Chapter 265: Visiting the Silver Dragon Grand Duke

Bucky Darkscale watched Old Blind leave until the murloc disappeared from sight. Then, he returned to the White Castle hall, melting back into the shadows of a pillar.

Amos, the White Dragon Lord, sat on his throne and sensed the unsteady fluctuation in the shadows. Struck by emotional turmoil, Bucky Darkscale's control over shadow energy had wavered.

"What are your thoughts on Old Blind's situation?"

Bucky Darkscale's mind flashed back to the scene where the White Dragon Lord had warned Old Blind and Old Jimmy.

"Without becoming a legend, one is ultimately a mere ant."

Those few short words carried immense weight. Bucky Darkscale had been stuck at Level 19 for many years without any sign of a breakthrough.

This was entirely normal. Originally, Bucky Darkscale hadn't felt any psychological burden about it, but watching Old Blind leave today made him deeply understand the true meaning of those words.

The White Dragon Lord did not say anything else, and Bucky Darkscale did not need him to.

Soon, Bucky Darkscale's emotions stabilized, his desire to break through to the Legendary Rank surging higher than ever before.

The hall of White Castle settled back into silence, save for the rustle of the White Dragon Lord picking up a piece of paper.

As the sun set, the Magic Lamps of White Castle lit up one after another. Although the White Dragon Lord did not need the light, the humans working inside the castle certainly did.

Not long after night fell, a human scholar with stark white hair and a matching beard arrived at the hall, an enormous book tucked under his arm.

He held the massive tome, which was large enough to serve as a pillow, with both hands and bowed slightly.

"Your Majesty, the Brief History of Afiaiv has been compiled. Please take a look."

"Thank you for your hard work."

A translucent, crystalline-blue Mage Hand grabbed the giant book and brought it before the White Dragon Lord.

On the heavy black iron cover, the vivid figures of four white dragons were inlaid in platinum alongside a few large white characters: Brief History of Afiaiv. This was a specialized magical codex commissioned by the White Dragon Lord to record the history of the Afiaiv Kingdom.

The White Dragon Lord casually flipped open the iron cover, greeted by the faint scent of ink. On the Parchment, crafted from the softest lamb's belly skin, he saw the first page of the Brief History of Afiaiv.

The Brief History of Afiaiv began its records from the very day the four dragons arrived in the Overseas Archipelago. The book chronicled the crucial events in White Castle's development over the past few decades, such as subduing Old Blind and the other murlocs, establishing White Castle and White Scale City, and repelling the Dumbledore family.

Naturally, these historical records extensively embellished the actions of the four dragons, painting a picture of the White Dragon Lord bringing civilization to save a savage land.

As the one who commissioned the history, the White Dragon Lord obviously wouldn't allow anyone to speak ill of him in the annals.

The Mage Hand turned the pages. The White Dragon Lord skimmed past the earlier flattery and soon reached the final page of text. The words on the last page were few, but they carried a massive amount of information.

Year 1 of the White Tower Calendar: Under the witness of numerous factions across Nordhill, the White Dragon Lord announced the official founding of the Afiaiv Kingdom in Oqi City's Kingdom Square.

Satisfied, the White Dragon Lord placed the Brief History of Afiaiv on his desk.

"Not bad! Have someone transcribe the contents of this book, mass-produce it, and distribute it to every school. Also, do not forget to fully implement the new calendar."

Over the few days since the founding ceremony, the White Dragon Lord had been hosting guests while simultaneously ordering the writing of this Brief History of Afiaiv.

This Brief History of Afiaiv would become foundational reading for all students in the Overseas Archipelago. It would even be established as an independent subject and integrated into the academic examination system.

Willy flapped his wings and landed at the entrance of the White Castle hall, arriving just in time to hear the White Dragon Lord's words.

Willy could understand implementing a new calendar, but going through so much effort to write an apparently worthless book, spending vast resources to promote it, and forcing all the monsters to study the Brief History of Afiaiv left him quite puzzled.

Willy spoke as he strode into the hall.

"Brother, I think this book is little more than a storybook. I really don't understand why you value it so highly."

Hearing Willy's slightly complaining tone, the White Dragon Lord let out a long breath.

"Do not underestimate this book. Its usefulness is immense."

In the White Dragon Lord's mind, editing history and popularizing historical knowledge was absolutely necessary.

Having everyone study the same Brief History of Afiaiv in basic education schools would subtly strengthen their sense of identity with the Afiaiv Kingdom, serving to unify their thoughts.

And this ideological unity would influence every aspect of the Afiaiv Kingdom, reducing conflicts and promoting social harmony.

The White Dragon Lord did not explain these hidden depths to Willy. The benefits of studying the same history would naturally reveal themselves as the kingdom developed.

"Are the things I asked you to prepare ready?"

Willy tossed over a Dimensional Bag. The White Dragon Lord caught it, scanned the interior of the Dimensional Bag with his spiritual power, and nodded in satisfaction.

"I need to go out for a trip. I'll leave White Castle to you all."

The White Dragon Lord stood up and walked toward the corridor leading to the White Tower.

Over the past few months, the White Dragon Lord had been busy preparing for the founding ceremony. Many matters, both important and trivial, had been temporarily shelved. Now that he finally had a free moment, he naturally needed to resolve them right away.

His first stop would be visiting the injured Silver Dragon Grand Duke.

Emotionally speaking, the Silver Dragon Grand Duke had provided a tremendous amount of help when the white dragon's wings were not yet fully fledged. Had he not known about the Silver Dragon Grand Duke's injury, it would be one thing, but since he did, a visit was mandatory; otherwise, his conscience wouldn't rest.

Logically speaking, the Silver Dragon Grand Duke had been injured in the massive explosion while investigating the gold dragon incident. That entire incident had been stirred up by the White Dragon Lord in the first place, and it had happened right in the Overseas Archipelago. One could say the Silver Dragon Grand Duke had taken a knife meant for the white dragon, giving the White Dragon Lord every reason to visit him.

The White Dragon Lord made his way to the Teleportation Platform inside the White Tower. With a single thought, his Gold Finger controlled the Elemental Pool, charging the Teleportation Platform.

Accompanied by a blinding flash of white light, the White Dragon Lord vanished from the White Tower.

In the blink of an eye, the White Dragon Lord arrived at an unfamiliar location. The glow of the Teleportation Platform beneath his feet gradually faded as the white dragon examined his surroundings.

The room housing this Teleportation Platform was not large, seemingly built according to the standard specifications of a Mage Tower. The decor was elven in style—white walls adorned with elegant purple patterns. Aside from the Teleportation Platform, the room held no extra furnishings, nor was there a single soul in sight.

The spatial coordinates had been provided by the Silver Dragon Grand Duke, so the White Dragon Lord had nothing to worry about. He simply shrank his massive frame and walked toward the closed door.

Pushing the door open, the White Dragon Lord was greeted by a towering Iron Golem.

The Iron Golem was a type of high-tier alchemical puppet, possessing boundless strength and extraordinary combat prowess. Forged entirely from steel, its defenses were downright absurd; even an ordinary legendary practitioner would need several minutes to dismantle one. Its only flaw was its somewhat sluggish speed, but it remained the perfect choice for guarding a Mage Tower.

Clearly, this Iron Golem was fully functional. Upon discovering the White Dragon Lord, it immediately marched toward him, emitting a hollow, electronic voice.

"Unrecognized visitor detected. Visitor, please remain where you are."

The White Dragon Lord watched the approaching Iron Golem with keen interest. He had never been particularly interested in Alchemy, and the White Tower did not require such defensive golems, so he had only ever heard of them without seeing one in person.

Seeing it today, the Iron Golem projected an incredibly imposing aura from its appearance alone, which was very impressive. Coincidentally, White Castle produced a massive amount of iron ore every year—the primary material for forging these constructs. The White Dragon Lord's thoughts began to stir.

However, the Iron Golem didn't give him much time to think. It stopped a short distance from the White Dragon Lord, and two beams of red light shot out from its circular crystalline eyes, sweeping over the white dragon's body much like an infrared scan from his past life.

A moment later, the red light vanished.

"Identity information collection complete. Visitor identified as Amos Aldrich. Greetings, esteemed Councilor Amos. I am the golem steward of the Dawn Moon Wizard Tower. Welcome to the Dawn Moon Wizard Tower."

"My master is currently out on business and will return in a while. However, before departing, my master specifically instructed that upon your arrival, you may choose to take a walk in the Elven Forest or wait inside the wizard tower. Will you choose to go for a walk, or will you wait?"

The Iron Golem's voice was a buzzing drone, completely devoid of emotion, sounding exactly like a machine.

In truth, golems could indeed be considered a magical version of robots.

The White Dragon Lord looked around and spotted a balcony that offered a view of the sky outside. A recliner sat on the balcony, surrounded by assorted flowers and plants.

It seemed the Silver Dragon Grand Duke certainly knew how to relax.

Yielding to the inherent homebody nature of dragons, the White Dragon Lord chose to stay without hesitation and strolled over to the recliner on the balcony.

The closer he got to the balcony, the more he could see of the scenery outside the tower. Beyond the balcony lay a dense, endless forest. Moonlight cascaded down in a silvery wash, coating the canopy in a layer of pale frost.

The evening breeze blew, rustling the leaves. The shrunken White Dragon Lord lay on the recliner and pulled out a book to pass the boring wait.

Just then, the golem steward brought over a cup of hot tea and set it on a stool next to the recliner.

"Lord Amos, if you require anything, please just ask."

The golem steward stood by his side, still as a statue.

The White Dragon Lord gave a slight nod but didn't bother interacting with it. Although the golem before him appeared exceptionally intelligent, it actually possessed no true wisdom to speak of; it was merely a programmed entity executing its master's preset instructions.

Legends said that during the era of the Arcane Empire, the golems created by the Great Arcanists were indistinguishable from real people, possessing their own joys, sorrows, and the ability to learn and improve independently. Unfortunately, that technology had long since vanished into the river of time alongside the Arcane Empire.

The White Dragon Lord rocked in the chair, reading his book under the moonlight as he waited for the master of the house to return.

About seven or eight minutes later, the White Dragon Lord lifted his head and looked toward the distant sky. He sensed two familiar, powerful auras approaching the Magic Tower.

Soon after, the White Dragon Lord caught sight of the returning Silver Dragon Grand Duke, Adrian Samaranch, and the Silver Dragon Scholar, Jetesla Nashudine. He quickly stood up.

...

Inside the hall of the Radiant Moon Magic Tower, after the White Dragon Lord presented his gifts, the three dragons sat in an equilateral triangle.

After exchanging a few pleasantries with the two silver dragons, the White Dragon Lord looked at the pale, clearly weakened Silver Dragon Grand Duke and voiced the question on his mind.

"Your Grace, it has been decades since that incident, yet your injuries... What exactly happened back then? How did your body end up in this state?"

Hearing this, the Silver Dragon Grand Duke smiled bitterly and recounted the full story of that year.

Back then, after discovering the demiplane where the female gold dragon was hiding, the Silver Dragon Grand Duke had led his legendary squad and piloted his Floating Tower to charge straight in. He had assumed that dealing with a few Demon Cultists would be an effortless capture.

Instead, a massive surprise was waiting for them inside the demiplane. The deranged gold dragon had sacrificed everyone to summon her backer: the lord of the 607th layer of the Bottomless Abyss, the Lord of Gloom—Aleister.

The Lord of Gloom, Aleister, was an ancient Demon Lord who had made his name long ago. Within the Abyss, his strength rivaled that of a deity with Intermediate Divine Power.

Due to the existence of a dimensional lock, even with someone offering sacrifices as a beacon, it was extremely difficult for the Lord of Gloom, Aleister, to descend upon Nordhill.

When the Silver Dragon Grand Duke arrived at the demiplane in his Floating Tower, he found the Lord of Gloom halfway out of a Portal. The two sides immediately clashed, their fierce battle erupting like heavenly thunder igniting earthly fire.

The Silver Dragon Grand Duke had the aid of his Floating Tower and numerous legendary practitioners, while the Lord of Gloom had half his body stuck in the Portal, restricting his movements. Given the shift in advantages, the Silver Dragon Grand Duke managed to fight the Lord of Gloom to a standstill.

That was until Merlin Heavenly Principle arrived. As an ultra-powerful lord mage, Merlin Heavenly Principle possessed a fearsome reputation even within the Abyss. If the Lord of Gloom had fully descended, he might have stood a chance, but caught halfway in the Portal, the Demon Lord immediately tried to flee.

Naturally, Merlin Heavenly Principle and the Silver Dragon Grand Duke refused to let him go so easily. They launched a fierce interception that backed the Lord of Gloom into a corner, forcing him to sever his own arm just to survive.

However, the Lord of Gloom was ruthless. The severed arm he left behind detonated. The sub-plane, already fractured from the fierce battle between the three heavyweights, was caught in the blast, resulting in the cataclysmic explosion that shocked the entire world.

The legendary squad and the Floating Tower were completely wiped out in the sub-plane's explosion. The Silver Dragon Grand Duke managed to survive only by activating a lifesaving artifact.

Even so, the Silver Dragon Grand Duke had still fallen prey to the Lord of Gloom's sneak attack. The Demon Lord's exploding flesh and blood contained a terrifying Curse, striking the already severely injured silver dragon.

The Silver Dragon Grand Duke unbuttoned his clothes. Seeing the horrifying red tumor on the silver dragon's chest, the White Dragon Lord drew in a sharp breath of cold air.

Seeing the shock in the White Dragon Lord's eyes, the Silver Dragon Grand Duke offered a bitter smile.

"For all these years, this Curse has relentlessly tormented me. It's only thanks to the Elven Race's sacred relic—the Fountain of Life—suppressing the abyssal magic in the Curse that I haven't turned into a demonic creature."

Unwilling to accept this, the White Dragon Lord asked, "Is there truly no way to break the Curse?!"

The Silver Dragon Scholar sighed.

"This is a Curse cast by a Demon Lord at the cost of his own origin. Unless the Lord of Gloom dispels it himself, or we obtain the origin of an even stronger Demon Lord, this Curse is unbreakable."