"Why do strange fellows always emerge from the green dragons?" Raphael questioned after regaining his senses.

"Perhaps it's the restlessness deep in their bloodline causing mischief. Although Mistrala's actions were vile and cruel, he did propel the progress of dragons. Otherwise, we would hardly have discovered the magic inherent in our bloodlines to utilize, and the world would not have evolved into its current state," Arnathus rationally evaluated.

"Hmph." Raphael gave a cold snort. "If not for magic, humans would never have been able to leave their little southeastern corner and would still be confined to the fringes. The continental races would remain in conflict, with the dragons firmly seated at the pinnacle. Yet now it is a monopoly."

"Since when did you start caring about the future of dragons?" Arnathus asked with a smile.

"I've always been caught in the middle of the two races," Raphael replied.

Seeing his father and Raphael converse quite amiably, Arnold finally breathed a sigh of relief. Of course, he hoped his close friend and respected father would not conflict too much.

"Raphael, didn't you have something you wanted to ask?" the golden dragon spoke up opportunely.

"Yes! Wise Draconic Sage, I do have an important matter to discuss," Crimson Dragon said, regaining his focus.

"Come in and speak," Arnathus said, glancing deeply at this red dragon before lowering his body and leading the way along the winding, meandering book-lined path.

The three dragons wove through the dimly candle-lit library and eventually turned left and right to arrive at a small space surrounded by a vast sea of books. An arched long table lay on the ground, adorned with various magical artifacts and a faintly glowing candlestick.

"This is a secret ward I created. No dragon can use divination or similar means to obtain our conversation," Arnathus said, knowing that whatever made this red dragon humble himself to request must be significant, so he brought them to this confidential setting.

"Your draconic magic is indeed profound. I had no idea there was such a thing as divination," Raphael said, slithering along the edge of the candlelight, his massive body shrouded in darkness, leaving only a pair of smoldering golden eyes fixed on the old golden dragon.

Arnold was the last to enter and headed straight for the heating brazier in the center of the clearing, rubbing his paws to warm up without a word.

"That is a wondrous spell that allows the caster to experience a future time period or see past events as if they were there," Arnathus explained. "It is said to originate from the earliest draconic ancestors, even before our glorious ancient dragon forebears."

Raphael knew he was referring to Ludwig and Ermina's generation.

"Even earlier than them?"

"Yes, but now hardly any dragons use it anymore."

"Lost?" Raphael rubbed his paws together.

"Not quite," Draconic Sage shook his head. "The method of casting and its structure have been passed down intact, but for some reason, magic power simply cannot coalesce and transform according to the established framework. I suspect it is not driven by magic power but by another force."

"Another force..." Raphael said absentmindedly, but quickly seemed to realize something that made his body shudder.

"Could it be the 'miracle' that treeman spoke of? I recall it requires some kind of faith to work..."

"What's wrong with you?" Arnathus asked, puzzled by the red dragon's sudden petrification as if struck by lightning.

"Nothing, ahem. Let me just state my purpose directly," Raphael coughed to cover his inner excitement.

"I hope you can keep me informed of the developments within Dragon Council at all times, especially regarding Herazanthos," Raphael said seriously, his tone more solemn than ever before.

Arnathus was stunned for a moment, then shook his head with a derisive smile. "Little Raphael, has victory gone to your head? Asking me to be your spy mole? You've got some nerve coming up with that."

"What if I said I could let you command the entire power of dragons in the future?" Raphael's deep, tempting voice echoed in the silent, cramped space.

Draconic Sage couldn't help but freeze, the flickering flame on the candlestick in front of him wavering slightly. "Such big talk. Dragons could never form a unified alliance, let alone talk about such power," Arnathus said after some thought, turning his head away to deny it, but his voice was particularly low, and Raphael could feel his trembling throat.

"However, nothing in this world is eternal, including those age-old doctrines," Crimson Dragon's vertical pupils emanated a dim glow reminiscent of tarnished gold. "Think about it. I have already secured the throne of the Pillar Mountain king, but do you think humans will leave me alone?"

"Or from another angle, unable to communicate with humans at all, I can only contemplate their intentions with the utmost malice, so I must increase military preparedness and expand my forces. But tiny Erl cannot possibly support an armed force. I must wage further wars to seize land, and the conflict between humans and I will only deepen."

"As for Dragon Council? You are one of them, so you should know that once my power expands to a certain threshold, they will try to snatch the prize from my mouth!"

Greed, ferocity, and suspicion flashed continuously in Raphael's draconic eyes. Arnathus knew this red dragon would never accept a loss - anyone who made him suffer would be crushed under the mountain of his vengeance.

Although the agreed protocol required Raphael to share some of the profits with Dragon Council, the two sides were bound to disagree and could only resort to warfare.

Moreover, Arnathus could not guarantee that his colleagues would be satisfied with just that small share of the profits. There were likely more intricate traps lying in wait for the red dragon, so it might be wise for him to simply overturn the table.

"Do you understand now? To defend my power, I must expand. Expansion will bring immense wealth, which will only make those old fellows salivate endlessly. I absolutely will not give up even a speck of dust! So, an all-out war will ensue, and I am confident in conquering your colleagues. The entire Dragon Domain will fall into my claw."

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Raphael's extremely greedy expression was exposed without restraint, like a shady merchant feverishly peddling snake oil.

"But I admit my strength is limited, and that's where you internal dragons become crucial. Give me intelligence, and it's like betting on me - the rewards will be substantial. Also, I think Rochester will unintentionally help me for Nana's sake."

When Raphael finished speaking, Arnathus fell into a long contemplation. Arnold had long anticipated his close friend's ambition and was not at all surprised. After all, dragons had no deep-rooted ideological beliefs, so he didn't mind becoming an enemy of Dragon Council.

"What do you think, my son?" Arnathus turned to the curled-up golden dragon.

"... I would like to follow Raphael, of course, just like the glorious ancient dragons followed our ancestor Ludwig, according to you..." Arnold didn't know his father's thoughts and mumbled his own opinion softly.

Draconic Sage slowly extended his long, sharp claws and took off his crystal monocle.

"Alas—" he sighed heavily, then seemed to muster all his strength to nod slightly. "From a young age, I was immersed in the glory of our illustrious ancestors, and after traveling the continent, I wished even more for dragons to unite as a whole and unleash their full might to reclaim the continental zenith. But after joining the Prulis Faction, I realized they were all just self-interested beings masquerading under the dragon banner."

"I, too, am a self-interested being, doing everything for myself," Raphael reminded him.

"But you dare take risks and make sacrifices. How many dragons cherish their long lives, never rushing into anything, indifferent to the outside world's development because, in the flow of time, everything will eventually perish? Yet you have made a promising start toward fulfilling my lifelong dream."

"So you agree, then?"

"I can only choose to inform you of major events that may endanger your life or power. But as for monitoring Helmsman Herazanthos, I must refuse."

Raphael slowly crawled out of the dark corner, his brow creased with a smile. "No problem. So, what resolutions has Dragon Council made about me recently?"

Arnathus hesitated for a moment but ultimately satisfied Crimson Dragon's wish. "Our Prulis Faction helped keep the Aire Faction at bay. They already know you have taken some of the human Overflowing Plains and the forests beneath the mountains and wanted to immediately summon you back to negotiate land division. But Helmsman Herazanthos overruled them."

"Just letting out a long line to catch a big fish," Raphael said, not believing the other side was helping him. This small gain was not worth prematurely causing a rift between himself and Dragon Council.

Moreover, Morey Plain was an exclave of the Dragon Domain, difficult to administer.

"Also, Holt said humans invaded dragon territory and should be retaliated against. Most councilors agreed, and they are discussing commissioning you for this task."

"Let me retaliate against humans? That's also a justification...thank you," Raphael nodded in acknowledgment, confirming Dragon Council had no major moves against him recently, so he could focus on developing Erl's basic industries and increasing productivity.

"Then I won't disturb you any further. Arnold, let's go find Nana," he immediately prepared to leave, prompting the golden dragon to let out a reluctant plea:

"Please! Let me rest by this warm brazier for one night. It's dark and cold outside, the icy wind louder than the sound of your wing beats! I really don't want to travel now."

"Yes, Raphael, it's fine to stay the night. If any councilor sees you, just say you're going to meet your mate and stopped here to rest along the way. No one will suspect a thing," Arnathus urged Crimson Dragon to let them stay, ultimately feeling sorry for his son.

Seeing the cold-stricken Arnold curled into a ball, Raphael recalled how the latter had huddled against him for warmth in the wilderness during their childhood, so he agreed to let them remain.

"By the way, wise Draconic Sage, I'm very interested in that divination magic. Could you tell me some of the finer details?"

As Arnathus made room for them to sleep, Crimson Dragon approached with a smile, expressing his interest.

...

"Is it coming again?" Akuniryas gripped the rope supporting the tent as the clouds in the sky dissipated, revealing a full moon hanging in the night sky and emanating an ancient silver glow.

He was currently in the Wana Forest within the Natterian Empire, about five hundred kilometers east of Potan City.

Akuniryas' destination was the northern orc temple, to investigate Here is the secrets surrounding the Mu continent divinity.

The quickest route was to take the "Western Star" from Potan City to the imperial capital, then board the "Lifeline" northward to the Chalaran capital Mitrel, and finally trek on foot into that savage orc continent.

However, due to the rapid expansion of Crimson Dragon's forces, water transportation around Potan City was severely disrupted and obstructed. To prevent Crimson Dragon's army from unexpectedly marching south and invading the empire's heartland, the imperial military completely restricted rail operations. Every passenger had to undergo strict interrogation and inspection to prevent spies from infiltrating and surveying crucial imperial alchemical production zones, mining regions, and supply transfer stations.

Under such circumstances, Akuniryas had no way to obtain train tickets. As a Morey foreigner with a military background, who would dare let him board? They might directly detain him and notify the Morey military to take him into custody. His name was already on the list of casualties and missing personnel because the battalion he had advanced with that night was completely slaughtered by the cannon forts, with no survivors making it back.

So he went to great lengths, smuggling himself in by sea before avoiding populated towns and heading straight for the capital, where the massive crowds should make buying tickets easier.

However, now he would face his nightmare again. "Cooo?" The spirit wyrm tethered to a nearby tree floated over, tilting its head quizzically at this temporary master's odd behavior.

"Alright, I can't stay awake through this. They say this Wana Forest and the Arlf Mountains have many nature reserves filled with ferocious monsters that have been known to devour humans who stumble into their territory. I can't let fatigue put me at risk." Akuniryas didn't know any magic and hadn't even brought a bowgun, armed only with a long blade, a dagger, and a civilian mana rifle for self-defense.

"No choice, time to sleep." He stroked the spirit wyrm's smooth, pudding-like head before crawling into the tent to sleep.

As he drifted off, the nightmare arrived right on schedule.

Whooosh!!!

Icy winds blasted into his mouth and nose. When Akuniryas opened his eyes, he found himself in that enigmatic dream again.

The last time, that bizarre armored draconic giant had thrown him off a cliff. Was he still in free fall now?

However, an immense force gripped his body, and he realized he was being tightly clutched in the iron talons of the armored dragon, which was flapping its four wings powerfully, carrying him high into the sky.

The gale winds and frigid air were whipped into a frenzied maelstrom by the tremendous force of the beating wings. Akuniryas had only felt such intense winds when facing the dragon.

He didn't know how long they flew, only feeling himself drawing ever closer to that silver full moon until he seemed to merge into its lunar light.

THUD!!

He was hurled to the ground, his body involuntarily rolling a few times before slamming against something hard and stopping.

"Cough, cough! Alright, what now?"

Akuniryas struggled to raise his head and look toward the behemoth that had brought him here.

Now the armored giant finally revealed some draconic form, its four limbs planted on the ground with its head deeply bowed, two pairs of rigid wings drooping to touch the floor.

"This doesn't seem like normal quadrupedal movement...it's like prostrating...wait, prostrating!"

He whipped his head around and discovered he was in front of an enormous stone throne!

The throne towered atop a majestic five-sided pyramid, the entire structure utterly vast, supported by only eight immense pillars. Akuniryas guessed it must be some kind of temple.

But the scenery glimpsed between the pillars made his heart race - it wasn't the lofty, ethereal clouds above. All four sides were dominated by a rough, craggy stone surface that emitted a faint silvery glow from its uneven, jutting contours, filling him with dread.

"Could this be...on the moon?"

"...My knight...wise dragon Dolores...thank you for guiding this new pilgrim to the path..."

A sacred voice resonating directly in his mind left Akuniryas stunned.

Then the true draconic knight prostrating before him let out a series of garbled, indistinct sounds resembling a draconic variant. "There's someone up there? No...a god!"

It raised its head to gaze up at the five-sided pyramid before them, clearly sensing a presence above.

"...So...thank you for this pilgrim persisting on the path of faith in this era of crumbling belief...but I regret I cannot grant you an audience with Supreme One...for our mother has not appeared for a very long time..."

The holy voice echoing in the depths of his soul took on a tinge of sorrow.