Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Roar! A dragon’s cry came from the clouds. After that, the people of Ferde saw dozens of fiery-red dragons of varying sizes. They circled in the air and then slowly landed on the roof of Scorched Ridge’s main Mage Tower.
The dragons were very slow and didn’t do anything aggressive. The residents had all experienced many things, so they didn’t fall into unrest now. The dragons descending only let the people on the streets have more to talk about.
Let us return to the Mage Tower roof.
There were around 20 dragons. The leaders were Elder Pettalong and young Felina—both familiar with Link. The others included three elders and a dozen rising stars above Level-8.
After landing on the roof, they transformed back into human form.
Many people were there to welcome them, including Link, Celine, Eliard, Evelina, Nana, and more. The core Magicians were all present. There were six Legendary figures, and the newest one was Eliard.
He hadn’t faced a Legendary Magician directly at the extreme north this time, but he’d passed the protector’s test. This helped him break through the bottleneck and enter a new world.
Elder Pettalong arrived first. After transforming, he looked to Red Dragon Queen Gretel. Seeing her pale face and unsteady steps, he immediately said, “Your Majesty, I heard that you were gravely wounded. How are you now?”
Pettalong didn’t avoid the Ferde Magicians while speaking. He took out a fist-sized red crystal. “Your Majesty, I brought a Flawless Dragon Power crystal. It is filled with Dragon Power and should be of help.”
Gretel seriously needed this; it could greatly speed up her recovery. She took the crystal and smiled gently at Pettalong.
“Just in time. My injury is quite serious, but I’ve already recovered much. It is okay now.”
The dragons were all relieved by this. The Red Dragon Queen had a unique lineage and had a true hereditary Legendary bloodline. If something happened to her, the lineage would lose a protector. If something big happened, the dragon race would weaken quickly. They couldn’t endure that loss.
Seeing that everyone was relieved, Link smiled. “Everyone traveled great distances and must be tired. Come, come. We’ve prepared a banquet so you all can shake away the fatigue.”
“Thank you, Duke.” Pettalong bowed to Link. They knew that the queen had re-accepted Link as a Red Dragon duke. Some dragons protested, but this was still an exciting thing.
Pettalong especially had witnessed Ferde’s fast development and Link’s power. He supported this wholeheartedly.
The other dragons all thanked him and found their seats.
At Felina’s turn, Link gave her a second glance. Surprised, he asked softly, “Are you at the pinnacle of Level-9?”
She was about to enter the Legendary level.
Felina smiled proudly but also with some regret. “Sadly, I just can’t get past it.”
“Don’t worry. You’ll succeed,” Link encouraged her. He could tell that Felina would get there sooner or later.
Felina nodded with force. She was motivated. Encouragements from others were just encouragements. But Link had amazing achievements. His words were practically like prophecies. If he said she could do it, then she definitely could.
After that, everyone took their seats. Then beautiful magic puppets walked up to take away the silver covers over the dishes. Instantly, a delicious smell spread about. Not only did the dishes smell so tempting, but they also looked great. Many of the dishes were so beautiful that they didn’t want to destroy it.
Link sat at the head of the table. “These delicacies were all procured by Ferde’s chefs from all over,” he explained. “Every dish has a unique story. If you’re interested, you can ask your magic puppet.”
The dragons were all intrigued by that. They started pointing at the dishes and asking questions. They couldn’t help it; the dishes looked too interesting.
There was a pot of broth before Felina. The broth was thick and semi-transparent. It kept bubbling and gurgling too. But what was interesting was that there were many thumb-sized, silver fish swimming inside. They seemed to be alive, but the milky broth radiated with such a delicious fragrance. There weren’t any Mana waves either. This meant that it wasn’t made with magic, which was even more confusing.
After asking, the magic puppet explained quietly, “This is called ‘Fishing for Silver.’ The fish are from a volcanic spring. They can survive extreme heat. After being caught, they’re fed with a special method, and their meat becomes crisp and sweet. They only need to be placed in the prepared broth before being brought to the table to create this delicacy.”
“Oh, why is it called fishing?” Felina was interested.
“Miss, look at this second dish. It is thin strips of a vegetable called green cassava. It is tasty in itself and also the favorite of the silver volcanic fish. Try putting the cassava into the broth.”
Felina picked up a strip of green cassava and lowered it into the broth. As expected, a fish nearby swam over and bit the cassava. It refused to let go.
After fishing it out, Felina saw that the fish was biting the cassava, but it wasn’t moving. It seemed to be asleep. “What happened?” she continued asking.
“The cassava is filled with a special ingredient. It makes the silver fish more delicious and also acts as a sedative. This prevents the fish from struggling in your mouth, which affects the taste.”
“Oh, great idea.” Felina took a bite. An interesting taste entered her mouth. It was crisp, light, fresh, and soft. It was like a pair of small hands gently massaging her tongue. The taste was incredible.
This put her in a great mood. “Interesting, interesting,” she praised repeatedly.
After eating that fish, she immediately took another piece of green cassava and continued fishing at the table. She ate one after another happily.
The other dragons were all like this, mesmerized by the dishes before them. Each happily ate their fill at the meal. The atmosphere was harmonious too.
Some elders who didn’t know the truth disliked Link because of had happened before. But after this great treatment, the hard feelings all softened.
Afterwards, the magic puppets speedily cleaned everything up and served the dessert. The Magicians and Red Dragon Elders started chatting about the specifics of cooperation.
Pettalong’s group came to see Gretel’s state and also negotiate the alliance. The core was the popularization of Dragon Power.
To Link, getting the secret of Dragon Power wasn’t as important after having the Seed of Sunlight. Of course, it would be better if he got it. It could improve Ferde’s Sunlight Power, but it was okay if he couldn’t get it.
Since it was just icing on the cake, he didn’t care as much. He gave Eliard, Vance, and the others full control over the specifics.
While they were discussing, Link waited at the side for the final result. Since he was free, he asked the Red Dragon Queen, “Your Majesty, I feel that your power is starting to grow again. Is it true?”
Gretel was on Link’s left. She glanced at Celine who was looking over and nodded.
“Indeed. Now that I have the crystal, I will recover completely within a month. You don’t need to give me power anymore.”
“That’s great news.” Link was relieved, and he sighed inwardly.
The past ten days, he would give Gretel power every hour and was tired too. It was okay for a small amount, but after the visits increased, Celine started suspecting him too. She got jealous many times. If this continued, they might get into a cold war. Link didn’t want that.
Gretel knew about Link’s situation too. She felt sad inside, but she forced a smile. Taking out a dark red bracelet, she gave it to Celine sitting on Link’s right.
“Madam, I’ve really disturbed you by resting here all these days. This is called the Heart of Flames. It is my gift to you.”
Surprised, Celine glanced at Link. He nodded slightly, so she accepted the bracelet.
“Thank you.”
Her opinion of Gretel improved but was still unfriendly. This woman was too beautiful and too powerful. In all of Ferde, only Link could act normally before her. When she stood beside Link, Celine felt that the two were a perfect pair. This upset her greatly.
On the other hand, the Magicians and Red Dragons acted quickly. They’d come to a mutual agreement during this short period and had drafted the terms of cooperation.
Eliard passed it to Link. He was satisfied after scanning it and stamped it. Then he passed it to the Red Dragon Queen. She also nodded and added the dragon royalty’s stamp.
Thus, Ferde and the Dragon Valley were allies once again.
Afterwards, Link arranged places to stay for the dragons. The Magicians returned to the Mage Tower to continue working. When everything was done, Link returned to his own tower to study the Book of Revelation that the Soul Dominator had left behind. He wasn’t alone though. Celine was also there.
Perhaps due to the connection of blood, Celine was shaken when reading it. The knowledge inside was very obscure, and she had difficulty reading it. But she could always figure it out in the end. There wasn’t anything incomprehensible. It was as if someone was guiding her.
Eleanor, Vance, and the others couldn’t understand it at all. In that case, Link naturally studied with Celine.
While reading in the library, the magic bell there started reading. Celine looked up at Link. “It’s an urgent message.”
Link pressed down on the bell. Scout leader Gildern’s voice sounded. “Lord, the Orida Fortress sent two very important messages. I think you should look over them personally.”
His voice was serious, and his words were rapid. Something must have happened!
