Under the Red Dragon

Dragon's Nest, atop the mountain.

It was the thirteenth year of the Dragon Era, already deep winter.

The cold wind gradually rose, swirling the clouds in the sky.

But the cloud nest where the Floating Cloud Dragon slept, naturally surrounded by cloud vapor due to the dragon's slumber, was misty and hazy, isolating all the cold air currents from the high altitude.

Many of the trees, flowers, and plants in the Dragon King's castle courtyard had turned a bluish-gray. The trunk of the World Tree Ouvo had long extended into the clouds at the top of the sky, but no one could see the massive canopy, as if it existed in another space.

Only the thick, ancient trunk resembled the gray, heavy scales of some ancient dragons that had changed over the long years, thick and resilient.

An unknown Titan Python was coiled around the trunk of the World Tree Ouvo, its huge head with thick, long dragon horns lazily resting on a thick branch.

A long tail hung down in the low air, swaying back and forth, teasing a small, golden Behemoth—Achilles—under the tree.

The pixie Raven yawned lazily, sitting on the threshold of her flower house, which was built like an acorn with twin flower petals, swinging her little legs and cheering for Achilles.

Several consecutive nights of staying up late playing card games with Charlize and the ancient red dragon had left the pixie Raven with two large dark circles under her tender white eyes.

Even after catching up on sleep, the pixie Raven still felt a bit sluggish, so she simply sat there, spacing out.

And the eternally energetic ancient red dragon, seemingly never tiring, was standing on the wide observation deck on the highest level of the royal castle, gazing into the distance.

From the high peak, thousands of meters above, Calon's vision could reach the distant coastline.

Watching the waves stir up flocks of seabirds that skimmed over the beach, Calon seemed to hear the sound of the tide crashing against the shore, feeling that vast, desolate echo.

When the adult silver dragon Chris Tiana ascended the mountain peak, she saw such a scene.

The immense and majestic Dragon King's court had been expanded as the mountain range grew, and many buildings had been added to the outer perimeter of the castle, but now it was quiet.

The deep, long corridors of the castle no longer held the ancient golden dragon Obirash, who had once been imprisoned there. Those loyal warriors, like the storm giants hidden in the corners of the royal court, were silent, quiet, and stood like pillars of rock.

Occasionally, the soft songs of the elven maids came from the depths of the royal court, like echoes from a distant land, hazy and dreamlike.

The high platform appears in the world, but one does not see the waves washing clothes; one only sees the blue clouds reaching the sky.

At this moment, only the ancient red dragon standing on the high platform, looking up into the distance, was undoubtedly real in the eyes of the silver dragon Chris Tiana.

The silver dragon Chris knew that this ancient red dragon's arrogance was perhaps many times greater than that of the ancient golden dragon who once controlled the authority of arrogance.

However, the form of expression was different from that of the ancient golden dragon and other dragons, who looked down upon all living beings as pigs, dogs, cattle, and horses. Instead, it was this kind of calmness before her. It was a confidence as if everything was in his grasp, an arrogance that even if everything was overturned, he could recreate the world.

The silver dragon Chris had also hated this deeply hidden arrogance, but now this feeling of hatred had long been transformed into an indescribable emotion.

Fluttering, admiration, reverence, or something else—perhaps all of them were present.

This was not because of the ancient red dragon's unparalleled beauty among true dragons, nor was it because the ancient red dragon had easily crushed the adult silver dragon's resistance with his violent and unmatched posture in the duel.

These were only some of the factors, because this inexplicably arising emotion, described by humans as love, was often mixed with various different reasons, rather than a single one that could move this silver dragon.

It was like the adult silver dragon Chris knew why the order of the Golden Empire was so stable—it was not only because the security of the imperial order was built on the deterrence of dragons and the absolute power of the dragon legions.

But it was built on the fact that every race in the empire could find its own way to survive, and could find a way out through their own efforts in this land.

It did not leave the Golden People, who were so diverse that any country or noble would have a headache, with no way out, forcing them to try to challenge the order.

When the lower-level people in other nobles' territories regarded various wild vegetables, tree bark, and grass roots as regular ingredients in their pots, the people of the Golden Empire were already able to fill their stomachs every day.

Possessing the lowest grain tax in the world of Aikanya, all the empire's people were spared from hunger.

They could even, thanks to the empire's tax policies, become wealthy households that residents of other noble territories would not dare to dream of, simply by developing land and planting grain with their own hands.

Although the empire had now begun to introduce a series of restrictive policies to prevent excessive free land annexation by the people, and although there were many rumors that the dragons lived lavishly, no one had truly raised the banner of resistance against the dragon rule, and even voices opposing the dragon rule were rare.

Before the bards poured into the Golden Empire in large numbers, such voices had never even appeared.

It was impossible to achieve this solely by relying on so-called absolute power. Relying on the suppression of absolute power in fantasy, while disregarding reality, even a kingdom ruled by gods would not be able to do it.

When all living beings have no way out, they will erupt in a wave of resistance, even in the face of the divine light of the gods.

It was like Kuwash, who was still nailed to the bottom of Caselli by the spear of the orc god Gruumsh, and like Dukagsh, who used a magical spaceship to take countless orcs to the desolate universe.

Although this could be regarded as a conflict between gods, it was ultimately because the orcs, the believers, had a certain resistance to Gruumsh.

In the world of Aikanya, not only in the Northern Continent, but in all continents, the noble kingdoms that existed would experience slave and farmer rebellions because of this.

The continuous wars between those small nobles were not only driven by the nobles' annexation of each other's interests, but also partly because they transformed the contradictions within the territory into external contradictions, and incidentally consumed some of the population within the territory to achieve the purpose of redistributing interests.

The development of productive forces and the continuous reform and progress of production relations were the foundation for the empire's stability to this day.

Perhaps it would be more appropriate to describe this overly formalized term with the people's hearts and the collective consciousness of the Golden People.

It was by controlling the hearts of the Golden People and shaping the collective consciousness that the civilization of the Golden Empire had an incredibly solid foundation, enabling it to overlook the mountains and survey the seas in this wilderness.

"But now, I must leave this place, leave this land of civilization that I dream of," the silver dragon Chris quietly watched the ancient red dragon.

You stand on the bridge watching the scenery, and the person watching the scenery is watching you from the building.

The scene and the sky at this moment have the same wonderful effect.

The ancient red dragon seemed unaware, but the silver dragon Chris suddenly discovered something different.

The terrace where Calon Gogmora, the red dragon, was standing was diagonally above the silver dragon Chris, looking into the distance. Although the tall royal court was surrounded by clouds and mist, the silver dragon Chris was a natural master of controlling clouds and mist, enough to see the figure of the ancient red dragon.

However, why could she observe the eyes of the ancient red dragon from the lower side?

Eyes like sparkling crimson gems, dark golden vertical pupils, as if looking directly at her.

The fair skin on the silver dragon Chris's neck suddenly showed patches of fine scales, and the blush that quietly rose on her face was also covered by the dense silver scales. "He saw me!"

When the ancient red dragon on the high platform saw the humanoid form of the adult silver dragon Chris, the immense true dragon form transformed in silent fluctuations into a human face that the silver dragon had never seen before—the Lord of Humans.

In a trance, some details that the silver dragon Chris had not noticed before flashed through her mind.

Behind the ancient red dragon's head, another pair of dragon horns had grown, with patterns of storms and thunder entwined around them.

"Come up!"

Calon Gogmora looked down at the humanoid silver dragon Chris Tiana, and his commanding tone could not arouse the slightest resistance in Chris's mind.

Because he was a heroic and handsome man. His sword-like eyebrows reached his temples, and his eyes were like stars, as deep as an abyss. His body was strong and majestic, and his features were difficult to carve.

The whole person stood there as if he were the ruler of the entire world before him, and even the majestic royal court under his feet seemed inferior to this man's spirit.

The ancient red dragon's true dragon form was a complex collection of various contradictions, so the humanoid form in front of the silver dragon Chris Tiana was the ultimate embodiment of a certain temperament.

So the adult silver dragon responded in a low voice, but did not choose to fly.

She stretched out her slender fingers and summoned the swirling clouds and mist to turn into layers of climbing steps, step by step straight up to the sky, landing in front of Calon.

The breeze flowed, carrying the fragrance of some precious wood and flowers. The songs of the female servants in the castle also became so real at this time, like the sound of raindrops falling into a calm lake, beating on the silver dragon Chris's heart.

And Calon Gogmora's gaze was like a heavy hammer standing outside the door and knocking.

The silver dragon Chris subconsciously shifted her gaze away, pretending to scan the highest point of the castle that she had never ascended before.

Unlike the nests built by other dragons, the nests of other dragons would be hung with the bones and skulls of various powerful creatures, such as deep-sea magic whales and centipede sea snakes, as proof of their martial prowess and trophies.

However, in the room at the top of the castle of the ancient red dragon, the sandalwood shelves on both sides of the walls were only filled with stacks of books and picture books that had been arranged by the female servants.

The thick and soft carpet that covered the entire room, the curtains painted with flowing clouds in the high sky, and a drawing table placed in the center of the room opposite the terrace.

Exquisite porcelain vases were filled with fresh flowers picked by the castle's female servants, which still had the taste of morning dew.

But Calon's light sentence broke the silver dragon Chris's attempt to conceal herself.

"I have been watching most of the things you have done in the empire," Calon quietly approached the somewhat apprehensive silver dragon and said softly, "You have performed very well, Chris. The outside world calls you the Silver Dragon Valkyrie, but I think the Wise Valkyrie is more appropriate."

The strong and majestic body approached, and what came was not the breath of a human, but the scent of a male dragon.

The cold silver dragon did not like the red dragon's restless and violent lava smell, just as creatures of the ice and snow lands did not like the weather of the hot regions.

But Calon's scent had a special taste like the sun shining on the sea in the early morning, making the silver dragon Chris feel that her cold body was like drinking a glass of fiery wine, a burning and warm feeling.

But when she thought of the purpose and result of her trip, Chris's body became cold again.

She raised her head and faced Calon's aggressive gaze, and her jade-like teeth knocked out a cold voice, "I am very happy to be recognized by the Dragon Emperor, but I am ultimately not qualified to stay in this land. Like a certain dragon's praise, perhaps it is not sincere, maybe my ability has not yet reached the requirements of the Gogmora dragon group."

Calon looked at the humanoid silver dragon Chris, and his heart moved slightly.

From the perspective of the aesthetics of humanoid races, the humanoid Anta Gena and Kleinaya were both unique beauties, but even the two naturally outstanding female dragons in the Gogmora dragon group were slightly inferior to Chris in appearance.

Her humanoid form was taller than other female dragons, her calves were slender and straight, her thighs were plump and round, and the two dragon horns transformed between her hair made her look like a snow deer in the mountains.

Chris was wearing a silver, generally narrow-leaved, fitted dress, and these narrow silver leaves flowed slightly as the silver dragon's body bulged and contracted with each breath, and from the gaps in the leaves, one could glimpse her soft, snow-white skin and figure.

And the makeup flower on the silver dragon's forehead, as if Calon had once personally imprinted the Dragon's Covenant on it, also added an unusual charm to her.

And the black velvet neckband around Chris's slender white neck, with a transparent and shining ruby inlaid in the center of the neckband, was the gift that Calon had once given to the silver dragon.

Although her appearance was like a noble Valkyrie, the silver dragon Chris's constantly flickering gaze was like a little deer.

So Calon's voice became gentle, no longer like the previous tone.

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"Chris, look into my eyes," Calon reached out and held the silver dragon Chris's jaw, which she could no longer help but turn away at this moment, and said softly, "I know your heart for the empire, and I also highly recognize your ability."

"However, your ability does not necessarily have to be displayed within the empire."

The silver dragon Chris's eyes lit up, and her flickering gaze looked directly at Calon, "You mean?"

Calon retracted his hand in time to avoid any accidental suspicion. He smiled faintly, "In you, I see the shining point of the silver dragon race. Although it is easy to be deceived by hypocrisy, at least, many silver dragons have the potential to be changed like you."

Calon put his hands behind his back, strode to the drawing table and stood, gently tapping the blank drawing paper on the table and said, "Silver dragons of your race have been dyed another color by fundamentalism, but the empire's ideology and civilization can also dye some silver dragons another color that we want."

"Dragons are born with long lifespans and talents that are smarter than other races, and they should not waste them on beast-like behavior."

"Dragons should be a race that pursues progress. If so many dragons in the world could gather together, give full play to their talents, and pursue evolution, what kind of achievements would we achieve?"

Silver Dragon Chris looked at Kalong's eloquent manner, although in her heart, this was also a demonstration of the ambition of the Ancestral Red Dragon.

In the myriad of plane worlds, like water droplets in a vast ocean, or in the astral realm, there exist many dragon lords, or arrogant dragon kings of various colors.

But never has there been anyone like Kalong Goggomora, who wants to become the Dragon Emperor ruling all dragons, creating a civilization and nation of dragons, comparable to the great glory of the ancient dragon era.

This is something that even the dragon gods in the divine kingdom cannot achieve.

The greater the ambition, the greater the ability. Perhaps this is the aggressive charm of the Ancestral Red Dragon.

This charm made Chris feel that the voice of the Ancestral Red Dragon was like a hallucination, hazy and distant.

But the words of the Ancestral Red Dragon made the Silver Dragon Chris's somewhat hazy spirit suddenly clear up.

"I don't want those dragons to die in my hands in the future because of their own stubbornness and persistence," Kalong's eyes were as calm as the sea, but his voice was filled with bone-chilling coldness.

"Only through death will they fear, will they be afraid, will they reflect, will they sublimate, will they embrace their wisdom."

Chris's eyes widened suddenly, and she stammered, "N...not that far, right?"

Kalong shook his head, "Rather than letting these dragons, these creatures, this world be reaped by the gods before being destroyed, it is better to let them bloom with their final value in my hands."

"So, Chris, I really want to believe you, but can you be believed by me?"

Silver Dragon Chris gritted her teeth and thought for a long time before saying, "I will not betray my race, Kalong, but if it is just trying to change the minds of those metallic dragons, I will try my best."

"Very good, that's enough," Kalong clapped his hands and said with a light smile, "But after you go back, you will definitely be attacked, even suppressed, and maybe even more so."

"Because you have deviated from their fundamentalism and are incompatible with them."

Chris shook her head and said softly, "I don't care. Just like all silver dragons can face stronger evils for their beliefs, I can also pay for it."

Kalong shook his head and said gently, "But I don't want you to pay any price."

Chris Tiana suddenly felt the male dragon's scent burning like wildfire in her heart, and dense fine scales instantly covered her face.

"Hehe,"

Kalong chuckled softly, but turned around and stood at the drawing table, picking up a paintbrush to depict on the blank drawing paper.

Silver Dragon Chris couldn't help but walk to Kalong's side, quietly watching this unique dragon, doing unique things.

But the lines and traces on the drawing paper were neither ink-like traces, nor colorful oil paintings, nor rock paintings like on rock walls.

The patterns gradually outlined on the drawing paper were more like clusters of shadows, gradually born under Kalong's brush, twisting and gathering, gradually outlining the back of a huge dragon.

Chris couldn't help but ask in surprise, "What is this?"

Kalong concentrated on depicting the shadows, while telling Chris, "This is my thinking about some theories, and an attempt to acquire abilities."

"This is based on some old theories of epistemology. Generally speaking, there are two ways to know things: one is to decompose downwards, breaking things down into the most basic units."

"Or synthesize upwards, abstracting things into a collection of certain cognitive functions."

"And knowing things often requires comprehensive unity, using two different perspectives and methods at the same time. Of course, due to the inherent structural defects and knowledge limitations of the creatures in the world, this simple epistemology is always imperfect."

"There are also some characteristics that cannot be classified as functions or basic units, and need to be defined separately. For example, aesthetics, which is meaningless to many living races."

Kalong stopped his brush, looked into the eyes of Silver Dragon Chris, and said, "Maybe you will pass by the scenery I once saw in the future. Of course, the above theory is just my methodology of some cognitive abilities, and the source of my ability,"

"is in some philosophical schools, there is such a theory that in the world, as long as there is something that exists, there will be a model of that thing itself existing in this world."

"Just like a tree, there must be a model of a tree as a standard existing in this world. What we feel is just the projection of that model, and we can only 'try' to fully feel the projection of this model, but cannot 'absolutely' feel the real model."

"Are you saying that the painting you drew is not a painting, but a projection of your model that exists in this world?" Silver Dragon Chris is not a dragon like White Dragon Camid, so she quickly understood what Kalong meant.

Kalong smiled and then said, "My painting is of course a painting, but it is also a kind of projection of the essence of my understanding of the world."

"Huff,"

Kalong lowered his head, blew out a cloud of hot air, dried the ink marks on the painting, and then rolled up the painting and handed it to Silver Dragon Chris.

"Be careful, Chris, this is not only my projection, but also a display of some extremely negative, dark thoughts and shadows that exist in myself."

"If you don't want others to die in your hands, don't easily open it and let others see it. Otherwise, it will kill all the creatures it can kill, except you."

"So dangerous?"

Silver Dragon Chris pursed her moist red lips again and again, and still hugged this particularly dangerous gift tightly in her arms.

"Thank you, Kalong," Chris said in a low voice.

Kalong couldn't help but reach out his finger and tapped the makeup flower on the silver dragon's forehead, and said gently, "Actually, it's not very dangerous. Well, this projection exists based on my personality and consciousness, so if you want to actively order it to kill a fixed target, you have to have a special magic spell to drive it."

Chris's eyes were bright, like spring lake water rippling, and she softly asked, "Then what exactly is the spell!"

"Hehe," Kalong suddenly made some particularly atmosphere-destroying strange laughter. He lowered his voice, as if afraid that the maids in the castle would hear, and whispered in Silver Dragon Chris's ear: "The spell is - Your Majesty, please turn around!"

The warm breath hit the silver dragon's white, ingot-like ears, making Silver Dragon Chris feel that her heart was as itchy as her ears.

So Silver Dragon Chris transformed into her true dragon form, but raised her head high.

Huff,

The huge ancestral red dragon's true form appeared, and he looked down at Silver Dragon Chris, gently kissing the silver dragon's forehead.

The dragon's dragon contract was quietly established at this moment.

But this is not material, but the dragon contract between the ancestral red dragon Kalong Goggomora and the adult silver dragon Chris Tiana.

The adult silver dragon breathed in the male dragon's aura of the ancestral red dragon, and her slender neck wrapped around and rubbed against the dragon emperor's strong neck, and suddenly let out a sigh of satisfaction.

"Kalong, you can always trust me, unless, I am no longer me!"

Silver Dragon Chris gently pressed her dragon horns against the ancestral red dragon's strong chest, and said softly.

The voice was as lazy as lingering, as soft as flowing water, time passed slowly, everything was unsaid.