Under the Red Dragon

Before dawn, the sea was shrouded in a hazy light, and the massive ship was bathed in the damp, cold sea mist, with the distant sound of sailors striking the clapper.

In the captain's cabin of the "Dragon Roar," Nidru quietly smoked tobacco sold by the Golden Empire, the white smoke swirling around him.

Behind him, on the cabin wall, hung a painting of a dragon roaring in the clouds at sea, its colors distinct and lifelike, a carefully crafted artistic collection from the hands of a master painter.

Any industry or civilized nation that has ties with the Golden Empire is, to varying degrees, being influenced by the Golden Empire's culture. The worship of dragons and cultural research has begun to prevail among the pirates at sea.

However, Nidru was not a blind worshiper of those dragons, but simply because of his long-term dealings with the Golden Empire, he bought this artwork from a great painter to express his desire to befriend the Empire.

In the actions of some superiors, there is always a purpose, and it is rare to see pure preferences.

Although Nidru is not a superior being, he is the undisputed master of his fleet.

This former great pirate puffed on his tobacco leaves, his spirits lifted as he began to think about the extent to which his fleet should be expanded in the coming year.

He wondered whether he should hire those 'Mentat' apprentices in the Golden Empire to help him plan and manage the future of his fleet.

Although he did have this intention, the newly emerging 'Mentat' butlers in the Golden Empire were an extremely noble profession.

Even a wealthy ship owner like Nidru had to make up his mind to spend a lot of money to hire a 'Mentat' apprentice from the Empire's relevant institutions.

And the mercenaries that the 'Dragon Roar' paid to the Golden Empire every year were also a considerable fortune, and the interest paid to the Empire's shipyards was also a heavy burden on this former great pirate.

This main ship was originally the third-generation product of the Golden Empire's shipyard, an expensive but very powerful ship.

Although it had masts, they were only backup facilities in case of accidents. The real driving force behind this giant ship was the steam-powered magic engine developed by the Magic Research Institute.

Only this powerful dual-engine could provide enough power to allow this large ship, 80 meters long and 18 meters wide, to rampage across the western Sea of ​​Fury.

Such a huge ship was much larger than the merchant ships of the northern and southern countries, and it relied on the new sea route opened by the Golden Empire to travel between the Western Continent and the Golden Empire.

Each time, it transported fur products, tea, salt, grain, and various military ironware to the Western Continent, bringing back slaves, gold, magical specialties, and magic gemstone ore, as well as specialties from the Vampire Kingdom, the Shadow Nest Kingdom, the Elf Kingdom, and the Dwarf Kingdom, in a cycle that had been going on for several years.

Whether for the Golden Empire's merchant groups or for trade fleets like Nidru's, this new sea route was already a road to wealth comparable to the Golden Road.

Under the guidance of the Golden Empire's abandonment of old colonialism and the implementation of new economic and capital colonialism, the Empire's internal economic forces were stretching out shadowy tentacles to its friendly neighbors.

However, the sea route also contained great risks. Unlike the already mature Golden Sea Route, the sea route between the Western Continent and the Golden Empire was more dangerous.

This was not only because the Golden Empire's rule had not yet expanded on the west coast, but also because of sea storms, whirlpools, sea monsters, and pirates.

However, some small pirates did not dare to block Nidru's merchant group, not only because of Nidru's former insider status, but also because of the veteran guards Nidru hired.

Nidru tapped his pipe, opened the window, let the cold sea breeze disperse the smoke in the room, and also heard the lively sounds coming from the hall of this luxurious main ship.

A smile appeared on Nidru's face, and he opened the door and walked towards the hall on the top.

The hall was brightly lit, and the 'Moonlight' from the Golden Empire had been hung up, and there were also braziers burning brightly to dispel the sea wind and cold.

A one-eyed veteran with an eye patch was lying alone in front of the brazier, the thick recliner allowing the veteran to enter a warm dream.

This was a veteran from the retired legions of the Golden Empire, and also a warrior who had made meritorious service.

Such veterans were hot commodities in the merchant group. Even if they did nothing, just staying in the fleet could bring many benefits to the merchant group.

Not only were the customs interactions much less demanding when these veterans came forward, but even if they encountered threats in the near sea, these veterans could also exert their energy and summon the help of the Imperial Navy fleet that might be cruising on the sea.

This rule, which could not be considered a hidden rule, also allowed retired Imperial warriors to enjoy a lofty status and a respected reputation.

Nidru was also one of the first veterans to purchase the Golden Empire's 'Indulgence Scrolls', so he was able to hire retired Imperial veterans through introductions from others.

Otherwise, these retired veterans would be difficult to be moved by some simple wealth.

In addition, the task of these veterans also included supervising the behavior of these pirates who had defected to the Empire. Once these pirates showed signs of their old ways, they would be purged by the Empire to avoid affecting the Golden Empire's reputation.

However, it was also because of the open and honest regulations and constraints that many pirates who had defected to the Golden Empire were relieved and embarked on the Empire's path of economic expansion as citizens of the Empire.

Nidru looked at the scene in the cabin hall, where table after table was crowded with people, including many vampires, dwarves, and some elves.

These mainstream races from the Western Continent were temporarily at peace in his fleet, even if they had had disputes with each other in the past.

This was not only because these races in the Western Continent had been technologically and resource-blocked by human kingdoms, which led to these races having almost no desire to build ocean-going fleets and had to rely on Nidru's merchant group.

It was also because Nidru was a 'red-top' merchant of the Golden Empire, and this Saint-level great pirate had been received by the Empire's Dragon Lord.

Nidru was greeted by many voices wherever he went.

"Good day, Mr. Nidru!"

"Good day, sir,"

Nidru nodded in response. Those who took the initiative to say hello were the fleet members gathered around the tables playing Golden Empire leisure card games.

The cultural infection from the Golden Empire had begun to spread rapidly to the surrounding areas in terms of entertainment. Not only the fleet members, but also the vampires and elves were gathered around the card tables, abandoning their former elegance and arrogance, shouting angrily or excitedly.

The Minister of Agriculture and Deputy Minister of Cultural Propaganda of the Empire, the pixie Riven, not only perfected the rules of Myriad World Cards, but also reproduced another card game.

It also belongs to the Myriad World Card, but it is a variant system of the Myriad World Card. It was called Hearthstone by the Ancestral Red Dragon, and Riven named it Myriad World—Floating Life Card.

It has no other meaning, it is simply that the pixie saw the spell once demonstrated by the Ancestral Red Dragon—Floating Life Like a Dream. The pixie thought the name of the Ancestral Red Dragon's spell was very nice, so it was named Floating Life Card.

Thanks to the promotion base of Myriad World Cards and the previous promotion experience, Floating Life Card was widely sought after as soon as it was released, and it ushered in huge sales growth as soon as it was released, once making the Empire's cultural transformation income account for nearly 0.5% of the Empire's monthly fiscal revenue.

Moreover, after the baptism of Myriad World Cards, Floating Life Card has a more standardized and concise rule setting than Myriad World Cards, and it also has a larger basic audience. Unexpectedly, the Empire's propaganda is much faster than the self-promotion of these people in the Empire's merchant groups.

Moreover, the Empire's pricing for the Floating Life Card, which contains a deck of thirty cards, is only ten copper coins, which can be said to be extremely cheap. Even some ordinary people can afford it, let alone these merchant group members and traders at sea.

Nidru himself also bought many sets of decks to deal with different battles. Now that the fleet is about to enter the near sea area, he, as the captain, does not need to worry too much, so he began to look for his opponent with an unbearable itch.

"Damn it, you actually have the legendary card Storm Giant Garcia. This is not fair at all. You defeated me with money, not with your skills."

A vampire roared at the dwarf in front of him: "You smelly dwarf, wait, I will compete with you again after I arrive in the Golden Empire!"

"Hahaha," the dwarf laughed, and then drew the rare card from the vampire's deck and placed it in front of him.

The dwarf's beard twitched and he said gleefully: "I spent fifty gold to draw this legendary card, which is considered good luck for me, but it is said that in the Empire, a lucky kid only spent one gold to draw the only card above the legendary."

In the Floating Life Card released by the Empire, there are four levels of card types: ordinary, rare, legendary, and unique. This is an adaptation from the pixie Riven, and the only purpose is to drive up the price of the subsequent expansion packs and collector's packs of the Floating Life Card.

Other levels of cards can be opened in ordinary packs, legendary cards can only be opened in expansion packs, but unique cards can only be opened in collector's packs.

Unique cards not only have a unique appearance and magical effect, but also have unique abilities. Even two cards of the same character have different abilities. Moreover, it is said that these unique cards can also have some unique magical abilities like magic secret treasures.

Just like the unique card that has appeared for the first time—Pixie Great Fairy Riven, it is said that the magical ability of this card is the fairy dust that confuses others.

The vampire's face turned blue. The core rare card in his deck was taken away by the dwarf, which made his heart ache. He made up his mind that he would build his deck with a lot of money after arriving in the Golden Empire and find this dwarf to avenge his shame.

Nidru shook his head and smiled: "It's not dirty to play priest, how do you play? Your nobility should not be used on the card table, noble vampire Your Excellency."

As one of the earliest players to accept the gameplay, Nidru has already explored many different ways to play. In his eyes, this vampire's card skills are still very inexperienced.

Under Riven's arrangement, Floating Life Card has changed a lot depending on the situation. Currently, the only professions launched are Warrior, Mage, Stealth Rogue, Paladin, Priest, Druid, and Warlock.

The decks Nidru collected included all the ordinary cards and rare cards of the priest profession. For this reason, Nidru felt a little heartache for the whole morning, because the gold coins he had earned from hard work traveling through the sea had fallen into the dragon's treasury for 60 gold coins.

"What is the future of being a pirate and robbing? Isn't it faster to rob money like this," Nidru once thought angrily.

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But now Nidru has calmed down.

The vampire and the dwarf's game has ended. The vampire began to sort out his cards, while the dwarf gulped down a mouthful of ale and began to shout to see if anyone wanted to challenge him.

Nidru looked at the elf and a black-haired beauty who were also sitting around the table and asked with a smile: "Ms. Ajani, are you also interested in playing a game?"

Yes, Nidru had his own additional purpose. He was not only a red-top merchant of the Golden Empire, but also served as a scout for information. This was the basic responsibility of every merchant group loyal to the Golden Empire.

The beautiful elf shook her head gently, her movements elegant and dignified. The crown decorated with leaves of the tree of life and agate exuded a vibrant atmosphere, and her long, curved eyelashes were like hanging dewdrops in the morning, dotted with sparkling stardust.

The golden hair was like soft sunset golden rays, making this beautiful elf princess have extraordinary charm.

As everyone knows, elves, like dwarves, have many variants. Isabel Ajani is also a noble gold elf among the elves, with charm and appearance that mortal creatures cannot compare to.

Ajani showed two shallow dimples on her cheeks. She said softly with a smile: "Captain Nidru, I don't have any decks about Floating Life Card, although I also like this game."

Nidru smiled, "It doesn't matter at all, Ms. Ajani, I can give you a set of formed decks. You can try to fight me. After all, this is also your wish to leave the elf's fleet and board my fleet. This is a kind of culture of the Golden Empire. You can learn something from it."

Ajani turned her head to look at the black-haired beauty beside her who was very interested and said softly: "Silia, I think you are very interested, would you like to play a game with Captain Nidru."

The black-haired beauty named Silia showed a happy expression, pulled out the chair and sat down, and giggled: "Actually, I am not interested in this kind of game, mainly because Captain Nidru said that he can give away a set of decks, so I am very interested."

Nidru sat down opposite Silia, took out two treasured deck boxes from his sleeves, pushed one of the boxes to Silia, and asked casually: "Ms. Silia, should be a noble dragon?"

Silia laughed heartily: "You can see through it so easily. It seems that the people of the Golden Empire are all talented people with special abilities."

Nidru shook his head, took out his deck, and then smiled: "If Ms. Silia is willing to become a partner with Ms. Ajani, then I don't need to say much. If it is not voluntary, Ms. Silia can ask the Empire for protection and terminate your contract with Ms. Ajani."

It was not that Nidru was powerful enough to sense the contract between Silia and Ajani, but that the elf princess had once ridden a female black dragon to tour and investigate the situation on the elf fleet, and was detected by the fleet's observer.

The Dragon Knights of the Elves once had a renowned reputation in the Western Continent, which is why Nidelu would say such things.

Aghani's delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly, and she asked with some concern, "Captain Nidelu, Celia voluntarily signed a contract with me, but will this affect the Golden Empire's dragon lords' negative perception of the elves?"

Before Nidelu could answer, Celia laughed and said, "Don't worry, Aghani. The fact that I voluntarily signed a partnership contract with you means that, in the eyes of dragons, I treat you as a pet."

"To outsiders, an elf dragon knight looks particularly impressive, but in the eyes of the dragon race, it's just a dragon putting its pet cat on its head to fight. Don't worry!"

Nidelu also laughed and, while fighting Celia in her transformed dragon state, explained, "The dragon lords of the Golden Empire are not like other ordinary dragons. They are wise and rational rulers with intelligence. Your Excellency Aghani doesn't need to worry. With Celia's guarantee, Your Excellency will not be affected by other opinions."

Aghani nodded gently, and the dimples on her cheeks reappeared. She said softly, "It is precisely for this reason that the Elven race went to the Golden Empire to seek the help of the Empire's many Dragon Kings and the Emperor to establish friendly relations."

Nidelu played a card and asked softly, "I wonder if you could tell me why the Elven race is seeking help from the Golden Empire? Of course, if it's difficult to answer, Your Excellency Aghani doesn't have to answer. After all, I'm just curious."

Of course, Nidelu wasn't just curious. If he could find out the elves' intentions and the Golden Empire didn't want to deal with it directly, then the Elven race would definitely not see any dragon lords upon arriving at the Empire, only ordinary reception officials.

"It's all those Deep Dragon Drow, seducers from the Underdark," Celia said carelessly.

Aghani nodded. "Those Deep Dragon Drow from the Underdark, driven by Deep Dragons, actually launched an attack on the Elven race. Those Drow are also affected by spells, forcibly polluting and enslaving dragons that are friendly to the elves. Among them, Celia's clansmen were even killed by those Drow and used as materials for evil spells."

"And the Dragon Emperor of the Northern Continent is the king who rules all dragons, so the Elven race hopes to get help from the Empire."

In fact, the Golden Empire's 'Green Algae River Alliance' with the Frost Giants had a much greater impact than imagined.

In the 'Green Algae River Alliance,' the restraint and rationality shown by the Golden Empire have made almost all civilized nations recognize the Empire's place in the order of things.

Even the Elven Kingdom has extended an olive branch to the Golden Empire because of this.

Especially after the Progenitor Red Dragon defeated the Legendary Gold Dragon and the Legendary Titan, its wisdom and power aroused the respect of other forces.

It is worth mentioning that, among the dragons, most dragons do not recognize the Progenitor Red Dragon's title of Dragon Emperor, but in the eyes of other races and civilizations, the Progenitor Red Dragon, Kalon Kogmora, is already the Dragon Emperor.

Nidelu smiled and said, "Those Deep Dragon Drow are really ignorant. If the Empire's dragon lords find out, they'll be in for a good time."

Aghani nodded, then sighed.

In fact, Aghani didn't tell the whole truth. Although elves are not as cunning as humans, they are not naive either.

The more important reason for coming to the Golden Empire is that the Sky Life Tree in the Elven race has been infected by something.

As a Sky Life Tree with the potential to evolve into a World Tree, it is one of the most important treasures of the Elven race, affecting almost all the elves living in that kingdom.

The Elven race knows that there are also many Life Trees in the Golden Empire, so they decided to send this most beautiful princess to lead an envoy to visit the Empire, investigate the situation, and seek the Empire's help.

"The Sky Life Tree is turning into a Golden Tree. I wonder if the Life Trees in the Golden Empire have been affected," Aghani's eyes showed confusion. "Can the future of the Elven race be reversed with the help of the Empire?"

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