Defeating the World with the Power of One Dragon!

Chapter 479: Recreating the Glory of the First Era, Making Dragons Great Again

"Return, Elvy." The red iron dragon's deep voice echoed through the mountains. "Familiarize yourself with your new power. Prepare for the arrival of the legendary realm."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Elvy bowed in salute.

Then, she turned around. Her mane drew an arc in the wind as her four hooves pushed off the ground, launching her into the air. Soon, her figure vanished behind the churning sea of clouds.

The mountains returned to silence, with only the wind whistling over the rocky ridges.

At that moment, the air before the red iron dragon began to distort.

Ripples spread out in circles, as if space itself was folding.

The figure of the Amethyst Dragon Iseramas slowly materialized from within, revealing his elegant and steady form.

He first looked in the direction the centaur had departed, his gaze piercing through the cloud layer and lingering for a moment, before withdrawing his line of sight and turning towards the red iron dragon beside him, whose physique was a full two sizes larger than his own.

"Congratulations.""That centaur of yours with the special bloodline will become a legend before long. The fluctuations of that power could be felt from quite a distance away."

Garoth turned his head to look at the Amethyst Dragon, nodding slightly, his neck scales emitting faint, crisp metallic sounds.

"Indeed," the red iron dragon paused briefly, then brought up another matter. "When the capital was attacked, I was deeply worried."

"Although the city had defenses, surprise assaults at the legendary level are always hard to predict."

"Fortunately, you intervened in time. Thank you."

Upon hearing this, Iseramas looked the red iron dragon up and down.

His gaze lingered on Garoth's faceplate for several seconds, seemingly reading the subtle muscle movements and the emotions leaking through the gaps between the faceplate scales.

The silence lasted for about five breaths.

Finally, the Amethyst Dragon spoke unhurriedly, his tone carrying a note of understanding and helplessness.

"Worried? I dare swear by the name of the Ruby Dragon God."

"You absolutely knew long ago that if the Citadel of Crimson Flame was attacked, I wouldn't stand idly by. You were certain I would intervene. Certain from the very beginning."

Garoth didn't deny it, nor did he respond.

He simply remained expressionless, his gaze calm as it settled on Iseramas, focusing on the Amethyst Dragon's scales.

Embedded in the scales on Iseramas's neck, chest, shoulders, and other areas were numerous brightly colored gemstones.

Spinel as deep red as blood, sapphires as blue as the sea, emeralds as vibrant green as fresh leaves... They were meticulously polished into shapes that conformed to the curvature of the scales and fixed between the scale gaps with nearly invisible threads of spiritual energy.

At this moment, the morning sunlight poured down, refracting dazzling halos on the gem facets.

The halos complemented the Amethyst Dragon's own violet scale color, creating a breathtaking sight.

"It seems you are quite satisfied with these gems," Garoth remarked. "They complement your scales well."

These gems on Iseramas's body were personally selected by Garoth from the Treasure Vault and gifted to him after he defended the capital, as a token of gratitude for his timely assistance.

Iseramas was a legendary dragon, but he was not particularly wealthy by nature.

Although he had lived far longer than Garoth, his personality inclined him towards a low-key, non-confrontational lifestyle. He spent most of his time studying spiritual energy and observing the social structures of various creatures.

This way of life had allowed him to accumulate considerable knowledge and experience, but he had never managed to amass any significant wealth.

It wasn't until Garoth's previous generous gift that he experienced the feeling of being a wealthy dragon for the first time.

Those glittering gems were numerous enough to adorn his entire body.

At the time, Iseramas had wanted to refuse.

His aid to the capital stemmed more from an unwillingness to see the city and its inhabitants suffer, not for a reward.

However, he simply couldn't resist the sheer quantity Garoth offered.

When crate after crate of gems was placed before him, refracting a dizzying brilliance in the sunlight, the Amethyst Dragon found the prepared refusal stuck in his throat.

In the end, he accepted.

After all, the gems themselves were beautiful, precious, and held a natural allure for dragons.

Now, hearing Garoth's words, Iseramas's expression froze almost imperceptibly for a moment before quickly returning to normal.

He raised his head, adopting a righteous and solemn demeanor.

"Don't think a mere handful of gems like this can completely buy me off."

"Garoth, you know very well I dislike getting involved in political struggles and military conflicts between kingdoms. This was an exception because there were too many innocent lives in the capital."

"Similar incidents will not be repeated!"

He spoke with absolute conviction.

However, this statement would have been far more convincing if one ignored the gems glittering brilliantly on his scales.

Garoth nodded seriously, a flicker of amusement flashing in his eyes.

"Hmm, I understand what you mean."

His tone was as calm as ever, but Iseramas, with his keen mind, could almost hear the unspoken second half of that sentence.

If this handful of gems isn't enough, then just offer more next time.

As the ruler of a nation, Garoth was indeed wealthy and powerful.

The mineral income, trade taxes, tributes from territories, including the newly conquered lands and various resources from Theo, all caused the red iron dragon's treasure vault to expand at an astonishing rate.

More importantly, Garoth's resistance to the allure of treasure far exceeded that of a normal dragon.

He valued the resources and influence wealth brought, not the hoarding pleasure of wealth itself. Therefore, using a portion of treasure to win over a legendary Amethyst Dragon seemed like a very worthwhile investment in his view.

Iseramas was speechless.

This Mind Sorcerer Dragon, even without using spells to probe thoughts, could roughly guess the other's thinking from Garoth's eyes and micro-expressions.

Wretched dragon emperor!

He silently condemned in his heart, while simultaneously having to admit that deep down, he harbored a tiny sliver of envy.

Most evil dragons would take the lord route, occupying a territory, driving slaves, and enjoying tributes.

But at best, those dragons engaged in activities like plundering treasures, kidnapping for ransom, or collecting protection fees. Working themselves to death, they actually couldn't accumulate much wealth.

Those who could develop to Garoth's level, establishing a genuine kingdom and enjoying almost limitless wealth, were exceedingly rare.

This was not an achievement attainable by power alone.

It required vision, patience, political skill, and the wisdom to rule over intelligent beings.

Iseramas had lived many years and seen too many powerful evil dragons who ultimately remained like beasts entrenched in a corner. Garoth was clearly not one of them.

The Amethyst Dragon took several deep breaths, his chest rising and falling slightly.

He decided not to argue this topic with Garoth. Continuing would only make him seem more attached to those gems.

"Garoth, prepare some materials for me."

Iseramas changed the subject, his voice becoming calm.

The red iron dragon didn't ask why, replying directly, "Fine. What exactly do you need?"

"Living root tendrils, from oak trees at least three hundred years old, undamaged; resonance crystals, purity above ninety percent, preferably violet; mercury-silver, requiring triple refinement; spiritual energy gems, at least the size of a dragon egg, type unrestricted but preferably amethyst or moonstone; and..."

The Amethyst Dragon listed a series of materials, seventeen in total, over half being spellcasting components, the smaller half ritual supplies.

Some were common, others rather rare.

Garoth listened quietly, then gave a slight nod, his tone still casual. "Hmm, I'll have someone prepare them."

Some of these things might not be in stock in his treasure vault.

But with a single order from him, as the entire system of the Aola Kingdom operated, his followers and subjects would work for it.

Caravans would procure from neighboring countries, miners would delve deep into mines, spellcasters would rummage through laboratory stores...

Unless it was something of extremely high value or exceedingly scarce, what he wanted would likely be placed before him within three days.

This was the efficiency of a kingdom's machinery.

Something lone-wolf type dragons could scarcely imagine.

"Aren't you going to ask what I need these for?"

Wretched dragon emperor!

Seeing Garoth's straightforward response, as if those materials were cheap, Iseramas condemned him once more in his heart.

"For your hobby? Or to better integrate into certain creature groups?"

Garoth teased.

The Amethyst Dragon's expression darkened. He knew what Garoth was alluding to.

"Enough."

Iseramas snorted lightly, adopting a serious tone.

"These materials are for setting up an Amethyst Dragon bloodline purification ritual. I intend to purify Ennus's bloodline, allowing him to reach a level where he can grow continuously through hibernation like normal dragons."

Hearing this, the scales between Garoth's brows relaxed slightly.

This was a subtle dragon gesture expressing pleasure, usually only noticeable to those familiar with dragonkind.

The red iron dragon's mood had indeed improved.

The Amethyst Dragon Lion, Ennus, was the first lord he had subdued during the wilderness struggle period.

That giant lion with a mane and violet dragon scales—after Garoth defeated him, he didn't choose to kill or banish him. Instead, he granted a considerable degree of autonomy, incorporating him into the Aola Kingdom's system.

This had proven to be a wise decision.

And among Garoth's non-dragon lords, the Amethyst Dragon Lion's talent and potential were second only to the phoenix Antianya.

Ennus, who already possessed the makings of a legend, once his dragon bloodline was successfully purified and he underwent a deep hibernation, breaking through to the legendary realm was practically a foregone conclusion.

As for the phoenix Ankhia, after the decisive battle in the Emerald Ridge Mountains ended, she had returned to her own territory.

She had transformed into a giant flame egg.

Based on the phoenix life cycle and her previous energy accumulation, she should be able to step into the legendary realm even before Ennus.

Elvy, Ennus, Ankhia.

Once all three of them broke through, the number of legends in the Aola Kingdom would approach ten.

This number, placed among the kingdoms of the Romanian Plains, wasn't huge. But Aola's legends were not the same concept as those human legends.

Garoth's thoughts continued to extend.

The holy spirit deer, the Golden-Plumed Griffon, the Yaqi Serpentine Leopard—these three were somewhat lacking.

Although their talents were decent, they were still some distance from the legendary threshold.

The red iron dragon was considering whether to perform the dragon vein transformation on them as well, to raise their potential ceiling.

But the dragon vein transformation was not without risk.

One requirement was that the recipient's loyalty must reach an extremely high level, with not the slightest hesitation or resistance in their heart. Otherwise, during the critical stage of the ritual, even a slight wavering could cause energy backlash. At best, the transformation would fail and potential would be damaged; at worst, instant death.

Forced transformation often resulted in losses outweighing gains.

The current loyalty levels of these lords did not reach the degree of core followers like Karu or Elvy.

Their obedience to Garoth stemmed more from awe of his power and a combination of interests, not genuine oath-bound fealty.

The method of using dragon vein transformation to increase their potential would have to be postponed, to be decided based on future circumstances.

Apart from this, the iron dragon Sorog, the red dragon Samantha, the blue dragon Zoraya, the Gold Dragon Alberto... After another round of hibernation, they could all basically reach the level 20 limit—the peak attainable by mundane beings.

Their situation was somewhat similar to Garoth's state before his last hibernation.

They had accumulated sufficient experience, energy, and comprehension. If not for the legendary threshold being too solid, they could have broken through directly, not stuck at the level 20 limit.

However, all they needed now was a good opportunity.

Or, with the assistance of a rare treasure like the "Eternal Tide," they would have a very good chance of breaking through to legendary, without needing to wait for another long hibernation.

Looking ahead,

by the time Garoth reached his prime phase,

the number of legends in the Aola Kingdom would experience a substantial wave of growth.

The key individuals among them could generally achieve legendary status, and there was no need to worry about issues like short lifespans or brief peak periods.

Dragon lifespans were measured in millennia. Once they became legends, their peak period could be maintained for a very, very long time, with no worry about dying of old age.

As for those below legendary—

the Blue Dragon Heriam, the Red Dragon Kahir, the Green Dragon Ludwig, the black dragon Seraphina... These dragons' levels would also increase significantly over time, becoming the backbone of the Aola Kingdom.

Their growth speed far exceeded that of wild dragons, because they received cultivation, education, and had ample resource supplies.

"I still have one opportunity to use the Eternal Tide in the Vophal Dragon Domain."

Garoth suddenly remembered this.

"It's of no use to me now that I'm already a legend."

"When the time is right, Sorog can be prioritized to become a legend, and then we can find ways to exchange for more slots from the dragon domain."

He pondered thoughtfully.

The iron dragon Sorog was his right-hand man and a major pillar of the Aola Kingdom.

Prioritizing Sorog's breakthrough, whether from an emotional or practical benefit standpoint, held the highest priority.

Simultaneously, a more magnificent blueprint emerged in Garoth's heart.

It wasn't merely the prosperity of a kingdom, but the revival of an entire race.

He looked at the Amethyst Dragon and asked seriously, "Iseramas, tell me, if this Aola Kingdom of mine can endure for thousands of years, with the number of dragons under my command constantly growing and only a few meeting premature ends, what level could it develop to in the future?"

The Amethyst Dragon was slightly taken aback.

He carefully considered Garoth's words, quietly comprehending their meaning.

Thousands of years... The number of dragons only increasing, not decreasing... It sounded simple, but was actually an almost impossible vision to realize.

The growth of dragons was fraught with risk.

Dragonlings were fragile, the youth phase was combative, and adulthood faced various challenges and conflicts.

Even Metal Dragons couldn't guarantee every dragon's safe growth.

But the Aola Kingdom was different.

Here, dragonlings had specialized breeding grounds, the entire kingdom's support, and systematic education and training.

As long as this kingdom existed, then Garoth's "only increase, not decrease" truly had a possibility of realization. At the very least, the premature mortality rate of dragons would drop to a historical low.

If successful...

Iseramas suddenly felt a faint tremor, an emotion mixed with awe and a certain premonition.

He was silent for several seconds, organizing his words, before finally speaking slowly. "Then, Garoth... you would become one of the greatest monarchs in dragon history. No, perhaps 'one of' wouldn't be necessary. By then, what you created would not be merely a nation, but an era. An era that could allow the dragon race to recreate the glory of the First Epoch in the Material Plane."

The red iron dragon gave a slight nod, his gaze turning towards the vast, boundless sky.

Clouds piled up into mountain-like shapes in the distance, sunlight piercing through the gaps, gilding the cloud edges crimson-gold.

The wind swept over the ridges, carrying scents from afar.

Iseramas looked at him, his gaze sweeping over that majestic and imposing form.

From the thick neck to the broad shoulders, from the wings folded against his sides to the spine covered in heavy scales.

This Red Emperor was in his prime, vigorous, ambitious, and more importantly, he possessed the ability and patience to turn that ambition into reality.

An absurd yet powerful feeling suddenly arose within the Amethyst Dragon.

As if some deep intuition was telling him that this red iron dragon before him truly had the potential to turn those words just spoken into reality.