Thinking of the Planar Gate that had been so difficult to open before, Ryan understood that this world would be far more terrifying than any of the previous worlds.
In Aixnier, Ryan gave hope to the people of the world in despair, leading them to the Frozen Earth Territory.
In Svadilfari, above the Wilderness World, a small number of humans yearn to integrate into civilization rather than drift alone on that plain.
In Bilki World, Ryan relied on the faith of the Frost Lord and acquired all the wealth as his heir.
In the world of Gam and Fenrir, war is the only means that Ryan uses, and the rule of the strong over the weak brings peace of mind to their subjects.
A new world is coming, and with it, a new challenge.
" The Planar Gate was opened, but Ryan did not enter it."
"Before that, I need to prepare a powerful force, strong enough to fight against the Dragons."
That was the world that the Frost Dragon Arryris left behind, and Arryris represents defeat.
He went forth, only to face the victorious Dragons.
" Nidhogg, a name that represents terror and power, is the world with the most Dragons."
"It should be said that that world belongs to Dragons."
The Frost Dragon Arryris told Ryan these things and gave him his final words of advice.
"It will be different from what you imagine. The Dragons will be different, and the enslavement outside of the Dragons will be different too."
After finishing his instructions, the Frost Dragon fell into a deep sleep again. This time, he was awake for a longer period of time, and since Ryan had not been hunting, he could only use sleep to alleviate energy consumption.
His words made Ryan realize that the new world was not just about Dragons, but also about things he had never imagined.
What is it?
" Ivy, what brings you to the Frozen Earth Territory?"
Ryan looked at Aven in front of him, who stared at Ryan for a long time before taking out a blood-red potion and handing it to him.
"Drink it."
"What is this?"
Just kidding, Ryan wouldn't dare touch the Mages ' stuff so easily.
"Your father asked me to verify whether you are still his son. I have a fairly good relationship with your father, so I did it on the side."
"This potion is worth no less than two thousand Gold Coin."
Aven said that after hesitating for a moment, Ryan took the potion and drank it down. Firstly, he felt that the other party would not lie, and secondly, he was sure that the other party would not dare to attack him without reason. Otherwise, with the Empire's pursuit, Aven would not survive even if he fled to the ends of the earth.
"There's been no movement."
Ryan blinked, and Aven waited for the drug's reaction.
After a long while, he nodded.
"It seems there's nothing wrong. Why did your father suddenly worry that you're not human anymore?"
Aven asked curiously, as he was particularly eager to know the answer to this kind of question.
"Perhaps they're worried that I've been corrupted by the Evil God that appeared in the Andara Kingdom, after all, I just resolved the trouble there."
"I see."
Aven left without lingering. He had also come to deal with the Hobii, the wight, but he seemed to have nothing to do at the moment.
"Do you know where that Evil God god of corpses is hiding?"
Aven asked again, and Ryan saw the greed deep in the Legendary Mage's eyes, and couldn't help but be surprised.
This guy, is he thinking of killing a god?
Isn't that a bit too daring?
"Before the Orc War broke out, the Silvermoon Royal Court had a war with Him. The power left behind by the Great Being the Werewolves served banished Him from the world."
"I don't know if this return is a true return or just a projection of power. Perhaps the Church knows the answer."
"If the Andara Kingdom hadn't sided with the Empire, Dawn Holy Mountain would probably have discovered the Evil God's whereabouts immediately. They knew, but they wouldn't have told the Empire."
Aven nodded.
"I understand now. I'll go ask the people at the Church."
After Aven finished speaking, he disappeared from the spot, and Ryan didn't even see how he left.
"It wasn't a fluctuation in space; he used the air, or more precisely, he manipulated the Magic Factor in the air to form his shape."
"He created a fake—person."
Grand Mage Macken appeared beside Ryan, who was not far away. However, he was quite certain that the Ivy had spotted him from the start. In the path of Life Magic, Grand Mage Macken was unmatched by that Legendary Mages in any aspect except for the breeding and research of warhorses.
"Virtual technology?"
Ryan blinked. The extraordinary world was indeed stranger than he had imagined.
"It's not fake, it's real. It's like he's giving you something, handing you the potion from his distant original self."
It's not just virtual technology, but also a technology for ultra-long-distance delivery across space.
Well, using such words to describe Legendary Mage, Ryan admits he's still too unfamiliar with the world of magic.
"Why do I not have a talent for magic?"
Ryan turned to look at Grand Mage Macken.
" Grand Mage Macken, I'm not the same as before. Why don't you take a look and see if I have any Mages talent?"
The sublimation brought about by the Dragon Emperor's remaining spiritual power will surely change things a little bit. After all, Dragons are born magical beings. Even if they do nothing, they are the ultimate goal that many Mages can hardly reach in their entire lives.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Baron Ryan, your magical talent is pitiful."
"That's what Grand Mage Macken said bluntly."
After spending two days briefly dealing with some matters in the Frozen Earth Territory and ensuring that Frozen Earth Territory development remained within the established framework, Ryan assembled one hundred soldiers.
"Some of you may have already experienced this before, so it may not be unfamiliar, but this time we will be facing an even more terrifying enemy."
"Fighting and death will be the norm."
"And I am destined to conquer that world."
Ryan spoke in a deep voice, and the knights around him held their weapons horizontally in front of their chests.
"Follow your will."
One Knight Retainer another passed through the Planar Gate. The moment Ryan walked over, a savage aura swept over them, making the air seem more turbulent, and the whole world was filled with a wild flavor.
What truly shocked Ryan was the landscape of this world, which had only scattered snow, with most of the land exposed as dry, overgrown weeds in winter.
Every world he experienced was one covered by the Northlands, but this world didn't seem to be.
It is still alive; it retains its strong and vigorous vitality. Even the Northlands cannot Dead Silence the life force of this world.
They appeared at the border of the Mountain Forest and wilderness. As they arrived, the hunters in the Mountain Forest seemed to smell the scent of these humans. With the swaying of huge trees, a ferocious, lizard-like monster rushed out, its blood-red maw tearing down at the humans.
Brandt charged out and slashed his sword at the Magical Beast's head. A crisp sound rang out, and blood flowed freely from the Magical Beast's head. But the monster charged at Brandt even more frantically, determined to devour this threatening prey.
His roar was so intimidating that even the warhorse took a few steps back.
"Is this the Dragon's Might?"
Ryan was surprised; this Magical Beast seemed to have the blood of Dragons, and its voice carried a hint of Dragon's Might.
"Kill it."
Ryan gave the order, and the surrounding knights swarmed forward. Their warhorses galloped around the Magical Beast, and as the sharp swords tore through the Magical Beast's flesh, the Magical Beast, which possessed the strength of a third-tier beast, finally died under Brandt's sword.
"We've just arrived in this world and already received a 'welcome gift.' It seems this world isn't very welcoming to us."
Ryan kicked the motionless corpse on the ground; its skin was very tough.
"Look around for places where you can get information."
The Knight Retainer departed in several directions, but just minutes after they left, a silver-white streak of light shot straight towards Ryan from the Mountain Forest. When Brandt stopped it, a lizard-like but more Dragons- like Magical Beast appeared before them.
It has a body covered in silver scales, a lizard-like head that resembles Dragons, a long snake tail, and limbs that are like the claws of a wolfhound or Dragons gripping the ground.
It has no wings; if it did, it would be more like a miniature version of Dragons.
It was incredibly fast, running on the ground like a cheetah; Ryan's eyes could barely keep up with all its movements.
"Kill it!"
In the Frozen Earth Territory, Ryan returned with seven or eight gruesome, blood-stained corpses, summoning the Frozen Earth Territory's extraordinary beings.
" Silver-scaled Dragon, these Magical Beast with half Dragons blood have become extinct. I didn't expect to find them. They used to be very Magical Beast among Mages."
Grand Mage Macken pointed to the Magical Beast covered in silver scales and said, "Compared to the others, he is the living book."
" Giant Serpent Lizard Magical Beast quite common. They were the only ones in the Empire's war against a Otherworld, but they are rarely seen elsewhere."
" The Raging Bird Dragon, such a creature... I'm afraid only a few Mages have ever seen it in Mages travel diaries."
Grand Mage Macken pointed at the Magical Beast covered in scales and feathers, feeling a pang of sympathy.
"The blood of this thing can maintain youth. If you collect it and sell it to noble ladies, they will be willing to pay a high price."
"As for this thing..."
Grand Mage Macken arrived in front of a triangular chicken whose entire body was covered in black mist.
"I've never heard of this kind of Magical Beast before. This magical energy should belong to the wraiths, but wraiths don't have flesh and blood. It must be a specialty of that world."
"And that Otherworld you mentioned, I've never heard of it before, nor is it recorded in the Magic Academy."
"Perhaps... no Mages has ever ever reached there."
Ryan didn't hesitate much about this guess, after all, even his own Spirituality Panel was able to open the Planar Gate only after he obtained the Dragon Emperor Crown.
Besides, even Legendary Mage skilled in spatial manipulation would likely find it difficult to open a path to the world called Nidhogg.
"By the way, how come you guys are back so soon?"
Before Ryan left, he spoke with Grand Mage Macken. During Ryan's absence, Grand Mage Macken either stayed in the Frozen Earth Territory or spent his time in the Svadilfari Plains.
"That world is full of these monsters."
"These are all such powerful Magical Beast."
Ryan said gravely that his army was simply unable to split up to search for information. These second and third-tier Magical Beast were everywhere, and each one had a keen sense of smell, able to detect the scent of prey thousands of meters away. Meanwhile, the knights, unfamiliar with that world, could only passively defend themselves.
After fighting more than ten times, Ryan had to retreat. They couldn't even spend the night peacefully there. At dusk, Ryan even heard the roar of Dragons coming from a great distance.
Then he saw a towering flame illuminating the night, as Dragons wantonly destroyed the land of this world.
The world was extremely dangerous, which kept Ryan from letting his guard down.
The next day, Ryan led his army on their way. This time, he was prepared. The Alchemist Rose gave him some potions that could eliminate the smell from his body. After spraying them on himself, the number of Magical Beast attacks he encountered was much less.
"Head towards the place of yesterday's dragon flames."
Where Dragons breathes its breath and destroys, traces of the Dragons will surely remain. It is unknown why it appeared, but this is the first piece of information about Dragons that Ryan has discovered.
" Lord Ryan, it looks like there's a village ahead."
A scout reported back, Ryan was surprised: a human village?
" Arryris said that this world is not just about Dragons. This world belongs to Dragons, and everything is enslaved by Dragons."
Ryan soon spotted the ruins of a village beneath the distant black smoke, with tiny black dots of humans moving among them as they rescued their loved ones buried beneath the rubble.
"Let's go take a look."
The sight of a fully armed knight army of over a hundred men made the villagers who discovered them extremely nervous, but there wasn't much fear in their eyes.
Perhaps the existence of Dragons has raised the psychological threshold of these humans considerably.
"Who are you? This is the territory of the esteemed Monarch Drummond. You are not qualified to enter. Leave now."
A villager nervously held up a wooden fork and said.
The humans in front of them looked very powerful; their village would be no match for them.
What happened here?
Ryan asked, knowing that he would not reveal his origins without knowing the specifics of this world.
"The master of Drummond was angry last night and burned down our house, perhaps because we did not offer enough sacrifices."
Is Drummond the Dragons from last night?
Ryan was astonished that humans actually regarded Dragons as Monarch —no, it should be said that the Dragons actually ruled over humans.
Do Dragons have such leisure time?
"We meant no harm. Are there still villagers buried in the rubble?"
Ryan looked up at the distant ruins and said:
"Go help them rescue them."
The Knight Retainer rushed out, and the villagers who were blocking their way hesitated for a long time but still did not have the courage to stop these knights who were wearing heavy armor.
"Is your Monarch burning down your houses just to demand your sacrifices?"
Ryan asked, and the villager was about to nod, but then hesitated and shook his head, saying:
" The Drummond lord seemed to want us to hand over some Dragon Chosen, but we had no idea what that was, so the enraged Drummond Monarch burned down our houses."
"But the offerings were also taken away, perhaps because there weren't enough."
"What are your offerings...? What are your new offerings?"
Ryan asked, these villagers simply didn't know how to refuse such a powerful being as him. He pointed to the distance, and Ryan looked over. Three young men were bound and kneeling around a pile of firewood made of stones and wood. They were kneeling in a triangular formation with their heads bowed.
The offerings... were people.
Dragons, they eat people?
For Dragons's teeth, humans are not within its food range. Eating ten people wouldn't yield as much life energy as eating a wild boar.
However, Ryan wasn't sure, since the Dragons of this world had already begun to rule over humans and become their Monarch.
"Besides your village, were the other villages also burned down?"
"We don't know either, but those who went to Odin City haven't returned yet."
It's amazing that humans, ruled by Dragons, have built cities. Is this Other Plane human civilization inextricably linked to Dragons?
On the other side, the Knight Retainer easily moved the thick stones, but of those buried underneath, fewer than ten survived.
Watching these Dragons enslave them, their eyes seemed to show little emotion. It seemed that this was nothing new; they had become accustomed to it.
"When do you three plan to sacrifice yourself to Lord Drummond?"
Ryan pointed to the three men kneeling beside the woodpile, and the villagers seemed to remember him immediately, urging the three men to walk towards the woodpile.
Ryan stopped them.
With such a method of sacrifice, it's no wonder they were indifferent to those who died under the rubble.
"They will become warriors for the masters of Drummond and bring glory to our village."
For the first time, the villagers finally mustered the courage to begin to oppose Ryan's powerful army.
Ryan then realized that the firewood was not an ordinary flame, nor was the firewood ordinary.
This turned out to be an Altar.
Was the object of the sacrifice a Dragons, rather than Deities?
Ryan was extremely surprised, and the villagers seemed to remember something as well, stopping the three from going any further.
"It's not a day of mourning."
Upon returning to the Frozen Earth Territory, Ryan sent men to search for Arryris, but received no response; the Frost Dragon had fallen into slumber.
"They actually dare to dream of becoming the new Dragon Emperor."
Ryan got this result from the Flame Dragon Crosstman.
Becoming a new Dragon Emperor requires faith, so it seems plausible that the Dragons ruled over humans, who were the most efficient at providing faith.
Ryan placed the Dragon Emperor's Crown on his own head and entered the Nidhogg World once again, attempting to sense the faith of this world.
The faith did not resonate.
However, in a faraway place in the world, deep within the earth filled with countless flames, where a sea of magma flows, a gigantic arm stretches out.
The Giants of fire opened his eyes, and the enraged Surtr stared into the distance like a plaintiff whose important treasure had been stolen.
"Thief, we've found you!!!"