Ser Wilderness, Dragonspine Mountains
The ground was slightly heated by the sun, and twisted heat waves evaporated from the cracks in the rock. Light loomed in the air, as if there were invisible flames burning silently.
Red Iron Dragon stands in the middle of a clearing surrounded by mountains.
This site located at the Dragonspine Mountains has been specially transformed. The ground is paved with solid metal, and there are a large number of solidified magic runes on the surface.
With him as the center, countless flames and hard steel appeared in turn.
Suddenly a sea of red fire ignited, and the heat wave twisted the air into transparent ripples; countless metal spikes and sharp edges were condensed, and the cold metallic luster shone in the sun.
The two realms rotate alternately, causing the surrounding air to almost freeze.
At the same time, he was wearing extremely heavy and depressing heavy armor. Under the influence of the Hypergravity Formation built in this place, his majestic and huge body rolled and animated, accompanied by a thunderous sound, causing the ground solidified by the formation to continuously tremble and crack.
As time goes by, the sun gradually tilts westward, stretching the shadow of the Dragonspine Mountains longer and longer.
When layers of sunset glow filled the sky like fire, Red Iron Dragon stopped briefly.
He folded his wings and his chest rose and fell like a bellows. Every time he breathed, he exhaled air with sparks, and white mist evaporated from the gaps in his heavy armor.
Phew! Keng!
Flame Domain and Steel Domain still appeared alternately around him, but the frequency was much slower than when it was at its peak.
The temperature of the flame has dropped, and the solidification of the metal has also weakened slightly.
"Compared to my body, my domain is still too weak."
"Even with Dual Domains, it's not that powerful to me."
He stared at and felt the changes in his field, his eyes showing deep contemplation.
Not to mention the suppression effect on the enemy and some increases on oneself, Legendary Realm is equivalent to a layer of shield bar to a certain extent.
When the field expands, it will automatically offset part of the energy of external attacks, whether it is physical impact or magical bombardment.
When being attacked, the shield bar will gradually decrease, and when its own recovery cannot keep up with the consumption, it will disappear and it will take time to regroup.
In the Legendary Realm realm, the field can be said to be the fairest.
Perhaps based on the depth of understanding of the field and the different development directions of the field, the final effect it presents is completely different, but its intensity Qidian is roughly the same, and there will not be much difference due to different races.
The initial strength of the domain shield of a human Legendary Realm who has just broken through is almost the same as that of a giant dragon Legendary Realm who has just broken through.
Therefore, for creatures like humans, Dwarf, Elf, domains are crucial.
Their bodies are fragile, and their total health is far less than the shield value of the domain. When fighting, they often need to rely on the domain to protect their bodies, blocking enemy attacks outside the domain, and avoiding direct damage to the body.
But for the dragon, the realm is not that important.
The Legendary Realm dragon's scale armor is as hard as Adamantine, its muscle density is far higher than that of other creatures, and its vitality is as majestic as the sea.
Their fighting method is often to suppress the opponent's actions and interfere with the opponent's domain, and then rely on their strong body to quickly end the battle in a short period of time.
Using the domain to protect yourself? Just kidding, in terms of pure physical protection, the dragon's body is much harder than the domain.
An attack that can penetrate Legendary Realm's shield may not be able to defeat the dragon's scales and flesh.
And this is just a normal giant dragon.
Garos, as Red Iron Dragon, has the best physical strength among dragons of the same level. After repeated training and multiple evolutions, it has reached an incredible level.
When the domain is placed on Garos, the length of the shield strip is almost negligible.
Moreover, no matter how this layer of shield is strengthened in a targeted manner, unless Garos puts a lot of time and resources into field development and ignores the training of the body, it will never be able to keep up with the strength growth rate of Garos's body.
"For now, these two areas of mine are really tasteless and a pity to abandon."
Garos flicked his tail, leaving a ravine on the ground, "How can we make them useful? Just relying on step-by-step strengthening is too ineffective. Otherwise, try to take a different approach and highlight a certain effect in a single area?"
He was calculating in his mind.
No matter what type of field it is, the effects can be summarized into three main types.
Suppress the enemy, amplify yourself, and protect your body.
The improvement of these three effects is often gradual and complementary. They are quite balanced. Areas with high shield values often have good suppression effects, and areas with strong amplification effects do not have too weak protection.
One idea in Garos's mind is to find a way to highlight one of the effects and maximize it Adaptive Evolution.
Although this would seriously bias the subject and cause other effects to be relatively weak, it would at least make the field truly useful to him instead of being in an awkward position like now.
However, he has not yet fully determined the direction of subsequent development.
Garos flicked his tail, ended his rest, and started exercising again.
But not long after, he suddenly paused slightly and stopped again.
Garos took out a crystal.
Buzz!
The light and shadow condensed with the crystal prop as the center. It was a blurry light group at first, and then quickly stabilized, showing a clear portrait.
The king of Lothern, O'Brien.
He was wearing the familiar silver crown. The sapphire inlaid in the center of the crown was a little dim, and there were even a few minor cracks on the edges. Moreover, he did not have a royal robe. Instead, he had blood-stained silver-gray armor. There was a deep slash mark on the breastplate and the edges were curled. It was obvious that he had experienced a tragic battle not long ago.
The background behind him is not a palace hall or a study, but a certain mountain forest.
The trees were sparse, the ground was scorched, and some gunpowder smoke could still be seen vaguely filling the sky. There seemed to be incompletely extinguished fires smoking in the distance.
The reason for this is that the king once again chose to go on a personal expedition.
He broke through the Legendary Realm in his military career and killed his brother to usurp the throne. He was not a pampered king in the traditional sense.
He couldn't bear the fact that soldiers were fighting for the country on the front line, while he could only stay in the palace, waiting for news to come back from various war zones every day.
So after the war entered a fierce stage, he rushed to the front line of the battlefield and personally took charge of the Quinn Heights war zone.
What surprised Garos was O'Brien's appearance.
The last time the two had direct contact was three years ago when Garos asked for Formation Magic.
For humans, three years is not too long a number, especially for the Legendary Realm strong people, whose appearance can often remain unchanged for decades after a breakthrough.
However, compared with his appearance at that time, O'Brien at this time seemed to be dozens of years older.
In the image, King Lothern's hair is still neatly combed, but it is already a bit withered and not so shiny, like weeds in the dry season.
His face was so thin that his cheekbones were bulging, and deep lines were clearly visible on his skin, especially around his eye sockets and corners of his mouth, like cracks on a dry riverbed.
His beard was also a lot grayer, and the edges were ragged, as if it hadn't been trimmed carefully for a long time.
Only a pair of deep-set eyes still retain their sober sharpness and wisdom.
"Ignas, my appearance seems to surprise you."
O'Brien spoke, his voice was a little hoarse, but his tone was fairly steady.
He calls Garos by his surname, but does not add a more formal honorific, which is a sign of closer relationship.
Red Iron Dragon nodded slightly, the scales on his neck rubbing against each other and making a fine metallic sound.
In a normal chatting tone, he tilted his head slightly and said, "Well, you look a lot older."
O'Brien shrugged and sighed, "Compared with your dragons, human life is still too fragile, whether it is the strength of the body or the length of life."
"Three years may be just a deep sleep for you, but for us, it is enough to change a lot of things."
Garos said, "You are Legendary Realm, and you enjoy the resources of a country. You should not grow old like this in a short period of time."
This is not comfort, he is talking about objective facts.
Legendary Realm Strong people also have a long lifespan, and the aging curve is very gentle. Unless they are seriously injured or their life is overdrawn, there will be no such cliff-like aging.
O'Brien was silent for two seconds.
In the image, he lowered his head slightly, looking at the blood on his armor, and then raised his eyes again.
He said, "For us humans, every battle, whether we win or lose, as long as we are injured, it will inevitably be affected."
"The injury is too serious, and it may even directly cut off the way forward and burn future potential to ashes."
"During First Civil War, I was betrayed and attacked by a sneak attack. Although I didn't die, I was seriously injured."
"Afterwards, I used the best healing potions in the treasury, hired the best priests, and spent a whole year recovering, but that was only on the surface."
"Actually, my body has been seriously damaged as a result, my essence has been damaged, my lifespan has been greatly shortened, and it is difficult to go any further."
"I've probably stopped at the current high-end Legendary Realm. Unfortunately, I can no longer experience the scenery of Crown Rank in person."
Having said this, O'Brien felt depressed for a moment, and a look of regret flashed in his eyes.
But in the blink of an eye, he recovered, with a free and easy smile on his face.
"So you see, my life is passing by and my condition is getting weaker."
"Instead of dying on the bed in the deep palace and watching yourself get weaker day by day, it is better to turn your remaining body into fire and burn for my kingdom while you can still fight."
"Anyway, if there is a better choice, I would rather be a general than sit in the position of king."
"The current situation is actually not bad. Even if it burns to ashes in the end, I have no regrets."
Garos listened quietly without interrupting until he finished speaking.
Normal Dragonkin may not be able to empathize with O'Brien at all, but after all, he once had the memory of being a human being. Although that memory is distant and blurred, he can still understand O'Brien's mood at this time.
"Given your position, as long as you want to survive, there are many ways, so you might as well give it a try."
Garos said.
The king of a country, Legendary Realm again, has too many ways to extend his life.
"Except for ordinary life-extending methods that treat the symptoms rather than the root cause, those methods are nothing more than changing the form of life."
O'Brien said in a deep voice, his tone becoming serious, "Become Lich, transform into a vampire, merge with elemental creatures, transplant organs from other races... I am a human being, and I am proud of my human identity."
"Changing into other forms will inevitably change my thoughts, change my will, and even distort my memories and emotions."
"I can't accept that kind of 'living'."
Garos respected this ally's thoughts and didn't say much.
"What is the purpose of contacting me personally this time?"
He changed the subject and asked directly.
O'Brien communicated with him in person, definitely not just to express his concerns.
"First of all, congratulations on your victory."
O'Brien smiled and said, "Star-Seizing Descent, broke through the barrier alone and came back from the dead... Every time this news came to my ears, I was shocked, especially the last one. I even confirmed the authenticity of the information three times."
"To be honest, at that time I even had the idea of Dragon Vein Conversion, if that could make me as tenacious as you."
"It's also a military expedition in person, but I have to admit that I can't do this."
"You should also have heard that some people have given you some new titles."
O'Brien added, "Undying Emperor, Immortal Dragon, these two are widely spread. It is said that in some places, you have been painted on the door as a totem to ward off evil spirits."
Hearing this, Red Iron Dragon raised his head, showing a calm expression, as if he didn't care about those titles.
He said calmly, "Well, it's just a fluke. I don't care about those false reputations. Let's talk about business."
It's just a false reputation, he really doesn't care.
However, Immortal Dragon sounds pretty good, and Garos is still satisfied.
Speaking of business, O'Brien's body leaned forward slightly, and the image shook, and he could clearly see several soldiers behind him who were busy carrying supplies.
His attitude became serious and his eyes were as sharp as knives.
He said in a deep voice, "Quinn Heights and Lothern Legion at my feet are fighting fiercely with Ribos."
"This is one of the key points leading to the hinterland of Ribos. The terrain is difficult, easy to defend and difficult to attack. In the past two months, the battle line has been lost and regained, gained and lost again, and the battle has been back and forth many times."
"On the whole, we have the advantage, but Ribos has built three lines of defense here. Each line has built a strong fortress group based on the mountains and is equipped with a large number of war equipment."
"We cannot capture this place in a short period of time, as we lack a key breakthrough."
"The war between you and Theo has come to an end, and Aura Kingdom's army is resting." O'Brien continued, "I hope to get support from Aura to open up the situation. It doesn't take too much, just a strong enough assault unit."
Second War of the Romanian States, completely different from the first time.
First Civil War, the countries formed two camps around Ribos and Lothern, and fought fiercely on several main fronts in the form of coalition forces, which was more like a large-scale battle.
But this time, after the disintegration of Federation, the purpose of the war between Romanian States became more complicated.
In order to compete for land resources, to compete for trade routes, to clear away historical grievances, and to seize a favorable position in the new structure, countries formed alliances with each other, and the allies would also provide support, but there was no large-scale coalition like the first time.
Lothern versus Ribos, Matena versus Cambrook, Sak versus Lane...
The countries mainly fought one-on-one, but due to the accumulation of old and new grudges, the war became more intense and stalemate than the first war, and the flames of war burned everywhere.
In the battle between Ribos and Lothern, Lothern currently has the advantage.
In fact, Lothern has always been superior between the two countries in terms of their heritage.
Lothern has a wider territory, a larger population, and richer resources of all kinds, and Legendary Realm has a greater number of strong people.
The main reason why First Civil War failed was because Ribos took out some secret weapons without warning, and there were even strategic-level weapons.
But this time, when Ribos tries to replicate the last success and uses strategic weapons, Lothern Saint-King will take action and destroy it.
That's right, that Saint King personally participated in the war.
However, his true status was exposed by Ribos's intelligence network and made public after he first participated in the war, before he could shock other countries. It is no longer a secret.
The real Lothern Saint-King, the one who unified the countries and established Federation, has truly fallen.
He did not rise from the dead.
However, in order to continue to protect Lothern Kingdom, Saint King used his nearly successful Immortality Technique before his death. After complex rituals and some time, he closely connected his soul with the land and people of the Lothern Kingdom and transformed it into "Lothern Saint-Spirit".
This Holy Spirit does not have complete self-awareness.
The only meaning of his existence is to protect Lothern Kingdom according to the instructions set by Saint King before his death.
Moreover, every time he makes a move, he consumes a huge amount of rare materials like Advanced Spirit-Matter Crystal, which is a huge consumption.
To a certain extent, this Holy Spirit now belongs to Lothern's strategic weapon and the kingdom's heritage, rather than a living Destiny Rank Legendary.
At this time, O'Brien continued, "I need a heavy hammer that can break the balance, a unit that can hit Ribos Legion's position head-on, tear apart their defense line, and be enough to shock the opponent's morale."
"Its defense must be high and it must be able to withstand attacks. It must be powerful enough to quickly destroy fortifications. It should preferably also have a range attack capability to effectively clear out groups of enemies."
"I think of one of your subordinates, Legendary Realm."
"Ancient White Dragon, Beskar, his Frost Breath can freeze the entire city wall, his dragon body can resist bombardment, and his Dragon Might can make ordinary soldiers lose their fighting spirit. He is exactly what I need."
In a situation of intense tension and one's own side having a slight advantage, a Legendary Realm dragon is enough to break the balance.
As long as Beskar and Lothern Legendary Realm can tear open the first line of defense, the legion will be able to rush in, occupy key strongholds, and then use it as a springboard to attack subsequent lines of defense.
Once a snowball of advantages accumulates, Ribos's defense system in Quinn Heights may completely collapse.
As for directly requesting support from Red Emperor... O'Brien didn't even mention this somewhat excessive request.
He knew very well that Garos had just annexed Theo Kingdom and needed time to digest the territory, suppress resistance, and establish rule.
Moreover, it is not appropriate for a king to go to the battlefield of another country in person, both in terms of political symbolism and actual risks.
"Beskar is currently unable to escape."
Garos gave a negative answer, "In addition to the fertile Aris Province, the newly occupied land under my command also includes those border towns living north of the Emerald Ridge Mountains. The people there are strong and strong, and there is still residual loyalty to Theo Royal House. The terrain is complex and suitable for guerrilla warfare."
"There have been many revolts in the past month."
"Beskar, with the power and flight advantage of the Legendary Realm, is suppressing those who resist and cannot get away."
A trace of disappointment flashed in O'Brien's eyes, but he did not lose his composure.
He said, "Understand, defending the country is more difficult than conquering the country. Those rebels are like weeds. If they are not completely eliminated, they will grow again in the spring breeze."
Red Iron Dragon continued, his voice steady. "However, I can send Aura War Warlord there."
"He is free now and can reinforce Lothern."
Hearing this, O'Brien nodded.
"General Aura War Warlord, Kalu... that's okay too."
He said, but judging by his tone, he didn't seem to trust that War Warlord.
This is normal.
Although Glutton Demon Kalu has a lot of achievements, after all, he has just broken through the Legendary Realm and his qualifications are still young.
Moreover, in the dragon-based Aura Kingdom, the reputation of the Legendary Realm Ogre is not as intimidating and reliable as Ancient White Dragon.
Garos smiled slightly and said directly, "You seem a little disappointed, but I can tell you clearly that in the entire Aura Kingdom, Kalu's strength is second only to me."
"You can treat him as a Legendary Realm red dragon of the same level."
"Well, I actually think he is stronger than Legendary Realm Red Dragon of the same level."
O'Brien was a little surprised.
He did not expect that Red Emperor would speak so highly of that War Warlord.
Comparing a Ogre to a red dragon is already the highest praise.
However, he believed in Red Emperor's vision, and perhaps he had underestimated that Legendary Realm Ogre.
He quickly adjusted his mentality, the hesitation on his face disappeared, and he showed a solemn and expectant smile again, "... I understand, thank you for your candor, then, Lothern welcomes the arrival of General Kalu."
"I believe that with your vision and guarantee, he will definitely bring unexpected surprises and breakthroughs to me and Quinn Heights's war."
Garos nodded and said, "He will set off immediately."
"It couldn't be better."
After the business talk was over, a brief silence fell.
O'Brien in the image seemed a little tired. He leaned back and leaned on a blackened tree stump. There was a faint sound of a horn in the distance, probably a signal to change defenses.
Garos suddenly asked, "Lothern, do you have someone to choose as the next king?"
His question went a little too far.
Succession to the throne is the most sensitive part of domestic affairs and is not usually discussed with foreign monarchs.
O'Brien obviously did not expect that Garos would suddenly ask this. He was silent for a moment, weighing in his mind, and finally turned his head to look around and made a gesture. Several soldiers on the edge of the image saluted and stepped away to ensure the privacy of the conversation.
"Currently, there are two alternatives."
"My third son, Eric, has a steady personality and is good at politics. He handles government affairs in a clear manner and has a harmonious relationship with the nobles. However, he is somewhat conservative and lacks an adventurous spirit. He tends to be prudent rather than bold in military decisions. He may lack the necessary courage and courage."
"My ninth son, Raymond, has a weak sense of politics and often suffers secret losses in palace struggles. However, he has military talent. He joined the army at the age of fifteen and started from the bottom. He has participated in many small-scale conflicts and commanded a legion-level battle. He has good talents and is expected to break through the Legendary Realm."
O'Brien paused and continued, "Eric is more suitable to be a king in peacetime. He can make the kingdom run smoothly, satisfy the nobles, and let the people live and work in peace and contentment. But now Romanian Plains is turbulent, and it will be difficult to maintain peace in the future."
"I like Raymond better. He is more like me. He has the straightforwardness and courage of a soldier. He is willing to go to the front line in person and is not afraid of danger."
"After this war is over, I will pass the throne to him. Even if I accidentally die in this battle, the magic scroll I left behind will convey my thoughts."
Garos wrinkled the scales on his forehead slightly.
From the perspective of Aura's interests, he is actually more inclined to be a conservative king.
That means that the relationship between Lothern and Aura may not change much in the future. The alliance will be maintained stably, trade will proceed normally, and relations will remain peaceful.
A conservative king will not take risks easily and will not suddenly change national policies.
This is the most ideal state for Aura.
As for the new king who is more like O'Brien... a king who has military ambitions, advocates strength, and may be eager to make achievements, there is always a little more uncertainty for other kingdoms.
But Garos was noncommittal and didn't say anything.
"The next new king," he just asked, "How will he view the alliance with Aura?"
O'Brien took a deep breath, and then started speaking word by word.
"I will tell him: Garos·Ignas is the master of a country, but first of all he is a powerful dragon with a long life and will become stronger and stronger. To be an alliance with him requires sincerity and wisdom, and you cannot play tricks or betrayal."
"This alliance relationship, this friendship that has been tested with blood and fire on the battlefield, must be well managed and maintained, because it is beneficial to Lothern."
Garos nodded slowly.
"I also cherish the friendship with Lothern." Red Iron Dragon said, "Aura is willing to peacefully coexist and prosper together with the kingdom that respects us."
After a pause, he made a promise.
"After you... leave, Aura will not adjust any terms of the covenant with Lothern within ten years. This is to give the new king an adaptation period."
O'Brien nodded gently, with a smile on his face.
"I generally don't believe Evil Dragon's promises. You are always fickle and greedy." He made a little joke and the atmosphere became more relaxed. "However, I believe you will not break your promise. The ten-year buffer period... is enough for Raymond to gain a firm foothold and learn how to deal with the dragon."
Having said that, the communication is about to end.
"By the way," the king said suddenly, as if remembering something trivial, "If one day in the future, that boy Raymond is confused and makes any short-sighted decision... For the sake of today's conversation, please give him a chance to correct it."
"This is not a negotiation between the king and the king. It is a dying request from an ordinary friend."
Garos was silent for two seconds.
The wind howled in the valley, stirring up dust, and the cries of nocturnal birds could be heard in the distance, as night fell.
"Once." he said.
Although he has never met O'Brien, the king of Lothern, in person, Garos has a pretty good impression of him.
This king has the straightforwardness of a soldier, the shrewdness of a politician, and the pride of a warrior.
He gave support to Aura at critical moments. Although that support was more based on profit considerations, it did help Aura get through the difficult moments in the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China. When Lothern asked for military formation and support, the other party decisively agreed.
For a private request, Garos is willing to respond based on this recognition.
"That's good." O'Brien smiled, "Then... goodbye, Garos, may your flame never go out."
The communication is over.
O'Brien's figure flickered a few times, then turned into a point of light and disappeared.
Red Iron Dragon put away the crystal, raised his head slightly, and looked in the direction of the Lothern Kingdom.
Twilight has completely enveloped Dragonspine Mountains, stars began to appear in the sky, and the pale crescent moon hung on the top of the mountain.
A man of the hour, the king of Lothern, and an old ally of Aura, is slowly drawing to a close, and his era has just begun, and the picture of the future has only begun to unfold.
What challenges await next? What opportunities will emerge?
These are still unknown.
"I hope O'Brien's son can cherish the friendship left by his fathers during the war."
Red Iron Dragon whispered, and then started exercising again under the gradually darkening night.