Chapter 691: The ’Beautiful and Gorgeous’ Red Iron Dragon

News of the Kantum Empire's annihilation spread back to Atlan alongside the rising sun of the following day.

Dawn had just begun to break.

In the royal capital, bits of celebratory confetti and flower petals still remained from the festivities, but at the same time, people had already seen a brief line of text on the announcements published by the Star Network terminals, as well as in the morning editions of the Cloud Rail trains.

【The great Emperor personally traveled to Thalassia, crushing Kantum with his own power, slaying the Saint, and exterminating the orcs】

In addition, there were some brief descriptions attached.

The words were simple.

But every single person who read them widened their eyes at the content within.

In the new era of the Star Network, the speed of information transmission had reached an unprecedented level.

Within less than an hour of the announcement, virtually every intelligent being living on the continent of Atlan had learned of the matter. Following that, one piece of information after another, containing even more content and even accompanied by images and blurred footage of the Emperor's majestic form, began to spread across the Star Network.

Among the most outstanding scenes, one image was frozen at the instant when the Scarlet Emperor Cangxing pointed one claw at the sky, tearing apart the veil of night.

Then came the magnificent spectacle of Ten Thousand Stars Fall From Heaven cascading down.

The Kantum Orc Empire, this war machine that had given other empires on Bernardo endless headaches throughout history, had been erased from the map in a single night by their Emperor.

For people in other places, they might have harbored some doubts about the authenticity of such news.

After all, some nations, in order to boost their citizens' unity and pride, would release false information to deceive their people. Such things were not without precedent in the history of Bernardo. Many kingdoms, as well as several major empires, had done similar things, releasing war reports that differed wildly from actual results.

But Sacred Aola was different.

Every single victory of Sacred Aola was genuine, witnessed firsthand by far too many people, and able to withstand scrutiny.

So, the people believed without a shred of doubt.

This was something their Emperor could do, and had already accomplished.

Thus, the entirety of Atlan erupted in celebration.

On the first morning the news spread, tavern owners across the land hung up signs offering free service.

They placed their finest ale and fruit wine on the counters, letting people drink to their hearts' content. Bards stayed up all night composing new imperial epics, and people laughed as they raised their glasses and clinked them together, paying no mind to the wine splashing over the rims.

They praised the great Red Emperor, praised the great Lord of Victory and Glory, praised this another glorious moment to be recorded in the annals of history.

In truth, the people of Atlan had long grown accustomed to victory.

From the Red Emperor's rise to prominence until now, Sacred Aola had achieved victories every single year, whether great or small, without interruption. Yet each of the Emperor's triumphs was even more brilliant and resounding than the last, still capable of setting their blood ablaze.

And in the shadows, the rare few with ill intentions all fell silent.

In Atlan, the people were immersed in joy and excitement. Not many would specifically pay attention to Kantum's defeat and demise, but every single person understood very clearly that if those meteors falling from the sky had changed direction and landed elsewhere, the result would not have been much different from Thalassia.

The Master of Sacred Aola now possessed the terrifying power to annihilate an entire empire single-handedly.

He was the master of the empire, and already the crowned king of all of Bernardo. And in the not-too-distant future, that crowned king would eventually become the sole sovereign, the only master of that planet.

Everyone understood this in their hearts. It was just that some cheered for it, while others trembled at the thought.

Time flowed quietly in such an atmosphere.

Several days later.

Before the excitement of Atlan's citizens had fully subsided, an official order was issued from the dragon court.

Sacred Aola officially took over the Thalassian Continent, incorporating the lands of Thalassia into its territory. At the same time, a contingent of Heroic Spirits had already descended upon Thalassia, responsible for military takeover and the mopping up of remaining orcs, while other forces were rapidly making their way there as well.

On the other side, the Empire's Star Network deep survey of Thalassia had also been completed.

The findings were not very optimistic.

This continent had already been ravaged into barrenness by the orcs, with an extremely harsh ecological environment. On top of that, it had recently endured the baptism of Ten Thousand Stars Fall From Heaven, leaving the surface covered in meteor craters and chasms, the ley lines in chaos, water sources polluted, and the majority of its territories reduced to scorched earth.

The takeover was only the first step.

The construction that followed would be the truly important project.

However, Sacred Aola was exceptionally skilled in the realm of construction. The land of Atlan had weathered far too many disasters, with nearly every generation experiencing the process of rebuilding their homes. After every war, the wounds covering the ground were quickly smoothed over, and the Empire grew ever stronger through each round of reconstruction.

Moreover, this culture of skilled construction was not exclusive to Sacred Aola alone.

Influenced by Sacred Aola, the other nations of Atlan had likewise accumulated rich experience in this regard. After all, in the years since unification, infrastructure construction across the entire continent had never ceased.

Thus, a second order was issued shortly thereafter.

Facing the entirety of Atlan, Sacred Aola began recruiting pioneering and construction teams to travel far away to Thalassia.

The moment the news came out, responders gathered like clouds.

For the vast majority of Atlan's living beings, the name Thalassia was not unfamiliar.

Even if they had never seen the continent with their own eyes, they had encountered related records in various books and Star Network information.

However, their understanding of this continent was limited to knowing that it originally belonged to Kantum, that it was a terrible place, and that it was now even more of a scorched wasteland.

Beyond that, people knew nothing about it.

But adventurers could be found in any place.

Moreover, many sharp-witted individuals had noticed that since Sacred Aola unified Atlan, development had been rapid, and the continent was growing ever more prosperous, yet also ever more crowded. Every trade in every city had centuries of heritage, and nearly all fertile land already had owners.

Opportunities for individual advancement were growing fewer and fewer.

The Empire had clearly recognized this as well, and was actively seeking new avenues.

The previous development of the underground world was one such avenue.

The unexplored regions buried deep beneath the earth provided a new stage for many adventurers and pioneers. And now, an even more important opportunity had arrived.

Thalassia.

This continent was indeed barren, and had now even become a scorched wasteland. But beneath the scorched earth and meteor craters lay unclaimed mineral veins, and along the desolate coastline were harbors waiting to be developed.

Dangers certainly existed, but the opportunities were equally substantial.

The orcs' former strength had relied entirely on plunder, causing immense destruction to resources while utilizing them extremely inefficiently. At the very least, there were bound to be many mineral deposits still existing beneath Thalassia's surface.

The Empire had even made promises.

Those pioneers and builders who set foot on Thalassia first would have priority rights over everything and enjoy a larger share of resource allocation.

And so.

The inner flames of many people who were restless with their current situations were ignited.

Within just half a month, the recruitment points in every city were flooded with applicants.

After another period of time, on a morning bathed in the faint light of dawn, one steel-hulled ship after another raised their sails and set forth into the morning glow.

The fleet stretched on endlessly, with no end in sight.

Aside from the pioneering and construction teams, the ship holds were packed full of carefully selected seeds, drought-resistant wheat strains, fast-growing saplings, forage grasses that could take root in poor soil, and so on. Along the railings by the ship's sides, herds of livestock and domesticated beasts were packed together, their bleating and lowing mingling with the sailors' work chants, carrying far into the distance.

When these great ships arrived.

When these great ships arrived at Thalassia, the sorceresses and spellcasters who commanded the ways of nature or the art of beast taming would have their moment to shine.

Plants and livestock that would normally require a long time to grow could, under the catalysis of magic, mature within a short span, awakening vitality upon the scorched wasteland of Thalassia.

Above the fleet, a formation of Aolan dragons was spreading their wings wide, escorting them along the way.

The Legendary dragon leading the formation glanced back at the coastline of Atlan growing ever more distant, then turned its head to look toward the vast ocean, its pupils reflecting the gradually rising morning sun.

The territory of Atlan was ultimately limited.

These great dragons of Sacred Aola would begin new lives on Thalassia.

The prows of the ships split through the waves, sailing majestically and mightily toward the direction of Thalassia.

The Dream World.

Mist flowed beneath their feet like a soft river, and in the distance floated the outlines of several magnificent palaces. Compared to before, there were many differences, clearly the result of recent reconstruction and crafting.

The Green Dragon Cerora reclined sideways on a cloud bed in human form, a flowing emerald gown spread out beneath her.

Coiled before her was the red iron dragon, now only about thirty meters in length.

She extended a hand, idly stroking the scales on the side of Garoth's neck. As she stroked, her eyes grew brighter and brighter.

"Wow."

Cerora let out an admiring exclamation.

She leaned in closer, almost pressing her face against Garoth's scales, rubbing the great dragon's armor repeatedly as she said, "Such smooth scales... it's just like a newly hatched dragon, untouched by any erosion or damage, and they could even be used as a mirror."

As she spoke, Cerora lowered her head.

She could clearly see her own reflection in Garoth's scales, her long hair flowing, her figure delicate and graceful.

Cerora adjusted her hair, tucking a stray lock from her forehead behind her ear, and said, "I really am beautiful. But you know, Garoth, you are also very beautiful and gorgeous right now. No male dragon could surpass you in beauty."

Beautiful, gorgeous.

Such words had never been associated with Garoth.

In the aesthetic system of dragonkind, his image represented strength and destruction, possessing a fierce and majestic beauty, but sharing no intersection whatsoever with concepts like pretty or exquisite.

However, after this awakening from slumber, his appearance had changed greatly.

Dragons were quite prone to forming such a first impression of him.

Garoth was well aware of this as well.

That was why, on his few previous public appearances, he had first fully wrapped himself in Dragon Qi flames, making himself appear radiant and brilliant like the Blazing Sun, in an attempt to salvage his image as much as possible.

But this was ultimately treating the symptoms rather than the cause, merely a stopgap measure.

Hearing Cerora's praise, the corner of his eye twitched.

"The word 'beautiful' is more suited to female dragons... I'd much rather hear adjectives like mighty, stalwart, or imposing, rather than something like beautiful and gorgeous. Such descriptions have nothing to do with me."

The red iron dragon turned his head to stare at Cerora, speaking.

"But I quite like the way you look now."

"I've seen far too many of your fierce, intimidating, and savage images."

Cerora giggled as she straightened up, examining his form, then suddenly added:

"Besides, your body is small now. Aside from being beautiful, you're also extremely adorable. If your size were reduced to that of a hatchling, I'm sure many female Metal Dragons wouldn't be able to resist snatching you up to raise you."

Before her words even faded, a flash of emerald light.

The humanoid maiden disappeared, replaced by a Green Dragon over fifty meters in length. Her slender draconic body gradually stretched out, her emerald dragon scales flowing with a jade-like luster in the soft light of the Dream World.

Her current size was far more massive than the red iron dragon.

The Green Dragon looked down at the red iron dragon crouching beneath the shadow of her wings, a smug smile curling at the corner of her mouth.

This feeling of relying on her size advantage to look down upon the red iron dragon from above was a first for her.

The next instant, she suddenly extended one enormous wing, and with a swoosh, swept the thirty-meter-long red iron dragon entirely into her embrace. The wing membrane closed, wrapping him up snugly and securely.

"So?"

Cerora lowered her head, bringing her draconic snout close to the red iron dragon's ear, her expression softening into tenderness and affection.

"Being wrapped up in dragon wings like this, isn't this a feeling you haven't experienced in a long time? When a dragon first hatches, this is how parents wrap their young beneath their wing membranes, warm, soft, safe, with all external threats kept out."

"Does it... let you feel a bit of a mother's love?"

Garoth: ...

After a few seconds of silence, he wordlessly wriggled free from the Green Dragon's wing membrane, shook off his scales, and glanced at her sideways, saying, "In the future, read fewer of those bizarre storybooks. They'll pollute your mind, especially those passages about familial affection and maternal love."

"I, a dignified Mandate great dragon, would be influenced by something written by mortals?"

The Green Dragon immediately puffed out her chest, speaking with utter confidence: "Impossible, absolutely impossible. My mind is as firm as bedrock. How could I be influenced by these time-passing reads?"

After saying this, she pursed her lips and muttered softly: "So stingy. Can't even give you a hug. It's not like I'm going to eat you."

Garoth said, "If it were just a simple embrace, of course I wouldn't mind. But look at what you just did..."

Before he could finish his words, a gust of malicious wind swept in.

The Green Dragon, who just moments ago had been twisting her head and pouting, suddenly pounced toward Cerora like a starving tiger going after its prey, trying to seize and embrace him once again.

Garoth reacted swiftly, sidestepping to avoid her.

Another pounce.

Another dodge.

When she came for the third time, the red iron dragon couldn't be bothered to move. He extended a single dragon claw through the air, and with an invisible force field contracting, he directly froze the fifty-meter-long Green Dragon mid-air. Her limbs splayed out, her tail flailing wildly in the air, looking exactly like a cat that had been picked up by the scruff of its neck.

In terms of size, the Green Dragon far exceeded the current red iron dragon.

But the red iron dragon's small body was dense and solid, carrying enormous energy, and easily subdued her.

However, the Dream World was ultimately the Green Dragon's home turf after all.

A single thought from her, and the force field was erased and disappeared, her body landing on the ground.

The next second, she indefatigably pounced toward the red iron dragon once again.

"Stop struggling, you adorable little thing. Let me hold you once more. The more you dodge, the more I want to hold you. You know how dragons are, the harder something is to get, the more we want it."

Cerora let out a wicked laugh, looking utterly determined to see it through.

After going back and forth several times, the red iron dragon finally gave up struggling and let her seize him in an embrace.

Cerora contentedly tightened her wings, enveloping the red iron dragon completely, pressing her forehead against the horned crown atop his head.

A gentle breeze swept past. The playful smile on the Green Dragon's face gradually faded. She simply held him quietly, her demeanor slowly settling into serenity and calm, her eyes slightly closed.

Cerora could feel, beneath her wings, a body so dense it was practically indestructible.

Every inch of his muscle contained terrifying power capable of crushing the earth, enough to make even a Fate Legendary's heart tremble.

Hundreds of years ago.

Cerora's life level had always been higher than Garoth's. That had been her advantage.

But this guy was simply too absurd. Not only did he possess combat prowess so formidable it defied belief, but his growth rate also didn't slow down in the later stages like other living beings. Instead, it charged forward with ever-increasing momentum, his pace of growth showing absolutely no signs of deceleration.

Until now.

She was still a Legendary with the Mandate of Heaven, while Garoth was already an Immortal, capable of single-handedly and effortlessly destroying an entire empire.

The hierarchy between them had completely reversed.

She no longer held any advantage. Even her talent for shortening her slumber had no effect on the current Garoth.

But the red iron dragon's attitude toward her remained no different from before. Even though a slight twist of his body could collapse her Dream World and break free from her embrace, he didn't do so. He didn't put on any airs of superiority, and still messed around with her just like before.

All my previous worries were unnecessary...

Cerora thought to herself.

A few minutes later, she finally released her wings.

"That's more like it."

The Green Dragon squinted her eyes in satisfaction, her tone becoming light and cheerful as she said, "So, is my embrace warm? Answer me honestly, no need to be shy. I know that you lacked parental affection growing up, but that's fine, I can fill in for them. Would you like to experience it a little longer?"

Garoth stretched his body and said, "Oh? Did you experience parental affection when you were young?"

One sentence, and it directly killed the conversation.

The Green Dragon looked utterly devastated, clutching her heart as she nearly collapsed to the ground.

He had at least enjoyed a period of the Dragon Mother's protection, whereas Cerora had been directly abandoned. And she still had the nerve to use that kind of talk on him.

"Let's get down to business."

Garoth didn't press his advantage.

He changed the subject, saying, "With the approach of the Primordial Wastes drawing ever nearer, Arotala is in chaos. How is the situation in your Greenwilds right now?"

Cerora also turned serious.

"The chaos is mainly occurring within Nausil's borders, along with a few other kingdoms that used the Purification Potion."

"Their citizens, when the Wild Stars first appeared, experienced collective mental breakdowns. The mild cases fell into uncontrollable rage, while the severe cases completely lost their sense of self, and even Legendaries were not spared."

She looked at him with a hint of relief in her eyes, saying, "The Greenwilds, because of your earlier warning, stopped using those things. So we were affected the least, and the situation is still relatively stable."

At the very beginning, the chaos had come very suddenly.

Fortunately, although the elves hadn't heeded Garoth's warning, they had nonetheless placed some emphasis on this matter because of it, making preparations in advance. So when the chaos erupted, they hadn't completely lost control.

"So, what's the specific situation with the elves of Nausil?"

Garoth asked.

"After going through the initial chaos, the elves have barely managed to control the situation."

The Green Dragon shook her head: "But it's only barely."

"The entire Nausil Empire is now under emergency martial law, struggling day and night to maintain order. It's said that even their immortals have run into problems... in short, they're strong on the outside but weak on the inside. Right now, they're holding on purely by a single breath."

Saying this, the Green Dragon seemed to suddenly realize something.

Her words paused, and then she looked seriously at the red iron dragon, asking, "After cleaning up Thalassia, are you... planning to turn your gaze toward Nausil?"

The matter of the Red Emperor annihilating Kantum with his own power had long since spread to Arotala.

The Green Dragon naturally knew about this as well.

With a slight turn of her head, it wasn't hard to figure out that he now had his sights set on Arotala.

After all, of the three continents on Bernardo, two already belonged to Sacred Aola. Who could completely ignore the last one? And the current Nausil was completely incapable of standing against Sacred Aola.

"Yes."

Garoth didn't deny it, saying, "The Primordial Wastes is constantly drawing closer to Bernardo. The orcs pointed it in the right direction. Although I've already dealt with the orcs, it's too late. This Primordial Wastes will arrive sooner or later."

"When facing an Ancient One, even I must devote all my spirit and focus to the upcoming confrontation."

"Before that, the hidden dangers within must be resolved first."

"And the current Nausil is exactly that hidden danger."

Frankly speaking, Garoth's impression of Nausil was neither particularly good nor particularly bad.

Among the original three great empires, Nausil had even been the one with the best relationship with him. He had supported Nausil in its war against Kantum, and Nausil had dispatched Fate knights to fight against the demons.

The two sides had once enjoyed a honeymoon phase.

But now... the elves had been too clever for their own good, thinking they could harness the power of the Primordial Wastes for themselves. Now they were suffering the backlash. In a sense, they and Halden were really quite evenly matched in their foolishness.

"When you went to Arotala before, you were still fighting side by side with Nausil, working together against the orcs."

Cerora sighed: "But the next time we meet, it will probably be on the battlefield against each other."

Garoth shook his head slightly.

"Not necessarily."

He said, "If the elves are sufficiently clear-headed and wise, recognizing the severity of the situation, Nausil can continue to exist. I can allow their existence. But if they insist on resisting..."

"Then Kantum will be their cautionary tale."

As he spoke, the great dragon raised his head, his horned crown slightly lifting.

The Celestial Life trait didn't quite reach the level of Potency, but combined with Garoth's Spell-Extinguishing Claws and his manipulation of gravitational fields, he could launch devastating strikes against any nation residing on the planet, with effects even better than Potency.

Extremely efficient.

Cerora was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Then what about the Greenwilds?"

"After you take control of Arotala, will my kingdom also be swallowed up?"

Garoth turned around, facing the Green Dragon directly.

"Even you are mine."

"So? Can your kingdom not belong to me?"

Cerora's breath caught.

Those overbearing and domineering words made her heart go soft in an embarrassingly quick fashion, her dragon pupils gleaming with light as she gazed at the red iron dragon with infatuation. But then, the Green Dragon suddenly snapped back to reality, flapping her wings in protest.

"That's different! One thing is one thing! I want the Greenwilds... to still belong to me."

"It's a kingdom I built with my own hands. Perhaps it doesn't amount to much in your eyes, but I value it very much."

Garoth looked at her anxious expression and smiled.

"Fine."

"Since you like it, then it belongs to you now, and it will continue to belong to you in the future. Sacred Aola will not interfere with the Greenwilds' operations. You are the Queen of the Greenwilds. You were in the past, you are now, and you will continue to be in the future."

He said so.

"Whew..."

The Green Dragon let out a sigh of relief. Then her eyes rolled around, and she leaned in closer, her voice gaining a hint of seductive allure as she said, "Then let me offer my thanks in advance for the mercy and tolerance of the great Master of the planet Bernardo."

"Great Red Emperor, great Lord of Victory and Glory, conqueror and guardian of the entire planet..."

"Is there anything you would like me to do for you?"

"As repayment, I can do anything for you, you know."

She leaned closer to Garoth, teasing him.

"Is that so?"

Garoth's faceplate was as if cast from iron, his expression unchanging as he said, "Then I want you to break through to Immortal right now. Can you do that?"

Cerora was first stunned for a moment, then let out a humph.

"...You clueless, unromantic fellow."

She muttered quietly, but still answered seriously: "The barrier from Legendary to Immortal is extremely thick. However, I'm not too far from Immortal anymore. After another two rounds... no, given my current state, after one more period of slumber, I should be able to step into the realm of Immortal."

After saying this, she hesitated for a moment, then said uncertainly: "It's strange, actually."

"Recently, I've felt that my rate of accumulation has accelerated, and without any warning... it's as if something has made my growth a little faster."

Garoth understood in his heart.

Evolution Radiation.

It was most likely this trait of his that was taking effect.

However, it might not necessarily be the Evolution Radiation, and its specific effects still required more time to verify. This was only just the beginning.

"I look forward to the day that arrives."

The red iron dragon said, "Once you achieve Immortal, the Greenwilds' status will be elevated to that of an empire. At that time, I will invite you to participate in Sacred Aola's Grand Expedition plan."

"Grand Expedition?"

The Green Dragon blinked, confused: "What do you want to do?"

Garoth spoke of his plans.

The content was simple, but the ambition revealed was astonishingly vast.

After Cerora finished listening, her eyes lit up.

"No dragon could refuse such a plan."

She smiled slightly, revealing her sharp teeth, and said, "From now on, I'm sticking with you. You eat the meat, and I'll drink the soup. Once your empire spreads to more worlds, maybe I can even get a chance to become a world lord myself."

"You will."

The red iron dragon gazed toward the end of the Dream World, his voice steady: "And this is only our starting point."