Chapter 224: Past of the Forerunner

The White Dragon Lord flew all the way to the coast. Guided by information from the Mother of Tidal Snow, Delixion, he located an ice-bound cliff and cast an Amplification Magic spell on himself.

"I am the Master of the Overseas Archipelagos, Lord of the Thousand Islands, Amos Aldrich. I have come specifically to visit Senior Soglamo."

A moment later, strange sounds echoed from beneath the cliff. A white dragon shattered the ice-choked surface of the sea and took to the sky. Simultaneously, an aged, somewhat weary voice rang out.

"I have heard your name, Dragon Lord of the Overseas Archipelagos, Amos Aldrich. Tell me, young powerhouse, what business do you have with me?"

The White Dragon Lord sized up the figure before him. This was a Very Old Dragon who had only recently entered that stage.

He was much smaller and more emaciated than an ordinary dragon, measuring barely eighteen meters long. Furthermore, the White Dragon Lord sensed none of the oppressive aura expected from the Legendary Rank.

The White Dragon Lord frowned, genuinely puzzled. Even if entering the Very Old Dragon stage caused a dragon's bodily functions to degrade, his strength shouldn't have plummeted so drastically.

Perhaps he had suffered some grievous injury in the past.

Suppressing his curiosity, the White Dragon Lord got straight to the point.

"Senior Soglamo, I recently chanced upon a rumor. You have been attempting to teach white dragon beasts, and they have actually learned the dragon language, correct?"

Soglamo frowned and let out a helpless sigh.

"So, have you come to hold me accountable?"

It was no surprise he would jump to that conclusion. Given the average Dragon Race member's innate disgust for dragon beasts, Soglamo's act of teaching them the dragon language was simply incomprehensible to ordinary dragons.

The White Dragon Lord smiled.

"Quite the opposite. I am here to seek your guidance."

Soglamo stared in blank astonishment, finding the claim hard to believe.

"Senior Soglamo, why don't we go down and talk?"

The White Dragon Lord's voice snapped the Very Old Dragon out of his daze. Floating in the sky was hardly an ideal place for a conversation. Soglamo nodded and took the lead, descending toward the cliff below.

"Lord Amos, you have truly surprised me. Would you mind telling me why you wish to teach dragon beasts?"

The White Dragon Lord's project was nothing to hide, so he answered candidly.

"It is like this. I do not believe dragon beasts are beyond saving. This is especially true for those completely lacking the Dragon Inheritance—they are essentially like human newborns. With proper education, they can just as easily become powerhouses."

"Even those dragon beasts whose minds were shattered by the inheritance are not entirely worthless. Though they will never regain their sanity, their bodies remain perfectly sound. Logically, they should be able to produce normal offspring. For the sparsely populated Dragon Race, this is undoubtedly a massive boon."

"Furthermore, the only investment required is a negligible amount of food... and White Castle has all the necessary conditions for this!"

Soglamo grew increasingly excited as he listened, his eyes practically glowing. He looked at the White Dragon Lord as if he had just found a dear, long-lost friend.

"Your Excellency Amos, your ideas coincide perfectly with mine! For many years, I have also been researching how to draw out the true value of dragon beasts. After all, every single dragon egg is incredibly precious."

...

Some time passed as they continued to chat.

The White Dragon Lord spoke up, his curiosity piqued.

"Senior Soglamo, what was your original intention when you first began researching dragon beasts?"

A look of helplessness and deep pain crossed Soglamo's face.

Realizing he had misspoken, the White Dragon Lord quickly tried to apologize.

"I apologize if I brought up unpleasant memories. We can..."

Soglamo let out a heavy sigh, interrupting the White Dragon Lord.

"I only have a little over two hundred years left to live anyway. Sharing this secret with you won't matter. The truth is, I am not a complete True Dragon."

The White Dragon Lord was deeply shocked.

Soglamo closed his eyes in agony.

"The Dragon Inheritance I received was incomplete. Aside from a dragon true name, I was given nothing but the dragon language and a smattering of basic knowledge. Fundamentally speaking, I am no different from those dragon beasts."

The White Dragon Lord suddenly realized that this sounded strikingly similar to the experiences of a certain black dragon from a story in his past life. However, Soglamo wasn't a protagonist, and he lacked a heaven-defying Gold Finger.

Seeing the White Dragon Lord listening intently, Soglamo realized the younger dragon wasn't looking down on him. Relieved, the Very Old Dragon finally opened up and began to pour out his heart.

"Because I possessed a dragon true name, my mother never suspected a thing. I managed to scrape by until it was time to leave the nest, at which point I parted ways with my siblings. Perhaps Tiamat had not completely abandoned me, for I luckily managed to flee all the way here—to the coast."

"Thanks to the food in the ocean, I survived. After a shipwreck, I was fortunate enough to obtain the inheritance of a Master Tier Mage, which allowed me to embark on the path of a Mage."

The White Dragon Lord nodded. The concentration of magical elements surrounding Soglamo was extremely high. This was the main reason he hadn't associated the elder's frail body with the condition of a dragon beast.

Soglamo continued his tale.

"By the time I reached the Adult stage, my spellcasting level had advanced to the Advanced Mage stage. I had gained a measure of self-protection, but I was unwilling to remain a dragon beast for the rest of my life. Thus, I left this place and ventured into the outside world to seek opportunities."

"By chance, I met a scion of the nobility who had come to explore the Great Glacier. We signed an equal Partnership Contract, and I followed my partner through countless battles and expeditions."

"Eventually, relying on my own efforts and the influence of my partner's noble family, I collected a vast amount of magical knowledge. After serving that family of the nobility for two hundred years, my contract expired, and I returned to this starting place."

The White Dragon Lord listened with rapt attention. Soglamo's life story was nothing short of legendary.

Soglamo glanced at the White Dragon Lord and continued.

"Upon returning, I began researching dragon beasts. At first, my only goal was to find a way to fix my incomplete Dragon Inheritance."

Soglamo offered a bitter smile.

"However, even to this day, I have met with failure. I have lived for 1,706 years, and I have lost all hope of stepping into the Legendary Rank. But after raising these dragon beasts for so long, I have grown genuinely attached to them. Lord Amos, I am entrusting all of these dragon beasts to you. Please, take good care of them."

The White Dragon Lord arched a brow.

"Scan!"

[Name]: Soglamo Sonidel

[Level]: Level 18 Dragon / Level 17 Mage

[Strength]: Tier 4

[Alignment]: True Neutral

[Description]: He is a highly intelligent, incomplete White Dragon. Due to his incomplete Dragon Inheritance, he is barely affected by its influence. His past adventures alongside human nobility have granted him a deep understanding of the world's ways. He spent his entire life fighting against his unjust fate, but he ultimately failed. Having entered the Very Old Dragon stage, he only has a little over two hundred years left to live.