Chapter 455 Ignas Royal Dragon Academy
Under a snow-covered sky, Garus lowered his eyes, gazing at the white dragon Beskar prostrate before him, his dragon eyes reflecting a multitude of thoughts.
He was pondering how to settle the newly tamed legendary dragon.
Should it be left in the permafrost tundra, hidden away as a hidden trump card?
The thought quietly crossed his mind.
If, in the near future, the Kingdom of Aura were to clash with other kingdoms, or even wage a full-blown war, a legendary white dragon completely outside the enemy's intelligence network would undoubtedly provide a tremendous advantage, allowing them to deliver a surprise attack to their opponents at a crucial moment.
This is a very tempting option.
However, Galos quickly shook his head slightly, rejecting the idea in his mind.
The prerequisite for concealing one's strength is that one possesses a sufficiently profound foundation of power to support the concealment of some of one's abilities; moreover, the value that this concealed power can bring when needed must far exceed the benefits of publicly revealing it.
However, as a newly established nation, the Kingdom of Aura is still in its early stages.
Its greatest deterrent and reliance currently rests almost entirely on Garos and the powerful individual strength of the Red Iron Dragon Emperor; the overall strength of the kingdom is far from sufficient.
Moreover, Aura did not isolate itself; it had alliances with neighboring kingdoms.
Once war breaks out, these allied nations will support each other.
Legendary figures are key to determining the safety of a kingdom and influencing the balance of diplomacy, and can effectively deter potential enemy nations with ulterior motives and covetous eyes.
More importantly, the Kingdom of Aura is currently in a golden age of rapid growth.
What it needs is not to hide its strength, but to establish its prestige and consolidate its foundation.
Every legend should be like a dazzling star guarding the blazing sun, surrounding the Red Iron Dragon Emperor, hanging high in the kingdom's sky, illuminating the vast territory, and deterring all villains.
Hiding a legend is tantamount to deliberately weakening the muscles you show to the outside world.
In a world where nations are surrounded by wolves and their interests are intertwined, showing weakness often does not bring peace and respect, but only attracts more probing lackeys and greedy covetousness, creating unnecessary trouble.
On the other hand, the symbolic significance of a legendary ancient dragon who publicly declared his allegiance is equally important.
It can truly declare to the entire continent.
—The Kingdom of Aura is rising powerfully, even to the point that the proud legendary ancient dragons are willing to submit to it!
This will attract more talent, allies, and opportunities, further consolidating the kingdom's upward momentum.
After careful consideration, Galos had made up his mind.
At the same time, the white dragon Beskar noticed Garus's thoughtful gaze.
The long years had given him a keen sense of emotion, and he could tell that the powerful Red Iron Dragon Emperor was considering how to settle himself.
"Your Majesty, the northern ice plains are vast and boundless, and the cold is bone-chilling."
"Beneath the ancient permafrost, there may be many undiscovered powerful beings or dormant threats."
He raised his head, flicked his tail, and volunteered: "I am willing to stay here and guard this icy land for you! No matter where the creature comes from, if it dares to invade this place, I will make it suffer a crushing defeat or perish here!"
In this way, to some extent, he also fulfilled his long-cherished wish of ruling the ice plains.
Although he was in the role of a subject and protector.
As he spoke, the white dragon's enormous eyes rolled, glancing at the ogre Grove who stood respectfully to the side.
He grinned, forcing out the gentlest possible smile.
He praised, "This cannibal is loyal and fearless to Your Majesty, and dares to face enemies far stronger than himself. His courage is commendable. It is a waste of his talent to keep him in such a remote little stronghold."
"Please allow him to stay by my side and assist me in managing affairs on the Ice Plains."
Upon hearing this, Galos slowly shook his head.
He went to great lengths to subdue the legendary ancient dragon, not so that it could slack off.
"The permafrost tundra is important, but it is barren and sparsely populated. In peacetime, there is no need for a legendary powerhouse to be stationed there year-round."
Hong Tielong said in a deep voice, "I have higher expectations for you."
He spread his wings and continued, “Come back to the Wilderness of Sel. Your new dragon nest will be built in the south of the wilderness, overlooking the vast southern region of my kingdom. At that time, your very existence and your legendary fame will fly together with the dragon flag of the Kingdom of Aura, becoming a symbol to deter the southern kingdoms and stabilize the borders.”
Upon hearing these words, Bescal's spirits trembled slightly.
He lay dormant for over eight hundred years, enduring loneliness and waiting. What he longed for deep in his heart was nothing more than to be truly valued and respected by the world, and not merely to be a lord hiding deep in the ice plains.
Standing at the forefront of the kingdom, it became a symbol of awe and power.
The prospect that Garus painted for him was more promising than having him remain in the silent, bitterly cold ice field, and it was also more in line with his pursuit of glory and status.
Bai Long abandoned his previous slightly ingratiating expression and became solemn and serious.
He lowered his head and solemnly said, "As you wish, Your Majesty."
"My claws and ice will remain with the Kingdom of Aura."
At this moment, Red Iron Dragon turned his head and his gaze fell on the ogre beside him.
He asked, "What's your name?"
Grove the ogre bowed again, his head pressing a deep crater into the ground, before raising his head again, his eyes filled with pure awe and admiration.
“Growl, Your Majesty, my name is Grove.”
Hong Tielong nodded slowly and said, "I have seen your loyalty and bravery. These qualities should not be buried in the frontier."
"After you have handed over all your duties here, go to Crimson Flame Royal City. First, undergo Dragon Forging and Transformation. After the transformation is complete, you will remain to serve in the Royal City Guard."
Upon hearing this, the cannibal was slightly taken aback.
Immediately, he was overwhelmed with immense joy.
With a single, casual remark from the emperor, he was elevated from the leader of a small outpost in this remote northern region to the noble "Dragon-Forged Warrior" and the glorious "Royal City Guardian," a dramatic leap in status and position.
The scene was so beautiful, like a dream, and his excitement and gratitude were palpable.
"Thank you, Your Majesty! Grove will fight for you forever! My life and my loyalty belong to you!"
"Loyalty! Loyalty! Loyalty!"
The ogre shouted repeatedly in a deep, booming voice, the sound echoing across the icy plains.
After that, Galos said no more.
He spread his dragon wings, his powerful hind legs stomped the ground, stirring up a cloud of snow dust, and his massive body soared straight into the sky.
White Dragon Bescal dared not slack off, and also flapped its wings vigorously, stirring up a biting cold wind, and followed closely behind.
Two enormous dragon shadows tore through the vast snowstorm and flew swiftly toward the Sel Wilderness.
After a while, the wind and snow behind them gradually subsided, but the air currents in the high sky were still icy cold, whistling past the dragon scales.
Garros led the ancient white dragon to the border region between the wilderness and the tundra.
After a moment's thought, he did not choose to fly straight towards the wilderness, but instead tilted his dragon wings slightly, changing his flight direction.
"The academy under Therese's management has been developing for some time now. This trip to the border region is a good opportunity to take a look at its current state."
Galos thought to himself.
According to the kingdom's laws and educational strategies, all dragons under the age of juvenile within the Kingdom of Aura will be given priority to be sent to this academy on the border to receive systematic education, including combat skills, kingdom laws, general knowledge, and cooperative discipline.
The vast majority of these young dragons came from the earliest Dominic Blue Dragon Clan to submit.
The Kingdom of Aura encourages childbirth and has established an incubation system. After laying dragon eggs, dragon mothers can choose not to incubate them themselves and instead hand them over to the incubation officers designated by the kingdom. In return, they will receive a generous reward from the kingdom's treasury.
Therefore, with favorable policy incentives, the number of newborn dragons in the kingdom has increased significantly in recent years.
After being incubated and surviving their most vulnerable period, these dragon eggs are now being nurtured at the academy in the border region.
It is foreseeable that in a few decades, when these dragons reach adolescence, the number of dragons that the Kingdom of Aura can directly command and mobilize will experience an explosive growth.
In addition, there are a few dragons who have heard of the Kingdom of Aura and the Emperor and have traveled great distances to seek refuge with them.
Those who are under the age of adolescence will, according to regulations, be sent to colleges in border areas for adaptive learning.
Galos rarely comes to the border area now.
However, this place remains very important to the Kingdom of Aura and is a rear area that needs to be taken seriously.
A minute or two later, Galos and Bescal came to a stop in the air above a wide plain.
At this moment, both dragons used shapeshifting magic to maintain their snow eagle forms, making it easier to observe them from a concealed perspective.
Galos folded his wings and hovered high in the sky. The chilling air around him gradually subsided, revealing the magnificent complex below.
"Where is this place?"
Bescal asked in a low voice.
"An academy specifically for educating young dragons is one of the foundations of the Kingdom of Aura," Garos said.
The academy was named after him; it was called the Galus Academy.
In addition, it has a more formal name—Ignas Royal Dragon Academy!
Bescal looked thoughtful.
He lowered his eyes and carefully observed the academy standing on the snowy ground.
Rather than calling it an academy, it's more accurate to describe it as a comprehensive fortress and advanced training ground designed specifically for young behemoths.
The towering walls are constructed from neatly cut giant obsidian blocks, their surfaces inscribed with dense reinforcing runes and elemental stabilization arrays to ensure they can withstand the impacts of the dragons' daily training.
The interior is divided into several extremely spacious areas.
The theoretical teaching area, spell practice area, melee combat area, physical training area, and resting nest area are separated from each other by towering and extremely sturdy enchanted walls.
The most eye-catching feature is the enormous emperor statue that stands in the central square of the college.
Cast from a special dark alloy, it is extremely magnificent, reproducing the majestic posture of the Red Iron Dragon raising its head to the sky and spreading its wings as if about to take flight. The surface of the sculpture has been carefully polished, and even under the gloomy sky and the swirling snow, it still flows with a deep and cold luster. The dragon's head proudly looks towards the sky, symbolizing the kingship and power of the Red Iron Dragon Emperor.
Galos's gaze lingered on the metal colossus for a brief moment.
Beside him, the white dragon Beskar, hovering in the form of a snow eagle, tilted its head and sniffed the scent in the air.
He sensed the aura of a large number of dragons gathering below.
Immediately, Galos lowered its altitude and, following the scent of the white dragon Therese, silently glided towards a training area exposed to the wind and snow.
Bescal followed closely behind.
Immediately afterward, upon seeing the scene in the training ground below, this legendary ancient dragon, who was not young, couldn't help but slightly widen his eagle-form eyes, his heart stirred with emotion.
Dozens of dragons of varying sizes gathered in the vast training ground.
From the young dragons that have just emerged from their larval stage and are about the size of a large warhorse, to the juvenile dragons that are over ten meters long and appear agile and nimble, and then to the adolescent dragons that are approaching their youth and whose skeletons are beginning to take on the outline of a colossal creature.
Their scales are of different colors, and they come in many different races.
Among them, the number of blue dragons is obviously dominant, far ahead, and almost more than half of the total; the rest are the classic five-colored dragon species such as red dragons, green dragons, black dragons, and white dragons.
Among them, one can also see a few five-colored hybrid dragons with mixed scale colors, whose characteristics are between two types of dragons.
Under the watchful gaze of two snow eagles perched high above, these young dragons were undergoing various training exercises.
Some dragons were repeatedly ramming their scaly heads against the heavy metal stakes that were deeply buried in the ground and whose surfaces were branded with reinforcing runes. The dull thuds made the ground tremble slightly.
Other dragons swung their powerful tails like giant steel whips, striking the giant log targets hanging in mid-air, which required several people to encircle, causing them to shake violently and splinter wood.
Other dragons would pair up and engage in a pure power struggle, clashing against each other with their shoulders covered in hard scales, their muscles bulging and their scales rubbing together to produce a piercing sound.
In the sky, several young dragons were undergoing weighted flight training. Their sharp claws gripped heavy boulders the size of a small house, and they flapped their wings vigorously to maintain their altitude and balance.
...
There was no lazy or playful atmosphere whatsoever.
The entire training ground was bustling with activity.
But what surprised Bescal the most, and even made him somewhat incredulous, was not the variety of the dragons' scales, their considerable number, or the intensity of their training.
Rather, it's their... physique!
Looking around, almost every dragon in the arena, regardless of age or species, displayed a highly developed, explosively powerful muscular physique.
Beneath the various colored scales were strong muscles that undulated clearly with each movement, twisted together like steel wires.
The young dragons had ridiculously thick wings at the base, with the muscle groups connecting to their torsos bulging high; the necks and limbs of the teenage dragons were generally a full circle thicker and more robust than the likes of their age that Bescal remembered, exuding a powerful sense of strength.
(End of this chapter)
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