Coronation (II)

On the morning of March 1, 1786, in the Third Era, the coronation ceremony was held as scheduled.

The newly built site in Istaria was large enough to accommodate hundreds of thousands of people, who could observe the ceremony from various locations. However, the main roads and the altar in the center of the site were guarded by Tiefling, and no unauthorized personnel were allowed to enter.

The place was already bustling with activity the night before the ceremony began.

More than 100,000 people, carrying dry food, water, and even temporary beds, flocked from all over Anzeta and even from all over Fei An Suo, choosing suitable locations on the outskirts of Istaria in advance, and then sleeping there at night.

Among them were Kingdom Citizen who wanted to watch the spectacle, merchants from the south, Bard, and even Harpers spies mixed in with the crowd.

Of course, the players didn't want to miss such a "large-scale event," so they carried their stools and rushed over overnight. Apart from those players who had been sentenced to forced labor for defecting to the the North, almost all the players came to Istaria to witness this rare spectacle.

Many more summoned monster kin occupied parts of the inner area according to the kingdom's official allocation.

Messengers from various parts of Fei An Suo, after giving their announcements and greetings and presenting gifts, were then directed to different areas of the venue.

The delegation included not only envoys from the Three Great Kingdoms of Kassand, Thrace, and Seleucia, but also special forces such as the Tower of Time, the Corrupted Swamp, and the Star-Moon Hills.

Emissaries from various races, including humans, Elf, Dwarf, Dragonborn, and Halflings, appeared in the venue, making it somewhat noisy.

"Aww—"

Immediately afterwards, a series of dragon roars resounded.

The Faria Family's Blue Dragon also sent Christina again, along with their respected elder Blue Dragon, Isami.

Even the Mellward Family sent a special envoy, the middle-aged Silver Dragon Kruzere Mellward, Olivia's uncle.

"How can there be a silver-skinned bastard? Is that old guy still not convinced?"

"Blue Dragon, that war is over! We have come for a peaceful future among dragons!"

"Peace? You hypocrites are not qualified to talk about peace!"

The Blue Dragon and the Silver Dragon immediately sensed each other's presence and became tense in the venue. It wasn't until Lang Pu arrived in person and his invisible dragon might filled the room that they temporarily ceased their fighting, though they still glared at each other with hostility.

There are many similar cases. Due to the importance of the Embers of the Burned Kingdom, both the evil and good factions have paid it sufficient attention.

"Distinguished guests, please be patient."

"This is His Your Majesty Keosius ' coronation ceremony, and he doesn't want anything to go wrong."

Lang Pu stood before the altar and bowed slightly; under the influence of magic, his voice resonated throughout the entire venue.

The once empty venue is now packed with people.

Various dragon vein clans, envoys from different countries, and onlookers took their seats. Creatures of different forces, races, and factions gathered here, awaiting the start of the coronation ceremony.

On that previously undisturbed wasteland, a sudden gust of wind arose, and people hurriedly looked outside.

"Look!"

"What is that? It's Wyvern!"

"How can there be so many gods?"

Thousands of Wyvern rose into the air from all around the venue, flying densely in the sky and emitting noisy roars.

Those pairs of wings, close together, fluttered wildly, casting huge shadows on the plain, like dark, ring-shaped clouds that enveloped the entire venue.

Under the influence of Keosius's domain, the fertility of these Wyvern became exceptionally high, and within a short period of ten years, they multiplied to a four-figure number.

— To fill this huge food gap, four factories are producing feed, and aurochs pastures covering half of Storm Highlands are operating continuously.

This time, for the grand coronation ceremony, these Wyvern, who live deep in the Wyvern Valley, came out in full force for the first time to show the world their ferocious faces.

"Wyvern?"

"Wyvern Legion of this size"

The envoy from the Thrace Kingdom, Dayev Marshall, gazed at the dark shadow in the sky, adjusted his silver-rimmed glasses, and looked deeply worried.

Wyvern were not a troublesome enemy for the Thrace Kingdom; their Arcane Legion alone were more than enough to easily take them down.

But thousands of Wyvern are a different story.

Moreover, even this legion of thousands of Wyvern is merely the surface phenomenon. What is even more terrifying is what lies behind it— the Embers of the Burned Kingdom's unparalleled supply system and military mobilization capabilities.

"Are they warning us?"

"Or should we extend an olive branch to our enemies?"

Dayev clenched his fists, lowered his head slightly, and looked extremely solemn.

Before he could recover from his thoughts, a series of loud explosions rang out across the wasteland, and even the earth trembled.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

A salute was fired, and huge clusters of flames appeared in the sky.

Several more explosions occurred in the distance. Under the intense bombardment, a hill blocking the city's planned path was blasted open, and the ground was flattened.

The Ogre Artillery Corps came from afar, the Ogre dragging heavy cannons as they moved forward, their heavy breathing echoing through the road.

Finally, the Ogre, with their massive cannons, stood silently around the venue.

The onlookers gasped in surprise, but not with shock—the people of Anzeta had already endured several baptisms of gunfire and were quite used to it.

The South, after all, was not Magic Wasteland like Anzeta, and was accustomed to such large-scale long-range attacks. They were simply amazed by its enormous destructive power—and the extravagance of the Embers of the Burned Kingdom in raining down cannonballs as if they were free.

They were unaware that this was an engineering bomb specially designed by the Burning Technology Department, manufactured specifically for moving mountains and leveling land.

Immediately afterwards, the Half-goat Human Military Band played a stirring and magnificent symphony.

This piece of music was composed by combining many classic tracks provided by players with the original musical heritage of the the North – the magical sound that flooded people's ears almost shocked everyone.

Accompanied by the rhythm of the music and the crisp beat of the drums, an infantry phalanx composed of tens of thousands of medium-sized humanoid creatures, including humans, Tiefling, and Hobgoblin, marched in from the end of the road.

They marched in orderly steps, forming neat ranks, their bayonets and spears gleaming coldly.

"They're Embers of the Burned Infantry!"

"How impressive!"

Finally, the massive formation stopped outside the venue, from which several elite squads, each a thousand strong, split off and entered the venue. They marched swiftly in formation, standing like walls on both sides of the wide road.

Is that all?

No.

"Boom—Boom—"

With a heavy thud, the earth trembled once more.

On the distant horizon, rows of Terrestrial Dragon Beast, as large as small hills and clad in heavy armor, appeared, almost taking up half the ground.

The Hobgoblin cavalrymen stood on the backs of the Terrestrial Dragon Beast, raising their spears and Great Hammer, letting out frenzied battle roars—even Dolo stood on the back of the largest dragon, covered in golden scales, raising his Bloodfire Battle Axe with one arm.

The blood-stained axe blade gleamed in the sunlight.

"For the Great Blueprint of the Red Dragon!"

"For the Embers of the Burned King!"

Someone shouted excitedly.

Gazing at the mottled torrents, the Bard and merchants from all over Fei An Suo, as well as the envoys and spies sent by various powers, experienced for the first time the overwhelming military strength of the Embers of the Burned Kingdom.

The envoys from hostile forces looked particularly grim.

A shadow seemed to fall over the face of Dayev of the Thrace Kingdom.

"How is that possible?"

"According to intelligence from the kingdom's spies, this country has only been established for a mere ten years."

"Could it be that they obtained the legacy of an ancient empire? Or perhaps even received help from a Greater God?"

He muttered to himself in disbelief, a terrible suspicion forming in his mind— Dayev, who had served in the Holy Fadlan Empire, simply couldn't fathom how a newly established empire could possess such a powerful military and logistical system, except with the assistance of certain entities.

"Ah, Her Majesty Tiamat was right after all. This newly born empire will become an important force in the revival of the Five-Colored Dragon."

The elderly Blue Dragon Isami was excited, his deep indigo scales on his cheeks spread open, and his ruffled ears were trembling.

"And all the future wealth of this country will belong to the Queen."

Christina was already immersed in the dream of becoming the Empress of the Empire and was determined to have it, her eyes filled with greed.

"A country like this, an army like this"

"Sigh, I just hope they won't bring another catastrophe to the mainland."

Silver Dragon Kruzeray sighed deeply.

The envoys from other factions also had different expressions, but they were all shocked by the military strength of the Embers of the Burned Kingdom, as it completely overturned all their guesses.

In their speculation, the Embers of the Burned Kingdom should be a savage, primitive tribal nation—a land where mindless monsters, relying on the power of the Red Dragon, run rampant and cruelly exploit the people of Anzeta in this remote and desolate land.

However, after experiencing this "military parade" style opening ceremony, they were shocked to find that they were wrong, and very wrong.

This was indeed a newly born empire, brimming with Life Force. Different races and forces were brought together under the Dragon's Rule, creating a terrifying power.

It possesses a powerful army, vast territory, diverse ethnicities, and a supreme, sole ruler.

"Roar--"

People's eardrums swelled up, and the powerful pressure made them tremble all over.

In the north of Istaria, the azure sky was suddenly dyed red, and a huge Red Dragon appeared on the horizon, slowly flapping its broad wings, bringing with it a howling, scorching wind.

Whether it was my imagination or not, the entire wasteland seemed to have become hot and dry, and even the air seemed to be distorting and boiling.

"He's here!"

"It's His Your Majesty Keosius!"

"This is His Majesty's magnificent figure!"

"For the Embers of the Burned King! No, for the Embers of the Burned Emperor!"

After the initial instinctive fear and apprehension, people quickly began to cheer loudly, forming waves of enthusiastic cheers—whether genuine or feigned.

"I want to lick Keosius's feet!"

"Don't stop me, I want to touch its tail!"

"Dragon!"

"You perverted dragon lovers, tone it down! But when is Lord Keosius going to turn into human form, hehe?"

The players became even more unrestrained. Even when the guards glared at them, the players still spoke without restraint, shouting all sorts of outrageous slogans.

"My God! Such a massive body! No wonder it's the dragon that defeated the Silver Wing!"

"By the gods above."

"He... he's become even stronger!"

"As expected of my destined spouse, Your Keosius Your Highness."

The envoys from various factions also exclaimed in surprise. Dragons of this caliber were extremely rare, even on the entire Feanso Continent, let alone seen in person.

Over the course of several months, Keosius passively absorbed the Progenitor Dragon Blood, and his size increased further—the Red Dragon reached a terrifying length of thirty-six meters.

This is a size that only Great Wyrm Red Dragon could barely achieve, completely breaking through the upper limit of an ordinary Red Dragon, but Keosius is still in the early stages of growth and development.

Deep within the crowd, in an inconspicuous corner, a gaunt, weathered man gazed at the sky, his expression revealing profound despair.

"That guy has gotten stronger."

"Abier, how can I save you?"

He was Li Cha, a once spirited fairy Ranger and a double agent for the Embers of the Burned Kingdom. This time, he happened to be sent by the Harpers to investigate the coronation ceremony.

"Whoosh—whoosh—"

A scorching wind howled past, making many people's skin feel hot.

And so Keosius flapped his wings and slowly approached Istaria, finally landing with a loud thud at the beginning of the road.

The noise in the venue vanished instantly, and under that almost tangible pressure, the atmosphere became completely silent.

The guards on both sides of the road immediately straightened their backs and looked straight ahead, but the beads of sweat on their chins still revealed their tension and excitement.

"Roar"

The Red Dragon let out a low growl and tucked its wings close to its body.

He walked on all fours, step by step, along the wide road toward the altar, leaving footprints on the ground.

Keosius looked down at the crowd on both sides of the road with his pale golden eyes, scanning their faces, which were filled with excitement, fear, or apprehension.

Thrace, Kassand, Serenia, Silverymoon, Free Trade Federation

"Most of the major powers on the Feanso Continent have arrived. They've all come."

Keosius's lips curled up slightly, a barely perceptible smile appearing on his ferocious Dragon Face, as he thought to himself.