Chapter 425 The Holy Aura Era, Time and Gears

The brilliant sunlight fell from the sky and sprinkled on the calm sea, its surface rippling gently, as if gilding it with a layer of flowing gold leaf.

Splash!

At the edge of a vast, pristine white sand beach somewhere in the Eternal Dragon Realm, the sound of waves crashing and washing over the shore rises and falls.

A strong man with perfectly sculpted muscles, wearing simple light armor and sporting striking short black-red hair, was strolling on the beach with a group of men and women, each with their own distinctive appearance and clothing.

Occasionally, one can see giant dragons spreading their wings and swiftly passing by in the sky.

Among them, the strong man with a cold and dignified face and an aura of authority was subtly surrounded by the crowd, like a sun surrounded by stars, naturally becoming the focus.

This is Garus in human form.

In order to avoid the overly enthusiastic young metal dragon "star chasers" and be able to peacefully appreciate the unique scenery of the Eternal Radiance Dragon Realm, Garos had no choice but to transform into a relatively inconspicuous human form.

Apart from a few companions such as Deborah and Natasha, the other metal dragons in the Eternal Radiance Dragon Realm had never seen Garos's human form.

Although he still looked heroic and imposing, with an extraordinary aura, and some passing dragons would still subconsciously take a second look when they saw him, he was still not as flamboyant and eye-catching as his iconic red iron dragon form.

At least, it won't be the case that wherever you go, you'll be instantly surrounded by layers upon layers of excited metal dragons.

That would make it impossible for him to move an inch and he would never have peace of mind.

Deborah walked lightly beside Garros, her beautiful honey-silver hair swaying gently in the bright sunlight, shimmering with a soft glow.

She turned her head and looked at Galos's profile, which still seemed a little tense even when he was relaxed. She couldn't help but chuckle and teased, "What's wrong? Still having a headache over those overly enthusiastic young admirers?"

"I'm afraid you never imagined you'd have such an encounter in the Metal Dragon Domain before you came here."

Galos let out a slight breath and shook his head helplessly.

"I prefer the peace and quiet of my own territory to being stared at like some rare species."

The adoration for the metal dragon is completely different from the adoration for his followers.

His followers were very restrained; no matter how much they admired him, they dared not disturb him casually. However, most of the young metal dragons, especially those who dared to chase after Garus, had not experienced the harsh realities of life. They were naive and foolish, yet also very enthusiastic.

At the same time, Alberto looked up, his gaze sweeping warily across the sky.

He noticed that the number of dragons circling and flying nearby seemed to be gradually increasing, and couldn't help but say, "Garos, although you have restrained your aura a lot in human form, some of it still leaks out more or less."

"I think we'd better go somewhere else."

"If we stay here any longer, those guys with sensitive noses will probably notice us soon."

It is worth mentioning that:

Although Alberto also transformed into human form, unlike Garos who chose a purely human appearance, he insisted on retaining several pairs of dragon horns on both sides of his forehead, making his human form stand out from the crowd.

Nearby, Natasha heard her brother's words and curled her lip in disapproval.

She encouraged Galos, saying, "Hiding around is so boring and not fun at all."

Natasha's tone was tinged with barely suppressed excitement, her golden eyes sparkling, clearly showing that she genuinely wanted to stir things up.

"If you ask me, if anyone dares to come near and bother us, just beat them up! Beat them until they submit! Then just spread the word that these metal dragons of the Eternal Radiance Dragon Domain are nothing but weak trash."

"Let's fight our way through, crushing all those who dare to challenge us. How about that? That's what you call awesome!"

"Not very good."

Without a second thought, Galos shook his head and rejected this "good idea" that was so characteristic of Natasha.

His primary purpose in coming to the Dragon Realm was to obtain the prizes for the competition and the opportunity to enter the Ancient Tide and break through to the Legendary level. Secondly, he hoped to take this opportunity to establish a deeper connection with the Metal Dragon Realm, adding a potential background and ally for himself and his tribe, rather than making enemies everywhere, intensifying conflicts, and causing himself unnecessary trouble and unhappiness.

Whoosh!

A small figure, covered in water droplets, nimbly leaped out from the surging waves.

She was a fairy girl with butterfly wings on her back and a body only the size of a thumb.

It was Vera who had also changed form, or more accurately, her preferred miniature fairy form.

Her personality has always been lively and carefree. At this moment, she flew down onto Garus's broad shoulder, blinked her big eyes, and said in a clear voice, "Garos, you are just too dazzling! Even if you turn into human form, as long as you stay in a place with many dragons for a while, you will definitely still be recognized."

However—

She drawled out her words, a sly smile playing on her lips, tinged with a hint of smugness: "I do have a brilliant idea that can help you get rid of all this trouble."

Vera has always been unreliable; most of her ideas are far-fetched.

However, Galos patiently followed her lead and asked, "Oh? What method? Tell me about it."

The fairy girl immediately flew in front of Garus, put her hands on her hips, and let out a burst of silvery laughter: "It's simple! Just let me become you, won't that solve it?"

Before she finished speaking, she no longer hesitated.

A powerful aura belonging to the Red Iron Dragon suddenly surged out.

At the same time, her body shot straight into the sky, and in a dazzling burst of light, it began to rapidly transform and reshape itself.

In the blink of an eye, a massive, muscular, black-and-red iron dragon with black scales suddenly appeared in the sky.

Its black and red scales gleamed with a cold, metallic sheen in the sunlight, its powerful limbs contained the strength to split mountains and shatter rocks, and when its wings were fully spread, they could almost cover a small patch of sky, casting a terrifyingly large shadow.

Especially those dragon eyes, calm and majestic, are exactly like those of Garus himself.

Almost at the same time.

The metal dragons that had been circling and searching for something suddenly brightened up and focused their attention on the newly appeared red iron dragon.

"Look! It's Lord Garus! He's finally appeared!"

"We finally found him! I knew he wouldn't keep hiding forever!"

"Ah! I heard that touching the scales of the Champion Dragon brings good luck and power! I must find a chance to touch them this time!"

Soon, a dozen or so young metal dragons of various shapes and bright eyes enthusiastically gathered around the suddenly appearing "red iron dragon".

They rushed to greet him.

Their eyes were filled with undisguised admiration, curiosity, and a hint of eagerness.

Hong Tielong first paused with a seemingly dignified air, then a hint of smug satisfaction flashed in his eyes.

He leaned back slightly, cleared his throat, and adopted a calm and dignified posture, saying, "Fellow countrymen, there's no need for such formalities."

A young silver dragon, unable to contain his excitement, pushed his way to the front and asked, "Lord Garos, your dragon breath is incredibly powerful, even astounding to dragons! Do you have any unique tips or techniques you could share with us? I am also eager to master even more powerful dragon breath techniques."

"Red Iron Dragon" blinked its huge dragon eyes.

She pretended to think for a moment, then said in a serious tone, "Well... it's actually quite simple."

"The key is consistent practice! Three hundred times in the morning, three hundred times at noon, and three hundred times in the evening! Breath out nine hundred times a day. If you keep at it, you'll be almost there."

Nine hundred times a day?! My throat would probably be ruined!

Upon hearing this, the young silver dragon gasped, his face filled with shock and confusion.

But then, he made a decision, gritted his teeth, and decided to find a place without dragons and risk everything to try out the champion dragon's exclusive recipe.

At this moment, the young bronze dragon on the right could no longer hold back.

She said with a hint of embarrassment but also with great anticipation, "Your...Your Excellency, your body is so strong! These muscles, these scales! May I...may I touch your scales and feel them?"

Upon hearing this, "Red Iron Dragon" let out a loud and hearty laugh.

"Haha! No problem! Feel it out!"

As she spoke, she even deliberately raised one of her thick dragon arms, forcefully arching the muscles on it that were as hard as refined steel, and generously gestured for the bronze dragon to come forward and stroke it.

On the beach below.

The real Galos looked at the imposter in the sky, his eyelids twitching slightly involuntarily.

He felt that his composed and powerful champion image was being destroyed and collapsed at the speed of light by Vera.

Deborah couldn't help but chuckle, gently covering her mouth with her hand and whispering to him, "Vera is getting better and better at imitating your Iron Dragon form. Look, with so many metal dragons surrounding her, she still couldn't find a flaw."

In the social etiquette of the dragon race.

Using scouting spells on unfamiliar members of the same race is a highly impolite and provocative act.

Therefore, the young metal dragons that gathered around did not carefully verify the authenticity of the "red iron dragon" in front of them.

However, even so, the fact that Vera's illusions could fool so many eyes is enough to show that her skill in the field of illusions is indeed extraordinary and far beyond what it used to be.

In the sky, Vera was immersed in the wonderful feeling of being the center of attention and surrounded by admirers.

The "red iron dragon" in the sky sometimes spread its wings and soared high, drawing magnificent and flamboyant trails across the azure sky, eliciting gasps of amazement from below; at other times, it spewed scorching dragon breath toward the deserted sea, evaporating large amounts of seawater and creating spectacular water vapor clouds.

Ultimately, Vera, having had a blast, even displayed a four-armed red lotus form.

The fierce appearance of the powerful dragon once again caused an incredulous exclamation and admiration from the metal dragons.

This made the already somewhat arrogant fairy dragon even more smug.

She even began to imitate the demeanor of a leader, using Garus's deep voice to command these "followers" to form a fairly orderly line and follow her on a "parade" along the winding coastline, receiving curious, surprised, or envious glances from other dragons along the way.

The commotion here is getting bigger and bigger.

The number of metal dragons following Vera grew exponentially, even attracting the attention of some legendary dragons resting in the clouds high in the sky.

However, these legendary dragons have keen eyesight.

They could see through the fairy dragon's illusionary disguise, but most of them just found it amusing and were too lazy to expose the little trick. Instead, they were more curious and fascinated by the fairy dragon itself.

Jinlong Nasha crossed her arms and looked at the lively red iron dragon in the sky, laughing so hard she almost couldn't straighten up.

“Garos, seriously.”

"I think this little dragon imp knows how to enjoy life much better than you do."

She joked, "You should really learn from her and find some fun from those young dragons who fawn over you, instead of hiding and avoiding them like this."

Galos shook his head helplessly.

Although he felt that Vera was ruining his image, he was not going to stop her.

At least for now, this method has effectively solved his problem.

All attention was drawn to "Garos" in the sky, and no dragon noticed the real red iron dragon on the beach anymore.

"Let her have her fun."

“After all,” Garus said, looking at his own reflection jumping around in the distance, “it’s nice to have some peace and quiet for a while.”

He changed the subject and looked at his companions: "I'm more interested in the largest library in the Eternal Radiance Dragon Domain."

"When I went there in my spare time before, I didn't have time to take a closer look before I was interrupted by the dragons who rushed over after hearing the news."

“I remember that it contains some knowledge that I didn’t have in my inheritance. Now is the perfect opportunity to take a closer look.”

As the sun slowly set, it dyed the clouds on the horizon a magnificent orange-red.

Meanwhile, Vera, the fairy dragon in the sky, continued to enjoy being fawned over by the other dragons, showing no sign of stopping.

Galus then did not delay any longer.

He quietly left the bustling beach, which was gradually being shrouded in twilight, with Deborah, Alberto, and other companions.

Behind them, they could clearly hear Vera imitating his deep voice as he boasted, and the young metal dragons occasionally letting out admiring exclamations and gasps.

A dozen minutes later.

Galos and his party arrived at a magnificent library known as the "Dragon's Rest Corridor".

The grandeur of this library far surpasses that of any book-collecting institution in mortal lands.

It is not made of ordinary bricks, stones, or earth and wood, but is formed by countless ancient dragon trees that are incredibly thick, still alive today, and with lush foliage, intertwined and growing naturally.

The dome soars high, and natural magical runes flow among the branches and leaves, exuding a sense of the passage of time.

The interior space of the library is incredibly vast.

Bookshelves, each requiring dozens of people to encircle, rose from the ground, densely packed with books.

However, in stark contrast to its magnificent scale, the interior of this temple of knowledge appears rather deserted.

Aside from Galos and his group, there were only a dozen or so other dragons in the vast space, most of them being mature adult dragons or even older ones.

Few dragons are as fond of spending time in libraries reading books as other short-lived species.

The knowledge passed down within is enough to make one appreciate it.

Galos's attention was drawn to a number of books.

"Regarding the first era of the dragon race's rule over the world, those historical secrets that are vague or even completely blank in my inherited memories, I wonder if there are any records here."

As he pondered this, he began to stroll leisurely through this tranquil and solemn forest of bookshelves, his gaze sweeping over rows of books, some ancient and some brand new.

Soon after, Galus's gaze was drawn to a book with an antique-looking cover.

【Aura Era Dragon Clan Covenant】

The word "Aura" in the ancient dragon language contains multiple meanings such as "sacred", "origin", and "glory".

The first era in which the dragons ruled the world is often referred to as the "Holy Aura Era".

Galos unconsciously slowed his pace, reached out and took the heavy book from the shelf, holding it in his hands and carefully examining the cover and title page.

However, after flipping through it briefly, he couldn't help but feel somewhat disappointed.

While the book does recount some details and events not mentioned in his inherited memories, the content is mostly conventional, leaning towards official records, and does not delve into the long-buried, potentially far-reaching secrets he truly wanted to explore.

Overall, there was nothing that caught his eye.

Galos gently closed the book, put it back in its place, and snapped out of his focused reading.

He glanced around instinctively, only to find that Deborah, Alberto, and Natasha, who had been following him, had disappeared without a trace, having wandered off to explore some bookshelf area.

Galos was not surprised.

In this vast ocean of knowledge, it is perfectly normal for everyone to explore and discover according to their own interests.

Instead of seeking companions, he chose to venture deeper into the library alone, towards areas that appeared older and more secluded.

At the same time, he vaguely sensed that the surrounding environment seemed to have become... unusually quiet.

Previously, one could hear extremely low conversations coming from afar, the subtle sound of pages turning, and even the long, steady breathing of the other dragons, but now all seemed to have completely disappeared.

But Galus didn't seem to realize this.

In a daze, he stopped in a relatively secluded corner with slightly dim lighting.

This place seems to be a forgotten, tranquil spot within the entire grand library.

A table made of crystal-clear roots that have grown and intertwined naturally is quietly placed here.

A man dressed in a simple linen robe sat at the table.

He looked very young and had delicate features.

His face was somewhat pale, his short, light-gold hair lacked luster, and his breath seemed weak.

On his face, fine wrinkles kept appearing and disappearing repeatedly.

At this moment, the young man was looking down, intently... fiddling with a gear mechanism.

It is layered and interlocked, and at a glance, it appears to be composed of at least a hundred precision gears of varying sizes.

The first gear is spinning at a speed that is difficult to detect with the naked eye, while the second gear is nearly ten times slower than the first, the third is ten times slower than the second, and so on, with the speed decreasing in turn. The gear at the very end of the sequence is completely still due to this long transmission chain.

The young man stared intently at the gears.

"This thing... looks a bit like a goggle gear."

Galos had seen a similar structure in his previous life.

It is said that, assuming the material strength can withstand infinite stress, if the last gear can be turned, then the first gear at the very beginning of the sequence will rotate at a speed exceeding the speed of light! Conversely, the first gear would have to rotate for a sufficiently long, almost infinite time, before it could cause the last gear to rotate in a way that is visible to the naked eye.

Seemingly noticing Galos's gaze, the young man raised his head, revealing a pair of deep blue eyes.

His eyes held an undeniable weariness.

But beneath that weariness, there was still a profound and serene quality.

Galos was certain that the seemingly weak and ordinary young man before him was actually a dragon whose life level had reached the legendary realm, but he didn't know why he was in such a state.

Are you interested in those dry and heavy historical records?

The young man spoke, his voice gentle and magnetic, a stark contrast to his frail appearance.

Galos did not appear reserved because of the other party's possible legendary status. He naturally walked to the other side of the table and sat down on the chair that was naturally formed by roots.

"The growth and decay of civilizations, the rise and fall of nations, the flow and change of power... In my view, all of this follows a certain pattern."

Galos responded calmly, his gaze candid, "Looking at history allows me to see this pattern clearly and better anchor the future."

"Besides, isn't everything we do now going to become history in the eyes of future generations in the next moment?"

A hint of surprise and admiration flashed in the young man's eyes.

He nodded slightly and said, "In this era, very few young dragons are willing to think like this anymore. Very good."

After he finished speaking, his gaze returned to the slowly meshing gears on the table.

He extended a long, pale finger and tried to turn the last, completely still gear in the sequence.

Click!

A crisp, clearly audible sound.

Instead of turning as expected, the stationary gear seemed unable to withstand the force of the fingers, shattering into a small pile of fine metal fragments.

The young man stared at the pile of debris and sighed.

He then stretched out his palm and gently waved it, an invisible force sweeping over.

The metal fragments quickly reformed and reassembled, restoring the original intact gear structure and continuing its meshing process.

After doing all this, he raised his eyes again and glanced at Galos sitting opposite him.

He casually asked, "What do you think time is?"

Is it a mighty river that flows ceaselessly, with no turning back, and can only passively move forward? Or is it like this gear set, seemingly that can be observed at will, and even tried to be manipulated, but in reality, we are helpless against it?

Galos did not answer immediately.

His gaze swept over the still slowly meshing gears before settling back on the young man's pale, calm face.

He remained silent for a few seconds, deep in thought.

Finally, he raised his head and said from the bottom of his heart:

"To me, time is a furnace, an anvil, and a never-ending, rigorous trial."

“I rarely think about why it exists or how it disappears—these are overly philosophical questions.”

"What I care more about is how to better temper my scales and claws under the erosion of time, making them sharper and more resilient; hone my will, making it more unwavering; and refine my soul, so that it can bear greater power."

The young man was slightly taken aback.

Then, a smile appeared on his face, slightly easing the weariness between his brows.

"A very interesting understanding, very pragmatic, and full of power."

He commented, "I can sense from this that you have an extraordinary and persistent pursuit of power. However, what is very rare is that your persistence is not without reason."

The young man slowly stood up, casually put away the gears, and his figure gradually faded away.

"Level 21 Legendary is just the beginning for a dragon like you; you can reach even greater heights."

His voice also became ethereal, as if it came from a very distant place, "I look forward to... seeing your future performance."

His figure completely disappeared.

At the same time, Deborah's slightly puzzled voice rang in Garros's ears.

"What are you standing here daydreaming about? Weren't you going inside to take a good look around?"

Upon hearing that familiar voice, Galos suddenly awoke.

He instinctively turned his head quickly and looked around at his surroundings.

Deborah, Natasha, Alberto, and the others stood quietly beside him, their faces showing a hint of confusion.

He himself was standing at the magnificent entrance of the library, his feet not even actually stepping inside.

What happened before seemed like a fleeting illusion.

Gears... time... that blue-eyed young man... what just happened?

Galos shook his head, trying to grasp the rapidly fading fragments of memory in his mind.

However, those images and conversations, like sand slipping through one's fingers, quickly became blurred and indistinct, ultimately leaving only a sense of daze, making Galus feel as if he had woken up from a dream, yet he couldn't remember what he had dreamt about.

"It's nothing," he said to his companions, regaining his composure. "I just suddenly spaced out. Let's go inside."

Galos resumed his steps and stepped into the library before him once more, marveling at its grandeur.

(End of this chapter)