"Hope is not so easily found. Don't rush, Shadowflame. Xuegao is an Ancient Dragon. Observe him more closely. Perhaps you'll grasp the meaning of the rules and find your own hope."
Russell soothed the Shadowflame Dragon's emotions.
Their first meeting with the Little Dream Dragon had ended somewhat unpleasantly.
Upon returning to Dream Volcano, man and dragon quickly spotted the mysterious passage back to the Shadowflame Volcanic Domain. But just as they were about to return, Russell stopped the Shadowflame Dragon. "We'll go back from here."
"From here?" The Shadowflame Dragon narrowed his eyes, then quickly nodded in agreement.
The next moment, he and Russell crossed dimensions from Dream Volcano and returned to Shadowflame Volcano, arriving at the very same place from which they had departed.
"We're back already?" The Shadowflame Dragon was somewhat dazed.
As he gazed at the starry sky above the crater, starlight trickled down in scattered specks. Their trip to the Amber Dreamscape had felt like a dream, leaving him with a hazy sense of unreality.
"We're back." Russell smiled. "This expedition brought us far too many gains!"
"Hmm?"
"Most importantly, now that the Shadowflame Volcanic Domain has been opened, I understand every wondrous function of the Hope Pass!" Russell was overjoyed as he sensed the information relayed by the Great Amber Tree through some unseen connection.
The Shadowflame Dragon looked at him.
Russell explained casually, "Although the Hope Pass is in your hands, now that the Shadowflame Volcanic Domain has been opened, every Wyvern and knight under your command, as well as every Great Elf and contractor, can freely enter and leave the Shadowflame Volcanic Domain!"
After a pause.
He rose from the throne. "Get some proper rest first. A brand-new era is striding toward us, and we may have plenty to keep us busy!"