r18novel Page 179
Page 179
Chaturio poked his head out from behind the rock, the mischievous expression typical of copper dragons blooming on his face: "Look at this so-called wisdom of golden dragons, they can't even understand the history of their own kind." His voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the quiet basin.
Kara gently brushed her tail against the talkative bronze dragon, signaling it to be quiet. But Chaturio clearly had no intention of shutting up, continuing to mutter something under his breath.
Klaus ignored the bronze dragon's banter and continued, "Ah, I remember now, you metal dragons hid and slumbered within the barrier for thousands of years, until your generation grew up and began to try to break out of the barrier and venture onto the continent again..."
"Why?" a bronze dragon couldn't help but ask. Its voice was urgent, clearly so overwhelmed by this sudden historical truth that it forgot its social anxiety.
Klaus glanced sideways at the bronze dragon: "What do you mean, 'why'?"
Lares finally recovered from his shock, his voice becoming exceptionally solemn: "Our race slumbers within the barrier, the Gem-Scaled Dragons retreat to the inner realm—why?"
"What else could it be? It's just what's going on right now," Klaus's tail arced through the air, "Dragon Madness, all to avoid Dragon Madness. You've been discussing this here for days, and all you've come up with is a solution exactly the same as your ancestors' choice."
The ancient red dragon raised its head, its outer eyelids half-closed, its gaze becoming deep and unfocused, as if recalling a distant history as ancient as itself: "So, since the time of Netheril—no, that's not right, it started more than two thousand years ago—the dragon frenzy that used to occur every hundred years or so has weakened to a level that most dragons can tolerate, its range of influence has shrunk to a very small area, and its frequency has become increasingly lower..."
Its voice grew even deeper, like a fading dragon nearing its end: "This Dragon Frenzy is exceptionally intense, covering such a vast area and so secretly... Sigh, speaking of which, the last Dragon Frenzy was three hundred years ago. Did you all think that such a thing would never happen again?"
Klaus's seemingly soliloquy-like reminiscences sparked a new round of discussion among the dragons. Whispers rose and fell, some discussing the history of Dragon Madness, some questioning the veracity of Klaus's words, and many more pondering the unusual nature of this particular Dragon Madness.
Hevilan suddenly stood up from her stone platform, her voice clear and forceful as she asked, "You mean, this dragon frenzy was manufactured!?"
The leader of the Claws of Justice's silver body shimmered with a holy light in the sunlight. Like a visitor from the heavens, if one possessed arcane vision and ignored the dazzling paladin's aura, one could see the subtle patterns flowing beneath her scales.
"The skin-carving progress is pretty fast," Casalos, playing Klaus, thought to himself, shaking his head and striking a sly pose to reveal a certain true thought. "Well, I wouldn't dare to say anything reckless. Who would dare, who could create such an interesting disaster, to drive all the dragons on the continent mad..."
Although the words were vague, none of the dragons present were fools. While the Northern Dragon said he dared not speak, he had actually pointed to a possible source of dragon madness—the gods.
Even the most talkative brass dragon wisely remained silent; no dragon would be foolish enough to openly discuss the gods in such a setting. As for why the gods did this, their motives were clear: the gods of the Pan-Faerûn pantheon were humanoid gods, not dragon gods…
Lares remained silent for a long time before slowly speaking, seemingly carefully choosing each word to avoid breaking any taboos: "Do you intend to advise us to follow the example of the Gem Clan, abandoning our continental heritage and seeking refuge in another realm... away from all this strife?"
"Are you content with this?" Klaus's question was simple and direct. The ancient red dragon slammed its tail heavily onto the ground, spread its wings, and raised all its scales, spewing out booming heat waves from its nostrils: "Are you metal-scaled creatures content with this?"
Klaus was met with silence.
"I'm not willing to accept this!"
Gradually, low hisses rose from the dragon herd. Most of the dragons arched their backs, their scales slightly raised, and their deep hisses echoed through the valley. No metal dragon was willing to do this; their pride wouldn't allow them to flee like cowards. Otherwise, their ancestors wouldn't have chosen to slumber within the barrier to endure those ancient dragon frenzyes, but would have followed in the footsteps of the gem dragons and left the Prime Material Plane long ago—whether slumber counts as escapism is debatable.
Lares took a deep breath, seemingly wanting to continue, but swallowed his words. His gaze wandered across the basin, finally settling on a rather inconspicuous corner: "However, the race you indicated, if not of the Gemscale race, then it is the Iron Dragon Ding..."
The Golden Dragon King's words suddenly paused, a flicker of realization crossing his golden dragon eyes. Guided by fate, his gaze locked onto Kara's location: "Hmm, Lady Kara, you have represented the Iron Dragon at this gathering as a Song Dragon, remaining silent since its inception. If…"
Called out directly, Kara could no longer remain silent and could only slowly rise from the rocky ledge she was on. The dragon's uniquely elegant and slender figure stood out strikingly in the sunlight, its multicolored scales shimmering with a pearly luster. She nodded slightly, her wings gently folding in respect: "Your Excellency, I do know some information about Dragon Madness, but not much."
Her voice was melodious and sweet, her standard dragon language accompanied by a unique rhythm and intonation: "What I know is basically from the oral account of a hermit. I cannot guarantee its authenticity, and what he recounted is merely a buried history. I cannot be sure whether it will be of any help to the current dragon fanatics, so I have remained silent."
Chaturio immediately sprang out from behind the rock, his copper dragon eyes gleaming: "Wow! You really are here to cause trouble..."
Before he could finish speaking, Kara's tail struck him squarely on the head. The crisp sound echoed through the valley. Chaturio clutched his head and shrank back, still muttering something under his breath.
Tamarand slightly raised her head from the low rock ledge, her golden dragon eyes filled with curiosity: "A hermit? What kind of hermit?"
Kara took a deep breath, unsure of the reaction her next words would elicit from the dragons: "A reclusive skeletal serpent dragon at least thirty thousand years old."
She paused, letting the information circulate among the dragons: "A little over a month ago, the Atheros Supreme Casaloz took me to visit it in Nafel, and we learned some things from it."
Hevilan's reaction was the most intense. The Silver Dragon Paladin suddenly spread his wings, his silver body leaning slightly forward: "If I understand correctly, you're saying Casalos foresaw this dragon frenzy!"
"Yes, ma'am," Carla replied calmly, "it anticipated this situation."
Hevilan's next question almost blurted out: "The Dragon Worship Cult?!"
Kara's tail swayed gently in affirmation: "Perhaps they have something to do with it!"
Just as the discussion was about to deepen, Lares suddenly let out a low growl: "Stop!"
The Golden Dragon King's voice boomed through the valley like thunder, silencing all discussion instantly. A complex emotion flickered across his intelligent, short, stubby face: "If Klaus's words are true, then the method of slumber has proven capable of protecting our race from disaster. If you continue to investigate, you will all be trapped in a vortex of uncontrollable forces!"
The meaning of this statement is all too clear—if the gods are indeed controlling the dragon, then continuing to investigate would be tantamount to directly challenging the authority of the gods.
Tamarand slowly rose from his seat. This dragon lord, regarded as the crown prince of the golden dragons, now displayed courage befitting his status: "Your Majesty!"
His voice was firm and powerful, his golden body reflected in his pelvis, the forms of dragons jaggedly segmented on his neat scales: "You yourself said that fate indicated this dragon frenzy was different from the past. Perhaps our slumber allowed our ancestors to escape the most intense moment of the ancient dragon frenzy, but this time..."
Tamarand took a deep breath, completely siding with her king: "If this dragon madness is truly under control, then we may not be able to escape!"
Perhaps because his close friend had turned against him, Lares reacted even more fiercely than before. The Golden Dragon King raised its head and let out a deafening roar, spreading its enormous wings and leaning its massive body slightly forward, assuming a clearly aggressive stance: "You have not yet ascended to the throne!"
Chaturio rose from the ground again, his eyes gleaming with excitement: "I told you dragons and we copper dragons are the same! You're really something, getting two golden dragons fighting with just a few words..."
Kara didn't whip it with her tail again, but instead gave the iron dragon guards a look. The cobalt dragon Kazakh and the nickel dragon Victor immediately understood, gliding low over and lifting the talkative copper dragon, which looked like a brass dragon, onto their left and right sides, covering its entire face with their wing membranes to prevent it from making any more noise.
Klaus, Amuris, and Elvia, the three chromatic dragons, all wore expressions of watching a show. Klaus, in particular, adopted a lazy, detached posture, clearly finding the disagreement between the two ancient golden dragons extremely amusing.
However, the golden dragons did not actually fight.
Hevilan gracefully rose from her stone platform and leaped between the two golden dragons about to clash. Her divine radiance calmed her two old friends: "Gentlemen, please control your emotions and do not let the dragons' frenzy affect you."
The Nexus also slightly raised its head from its seat, its slender body surging with a power that made everyone who could sense its vast magical energy tremble: "Now is not the time for infighting."
With the persuasion of Hevilan, Nexus, and several other ancient golden dragons, Lares and Tamarand finally calmed down from their dragon frenzy. Both golden dragons took a few deep breaths, regained their dignity, and returned to the track of debate.
Lares remained adamant that the metal dragon should be put into a magical slumber and spend its madness in the sanctuary. Tamarand, however, believed other solutions should be sought, especially given the potential for control over the dragon's madness.
Hevilan surveyed the entire basin, her clear and penetrating voice reaching the ears of every dragon present: "I believe we should wait for Lady Kara to finish telling the story of the 'Hermit' before making a decision."
This suggestion was endorsed by the vast majority of the dragons. Even the emotional Lares and Tamarand nodded slightly in agreement.
Kara readjusted her posture, ensuring her voice carried throughout the basin with the melody created by the vibrations of her wing membrane scales: "According to the hermits, it is a survivor from the Thunder Age, a time of struggle between serpent dragons and giant dragons—the serpent dragons were defeated, and the giant dragons rose to become the overlords of Faerûn, ruling over all things!"
"The Age of Dragons!" came a low, excited roar from some unknown dragon.
"If such an era existed on the continent of Faerûn, why are we completely ignorant of it!" another voice rang out, carrying a clear sense of skepticism.
"Dragon Madness, did Dragon Madness end the Age of Dragons?" A bronze dragon keenly grasped the key point.
Kara nodded slightly, her voice growing more solemn: "That's right, it was Dragon Madness that ended the era of dragons."
"What caused the Dragon Madness?" This is a question that all dragons want to know.
Kara took a deep breath: "The hermit only knows that the elves are controlling the dragon madness."
"Those wretched pointed ears!" roared a grumpy bronze dragon.
This accusation made the gold and silver dragons present somewhat embarrassed. After all, many of them maintained good relations with the elves. If the hermit was telling the truth, then the foundation of such relations became extremely ironic.
"To be precise, it's the winged, pointed-ear creatures, not these sun elves and moon elves," Kara added at the opportune moment, providing a convenient excuse for the gold and silver dragons who mingled with the elves every day. She swayed her tail, letting the whistles adorning it join in the commotion: "The elves, unwilling to submit to the dragons' rule, built a maze to control the intensity, regularity, and range of dragon rage, trapping the dragons in a rage cycle just enough to destroy their own empire without causing too much harm to the elves—and the elves' lifespans are much shorter than the dragons'."
The sound gradually coalesced into a song that echoed through the valley: "When the dragon's rule was brought to an end by the dragon itself, driven mad by its own power, the golden age of the elves would begin."
A deathly silence fell over the basin. The truth was too cruel, too ironic. The dragons that once ruled Faerûn had been brought to their knees by their own madness, a madness controlled by the elves.
Kara stopped playing and continued, "From the hermit's story, we extracted two valid clues: first, Dragon Frenzy can be controlled; second, the key to controlling Dragon Frenzy is the Enchanted Lock created by the Winged Elves."
"So we need to find the Winged Elves?" a young silver dragon asked eagerly.
"The Winged Elves are now almost extinct." An old bronze dragon shook his head.
Kara nodded in confirmation: "That's right, the Winged Elves are almost extinct because dragons discovered that they were controlling the Labyrinth."
She began to play again, but changed the melody; it was a tragic epic: "'Only once, a dragon alliance—metal dragons, chromatic dragons, jewel dragons…they nearly unlocked the Dragon Frenzy Lock, but on that long forgotten day, the dragons' assembled army flew north to guard the ancient fortress that housed the core of the Dragon Frenzy Lock, only to be stopped by the sacrifice of almost the entire Winged Elf subspecies.'"
Klaus let out a disdainful snort: "That serpent dragon calls this a sacrifice!"
Haivilan shook her head thoughtfully: "Serpent dragons and giant dragons are not allies. Don't forget that the rise of giant dragons was followed by the demise of the serpent dragon era."
Her voice carried a philosophical undertone: "The cycle of history is always like this; the age of humanity also signifies the end of the elves' flourishing..."
"So, the dragons—our ancestors—did not succeed..." A golden dragon's voice was full of bitterness.
Kara continued her narrative: "No, though all the winged elves who participated in the war perished, the Lock remained. For the next twenty-five thousand years, the overall power of the dragons of Faerûn rose and fell, but never regained absolute dominance over Faerûn. Whenever an individual dragon or clan attempted to rebuild their rule over vast territories of Faerûn, or when lower humanoid races united to defeat them, if the former failed, dragon madness would inevitably return, driving them insane, destroying everything they had achieved, and turning them against their own kind and descendants."
She took a deep breath: "In this endless cycle, metal dragons built barriers and hid within them to slumber, chromatic dragons succumbed to depravity, and gem dragons, using their innate ability to freely traverse the inner realm, gradually migrated there. Until two thousand years ago, the dragon frenzy gradually subsided."
"So, elves have been controlling the maddening chains that drive us mad until two thousand years ago. What happened two thousand years ago?" Tamarand also became anxious, as if she were about to find the answer.
Kara said, "In the North, there is an imperial legion composed of white dragons that has been hunting down the surviving winged elves for over 20,000 years. I think the cessation of the Dragon Frenzy was probably because they finally killed the last winged elf who knew and could control the Dragon Frenzy Lock... And that's why the winged elves are almost extinct."
"Where are those white dragons?" Tamarand pressed. "That's it, that's the answer. If we can find these white dragons, perhaps we can find a way to fight the Dragon Frenzy."
However, Kara's answer opened up another mystery: "She's missing."
"What do you mean by missing?" Klaus asked, his brow furrowing in agreement.
"They just vanished," Kara explained, "suddenly, without warning, without a trace, disappeared from this world..."
The dragons fell silent once more. An entire White Dragon Empire, an entire White Dragon Legion, had vanished into thin air. What did this mean? The answer was self-evident.
Hevilan broke the silence, seizing the truly crucial clue: "Now, the Dragon Cult has found the location of that mysterious lock?"
Kara nodded slightly: "The hermit said that a few years ago, a human who concealed his death aura very well came to him and learned the same story from him—Casaloz guessed that human was Samaster, the leader of the Dragon Cult!"
She turned to Hevilan: "Ms. Hevilan, Casalos should have informed you of the recent unusual activities of the Dragon Cult several months ago, right?"
Hevilan's expression turned extremely grave: "It seems that without external intervention, this dragon frenzy will be endless—because the Dragon Cult's goal is to transform all the dragons of Faerûn into dragon liches and control them! If we choose to slumber..."
She didn't finish her sentence, but all the dragons understood the unspoken meaning. If they chose to slumber, they would truly shatter the Dragon Worship Cult's will. Samass, that man who should have died long ago, would seek out all the dragons forced into slumber by the Dragon Madness and transform them into dragon liches.
This is the truth behind this dragon frenzy! You Lin, you Lin, are you thinking of empty space, you Lin, are you...?
However, at that moment, Lars suddenly erupted.
The Golden Dragon King abruptly stood up, his massive body fully extended. His sail-like wings spread to their limit, obscuring most of the sky. Bloodlust gleamed in his molten gold eyes, clearly indicating that he had fallen into uncontrollable dragon rage.
"Absurd!" Lares's roar echoed through the valley. "It's just one person's opinion, without any evidence or evidence, pure conjecture. How can you take it seriously?"
Its dragon might swept across the entire basin like a tsunami, forcing the young dragons to tremble and prostrate themselves on the ground: "Claws of Justice, heed my decree! Swiftly apprehend this dragon who spreads heresy and misleads the masses!"
44. Dragon King? Dragon King!
The Lord of Justice's dragon wrath came suddenly and fiercely, its might sweeping across the entire basin like a tsunami. Yet Kara remained seated, her iridescent scales shimmering like pearls in the sunlight, seemingly unaffected by the oppressive aura that would make the young dragon tremble.
The atmosphere in the basin froze instantly. The golden dragons exchanged bewildered glances, while disbelief flashed in the eyes of the silver dragons. Lares, the righteous king renowned for his wisdom and benevolence, the magnificent prince who had maintained his elegant demeanor for centuries, was now so distraught over a mere recounted story.
"Have you not heard my decree?" Lares's voice boomed like thunder, the ancient dragon language becoming even more obscure and difficult to understand in his rage. His massive body stretched out completely, the golden scales standing up slightly in anger, radiating intense light through the gaps.
The silver dragons of the Claws of Justice were in a predicament. They exchanged bewildered glances, their fins atop their heads trembling slightly with tension. The Lord of Justice was merely the nominal sovereign of the Faerûn metal dragons, not the true ruler of the metal dragons, and had never had the authority to directly command other metal dragons. Moreover, the Claws of Justice were not the Lord of Justice's private army—they were an organization of silver dragons whose behavior and values were shaped by the Ptalian Code. To ask them to "capture" a singing dragon that was merely relaying a story? This completely violated the core doctrines of the Ptalian Code.
The first to react was Lieutenant Azak. The ancient silver dragon slowly rose from its position, its silver body making a soft, metallic sound as it moved. It didn't speak, but silently flew down from the stands and landed in front of Kara. Its dragon eyes, like solidified moonlight, calmly gazed at Lares on the high rock ledge, its scales swaying gently with its breath.
Immediately afterward, the other two silver dragon paladins made the same choice. They formed a silver barrier, using their bodies to shield Kara from the oppressive aura emanating from the Golden Dragon King. One of the younger silver dragon paladins, Safilas, even spread his wings, letting golden light flow between his wing membranes, bestowing courage upon Kara.
"You..." Lares's voice was filled with unbelievable anger.
Just then, another dragon lord on the low rock shelf stood up. It was Aurelion, the second oldest of the seven dragon lords after the Nexus. Its scales had turned a deep, dark gold with age, and its whiskers were forked like ancient tree branches.
"Your Majesty is absolutely right," Aurelion's voice was somewhat hoarse. "Such wicked and deceitful people should indeed be severely punished. Golong fabricated lies in an attempt to divide our race; his intentions are despicable!"
It slowly spread its wings, spreading its dragon might outwards: "If the Claws of Justice do not obey, they will be defying the Golden Dragon Royal Court!"
However, Aurelion's support did not receive a response from all the dragon lords. Another dragon lord, a slender but imposing female ancient golden dragon named Serancia, slowly shook her head.
"Aureclon, you've gone too far," Serancia's voice was as clear as a morning bell. "The dragon is merely recounting a story; how can you accuse it of fabricating lies? Besides, the Claws of Justice have never been subordinate to the Golden Dragon Court."
She rose gracefully from the rock ledge, her golden scales rustling melodiously as she moved: "I think it's His Majesty's reaction that's truly worth pondering."
"Thrancia!" Aurelion roared, "How dare you question His Majesty?"
"So what if there are doubts?" The fourth Dragon Lord joined the debate. It was Bryant, the youngest of the seven Dragon Lords, but already among the Ancient Dragons. His voice carried obvious dissatisfaction. "We elected Lares as the King of Justice because we believe in his wisdom and fairness, not to make him a dictator!"
Bryant turned to Lars on the high rock ledge: "Your Majesty, if I may be so bold, your performance today was truly unbecoming of the Golden Dragon."
The atmosphere in the basin grew even more tense. The seven dragon lords were clearly divided into two factions, with only Aurelione firmly supporting Lares, while Serancia and Bryant stood on the side of skepticism. The remaining two dragon lords—the elderly Salomes and the taciturn Griffindo—remained in a wait-and-see attitude.
What truly caused the situation to spiral out of control was Hevilan's actions. The leader of the Claws of Justice, Lares's best friend for centuries, leaped off the stone platform he was on, streaking through the air like a meteor, and stood directly in front of Lares.
"My friend, what are you doing!" Haivilan's voice still maintained the solemnity of a paladin, but the worry and confusion in it could not be concealed.
Lars didn't answer, but lunged forward, his massive body displaying an agility disproportionate to his size. Hevilan tried to block him with her body, but the difference in size rendered her efforts futile.
boom!
The collision of the two dragons produced a deafening roar no less powerful than the explosion of a high-level spell. Haivilan's ancient silver dragon body was thrown through the air like a ball struck by a giant hammer, losing its balance. She struggled to flap her wings to regain her footing, but the impact was too great; her silver form tumbled half a circle in the air before barely managing to regain her balance. The moment her four claws hit the ground with a thud, their sharp talons embedded themselves deeply in the rock. With a screeching sound, she carved four deep furrows into the ground, sparks and fragments flying, dust billowing everywhere. Haivilan slid for dozens of meters before finally coming to a stop.
"Havilan!" Several silver dragons with the Claws of Justice exclaimed in unison, wanting to rush forward to help their leader.
Just as Lares was about to charge towards Cara again, another huge figure blocked his way.
Tamarand, the most robust of the Seven Dragon Lords, completely blocked the Golden Dragon King's path with his body, which was even larger than Lares's. His wings braced against Lares's shoulders, and his thick neck coiled around the opponent's head like a giant python.
"Calm down, Lares!" Tamarand's voice became hoarse from the effort. "You've lost your mind due to Dragon Frenzy!"
The struggle between the two ancient golden dragons sent tremors through the entire valley. Rocks shattered under their claws, and spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the ground. The young dragons retreated in terror, fearing they would be drawn into this sudden conflict.
"Tamaland, you traitor!" Aurelion roared, making a move to help Lares.