Chapter 279: The Dragon Mother's Experiences

With Yuir gone, the atmosphere between the White Dragon Lord and the Dragon Mother grew more relaxed. Amos seized the opportunity to voice his request.

"Mother, I want to gather all the dragon beasts of the White Dragon Clan. ...This requires a transit hub. The North Wind Ice Plain is perfect for it, and I need your help."

Displeasure and doubt flashed in Salilina's eyes. As a priestess of Tiamat, she considered dragon beasts a disgrace.

"My dear Amos, what do you want those useless wretches for? Associating with them is an insult to your status as a True Dragon."

"An experiment! A vital experiment! I need a large supply of test subjects."

Salilina suddenly understood. The White Dragon Lord was not just a True Dragon; he was also a powerful Mage, and Mages always loved conducting bizarre experiments.

"Alright, no problem."

She agreed without a second thought. The White Dragon Lord had become her greatest patron. Swallowing her disgust toward dragon beasts for his sake was a small price to pay.

The two dragons then hammered out the details of their arrangement.

Business concluded, their conversation drifted to more casual topics. Amos shared amusing anecdotes from the Afiaiv Kingdom, while Salilina recounted her adventures abroad.

"After leaving the Overseas Archipelago, I flew straight east. I found a cluster of islands and dug out a temporary cave. I only learned later that I had settled in Naga territory."

Amos mentally reviewed what he knew about the Naga.

Amphibious creatures and one of the ocean's three great overlords, the Nagas typically dwelled in deep-sea cities, though a small fraction inhabited coastal wetlands.

These serpent-tailed humanoids operated as a matriarchal society. Their gender ratio was extremely skewed, reaching as high as a hundred males for every female. The rare female Nagas were as beautiful as Elves, commanded immense magical power, could summon storms over the sea, and ruled the highest echelons of their society.

By contrast, male Nagas were hideously ugly but possessed immense physical strength. They typically served as powerful combatants and bodyguards for the females, forming the backbone of the Naga Empire.

The Nagas had built a mighty empire on the seafloor, enslaving countless marine creatures. They maintained their rule through absolute military might and brutal punishments, all while locked in a millennial war with their neighbors—the Mermaid Empire.

"Amos... at the time, three Naga legendary powerhouses ambushed my nest in the dead of night. Luckily, I reacted fast enough; otherwise, I would have perished right then and there."

The combined assault from three legendary combatants still filled Salilina with lingering dread. She muttered softly, "I only raided two of their tribes! Was all that really necessary?!"

Amos was speechless. Knowing her style, even if she hadn't completely wiped out those two tribes, she must have come awfully close. She truly was the Dragon Mother. Even while fleeing for her life, her old habits hadn't changed one bit; as long as she drew breath, she would continue courting disaster.

After taking a moment to calm down, the Dragon Mother continued.

"..."

"Later, I flew all the way to the border between the Naga Empire and the Mermaid Empire. I found a hidden cave there, and only then did I finally shake off their pursuit."

"Oh?"

Amos asked, his interest piqued.

"Then how much do you know about those two races, Mother?"

Salilina shot him a sidelong glance.

"Why? Are you looking to dip your claws into the deep sea?"

Amos replied lazily, "Not at the moment, but it's hard to say what the future holds."

The population of New Murlocs in the Overseas Archipelago was still small. Sticking his claws into the deep-sea region with just some combat pets and Murlocs carried too much risk. Thus, the White Dragon Lord had no immediate designs on the ocean depths.

That didn't stop him from gathering intelligence ahead of time, however.

"I don't know much about those two overlord races either. It's mostly surface-level information, but since you're curious, let me think."

The Dragon Mother gathered her thoughts before speaking.

"The actual population of Nagas and Mermaids isn't very large. However, both races possess immense innate talent. Neither group engages in manual labor; instead, they have subjugated countless vassal races to serve their every need. These vassals also form the vanguard of the wars between the two empires."

"The Nagas command the sea serpentmen, the dark-shell shrimplings, the fiend-scorpion turtles... The Nagas conquered these clans through brute force. Because of this, the Naga army's frontline morale has never been able to match the Mermaid Empire's."

"The Mermaids' vassals include the whalemen, the sharkmen... The Mermaids govern their subjects far more gently than the Nagas do. Every year, creatures from the Naga Empire defect and flee to the Mermaid Empire. These defections trigger a war between the two empires almost annually."

The Dragon Mother's words confirmed what Amos already knew. On top of that, he understood exactly why the two races treated their vassals so differently.

The rulers of the Naga Empire—the female Nagas—had once offended a mighty entity and were struck with a Curse by that being as a result. Every full moon, the females suffered agony worse than death.

When he first heard this, Amos had jokingly wondered if female Nagas simply suffered from an exceptionally brutal time of the month. But upon further reflection, this was a magical world; it could very well be a literal Curse.

Whether it was a Curse or just extreme biology, the fact remained: the female Nagas had "that time of the month" without fail.

Tormented by excruciating pain, the female Nagas were naturally prone to violent outbursts of temper. Backed by their overwhelming power, they treated their vassal races no better than livestock.

The Mermaid Clan's rule was far more benevolent. With the devastating weapon that was the Song of the Mermaid, they held a natural advantage in winning hearts and swaying minds. Coupled with their tremendous magical talent, many races willingly submitted to the powerful and "kind" Mermaids.

But for all their magical prowess, Mermaids possessed even less physical stamina than ordinary humans. The clever Mermaids compensated for this weakness by subjugating two physically dominant races: the whalemen and the sharkmen.

Furthermore, the Song of the Mermaid was exceptionally effective at taming wild beasts. Next to the Mermaid Empire's colossal legion of tamed sea monsters, White Castle's combat pet corps looked like a joke.

Relying on these natural gifts, the Mermaids had forged a mighty maritime state of their own beneath the waves.

The third and final overlord of the deep sea was the Faceless Ones. This enigmatic race dwelled in the darkest abysses of the ocean and never showed themselves to the outside world. Even the Council's records on them were little more than vague rumors and baseless speculation.

Thus, the White Dragon Lord knew very little about them. He had only heard a passing rumor that, much like the Dragon Race, the Faceless Ones were not native to Nordhill.

Of the three races, Amos was wariest of the Faceless Ones. First, fear stemmed from the unknown, and he was no exception. Second, despite waging war against each other for tens of thousands of years, the Nagas and the Mermaids had never once marched on the Faceless Ones' territory. Whatever their reasons, the Faceless Ones clearly possessed enough power to terrify the other two factions into keeping their distance.

Amos's knowledge was strictly limited to high-level affairs; he was almost entirely ignorant of the commoner societies within the Naga and Mermaid empires.

The Dragon Mother, however, had spent years living on the border between the two empires. Her knowledge of the ordinary sea tribes was exactly the intelligence he needed.

Thanks to her stories, Amos finally formed a basic understanding of the two great deep-sea overlords.

Salilina's knowledge wasn't exhaustive, however, and she soon ran out of information to share. With nothing left to discuss, the two dragons retired to their respective quarters to rest.

Back in his bedchamber, the White Dragon Lord held the final set of Bloodline Advancement Ritual potions in his claws, his eyes gleaming.

Although the Dragon Mother was long past the optimal age for bloodline advancement, the ritual would still be effective on her.

After a moment of thought, Amos stored the potions away. His bond with his mother was nowhere near as deep as his affection for his Dragon Brother and Dragon Sister. Furthermore, Salilina's devotion to Tiamat meant her chromatic dragon ideology was too deeply ingrained. Giving her the potions now felt too risky.

He decided to observe her for a while longer before making a choice.

Several days later, Yuir returned.

"Master, inside Ogsger's tomb, there is indeed the corpse of a legendary powerhouse blessed by the Holy Light. The bones themselves radiate potent divine energy."

Amos nodded, and the shadow panther sank back into his silhouette.

It seemed Ogsger was truly dead. Amos relayed the news to the Dragon Mother.

Overjoyed by the confirmation, she practically leaped at the chance to bid him farewell and flew off toward the Northern Icefield she had missed for so long.

Amos's life fell back into a comfortable routine. He spent his days sleeping, researching magic, conducting experiments, and making preparations for the Bloodline Advancement Rituals of his subordinates who possessed dragon bloodlines.

...

The Dark Lands, inside Darkforge.

The leaders of the Wyvern flock, Ala and Scarlett, and the Land Dragon leader, Kemosg, stood before the White Dragon Lord, staring eagerly at the four potions in his claws.

Amos had promised to conduct the Bloodline Advancement Ritual for the three sub-dragons, and today he was finally delivering on that vow.

"Ahem!"

His grunt snapped the three sub-dragons out of their daze. Amos then walked them through the consumption order and effects of the four potions.

"Do you understand the sequence?"

The trio nodded emphatically.

"Good. Then let us begin. Ala, you're up first."

Trembling with excitement, the male Wyvern stepped forward and followed Amos to the outskirts of Darkforge. An intricate magic array had already been etched into the ground of a massive clearing.

Amos instructed Ala to consume the potions in order before handing him a vial of dragon blood.

This was naturally not Amos's own ancestral dragon blood, but the blood of a green dragon that boasted a staggering Creature Level 24.

The Bloodline Advancement Ritual could not be powered by just any dragon blood. The catalyst had to match the specific draconic lineage flowing within the subject's veins, and Ala possessed green dragon blood.

After chugging the vial, the Wyvern collapsed into the center of the magic array and sank into a deep slumber.

Amos activated the magic array. Following the exact same procedure, he quickly initiated Scarlett's Bloodline Advancement Ritual as well.

However, without the Magic Tower to provide a stable energy supply, he placed the two sleeping Wyverns far apart to prevent them from fighting over the ambient Magical Energy.

Afterward, he conducted the ritual for the Land Dragon leader, Kemosg.

Unlike Ala and Scarlett, Kemosg was a descendant of the rare topaz dragon.

Topaz dragons dwelled in the Star Realm. Amos had only managed to acquire a sample of topaz dragon blood by pulling strings with the Council, a complication that had delayed the trio's rituals by an entire year.

Now, all three sub-dragons were sound asleep.

Staring at the slumbering Land Dragon, Amos turned to the Gray Dwarf prince beside him.

"Thaurissan, guard them well."

The Gray Dwarf prince, Thaurissan Darkforge, who had accompanied him the entire time, thumped his sturdy chest loudly.

"Rest assured, Your Majesty! You can count on me!"

Amos nodded. The Dark Lands were utterly isolated, naturally fortified, and easy to defend. Between the protection of a Legendary Rank Warrior like Thaurissan and the teleportation coordinates anchored inside Darkforge, it was the safest possible location for his sub-dragons to undergo their hibernation.

Just then, a Gray Dwarf soldier sprinted over and whispered urgently into Thaurissan's ear. The prince frowned.

"Your Majesty!"

Thaurissan called out, stopping Amos just as he was preparing to teleport away.

Amos cast a questioning glance at his capable subordinate.

Thaurissan gritted his teeth. Under normal circumstances, this would have been a trivial matter. But with three vulnerable sub-dragons currently asleep inside Darkforge, he couldn't afford to take any chances.

"Your Majesty, the scouts report that the water levels in the Dark Lands have been acting strangely."

Amos raised an eyebrow, instantly understanding the dwarf's anxiety. It was highly likely that the Demon Eye Tyrant had originally snuck into this region through those very flooded tunnels.

During the final stages of the apocalyptic war thirteen thousand years ago, Nordhill's eastern continent had been shattered to pieces. The shockwaves dealt a devastating blow to the Dark Lands, tearing the subterranean realm apart and allowing the ocean to flood in.

The shifting bedrock and the catastrophic flooding had completely isolated the sector of the Dark Lands containing Darkforge from the outside world. Thus, the sudden, inexplicable appearance of a Demon Eye Tyrant strongly implied the existence of a hidden underwater passage.

Amos lowered his head in thought. This was a severe security risk; it would be best to deal with it as soon as possible.

"Let's go take a look."

True to its status as a major Gray Dwarf stronghold, the sector surrounding Dark Furnace Fortress was incredibly vast. It took Amos a full ten minutes to fly to the flooded zone, where he finally set Thaurissan down.

The moment he landed, several Gray Dwarf soldiers rushed out of a nearby watchpost.

"Greetings, Your Majesty."

"At ease. Tell me about the situation here."

The watchpost captain glanced nervously at Thaurissan. Seeing the prince's encouraging look, the dwarf completely relaxed.

"Your Majesty, yesterday we noticed that the water level had suddenly started rising. By today, it stabilized and stopped moving..."

The water level was rising?!

Amos stared up at the cavernous ceiling of the Dark Lands. This sector had nearly drowned under the ocean, only surviving because Amos had personally sealed the fractured bedrock's seawater inlet with his Dragon Breath and reinforced the patch with a magic array.

But the magic array he had laid down was operating flawlessly, without a single drop of seawater leaking through. The issue had to be coming from somewhere else.

Staring out over the dark water, Amos fell deep into thought.

Though the water level had dropped significantly since the breach was sealed, the underwater area was still vast. Amos glanced at the stout, stubby frames of the Gray Dwarves. Clearly, they weren't built for swimming, and they didn't have nearly enough manpower to sweep the area anyway.

Forget it. He might as well do it himself.

Amos quickly chanted an incantation.

Summon Ice Spirit!

In a flash, one hundred ice sprites materialized before the White Dragon Lord. These little sprites from the Elemental Plane of Ice were incredibly weak—sitting at a measly Level 3—but they were more than capable of scouting an underwater region.

With a single thought from Amos, the ice sprites received their orders and scattered across the dark water.