Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The old man's body was extremely enormous and he was over five full meters tall. He seemed like a normal old man who was enlarged. He wore a light green long Druid's robe with the symbols of a golden moon and a silver star on top. He also had a white looped ear of wheat that represented his over Level Ten Great Druid status.
This Druid's aura was concealed fairly well as Garen could not sense his exact level despite detecting it carefully.
He was at the very least a Level Ten being.
After both of them had sat down facing each other, the old man sized Garen up once before opening his mouth slowly.
“You don't have to detect it anymore. I'm currently located in the village and all of my strength has fused with the village's Protection Matrix as one. Thus, I'm the entire Matrix. This Matrix has Level Fifteen peak powers. Although my Spirit Power is insufficient to control such great forces, it can achieve roughly Level Fourteen when I bring it into play.”
He smiled.
“Moreover, are there any mere level differentiations that can clearly describe everything that happens in this world?”
“You have a point.” Garen nodded in admiration. He lifted the cup of dark green tea that was prepared before him and tipped it into his mouth gently before a sweetness and fragrance that resembled honey filled his mouth instantly. It was tinged with the scent of various flowers that made it impossible for people not to relax their bodies completely and be drunk in it.
“This is a rare honey that was made by collecting more than three thousand different types of flowers and pollen. The cup that you drank requires a year to be made,” explained the old Elf. “It just so happened that we could get rid of the intense Abyss aura on your body.”
Garen's heart trembled.
“You've managed to tell.”
Indeed as the other party had said, it was completely impossible to fully distinguish between power levels simply by relying on level part.i.tions. Situations where great reversals occurred at times among opponents with a few levels between them were not nonexistent. After all, forces were merely a form of strength but schemes, strategies, military tactics, pitfalls, and other things were also parts of strength.
“I've been good friends with the Third Elder of your clan for many years. Although that fellow is obsessed with ambition and desires to truly become independent and leave White Dragon Mountain so that the White Dragon Clan can develop greatly, your clan has steadily deteriorated these few years, especially after you were banished,” said the Elven Elder quietly.
“Was it due to a type of pressure or an enemy?” asked Garen quietly while raising his eyebrow.
“An enemy.” The Elder shook his head. “That's right, you can call me Green Beard.”
“You can also simply address me as Garen,” said Garen politely.
“Alright, Garen.” Green Beard continued speaking, “During the Ten Thousand Dragon War five years ago when the Great Decisive Battle between the Deladia Empire and the Black Elves was ongoing, both sides threw in almost all of their own military forces. Numerous young adults who were in the prime of their lives were also thrown in by the White Dragon Clan naturally. The final outcome was…”
“They were defeated?” Garen furrowed his eyebrows.
“Yes, badly defeated.” Green Beard nodded while a hint of melancholy appeared on his face.
“Badly defeated… From what I know, the Empire's forces should greatly surpa.s.s that of the Black Elves right?” said Garen in a puzzled manner.
“That's a given. Emperor Gus has achieved up to Level Fifteen critical unnatural powers in more than one lifetime. He also brought the Divine Weapon called Reversed Misfortune Dragon Spear that was basically unstoppable,” Green Beard exhaled. “However, an unexpected variable has occurred.”
“Variable?”
“Void Crevices. Numerous Void Crevices have surged out from the rear before an abundance of Void Creatures charged out. The Empire's troops were caught in the middle of a converging attack on both sides that resulted in a crus.h.i.+ng defeat. One of the powerful creatures was even well-versed in our language. He called himself the Enchanted Hunting Demon Master. He was simply not an opponent that Emperor Gus could challenge. During the Ten Thousand Dragon War, he captured numerous members of the dragon race that had taken part in the war and slaughtered, devoured, and even enslaved them. Although it is unknown why he let off the part of the White Dragon Clan, the White Dragons fought fatally against the Black Elves because of the previous Ten Thousand Dragon War and suffered terrible casualties.”
“Demon Master?” Garen laughed bitterly. He had never expected that the White Dragon would be let off after he ran around in circles and returned to his own world. It appeared that this Enchanted Hunting Demon Master was aware of some inside information. Perhaps it was because he knew Deception Demon Master or that Garen's Therapist reputation had spread far and wide. There could be other reasons behind this but in short, the other party had given him some face.
“It looks like you know some things.” Green Beard could keenly notice Garen's differences.
“It's fine. It would be better for me to return personally for a visit and witness it with my own eyes.” Garen stood up.
“That's good as well. My Teleportation Array here leads directly to your clan. It'll be good for you to return for a visit and ask them questions personally. Actually…” Green Beard was about to speak but he hesitated and did not open his mouth in the end.
Garen glanced at him.
“Thank you very much.”
“Don't mention it. I hope that you can unify the current clan properly.” Green Beard shook his head.
Garen left the bamboo house and walked in the direction of the Teleportation Array while being led there by a male Elf.
Along the way, there were numerous Elves around him that ran over to look at him. There were old and young men and women who watched him with friendly gazes. It appeared that the White Dragon Clan had previously left a pretty good impression on them.
Garen had even encountered a little group of human adventurers who were invited inside to drink tea. These people were strictly monitored as if they were prisoners. When they saw that Garen was receiving special treatment that was worlds apart from their own, this group of people clearly thought that it was unfair.
Garen stood on the Teleportation Array before a hazy layer of green light flashed and covered every part of his entire body.
The vast stretch of green flowed before his eyes before the green shades dispersed after sustaining for a few short seconds. A pure white ice wall now appeared before his eyes. He was currently located inside a creva.s.se that was not very big while an Elder White Dragon that seemed crippled was guarding it on the side. He opened his dragon eyes that were dim-sighted from old age and looked at Garen carefully.
“You are?” Since only the creatures that were approved by the Elven Elder could arrive here through the Teleportation Array, he did not display any malicious intentions.
“The clan has already reached this extent?” Garen did not answer his question but looked at him in a stunned manner instead.
They had actually sent a crippled Elder White Dragon to guard such an important Teleportation Array.
He released a hint of Draconic Aura lightly before that specialized Draconic Aura made the Elder White Dragon's entire body tremble suddenly.
“I'm Garen.”
Garen's voice echoed slowly.
The Elder White Dragon had yet to react before he saw Garen disappear instantly. Only a fragmented shadow that vanished slowly remained on the original spot.
The whoos.h.i.+ng sound of wind swept past the side of Garen's ear and reverberated there.
He had transformed into his dragon body already and was looking down at the original White Dragon Clan below him. Numerous weak White Dragons had formed patrol groups that were flying around the snowy peaks while the Dragon Whelps were currently wailing while being trained by their instructors in the middle of the snowy peak.
Several slightly muscular Adult Dragons were about to fly out now. When it seemed as though they had noticed this White Dragon that they had never seen before, they turned around and flew towards him immediately.
“You are…” One White Dragon could vaguely see a blurry but familiar appearance.
“Garen??!!” he yelled suddenly. “You're Garen?!!”
His voice reverberated throughout the entire White Dragon Snow Peak suddenly before numerous drawn-out echoes surged out.
White Dragon Snow Peak was completely silent at first before it flared up instantly soon after that. A mere duration of a few short decades was not a long time to the White Dragons. Hence, it seemed as though Garen had only left for a short while.
Numerous White Dragons that were still here flew out one after another before encircling Garen's body in the air.
While he was suspended in mid-air, only ten Adult White Dragons remained among the White Dragons that were circling around him while the rest were all Elder Dragons and Dragon Whelps. Moreover, these Adult Dragons had only recently matured not long ago.
The entire clan had truly weakened to this extent.
“Garen, you've finally returned! There's hope for the clan now!”
“You're the clan's last hope! The Elders, all the Elders have…” wept one of the Young Dragons softly who was a Dragon Whelp previously.
After all, the Dragons who had grown up in the clan were still very sentimental towards the clan.
Meanwhile, most of the Adult White Dragons who had formed at the last moment had already died in battle.
Garen scanned his surroundings but did not see many familiar faces unexpectedly.
“Where are Satwo, Sathree, and Safour?” he asked quietly.
“Big Brother Garen!”
Several Dragon Whelps flew over while the surrounding White Dragon left some s.p.a.ce for them. It was really Satwo and the others.
They had grown bigger and looked more mature. Perhaps they would become Young Dragons after more time had pa.s.sed.
“You've finally returned.” A feeble voice echoed out of the exterior of the dragon herd suddenly.
The White Dragons become silent suddenly and made way for a pa.s.sage.
An Elder Dragon whose entire body was wrinkled because of age flew inside slowly.
Although he was so old, Garen was still able to vaguely recognize his ident.i.ty.
“Third Elder…” He had never thought that this Level Nine powerhouse would age like this within a short span of twenty to thirty years. He could see that Third Elder was not far from death anymore… His lifespan was almost exhausted and he was already walking towards the end.
Third Elder was still holding Tiamat's staff in his hands. It represented the dignity of the G.o.ds but it was currently dim and l.u.s.terless now.
“It's good that you've returned…” Third Elder looked at Garen. He used his gaze to entrust something complicated to him but there was also a deep gladness tinged there.
“My only aspiration, dream, and desire was to establish a clan where White Dragons could live peacefully… They objected in the beginning and imprisoned me but now that my energy is almost exhausted, it's unfortunate that I may not be able to see this dream anymore…” said Third Elder in a quivering voice. “Since Reyman has defected, our only hope is you…”
He reached his claw out and pa.s.sed the staff to Garen.
“I was waiting for you all along… The prophecy told me that you would surely return.”
Garen did not take the staff but stared at Third Elder instead. He had already started to release a deathly aura from his soul now. That was the disastrous effect that was caused by exhausting his soul excessively. It appeared that he had released a certain type of great energy that was enough to wreck his soul during the previous war.
Despite everything, he actually had a faint feeling when he was previously in the clan that Reyman was perhaps the Child of the General Trends and the center that all fate revolved around.
He would inevitably leave the clan. However, he did not show any intentions of returning even when the clan was so weak.
“Are you… unwilling?” Third Elder laughed bitterly. “That's true, it'll be easy for me once I leave but you'll be forced to take over this awful mess… I'm asking for too much… I…”
“I'm declining the Divine Staff only to represent that I'm not accepting Tiamat's faith,” said Garen in a low voice.
He reached his hand out suddenly and grabbed the staff.
Pop!
He squeezed the crystal ball on the top of the staff that represented Tiamat and crushed it.
“I am me and Tiamat is Tiamat.” Garen glanced at Third Elder's shocked expression and the surrounding crowd of White Dragons that were absolutely silent.
Garen lifted the staff suddenly within the White Dragon Clan that had nowhere to go at this moment.
“From this day onwards, I'm the Leader of the clan. Does anyone have any objections?”
No one made any noise. The White Dragons who were slightly stronger had left and abandoned this clan already.
The sound of the snowstorm was the only thing that could be heard at this time.
In the underground part of a certain abandoned church in the center of a faraway empire at the same time.
A deep black silhouette burrowed out from underground and seeped into Reyman's mouth, eyes, ears, and nose slowly.
Reyman's dragon body shook violently while contorted, pained, and resigned looks flashed across his eyes. Nonetheless, he persevered determinedly from beginning to the end.
“Only by complying with the ancient will… can your final wish come true…” Numerous noises narrated in his mind in various languages.
Reyman's dragon body was currently turning black quickly at a speed that could be seen with the naked eye. It was not the black shade of Black Dragons but another kind of black that did not have a single trace of l.u.s.ter.
The fate of the world gradually induced different trustees.
Meanwhile, several black figures were madly invading the bodies of various beings in more than ten other places.
Similarly, several True Soul Demon Masters were stepping out gradually in various Void Crevices in the world before invisible and transparent Forces of Cause and Effect entangled and gathered around their bodies slowly.
