Ser Wilderness, Dragonspine Mountains.
Red Iron Dragon's majestic body stands among the mountains, its wings are folded at its sides, and its thick and long dragon tail hangs down casually.
He tapped the ground lightly with the tip of his tail, and the ground trembled slightly. When he breathed, hot air spurted out from his nose, forming two breaths visible to the naked eye, twisting and rising in the air like rolling heat waves.
At this time, Red Iron Dragon lowered his head slightly and looked down.
A few dozen meters in front of him was a slender but tall figure.
Elvie, Ranger General of the Aura Kingdom.
She maintained the unique half-kneeling posture of the centaur and horse tribe, with her front body as elegant and straight as Elf, with her hands folded and pressed on her chest; the strong horse body of her rear body bent her knees to touch the ground, and her four hooves firmly pressed against the hard ground.
At this time, Elvie took off his armor and weapons, only wearing a simple white linen battle robe.
Her long hair was flying fiercely in the strong wind, revealing a face that was elegant, beautiful, and heroic because she led an army in battle.
The most eye-catching thing is the pair of white wings on her back.
At this moment, the wings were not fully unfolded, but were slightly gathered like a cloak, covering both sides of the horse's body. The white feathers were shining softly in the sunlight.
"Elvie."
Red Iron Dragon lowered his eyes and looked at the people and horses. His voice was as low as the thunder in the distant mountains, echoing in the mountains.
"Yes, Your Majesty." Elvie responded softly.
"Stand up and raise your head."
Elvie stood up as instructed.
She raised her head until she could clearly look up at the dragon's face covered with hard scales and thorns, and saw the unfathomable majesty contained in the vertical pupils.
However, in her eyes, there was no fear, only deep awe, even piety.
In fact, in Aura's People's mind, the great His Majesty Ignas is not only an emperor, but also a Deity walking in the world.
It was he who united the scattered tribes into a kingdom, and it was he who led them from poverty to prosperity, from weakness to strength.
"Ashen Plains, in the first raid on Iron Wall Fortress, you took advantage of the heavy rain and the enemy's relaxation, and broke through the city on a rainy night, laying the first cornerstone for the victory of the war."
"On the eve of Unhurried Wall's general attack, you led Red Iron Cavalry across the country and harassed many important areas at the same time, forcing Theo to divide its troops and run exhausted, greatly reducing the pressure on various places."
"In the battle of the Emerald Ridge Mountains, among my subordinates, your performance was second only to Kalu."
Red Iron Dragon's voice was steady and he stated the facts one by one.
He did not hide his favor towards the Elvie in front of him.
This Centaur General has the triple blood of Elf, Pegasus and Centaur, and he already has extremely high potential.
Now, after years of tempering in the flames of war, her life breath has reached the limit of mortal things, and she is not far away from the Legendary Realm 0
After Elvie breaks through the Legendary Realm, His Majesty Tamo will add another general again.
She was originally a Magic Warrior, and later worked part-time as Ranger. She was good at magic and swordsmanship and was also a marksman.
Although in terms of pure frontal combat effectiveness, she will be weaker than a pure war beast like Glutton Demon Kalu, there is no doubt that her skills and methods are richer and more comprehensive, and she has more room to display.
In particular, Elvie has sacred attributes, a gift from the bloodline of Pegasus.
When dealing with evil creatures, her sword and arrows can cause massive damage.
Fighting against the human kingdom actually limits her true strength. If the opponent is other Evil Dragon, or Demon of Abyss, Devil of Hell, Elvie Legendary Realm, she will be a huge threat to them.
Red Iron Dragon slowly leaned forward, its huge head approached Elvie, and the shadow it cast completely enveloped the men and horses.
"Elvie, my Ranger General."
"In the war that decided the fate of the kingdom, you showed your worth, your bravery, your wisdom, your loyalty... I saw all of this."
Hearing this, Elvie's heart skipped a beat.
She took a deep breath and said, "Being able to fight for His Majesty and gallop for Aura's glory is Elvie's greatest honor in this life!"
Red Iron Dragon looked at her quietly, the silhouettes of centaurs and horses reflected in her vertical pupils.
After a moment of silence, he slowly said, "Very good."
"Then, Elvie, are you willing to give up your will and soul, and then be connected by blood with me, and from now on you will be a monarch, a minister, and a blood descendant?"
Elvie's pupils shrank slightly.
She understands what Red Iron Dragon means.
Dragon Vein Conversion, that is the highest honor given by the dragon to its dependents, and it is also the deepest bond.
If she had been forced to surrender for the survival of the tribe many years ago, she would have hesitated or even resisted when faced with this choice.
Dragon Vein Conversion can indeed bring strength, but what is lost is the complete self-will.
The soul and blood of the transformed person will forever be marked by the dragon, and they will never be truly independent again. The price is very serious, but now——
Elvie followed Red Iron Dragon and witnessed with her own eyes the whole process of this dragon starting from Borderlands and becoming Aura Emperor step by step. She witnessed the establishment of the first city in the wasteland, the promulgation of the law, and how Aura Kingdom grew into the powerful force that dominates today.
And she herself has grown from an unknown ordinary horse warrior to Ranger General who leads Red Iron Cavalry, and has gained honor, status and the respect of her people.
All of this is achieved under the banner of Red Iron Dragon.
Hesitate? Resist?
No, that is already in the past tense.
So, Elvie didn't hesitate at all.
Her tone was sonorous and she said in a deep voice, "My sharp sword is only for Your Majesty to guide the direction of the enemy; my Iron Hoof is only for Your Majesty to crush the rebellious enemies; my wings are only for carrying Your Majesty's will to fly!"
"This body, mind, soul, and blood already belong to Your Majesty, to Aura!"
"Wherever your majesty's sharp claws point, that's where my blade points!"
"Please, Your Majesty, grant me this honor!"
Garos looked at the determination in her eyes and nodded slowly.
"As you wish."
Red Iron Dragon raised his front paws and lightly scratched his wrist with the sharp claw tips.
Dark red Dragon Blood immediately poured out, but they did not drip to the ground, but began to burn the moment they left the dragon's body.
It was a real flame, showing a deep blood-red color, tumbling and twisting in the air, emitting astonishing heat.
The Dragon Vein Conversion ritual requires the blood of a dragon as a medium.
For a creature like Elvie that has reached Mortal Limit, the quality of Dragon Blood required for transformation is extraordinary. Garos directly used its own blood of the Legendary Realm.
Now he no longer cares about the loss of blood.
In addition to his own majestic life, after the founding of the country, the entire kingdom's resources were tilted towards him. He had sufficient supplies to recover the losses. More importantly, Elvie was worthy of such investment.
As time passed, more and more blood gushed out from the wrist wound, and the burning Bloodflame became more intense, eventually condensing into a huge fireball with a diameter of more than five meters in front of Red Iron Dragon.
Inside the fireball, dark red blood rolled like lava.
"The process will be a little painful, but I believe you can bear it."
Garos said.
Elvie held his head high and spread his wings. "I am ready, Your Majesty."
The next moment, the Bloodflame fireball slowly floated towards Elvie, completely covering her.
The moment the flame touched her body, it did not ignite the clothes, but penetrated directly into the skin, muscles, bones, and penetrated deep into the soul.
"Uh----"
Elvie let out an uncontrollable groan.
It was a double burning from the soul and physical levels, a hundred times more intense than pure physical pain.
Her body straightened instantly, her wings were fully opened, every feather was trembling, the strong horse's body and limbs were shaking violently, and the horse's hoofs carved deep grooves on the ground.
Bloodflame burned inside her body, transforming her body from the inside out.
Phew!
Clusters of flames gush out from her pores, covering her whole body and burning fiercely.
Bones are remodeling, muscles are reorganizing, blood is boiling, and souls are being imprinted... This is the process of rebirth, the transformation of mortal things into Dragonkin.
Elvie gritted his teeth and veins popped out on his forehead.
She could feel her body cycling between death and rebirth, she could feel strange forces growing in her body, and she could feel something building deep in her soul.
Except for the initial hum, Elvie did not make any more sounds.
The tough will tempered by the war supported her, allowing her to endure this unimaginable pain. Although her body was shaking violently, her spine remained straight.
Red Iron Dragon looked away and began his daily exercise.
Dragon Vein Conversion It takes time. The more powerful the creature, the longer it takes.
An existence like Elvie takes a long time to complete the entire process.
Time passes day by day.
In the deep pit where Elvie was, Bloodflame had been burning. At first, the silhouettes of centaurs and horses could be seen looming in the flames, but by the third day, she had been completely engulfed by the flames, and only a vague outline could be seen. By the fifth day, even the outline had disappeared, leaving only a bloody fireball that continued to burn.
The ground melted under the high temperature, forming a huge pit.
The surface of the pit bottom shows a texture similar to a mixture of lava and some kind of crystal. Dark red light flows in the crystal, like magma surging in the veins.
In the early morning of the eighth day, Bloodflame began to weaken.
Garos stopped practicing magic and set his sights on the abyss.
Bloodflame, which had been burning for eight days, was finally completely extinguished, leaving only a ball-shaped black object at the bottom of the pit, with a surface covered with cracks. It looked like the fossil of some kind of giant beast, or a huge charred egg shell.
At first glance, it looks like there was an accident in the transformation process.
But Garos could clearly feel that inside the charred shell, a powerful Life Energy was pulsing. The energy was stronger than before Elvie's transformation, and it was mixed with the obvious aura of Dragonkin, which had the same origin as him.
Under his gaze, the charred shell made a slight cracking sound.
Click, click.
The cracks started from the top and spread like a spider web.
As the cracks increased, the charred shell began to peel off, and pieces fell to the ground, turning into black ashes.
Phew!
A pair of huge wings were the first to break through the shell, stretched out high, and were exposed to the morning sun.
The pair of wings maintained a pure white background as a whole, but the texture was completely different. The edges of each feather had a hard and sharp metallic texture, shining with an iron-black luster in the sunlight.
Her wingspan is close to ten meters, and when fully extended, the shadow cast by her wings covers almost half of the deep pit.
Immediately afterwards, the shell completely shattered and scattered into black dust in the air.
At the bottom of the pit, the new life form stretched its body and slowly stood up.
Elvie still maintains the form of a human and horse, but the overall appearance has undergone significant changes.
Her upper body has the same graceful lines as Elf, but it is covered with a layer of tight and powerful muscles, like steel that has been tempered for thousands of times, containing explosive power, and her skin shows a healthy wheat color.
On both sides of her forehead, a pair of special horns broke out of the skin and grew upward.
The special horn is steel gray, with a metallic luster on the surface. Its shape is elegant yet majestic, decorating her head like a crown.
Pieces of fine and neat iron-black dragon scales grew out of the key parts of the forearms, shoulders, and four legs.
These scales do not cover the whole body, but are dotted in key locations, such as shoulder armor, shoulder armor, etc., like finely crafted battle armor shields.
Arm guards, greaves, and breastplates provide additional protection without affecting flexibility.
Among all the changes, the most eye-catching thing is her wings.
The edges of the pure white feathers glowed with a metallic cold light. They seemed to be used both for flying and as weapons. The edges of those feathers were sharp enough to cut steel.
The elegance of Elf, the tenacity of men and horses, the holy pavilion of Pegasus, the coldness of Iron Dragon - many qualities have achieved a harmonious unity in her.
She looks like a work of art made for fighting, combining strength and beauty, majesty and elegance.
Looking at each other, Dragon-veined Glutton Demon Kalu is more like a savage and primitive fighting beast, full of pure destruction and oppression.
Elvie raised his head and looked at Red-Iron Dragon.
This time, the awe and piety in her eyes were still there, but there was more of a sense of closeness connected to her, an absolute loyalty based on her soul and thousands of veins.
Then, she lowered her head and bent her front hooves.
"Dragonkin Elvie, pay homage to Your Majesty."
Her voice became deeper and more magnetic.
"I would like to be your Majesty's sharpest claws and swiftest wings forever."
Garos nodded slightly, with a look of satisfaction in his eyes.
He could clearly perceive the current state of Elvie. Life Energy had reached a new peak, but its aura was a bit unstable, like a volcano about to erupt, containing huge power but restless.
This means that she, who was already close to the Legendary Realm, entered a critical state after being stimulated by Dragon Vein Conversion.
Maybe a few days, maybe a few months, maybe a year or two.
But no matter what, she will definitely have a breakthrough before too long.
This is good news for Garos.
"Breakthrough Legendary Realm as soon as possible," Red Iron Dragon said, "It is already close to you, it's just the last small step.
Elvie responded respectfully, "I will live up to His Majesty's expectations."
Garos raised his head and looked at the distant horizon.
The morning sun has fully risen, and the golden sunshine shines on the peaks of the Dragonspine Mountains, coating the iron-gray rocks with a layer of warm color.
He had a premonition that he would begin his next deep sleep in ten to fifteen years.
A normal adult dragon usually begins to fall asleep around the age of one hundred and seventy, and when it wakes up it is basically Mature Dragon.
But the situation with Garos is different.
His sleep always comes earlier than others, and his sleep period lasts longer than others Dragonkin.
This allows him to level up much faster than normal Dragonkin, but it also means that he needs to be more careful in arranging his affairs during his sleep.
After reaching the Legendary Realm level, it becomes more difficult to level up, and the dragon's growth rate will be reduced accordingly.
A deep sleep can often improve one level within an age group.
However, Garos himself is extremely self-disciplined and has the resources of the entire kingdom to support him, making his growth rate comparable to that of the short-lived species Legendary Realm.
"I should be able to reach level 25."
Garos estimated in his mind.
For a Legendary Realm dragon like him, based on his understanding of his own situation, this kind of prediction is usually not wrong.
Level 25, advanced Legendary Realm.
This is a threshold. Although it is not as difficult as the transformation of the essence of life when a mortal creature breaks through the Legendary Realm, it is not something that can be easily crossed.
But with your Garos's exercise intensity, coupled with Black Oil, Baoqian and other resources that you eat a lot of almost every day, the probability of directly crossing this threshold after falling asleep is very high and you will not be stuck.
This is the greatest benefit of founding a country.
This Aura Emperor, under the influence of a country's resources, has conditions for growth that the Misong Dragon could never imagine.
While sleeping, Aura Kingdom needs more Legendary Realm to deter foreign enemies and maintain stability.
Although he is sleeping, it does not mean death. He can wake up and take action when necessary. Even while sleeping, the dragon's subconscious can still think and be aware of the outside world. However, suspending his sleep means suspending a rare opportunity for growth.
The sleep period is very important to Dragonkin. It is the moment when the body and soul undergo deep transformation.
Even Metal Dragon, who has the most calm personality, will become furious and take revenge if he is forced to wake up from his sleep due to external influences.
Garos must consider all possible situations and troubles that may be encountered while sleeping.
In any case, the more Legendary Realms of the Aura Kingdom, the better. Their existence can give Garos a layer of protection when he is sleeping, and a layer of protection for the kingdom.
"After Elvie Legendary Realm, I don't know if I can get the characteristics of Beneath the Dragon Throne."
"If possible, even if I am sleeping, I can still perceive and observe the changes and situations of the kingdom through her and Kalu."
Red Iron Dragon thought in his heart.
It won't be long before he knows the answer.