Chapter 269: Gurgalu Advances to Legend

Solving the Dragon Sister's problem had gotten off to a good start, which was half the battle won. In high spirits, the White Dragon Lord strolled toward the White Tower.

The Yafiavi Kingdom was now on the right track. Although the White Dragon Lord was determined to be a hands-off ruler, he wasn't completely idle. Aside from continuing his magical cultivation, exploring alternate planes was something else he needed to address.

Arriving at the control room inside the White Tower, he took a thousand strange bottles from his Dimensional Bag. These bottles looked like glass bowling pins studded with diodes, their interiors embedded with visible crystalline circuits.

"Scan."

[Item Name]: Dimensional Explorer

[Description]: The Dimensional Explorer is an essential alchemy item for exploring alternate planes. Extremely sturdy, it can withstand the chaotic energy of space, drifting through the endless spatial currents until it encounters an alternate plane. Upon finding one, the explorer emits a special magical fluctuation that a Mage Tower can detect, thus relaying information about the plane. The crafting process of a Dimensional Explorer is complex and its price exorbitant, but the Council seems to possess the technology for mass production.

These thousand Dimensional Explorers were the gift Merlin Heavenly Principle had presented on behalf of the Council to bless the Yafiavi Kingdom. They were also among the most valuable gifts he had received; a thousand Dimensional Explorers were worth as much as a high-quality piece of Legendary equipment.

After the Gold Finger scanned and recorded the magical array inside a Dimensional Explorer, the White Dragon Lord held it up to his eyes and slowly channeled magic into it. As the magic filled the bottle, it seemed to come alive. Silver, mercury-like energy flowed slowly through the interior crystalline circuits, occasionally emitting a faint glow.

He placed the activated Dimensional Explorer onto a simple Teleportation Platform. This platform was extremely small, only the size of his palm. It was a specially made, unstable Teleportation Platform designed specifically for use with Dimensional Explorers.

Teleporting items via an unstable platform had almost zero chance of success. The consequence of a failed teleportation was falling into random spatial rifts to drift endlessly through space—which was exactly the correct way to use a Dimensional Explorer.

After the Dimensional Explorer vanished from the platform, the White Dragon Lord picked up another, activated it, and repeated the process.

His movements grew faster and faster. Before long, he had sent out all one thousand Dimensional Explorers.

The working principle of a Dimensional Explorer was similar to a Drift Bottle, except one was tossed into the ocean, while the other was cast into spatial rifts. However, the probability of a Dimensional Explorer encountering a plane was much lower than a Drift Bottle washing up on an island.

The density of alternate planes in endless space was far lower than that of islands in the sea. If it encountered a spatial storm, the Dimensional Explorer would be shredded to pieces by the violent winds. Even if it did wash up on an alternate plane, if the distance was too great, the Magic Tower still wouldn't be able to receive its signal.

A thousand Dimensional Explorers seemed like a lot, but the White Dragon Lord honestly had no idea if sending them out would even make a splash.

It was entirely dependent on luck. Someone with rotten luck might send out a million Dimensional Explorers and get absolutely nothing, while someone blessed by fortune might toss just one and catch a big fish. It was exactly like buying a lottery ticket.

However, these Dimensional Explorers were a gift from Merlin Heavenly Principle. If they managed to find a valuable alternate plane, that would be wonderful. But if they all went down the drain, the White Dragon Lord wouldn't feel too heartbroken.

"By Tiamat!"

The White Dragon Lord muttered without a shred of sincerity.

He didn't mean anything by it; it was just like a student in his past life muttering "God bless me" right before an exam.

Speaking a deity's true name anywhere in the multiverse could potentially be sensed by them. Under normal circumstances, deities ignored these voices, as there were simply too many mortals muttering their names.

However, the White Dragon Lord never expected that Tiamat just so happened to be taking an interest in this fellow who twisted her teachings.

Within the Bottomless Abyss, inside the Evil Scale Fortress.

The brow of Tiamat's white dragon head twitched. She had sensed it the instant the White Dragon Lord spoke her true name. Yet, she felt no trace of faith in her from him, meaning he wasn't a believer at all.

"Another unfilial descendant!"

Tiamat felt both angry and exasperated at the White Dragon Lord's behavior—tossing his ancestor to the back of his mind when all was well, only to mutter her name when he needed something.

Across the multiverse, there were countless Chromatic Dragons who neglected to worship her in their youth, only to eagerly embrace her faith at the last minute in their old age. More than half of the Red Dragon Clan, in particular, didn't give a damn about her, despite her being their racial deity and ancestor.

Tiamat had long grown accustomed to this, so his behavior didn't enrage her too much, though she still felt annoyed. If the White Dragon Lord were right in front of her, she wouldn't have minded teaching him a lesson in respecting his elders. But right now, he was far away in Nordhill, and it wasn't worth making a special trip just for this.

Ignorant that his actions had frustrated his ancestor, the White Dragon Lord returned to his sleeping quarters in a great mood.

...

Three days later, inside the White Tower, the White Dragon Lord was immersed in reading a profound and abstruse Spellbook.

Judging by his deeply furrowed brows, the contents of the Spellbook were not easily understood.

Suddenly, a violent magical fluctuation erupted from within Oqi City. Upon sensing the location of the disturbance, a look of joy crossed the White Dragon Lord's face, and he immediately activated the Magic Tower's god's-eye perspective.

Through this perspective, he looked down at Oqi City below.

Like most cities in Nordhill, Oqi City was divided into several districts: the noble district, the commercial district, the civilian district, the temple district...

The magical fluctuation originated in the noble district, specifically from its largest courtyard manor.

This was the residence of the kingdom's prime minister—Gurgalu.

Seeing the massive energy vortex hovering above the manor, the White Dragon Lord knew Gurgalu was about to break through to the Legendary Rank. He kept his eyes fixed on Gurgalu's residence from within the Mage Tower to ensure no one caused trouble.

Fortunately, no blind fools popped out to court death, and Gurgalu's breakthrough proceeded smoothly. The White Dragon Lord stood guard until the energy vortex gradually dissipated, at which point he withdrew his gaze.

Meanwhile, inside the manor, the ecstatic Two-Headed Ogre Chieftain was staring at his own hands when the White Dragon Lord's voice rang in his ears.

"Come to the White Tower."

Gurgalu hastily straightened his attire and rushed to the White Tower, meeting the White Dragon Lord in the grand hall.

Taking one look at the beaming Gurgalu, the White Dragon Lord immediately knew that the ogre's Warrior class had broken through to the Legendary Rank, while his Mage class remained at Level 19.

"Scan!"

[Name]: Gurgalu Skull-Crusher

[Level]: Level 17 Ogre, Level 20 Warrior, Level 19 Mage

[Strength]: Legendary Rank

[Alignment]: Lawful Evil

[Description]: An adult Skull-Crusher ogre. Born as a two-headed ogre, he received the full nurturing of the historic Skull-Crusher Clan. After becoming a servant to the white dragon Amos, he obtained even more cultivation resources. Now, having broken through to the Legendary Rank, his combat power is off the charts.

The White Dragon Lord was quite satisfied. Although Gurgalu had only just reached the Legendary Rank, with his Creature Level combined with his two major class levels, his true combat power could already rival that of a veteran legendary practitioner.

Furthermore, armed with the Combat Staff of Caucasus and the Skull of the Caucasus—two pieces of Legendary equipment, one for offense and one for buffs—he would have virtually no equals below the High-Tier Legend rank. It was proper protagonist treatment.

The White Dragon Lord praised him.

"Not bad! You broke through a bit earlier than I expected. You haven't been slacking off these days."

Having broken through to the Legendary Rank, the tension Gurgalu had been carrying finally unspooled.

"Isn't that the truth! Just to cultivate, Gur even lost ten jin."

The one-eyed, one-horned head, Gur, clutched his stomach and burst into laughter. The White Dragon Lord was amused as well. Garu joined in the laughter, but the White Dragon Lord noticed that Garu's laughs were somewhat restrained.

Thinking for a moment, he understood the reason for Garu's restraint.

The two heads of a two-headed ogre possessed independent consciousnesses. The simple-minded, sharply intuitive Gur was the Warrior, while the clever, calculating Garu studied magic.

Sharing one body, neither head could hide its cultivation progress from the other. The two had been secretly competing all this time to see who would step into the Legendary Rank first.

Because they had the White Dragon Lord as a forerunner on the path of magic, Garu's magical cultivation had always been a hair faster than Gur's martial progress. Yet now, the Warrior class had taken the lead and stepped into the Legendary Rank first, putting immense pressure on Garu.

Pressure was a good thing. The White Dragon Lord decided to let it be.

The two of them—or rather, three of them—chatted for a while longer before the White Dragon Lord brought up business.

"I called you over not only to congratulate you on breaking through, but for another matter: joining the Council."

"You already know about the Guardian Council, so I won't go into detail. The Council has always recruited newly advanced legends to become members."

"There are three types of contracts for a legendary practitioner joining the Council."

"The first is as a peripheral member. These members only have basic obligations, such as reporting discovered monsters. Correspondingly, their privileges are minimal, almost negligible. The vast majority of newly advanced legends sign this contract."

"The second is as a formal member. Formal members are considered official personnel within the Council and are qualified to use most of its public resources, such as cultivating in Mage Towers or exchanging for Legendary equipment. Of course, access to all these resources requires points, and hunting monsters and cultists or completing tasks issued by the Council will reward you with them."

"Most formal members are promoted from peripheral members who perform well, though some are members of factions affiliated with the Council. Since the White Castle is an affiliated faction, you have the option to become a formal member right away."

"The third is as a core member. Core members belong to the Council's direct lineage. They enjoy greater privileges but bear heavier obligations, some of which are even mandatory—such as participating in the Abyss Blood War, managing shops in the Star Realm, or garrisoning a Floating Tower. As a council member, I have the right to nominate core members, so you have more choices than others."

"Naturally, the choice is yours, and you can also opt not to join the Council at all. Those are your four paths. Go back and think them over carefully."

Gurgalu departed, leaving the White Dragon Lord in deep thought.

The Nordhill Guardian Council was a powerful, large-scale organization that had protected Nordhill for over ten thousand years against the covetous glares of several demon lords. Its sphere of influence wasn't restricted to Nordhill; its tentacles extended into thousands of alternate planes, as well as the Bottomless Abyss and the Star Realm.

In the Bottomless Abyss, the Council participated in the blood war not only for revenge, but also to reap the abyss's benefits. The corpses of high-tier demons and the Magical Plants produced in the abyss's unique environment were extremely valuable and versatile magical materials.

The Avengers Alliance that the Council belonged to was essentially an alliance of interests as well. The demons killed by the alliance and the magical materials it procured were divided among the major organizations.

With a source of materials, shops were needed to sell them, which was how the stores in the Star Realm came to be. Every so often, the Council would transport any surplus magical materials it couldn't digest internally to its Star Realm shops for sale.

Aside from selling, the Council also purchased rare magical materials it lacked.

Council members could commission the Council to acquire specific magical materials on their behalf, a perk that provided them immense convenience.

The White Dragon Lord had commissioned the Council to purchase the materials required for the Bloodline Advancement Ritual from the Star Realm.

The Bloodline Advancement Ritual was a blanket term for an entire category of magical rituals. Just as spells were divided into high-level and low-level, Bloodline Advancement Rituals varied in grade, and the quality of the ritual determined its effectiveness.

The Dragon Inheritance of an Ancestral Dragon recorded three different Bloodline Advancement Rituals. One was basic, which the White Dragon Lord completely ignored. Another was intermediate, for which he had gathered a few sets of materials just in case.

The final one was advanced. The magical materials required for an advanced Bloodline Advancement Ritual were far rarer and more numerous, requiring up to a hundred and twenty different components.

Even though the White Dragon Lord had started collecting these materials the moment he advanced to an Ancestral Dragon, he still hadn't gathered all of them. He had been forced to commission the Council to buy the four missing materials in the Star Realm.

Weeping Soul Grass, Exquisite Flower, Celestial Crocodile Dragon Heart Blood, and Soil of Life.

The White Dragon Lord muttered the names of these missing items. If the Council still failed to collect these materials this time, he would have no choice but to make do with the intermediate Bloodline Advancement Ritual.

At this thought, his brows knitted tightly. Unless absolutely necessary, he really didn't want to use the intermediate ritual. After all, this Bloodline Advancement Ritual would shape the futures of the Dragon Brother and Dragon Sister.

Less than a year remained until the Dragon Brother and Dragon Sister reached adulthood. Even if they forcefully resisted their drowsiness, they could only delay it for a few more months.

If they delayed it to the point where they could no longer hold out, falling into their slumber without undergoing the Bloodline Advancement Ritual, it would be a massive loss.

Birth and adulthood were the only two moments in a dragon's life that could alter their destiny. The quality of the Dragon Inheritance received at birth determined how high their starting point would be. Upon reaching adulthood, they would come into contact with the source sea, granting them a chance to obtain the Dragon Inheritance tethered to it—and in that moment, the density of their bloodline would play a critical role.

Calculating the time, the Council's merchant caravan was due to return from the Star Realm tomorrow.

When the time came, he would bring Gurgalu along to have a look.

The White Dragon Lord thought to himself.