novelraw Chapter 250
Chapter 250
Chapter 250
81. Dragon God
North of the Demon Domain, after passing through the dreamlike ancient forest of the elves with its overlapping mountain ranges, and further crossing the vast, sparsely populated Bloodfield Plains,
one could finally catch sight of that majestic land—standing proudly at the extreme north of the world, isolated from everything, like a paradise beyond the mortal realm.
Wyverns that would cause panic if they appeared in any nation soared across the sky here; in this place, they were as common as birds in flight.
The territories of the Thunder Dragon Clan, Fire Dragon Clan, Ice Dragon Clan, and Earth Dragon Clan were clearly divided, without interfering with one another.
Yet the four great dragon races seemed to share a certain unspoken understanding. At the intersection of their territories stood a ring-shaped structure—an immensely prosperous frontier stronghold.
—Dragon City.
Outside, it was night; here, it was day.
Outside, it was day; here, it was not necessarily night.
The duration of day and night here lasted three times longer than in the outside world. Any outsider would marvel at the miracle of “three days without seeing the stars” and “three nights without a rising sun.”
When every inch of the world fell into slumber,
Dragon City still basked in boundless sunlight.
It was said that this originated from the favor and protection of the deity jointly worshipped by the dragon race. Since ancient times, the Dragon God had disdained coexisting with all things and had instead established a unique cycle of sunrise and sunset exclusively for the noble dragon race.
The four great dragon races converged here. To avoid internal conflict, bound by bloodline ties, six hundred years ago they jointly selected a king whom all dragon races must revere and obey—the current chieftain of the Fire Dragon Clan, respectfully addressed as the “Dragon God.”
This Dragon God, however, was not the Dragon God of myth.
The title existed to uphold authority. With authority, it prevented these transcendent forces from harming one another internally. If war were to break out between dragon races, it would undoubtedly become a world-shaking epic battle—and in the end, the one whose foundation would be damaged would be the dragon race itself.
Presumably, this was precisely why the four great dragon races needed to jointly elect a king to maintain order.
And at this very moment, within this exceedingly prosperous Dragon City—
【Dragon God’s Temple】.
This grand hall, which gathered the history of the dragon race and required representatives of each dragon clan to periodically come to Dragon City to swear loyalty to the “Dragon God,” served not only to proclaim the dragon race’s absolute status to the world, but more fundamentally to preserve this long-standing order.
Dragon patterns were carved everywhere, stone pillars stretched toward the heavens, and the gilded hall stood in flourishing, awe-inspiring majesty. Upon the supreme throne, the “Dragon God” had already departed.
The chieftain of the Fire Dragon Clan had announced to the various dragon races the recent allocation of territorial resources among the four great dragon races. He needed to say no more—once delivered, each dragon clan would simply carry out the instructions.
The envoys of the Ice Dragon Clan and the Earth Dragon Clan had already signed their respective chieftains’ names on the proclamation using feather pens adorned with dragon scales, thereby expressing absolute loyalty to the “Dragon God” they had jointly elected six hundred years ago—that is, to the chieftain of the Fire Dragon Clan.
After signing, and with the approval of the priest dragons of the temple, they each departed with their delegations.
After all, although they were both among the four great dragon races, the Ice Dragon Clan and the Earth Dragon Clan had little say in resource distribution. Ultimately, such matters were determined by the amount of power one held. They themselves were not even considered higher races—they merely signed and had no qualification to offer counsel.
They did not.
But that did not mean the other dragon races had no objections.
Before the empty throne stood a priest clad in white robes with crimson wings spread wide, glaring sharply at the leader of the Thunder Dragon Clan delegation—who leaned casually against a sacred pillar with not the slightest trace of respect.
He was also the chief council officer of the Thunder Dragon Clan, Karre Lothar.
This man, with his lightning-like upright purple short hair and utterly unrestrained attire, did not resemble someone worthy of respect in the slightest.
But the priest knew that when dealing with 【Five Thunder Pillars】, it was best to speak cautiously.
“Karre-sama, please withdraw. This session of the Dragon God Council has already ended.”
“Ended?” Karre let out a dark chuckle and smacked his lips. His tall figure even feigned confusion as he looked around. “How did it end? Didn’t I just submit the Thunder Dragon Clan’s proposal stating that this year’s resource allocation is unreasonable? And what about the Floating West Isle occupied by the Fire Dragon Clan? Why did the Dragon God leave without giving an explanation? Could it be that he knows he’s in the wrong and is avoiding the issue?”
“Watch your words!”
“Ah, fine, fine, I’ll watch my words. Then have the Dragon God give us an answer, and we’ll leave, won’t we?”
“You…!”
“Step down. I will speak with this Lord Karre.”
Another voice suddenly rang out.
The Dragon God’s Temple was enormous; if one did not listen carefully, it was impossible to even tell where the voice had come from.
But the Thunder Dragon Clan possessed superior hearing as a racial trait. Karre casually turned his gaze toward the eastern dragon pillar. From that direction, a red-haired man slowly approached, draped in a robe of noble honors, yet wearing heavy boots and holding a sharp sword.
At the sight of him, the priests of the Dragon God’s Temple all dropped to one knee simultaneously, falling silent and holding their breath.
Compared to their caution, Karre merely raised an eyebrow. Aside from disdain, he showed no extra emotion.
He even muttered a sentence just loud enough for the red-haired man to hear—
“The old man ran off, so the son came instead.”
The young red-haired Fire Dragon Clan member folded his powerful crimson wings and stopped just three steps away from Karre.
This man was none other than the son of the current Fire Dragon Clan chieftain—the prince of the Fire Dragon Clan, Doromo.
When the strong met, words were unnecessary; pressure always came first.
One narrowed his eyes, the other maintained a cold smirk. Neither made a move, yet faint cracks appeared upon the towering stone pillars in the distance. Whether it was an illusion or not, the vast temple itself seemed to tremble slightly.
With a glance from Doromo, the priests before the throne all rose and left the area.
Immediately after—
the faint tremor abruptly ceased.
Doromo let out a soft sigh and sheathed the crimson sword in his hand, which had already revealed a sliver of its blade.
“...Karre-sama, what business do you have with my father?”
“Ha! Your Highness, don’t play dumb! This proposal of mine has already been submitted to the Dragon God for the third time, hasn’t it? You’re a candidate for the next Dragon God—don’t tell me you don’t know?”
“I know.”
“Heh, at least you’re honest.”
Doromo slowly opened his previously closed eyes. Within them, flames seemed to churn faintly, as if they could burn the soul.
“I can see it. But it is unreasonable. The Thunder Dragon Clan is requesting sixty percent of the total resources of all dragon territories. Tell me—if that were granted, do you believe conflict would not erupt among the four great dragon races?”
“What a joke. I came here precisely because the Thunder Dragon Clan is dissatisfied with the current situation! Our territory is the largest—it has already surpassed your Fire Dragon Clan! And yet you’re still following rules from six hundred years ago? Do you take us for fools?”
“The territory may be vast, but the population is not. If ambition is being used to disguise necessity, then I see no need for further discussion.”
“Oh? Your Highness seems to be implying something…?”
“I only hope that the Thunder Dragon Clan will abide by the rules. Recently, your conduct has greatly displeased the Dragon God.”
“Displeased? And what of it?”
“......”
As Karre looked toward the empty throne, arrogance was written plainly in his eyes.
Before Doromo could respond, Karre spread his hands and shrugged. As he spoke, he revealed the tongue piercing in his mouth, no longer bothering to conceal anything.
“Speaking of which, Your Highness… next month, it will be time for the 【Dragon Refinement】 that our four great dragon races agreed upon, right?”
“Indeed.”
“Heh… the Dragon God is old. It’s about time for him to rest. Don’t you think so?”
“Karre Lothar.” For the first time, killing intent surfaced in Doromo’s eyes. “You’ve… gone too far.”
“Oh my, Your Highness, no need to get worked up. In the 【Dragon Refinement】, whoever wins becomes the Dragon God. That’s something everyone acknowledges, right?!”
“Yes. But even if Father were to be defeated, the one capable of defeating him would definitely not be you.”
“If not me, then you? Your Highness, don’t tell me you really think you’re the future king? Ha!”
“Father is the Dragon God. He was in the past, and he will be in the future. I have no intention of competing for it, nor could I win it.”
“Let’s hope that’s true.”
【Dragon Refinement】 was a tradition of the dragon race held once every five years.
The Dragon God required absolute authority, and at every five-year 【Dragon Refinement】, anyone among the four great dragon races had the right to challenge the Dragon God. As long as someone could defeat the old Dragon God in a direct battle, then the position of Dragon God would change hands.
Everyone understood that the distribution of benefits among the dragon race ultimately depended on which clan’s leader could become the Dragon God.
The proof lay in the fact that the Fire Dragon Clan’s chieftain had been the Dragon God for six hundred years, and throughout that time, the Fire Dragon Clan had always possessed the greatest voice.
In the past six hundred years, it was not as though no one had challenged the Fire Dragon Clan’s chieftain.
But on that occasion, the Thunder Dragon Clan’s chieftain had been brutally slaughtered and torn apart, completely unable to resist. As a result, for several hundred years afterward, the 【Dragon Refinement】 had become little more than a formality—no one truly overestimated themselves enough to challenge that authority.
However—
Recently, there had been rumors that the old Dragon God had fallen ill.
He had grown old, terminally ill. His usual composure was merely a facade; in truth, he no longer had the strength to fight.
“Heh heh, honestly, even if the Dragon God were in his prime, it wouldn’t matter.” Violent currents of electricity surged around Karre’s body, distorting even his voice slightly. “Because, you see, no one should think they’re some unparalleled genius. When it’s time for the old ones to step down, they should step down.”
“And yet, there are always the arrogant who lose their lives for it.”
“Overestimating oneself? That has nothing to do with me. Ha—speaking of which, there’s a joke circulating in our Thunder Dragon Clan, you know? I heard that your Fire Dragon Clan once secretly let go of some filthy half-breed between the dragon race and the Elf Tribe?! Your Highness, tell me—is that true? And I also heard that it was personally decided by the Dragon God? Hahahaha! I don’t believe it anyway—unless your father has truly grown senile and lost his mind?”
Karre’s gaze sharpened.
The laughter vanished as he threw the question out directly—
“So, Prince, what do you think? Honestly speaking… is your father still worthy of that position?”