Chapter 695: Neutron Star, Be My Son, The Wedding

Deep space, the white dwarf.

Within the extreme gravitational field, a crimson figure crouched on the white dwarf's surface. Mirror-like scales reflected the starry sky, and two pairs of dragon horns spread atop his head like a crown.

He took a deep breath of the nonexistent air in the vacuum, murmuring inwardly.

Dragon Pearl, ignite!

It felt as if flames had been kindled within his body. Radiant golden light spilled from his pupils, flowed down along the seams of his faceplate, spread rapidly across the scales on his neck, and gradually covered his entire body.

At the same time, his physique did not collapse inward as it had in the old days when he activated his Dense Body. Instead, it began to expand outward.

From thirty meters, he swelled inch by inch. Without any change in density, both his size and weight climbed steadily, finally settling at a colossal form roughly a hundred meters from head to tail. Every mirror-like dragon scale was plated with a golden light film, reflecting the surrounding starfield. The two pairs of horns atop his head twisted and grew further, becoming even more imposing.

"Good. Now that Dense Body has transformed into Celestial Life, at least I won't keep shrinking whenever I change forms."

Garoth stretched his wings with satisfaction, the wing membranes spreading to blot out the sky.

If it were still like before, with his body shrinking a size every time he shifted forms...

He estimated that he might have contracted all the way down to the size of a hatchling.

It certainly wouldn't have made him weak, but for Garoth, who believed bigger was better, being too small was genuinely hard to stomach. It didn't match his aesthetic, and the presence it projected was far inferior.

What Garoth loved was the overwhelming, sky-covering sense of pressure he could project just by standing there, a majestic enormity so vast that enemies couldn't see the whole of him even when looking up.

Moreover.

With the amplification of Starlight State and Radiant State, his size could expand from thirty meters to a hundred meters. His overall dimensions and weight had multiplied several times over. This level already far exceeded what he had been in his Legendary tier, and it was also one of the effects of Celestial Life.

After all, celestial bodies were naturally supposed to be big.

The enlargement effect that occurred on his body was far more intense than before.

Garoth was more than happy to accept this. In addition, his rate of growth had clearly accelerated. When he had just awakened, his normal state was thirty meters, but not much time had passed, and Garoth could already feel his size subtly increasing. He was keenly aware of it.

This meant he wouldn't need much time to return to his previous form, or even surpass his past peak.

Bigger, stronger, more ferocious!

At that thought, the red iron dragon let out a few pleased snorts.

Then, he withdrew his wandering thoughts and, as usual, used the white dwarf beneath him as his whetstone, running through several rounds of basic training: leaping, pouncing, rending, hammering... The dense surface shattered in chunks beneath his claws.

At the same time, something unusual occurred.

Because he was on the white dwarf, with no need to worry about causing collateral damage to the surroundings, Garoth hadn't deliberately suppressed the gravitational field that spontaneously formed around him.

As a result, his own gravitational field and the white dwarf's field began a tug-of-war with each other.

The more tangible and direct manifestation was that the rubble on the white dwarf's surface no longer fell back toward the Lesser Land. Instead, freed from the dead star's bind, it rose one piece after another, drifting toward Garoth's direction, then began to orbit around him.

If he hadn't been controlling it, the debris would most likely have stuck directly to his body, adhering to the surface of his scales.

Not only that.

Even if the red iron great dragon did absolutely nothing, the planet beneath his feet would gradually sink and deform.

The cause of these changes was simple.

The density of Garoth's body, as well as the gravity radiating from him, had to some extent already exceeded that of the white dwarf beneath him.

In fact, he himself was already a small dense celestial body, fully capable of exerting influence on the massive objects around him.

After another round of training.

The red iron dragon halted his movements, slightly furrowing the scales on his brow as he let chunks of rubble continue spinning around him.

"The effect... is starting to diminish."

He lowered his head to look at his own claws, assessing silently.

The white dwarf's supergravity had once provided him with highly efficient training results. His talent thrived in such an extreme environment, every second spent in high-intensity struggle against the outside world making him denser and more solid.

But that was before his ascension to Immortal.

Now, in his normal state, he could move freely on this white dwarf. After activating Radiant State, he could barely feel any noticeable pressure at all.

This celestial body's tempering effect on him had become negligible.

Or rather, this whetstone could no longer sharpen him.

Even...

Garoth had already tried it before. He could push the entire white dwarf.

This was utterly astonishing.

After all, although this planet's volume was far smaller than Bernardo's, its actual weight vastly exceeded it. The density of white dwarf matter reached several tons per cubic centimeter, and the entire planet's weight was measured on stellar standards.

Just imagining that number was enough to suffocate any life form in the Material World.

With pure physical force alone, even an immortal would struggle to budge it.

But Garoth wasn't using pure strength either.

Even for him, his strength was far too lacking. Relying purely on physical might to push a white dwarf was currently unrealistic.

Garoth had done it by entering a state of absolute focus where he completely concentrated his mind, using his own force field as a fulcrum to pry against the white dwarf's gravitational field. Only then had he managed to push the entire thing, shifting this celestial body a small distance across the starfield.

Theoretically speaking.

He could use the same method, through this gravitational mechanism, to push even the entire Bernardo.

"If I wanted to avoid battle, I could just push Bernardo away and pull off a wandering planet act."

"When the Primordial Wastes entity comes, it would just stare at the empty starfield, dumbfounded..."

He joked to himself.

When the ancient being came charging over in full fury, only to find the target planet long gone from its position, not even a shadow left behind, that ancient existence would probably stand there stunned, then fly into a rage.

However, prying a planet's gravitational field also cost energy.

Although it was countless times easier than directly pushing the planet, the consumption was still enormous.

Garoth couldn't yet push a planet and go wandering with it.

If he truly had to move Bernardo, he estimated he could only sustain it for a very short time.

Still, toward his goal of casually handling celestial bodies like spherical toys, he had taken another invisible step forward.

Garoth strode on the white dwarf, feeling the nearly nonexistent pressure, calculating inwardly.

"It seems it's time to find a new place."

"Either find a white dwarf with even higher supergravity... or, just go try a neutron star."

Neutron star.

An even more extreme dense celestial body than a white dwarf.

For instance, if a white dwarf could be described as a star's corpse, then a neutron star was a star's remnant bone.

A neutron star with a diameter of merely a few dozen kilometers could have a mass exceeding that of a solar star. Developing further, its ultimate form would be one of the most dangerous celestial bodies in the universe: a black hole.

For any life in the Material World, neutron stars were forbidden zones of life.

Forget training on one; anything that could stand on its surface could no longer even be called matter.

The white dwarf's gravity was already over a hundred thousand times that of a normal planet, and a neutron star's gravity was at least a hundred thousand times that of a white dwarf. Even for Garoth, such a celestial body was extremely dangerous. The numerical leap he had made from Legendary to Immortal was clearly nowhere near that dramatic.

If it were a purely numerical contest, he would definitely lose.

However, beyond raw numbers, Garoth had another mechanism.

He was a Celestial Life being, capable of manipulating gravity to a certain degree, maintaining a buffer layer around the surface of his body.

For him, a neutron star wasn't a true forbidden zone. If he could temper his body on a neutron star, his physical strength and Celestial Life traits would surely reach new heights.

When that day came.

Against some ordinary enemies, he wouldn't even need to extend his claws and fangs. Just releasing his gravitational field would be enough to tear the target apart.

This prospect pleased him greatly.

At that thought, the great dragon withdrew his radiant golden glow. His form rapidly shrank back, gradually restoring to his normal state of over thirty meters. Then, with a spread of his wings, he easily broke free of the gravitational bindings and arrived in the deep void beyond the white dwarf.

At the same time.

In the empty space not far away, the void rippled like water.

The figure of a great dragon silently materialized.

His build was long and elegant, his body divided cleanly down the middle. The left half was pitch black like the night sky, and the right half was pure white like the daylight. The two colors coexisted on his scales in stark contrast yet perfect harmony.

A Space Dragon.

The Lunar Dragon, Lionel.

A neutral observer who never interfered in mortal conflicts. He had made Garoth's acquaintance the first time Garoth had formally entered the starry sky. It was also he who had found the white dwarf. Without him, Garoth might have spent considerably more time searching for a suitable celestial training ground.

"Congratulations, Garoth."

"You have formally stepped into the Immortal realm, standing at the pinnacle of the Material Plane. From now on, the history and new era of the Bernardo system will be written entirely by your hand. I feel as though I'm witnessing the closing of one chapter of a grand epic, and the imminent beginning of an even more magnificent tale."

The Lunar Dragon spoke thus.

The red iron dragon inclined his head slightly. "I accept your praise."

The Lunar Dragon noticed the white dwarf behind him and tilted his head, a look of confusion in his eyes.

"Strange. This white dwarf seems... off somehow, but I can't quite put my finger on it."

As a Space Dragon, the Lunar Dragon had keen perception of celestial bodies and could sense the subtle changes in them.

He felt that this white dwarf was somehow different from before, but when it came to specifics, he couldn't immediately identify what had changed. He just sensed a lingering dissonance circling in his perception.

Garoth turned his head to glance at the white dwarf, then said, "Oh, its position has shifted slightly."

The Lunar Dragon suddenly understood. "Thank you for the hint, I see it now..."

As he spoke, his eyes suddenly flew wide open. He could no longer maintain his composed expression, and blurted out in shock: "Wait, this white dwarf was perfectly fine. How could its position shift so noticeably? Who could possibly move something like this?"

To this, the red iron dragon bared his teeth in a grin but offered no further explanation.

The Lunar Dragon's confusion and astonishment didn't last long, however.

In the vast starfield, anything could happen at any time. He couldn't very well dig into every mystery. Perhaps this was just some unknown cosmic phenomenon.

He swam a little closer, his half-black, half-white draconic body approaching Garoth.

Suddenly, the Lunar Dragon's gaze sharpened.

"Strange."

The Lunar Dragon halted, speaking with surprise: "The feeling you give me... is like a true celestial star. If not for the vivid life force emanating from you, I would almost believe I was looking at a meteor that had given birth to consciousness. Your life form seems to have undergone a tremendous change since becoming Immortal."

He could sense that the red iron dragon's current state was almost completely different from before.

"You could say that."

Garoth said, "I could probably be described now as a living, dragon-shaped celestial body."

"Incredible."

Lionel shook his head in amazement. "Though you still appear to be a dragon, the essence of your life form has completely departed from the traditional great dragon category. This reminds me of some very ancient legends, about the existence of Legendary Dragon species."

Legendary Dragon species.

Time Dragons, Rainbow Dragons, Force Dragons...

These beings, which appeared only in legends and epics, possessed life forms utterly different from ordinary great dragons. Rather than being dragons, they were more like manifestations of concepts.

Time Dragons coexisted with time itself. Rainbow Dragons could live symbiotically with light. Force Dragons commanded the secrets of force. Before them, the gap between ordinary great dragons was even greater than the gap between humans and dragons.

At this point, the Lunar Dragon's gaze sharpened again.

He stared at the mirror-like dragon scales of the red iron dragon, feeling the invisible gravitational field around him, and blurted out: "Could it be that you... carry the bloodline of a Legendary Dragon species, specifically the Force Dragon? And now that your bloodline has reverted to its ancestral form, you're evolving closer and closer to a celestial body, evolving in that direction?"

Force Dragon...

Hearing that speculation, Garoth couldn't help but chuckle.

If I opened the Time Gate in front of you now, would you drop your jaw on the spot, thinking I carried the bloodlines of two Legendary Dragon species at once?

"Your imagination is quite vivid."

He said with an unchanged expression: "But dragons like Force Dragons are ultimately just stories from legends and myths. Who can guarantee they ever truly existed? All the records about these dragons are just fragments of hearsay passed down through the ages."

"As for me, everything I am now was evolved by myself, step by step. It has nothing to do with bloodline."

The Lunar Dragon thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

"True enough."

"Regardless of whether it's bloodline-related, the way you are now has indeed surpassed the bounds of ordinary great dragons."

He suggested: "But come to think of it, even if you don't have the Force Dragon bloodline, in your current state, you could probably pass yourself off as one."

"For these legendary dragons from the tales, even the gods high above in the outer planes would surely take notice. They might even extend a helping hand or an olive branch to you because of it."

Garoth shook his head at that.

"I'll pass."

"I already have quite a few gods paying attention to me. I'd rather not attract any more."

Without needing to disguise himself as a Force Dragon, he was already wrapped in the Chromatic Queen's malice and had earned the favor of the fey divine system. If he draped himself in even more special identities, who knew what kind of existences that might draw in.

The title of Legendary Dragon sounded impressive, but the trouble that came with it might far outweigh the benefits.

The Lunar Dragon nodded deeply.

"Indeed."

"Being noticed by the gods isn't necessarily a good thing. Many exceptionally gifted beings, precisely because they caught the gods' attention too early, later found themselves swept along by forces beyond their control, becoming pawns of the gods, unable to steer their own fates."

"When dealing with such existences, it's best to draw clear boundaries and keep your distance, not get too close."

Garoth stared at the Lunar Dragon, thinking that the Lunar Dragon didn't know he had already joined the Joyous Court.

Moreover, Titania had said she would craft a Divine Seat for him, but so far there was no concrete news. Once that Divine Seat was complete, everyone would know about it...

The Lunar Dragon's reaction at that point should be quite entertaining.

However, he didn't elaborate, simply echoing: "Exactly. When facing deities, it's best to draw clear lines and keep a respectful distance."

Then, he shifted the topic: "Speaking of which, there's actually something I wanted to ask you."

"This white dwarf can no longer keep up with my evolution. As a Space Dragon who often roams the starfield with keen perception of celestial bodies, do you know where I could find more dangerous celestial bodies? For instance, a neutron star?"

The Lunar Dragon's thoughts were pulled back.

"Neutron star..."

Lionel pondered for a moment, then said: "There isn't one in this star sector. And honestly, I don't have much interest in searching for dangerous celestial bodies. A neutron star's level of danger is enough to make even immortals feel extreme peril, and I'm only a Legendary."

That's perfect. I want exactly the kind of place even immortals can't handle...

Garoth stared at the Lunar Dragon.

Lionel clearly read his thoughts and said: "For you, it's a different matter."

"If you really need it, I can search for one on your behalf. This starfield is vast; I'm bound to find one eventually. Neutron stars aren't any rarer than life-bearing planets."

As he spoke, he felt a bit strange himself.

Given his personality, even if he was willing to do something for Garoth, he wouldn't normally be this proactive, offering a commitment before the other party had even asked.

But.

In front of the red iron dragon, he simply had this urge to show off a little, to earn the other's admiration or recognition.

As if making Garoth regard him highly was itself something to be proud of.

And this was the effect of Dragon Emperor's trait at work.

Even the naturally aloof Lunar Dragon couldn't fully resist it, subconsciously wanting to prove his worth to Garoth, the Dragon Emperor.

"Oh? You're willing to search for a neutron star for me. Very good. I'll remember your efforts."

Garoth inclined his head and asked: "As repayment, I can give you suitable compensation. What do you want?"

"No need for repayment."

The Lunar Dragon waved a claw lightly and said: "Though I occasionally roam the starfield, the cosmos is vast and deathly silent, truly dull and tedious. The vast majority of my time, I spend on Bernardo's moon, watching the changes of the world below."

"When you're turning the world upside down down there, I'm up here watching the show."

"So, if you can defend Bernardo and keep it from being destroyed by the Primordial Wastes entity, that alone would be repayment enough for me."

"After all, I don't want to lose my

</path> home either."

Garoth studied the Lunar Dragon.

Though the Lunar Dragon's tone was carefree when he said this, there was a faint hint of hesitation on his half-black, half-white draconic face.

He most likely wanted something, just too embarrassed to say it.

The red iron dragon said: "No need to stand on ceremony. I'm not a selfish dragon. I always operate on mutual benefit and don't like taking advantage of others. If there's anything you want, just say it."

"Well..."

Lionel hesitated for a moment, then finally spoke: "That Star Network of yours in Aola... seems quite interesting. I'm actually pretty bored on the moon... if I could connect to the Star Network..."

As he trailed off, the great dragon's voice grew quieter, a bit embarrassed.

He had watched everything happening on Bernardo from the moon, and naturally noticed the rapidly developing Star Network of the Aola Empire. He was deeply curious but too embarrassed to ask for it.

Perhaps it was because he had too little interaction with other intelligent beings.

Such a massive dragon, yet with such thin skin.

"Easy."

Garoth agreed without hesitation. "I know what you want. When I get back, I'll have the empire launch a satellite to the moon. Then you'll be able to connect to the Star Network through it."

"Then I thank you kindly!"

The Lunar Dragon's tone became noticeably lighter.

Afterwards, the two exchanged a few more words. The Lunar Dragon said he would send word once he had news of a neutron star, and then they parted ways, with him swimming deeper into the void.

Garoth, meanwhile, turned around and tore space apart with his dragon claw.

Space split open.

He stepped through and returned to Atlan.

A few days later, on a bright, sunny morning.

Above the Red Emperor Capital, Cloud Rail lines crisscrossed like a woven web. Occasionally, great dragons swept past through the clouds, their wing shadows falling on the streets, drawing bursts of cheers from the children below.

In the great hall of the dragon court, the atmosphere was quieter than usual.

Garoth crouched upon the throne in his dragon form, his vertical pupils narrowed as he stared down at the two figures before him.

Reinhardt and Philista.

The two stood side by side, having just arrived to jointly present themselves before the Red Emperor perched upon the throne.

The swordsman was dressed today in an extremely formal black suit, with gold thread adorning the cuffs and collar, his bearing as straight as a sword. The girl in the red dress beside him had suppressed her usual liveliness, remaining quiet and demure, though her eyes kept sneaking glances toward the throne, studying her Dragon Father's expression.

Garoth lowered his gaze, observing the pair who had come together.

These two had arrived as a duo, and had even deliberately changed into their most formal attire. Reinhardt had even combed his hair with meticulous precision. Clearly, this had been carefully prepared...

He already had a general idea of what they had come to ask of him.

After all, it wasn't as if he hadn't noticed anything.

But understanding was one thing.

The red iron dragon didn't call it out. Instead, he fixed his gaze on Reinhardt, his eyes slowly deepening, his faceplate betraying neither joy nor anger.

"Reinhardt."

"Since stepping into the Immortal realm, you've grown quite lax. You're no longer the swordsman who was single-minded, seeing nothing but the edge of your blade. That won't do. As the Empire's Sword, you should always remain sharp, with a mind free of distractions."

His majestic voice rang out.

An invisible sense of pressure burst forth, spreading from the throne.

Reinhardt's body stiffened slightly.

At that moment, the Philista beside him bounced forward.

"Father, don't be so stern."

The girl in the red dress looked up and said crisply: "Reinhardt has sweated for the empire. He's bled for the empire. When the Wild Stars attacked, he was the first to charge forward, nearly throwing his life away. It's only right he gets to enjoy himself occasionally."

"Besides, look, his sword hasn't dulled."

"While you were in Dormancy, Reinhardt didn't let an inch of the empire's territory be damaged."

This emperor's daughter rarely saw her Dragon Father, but she had inherited her mother's lively nature, and she knew that her Dragon Father wasn't cold at heart and wouldn't fly into a rage without cause. So, facing the imperial pressure radiating around her, she wasn't the least bit afraid.

On the contrary, she even suspected her father was deliberately trying to scare Reinhardt.

Garoth's gaze narrowed slightly as he turned to her.

"Philista."

"Are you... questioning my judgment?"

He asked, his voice utterly calm.

"Your Majesty!"

Reinhardt's heart nearly leaped out of his throat. He hurriedly stepped forward and said: "You-you know me, Your Majesty. You respect me the most-ah no! I mean, I respect you the most!"

"Princess Philista doesn't mean it that way. She means to say, she's saying..."

"I'm not deliberately slacking off, I just... I was just..."

The First Swordsman of the Sacred Aola Empire was sweating at the temples, rambling incoherently, his words coming out in a jumbled mess. He had no idea what he was even trying to say, and didn't know where to put his hands.

Upon the throne, watching this scene, Garoth suddenly let out a laugh.

The moment the laugh sounded, the oppressive atmosphere that had enveloped the dragon court receded like the tide.

"Enough."

The red iron dragon shifted his posture and said lazily: "If you have something to say, just say it. Before me, there's no need for beating around the bush."

Reinhardt opened his mouth.

"Your... I..."

"I actually..."

"It's like this, Princess Philista and I..."

He stuttered for a long while, yet still failed to get a single complete sentence out. The speech he had rehearsed and revised countless times had completely slipped from his mind.

Looking at his dazed expression, no one would ever connect him to the figure who had carved through Wild Stars in the deep void.

Garoth shook his head at the sight, deciding to stop tormenting him.

"Philista."

The red iron dragon directly called on his daughter. "You say it."

"Got it!"

Philista stepped forward, crisp and full of energy: "Father, I want to marry the empire's First Swordsman!"

She thought for a moment, then added: "Hmm... according to human tradition, I suppose it should be me marrying him. But it's all the same, really. It's just that kind of thing."

Garoth looked toward the human swordsman and asked: "Reinhardt, is that so?"

"Yes... yes, Your Majesty."

Reinhardt took a deep breath, finally regaining some composure, and said solemnly: "According to the traditions of Theo, matters of marriage require seeking the blessing and approval of one's elders. My parents have long since passed, fading away with the passage of time, so..."

"So you could only come to ask me."

The red iron dragon picked up the thread, then suddenly changed tack, his tone playful: "Oh? If we follow human tradition, would you need to start calling me Father from now on?"

He had quite a few offspring, and some adopted sons and daughters as well.

But a human son-in-law in name, he didn't have yet.

As for Reinhardt, Garoth had practically witnessed his rise, his falls, and his growth as he climbed back up from the mud and storms. Moreover, the storms he had endured were brought by Garoth himself, and the glory he now enjoyed was likewise under Garoth's dragon wings.

Every turning point in this human's life was almost entirely connected to him.

In a sense, he was quite qualified to be his son.

Reinhardt was stunned.

Then, he said quietly: "That's right, Your Majesty, but if you don't wish to..."

Before he could finish, he was interrupted.

"In that case."

Garoth's voice drifted lazily: "And yet, you still address me as 'Your Majesty'?"

Reinhardt was momentarily stunned.

This immortal swordsman seemed to understand something.

After a long pause, in an extremely stiff tone, he stammered: "Your... Father... Father, you mean... you've agreed?"

The red iron dragon waved a claw.

He said casually: "You two are deeply in love, one willing to give, the other willing to take. Naturally, I won't stand in the way."

"Besides, what Philista said isn't wrong. The blood and sweat you've shed for the empire, I've seen it all. A moment of relaxation now and then isn't unacceptable."

Reinhardt's eyes suddenly grew hot.

He took a half-step back, placed his right hand over his chest, and dropped to one knee, saluting the red iron dragon upon the throne.

"Thank you for your blessing!"

The swordsman's voice rang out like striking steel: "I, Reinhardt, swear here and now: for the rest of my life, with my life and the sword in my hand, I will defend Sacred Aola and defend Princess Philista, until the day I die!"

"Get up, get up."

Philista reached out with a grin to pull him up: "I told you, we dragons don't go in for all this..."

One year later.

New Calendar year 1021, autumn.

The wedding of the Empire's First Swordsman and the emperor's daughter was held with grand ceremony in the Red Emperor Capital.

On this day, the capital city was nearly as lively as during the Millennium Celebration. The streets were completely packed.

Cloud Rail trains were draped with colorful ribbons. Great dragons traced long fiery trails across the sky. Guests gathered in the capital, while countless others who couldn't attend watched the live broadcast together through the Star Network from elsewhere.

As the bride in her red dress walked arm in arm with the groom down the flower-strewn path, petals and cheers rained down together.

Through the reach of the Star Network, the wedding of the Red Dragon Princess and the human swordsman, along with various tales about them both true and false, spread to every corner of Sacred Aola.

People sang praises of the love between great dragon and human, celebrating their union.

Moreover, the impact of this wedding extended far beyond that.

From then on, cross-species romances began to spring up like bamboo shoots after rain throughout Sacred Aola. Once-condemned unions suddenly became completely natural and accepted.

The various races under the empire's banner, within the retinue, further merged in the afterglow of this wedding.

And in the distant deep void.

With one flicker after another, the ancient existence gradually arrived at the star system where Bernardo resided.

At night, when people looked up at the night sky, those intelligent beings with even a passing knowledge of astronomy would notice that a peculiar star had appeared in the heavens, growing brighter with each passing day.