Chapter 159: A Troublesome Tail

With her long-held wish finally fulfilled, the White Dragon Lord could easily imagine the relaxed, satisfied expression on the Dragon Mother's face. The Northern Barbarians, however, were the ones left to suffer.

The holy site of the Northern Barbarians lay in ruins, and their strongest protector—the barbarian chieftain—had died in battle. Only a Legendary Priest and a Legendary Rank Warrior remained, scouring the world for the Dragon Mother to exact their revenge.

Having lost their central pillar, the Northern Barbarians were surrounded by powerful enemies and constantly faced the threat of extermination.

Fortunately, the Kingdom of Rowe and the Kingdom of Pavlan were locked in a fierce war of their own, leaving neither with the time to hunt down the Northern Barbarians and avenge their previous opportunistic raids.

In the midst of all this chaos, what profit could White Castle reap?

Just as the White Dragon Lord was lost in thought, Gurgalu spoke up.

"Master, Bailey City recently sent word requesting White Castle's protection," Gurgalu said. "We were just gathering to discuss how to aid them when you returned. Now, we ask you to lead us once again."

The White Dragon furrowed his brows.

"What happened?"

Gurgalu continued.

"A week ago, Bailey City's fleet took part in a massive naval battle between the Kingdom of Rowe and the Kingdom of Pavlan. The Kingdom of Pavlan won a crushing victory, and Bailey City's forces suffered heavy losses."

"After seizing naval supremacy, the Kingdom of Pavlan's fleet sailed north, sweeping through the coastal cities of the Kingdom of Rowe one by one to drain its national strength. This triggered massive panic along the coast, with citizens fleeing toward inland cities in droves."

"Bailey City is naturally on their list of targets. Thus, Count Bruce Dumbledore sent a plea to White Castle, requesting our protection."

The White Dragon Lord gently raised his claw and let it fall, tapping rhythmically against his throne as he thought.

Amos's highest priority right now was finding a way to conceal his evolution into an Ancestral Dragon, allowing him to appear openly on the continent.

His secondary goal was to unite the Overseas Archipelago, taking control of the remaining Three Main Islands to establish a truly centralized, powerful kingdom.

Until the Overseas Archipelago was unified, it was unwise to get involved in the continent's conflicts, but he could not simply abandon a partner he had worked with for so long.

The White Dragon Lord made his decision.

"Old Blind, dispatch a thousand elite Murloc soldiers to guard the sea lane to Bailey City, bearing the Banner of White Castle. Block the Kingdom of Pavlan's northern fleet. If they try to force their way through, pull back and immediately send word to Bailey City to evacuate."

"Yes!"

A thousand elite Murlocs were hardly a formidable threat to the ironclad fleet of the Kingdom of Pavlan. If Pavlan's highest authorities were truly determined to destroy the Kingdom of Rowe's northern pearl—Bailey City—they could easily break through the Murloc blockade.

However, doing so would thoroughly offend White Castle. By having the Murlocs raise the Banner of White Castle, Amos was making his stance perfectly clear to the Kingdom of Pavlan's leadership, sending a direct message: show some respect!

After handling a pile of mundane matters, the various monster chieftains took their leave, leaving the great hall of White Castle empty.

The White Dragon Lord draped himself over his throne, pondering how to conceal the traits of an Ancestral Dragon.

This issue would determine whether the White Dragon could appear openly in Nordhill; its importance went without saying.

Amos felt a bit conflicted—not because he lacked options, but because he had too many.

Possessing the complete Dragon Inheritance of an Ancestral Dragon, he knew of three different methods within the inheritance alone to mask an Ancestral Dragon's powerful energy signature.

After careful consideration, the White Dragon Lord decided to use a sealing method.

Seals were a special type of magic specifically developed by the gods during the ancient era to deal with Ancient Evils that could not be completely killed. Its primary function was to lock the target inside a cage, binding them tight.

Over long epochs of evolution and development, sealing magic had grown highly diverse. It was no longer used solely to imprison enemies; it could also be cast upon oneself.

Moreover, when sealing oneself, the caster retained control over the sealing power, meaning it could be unsealed at a moment's notice.

Wasting no time, the White Dragon Lord rose from his throne and left the hall, taking to the skies toward the small island adjacent to Tasman Island—White Castle's sacred sanctuary for magical study, Bornholman Island.

On Bornholman Island, in addition to the Great Library where all of White Castle's spellcasting professionals went to hone their craft, there was also the White Dragon Lord's secret laboratory.

Amos intended to cast the sealing magic there. Its incantation would take a considerable amount of time, and he could not risk being interrupted, which would cause the spell to fail.

Navigating a deep, trap-laden tunnel, the White Dragon arrived at an artificially excavated underground chamber. The space was relatively small, and its interior lacked excessive decorations.

However, intricate magic Arrays were carved into the stone walls. These Arrays effectively isolated sound, magic fluctuations, and other secondary phenomena produced during spellcasting, guaranteeing the White Dragon's secrecy while chanting.

Casting sealing magic was incredibly tedious. The incantation process alone could take at least several minutes, or even several days and nights.

Therefore, after activating the defense mechanisms and bringing all the magic Arrays in his secret base online, the White Dragon Lord wasted no time. An ancient, desolate incantation flew rapidly from his jaws.

The ancient incantation echoed through the base. With the chanted words came a wondrous black Magical Energy, which gradually gathered around the White Dragon, radiating a distinct energy rhythm.

Were it not for the isolating magic Arrays, this indescribable rhythm would have been felt from far away.

Unlike the elemental power the White Dragon usually wielded, this sealing energy felt ethereal and elusive—impossible to grasp or hold—yet the White Dragon could clearly sense its presence.

An hour later, the black Magical Energy had completely enveloped the White Dragon Lord, and the incantation was nearing its end.

Finally, the moment the incantation ceased, the black Magical Energy boiled over. Guided by the White Dragon Lord's mental strength, the sealing power seemed to find a release point, surging into his heart to form a small black energy cyclone.

A tiny black sigil appeared over the White Dragon Lord's crystallizing heart.

Amos's body suddenly went limp, overwhelmed by a wave of lethargy reminiscent of a person recovering from a severe illness.

His heart's energy signature continued to weaken until it reached a specific threshold, at which point the mark fully solidified. A black sealing sigil stamped itself onto the White Dragon's heart, and black, chain-like lines spread outward from the sigil, locking down the White Dragon Lord's heart.

It was a success.

Despite feeling weak all over, the White Dragon Lord breathed a sigh of relief.

Now, as long as the White Dragon Lord wasn't injured to the point of spilling blood flecked with blue energy, no one would be able to tell from his outward appearance that Amos was a legendary Ancestral Dragon.

Of course, most people wouldn't even entertain the thought. The era when Ancestral True Dragons reigned over the multiverse had long passed. Only a handful of undying ancients remained, hidden away in remote corners of the Star Realm, slumbering.

The White Dragon Lord clenched his dragon claws. Sensing the clear drop in his physical strength, he felt a surge of annoyance. Being forced to place restraints on himself truly left a dragon frustrated!

Furthermore, the seal hadn't just weakened his physical might; the White Dragon Lord's mastery over the elements had also noticeably diminished.

In total, the White Dragon Lord's combat power had dropped by nearly thirty percent.

Naturally, even in this sealed state, the White Dragon Lord's strength still ranked among the elite of all legendary practitioners.

Most importantly, as long as Amos willed it, he could unseal himself at a moment's notice, unleashing his full power to catch his enemies completely off guard.

A few days later, back in the great hall of White Castle.

The White Dragon Lord was still in the adaptation phase of his new state. Draped across his throne, his thoughts drifted to the legendary creatures on the Main Island, calculating how to mold them so they would serve White Castle with absolute loyalty.

Just then, Gurgalu hurried into the hall from outside.

His attention caught by the anxious double-headed Ogre chieftain, the White Dragon Lord lifted his head.

"What is it?"

"Master, latest news," Gurgalu said. "Half a day ago, Salilina was discovered by the Northern Barbarian legends in the Moto Great Forest. After a fierce battle, she sustained injuries and fled."

Amos furrowed his brows.

'How was she discovered?'

As a priest of Her Majesty the Dragon Queen, the Dragon Mother had countless ways to block the probing of Divination Spells. Furthermore, given her extreme caution, she shouldn't have been tracked down so easily.

Amos found it baffling, though he didn't think Gurgalu was lying to him.

"What is the current situation?"

"It's unclear, but The Berserker—Siegfried—was severely injured in this clash. He abandoned the pursuit of Lady Salilina and returned to the Northland to manage their affairs. The Legendary Priest—Ogsger—has sworn an oath that he will not enter the Divine Kingdom until he slays Lady Salilina. He is still in active pursuit of her, and the current whereabouts of both remain unknown."

The White Dragon Lord's frown deepened. Being chased by a humanoid nuclear bomb was no laughing matter. He felt a twinge of concern over the Dragon Mother's predicament, mixed with some suspicion.

He didn't understand why the Dragon Mother hadn't fled back to the White Dragons' primary stronghold—the Great Glacier. Logically, as a priest of Her Majesty the Dragon Queen, it wouldn't have been difficult for her to secure a foothold in the Great Glacier.

Yet, she had deliberately avoided doing so. There was definitely something fishy going on.

'Wait a minute!'

A sudden realization struck the White Dragon. The Dragon Mother had been hiding in the Moto Great Forest, and now the Legendary Priest—Ogsger—was hounding her, eager for mutual destruction. If she wouldn't go to the Great Glacier, the most likely and closest refuge left was...!

'The Overseas Archipelago!'

In all fairness, the Dragon Mother's treatment of her hatchlings was reasonably warm by the infamously cold standards of the Dragon Race, but compared to Amos's parents from his previous life, she felt more like a stepmother.

Because of this, Amos's emotional attachment to her wasn't particularly profound. Even so, if he were forced to watch the Dragon Mother die right in front of him and remain indifferent, Amos knew he wouldn't be able to do it.

But the mere thought of the Legendary Priest trailing right behind her gave him a headache.

'Forget it. This is all just speculation,' he thought. 'It's not certain that the Dragon Mother will even come to the Overseas Archipelago for help. No point scaring myself.'

The White Dragon Lord comforted himself with these thoughts.

But whatever he feared, came to pass.

That night, while the White Dragon Lord was savoring his meal in the White Castle dining hall, he suddenly sensed a familiar magical source in the distant sky, hurtling straight toward White Castle at blinding speed.

Having lived together for five years, how could Amos possibly fail to recognize the Dragon Mother's magical fluctuations?

Feeling a bit conflicted, Amos rose and exited White Castle. He spread his wings, taking to the skies to wait above White Castle for the Dragon Mother's arrival.

It didn't take long for the Dragon Mother to appear before him.

Amos frowned as he took in the Dragon Mother's current state. The magical fluctuations rolling off her were highly unstable, and a massive, gaping wound had been torn into her tail, cut so deeply that the stark white tailbone was visible inside.

It seemed that in order to heavily wound The Berserker, the Dragon Mother had also paid a tragic price.

Watching the Dragon Mother draw near, Amos spoke first.

"Long time no see, dear Mother."

The Scourge of the North Wind—Salilina, the mother of the four White Dragons—stared in disbelief at Amos, who was already slightly larger than she was.

Dragons possessed excellent memories. She remembered Amos's exact age; he was still quite some time away from becoming an Adult Dragon.

Yet physically, judging from his size, Amos was completely an Adult Dragon, and even bulkier than she was.

At the same time, the Dragon Mother sensed the surging magical fluctuations rolling off the White Dragon Lord, telling her that even in her absolute prime, she was no match for her own child.

Whether the Dragon Mother accepted it or not, the truth was standing right in front of her. Salilina's eyes were filled with complex emotions.

"Oh, dear Amos. I always saw your extraordinary potential, but I didn't expect that I still underestimated you. You have truly given me a massive surprise."

Amos raised a brow.

"Thank you for the praise, but seeing you gives me no surprise at all. Have you shaken off the tail trailing behind you?"

Being caught in such a miserable state by her own child made the Dragon Mother feel somewhat embarrassed, but as a former dragon lord herself, she swiftly adjusted her mindset.

"Though I've shaken him off for now, that damn bastard left a divine imprint on me. And his priest level is vastly superior to mine, so I won't be able to erase it anytime soon. He'll track me down again before long."

"Follow me."

Seeing the Dragon Mother's battered state, Amos said no more. He led the Dragon Mother down to his secret base where he had cast the sealing spell, and activated the magic Array to hide her energy fluctuations.

"Mother, hide here for the time being to erase the divine imprint. No matter what happens, do not come out."

Amos gave a bitter smile. "If Ogsger sees you, he'll probably self-detonate right on the spot, and then we're all finished."

Salilina nodded.

"Once you purge the divine imprint, I'll arrange a hidden place for you. A priest's lifespan is short anyway; you can just take a nap and outlive him."

Of all legendary practitioners, priests had the shortest lifespans, averaging a mere two hundred years. The reason was that the gods needed them to return to the Divine Kingdom early.

And Ogsger was already one hundred and eighty years old. Thus, the White Dragon Lord telling the Dragon Mother to take a nap and outlive him was no exaggeration.

A moment later, the White Dragon Lord sensed another powerful aura rapidly closing in on White Castle, and he flew out to intercept it in annoyance.