novelraw Chapter 453: Ignas Royal Dragon Academy
Chapter 453: Ignas Royal Dragon Academy
Under the sky covered in wind and snow, Garoth lowered his gaze, looking at the White Dragon Beskarl prostrating before him, thoughts swirling in his dragon pupils.
He was contemplating how to settle this newly subdued Legendary Dragon.
Keep him in the Permafrost Tundra, hidden away, as a potential ace card unknown to others?
This thought quietly crossed his mind.
If, before long, the Aola Kingdom clashed with other kingdoms, or even erupted into true war, a Legendary White Dragon completely outside the enemy's intelligence network would undoubtedly bring a tremendous advantage, delivering a surprise attack to the opponent at a critical moment.
It was a rather tempting option.
However, Garoth soon slightly shook his head, dismissing this idea in his heart.
The premise of hiding one's strength is possessing a sufficiently deep and solid foundation of power, enough to support concealing part of one's capabilities; furthermore, the value this hidden strength can unleash when needed must far exceed the benefits gained from publicly displaying it.
But the Aola Kingdom, as a newly established nation, still has shallow roots.
Its greatest deterrence and reliance currently almost entirely rest on Garoth alone, on the powerful individual strength of the Red Iron Dragon Emperor. The overall depth of the kingdom's power is far from abundant.Moreover, Aola has not closed its borders; it has alliance relationships with surrounding kingdoms.
Once war ignites, these allied nations would support each other.
And Legendary-level existences are key weights that determine a kingdom's safety, influence the diplomatic balance, and can effectively deter those covetous, scheming potential enemy nations.
More importantly, the Aola Kingdom is now in a golden period of rapid ascent.
What it needs is not to hide its strength, but to establish prestige and consolidate its foundation.
Each Legendary should be like a brilliant star surrounding the blazing sun, orbiting the Red Iron Dragon Emperor, hanging high in the kingdom's sky, illuminating the vast territory, and intimidating all petty troublemakers from all directions.
Hiding a Legendary is equivalent to actively weakening the muscle displayed to the outside world.
And among the nations where wolves circle and interests intertwine, showing weakness often does not bring peace and respect, but only invites more probing claws and greedy covetousness, creating unnecessary trouble.
On the other hand, a publicly declared, sworn allegiance from a Legendary Ancient Dragon also holds immense symbolic significance.
It can tangibly proclaim to the entire continent:
—The Aola Kingdom is rising powerfully, strong enough to make even the proud Legendary Ancient Dragons willingly submit!
This can attract more talent, allies, and opportunities, further solidifying the kingdom's upward momentum.
After weighing the options, Garoth had already reached a decision in his heart.
At the same time, the White Dragon Beskarl sensed Garoth's thoughtful gaze.
His long years had bestowed upon him a keen perception for discerning emotions. He could see that this powerful Red Iron Dragon Emperor was considering how to settle him.
"Your Majesty, this northern ice plain is vast and boundless, bitterly cold to the bone."
"Beneath the ancient frozen soil, there might still be many undiscovered powerful existences, or slumbering threats buried."
He raised his head, flicked his tail, and volunteered: "I am willing to firmly guard this place, to defend this ice plain territory for you! No matter what creature dares to invade this land, I will surely make them suffer a crushing defeat, or bury them here!"
In this way, to some extent, he would also be indirectly fulfilling his long-cherished wish of ruling the ice plain.
Although in the capacity of a vassal and guardian.
As he spoke, the White Dragon's massive eyeballs rotated, glancing at the Ogre Gruff standing respectfully to the side.
He grinned, squeezing out a smile as gentle as possible.
He praised: "This ogre is loyal and fearless towards you, Your Majesty, daring to face enemies far stronger than himself. His courage is commendable. Staying in such a remote little outpost truly buries his potential."
"Please allow him to follow directly by my side, assisting me in governing ice plain affairs."
Hearing this, Garoth slowly shook his head.
He had gone to great lengths to subdue a Legendary Ancient Dragon, not to let him slack off and take it easy.
"The Permafrost Tundra is indeed important, but this land is barren and desolate, sparsely populated. In peacetime, it does not require a Legendary powerhouse to be stationed here year-round."
The Red Iron Dragon said in a deep voice: "I have higher expectations for you."
He spread his wings and continued: "Come back to the Ser Wilderness with me. Your new Dragon Nest will be established in the south of the wilderness, overlooking the vast Southern Domain of my kingdom. At that time, your very existence, your Legendary prestige, will fly alongside the dragon banner of the Aola Kingdom, becoming a symbol that deters the southern nations and stabilizes the borders on all sides."
Hearing these words, Beskarl's spirit couldn't help but tremble slightly.
He had lain dormant and developed for over eight hundred years, enduring loneliness and waiting. What he deeply yearned for was nothing more than to be truly valued, to be revered by the world, and not merely as a lord hiding in the depths of the ice plain.
To stand at the forefront of the kingdom, becoming a symbol that deters all directions.
The future Garoth painted for him was more worthy of anticipation and more aligned with his pursuit of glory and status than letting him continue guarding the silent, bitter-cold ice plain.
The White Dragon put away his previous slightly ingratiating expression, becoming solemn and earnest.
He lowered his head and said gravely: "As you wish, Your Majesty."
"My claws and frost shall stand with the Aola Kingdom."
At this moment, the Red Iron Dragon turned his head, his gaze falling upon the ogre beside him.
He asked: "What is your name?"
Ogre Gruff kowtowed again, his head pressing a deep pit into the ground surface before he raised it once more. His eyes were filled with pure awe and admiration.
"Gruff, Your Majesty, my name is Gruff."
The Red Iron Dragon nodded slowly and said: "I have seen your loyalty and martial prowess. Such qualities should not be buried in the borderlands."
"After you have handed over all duties here, proceed to the Citadel of Crimson Flame. First, undergo the dragon-forge modification. After completing the transformation, remain and serve in the Valdo Palace Guard."
Hearing this, the ogre was momentarily stunned.
Then, immense joy overwhelmed him.
The emperor's casual remark directly elevated him from a small outpost leader in this remote northern land to a noble "Dragonforged Warrior" and an honorable "Palace Guard." His identity and status had undergone a heaven-and-earth leap.
The scene was as beautiful as a dream. His excitement and gratitude overflowed.
"Thank you, Your Majesty! Gruff will fight for you forever! My life and loyalty belong to you!"
"Loyalty! Loyalty! Loyalty!"
The ogre roared repeatedly in his deep, muffled voice, the sound echoing across the ice plain.
Immediately after, Garoth said no more.
He stretched his dragon wings, his powerful hind legs kicked off the ground, stirring up a sky full of snow dust. His massive body shot straight into the sky.
The White Dragon Beskarl dared not delay, also vigorously flapping his wings, whipping up a biting cold wind as he closely followed behind.
Two enormous dragon silhouettes tore through the vast wind and snow, flying swiftly towards the direction of the Ser Wilderness.
Some time later, the wind and snow behind them gradually weakened, but the high-altitude air currents remained icy and piercing, whistling past their dragon scales.
Garoth brought the Ancient White Dragon to the convergence lands region between the wilderness and the tundra.
After a moment of thought, he did not choose to fly straight towards the wilderness. Instead, he tilted his dragon wings slightly, altering the flight direction.
"The academy under Trixie's charge has been developing for some time now. Since we've come to the convergence lands this time, it's a perfect opportunity to see its current state."
Garoth thought to himself.
According to the kingdom's laws and educational strategy, all dragons below the youth phase within the Aola Kingdom's borders would be prioritized for delivery to this academy in the convergence lands to receive systematic education, including combat skills, kingdom law, general knowledge, cooperative discipline, and more.
The vast majority of these young dragons came from the earliest to submit, the Dominic Blue Dragon Clan.
The Aola Kingdom encouraged reproduction and had established a set incubation system. After laying dragon eggs, a dragon mother could, according to her preference, choose not to incubate them personally, directly handing the dragon eggs over to kingdom-designated incubation officers, while also receiving a generous reward from the kingdom's treasury.
Therefore, under the incentive of this favorable policy, the number of newborn hatchlings in the kingdom had seen significant growth in recent years.
After these dragon eggs were centrally incubated and passed through their most fragile period, they were currently all concentrated at the academy in the convergence lands for cultivation.
It was foreseeable that in a few decades, when this batch of dragons grew to the youth phase, the number of dragons the Aola Kingdom could directly command and deploy would experience an explosive surge.
In addition, there were also a few dragons who, having heard of the Aola Kingdom and the emperor's name, traveled over mountains and rivers to pledge allegiance.
Without exception, those below the youth phase in age, according to regulations, would first be sent to the academy in the convergence lands for adaptive learning.
Garoth now rarely came to the convergence lands.
But this place was still very important to the Aola Kingdom, a crucial rear area that needed attention.
Just a minute or two later, Garoth and Beskarl halted their figures in the air above a wide plain.
At this moment, both dragons had cast Transformation, maintaining the form of snow eagles to facilitate concealed observation.
Garoth folded his wings, hovering at high altitude. The fierce air currents around him gradually calmed, revealing the magnificent complex of buildings below.
"What is this place?"
Beskarl inquired in a low voice.
Garoth said: "An academy specifically for educating young dragons, also one of the foundations of the Aola Kingdom."
This academy was named after him, called Garoth Academy.
Besides that, it had a more formal name—the Ignas Royal Dragon Academy!
Beskarl pondered thoughtfully.
He lowered his gaze, carefully observing the academy standing on the snowy ground.
Rather than an academy, it was more like a comprehensive fortress and oversized training ground designed specifically for young behemoths.
The towering walls were built from neatly cut giant obsidian blocks, their surfaces densely inscribed with reinforcement runes and elemental stabilization arrays, ensuring they could withstand the impacts of the dragons' daily training.
The interior was divided into multiple extremely wide areas.
Theory teaching zones, spell practice fields, close-quarters combat areas, physical conditioning grounds, rest nest zones, etc., were separated from each other by towering yet extremely sturdy enchanted walls.
The most eye-catching was undoubtedly the massive emperor statue standing in the academy's central plaza.
It was cast from a special dark alloy, grand in the extreme, recreating the majestic posture of the Red Iron Dragon raising its head towards the sky, wings spread as if about to take flight. The statue's surface was meticulously polished, still flowing with a deep and stern luster even under the gloomy sky and drifting snow. The dragon head proudly gazed towards the firmament, symbolizing the Red Iron Dragon Emperor's royal authority and power.
Garoth's gaze lingered on the metal colossus for a fleeting moment.
Beside him, the White Dragon Beskarl, suspended in snow eagle form, tilted his head slightly, sniffing the scents carried by the air.
He sensed the gathered auras of numerous dragons below.
Immediately, Garoth lowered his altitude, silently gliding towards a training area exposed to the wind and snow, following the aura of the White Dragon Trixie.
Beskarl followed closely behind.
Then, upon seeing the scene in the training ground below, this not-so-young Legendary Ancient Dragon couldn't help but widen his eagle-form eyes slightly, ripples stirring within his heart.
On the vast training ground, dozens of dragons of varying sizes were gathered.
From young dragons who had just left the hatchling period, with bodies roughly the size of large warhorses, to juvenile dragons over ten meters in length, appearing agile and nimble, to adolescent dragons already approaching the youth phase, their skeletons beginning to outline the contours of behemoths.
Their scale colors varied, their species numerous.
Among them, the number of Blue Dragons clearly held an absolute advantage, far ahead, comprising almost over half of the total. The rest were classic Five-colored Dragon species like Red Dragons, Green Dragons, Black Dragons, and White Dragons.
Among them, a few dragons with mixed scale colors, features intermediate between two dragon types—Five-colored Hybrid Dragons—could also be seen.
Under the watchful gaze of the two snow eagles from above, these young dragons were engaged in various training exercises.
Some dragons were repeatedly ramming their scaled heads violently against thick metal stakes deeply embedded in the ground, their surfaces branded with reinforcement runes. The dull, thunderous impacts made the ground tremble slightly.
Other dragons swung their resilient tails like giant steel whips, striking massive log targets hanging mid-air that required several people to encircle, causing them to shake violently, wood chips flying.
Still others worked in pairs, engaging in pure strength contests by ramming each other with their hard-scaled shoulders, muscles bulging, dragon scales scraping together with grating sounds.
In the sky area, several juvenile dragons were conducting weighted flight training. Their sharp claws gripped heavy boulders as large as small huts, strenuously flapping their wings to maintain flight altitude and balance.
...
There was no atmosphere of laziness or playfulness.
The entire training ground was bustling with intense activity.
But what most astonished Beskarl, even to the point of disbelief, was not the diversity of their scale colors, the considerable number, or the intensity of their training.
It was their...physique!
Looking across the field, almost every single dragon, regardless of age or racial differences, exhibited a physique with a very developed, explosively powerful muscular outline.
Beneath their variously colored scales were robust, clearly defined muscles that rose and fell with their movements, intertwined like steel wires.
The wing roots of those juvenile dragons were absurdly thick, the muscle groups connecting to their torsos bulging high. The necks and limbs of the adolescent dragons were generally a full circle thicker and more solid than those of their peers at the same age in Beskarl's memory, brimming with a sense of heavy power.