Respect

Thick smoke billowed in, and a choking odor filled the hall. Jenny looked up, her pupils dilating suddenly.

She parted her lips slightly and murmured to herself, "That is the Embers of the Burned Emperor."

As the smoke gradually dissipated, a colossal figure gradually emerged at the end of the steps, atop the towering Iron Throne.

There lay a colossal Red Dragon, coiled up comfortably.

Bahamut above!

What a gigantic dragon it was!

Jenny had never seen such Red Dragon before; its size was unprecedented, even more exaggerated than the Ancient Gold Dragon she remembered.

Smoke occasionally billowed from the gaps in its scales, and its massive body resembled a volcano, as if it were about to erupt molten lava at any moment.

The dragon's might was even more terrifying, causing the well-informed Jenny to stand frozen in place, feeling a tremor from the depths of her soul.

Great Wyrm Red Dragon!

No, it's not just Ancient Dragon! The metallic scales, the crystals on its chest, and the unique horns all prove that this dragon is extraordinary.

Although she was reluctant to admit it, she felt an urge to worship the Red Dragon the moment she saw it.

This reminded Jennycis of the clan's ancient legends—the dragons that ignited Divine Fire and ascended to immortality. At this moment, Keosius looked down at the newcomer, a smile appearing in his pale golden, lava-ball-like pupils.

"Long time no see, Olivia. Lang Pu told me about your work, and it seems you've done a good job of my task."

He paused slightly, staring at Jennycis, his eyes blazing with fury.

"Also, this unfamiliar guest, aren't you going to introduce yourself?"

Hearing Keosius's words, Olivia nodded, a little nervous but also secretly pleased.

Jennycis, however, only then came to her senses from the shock and panic.

She brushed a strand of silver hair behind her ear, gave a forced smile, then lowered her head, lifted her skirt, and bowed slightly in a standard curtsy.

Suppressing the complex emotions within her, Jennycis tried to speak in a calm and composed tone:

"Mellward's messenger, Jennycis, greets His Your Majesty Keosius."

Olivia whispered, "Jennycis is my aunt, the most outstanding member of the clan in this generation, and deeply trusted by my grandfather."

"Grandfather specially sent her here this time; now you can see Mellward's sincerity, right?"

"Oh?"

Keosius stared intently at Jennycis's voluptuous figure, his gaze filled with interest.

"How interesting, is this the old man's daughter? No wonder she seemed familiar."

Hearing Keosius's words, Jennycis felt somewhat displeased.

After a moment's hesitation, she said loudly, "When Olivia returned, the elders of the clan had many opinions and disagreements. It was my father who overruled the objections and facilitated this cooperation."

Your Majesty Keosius, please forgive my bluntness.

"Aunt, that's enough."

Olivia tugged at Jennycis's skirt, signaling her to soften her tone.

She absolutely did not want the Melvord Clan to become Keosius's enemy.

After all, Olivia knew very well that although Keosius was not a pure dragon, his methods of dealing with enemies were even more cruel than those of dragons.

—The bloody guillotines throughout the empire are the most direct proof.

However, as the Silver Dragon widely recognized as most similar in temperament and stubbornness to Oszedro in his youth, Jennycis was not so easily persuaded. Ignoring Olivia's objections, Jennycis continued, "Shouldn't you have the most basic respect for your future allies?"

"Respect?"

Keosius slowly rose, using his powerful latissimus dorsi muscles to pull his wing bones upward, spreading his broad wings and casting a huge shadow.

Instantly, a near-tangible dragon's might surged forth like a tidal wave, causing Jennycis to tremble all over.

"Splash!"

A crisp sound.

Jennycis looked up in horror and saw a crystal ball surging with magical energy floating in mid-air, its crystalline fragments falling to the ground.

The Red Dragon stared coldly at Jennycis and said in a deep voice, "Using spells to detect weaknesses in your allies, is this your sincerity, Mellward? Clearly, you do not respect me."

"That's impossible!"

How did you discover that?

Jennycis turned pale and went limp, nearly collapsing to the ground.

That was the [Truth Detection Crystal Ball] she borrowed from Trafalano, which has the ability to detect the weaknesses of enemies.

Even legendary mages would find it difficult to detect its existence without a deep mastery of Divination Spell.

How could this Red Dragon, who is clearly a barbaric Sorcerer, discover such exquisite magic?

Keosius approached step by step, exuding an overwhelming aura. "As expected of that old man's biological daughter, arrogant, stubborn, and hypocritical."

"Didn't you ask that old man about my spellcasting abilities?"

"Whoosh!"

Under the immense pressure, Jennycis couldn't even maintain her human form. With a flicker of faint magical light, her Polymorph instantly failed.

"Aww!"

Silver Dragon nearly twenty meters long suddenly appeared in the hall, struggling and whimpering in panic.

But compared to the 45-meter-long Red Dragon, this adult Silver Dragon looked so small, even trembling, like a helpless cub.

Keosius didn't make a move; he merely released the pressure of the Progenitor Dragon, and the Silver Dragon was forced to the ground, unable to stand up or even lift the tip of its tail.

No, that's not it.

Jennycis shook her head laboriously and said in a trembling voice.

In her hundreds of years of dragon life, she had never seen such a terrifying opponent. Her powerful enemies in the past, out of respect for her father, rarely attacked her directly.

Even the Five-Colored Dragon did not want to provoke an Ancient Silver Dragon with Bahamut's favor, so they often kept their distance.

Now, for the first time, Jennycis felt her life was threatened, and the pride buried deep in her heart vanished completely.

Silver Dragon's heart pounded.

Maybe I really will die!

This time, even her proud father, "Silver Wing" Oszedro, couldn't save her!

Jennycis strained to lift her head; her vision was already blurry, but she could still see the enormous figure. Suddenly, she felt an emotion she had never felt before.

At this moment, Keosius finally stood before Jennycis.

Without any mercy, he stomped his massive left claw on the Silver Dragon's back and said coldly, "Jennycis, put away your ridiculous tricks."

If you represent the will of Mellward, the will of that old man, then I find it hard not to interpret this as a provocation, or even—a declaration of war."

Finally, Keosius added a little more force, pressing the Silver Dragon hard to the ground, causing her to groan.

"No"

"Wait, Keosius."

Olivia, suppressing her fear of the dragon's might, stretched out her hand, her face pale, and called out anxiously.

It all happened so suddenly that even she didn't have time to react.

Olivia never expected that her aunt would actually dare to act so presumptuously in front of Keosius, and even provoke him to his face! The worst-case scenario she had anticipated had occurred; if not handled properly, the Melvord Clan could very well become an enemy of the Empire.

This was a complete diplomatic disaster for the Melvord Clan, and indeed for the entire Metallic Dragon Clan.

"Aunt."

Thinking about this, Olivia felt particularly exhausted. She still had to pay the price for her aunt's arbitrary "sense of justice."