novelraw Chapter 428: Turmoil, Controversy
Chapter 428: Turmoil, Controversy
After settling the red iron dragon, Ovis didn't pause for even a moment, immediately beating his wings and heading straight for the direction of the Dragon Breath Sanctuary.
Even before truly reaching the mountain peak platform where the sanctuary was located, the clamorous noise coming from that direction could be heard from afar, mixed with draconic low roars and discussions, appearing extremely unusual.
Looking down, one could clearly see:
Built against the mountain. The majestic Dragon Breath Sanctuary was already surrounded by a number of metallic dragons of various colors far exceeding the usual.
And before the sanctuary's grand door engraved with ancient inscriptions, two dazzling golden figures were particularly eye-catching, surrounded by many curious or concerned kin.
It was Alberto and Nasha.
At this moment, they were, quite literally, throwing a tantrum and rolling around on the solemn open ground before the Dragon Breath Sanctuary's door, showing no trace of gold dragon decorum.
"That shameless old bronze dragon Siano ambushed us!"
"I was just a tiny bit, just that tiny bit from dying! My scales were electrocuted into charcoal!"
"We're just little gold dragons who haven't been adults for long! How could a Legendary dare to lay a claw on us!""Your Majesty Silver Dragon King, where are you? Please come and uphold justice for us! Sob sob sob... Do you know how big and deep a shadow being deliberately attacked by a Legendary Dragon would leave on our tender young hearts?"
.....
Such image-destroying behavior was truly rare within the dragon domains, which traditionally emphasized dignity and proper conduct.
The number of giant dragons gathering to watch around them kept increasing, and the sound of discussion grew even more chaotic.
"You two, if you have matters to discuss, go inside the sanctuary and speak properly. What kind of spectacle is this, making a scene here?!"
A dragon elder who had been disturbed and come out sternly reprimanded, his voice authoritative.
"Making a scene? We're stating facts! We're protesting an injustice."
Nasha fearlessly retorted, her golden dragon pupils filled with grievance and indignation.
"What, does the Dragon Breath Sanctuary no longer allow victims to speak now? Do we not even have the right to seek shelter and justice?"
Alberto chimed in from the side, also putting on an appearance of righteous anger and being bullied.
The dragon elder who had just spoken instantly turned several shades darker, his dragon whiskers trembling slightly with anger.
He had the impulse to simply knock these two noisy gold dragons unconscious and drag them away, but with so many eyes watching from all around, he couldn't act arbitrarily.
Bullying the young in front of the public would truly damage his reputation and dignity as an elder.
Right at this slightly tense and chaotic moment, the figure of the old gold dragon Ovis broke through the clouds and landed steadily before the sanctuary door.
"Silence."
His voice wasn't particularly loud, yet it made the previously unruly Alberto and Nasha simultaneously stop their actions and obediently close their mouths.
"You two, calm down."
"The elders are fair and wise. They will naturally investigate the truth and give you an explanation."
Ovis first admonished his offspring, then turned his gaze to the elder with the displeased expression, giving him a slight nod, his tone turning steady. "I trouble you to open the sanctuary. Let us go inside to detail this matter."
Immediately after, the old gold dragon entered the solemn and majestic interior of the Dragon Breath Sanctuary together with other elders who had heard the news and rushed over.
Subsequently, he clearly reported the complete course of events, including Siano's ambush, Garoth's forced breakthrough and counter-kill, and the details of Alberto and the others being knocked unconscious.
Actually, the Metal Dragon elders had already learned the general situation from Alberto and Nasha's exaggerated accounts earlier.
Due to these two young gold dragons' longstanding unreliable image, they maintained a half-believing, half-doubting attitude and hadn't fully accepted it.
Only now, after Ovis's personal confirmation and supplemental details, did the dragon elders truly begin to take this matter seriously, realizing its severity.
After the report, the old gold dragon looked around at the assembled elders and said solemnly, "Everyone, please consider."
"When a Legendary Dragon, using a despicable ambush method, launches a fight-to-the-death murder attempt against a talented junior who came to the dragon domains as a guest and did not actively provoke any incident."
"Does this junior have the right to rise up and fight back for survival?"
Upon hearing this, the elders' reactions varied, their dragon pupils flickering with different lights.
"Siano's actions in this matter were excessively aggressive, deviated from honor, and he deserved death! Garoth Ignas falls within the scope of normal self-defense. Not only should he not be held accountable, but in fact, Siano's immediate family should compensate Garoth for the losses and fright caused by his recklessness and evil deeds!"
A gold dragon elder was the first to speak solemnly, his stance clear.
He had long been dissatisfied with the many extreme actions of the Purification Faction.
"Demanding compensation might further escalate conflicts; that's a bit excessive. In my view, it is already sufficient to clearly determine that Garoth bears no subsequent responsibility for this matter."
An elegantly slender silver dragon elder expressed his view in a gentle yet clear voice.
Most of the Metal Dragon elders present were inwardly inclined to believe Garoth was not at fault in this matter.
However, a few elders who harbored natural prejudice and wariness towards evil dragon bloodlines raised different opinions.
"Even if there were reasons, were his methods of counterattack... perhaps overly cruel? Moreover, the red iron dragon bloodline itself is ultimately an unstable factor. In my opinion, he should at least be given some punishment as a warning to others."
"For example, imposing a seal for a period of time, or levying a substantial fine."
An elder coiled beside a stone pillar, his body covered in copper-colored scales, said in a muffled voice.
The elders' opinions diverged, and for a time, it was difficult to reach a consensus.
However, no matter what, not a single elder proposed outrageous and unfair demands such as executing the red iron dragon.
Additionally, although a completely unanimous resolution wasn't reached in the short term, the elders also tacitly approved the "protective treatment" measures Ovis had taken for the red iron dragon. They did not demand that he immediately hand over Garoth for escort to the dragon domain prison.
After all, Ovis was one of their own from the Vophal Dragon Domain, a deeply trusted elder.
Absolute fairness and objectivity are often difficult to achieve when involving colleagues and external pressures.
Although the assembled elders each had different thoughts and positions, the overall emotional and interest scale still leaned more towards supporting Ovis.
Finally, the old gold dragon Ovis stepped forward, his dragon claw landing on the polished floor with a crisp sound.
He concluded with resounding force, "Garoth Ignas is the champion of this term's Five Great Dragon Domains Joint Competition!"
"He bears an evil dragon bloodline. Perhaps he suffered prejudice and cold treatment since childhood, yet he still chose to trust the order established by us Metal Dragons, came to the dragon domains to compete, and won glory with his strength! He is an outstanding junior formally recognized and awarded by the dragon domains' rules!"
"Yet, such a dragon who came with goodwill was subjected to such unfair and despicable treatment!"
"The actions of Siano Sheffield were not only a threat to his individual life, but also a trampling of the dragon domains' rules and our race's honor!"
"This matter must be thoroughly investigated to the end!"
"Not only to give Garoth justice, but also to clarify what exactly caused a Legendary compatriot in the name of justice to walk such an extreme path."
His words stated indisputable facts and also clearly laid out his own stance and attitude.
Simultaneously, he shifted the focus of the issue from the result of "the red iron dragon killed a bronze dragon" to "why and how Siano attempted murder" and the possible hidden motives behind it.
In the great hall, the slight clamor and opposition arising from differing ideas temporarily ceased.
The dragon elders began discussing Siano's motives.
"Ovis, you only brought back his shattered corpse."
"What about his dragon soul? Given the resilience of a Legendary dragon soul, even if the physical body dies, it shouldn't immediately completely dissipate from the Material Plane. Perhaps some information could be obtained from it."
"According to my perception, at the moment of Siano's death, his dragon soul disappeared from the Material Plane in an unusual manner, leaving behind no trace or echo that could be tracked."
"Hmm... He not only held respect for the great Platinum Dragon God, but seemed to have established a certain faith connection."
"Perhaps his piety received a response at the final moment, and he was summoned by the Dragon God to the divine realm."
The elders discussed animatedly, proposing various conjectures.
However, due to the lack of the most crucial direct evidence, all discussions could only remain at the level of speculation, ultimately failing to reach a definitive conclusion.
Throughout the entire deliberation process, the Silver Dragon King who ruled the Vophal Dragon Domain never stated his position.
Meanwhile, the distant Raging Tides Dragon Domain also experienced considerable turmoil because of this incident.
After Deborah returned with Vira, she didn't delay in the slightest, immediately reporting the news level by level through family channels.
The brass-silver dragon family already held goodwill towards Garoth due to previous contact. Combined with Deborah's personal experience and the testimony of the Dimensional Dragon Vira, their lineage of dragons and their allies within the Raging Tides Dragon Domain defended Garoth, strongly condemning Siano's ambush as a stain on the ancient honor of the dragon race.
However, the Raging Tides Dragon Domain was, after all, territory under the Bronze Dragon King's rule.
This was also where the Purification Faction's ideology was most prevalent and had the greatest number of supporters.
Although the Bronze Dragon King himself also did not directly state his position, intense debate and opposition still arose within the Raging Tides Dragon Domain because of this matter.
Not long after, an ancient dragon elder of high status within the Raging Tides Dragon Domain came forward with a proposal.
He believed the urgent priority was to first dispatch an envoy to the Vophal Dragon Domain to detain the involved red iron dragon and bring him to the Raging Tides Dragon Domain, then conduct face-to-face questioning to thoroughly investigate the details of this matter.
This seemingly reasonable suggestion received support from the majority of dragons within the Raging Tides Dragon Domain.
Thus, the Raging Tides Dragon Domain soon used this as a reason, citing "the deceased belongs to our own dragon domain," to formally initiate negotiations with the Vophal Dragon Domain, demanding they hand over the red iron dragon Garoth.
However, the Vophal Dragon Domain did not yield.
On one hand, their own gold dragon elder Ovis had personally witnessed the latter half of the incident and was the direct handler and processor of this matter; on the other hand, in this incident, two gold dragons from the Vophal Dragon Domain were indeed involved and attacked.
The Vophal Domain also had the right to investigate and detain the involved party.
And as days passed, corresponding news quickly spread among the four great Vophal Domains.
This matter was like a giant rock thrown into a calm lake, the ripples and waves it stirred rapidly spreading to the four great Vophal Domains.
Most metal dragons who upheld justice and followed tradition, after understanding the details of the matter, generally felt Siano had brought it upon himself and deserved death.
In their view, as a Legendary Metal Dragon, to carry out a despicable ambush on a non-Legendary dragon domain champion, and even beat several metal dragon kin to near-death, this was simply too excessive.
This was almost no different from those chaotic evil dragons they usually despised.
But simultaneously, those few dragons who believed in the Purification Faction ideology raised completely different voices.
They called out everywhere, demanding severe execution of the red iron dragon Garoth.
As for the accusation that Siano beat kin to near-death? They denounced it as shameful rumor, a smear campaign by Ovis's lineage to shield the red iron dragon.
Moreover, these dragons didn't actually care much about the specific details or truth of the matter.
They simply stood from the position of the deceased bronze dragon Siano, firmly believing Siano had keenly detected some deeply hidden evil deeds or conspiracy of the red iron dragon, and thus acted to carry out "righteous judgment."
They even suspected the red iron dragon had hidden his own power, deliberately luring Siano to attack so he could counter-kill.
Perhaps the red iron dragon was already Legendary. With such treacherous scheming, he should pay with his life.
The Flowing Waters Dragon Domain and Daylight Dragon Domain, located in different regions, also closely watched the development of the situation.
The elders of the Flowing Waters Dragon Domain were more concerned about the potential negative impact this incident might have on the internal unity and stability of the dragon race, and weren't most concerned about the rights and wrongs of the bronze dragon and red iron dragon themselves; while the Daylight Dragon Domain held more sympathy for Garoth's plight, believing such a young and promising newly ascended Legendary should not be punished for self-defense, and also deeply worried about the ideological contradictions within the dragon race exposed by this incident.
Gradually, the dragons' gazes focused on the uniquely elevated status of the Everbright Dragon Domain.
The Vophal Dragon Domain and Raging Tides Dragon Domain each held their own stance, arguing without resolution; the other two dragon domains were basically in a spectator state, at most participating in discussions; thus, the attitude of the Everbright Dragon Domain, as the leader of the Five Great Dragon Domains, became crucial.
After all, the red iron dragon had won his championship honor openly and squarely on the Everbright Dragon Domain's royal ground.
The high-level reaction of the Everbright Dragon Domain was relatively the most restrained and prudent.
They demanded all parties remain calm and restrained, and clearly emphasized that before the complete truth of the incident came to light, no dragon was to take any excessive coercive or retaliatory actions against Garoth Ignas.
This statement, to a certain extent, curbed some potential extreme retaliatory actions the Purification Faction might have taken.
However, the interior of the Everbright Dragon Domain was similarly not monolithic; undercurrents were stirring.
The prestige and admiration the red iron dragon had previously gained here through the competition now transformed into complex gazes and discussions.
Supporters believed he was an innocent victim, suffering this unjust disaster purely due to the original sin of his bloodline; opponents viewed him as a hidden seed of evil dragon that would eventually bring calamity.
Garoth knew nothing of this, nor did he care.
He was deeply asleep, his dragon might aura slowly rising within the Stillness Spring, continuously newborn power surging and coalescing within his body, shaping his Traits and Domain.
Turmoil, praise, slander... the clamor of the outside world was, to him, merely distant background noise.
The red iron dragon was single-mindedly, undistractedly focusing on his own strengthening and transformation.
Thus, time flowed on, like sand slipping through fingers.
Five years of time quietly passed amidst these continuous disputes and confrontations.
During this period, the debate over how to deal with the red iron dragon never truly ceased among the Five Great Dragon Domains, especially between the Vophal and Raging Tides Domains.
The Vophal Dragon Domain side, using reasons like "the investigation is not yet concluded," "Garoth is in a critical recovery period," and "the attacked metal dragons need an explanation," delayed, persistently refusing to hand the red iron dragon over to the Raging Tides Dragon Domain.
Just as Ovis had anticipated.
The vast majority of reasonable metal dragons, after understanding the course of events, believed the red iron dragon's rising up to fight back when ambushed by a Legendary was a matter of necessity and should not be harshly judged.
However, also just as Garoth had once calmly analyzed.
Another voice, though representing a minority, was particularly strident and persistent, and never disappeared from the dragon domains' court of public opinion.
"Those not of our race must have different hearts," "The Vophal Dragon Domain, to shield a murderer, disregards the kinship of shared bloodline," "Severely punish the killer to uphold the dignity of metal dragons"... Such calls filled with prejudice and hostility not only didn't diminish within certain groups, but instead, with the passage of time and fueled by certain external factors, grew increasingly loud.
Minority dragons, often because of the extremity and firmness of their stance, had voices that appeared particularly prominent and enduring.
And the majority of relatively moderate metal dragons each had numerous duties, research, or pleasures requiring their attention, and actually didn't pay sustained attention to a matter not directly related to their own interests.
They might have spoken a few fair words for the red iron dragon during the initial stage of the incident.
But soon, they would be drawn away by other endless streams of new and fresh events.
Only those with vested interests in this matter, those with extremely firm ideologies, or metal dragons closely connected to Garoth would pay constant attention.
Finally, on a certain morning five years later, when the first ray of sunlight had just pierced the thin mist over the Endless Sea.
Accompanied by surging sea waves and oppressive dragon might, several massive figures descended in the sky above Ovis's island.