Chapter 459 Galos's Four Sons
Before the sun had completely set that day, the official document from the Kingdom of Aura had already been released.
This strongly worded condemnation was directed at neighboring countries.
The phrases "attack on the abyss rift," "disregard for the safety of all nations and living beings," and "evil acts that must be severely punished" are particularly eye-catching.
The Kingdom of Aura intentionally escalated the incident to the point of concern for the safety of the entire continent.
This announcement quickly stirred up waves among the Romanian countries, and the Kingdom of Theo's response did not keep the outside world waiting long.
The following morning, Theo Kingdom issued a statement.
The statement did not acknowledge any of the allegations, but instead turned its attention to the Kingdom of Aura, condemning its overexploitation of the northeastern region as the root cause of the Abyss Rift.
It is noteworthy that the statement made no mention of the Abyss Development Program implemented by the Holden Empire in recent years.
They then demanded that the Kingdom of Aura retract its baseless accusations and immediately cease its predatory exploitation of the wilderness.
The Kingdom of Aura, in turn, demanded that they fully open their borders and cooperate with the Aura Investigation Team to enter their territory to investigate the Abyss Rift invasion.
Anyone with eyes to see can see that these are demands that the other party would never agree to.
Both sides adopted an exceptionally tough stance, with each round of diplomatic clashes escalating the tension and showing no signs of backing down.
Along the long border between the two countries, changes are taking place visibly.
The garrison's alert level was raised three times in a week, and the original three-shift patrols per day were changed to continuous 24/7 patrols.
Heavy alchemical golems kicked up dust on military roads, driving almost day and night toward various border fortresses. Newly formed legions were quickly deployed to the front lines, and soldiers cleaned their weapons and checked their armor in makeshift camps.
As a result, along the long border, outposts and fortresses spread out like a mushroom carpet after rain.
The newly built watchtowers are no more than five kilometers apart, and the observation crystals on the tops of the towers reflect a cold light in the sunlight. The defensive fortifications are interlocked, and in some sections the forward outposts of the two countries are less than an arrow's shot apart.
The soldiers could even clearly see the emblems on the enemy's flag.
The tension was palpable, yet the arrows were drawn but not released.
The shadow of war hangs low over the border, oppressive and suffocating, a storm brewing.
Both sides are prepared for what may be more than one storm, just waiting for the lightning bolt that will finally break the stalemate.
For example, a border skirmish, a diplomatic blunder, or some unforeseen accident.
As relations among Romanian countries grow increasingly tense, a different change is quietly taking place amidst the turbulent seas and raging waves.
On the right side of the main island, a section of the sea that was originally calm suddenly began to tremble.
At first, it was just a tiny ripple, but it quickly expanded into violent waves.
The seawater churned as if stirred by an invisible hand, the waves rising higher and higher, as if a colossal creature was awakening and swimming in the deep water.
boom!
A huge, long, silvery-white dragon shadow broke through the sea surface and soared into the sky amidst a shower of water droplets.
Sunlight shone on the newly formed scales, reflecting a cold, metallic sheen.
The overwhelming power of the legendary creature swept outwards from the silver dragon, causing even larger waves to rise on the sea surface, and nearby sea beasts scattered in panic.
The silver dragon spread its wings high in the sky, feeling the surging power growing within its body.
He felt every muscle in his body brimming with unprecedented vitality, magic coursing through his veins like a river, and then he raised his head and sang a long song.
The roar of a dragon echoed between the sea and the sky, announcing the birth of a new legend.
"Finally, it's a legend."
His voice carried a sense of relief and satisfaction.
For this moment, the silver dragon slept at the bottom of the sea for more than 20 years.
Just then, another bronze-colored dragon shadow shot out from a nearby island.
The figure showed no signs of slowing down, crashing straight into the silver dragon's embrace, its two front paws tightly wrapped around the silver dragon's neck.
"Darling, you're awake!"
The bronze dragon Serena raised her head, her face revealing undisguised joy.
Her tail swayed merrily in the air, its scales gleaming with a warm, coppery sheen in the sunlight.
After reaching the legendary realm, the silver dragon Edley's body became even more well-proportioned and agile.
His body length has increased by about a third, but his overall lines are more streamlined. Each scale is like a meticulously polished silver shield, with sharp edges and a cold metallic luster.
His overall demeanor was cool and elegant, and his appearance had improved significantly compared to before he fell asleep.
"Be careful, there are quite a few dragons watching us."
"I whispered," Edley said, breaking free from the copper dragon's embrace.
He could feel gazes coming from all directions. The dragons in the Dragon Realm, sensitive to energy fluctuations, were drawn by the commotion of his breakthrough and were flying in from all directions.
Serena smiled and leaned closer, her warm breath brushing against the silver dragon's cheek.
"Oh, such a huge legendary dragon, why is it shy?"
She leaned closer and tried to nuzzle Edley's head.
"Be more reserved in public."
Adrian straightened his face, tilted his head back to avoid his partner's closeness, and glared at the always unreliable bronze dragon.
At this moment, one after another, dragon shadows flew over and surrounded the newly promoted legendary silver dragon.
Most of the dragons that came were metal dragons, including silver dragons, bronze dragons, and copper dragons, and two young gold dragons were also approaching.
In the culture of Metal Dragon society, congratulating a newly crowned legend is a basic courtesy.
"Edley, congratulations on stepping into the legendary realm."
An older silver dragon spoke first; he was an elder from a collateral branch of the Stanistor family.
"It is truly a cause for celebration that your Stanislav family has gained another legend."
A bronze dragon echoed, its tone fairly friendly.
"His breakthrough speed is comparable to that of the Golden Dragon; his future is promising."
“.”
Congratulations echoed throughout the venue.
Metal dragons engage in a lot of social interaction, especially in situations like this.
Edley responded to the compliments with an elegant yet polite smile and a nod.
He could tell that some of the dragons' congratulations were sincere, mainly from those close to their families or relatives, but many more dragons had other emotions hidden in their eyes, which went beyond mere congratulations.
When the time was right, Edley used the excuse of needing to consolidate his realm to leave the congratulatory dragons with Serena and flew towards the dense forest on the edge of the main island.
They landed in a clearing in the forest and took human form one after another.
This is to make conversations easier and to avoid unnecessary attention.
Edri transformed into a handsome man with silver hair and silver eyes, dressed in a simple silver robe. Serena, on the other hand, became a woman with honey-haired, brown eyes, wearing a leather hunting outfit that allowed for easy movement.
The two walked side by side on the forest path, their feet sinking into a thick layer of fallen leaves.
"The way those dragons looked at me was strange."
Edley frowned slightly, breaking the silence, "Did something happen while I was asleep?"
He keenly noticed that while the dragons' praise was genuine, their eyes were not entirely innocent.
Some dragons' eyes held admiration, some held curiosity, and some even held a hint of scrutiny.
This is very unusual.
Serena nodded, her expression becoming more serious.
"Do you remember that on the eve of your slumber, Garos promised the golden dragon Ovis that he would come to the Dragon Realm to participate in the arena?"
Edley nodded slightly.
Of course he remembered that.
"Among the younger generation of the five major dragon domains, there is no one who can rival Garos. He should have already won the championship."
Edley spoke with certainty.
He was well aware of the power of his son-in-law, the man with the red iron dragon.
Serena said, "Yes, and he not only won the championship, but also quickly broke through to the legendary level."
Upon hearing this, Edley paused in his steps.
He slowly turned around, his silver eyes staring directly at his partner: "A legend? He's a legend?"
A crack appeared in his stern expression, revealing a brief moment of astonishment.
In his memory, when he fell asleep, Garus seemed to have only recently reached level 20.
How come when I woke up, the other person seemed to have entered the legendary realm before me? This timeline doesn't make sense.
Serena's eyes gleamed with cunning as she deliberately said, "I remember a certain dragon once said that after he became a legend, he would 'give guidance' to the younger generation of red iron dragons."
The silver dragon fell silent.
A few seconds later, he slowly shook his head, his expression returning to calm: "That was just a joke, don't take it seriously."
To regain face against Red Iron Dragon, he might try bullying the weaker opponent, but he knew very well what the result would be in a matchup of equal strength.
He didn't want to suffer the same fate as Hong Tielong again.
Silver Dragon composed himself and calmly analyzed, "Garos is legendary. Even the dragons of our Raging Dragon Domain shouldn't look at me with such strange eyes."
“They know our family knows Galos? Even so, they shouldn’t be reacting like this.”
Upon hearing this, Serena nodded, her expression becoming completely serious.
"His success wasn't achieved naturally, nor was it a legendary breakthrough achieved through Dragon Domain prizes."
Edley's gaze sharpened: "Did something happen to him during the Dragon Domain Arena?"
"Yes, something big has happened."
Serena considered her words for a moment, organized them, and then began to speak.
She recounted how Garos was attacked after the match and killed the Bronze Dragon Siano in self-defense; she described the Bronze Dragon Clan's fury and the subsequent investigation; she recounted how the Golden Dragon King personally issued an edict recognizing the Red Iron Dragon's actions as self-defense; and she also explained how this incident exacerbated the existing ideological conflicts within the Dragon Realm.
Edley listened intently, his pupils contracting and dilating as the story unfolded.
When he heard that Garros had killed the legendary attacker, he couldn't help but take a deep breath. When he heard that the Bronze Dragonflight had tried to exert pressure but was thwarted by the Golden King's decree, he nodded. But as he heard what happened next, his brow furrowed even more deeply.
"The atmosphere in the Dragon Domain of Raging Waves has been very abnormal recently."
Serena added in a low voice.
"The Bronze Dragon King no longer guards the abyss day and night, but begins to frequently appear and walk around, revealing his true form on several occasions."
He said that the metal dragons of today are too lenient with evil and have lost their former glory.
He said that it is the duty of metal dragons to eradicate evil, and that tolerating evil is to associate with evil. This decadent trend must be changed.
“The Dragon Kings hold a high position and have never clearly stated their position in the struggle between the Purifiers and the Inclusives. The Bronze Dragon King’s current attitude has changed the minds of many dragons.” She sighed. “Some Purifier dragons have been attracted from other dragon realms, while many Inclusive dragons have felt uncomfortable and migrated to other dragon realms.”
Hearing these words, Edley frowned repeatedly.
He never imagined that such a series of major events would occur while he was asleep.
The ideological conflict within the Dragon Realm has become so blatant that even the Dragon King himself has intervened.
"What did the other dragons in the family say?"
"I asked, my voice low," Edley asked.
Serena lowered her voice: "One-third of our Sawyerjeton family members have already migrated to the other four Dragon Domains. Your Stanistor family is in a similar situation, with only a few remaining in the Raging Tide Dragon Domain. Most of them are older and unwilling to move, or are still observing the situation."
On a larger scale, the metal dragons have five major dragon domains as their settlements.
Within the Dragon Realm, they are often closely united in the form of families through blood ties.
Soye Zetton and Stanisholm are the metallic dragon families to which the copper dragon and silver dragon belong, respectively, and have been rooted in the Raging Dragon Realm for thousands of years.
Previously, the two families had a fierce argument with the Purification Faction and the Bronze Dragon Clan in the Dragon Realm over the matter of Garos.
They argued that Siano's actions violated the laws of dragons and that he deserved to die.
This controversy caused a great uproar at the time, tearing apart the superficial harmony of the Dragon Realm.
Now, the Bronze Dragon King has become active and openly supports the Purification faction's ideology, which has directly led to a surge in the number of Purification dragons in the Raging Dragon Realm, and many previously neutral dragons have also begun to lean towards this faction.
Although the Bronze Dragon King did not purge his own kind, nor did he show any intention to suppress the two families, the metal dragons of the Sawyer Zetton and Stanistor families felt an invisible pressure.
In this atmosphere, the metal dragons from both families became increasingly uncomfortable.
After internal discussions, they made the decision to relocate.
They won't all leave at once, but the core members and the younger generation will move to other Dragon Domains to rebuild branches.
The Bronze Dragon King did not intervene or offer any dissuasion.
His main focus was on absorbing and accepting the Purification Dragons, and he seemed to pay little attention to the dragons that had migrated from his own dragon domain.
"Sheffield, what exactly is he trying to do? Is he trying to turn the Raging Dragon Domain into a stronghold for the Purifying Dragons and split the Dragon Domain?"
Edley called out the Bronze Dragon King's name directly, his voice filled with suppressed anger.
Serena sighed, "So far, yes, and he's been quite successful."
"Currently, over 60% of the dragons in the Raging Dragon Domain openly or covertly support the Purification Faction's ideology, while the rest are either neutral or, like us, preparing to leave."
Edley took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself down.
He asked, "This is very detrimental to the unity of the Dragon Realm. Haven't the other Dragon Kings said anything?"
Serena shook her head slightly.
"Aside from the last decree he issued, the Golden Dragon King has almost disappeared. There are rumors that he is conducting a long-term study, or perhaps he is preparing for his next long slumber."
She shrugged helplessly. "The Silver Dragon King is a well-known good-natured dragon. When things happen, he prefers to mediate and persuade rather than escalate the conflict. As for the Brass Dragon King and the Copper Dragon King, even if they express their dissatisfaction, what can they change?"
Upon hearing this, Edley fell silent; of course he knew all this.
To unsuspecting intelligent beings, the Metal Dragon Realm is a symbol of unity and power, but the Metal Dragons within it see many potential problems.
Now, these problems are laid bare in the open.
Bronze Dragon King Sheffield chose to make his stance clear in the most direct way: he intended to completely turn the Tide Dragon Realm around.
Edley did not leave immediately afterward.
He traveled across the islands of the Raging Dragon Realm, personally observing the reactions of all sides, talking with the dragons in his family who had not yet left, and also inquiring about information from some neutral dragons.
He saw young dragons giving impassioned speeches on the main island, promoting the idea of purification; he saw on the mission bulletin board that the rewards for missions related to eliminating evil dragons had increased by 30%; and he saw in the library that documents about the calling of metal dragons were placed in the most prominent position.
He also saw some dragons quietly packing their belongings, packing up treasures accumulated over hundreds of years, preparing to transport them to other dragon realms; he saw the once bustling inter-clan exchange activities now deserted; and he saw young dragons forming different small groups and attacking each other.
These things gradually made Edley's judgment clearer.
Under the influence of the Bronze Dragon King, the Raging Dragon Realm is excluding inclusive dragons.
Instead of through violence or explicit expulsion, the approach is to create an atmosphere, allocate resources, and shift the discourse power to encourage those dragons who do not subscribe to mainstream ideas to leave on their own.
The joy of breaking through to the legendary level was greatly diminished by the changes in the Dragon Realm.
Although Edley had feelings for this sea where he had lived for so long, he also knew that staying would only cause more unhappiness, and in the minds of metal dragons, family was often more important than the dragon realm.
Dragon Realm can be exchanged, but the bond of blood cannot be severed.
Since the core members of both families have decided to migrate, there is no need for their small family to be different.
A week later, Edley and Serena packed up all their belongings.
Their collection wasn't large; it mainly consisted of some magical books, a few commemorative treasures, and rare materials accumulated over the years.
After packing these items into several portable dimensional bags, they bid farewell to the family members who had not yet left, and then spread their wings and flew away from the Raging Dragon Domain.
Their destination was the Fubo Dragon Domain.
That was the territory directly under the Silver Dragon King, known for its inclusiveness and openness. It had once protected the Red Iron Dragon, which was located in the vortex of controversy, and was also the new settlement chosen by the main branch of the Stanistor family.
The two dragon domains are not close, but for the dragons, it is only a slightly longer journey.
Soon after, the news reached Deborah, who was far away in the Kingdom of Aura.
The Crimson Silver Dragon received messages from his parents through the family's internal communication system and learned the whole story.
“The Raging Waves Dragon Domain is gradually becoming the stronghold of the Purifying Dragons. My parents have migrated to the Fubo Dragon Domain.”
Deborah put down the communication device and stood on the lookout tower for a long time.
She looked south, towards the boiling sea, though she couldn't see anything from that distance.
It took her some time to gradually accept the news.
The changes in the Dragon Realm, the migration of families, and the surface-level conflict of ideologies—these are all major events with far-reaching impact, but life must go on.
A few days later, during dinner with Garros, Deborah told Red Iron Dragon the general situation.
She described the changes in the Raging Dragon Realm, her parents' migration, and the Bronze Dragon King's changing attitude.
"These are truly turbulent times."
After listening, Hong Tielong said with emotion.
He paused, then looked at the small, crimson-silver dragon nestled beside him, a hint of gentleness flashing across his fierce face: "Once they've settled down in the Fubo Dragon Domain, invite them to visit the Kingdom of Aura. We'll also tell them the good news, soothe their spirits, and make them happy."
Deborah nodded, her hand unconsciously stroking her abdomen gently.
Just a few days ago, she confirmed that she was pregnant.
Dragons have an extremely keen sense of their own bodies, and she could clearly feel that there were about four dragon eggs developing inside her.
In fact, the reproductive capacity of dragons is much stronger than most intelligent beings believe.
If the female dragon is willing, she can lay a clutch of dragon eggs every year by actively controlling ovulation.
However, pregnancy causes a slight decrease in the dragon's power, so the five-colored dragon dislikes being pregnant and even more so dislikes raising offspring.
Metal dragons adhere to the principle of eugenics and strictly control the number of offspring to ensure that each dragon egg receives sufficient resources and care. Under normal circumstances, they will only reproduce once every few decades or even hundreds of years.
Deborah's pregnancy was, in some ways, an accident.
She hadn't originally planned to have children at the beginning of the founding of Aura Kingdom, after all, it was a busy time with war looming ahead.
However, Galos's body was simply too powerful.
After becoming legendary, the bloodline of the Red Iron Dragon underwent a qualitative change, its life essence leaped forward, and this also affected certain aspects of its abilities.
During an intimate encounter a few days ago, Deborah's mind went completely blank, and she lost control of her body. When she came to her senses, she found herself pregnant, with the seed of life already planted inside her.
As the saying goes, plans can't keep up with changes.
Since they already had them, Deborah decided to keep them.
Under normal circumstances, these dragon eggs will develop inside the mother's body for about a year before being laid.
The dragon eggs will take about two years to complete their final development before they hatch and become young dragons ready to face the world.
In other words, in about three years, Garus will welcome his first generation of offspring, four dragon descendants.
After dinner, Galus, unusually, did not exercise, but instead accompanied Deborah for a walk in the royal gardens in human form.
"Whose bloodline traits will they inherit? And will they inherit my already evolved scale structure, or my winged form? In terms of personality, which faction will they lean towards? Will they be more like me, or a pure-blooded evil dragon, or a metal dragon?"
Galos asked a series of questions, his tone tinged with curiosity.
He couldn't help but have some expectations for the blind box-like experience.
Deborah chuckled and said, "Who knows?"
"Dragon genetics are complex, and hybrid dragon offspring are even more varied. Some may resemble you, some may resemble me, and some may be completely unexpected."
She paused, her voice softening, "But no matter what, they will always be our children."
A gentle breeze ruffled Deborah's hair, carrying the scent of wisteria blossoms from the garden.
Galos nodded and looked up at the night sky.
The stars twinkled, and the Milky Way stretched across the sky.
Three years is but a blink of an eye for dragons, but the next three years are crucial.
How will the situation in the Romanian countries evolve? What progress will there be between him and the Kingdom of Aura? What impact will the changes in the Dragon Realm of Raging Waves have? Will their descendants be born amidst the flames of war?
These questions lingered in Galus's mind.
Finally, he shook his head, banishing them from his mind.
At least for tonight, Galos decided to set aside the outside world's disturbances and enjoy the peace and anticipation that comes with nurturing new life. After tonight, he would concentrate all his energy and prepare to unleash blood and fire.
Passively waiting for the flames of war to ignite is not the style of the Red Iron Dragon Emperor.
(End of this chapter)
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