Under the Red Dragon

The best time to plant a tree was ten years ago, and the next best time is now.

"In this world, most civilizations, no matter how glorious they once were, become utterly pathetic after their decline,"

"But the Empire's civilization signifies not only the revival of the ancient dragon civilization, but also a great pioneering civilization, one that surpasses even the ancient dragons, and a civilization created by all races of the Golden Empire."

The beautiful figure of the silver dragon Chris Tiana stood on the platform, with strings of numerical formulas and theorems listed on the long blackboard behind her.

All written in the common language of the world of Akaniia, such as inverse proportional functions, quadratic radicals, and quadratic functions.

In this classroom, which would be considered spacious for most creatures, even an adult silver dragon could only use polymorph magic to transform into a humanoid form.

Her pale golden round eyes swept over the neat rows of newborn dragon whelps sitting on small benches below. The adult silver dragon's majesty was restrained, but her usually gentle face carried a teacher's inherent dignity as she lectured these little ones.

It seems that no matter what creature becomes a teacher, they inevitably become detestable.

One by one, the five-colored dragon whelps placed their still somewhat pink claws on the thick wooden tables, appearing orderly, but their claws scratched at the tables again and again.

Pairs of cold, vertical pupils pretended to be diligently widened, switching from hunter mode to intelligent round-eye mode.

But their forcibly quieted hearts were betrayed by the little tails that kept sweeping back and forth under the benches.

Although these wooden tables were made of sturdy ironwood from the forest, they were still carved with deep marks by these mischievous young dragon whelps.

In this classroom, only the desk in the corner was clean, tidy, and without scratches. Even the thick stacks of printed and bound books on the desk were arranged neatly.

However, the one sitting behind this desk was not a dragon whelp, but a humanoid creature.

It had dark, shiny eyes with a hint of white, but they looked rather ignorant, lacking the innate intelligence of the dragon whelps.

Its body was covered in dense, soft, light golden fur, smooth and lustrous, like strands of gold thread dyed by sunlight. Compared to the long tails of the dragon whelps, its tail appeared short, thick, and stiff.

Only its pair of flexible and large claws looked remarkably similar to those of the dragon whelps.

Unlike the feigned attentiveness of the dragon whelps, its dark, shiny eyes were indeed earnestly fixed on the silver dragon Chris on the platform, and its four small ears covered in light golden fluff fluttered, clearly paying great attention.

But judging from its confused expression, it was not achieving much.

"You are the future of the Empire, but the future of the Empire is not necessarily you," the silver dragon Chris sternly warned the whelps.

The gilded makeup on her forehead, once a mark of her Dragon Pact, remained even after the ancestral red dragon dissolved the pact. It seemed that the long-term presence of the makeup had made the silver dragon accustomed to such ornamentation.

"If you don't work hard enough and waste time, even if you are dragons, you will be slowly caught up with and surpassed by other races, and then gradually submerged in the Empire's tide, unable to stand at the forefront of the Empire."

The silver dragon Chris Tiana looked at the young dragons, whose minds had already flown away upon hearing the dismissal bell, and couldn't help but shake her head, her expression dimming as she said softly, "Class dismissed!"

"Hooray,"

"Yeah!"

"Class is over!"

One by one, the young dragon whelps quickly stuffed their thick books into small leather backpacks.

These books included a general explanation of mainstream dragon history, an overview of the civilizations and kingdoms of the Northern Continent, a general history of the founding of the Golden Empire, and a world geography of Akaniia, elementary logic mathematics strategies, and so on.

Covering subjects such as history, culture, geography, and mathematics. Only after filling their backpacks did these young dragons hang the leather backpacks around their necks and stagger out the back door.

The silver dragon Chris stood at the front door, possessing a majesty a hundred times more terrifying than that of an adult dragon, preventing these young dragons from approaching even a step.

Some of the young dragons leaving through the back door would arrogantly raise their heads as they passed the desk in the corner, emitting disdainful snorts from their nostrils.

Some of the more sharp-tongued young dragons would directly mock this creature who was out of place with the dragon whelps, deliberately shouting.

"Achilles, you're staying behind again!"

"Stupid Achilles, why can't you learn anything, and you're just causing trouble for Teacher Chris again!"

"You're a disgrace. How can you be classmates with us true dragons? You always have to have the teacher give you extra tutoring!"

Achilles' face, covered in light golden fluff, instantly flushed red. He widened his round eyes, and his claws, as large as those of the young dragons, clenched and unclenched. He angrily wanted to refute the words of these young dragons, but he couldn't, because he knew that he was indeed stupid.

The silver dragon Chris stood by the door, seemingly accustomed to the scene before her, but never thought of stopping the harsh words of these young dragons, merely watching coldly.

It wasn't that the silver dragon Chris favored these five-colored dragon whelps, but that she treated all her students as dragons.

Some order and rules needed to be established by these whelps themselves.

Even though the Golden Empire taught these whelps with all kinds of wisdom, it always maintained the rules that should exist between dragons and never thought of transforming dragons into completely different races.

Only one red dragon whelp with an unusually large head, wearing his little backpack around his neck, bumped into the young dragons who were mocking Achilles, sending them sprawling, and laughed loudly, "A bunch of idiots under a Feeblemind spell," and then swaggered away.

Only when all the young dragons had left did Achilles look at the silver dragon Chris, who had been quietly watching, his little face tightly wrinkled with the uncontrollable panic of a student staying behind.

"You don't have to stay behind today, little Achilles," the silver dragon Chris looked gently at this strange creature. She said softly, "This is the last class I'll teach you."

Chris walked over, stroking Achilles' smooth fur, and said softly, "In any case, remember your original appearance, and don't be completely changed by the environment. Keep the good, discard the bad."

"Okay, I understand," Achilles nodded somewhat confusedly, then put on his leather backpack and slowly left the classroom.

Only the silver dragon Chris looked at this creature who seemed somewhat ignorant, clumsy, yet unusually well-behaved, and whispered, "Sealing away his innate heritage and bestiality, can it really completely change the appearance of a naturally ferocious race? What is he for, or is it just simply, using Achilles as an experimental subject!"

The ignorant Achilles walked out of the true Dragon Academy. This academy, specially built for the dragons of the Golden Empire to study, was located on the northern edge of the Royal Capital.

This was already extremely close to the mountains of the Dragon Nest, separated from the tall mountains only by the Forest of Sin.

Despite this, stepping out of the deep alley of the Dragon Academy brought a rush of noisy sounds.

Some goblin-run taverns were located in the cheap areas of the outer houses. Most of the bards next to the taverns were not like their counterparts in other regions, holding harps and lutes.

Instead, they were gradually assimilated by the Golden Empire and the civilizations of the North, using instruments such as bagpipes, magic conch shells, and变奏号角.

Although bards, in the eyes of the public, were romantic and affectionate people who sang songs and roamed the vast fields, there was still a chain of contempt within the bard industry.

Wandering poets looked down on court poets, believing them to be too shallow.

Bards who sang hymns for various churches looked down on wandering poets, believing them to be too vulgar.

But these seemingly inconspicuous bards often played important roles in many things.

In the territories of some noble lords, these bards would also act as watchmen. When there was no efficient alarm device in the castle, and the stationed soldiers could not quickly transmit important information to everyone.

The bards could sound their instruments in case of an emergency, acting as an alarm.

There were also some bards who were often arranged by some noble lords to act as spies in hostile foreign forces. Performers who kept their eyes and ears open at important occasions were not easily guarded against and could easily gather some information.

Whether it was the Cultural Propaganda Department headed by the red copper dragon Alfred, or the remaining noble forces in the North, they all had a group of bard spies in their hands.

However, with the Green藻河之盟 reached, the strength of the Golden Empire had become a target that the Northern countries urgently needed to detect. Therefore, whether in other cities or the Royal Capital, the number of bards coming and going increased day by day.

Some of these bards were even spies sent by the famous 'Harpers' organization. These harpers who used magic to fight against evil may be out of their own justice, or out of their inner stereotypes and biases, or for other reasons.

These bards began to conspire in various cities of the Golden Empire, inciting innocent and deceived people to resist the dragon's dictatorial rule and deceptive tyranny.

Perhaps these guys just wanted the rulers of the Golden Empire to crack down on these incited people, in order to expose their bloodiness, rather than hoping that these ordinary people could really resist the rule of the dragons.

Unfortunately, these arrogant harpers did not realize that the situation in the Empire was completely different from the situation in other noble territories.

Achilles' dark eyes watched a bard leaning against a green banyan tree outside a goblin tavern, singing "The Dragon's Treasure" with refined six-rhyme tones.

Even though this bard had disguised himself, dressing like a wandering poet, Achilles could tell that the high-end lute made of tulip wood was out of place.

A line of knights wearing armor as black as night walked down the street, causing a commotion.

The black armor of these knights was engraved with the emblem of the Dragon's Eye. Below the Dragon's Eye was a scale, with a book of law representing law on the left side of the scale and a sword of punishment representing judgment on the right side.

This special mark indicated that these knights belonged to the Imperial Inquisition's Inquisitorial Knights.

This team of Inquisitorial Knights swaggered over and suddenly stopped next to the bard, seemingly attracted by the poet's singing of "The Dragon's Treasure."

Until the end of the song, the bard stopped his performance, and the captain of the Inquisitorial Knights suddenly revealed his faceplate, revealing his face.

It was Nora, the girl who was famous for raising horses in Bay Stream City.

The rulers of the Golden Empire, those dragons, had only spent a few years that were not worth mentioning in their long lives, and the social structure in the territory had already undergone changes.

Those short-lived goblins and kobolds had changed two or three generations, and humans, who had relatively long lives among the short-lived races, were now also beginning to welcome the rise of new forces.

"Rollo, an outer member of the Harpers' Alliance, eighty-seven years old, a half-elf, half-human, from the Delta Principality in the Central Continent,"

Nora raised her heroic eyebrows and smiled, "Are you willing to come with us, or should we invite you to come with us?"

The bard named Rollo's face changed, and he hurriedly pushed through the crowd, fleeing into the deep alley behind the goblin tavern.

These bards had not been without gains in the Golden Empire during this period. At least these poets knew that no matter how exquisite their harps were magical treasures, it would be difficult for them to have any effect in front of these ancestral red dragon's lackeys.

But Nora and the knights of the Inquisition were not in a hurry to chase the fleeing poet, but walked into the goblin tavern with their companions.

The bouncer for this goblin tavern was a veteran who had retired from the Imperial Legion, with a limp, but those in the gray areas of the city never dared to underestimate these veterans.

Not only because of the veterans' skills, but also because these veterans had inextricable connections with the Empire's Veterans Affairs Department.

And the Veterans Affairs Department was the public contact point for all retired soldiers. Just like the gold dragons, hitting a veteran would earn you countless veterans.

If you had the ability to solve these veterans, then congratulations, next you would have to face the legion soldiers on active duty.

The Empire allowed the existence of gray areas because gray areas were accessories that any form of naturally developing civilization would derive, but it did not mean that the Empire would support them because of some gray tax revenue.

"Whoa, little Nora, now you've become a majestic captain of the Inquisitorial Knights," a veteran of the 'Red Pity' battle group greeted the snake-woman waitress of the tavern happily, filling each of the Inquisitorial Knights' glasses with ale.

"Uncle Callie, you're bribing public officials, which is illegal," the young woman Nora said, but she took the ale without hesitation and gulped it down.

"Bullshit, bullshit," the veteran laughed, "Do you think I'm one of those illiterate blind people? Why do you have time to come here? Don't tell me you came specifically to see me."

Nora wiped the corner of her mouth with a bold gesture and said nonchalantly, "There are a few too many rats in the Empire recently. Some of the rats are more difficult to deal with, so the Patrol Security Office applied to the Inquisition for several squads to provide assistance. Just now, a little rat ran away."

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"Then why aren't you hurrying after them? Go, go, don't delay important matters," the old soldier said, blowing his beard and glaring, agitated. "These rats actually dare to cause trouble in the Empire, they must be tired of living. If it weren't for the fact that some minor matters don't need to disturb His Majesty, we should have His Majesty turn all these rats into real rats and hang them over the rice bins."

"No rush, the rats can't escape," Nora chuckled, looking towards the lively tavern. In the corner, a thin werewolf with scorched and dry fur was playing the Empire's newly emerging card game—Werewolf with several dwarves and kobolds.

"Awoo, the night falls, please close your eyes," the skinny werewolf howled a couple of times, creating the atmosphere for the start of the game. Seeming to sense Nora's gaze, he turned his head.

"Don't worry, boss, those rats can't escape. I never go easy on anyone when facing a witch, and it's the same for these little rats," the skinny werewolf blinked his yellow beastly eyes, revealing his sharp teeth as he laughed, "As long as that little rat dares to find his companions, none of this nest of rats will escape, guaranteed!"

Nora nodded and winked at the old soldier.

These werewolves were members of the Dragonborn werewolf Saha's tribe, relocated to the Empire.

Some strong werewolves would choose to become Nightstalker warriors in the Imperial legions, but other werewolves with average abilities would often act as the Empire's gloves in controlling the gray areas, that is, the common underworld bosses.

However, as the Dragonborn werewolf Saha's status in the Empire gradually increased, his influence among the twelve werewolf clans also grew.

Now, many werewolves from other clans and wandering werewolves have come to settle in the Golden Empire.

The werewolf race has also begun to gradually occupy a role in the increasingly diverse civilization of the Golden Empire.

……

Achilles existed as an observer of everything happening around him, not only due to his young consciousness but also because of his identity.

However, even he himself didn't realize what significance the mark printed on the beast-hide backpack on his back held.

Anyway, when he passed through the Sinister Forest, known throughout the Empire for its terror and gloom, he didn't feel any fear because the low-level undead didn't dare to appear before him at all.

Those high-level undead, like bone knights, patrolled the Sinister Forest in tattered armor, and would even greet Achilles politely when they met him.

And the simple Achilles became quite familiar friends with these undead.

However, as Achilles crossed the Sinister Forest and began to climb diligently up the layers of stone steps towards the ten-thousand-meter peak, two familiar figures appeared before him.

"Brother Gabriel, Axis, why are you here? Are you here to pick me up again!"

A look of surprise suddenly appeared on Achilles's slightly depressed little face covered with light golden fluff. He quickly jumped up the steps that even adult humans had to climb with effort and came to the two familiar figures.

Red hair, dark golden pupils, a face and figure more dazzling than those elves in the Empire, the Empire's Dragonblood Angel revealed a smile.

And the silent, tall figure following behind Gabriel also nodded friendly towards Achilles.

A huge single eye, filled with pure white blazing light, unlike creatures from the mortal world.

"It's partly to pick you up, and also to say goodbye."

Gabriel, carrying a dragon-faced golden helmet, squatted down, looked at the somewhat disappointed little Achilles, a flash of light passed through his pupils, and asked softly, "Did those dragon whelps bully you again?"

Little Achilles nodded. In front of his brother, he didn't need to hide his thoughts at all.

"I might really be stupid. They don't really bully me, they just laugh at me, and I can't refute them."

Gabriel stroked Achilles's fluffy little head and said softly, "They're not actually laughing at you, they're jealous of you."

"Although you don't have the name of the Emperor's adopted son, you have the reality of it. They can't figure out why they are dragons, but they are not as favored by Father as you are."

Little Achilles was shocked and said in surprise, "Father favors me? Every time I go to find him, I always get pinned down by his tail, or crushed by one of his legs. I was almost crushed to death by Father several times."

A speechless expression appeared on Gabriel's face. He sighed helplessly, "Well, there's no helping that. In times of danger, Father is the most solid dome, but in normal times, he's the most dangerous one."

Little Achilles nodded in confusion, and with a mix of joy and bewilderment, said, "Oh."

Gabriel shook his head, looked at this ignorant fellow, and said earnestly, "Achilles, this time I'm going to be gone for a long time, to a very far place, maybe for several months. If you get bullied again, I won't be around to give you psychological counseling."

"So next time, if those dragon whelps dare to mock you again, you have to be brave, beat them all up, instead of enduring it yourself, slowly digesting it, and doubting yourself."

Little Achilles raised his head in surprise, "But, but they are all true dragons of the Empire, rulers of the same race as Father. I'm not a dragon. I don't have scales, I don't have horns, and I don't have wings."

Gabriel shook his head and said patiently, "Whether they will become true dragons of the Empire is not certain yet. Besides, even if they become true dragons of the Empire in the future, aren't you also the Empire's Behemoth!"

"Father knows that no matter what world or civilization, there will always be a small group of creatures standing at the very top. Rather than letting those creatures mix in with endless races, making it difficult to distinguish them, it's better to fix those dragons on the highest level."

"This way, when Father wants to deal with some ignorant fellows in the future, it will be easy to find the targets," Gabriel said meaningfully, "True dragons are not distinguished by race or bloodline, this is Father's holy word. Perhaps the outside world will think that this only refers to dragons, but simply relying on the identity of a dragon is not enough to gain the Emperor's approval!"

"Although you are a Behemoth, you can also become another kind of true dragon."

Achilles frowned and said timidly, "But I also want a pair of beautiful dragon horns, a body of beautiful dragon scales. I see that storm giants have already grown dragon scales on their bodies, why can't I grow dragon scales?"

"Your bloodline is very precious, one of the few in the world, even rarer than the dragon bloodline. It needs to be cherished and protected, uh, it needs to ensure pure blood so that it can better serve as research material... and take on the responsibility of racial reproduction."

Gabriel explained with an embarrassed face, "You just need to grow up quickly and then give birth to a nest of Behemoths, then you will grow a pair of beautiful dragon horns."

Little Achilles was overjoyed, and the light golden fluff on his face stood up straight. He shouted loudly, "Really, is that so?"

"In that case, I can beat those dragon whelps hard," Achilles quickly frowned again. He said somewhat embarrassedly, "But, I don't think I can beat them. They all have the dragon's inheritance, and I have nothing. They say my inheritance is sealed."

"It's okay," Gabriel showed a smile that the one-eyed giant Axis was particularly familiar with.

"I know that Father has been organizing his knowledge recently, and many of the magical knowledge mastered by Father have been forged into magical treasures with unique and powerful effects,"

Gabriel approached Achilles's ear and said softly, "Right at the entrance of his castle study, there is a small bell hanging in the corner of the eaves. That is a magical treasure forged from a powerful group transformation spell. As long as you tell Father to let you play with it for two days, you can beat those dragon whelps as much as you want."

Achilles was overjoyed, bid farewell to Gabriel and Axis, and then skipped away excitedly, taking three steps in two.

"Aren't you afraid of committing blasphemy by distorting His Majesty's meaning like this?" the silent one-eyed giant Axis finally spoke at this moment.

Gabriel stood up, shrugged, and said indifferently, "Everyone has their own understanding, this is my understanding, how can it be considered distortion?"

"Besides, children are in the most important period of growth. It is very necessary to lay some positive ideas for him. Who told the Emperor of the Empire to like to raise all his subjects like they are released in a big sheep pen."

"Let's go, Axis, this time we are going to another world to help the loyal warriors under the Emperor, and by the way, bring back a big guy! Thinking Machine, I am also very curious about the ultimate creation of another civilization."