Chapter 196: The Great Cleanup Plan

The White Dragon Lord felt his spiritual energy hurtling through endless darkness before it suddenly connected to a mysterious space and plunged inside.

A miniature version of the White Dragon Lord appeared within the space.

He froze for a moment before recovering his wits. Glancing around, he noticed figures dotting his surroundings—some humanoid, some draconian, some bestial, and others nothing more than swirling clouds of black mist.

Just as he was taking in the sights, a rough, booming voice carrying a thick dwarven accent rang out behind him.

"Hey! New face! You're that Yamos, right?!"

"It's Amos!"

After correcting the dwarf's pronunciation, the White Dragon Lord rubbed his nose awkwardly and turned around.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Sir Muradin Firebeard."

Although the White Dragon Lord had never attended a Council meeting before, he recognized most of its members. Almost all of them were the renowned leaders of major factions.

Furthermore, there was only one High-Tier Legendary Level dwarf in all of Nordhill. His identity required no guesswork; this was the patron deity of the Dwarf Kingdom—Muradin Firebeard.

"Hahaha, a pleasure to meet me?! I like the sound of that!"

Muradin Firebeard threw his head back in roaring laughter and slapped the miniature White Dragon Lord on the shoulder.

"But!"

The red-bearded dwarf's expression suddenly shifted, and he bellowed like a madman.

"You're celebrating too soon, boy! You're just a mere Legendary Rank white dragon. What gives you the right to sit with us?"

The White Dragon Lord furrowed his brows. Angered by the dwarf's unprovoked reprimand, he shot back without showing an ounce of weakness.

"Lord Muradin, since the proposal concerning me passed, I believe it represents the will of the majority of the Council members. Are you questioning their judgment?"

Pinned under such a heavy accusation, if the dwarf said yes, he would offend numerous Council members. But if he said no, he would be slapping his own face.

"Th-this..."

Looking as though he had swallowed a fly, Muradin Firebeard choked on his words, utterly flustered.

His booming voice had already drawn everyone's attention when he first scolded the white dragon. Seeing the dwarf swallow a bitter pill, the spectating Council members began to chuckle.

Some offered good-natured chuckles, while others snickered maliciously. A few even went so far as to openly mock him.

For instance, a Drow Elf whose face was obscured by shadows laughed uproariously.

"Old dwarf! Look at you now!"

Hearing his mortal enemy's taunt, the red-bearded dwarf's temper flared as if someone had poured oil onto a bonfire. He whirled around and bellowed furiously.

"What did you just say?! You filthy subterranean black-skin, you sun-hating maggot!"

As a High-Tier Legendary Level assassin, the Drow Elf was unaccustomed to such disrespect. Moreover, adhering to the principle of letting his blades do the talking, he wasn't one for petty bickering. Instantly fuming from the dwarf's insults, he hissed.

"You damn dwarf, say that again if you have the guts!"

The hot-tempered red-bearded dwarf planted his hands on his hips.

"I'll say it! You think I'm afraid of you?! You damn black-skinned rabbit!"

"Cough, cough, cough."

Just as the two were about to roll up their sleeves and throw down, a low, resonant cough echoed directly into the minds of everyone present, instantly drawing their attention.

Seeing the gray-robed Merlin Heavenly Principle, the White Dragon Lord knew the show was over.

The dwarf and the Drow Elf exchanged a furious glare before turning away, adopting an out-of-sight, out-of-mind approach.

At that moment, a cloud of black mist drifted to the White Dragon Lord's side.

Under his puzzled gaze, the entity shed its misty disguise and transformed into a silver dragon. It was the Silver Dragon Scholar he hadn't seen in a long time—Jetesla Nashudine.

Seeing a familiar face, the White Dragon Lord spoke joyfully.

"Senior Jetesla, it's been a long time."

The Silver Dragon Scholar blinked in surprise.

"It hasn't been that long. Only a few decades."

The White Dragon Lord was left speechless.

Right. He still wasn't used to the dragons' concept of time.

Meanwhile, the sulking dwarf spotted the Silver Dragon Scholar and hurriedly greeted him.

"Hey, old friend! Have you stumbled across any good liquor in your travels across the continent?!"

"Hahaha, rest assured, old friend. If I find good liquor, I certainly won't forget about you."

After the two long-separated friends chatted for a while, the Silver Dragon Scholar turned to the White Dragon Lord.

"Amos, this is my old friend, Muradin Firebeard. Even though you two had a little unpleasantness just now, Muradin is actually a very warm-hearted dwarf. He's just a bit impulsive."

The White Dragon Lord smiled.

"Of course. I've long heard of Senior Muradin Firebeard's exploits."

As one of the only two master blacksmiths in Nordhill, Muradin Firebeard naturally commanded an immense reputation. The White Dragon Lord was very familiar with his deeds.

Just as the Silver Dragon Scholar said, Muradin Firebeard was a dwarf with a good heart but a terrible temper.

With the Silver Dragon Scholar acting as a mediator, Muradin Firebeard took the opportunity to back down gracefully.

"Hmph! Your reputation isn't small either. Especially those giant deep-sea lobsters you shipped over—they really suit my tastes."

After saying that, the dwarf smacked his lips, as if reminiscing about the lobster's delicious flavor.

The White Dragon Lord laughed.

"Since Senior Muradin likes them, I'll have my people deliver more later."

"Really?! You'd better not be lying to me!"

"Cough, cough, cough. Everyone, the meeting is officially beginning."

Merlin Heavenly Principle's voice interrupted their conversation. The two shared a smiling glance before turning to face the mage.

Merlin Heavenly Principle continued.

"Everyone, our first topic today concerns the Gold Dragon, Leopold Chodmartin. Following his breakthrough to the High-Tier Legendary Rank, he has submitted an application to join the Council."

"What? Leopold Chodmartin broke through?!"

"As expected of a member of the Jodmartin Clan!"

"..."

A cacophony of voices erupted, all centered around this Gold Dragon—Leopold Chodmartin.

At only three hundred years old and not even halfway through his Adult Stage, this genius Gold Dragon had already stepped into the High-Tier Legendary Rank. His fame echoed throughout the entire continent.

The primary reason for this was that immediately upon reaching adulthood, he had stepped onto the Abyss Blood War Battlefield and slain a heavily injured High-Tier Legendary Level demon warlord.

One had to understand that even when heavily injured, the gap between a High-Tier Legend and a standard Legend was practically insurmountable.

While there was an element of luck in Leopold Chodmartin's victory over the demon warlord, it also laid bare his extraordinary strength.

Seeing that the discussion had mostly settled, Merlin Heavenly Principle spoke.

"Alright, the voting begins now."

"In favor!"

"In favor!"

...

Ultimately, it passed with a unanimous vote.

Unlike the White Dragon Lord's special circumstances, the Gold Dragon perfectly met the requirements to become a Council member. He wasn't some notoriously evil villain either, so the voting process was merely a necessary formality.

Merlin Heavenly Principle continued.

"Now, we move on to the second topic of the meeting—the Great Cleanup Plan."