Chapter 269 Alberto

Dragon Valley, on that training ground that has been rammed and hardened like iron.

"White...powerful pale wings! These training methods...are far too harsh."

Black Dragon Serafina felt her muscles tearing and groaning under the strain, and finally couldn't help but protest painfully to the Overseer, White Dragon Therese.

"Strict?!"

White Dragon Therese scoffed, her dragon eyes filled with disdain: "Compared to the daily trials endured by the Lord of Molten Iron, your pitiful training intensity is not even a drop in the ocean."

The surrounding dragons—the red dragon Cahill, the blue dragon Heriam, the green dragon Ludwig—and even the black dragon, all involuntarily showed expressions of doubt, clearly skeptical of Therese's words.

But at that moment...

call--!

A sudden, fierce gust of wind swept by, accompanied by a clear tremor from the ground. A figure, like a burning meteorite, suddenly flew out of the Steel Fortress, bringing with it a suffocating sense of oppression, and landed precisely in the center of the overweight training area not far away.

“Look at the eyes of you lazybones, I can read doubt in them.”

Therese raised her head, her gaze fixed intently on the strong, imposing red-iron dragon body that radiated heat and a metallic aura, and said, "Then watch closely! Open your eyes wide and see clearly how our Lord of Molten Iron forges himself! Soon, you will understand that what you should envy most is not his current immense power, but his will—more stubborn than the hardest steel, more dazzling than the sun in the sky!"

Upon hearing this, the little dragons involuntarily turned their slightly suspicious gazes to the overweight area.

at the same time.

With a sudden flap of its wings, the red iron dragon Garos lifted its massive body off the ground and into the air. Then, with a clean and swift inverted motion, it adjusted its body to a vertically upside-down position and decisively retracted its broad wings.

When the upside-down, rugged, and ferocious dragon head was less than a meter from the ground.

call--

Two incredibly wide wings suddenly unfolded fully like battle flags.

The violent airflow, carrying flying sand and stones, spread out in a radial pattern! The strong wind pressure even made it difficult for the little dragons watching from afar to open their eyes.

When their gaze finally pierced through the swirling sandstorm and they could clearly see Hong Tielong's actions, everyone involuntarily held their breath.

Shocking!

The Red Iron Dragon's massive, mountain-like body was now standing firmly on the solid ground in an unbelievable upside-down position, supported only by its wing bones.

Every fold on those tough wing membranes seemed to be under immense pressure, trembling slightly; the knotted muscles where the dragon wings met the majestic body emitted a teeth-grinding "crunching" sound, as if countless steel wires stretched to their limit were groaning.

Under the increasingly shocked, almost frozen gazes of the little dragons.

Red Iron Dragon landed steadily, its four strong dragon feet digging deep into the ground. Then, it tucked its wings tightly against its broad back, and its thick, powerful tail, like a giant python that had come to life, nimbly swam up along the curve of its back, finally hooking the tip of its tail around the base of its own majestic dragon horns.

The entire body, from the neck to the tail, seems to form a closed loop.

The next second.

That seemingly clumsy, sluggish, and heavy body, like a mountain, suddenly burst forth with incredible resilience and agility. Like a spring, it began to curl up, and its dragon scales rubbed and collided violently with each other, scattering countless tiny sparks. When the dragon's snout was about to touch its strong tailbone, the entire massive dragon body was almost compressed into a sphere.

Bang—!!

The coiled dragon body, like a giant bow drawn taut by a god and then released, generated terrifying propulsive force from the muscles connecting its head and tail. Its body suddenly shot straight into the sky, burning into an orange-red meteor through air friction, trailing long smoke as it crashed into the depths of the clouds, before steadily returning to the ground.

The scales on his body opened and closed slightly, emitting an astonishingly high temperature, which violently clashed with the cold air, causing thick, cloud-like white steam to rise.

He slowly stood up, fully extending his giant wings and powerful dragon arms.

It stretched out its majestic, ferocious, and extremely strong body to the fullest... yet it revealed a breathtaking beauty.

Without pausing or catching his breath, he began a new round of training in the overweight training area.

Every movement seemed almost impossible to the little dragons, but he performed it perfectly and with great power, leaving the onlookers deeply moved.

"I really want to... experience what it feels like to be completely overwhelmed and ravaged by a body like that..."

White Dragon Therese extended her scarlet tongue and licked her chin with longing, her gaze fixed on Garus, making no attempt to conceal the burning desire and possessiveness surging within her.

She had long coveted Garus, but knew that he would never be interested in her relatively "thin and slender" white dragon body.

Immediately, Therese turned her head sharply, transforming the uncontrollable heat and slight frustration in her heart into another form of "motivation," her gaze sweeping over the little dragons around her like a knife.

"Did you all see that? Now, who still thinks they've reached their limit? Who dares to complain that their training intensity is too high?!"

White Dragon Therese swung her tail, making a whooshing sound, and opened her huge mouth, revealing a cruel yet excited smile.

"Now, it's time for your 'resistance training'! Line up one by one and obediently await my whipping."

Before she finished speaking, her dragon tail, covered in hard scales, lashed out like a steel whip.

"Slap! Slap! Slap!"

A series of dull, loud thuds rang out, landing precisely on each of the small dragons, instantly shattering their scales, tearing their skin, and leaving streaks of blood.

However, perhaps stimulated by the Red Iron Dragon's inhuman will and powerful body, an unprecedented yearning and expectation to become stronger grew in the hearts of the little dragons.

Even as they endured the White Dragon's merciless lashes, they merely gritted their teeth, swallowed their painful roars, and silently endured, their eyes burning with flames of resentment and longing.

Another place.

Galos, who was undergoing extreme training, naturally noticed the commotion of the white dragon Therese "training" the little dragons.

He merely glanced at it, his dragon eyes remaining completely unmoved, before withdrawing his gaze and resuming his training, showing no intention of stopping him.

The reason why dragons have been able to exist and reproduce tenaciously in many dimensions and worlds is because of this.

It possesses a strong adaptability to various extreme environments.

Even though other dragons do not possess Garus's incredible evolutionary talent and their efficiency cannot compare, the targeted training they receive day after day is still extremely beneficial to them.

Strength, speed, defense, endurance... these basic attributes can all be significantly improved through persistent training.

Surpassing Garus may be an unattainable dream, but surpassing those lazy brethren who only know how to sleep and plunder is absolutely a certainty.

Unfortunately, many dragons are naturally lazy and stubbornly believe that as long as they eat, sleep, and wait for time to pass, their strength will naturally increase. As a result, they are extremely lacking in the valuable awareness of self-training.

White Dragon Therese herself is a perfect example.

She knew that Galos's strength was inseparable from his relentless, almost self-destructive training, and she had even tried to imitate his methods.

But the excruciating pain and tedium quickly eroded her enthusiasm, making it impossible for her to persevere.

In the end, she simply gave up on self-improvement altogether.

After all, for her, it was much simpler and more fun to impose this "strictness" on other dragons than to demand that she persevere.

From another perspective, having a "dutiful" supervisor and "trainer" like Bai Long is actually a good thing, more beneficial than harmful, for the growth of these little dragons.

This allows them to gain power more quickly in this perilous, dog-eat-dog world, and to have the capital to protect themselves and even become powerful.

at the same time.

The Estonian Grand River, located on the south bank of the border.

The wide river surface rippled gently in the breeze, and under the afternoon sun, it shimmered with countless tiny golden lights, presenting a breathtakingly beautiful, sparkling scene.

Several merchant ships with deep drafts were sailing slowly and steadily, gently undulating with the waves, their bows slowly adjusting their course as they approached the river channel where the border was located.

"Young man, I'm really curious,"

The captain of one of the merchant ships, a weathered middle-aged man, leaned on the gunwale and looked at the young man standing in front of him, his tone filled with incomprehension and a hint of worry.

"Why do you want to go to the border area? That place... is not considered a safe and friendly place by most people."

The young man being questioned was named Alberto, and he looked to be around twenty years old.

He had fair skin and a handsome face that was almost perfect. He always wore a bright, infectious smile, and his dazzling golden shoulder-length curly hair fluttered in the wind. He wore simple leather armor that allowed for easy movement, and neatly fastened a rolled-up map, a leather water bottle, and a rather sharp-looking short knife at his waist—a standard adventurer's outfit.

Just a few days ago, when Alberto overheard that the fleet's destination was the border region, he approached the captain and politely asked if he could get a ride.

The captain naturally demanded payment from him.

Alberto gave a slightly shy and apologetic smile, frankly admitting that he was currently short of money.

Logically speaking, without tangible benefits, a captain would never agree to carry a stranger, as this is both against industry practice and carries inherent risks.

However.

When he met Alberto's clear, sincere, and seemingly starry blue eyes, he inexplicably nodded and agreed, breaking with tradition.

I heard—

Alberto showed off his adventurer's attire, his smile still bright, but with a hint of inquiry in his eyes: "--The borderlands now seem somewhat different from the chaotic and dangerous place of the past."

He paused, his gaze fixed on the approaching, sun-drenched riverbank ahead of the bow of the boat.

"As you can see, I am an adventurer who is passionate about the unknown. I am always filled with an irrepressible curiosity about those lands that are rarely visited and shrouded in mystery. What's more... it seems that some strange changes are taking place in the border area, which makes it even more worthwhile to witness with my own eyes."

He then changed the subject, turning to the captain with just the right amount of curiosity.

“You seem to be a frequent visitor here, and this isn’t your first time entering the border waters. Do you know why this land has changed like this? What force is reshaping the order here?”

Under the gaze of the young man's seemingly magical eyes, the captain, who was usually taciturn and disliked meddling in other people's business, suddenly felt a strong urge to confide in him.

(End of this chapter)