Red Emperor's eyes fell on Monk, and he was silent for a few breaths.
Let's resolve the danger of Abyss together first, and then each can compete for the Central Continent based on their own abilities.
Cooperate first, compete later.
There were no meaningless polite words in these words, they were straightforward and candid.
Garos thought for a while and already made a decision in his mind.
No matter what happens next, it is undoubtedly the best choice to be consistent with the outside world now.
When Holden announced that it would give up Central Continent, it was clearly mentioned that all countries can freely compete for this place, but the prerequisite is to settle Abyssal Rift.
Actually, this is not a command, just a reminder.
Remind everyone that that piece of land is now a piece of cake soaked in venom. If it is not cleaned up first, anyone who eats it will be killed.
And even without Holden's reminder, other countries are also aware of this.
If you want to divide Central Continent, you cannot avoid the crack that runs across the center of the continent and exudes Abyss's aura. Even if you ignore it, even remote areas will be invaded by Demon.
Those twisted creatures don't respect territorial boundaries.
They will only turn everything they go into scorched earth.
Regardless of lofty goals such as the safety of the mainland, just for our own survival, we should cooperate and deal with Abyssal Rift together.
This is the bottom line consensus.
However, Garos did not agree directly.
He stared at Monk and asked first, "In addition to Eastern Land, Southern Domain, and Northern Frontier, there is also the West that is being integrated by the Braketon Kingdom. Have you sent a representative to discuss cooperation with Lord of Thunder?"
Lamorien, has been eyeing Middle-earth for a long time.
The intelligence network of Ancient Blue Dragon is no worse than that of any human kingdom. He obviously knows some secret information.
Perhaps, when this Ancient Blue Dragon founded the country, its eyes fell on the Central Continent, and now it must also be closely watching the changes of Abyssal Rift.
If the alliance wants to cooperate, the West will not be left out.
"Eastern Alliance and Southern Domain were the first to reach a cooperation framework, and then I came to Romania on behalf of the Eastern Alliance."
Monk replied with a steady voice.
"As for Lord of Thunder, the representative of Southern Domain will be responsible for negotiating with him."
When he said this, Monk showed some subtle expressions, and the eyes of the several Northern Frontier kings standing below Red Iron Dragon also flickered slightly.
Garos has a panoramic view of this scene.
He probably knows what these people are thinking.
Previously, the entire Atlant Continent was dominated by humans. Even in areas other than Central Continent, the major alliances were dominated by humans. Although other races had their own settlements, they were basically in a subordinate position politically and militarily.
Today, the situation is different.
Two Dragon Kingdom rose from the ground, uniting Northern Frontier and the West, almost equally with the Human Alliance.
Moreover, the human side is basically the United Nations.
An alliance composed of multiple kingdoms, each maintains a considerable degree of independence, and requires discussion and even gaming when encountering major issues.
Julongfang is the "United Kingdom".
For example, Northern Frontier and Red Emperor are the only Overlord here. Humans, like other races, need to rely on the wings of the dragon to survive, and the power structure is completely different.
This will inevitably make people in other alliances think too much.
Especially, those rulers who are used to humans dominating the world.
However, Garos doesn't care what other people think.
Whether they are worried or fearful, it is their own problem.
This is not something that needs to be taken seriously now.
"What is the specific form of cooperation?"
Garos raised the most critical question, "Romania, Sarud, Natakro... Who will lead the coalition? Whose will is more important? When there are differences in orders on the battlefield, whose will you listen to?"
This is a contradiction that any alliance must face.
Without a clear division of powers and responsibilities, so-called cooperation will only turn into internal friction.
Monk Without thinking, it was obvious that he had already prepared a case.
"When Eastern Alliance negotiated with Southern Domain, they established a framework, which is also applicable to Northern Frontier and the West."
"The coalition does not have a single commander. Each alliance elects a plenipotentiary representative. Several representatives form the decision-making body of the coalition. Major actions require the approval of a majority before they can be implemented."
"If two people agree and two people oppose, the discussion will continue until a majority agreement is reached, or the action will be shelved. If a majority agreement cannot be reached, each domain can decide whether to act alone, but it needs to inform the decision-makers in advance to avoid misjudgment and conflict."
He paused, and then added, "There is no distinction between high and low, or priority among representatives of the alliance."
"We have the same goal."
"Solve Abyssal Rift and prevent the spread of Demon. Once the rift is closed and Demon is cleared, the coalition forces will disband. As for the ownership of the Central Continent... that is a matter for later and will be determined by their respective strengths."
Monk raised his gaze and looked up at Red Iron Dragon on the throne.
Viewed from this angle, the huge dragon body filled his field of vision. Even though he was also Legendary Realm, standing high in the eyes of mortals, he still felt a heavy sense of oppression at this time.
"Ignas Your Majesty, what do you think?"
he asked
There was silence in the hall.
The kings of Northern Frontier waited with bated breath, knowing that this decision might affect the future of the entire continent.
"Cooperation, no problem."
Under the gaze of many eyes, Red Iron Dragon spoke unhurriedly, "In order to extinguish the fire of Abyss, Romanian States is willing to work with the Eastern Alliance and Southern Domain join forces and stand on the same front to fight against Demon. Before Abyss is pacified, Northern Frontier and the Human Alliance will not invade each other."
Monk had an expression of relief on his face.
"With your participation, the rift can be healed."
He complimented and took out a scroll from his arms.
The scroll is made of some kind of silver leather, with fine runes inlaid on the edges, glowing with a faint magical aura.
"This is Wartime Alliance Magic Contract, in multiple copies, witnessed by Deity, signed by the Eastern Alliance countries and Southern Domain countries. Your Majesty, I will now hand it over to you."
An invisible air lifted Magic Contract and brought it to Red Iron Dragon.
Monk bowed and saluted again, this time in a more respectful manner.
"Eastern Alliance still has important matters to deal with. Your Majesty Ignas, dear kings Northern Frontier, I will leave first."
"I wish your kingdom will last forever, and I wish Atlant will last forever."
Under the guidance of the attendants, Monk turned and left, and soon disappeared in the corridor outside the palace.
A few minutes later.
Eastern Land's messenger has left.
Only the Northern Frontier kings and the real Overlord were left in the vast hall, and the air relaxed a little.
"Sorog."
Red Iron Dragon's voice broke the silence.
Iron Dragon, who was standing on one side of the high platform like a sculpture, lowered his head, and the metal-like scales rubbed against each other, making a subtle clanging sound.
"Your Majesty."
"You will serve as the representative of Northern Frontier, stationed at the decision-making level of the coalition, convey my will, and make decisions on my behalf."
Garos said.
"I will obey your Majesty's orders."
Sorog responded in a deep voice, "I will ensure that your will is carried out."
Garos turns to the kings below.
These human rulers straightened their backs under his gaze.
"Everyone."
Red Iron Dragon looked around, his eyes sweeping across the young and old faces, "The storm of the times has rolled up, the years of peace are about to end, and the breath of war once again permeates the continent. During this period, Northern Frontier must be a whole."
As he spoke, Red Iron Dragon grinned, showing his sharp teeth.
"Follow me against the wind, and you will receive glory and reward. If anyone tries to play tricks behind your back..."
He didn't finish speaking, but the temperature in the hall suddenly rose, and the invisible Dragon Might filled the air.
"Your Majesty, Northern Frontier countries will obey your orders."
This time, King Lothern spoke first, which attracted the dissatisfied gaze of King Theo.
Later, others agreed.
Garos nodded with satisfaction.
He doesn't need their loyalty, just obedience.
In the face of Dragonkin's long lifespan, human loyalty is too fragile, but interests and fears are reliable bonds.
The stage has been set.
After decades of stable growth, Red Emperor is ready to dance again.
This time, his dance partner may be an ally or an enemy, and the music will be a symphony of swords and scales clashing and magic bursting.
Soon, in a certain independent space.
Three giant dragons with six arms stood tall and proud, their eyes were blood red, their face armor was as thick as steel, and their bodies Dragon Qi were burning like a walking active volcano.
He was currently hanging in the sky, his wings fully extended, and the shadow he cast covered a large area of land below.
Under Red Iron Dragon, there is a shocking and huge pit that looks like the earth's crust is cracking.
The edge of the pit is glowing with dark red hot gas, a glassy substance formed by the re-solidification of rocks melted by extremely high temperatures. The pit wall presents a ladder-like collapse structure, and the deepest part is bottomless. Countless small space cracks can even be vaguely seen flickering, as if the entire world has been penetrated by this blow.
This scene originated from Garos's attempt at new skills.
That is not a skill from a certain path, nor is it in Dragon Inheritance's record, but a destructive skill created by Garos based on his own characteristics and on the basis of his Dragon Aura Bomb.
In the past few months, Garos has spent most of his time on this.
"Compared with the original Dragon Aura Bomb, this move takes longer to accumulate and consumes more, but its power has also been greatly improved."
Red Iron Dragon whispered to himself, observing the details of the pothole below, "It can even destroy the spatial structure with pure energy, causing continuous spatial chaos... It can be called "Dragon Emperor's Alternate Dimension" in the true sense."
Although it is not perfect and the charging time is still too long, it is enough as a strategic deterrent.
It is especially useful when shooting fixed targets.
"The material impregnated with the breath of Abyss is very tough and difficult to be destroyed by ordinary means."
"Now, Demon is using Abyss materials to cast the fortress. The hardness and magic resistance of those stones and metals contaminated by the rift energy are far higher than ordinary materials. It is difficult for ordinary siege equipment and conventional magic to effectively damage them."
He grinned and smiled.
"Heh... just right."
"I'm curious how many times it can block my attacks."
Frankly speaking, cooperating with other alliances is for stability, not necessary.
Garos doesn't have much worries about Abyssal Rift.
Currently, the crack is not stable enough to allow Demon of Destiny Rank level to pass through. The strongest among them is Crown Rank, and at this level, Garos is basically fearless.
Decades ago, he could fight one against four.
Today, decades later, although he has not made a qualitative leap, he is still much better than before.
As long as there are no enemies of Destiny Rank level, he will be confident to deal with them.
Red Iron Dragon shook his head, stretched his claws, and his joints made a crackling sound.
Under him, there was more than one super giant crater that had been destroyed on the surface of the earth. Instead, it was scattered everywhere, with different sizes and depths. The entire land was devastated, as if it had been bombarded by countless meteorites, and no intact land could be found.
However, Garos doesn't care about these.
As he grows up, it gradually becomes difficult for Garos to find a suitable training venue.
For example, when he was in the Dragonspine Mountains before, for skills like Dragon Aura Bomb, you need to take the surrounding environment into consideration when using them.
Even a casual warm-up by him would cause the surrounding mountains to collapse and the ground to crack.
It's hard to have fun exercising without exerting your energy.
And where he is currently, is a special space created through dimensional magic, within Material Plane, but not directly on Bernardo Planet, like a Small World bubble attached to the main world.
This is Mattena Kingdom, a gift given after surrender.
Its overall scope is roughly equivalent to two Romanian Plains, but it is desolate and dead, with basically no intelligent life and no valuable resources. The edge of the space is a fuzzy boundary of chaos, the sky is always gray, there are no sun, moon and stars, only faint light from an unknown source. The earth is made of hard rock and sand, and some crystal clusters can be seen occasionally, but the magic content is extremely low.
To most people, there is no value here.
But it fits Garos very well.
It is big enough, strong enough, and no matter how damaged it is, it will not affect the main world.
Now, this place has become his exclusive "gym".
Every time he needs to test new skills, or simply wants to stretch his arms and legs, he will come here and unleash his power.
"Do it again."
Garos roared, and the black and red Dragon Qi flames boiled violently like adding fuel to the fire, spurting out from the gaps in the scales.
The air began to tremble and emit a low hum.
Later.
The dragon stretched out its six arms and slowly closed them toward its chest. Spell-Annihilating Claw's silver lines all lit up, leading Dragon Qi to gather at this moment. The three majestic dragon heads also opened at the same time. There was blood-colored light surging deep in its throat. It was Destruction Dragon Breath that was brewing, but not for the purpose of spitting out, but as one of the energy sources, integrated into the entire skill system.
He could feel the power gathering, compressing, and changing qualitatively.
But at this moment, he paused slightly.
A connection from the outside touched his senses, and its priority was very high.
Red Iron Dragon took a deep breath, and the boiling Dragon Qi around him gradually extinguished, and the energy was forcibly gathered back into the body.
It's uncomfortable to interrupt this level of skill convergence.
It was like squeezing out a lit fuse, causing a burst of burning pain.
But he has long been used to this level of pain.
In fact, Garos will deliberately interrupt certain skills to let himself get used to the backlash, which is also one of his training projects.
He took out Communication Artifact, which was shining with lightning.
"Lamorien, what's the matter?"
Garos asked directly, with no displeasure at being disturbed in his voice.
He knows that the other party will not contact him without reason.
From the other end, the deep voice of Lamorien came, and there was faint thunder rolling in the background, as if a storm was approaching.
"People from Garos, Southern Domain came to see me."
He got straight to the point and called Garos by his first name, instead of calling him by his last name "Ignas" or "Red Emperor" like in previous formal occasions.
Calling each other by their first names mostly represents closeness and recognition between Dragonkin, which means that the interlocutors believe that both parties are on equal footing and have the willingness to establish a closer relationship.
Garos can see that Lord of Thunder wants to get closer to him.
Otherwise, he would not frequently communicate with him to share some less formal information and opinions.
This is a diplomatic gesture and a test.
"I know."
Garos said, "The representative of the Eastern Alliance just left me not long ago and brought me a copy of Magic Contract."
"Heh."
Lamorien laughed and said, "I guess you agreed. With your character, you won't refuse to cooperate at this time. It's too unwise."
Garos did not deny it.
"To be honest, sitting with those humans and voting by the same rules..."
Lamorien's voice was somewhat disdainful.
"What a shame. In the past, those races could only kneel before us, pray for our favors, and pick up scraps from our claws. Now they have to be equal to them, and even listen to their opinions on certain matters."
He paused, changed the topic, suppressed the emotion in his tone, and regained his composure.
"But this is now."
"Abyssal Rift is right there, and Demon is building a city. I don't want to lose sight of the importance. It's business to drive those dirty things back to their hometown first."
"So you agreed?"
Garos asked, although he already guessed the answer.
"Agreed." Lamorien replied simply, "My first-generation descendant, Kaelzrog, you will remember him, the Blue Dragon who contacted you at the beginning. He serves as the representative of the West and sits at the decision-making level."
"My blood relatives and I are always ready to go to war."
Garos nodded slightly.
"I'm looking forward to the next fight together."
he said.
"I look forward to it too."
Lamorien responded, but before he finished speaking, the voice on the other end lowered his voice and changed into a different tone, like a conversation between close friends.
"However, Garos, there are some words that are not suitable to be said in formal situations, but I think you should be willing to listen."
"About... what happens after the cooperation ends."
Garos didn't answer the call, just waited quietly for the next message.
"After Abyssal Rift is settled and the wartime alliance contract is over." Lamorien slowed down and said, "I want to take action against the human Crown Rank as soon as possible."
"Three-Aspect Crown Rank of the Eastern Alliance, Crown of Magic of Southern Domain, and those human kings who think they can be equal to us, or others Legendary Realm... Haha, human beings have weak bodies. They are also fighting Demon. Compared with our dragons, they have to pay more, suffer more injuries, and consume more."
"That's the best opportunity, when they're at their weakest."
"You and I, join forces."
"We will eradicate them all at once, and the remaining mob will be nothing to worry about. They can only become our slaves, mine resources for us, build Palace, and offer blood food. The entire Atlant Continent will return to the age of dragons."
Fall out at the first opportunity and launch an attack?
Lord of Thunder Can you think this way, will the human side have similar thoughts? The two sides are not of the same race, and the cooperation is only temporary. There is deep-rooted vigilance and distrust between each other, and the possibility of going to war immediately after the cooperation ends is extremely high.
Garos weighed it in his mind and did not respond immediately.
At this time, a long breath came from Communication Artifact's end, as if Ancient Blue Dragon was suppressing some kind of excitement.
"Garos·Ignas, you and I are the same dragon."
Blue Dragon's voice became solemn.
"You are not willing to accept the status quo, and you are not willing to be suppressed by other races. You established the kingdom and unified Northern Frontier, not to be on an equal footing with those humans, but to let the dragons stand above them again. You have indeed succeeded. Now Northern Frontier, the human king bows before you, and your will is everything."
"Just like the glory of ancient times when dragons dominated the sky and the earth."
"At that time, Dragon Language was the Common Tongue of the mainland, and Dragon Lair was the beacon of civilization. All races looked up to us, but now, those short creatures have forgotten who is the real ruler."
"I know you know what I'm talking about."
Lamorien's voice was even deeper, "Because you have the same thing as me in your heart, the desire for a higher status, the response to the dominance instinct, and the sense of mission for Dragon Race's glorious revival."
"Join me, my countrymen."
"Together we will make Dragon Race glorious and great again. Northern Frontier and the West will be connected and become the cornerstone of the Dragon Empire. Then, moving eastward and southward, the entire continent will be taken under its wings."
Garos was silent for two seconds.
"I will look at the situation at that time."
He finally said in a calm tone, "It is too early to promise anything now. The battlefield is changing rapidly. No one knows what will happen in the fight against Abyss. Maybe all humans Crown Rank will die in battle, maybe we will suffer heavy losses, and maybe other variables will occur."
He did not give a definite answer.
On the other side, Lamorien showed no disappointment.
On the contrary, there was a deep laughter that seemed to roll through the clouds.
"I understand, caution is necessary. You are not like those young and energetic dragons who fall for you at the slightest provocation. I have already passed that age."
"There is no point in making hasty promises, especially on such a big matter."
"That's it, it depends on the situation."
"I believe that by then, you will make the same choice as me."
There is a certain certainty in the laughter.
It seems that Lamorien completely trusts his own judgment and thinks that Garos has the same driving force as him deep down, but is just waiting for the right time and reason.
Finally, the lightning went out and communication was interrupted.
The deserted space returns to silence.
Garos hovered in the air, looking down at the devastated land below, thoughtfully.
Lamorien's invitation came out of his mouth with a natural sincerity.
He truly believed that Garos and he were of the same kind, believed that Red Emperor had the same ambition hidden deep in his heart, and believed that it would be a natural thing for Crown Rank to join forces to cleanse mankind after the war. It was not even a conspiracy, but a tacit understanding, a tacit consensus among Dragonkin.
But...
This kind of belief itself makes Garos feel a certain dissonance.
It's not that I doubt Lamorien's sincerity, but I feel that the other party may have misunderstood some fundamental things.
The glory of the dragon.
Dominate the sky and the earth.
The unwillingness to be suppressed by other races.
... These grand concepts are the driving force, the goal, and the reason worth bleeding for Lamorien.
This Lord of Thunder is a Dragonkin supremacist.
Everything he did, establishing Braketon Kingdom, unifying the West, seeking an alliance with Garos... all had this main thread behind it, in order to restore the dominance of Dragon Race.
However, Garos is not.
He's not content with the status quo, that's right.
But what he is unwilling to accept is not the current situation of "the dragon is suppressed by other races", but the current situation of "he Garos is not strong enough".
He established the kingdom and unified Northern Frontier, not to restore some ancient glory.
That is already a thing of the past, no matter how glorious it is, it is history.
He is doing it to build a more solid foundation for himself, to obtain more resources, so that he can continue to grow, continue to become stronger, and evolve towards a higher level of life.
Human beings can be strong or weak.
The dragon's glory may be revived or it may decline.
These concepts are too grand, too far away, too... irrelevant.
Garos is more concerned about his future.
Can it break through to Destiny Rank, or even Immortal Realm? Can it master more powerful power? Can it survive the greater crisis that may come?
He is for evolution, for survival, for transcendence.
If cooperation is beneficial to you, then cooperate.
If it is in your interest to take action against human Crown Rank after the war, for example, to obtain a large amount of resources, or to eliminate potential threats, then take action.
If it is more in your interest not to take action, for example, if humans still have value, or if the risk of taking action is too high, then just stay put.
There is no racial mission that must be fulfilled.
There is no dragon glory that must be revived.
You can only continue to evolve and become stronger.
Everything else is not important, they are all variables that can be weighed.
However, Lord of Thunder interpreted Garos's "unwillingness" as the same thing as him.
... a bit taken for granted.
"He seems to have some misunderstanding about me."
Garos thought to himself, shaking his head.
However, he did not immediately deny the possibility of joining forces after the war.
That's really one of the options, depending on the situation.
If human Crown Rank suffered heavy losses in the war, but he and Lamorien retained most of their strength, then it would indeed be in their interest to take the opportunity to eliminate potential competitors.
Otherwise, it needs to be re-evaluated.
But Lamorien's determination that "you are just like me" made him realize that although Ancient Blue Dragon was experienced, he also had his own blind spots.
"I probably have such a blind spot."
Garos doesn't think he is perfect.
This is why, when deciding on a major matter, he will not only discuss with the most mature Sorog, but also listen to the opinions of Samantha and Gordon.
In the future, he might also include suitable descendants into Blood Kin Link, and fill his own blind spots by listening to the thoughts of dragons of different ages, personalities, and experiences.
Complete dictatorship is very efficient, but also very risky.
A wise man listens.
Then, Garos stretched his body again.
The black and red Dragon Qi ignited on the surface of the scales again
Those racial narratives are not something he should worry about now. Whether it is Lamorien's misunderstanding or the human side's vigilance, they are all secondary.
He should focus on what he can control.
For example, before allowing Destiny Rank Demon to pass through that crack, first practice the skills that can blast it through.
Red Iron Dragon's giant arms began to close toward his chest.
Soon after, the Small World ground began to tremble again.