Chapter 325: Journey to the Star Realm

The White Dragon Lord hadn't expected the Ancient Gold Dragon to appraise Willy so highly. His interest was immediately piqued.

"How did he deal with the Titan?"

"Flying in circles, alternating high and low altitudes so the Spear of the Titans couldn't lock onto him, all while countering with the broader area of effect of his Dragon Breath. In truth, the majority of Willy's injuries were caused by large-scale magic clashes."

"And what about Felicia? What did she do?"

"Felicia chose to use her aerial advantage to open the distance, coordinating her magic and divine spells to launch attacks on the Titan."

The White Dragon Lord felt satisfied. His Dragon Brother and Dragon Sister had adopted very sensible combat strategies. Willy was a Warrior, leveraging his agile physical advantage to engage in close-quarters combat. Felicia was a priestess, utilizing long-range divine spells and dragon language magic to act as a bomber.

The Ancient Gold Dragon cast an odd glance at the White Dragon Lord. If these combat strategies had been used by a dragon that had been an Adult for a long time, the Ancient Gold Dragon wouldn't have found it strange. But for them to appear in two dragons that had only just reached adulthood? It felt a little unbelievable.

Dragons in their youth stage or those who had just reached adulthood usually carried an arrogant, 'I am invincible' attitude. They would charge recklessly into enemies, only gradually restraining themselves, maturing, and becoming cunning after being ruthlessly taught a lesson by reality.

Forget it, this whole family is made up of monsters. They can't be measured by common sense.

The Ancient Gold Dragon cast one last glance at the White Dragon Lord and shook its head in dismay.

The White Dragon Lord didn't know what the Ancient Gold Dragon was thinking. Seeing it shake its head gloomily, he just assumed the ancient dragon was tired.

"Thank you for your hard work, Senior Adelaide. However, I must entrust Willy and the others to your care for a little while longer. I need to head out to find something."

"Alright."

The Ancient Gold Dragon took to the sky, flying toward its own volcanic lair.

The White Dragon Lord went to the grand hall of the White Castle to gather his dependents. After handing down some instructions, the White Dragon Lord teleported to Sky City. He intended to use Sky City's Portal to head to the Star Realm.

The Star Realm, Gray Tower City.

The White Dragon Lord appeared on the cross-planar Teleportation Platform. Stepping down, he paid the teleportation fee while observing the toll-collecting soldier in the dim light.

This was a Master Tier humanoid creature with blue skin covered in dark spots and gill-like organs on both sides of its jaw.

Information about this kind of humanoid surfaced in the White Dragon Lord's mind.

The Dulu sea race, a marine species distributed across many planes. They didn't exist in Nordhill, however; the White Dragon Lord had only read records of them in books.

After paying the teleportation fee, the White Dragon Lord walked along the stone-paved avenue toward the center of the city. Guided by the dim glow of the Magic Lamps, he observed the buildings flanking the street as he walked.

The overall color palette of Gray Tower City's architecture was gray. The tops of the buildings were uniformly hemispherical, and beneath these domed roofs, the main structures were sharply angled cubes or rectangular prisms. The buildings were incredibly dense, crammed together side by side, with their front doors opening directly onto the street.

Truth be told, the dreary colors and thick walls made these buildings look somewhat tacky, and the dense layout created an oppressive atmosphere. If a city like this appeared in the Overseas Archipelago, the White Dragon Lord would have it demolished and rebuilt instantly.

But in the Star Realm, cities like Gray Tower City were the mainstream. The Star Realm was no place to pursue aesthetics.

The Star Realm was vast and boundless, hiding all sorts of dangers: high-speed rock fragments, elusive Elemental Storms, and violent energy particle streams. But the most dangerous of all were the wandering astral beasts.

Astral beasts were immensely gargantuan monsters. They fed on the suspended rock fragments of the Star Realm, eating as they moved forward much like a whale devouring a school of fish. According to records, the largest astral beast discovered to date was comparable in size to a massive plane.

It wasn't just their size; the magical and physical defenses of an astral beast were limitlessly tough, to say nothing of their strength. Even a deity with Greater Divine Power would not be willing to provoke them.

Fortunately, astral beasts lacked intelligence and couldn't use energy attacks, or else the entire multiverse would be forced to live under their shadow.

Because astral beasts were so powerful, countless people in the ancient era had researched and attempted to domesticate them, but all failed without exception. The most famous case involved a deity of Greater Divine Power.

This existence of Greater Divine Power took advantage of a juvenile astral beast while it slept, capturing and taming it, then expending immeasurable time and resources to raise it.

The result? Once grown, not only could the astral beast not understand its master's commands or assist him in battle, but it actually gnawed away its master's Divine Kingdom. This directly led to the deity falling in a divine war.

From then on, no one ever tried to tame an astral beast again.

Cities in the Star Realm were built upon massive floating rocks, which were the very food of astral beasts. To avoid city lights attracting these dangerous leviathans, most Star Realm cities were like Gray Tower City—trying to keep their construction as plain as possible.

Luckily, astral beasts were rare. Combined with the boundless nature of the Star Realm, the chances of encountering one were lower than being struck by a meteor. Otherwise, the White Dragon Lord wouldn't be seeing these various Star Realm cities.

Perhaps the city's oppressive architectural style dictated its culture. Pedestrians on the streets hurried along, and the White Dragon Lord rarely saw anyone conversing. Even when acquaintances met, they merely nodded in greeting.

But none of this concerned the White Dragon Lord. He was only here to gather information and sell a few things on the side.

Walking down the dim road, the White Dragon Lord sensed something. He looked up at the starry canopy above. A fierce stream of energy was approaching.

Crackle! Crackle!

The violent stream of energy crashed against the transparent energy barrier above Gray Tower City. The barrier, shaped like an overturned glass bowl, instantly shot out colorful rays of light. Like a dazzling aurora, the entire city lit up.

The colors of the light shifted rapidly, washing over the city like a strobe light setting a mood.

Amid the flickering, brilliant aurora, the White Dragon Lord caught sight of the tall tower in the city center. This was Gray Tower City's representative structure—the Tower of Xidewarha. Xidewarha was the name of the city's founder, a Mage who was a Peak High-Tier Legend. Because the entire magic tower was gray, the Tower of Xidewarha was also known as the Gray Tower, which Gray Tower City derived its name from.

The aurora formed by the impact of the energy particles lasted for a moment before vanishing. Some pedestrians on the road hadn't even lifted their heads, clearly long accustomed to the sight.

Though the aurora looked beautiful, it was actually incredibly dangerous. If not for the barrier's protection, a direct strike from the energy particle stream on a living creature would leave absolutely no chance of survival for anyone below the Legendary Rank.

However, such energy streams were extremely common in the Star Realm, which was why some said that being a legendary powerhouse was the entry ticket to exploring the Star Realm.

Marveling inwardly at the aurora's splendor, the White Dragon Lord continued toward the Gray Tower. His destination lay in the commercial district surrounding it.

As he neared the commercial district, the volume of the buildings increased significantly, and small private spaces appeared in front of their doors.

The White Dragon Lord walked all the way to the bustling commercial street, where crowds came and went. Yellow skin, purple skin, dark skin, blue skin... Orcs, humans, Elves, sea races... all sorts of species were present, each dressed uniquely.

Some wore clothing with strong regional flair decorated with pearls, gems, and feathers. Others feigned mystery, wrapping themselves up so tightly that not even their hands were visible. Some dressed sparingly; a dark-skinned elf wearing only a skimpy bikini strutted down the street, her waist swaying like a snake.

In the crowd opposite the White Dragon Lord were a few Orcs. These Orcs wore long trousers, baring their muscular upper bodies. Their faces were painted with red greasepaint, and they wore bone necklaces around their necks. Combined with the dense magical glow radiating from the weapons in their hands, it was obvious at a glance that they were not to be trifled with.

And indeed, they were not.

The leading orc was at the Legendary Rank Level. In the Star Realm, a legendary powerhouse was enough to prop up a small gang and carve out a place in the city.

The Orcs might look like they weren't to be trifled with, but a Dragon was definitely not to be trifled with. Pedestrians on the street fearfully made way for the white dragon, allowing the White Dragon Lord to smoothly reach his destination.

"Demon Hunter's Hut."

The White Dragon Lord read the name on the signboard, confirming he had found the right place, and walked inside.

"Browse as you like. When you find what you need, bring it here to pay."

Hearing someone walk in, the dwarf sitting behind the counter reading a book didn't even look up.

A badge was placed onto the desk in front of the dwarf. Seeing the Sky City insignia on the badge, the white-bearded dwarf looked up in surprise, properly examining the White Dragon Lord standing before the counter.

"Oh, a Councilor's Badge from Nordhill."

The dwarf closed the book in his hands.

"Honored Councilor, welcome to the Demon Hunter's Hut. What do you need?"

"I'm looking for the person in charge here. Please announce me."

The White Dragon Lord glanced at the book in the dwarf's hands. The cover read Introduction to Advanced Enchantment.

"Right away. Please wait a moment. I will notify Mage Miphen at once."

The dwarf put the book down and pressed a button on his desk.

"Lord Miphen, a White Dragon lord from Nordhill has come to visit."

"Send him up."

A short while later, the White Dragon Lord arrived on the fourth floor of the Demon Hunter's Hut and met the Mage Miphen the dwarf had mentioned.

Mage Miphen was a humanoid creature with purple skin and a large, brilliant purple crystal growing on his forehead. His starry eyes were exceptionally bright—the mark of powerful mental strength.

An Amethyst Human from the Emdas World.

That striking appearance allowed the White Dragon Lord to instantly recognize Mage Miphen's race. The Emdas World was one of Nordhill's allies, having also repelled a Demon invasion. Both were among the five permanent council members of the Avengers Alliance.

"Welcome, dragon of Nordhill. What can I do for you?"

Mage Miphen seemed to be the impatient sort. Well, that suits me perfectly.

"Apologies for the intrusion, Lord Miphen. I've come to the Star Realm to collect some materials. However, the items I require are extremely precious and can likely only be found at an auction. So, I came specifically to ask you for some information."

The White Dragon Lord handed over a materials list. There were over thirty items on it, with Abomination Blood sitting right at the very top.

Mage Miphen accepted the list.

"Hm... is it your turn to garrison the Blood War Battlefield?"

"Yes."

Mage Miphen looked up and took another, longer look at the White Dragon Lord, the lines of his face softening a bit.

"These materials you need certainly are precious. The Tentacle of the Soul-Defiling Demon and Greater Demon Essence—those two we have downstairs. Aside from that, I have a piece of Styx Stone in my private collection that I can trade to you."

The White Dragon Lord pondered for a moment, then took out a transparent vial of potion.

"Merlin's Calming Potion. You've likely heard of its name. A potion to stabilize mental strength invented by the Spell Controller, Merlin Heavenly Principle. It is extremely suitable for Amethyst Humans with their powerful mental strength."

A smile graced Mage Miphen's face. Amethyst Humans were the native inhabitants of the Emdas World. They possessed terrifyingly strong mental talent, and every time they advanced a Tier, their mental power would surge wildly. They truly did need things like Merlin's Calming Potion.

"I am very satisfied."

Miphen took out a piece of Styx Stone, and the two made the exchange.

Having completed a mutually beneficial transaction, the two grew much more familiar with each other.

Accompanied by Mage Miphen, the White Dragon Lord went down to the third floor of the Demon Hunter's Hut, taking the Tentacle of the Soul-Defiling Demon and the Greater Demon Essence from a display cabinet full of Demon materials.

The Demon Hunter's Hut was a magic materials shop specializing in Demon materials. It was a property of the Avengers Alliance; any Demon materials the Alliance couldn't digest internally would be shipped to the Star Realm's chain stores to be sold.

"Lord Amos, I don't have the other materials you need here. However, the Gray Tower is hosting an auction in three days, and there just so happen to be some of the items you require at that auction. This is the item list."

"That is exactly what I came for."

The White Dragon Lord took the item list and checked its contents. Right near the top, the White Dragon Lord spotted one of his most desired materials—the Void Nether Stone.

The Void Nether Stone was an obscure divine-level material, and the equipment the White Dragon Lord was designing for himself required its use.

"It indeed has what I need. Might I ask Lord Miphen for a referral?"

An auction of this caliber wasn't something just anyone could enter. The Demon Hunter's Hut, however, was one of the largest shops in Gray Tower City. As the manager of the shop, Mage Miphen absolutely had the qualifications to participate in the bidding.

"I happen to need to sell a few things myself."

Mage Miphen agreed.

"What are your plans next, Lord Amos?"

"Hm... find an inn and stay there for three days, I suppose."

"Why not stay here instead? We could exchange our insights on magic. What do you think?"

"I could ask for nothing better."

There was no distinction between day and night in the Star Realm. The Gray Tower in the city center rang a time-telling bell every two hours, ensuring the people in Gray Tower City didn't lose track of time.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye. The White Dragon Lord and Mage Miphen conversed for those three days, exchanging insights on the magic they were best at. Through drawing analogies and mutual inspiration, both gained a great deal.

Over these three days, the two went from strangers to casual friends.

"Here."

The White Dragon Lord took the cloak Mage Miphen handed to him.

"This is the Cloak of the Faceless One. It can mask your aura. It's best to wear this when entering the auction house to avoid flaunting wealth and stirring up anyone's greed."

The White Dragon Lord used Polymorph to turn into a half-dragonman. Donning the cloak, his face became blurry and indistinct, though his vision was not affected in the slightest.

"Let's go."