Chapter 90. Arriving at Dragon Island, Meeting the Grand Elder
The giant dragon burst through the clouds, and the land below was gradually replaced by an endless blue sea. The sound of the waves could faintly be heard amid the wind.
Daenerys gently patted the dragon’s neck. The dragon let out a low hum, then abruptly accelerated, streaking across the sea like a bolt of red-copper lightning.
Before long, a massive island appeared ahead. Its outline loomed indistinctly through the watery mist, and a faint halo encircled its edges like a natural barrier.
The moment the dragon halted outside that barrier, a deep voice like muffled thunder rang out from within the island.
“Daenerys is here. Come in.”
As soon as the words fell, that seemingly invisible veil began to part slowly to either side, revealing a broad passage. The mana within it was so dense that it seemed almost tangible.
Daenerys gave a slight bow toward the direction from which the voice had come, then urged the dragon forward through the barrier and into the island itself.
The instant they entered, William was stunned by the sight before him. Hundreds of Two-Headed Wyverns and Galewing Dragons wheeled across the sky, their wings so vast they nearly blotted out the sun.
On the ground, herds of Earthplated Dragons moved in migration with heavy, thudding steps, their scales gleaming with a metallic sheen beneath the sunlight.
From time to time, several Raptors darted out from the forest as swift as the wind.
These were all legendary lesser draconic species, yet here they could be seen everywhere as though they were nothing more than ordinary livestock.
As they flew deeper into the island, the view gradually opened up. In a valley carpeted with soft moss, dozens of young draconic hatchlings were awkwardly flapping their wings, letting out childish little roars, their manner almost endearingly clumsy.
Daenerys’s dragon descended slowly onto a broad, level stretch of ground. She leaped down from its back in a single motion, then looked at William.
“Come, little William. Beyond this point is dragon territory. Flying overhead is forbidden here, so we will walk in.”
William nodded and followed after her. The earth beneath his feet carried a strange warmth, and the air was filled with the unique scent of dragon musk mingled with grass and leaves.
In the distant mountain ranges, he could vaguely make out enormous dragon nests embedded in the cliff faces. From time to time, adult dragons beat their wings and flew out, casting immense shadows over the land below.
“This is the outer region of Dragon Island, where all kinds of lesser dragon species live,” Daenerys explained as she walked, her fingertips brushing over a plant blooming with purple flowers.
“Further in lies the true settlement of the dragon race. It is also... the place where I earned their recognition back then.”
William’s heart stirred. His gaze swept over the lesser dragons around them, all of which acted as though they had not even seen them.
Though none of them attacked, they still faintly radiated the savage aura of magical beasts. It was obvious that they were wary of the dragon’s might emanating from Daenerys.
The two of them followed a small path trampled out by dragon claws. On either side, the trees grew taller and taller, and their trunks were covered with naturally formed Runes that were constantly drawing in mana.
Daenerys glanced at the giant dragons circling above and explained, “The dragon race is proud by nature. More than anything else, they hate seeing one of their own ridden by an outsider within Dragon Island, even if only temporarily.”
As she spoke, mana flowed from her fingertips. A light force wrapped itself around them, and their steps instantly became swift as the wind, carrying them forward in a near-silent glide along the ground.
After passing through a stone forest strewn with fossilized dragon scales, the colossal mountain at the very center of the island suddenly rose before their eyes.
It looked as though the heavens themselves had been cleaved apart by a giant axe, one half of the mountain thrusting high into the clouds. Countless dragon reliefs had been carved into its cliff face, and every line of those carvings radiated an ancient majesty.
At the open ground beneath the mountain rested dozens of even larger dragons. Their scales came in every color, and their auras were dozens of times stronger than those of the lesser dragons in the outer region.
At that very moment, a silver-gray dragon dived down from the summit. The violent wind raised by its wings sent loose stones skittering across the ground.
It landed before the two of them. Its massive draconic eyes swept over William with undisguised scrutiny before turning to Daenerys, and its voice sounded like metal grinding against metal.
“The Grand Elder sent me to fetch you.”
After a brief pause, as though remembering something, it added stiffly, “Daenerys, you had better make sure this matter is truly as important as you claimed.”
“Otherwise, I will ask the Grand Elder to punish you for the crime of bringing a human onto the island without permission.”
Daenerys merely shrugged indifferently. “Darwin, why are you always staring at me? It is not as though I have done anything wrong.”
“Not done anything wrong?”
Darwin suddenly shook his enormous head. His dragon breath washed over the ground, scorching the stone until smoke rose from it.
“When you chose that stupid dragon to go to the human kingdom back then, why did you not think about the consequences?”
“Back then, just so I could follow you out and have some fun, I even cast aside the dignity of the dragon race and begged you, but you still refused to choose me. You simply would not take me out to play.”
“And now look what happened. That fellow caused a mountain of trouble outside, and the dragon race had to clean up its mess.”
“Since you would not indulge me back then, do not blame me for always picking fault with you now. Who told you not to take me out to play?”
Daenerys had clearly been struck right where it hurt. A trace of helplessness flashed across her face. “That happened ages ago, and you are still bringing it up? Hurry and lead the way. The Grand Elder is still waiting.”
Darwin gave a snort and said nothing more. He turned and flew toward an enormous cave entrance in the mountain wall, though the way he flew still carried a trace of sulky irritation.
Daenerys gave William a look that told him not to mind it, then led him after the dragon. Before long, the two of them disappeared into the deep, bottomless cavern.
The cave was not dark at all. Luminous magic gems were embedded in the rock walls, illuminating the passage as brightly as day.
William could feel that the air around him was saturated with a dragon’s might a hundred times denser than that of the outside world. Without Daenerys’s mana protecting him, he would likely have long since been crushed by that oppressive force and left unable to move.
After passing through that long crystal-lit corridor, the space ahead suddenly opened up. A vast palace large enough to hold dozens of giant dragons appeared before his eyes.
Its pillars and beams were carved from whole blocks of obsidian, while the dome was inlaid with starlike high-grade magic gems. The floor was covered in a thick layer of gold coins and gemstones, their reflections dazzling to the eye.
Rather than a palace, it looked more like a giant dragon’s treasure vault.
At the center of that sea of treasure lay an old dragon whose body far surpassed that of any ordinary giant dragon.
Its scales had long since lost their luster and looked like weathered stone. Only its eyes remained bright. When they opened, they were like two clusters of ghostly fire, filled with the weariness of ages and the sense that they saw through all things.
“So, you are the human youngling Daenerys spoke of?”
The old dragon’s voice seemed to come from ancient times, carrying the rasp of metal and stone grinding together as its gaze swept over William.
“A Mid-Stage Bronze Mage, and your aptitude is nothing special... no matter. Let me first see what you can do.”
Before its words had fully fallen, two dragon eggs, each as tall as a man, flew over out of thin air and hovered before William.
“Tell me the aptitudes of these two.”
William glanced at Daenerys. Seeing her nod, he turned his attention to the halos above the dragon eggs.
“The one on the left has Sky Aptitude. The one on the right has Domain Aptitude.”
The ghostly fire in the old dragon’s eyes flickered slightly, and the two dragon eggs immediately flew back.
Then five more dragon eggs flew over.
William examined them one by one and quickly gave his answer.
“The first, second, and fifth have Domain Aptitude. The remaining two... have Legendary Aptitude.”
The moment those last words left his mouth, even the old dragon lying amid the sea of treasure raised its head slightly.
It fell silent for a moment, then suddenly let out a thunderous laugh that made all the gold coins throughout the palace tremble.
“Hahaha! Daenerys, you truly did not lie to me. In that case, Dragon Island will help you resolve that matter. And according to our agreement, you may contract two more Legendary dragons.”
It slowly rose from the sea of treasure, its vast body nearly reaching the dome, then looked toward Darwin, who was waiting at the side.
“Go inform every mother dragon carrying eggs, as well as every mother dragon rearing hatchlings. Tell them to gather here at once.”
Though Darwin’s face was filled with astonishment, he did not dare disobey. He bowed in acknowledgment, then turned and flew out of the palace.
Daenerys walked over to William’s side and spoke softly, “Thank you, little William. You have helped me tremendously. From now on, your business is my business.”