined steel, did not cover his entire body.
Scale by scale, they were arranged like carefully designed armor, mainly distributed on key areas such as the outer forearms, broad chest, straight back, and sturdy calves.
Nick stood up nimbly, casually grabbing the robe placed nearby and draping it over himself.
The once loose and well-fitting robe was now slightly stretched by his robust muscles, outlining a powerful silhouette.
It was then that he suddenly noticed a massive, majestic dragon figure silently observing everything that had transpired.
"Dragon Lord! My great and honorable Dragon Lord!"
Nick reacted swiftly.
Without even fully arranging his robe, he immediately jogged towards the direction of the dragon figure.
Before even reaching the front of the giant dragon's massive body, his knees obediently dropped to the ground, sliding several meters on the smooth, mirror-like metal floor, finally assuming the most humble posture, kneeling prostrate before Garoth's enormous dragon claws.
"Thank you for your mercy and grace of rebirth!"
"It is you who bestowed upon me this new and precious life!"
"I swear by my revitalized life and soul at this moment! From now on, I, Nick, shall become your hardest scales, your most loyal claws and fangs! I shall flawlessly execute all your will!"
He deeply lowered his head, his forehead almost touching the cold floor.
Although he had only undergone the first Dragon Scale Modification ritual, just like all creatures transformed by dragons develop a loyalty rooted deep in their bloodline towards their transformer, he too felt a natural dependence and awe towards the dragon before him. Moreover, this feeling would only deepen with the continuation of the modification rituals.
"Rise, Nick."
Garoth signaled for the prostrate human to stand, noticing the scales belonging to an iron dragon on his body.
Nick had inherited the traits of the iron dragon bloodline, not the red dragon.
The bloodline bias inherited in a dragon bloodline transformation was most likely deeply connected to the transformer's own personality... Garoth pondered internally.
The red iron dragon asked: "Regarding the new state you have now obtained, what are your own feelings?"
Nick obediently stood up.
He slightly clenched his fist, feeling the abundant power contained within his knuckles.
"Excellent! Great and honorable Dragon Lord!"
"I feel... I feel like I can tear tigers and leopards apart with my bare hands!"
This kind of pure excitement born from overflowing strength, almost like youthful exuberance, had completely vanished from Nick's life over the past decade of declining years.
Now, accompanied by his body's rejuvenation and empowerment, this long-lost vivid feeling resurfaced.
He didn't reject this feeling; it precisely proved his rebirth.
Garoth pondered briefly for two seconds, deciding to fulfill the wish expressed by this newly minted dragon-blooded.
"Ludwig." His gaze turned to the Green Dragon waiting nearby. "Summon an ordinary adult fierce tiger."
Green dragon Ludwig nodded his head.
Using a summoning skill from his own path, in an instant, a brawny, muscle-rippling adult fierce tiger appeared in the center of the arena.
It had sharp claws and fangs, its striped fur standing on end, looking quite formidable.
"You, Nick."
Garoth said to the human. "Go try to subdue that fierce tiger with your bare hands."
The excited expression on Nick's face instantly froze.
He had just been carried away by the rush of new power and a rejuvenated mindset, unable to resist a surge of hot-blooded bravado. How could he have expected Garoth to be so... literal.
Looking at the tiger with its sharp claws and fangs, Nick's expression visibly stiffened.
"You seem fearful."
The red iron dragon said. "Remember your current identity and bloodline. You are a dragon-blooded born bathed in dragon grace. The one who should feel fear is the beast before you."
Hearing this, Nick took several deep breaths.
His hands opened and closed repeatedly. As the sense of power far exceeding anything he'd known before transmitted from his palms, his emotions gradually settled. His demeanor returned to steadiness, and beneath this steadiness, there was now a firmness belonging to a dragon-blooded.
Roar—!
The fierce tiger in the arena seemed provoked by Nick's posture, letting out a deafening roar, its powerful hind legs forcefully pushing off the ground.
Its massive body, carrying a bloody wind, shot forward like a yellow-and-black lightning bolt.
It ferociously pounced towards the seemingly vulnerable human!
Nick's pupils contracted.
He instinctively wanted to dodge backward.
But the next second, he was stunned to discover an astonishing change.
The lightning-fast pouncing motion of this tiger before him now appeared in his eyes like a slowed-down film sequence.
He could capture with extreme clarity every raised hair on the tiger's body, see the sharp fangs within its gaping maw, and even predict the trajectory of its swinging claws.
His reactions were unimaginably fast, completely allowing him to handle the situation calmly.
Thwack! Nick almost instinctively raised his right leg.
At the critical moment when the tiger pounced before him, its claws about to touch his body, his right leg, like a dragon's tail swipe, carrying a sharp whistling wind, struck the tiger's side ribs.
With a dull thud.
The tiger's massive body was kicked flying backward through the air, landing heavily on the ground several meters away, emitting a pained roar.
Nick did not pursue, his gaze locked on the tiger struggling to get up.
A sense of pressure originating from the depths of his bloodline naturally began to emanate from him.
Though extremely faint, it was genuine dragon might.
The tiger let out a fearful whimper, its large body involuntarily crouching to the ground, trembling, having lost even the courage to lift its head.
"Familiarize yourself with and master your newly transformed body as soon as possible."
Garoth's voice sounded again.
"Quickly recognize the changes that have occurred in you. This concerns your identity cognition and way of existence as a dragon-blooded. It is very important for you."
For a senior follower who had been with him for a long time and had considerable merits, he didn't mind offering a few more words of guidance.
"As you command! My Lord, Nick will remember this in his heart."
"Please rest assured!"
Nick straightened his posture, facing Garoth's direction, and responded with utmost seriousness, his attitude earnest.
Garoth's massive dragon head gave a slight nod, acknowledging his attitude.
"You can prepare to return to the South."
The red iron dragon issued a new directive. "Remember the mission you now shoulder. Utilize the chaotic situation in the South to purchase for the tribe those alchemical technologies and industrial blueprints that are strictly controlled in times of peace."
In times of war, danger is everywhere.
But opportunities also follow closely, accompanying great risks.
In this world, there is never a shortage of desperate outlaws or forces willing to take extreme risks for astounding profits.
Those advanced technologies and products that are tightly gripped and strictly sealed by various parties during peacetime present the best opportunity to break through the blockade and bring them into our grasp.
High-precision alchemical furnaces.
Automated core components that support the operation of vast industrial systems.
Accompanying cutting-edge manufacturing processes... these concern the future development of the Molten Iron Tribe.
Just like the strategic resource of black oil crystals, Garoth inwardly hoped that one day the Molten Iron Tribe could establish a complete industrial chain, achieving full self-sufficiency, rather than forever being constrained by others.
Admittedly, his current cooperation with the Princess of Lothrian was in a honeymoon phase; through her channels, he could relatively stably obtain black oil crystals and some other controlled supplies.
But the future situation is unpredictable; who can guarantee that this mutually beneficial relationship will remain stable forever?
Therefore, although he could rely on the Crystal Princess's line to obtain some supplies, he absolutely could not abandon the continuous investment and development of the Gem Merchant Consortium channel.
Two preparations, plan ahead for possible difficulties.
Afterward, the master of the Gem Merchant Consortium, Nick, reborn and shouldering heavy responsibilities, first returned to the Ximu Domain for a brief rest and preparatory work. He would soon return to the South to carry out his mission.
And Garoth also prepared to return to his usual training grounds to continue his own cultivation and tempering.