The Awarding Ceremony (I)

The Embers of the Burned Kingdom, North Wind Fortress.

Thick smoke billowed from tall chimneys in the distance, making the sky slightly hazy, but people had long been accustomed to it. The newly paved roads were bustling with traffic and people. They were either working diligently in a factory, processing documents for the royal palace, or merchants trading in the area.

In the fast-paced life of North Wind Fortress, everyone has their own things to do.

But today seemed unusual; many people stopped and listened.

"Big event! Big event!"

"The Awarding Ceremony is about to begin!"

"His Your Majesty Keosius will grace the Central Square with his presence and personally bestow blessings! Both humans and their families are welcome to participate!"

The newsboy swung his newspaper around, jogging and shouting to the crowd with extra enthusiasm—after all, he would receive three Silver Coin as an official reward upon completing this mission.

Along the roadside, the Tiefling Guard tore down the somewhat worn-out bounty posters and pasted up the latest notices to inform people of this important information.

Citizens gathered in front of the notice board, discussing it animatedly.

"Awarding Ceremony?"

"Tsk, it's probably just another one-man show by those family members. It has nothing to do with us weak humans."

"I'd like to go and take a look."

"Yes, I've been here for two years, and I've never seen the legendary His Majesty before."

"Ha, I'd rather earn a few more Silver Coin than waste this time."

"Let's at least go and join in the fun. Maybe His Majesty will be in a good mood and give us some Gold Coin as a reward. It's said that he has millions of Gold Coin."

In the blink of an eye, the Central Square became bustling with activity.

After several years of development and population migration, North Wind Fortress now has 60,000 permanent residents. At this moment, nearly a third of them have come here, and nearly 20,000 people are crowding the square, making the originally spacious square completely congested.

Whether they were merchants, workers, or soldiers, and whether they were humans, Ogre, or Tiefling, all sorts of North Wind Fortress residents gathered here, like a jumble of flowers, eager to witness this rare spectacle.

The Tiefling Guard, armed with long spears, stood in neat rows, one next to another, enclosing a large open space in the middle of the square.

Here once stood a stone statue of the Duke Norman, the heroic ancestor of the Rackman Dynasty. After the kingdom came to power, the original statue was smashed to pieces and replaced with a majestic statue of Red Dragon.

Today, the statue of the Red Dragon has been moved to the front of the city hall, where a huge altar engraved with Dragon Wing patterns has been built, surrounded by dozens of thick stone pillars.

Those gathered at the very front were naturally the Ogre's offspring, such as Hobgoblin. Those in high positions, like Lang Pu, were given special seats to leisurely watch the grand event, while most humans were kept at the back.

"Don't push in front of me, move aside!"

"You bastard, do you want to fight?"

When will the ceremony begin?

"It's so stuffy here."

With so many people attending the ceremony, pushing and shoving were inevitable, and complaints were constant. Even the well-trained Tiefling Guard could barely maintain order.

Suddenly, someone exclaimed in surprise.

"Look there!"

People quickly looked up and saw Wyvern on the horizon, like surging dark clouds, approaching from afar, almost obscuring the sun. The Chimera flew on the flanks of the procession, like welcoming guards.

The enormous Red Dragon, nearly thirty meters long, slowly flapped its wings in the procession. With each flap, people thousands of meters away could feel the scorching wind, and even the air in the city became sweltering.

A White Dragon followed behind the Red Dragon, flying step by step like the most loyal servant, its bright color adorning the dragon herd.

As this magnificent procession arrived, the previously boisterous crowd involuntarily held their breath, and the square, which housed over 20,000 people, fell into silence.

As the dragons approached, shadows fell over a radius of several miles, enveloping everyone in the square.

"Boom!"

Keosius landed heavily on top of the altar, stirring up gusts of wind.

The Atavistic Wyvern and Chimera circled and descended, eventually settling on the top of the stone pillars. The White Dragon Tinia undeniably occupied the pillar closest to the Red Dragon.

"Roar--"

They all raised their heads and roared in unison.

Keosius said nothing, but stepped forward and slowly spread his incredibly broad Dragon Wing. The dragon crystal on his chest pulsated with a blazing light, as if it contained endless power.

Instantly, a powerful wave spread out from him.

An invisible pressure spread, and all the mortals present instinctively lowered their heads, bowing in worship.

"Embers of the Burned King!"

"King!"

"Great Red Dragon!"

The Dragon Vein Kin raised their weapons and erupted in waves of cheers.

With each overwhelming victory, Keosius's prestige grew ever stronger, becoming a kind of spiritual belief for his followers. Even after years of slumber, he still stirred their passions.

Humans, however, felt a more complex mix of emotions, primarily one of awe, given that they had once existed as "the conquered" or even "trophies." While the Red Dragon brought a better life to some, they ultimately needed more time to adapt to this change in status.

The feelings of those rebels in the shadows were even more indescribable.

According to rumors, the Red Dragon fought a fierce battle with the Black Wizard, suffering severe injuries and falling into a deep slumber. However, it now appears that this is far from the truth. This left those who had harbored a sliver of hope speechless.

—For example, the former Baron, Faro Trischde, who was hidden among the crowd.

"How is this possible? How could he be so powerful?"

"It's only been three years."

Farrow's voice trembled, and his knees buckled.

As a former member of the Northern Nobles, he deeply missed his past life and had been living in anonymity in North Wind Fortress for a long time. He secretly contacted the South, acting as an inside agent for the Harpers.

If the former Keosius was merely the size of Adult Red Dragon, then in his limited understanding, it was still an enemy he could "defeat." But now, Keosius, nearly thirty meters long and having developed a special form, was completely beyond his comprehension, even filling him with a sense of utter despair.

"This is simply invincible."

Faro gazed at the Red Dragon with its wings spread in the distance and couldn't help but mutter to himself.