Ferrum returned to the plateau, and five years passed in the blink of an eye.
In the past five years, no major events have occurred in the family that required a nationwide mobilization, so the members have returned to their respective residences and gone about their own business.
In recent years, Ferrum has been doing two things: firstly, integrating the power within his body, digesting the Nether Iron, and Bloodline Refinement; and secondly, settling the migrating Jackal Gang, stationing troops, and cultivating the land.
The Dragon Blood War on Steelspine Plains caused severe losses to the entire clan, with the population in various places plummeting. Of the plateau troops that Ferrum had taken with him, only four hundred were able to return, and the originally well-organized Jackal Legion was reduced to just over two thousand.
Two thousand men are not outstanding in the bloody battle, but they are a large number for the Windsong Plateau.
This unit did not engage in production before, and in previous years they relied entirely on their families for support. They only needed to eat, drink, and fight every day, and were responsible for fighting against foreign enemies and suppressing internal rebellions.
But their treatment changed after they arrived on the plateau. Under Ferrum's orders, they not only had to maintain weekly training, but also participate in productive activities such as hunting, farming, and construction.
This angered many already unruly Gnoll, leading to resentment and even incitement to flee, mutiny, and rebellion.
Unfortunately, compared to mortal rulers, Giant Dragon possess overwhelming violence. Ferrum also subdued Gago, the Gnoll leader, and gained his support, so he could also adopt a tough approach to rule, issuing orders with lightning speed.
After slaying two groups of rebels, Ferrum rewarded those who submitted, gradually introducing female jackals and Kobold from Black Lake and Ochre Valley to interbreed with Gnoll warriors. They were then scattered across the plateau, gradually gaining the loyalty of this migrating tribe and submitting to the rule and administration of the plateau.
Ferrum's retinue can also manifest in the Destiny Alliance in the form of a race, providing him with energy. As the Star Inscription requires more and more energy, he foresaw that his retinue might gradually replace his dragon companions and become the main force for Star Inscription. Therefore, he is also gradually building his own team.
In 8156, Veloa sent an envoy from the Red Fort into the Windsong Plateau to deliver a piece of Nether Iron to Ferrum.
Before this, the first piece of Nether Iron that Ferrum had consumed came from the Deeprock Vein, and the rest were all from Zane's collection over the decades. This particular piece of Nether Iron was obtained by Veloa from the Taigo Treasury and given to Ferrum by her.
" Taigo's belongings..."
When he saw that treasure, Ferrum's feelings were complex and indescribable.
To this day, he has never spoken a word to that fallen leader, but he spent his entire early childhood under the protection of Taigo's giant wings.
I eventually ate it and digested it.
After succeeding Taigo as leader, Veloa treated the Wilderness Races with many favors. However, during the Dragon Blood War, the family's Steelspine Plains ranch was severely damaged. At the time, the consequences were not apparent. It was not until the following year that famine began to occur due to food shortages, followed by riots and rebellions.
Fortunately, the Giant Dragon Lord had foreseen the calamity, and thanks to the various measures taken by Veloa, Leighton, and Noz, the family eventually emerged from the aftermath of the great war and began to gradually recover.
In 8157, Veloa held a meeting to announce the addition of new members: two Tungsten Dragon who had previously come to the aid of the Underdark. Leighton and Lord Noz had won the favor of the two young Tungsten Dragon through their pursuit, and they were willing to become members of the Ashmark Lineage.
Since accepting Zane, the family has become much more cautious about absorbing new members. However, most of the Tungsten Dragon are trustworthy, and the younger dragons welcome the new members.
In contrast to the relatively stable wilderness areas, the situation at Black Lake is far from optimistic.
Despite the various orders and arrangements made by Zane before her deep slumber, her past brutal rule ultimately failed to pacify this chaotic land. As the Lord of the Black Lake fell into a deep slumber, the aftermath of the Dragon Blood War, the disloyalty and resistance of her servants, and the long-standing grudges between clans all erupted one after another.
Even though Barloz did everything in his power, even asking for help from Ferrum and Gax, he could only temporarily quell the infighting and rebellion between clans, but could not stop the loss and exodus of people.
Instead of recovering and rebuilding after the war, the vast Black Lake region gradually weakened.
In 8158, the Ashmark Lineage received a plea for help from the Aino Kingdom, hoping that the Giant Dragon would send troops to attack the Tagoma Kingdom.
As early as when the Dragon Blood War broke out, the Tagoma Kingdom intended to invade the Black Lake region from the east, but they did not expect the war to end so quickly, and were even caught off guard.
Ultimately, the rulers of the Tagoma Kingdom abandoned their plan to fight on two fronts and concentrated their forces for a full-scale counterattack against the Aino Kingdom, which was buying time for the Giant Dragon.
After much Veloa decided to send the newly joined Tungsten Dragon to participate in the war, and then, led by Jelierion and Barloz, drew four thousand warriors each from Red Tide Shoal and Black Lake to join the battle.
Unfortunately, the arrival of the Giant Dragon did not reverse the course of the war. The Tagoma Kingdom won a great victory in the Battle of Mount Abulai, almost annihilating the Aino cavalry. Having lost its main force, the Aino Kingdom could only retreat and negotiate peace.
At the same time, the Fishfolk of the Wave Sea Islands noticed the dragons' weakness and attempted to land on the southern coast to launch an invasion.
Upon learning of this, Veloa returned to the Red Tide Shoal and personally led her army to suppress the rebellion, her power shaking the Wave Sea.
That year, Ferrum also received news of the enemy from afar.
The Storm Family suffered even greater casualties in the bloodbath than the Ashmark Lineage, but the Blue Dragon did not choose to lie low. Instead, they quickly devoured the leaderless Emerald Family, deeply integrated with the Green Dragon, and unified into the Julian Dragonflight.
They multiplied rapidly, constantly exploiting the Kingdom of Thern, which was controlled by the Green Dragon, and desperately recruiting soldiers and building an army, hoping to regain their power.
This also aroused the dissatisfaction of the Gaoluo Empire.
The High Elves are a significant force in the Eastern Continent. The ancient Dark Elves are attempting to govern their race in Gawen and efficient way, aiming to centralize power and become an empire. They have been observing the war between the dragons and the Titan, yearning to annihilate all immortal alien races.
At the end of the year 8159 of the Scaled Age, the multicolored dragon god and three-tailed dragon queen, Manlotis, perished.
Tiamat's exploits in the previous era are unknown, but in this ten-thousand-year era, whether it Typhonis, the wrathful dragon god, or Jialagedong, the Supreme Dragon, Tiamat killed them all through intrigue and sneak attacks, earning her the contempt of the Gods.
This time, however, she defeated Manlothis head-on.
This means that after acquiring numerous dragon god powers, Tiamat's power has expanded to an unimaginable level, and the Chromatic Dragon will also gain greater competitiveness in the material world because of her powers.
From that day forward, the Chromatic Dragon resolved to exterminate the Exotic Dragon, while Tiamat, ambitious and the most beloved descendant of the Giant Dragon Creator, the Platinum Dragon God Bahamut, became her next target.
Meanwhile, Ferrum remained in his lair, passing through the deep slumber of his adolescence.
He had been asleep for a long time. By this time, the Hatchling Dragon had all woken up and were active again in the Wildlands, but Ferrum's aura was deep and he showed no signs of waking up.
This period of slumber was somewhat painful for him. As he swallowed piece after piece of Nether Iron, Ferrum had already achieved Nether-Iron Transformation throughout his body, but the enormous transformation did not occur until the period of slumber began.
The Chrome Dragon is a precise and sharp Heavy-Metal Dragon, and to maintain its speed and agility, it has always maintained a medium-sized body.
However, the Ghost-Iron Element seemed dissatisfied with this body. They began to invade the already grown and formed bones, causing the bones to crack and reshape in excruciating pain, squeezing out more potential from the Dragon Heart, and causing a large-scale transformation of Ferrum's body.
His shoulder blades spread out to the sides, his chest broadened, and the bones of his spine and limbs became thicker, with new, stronger tendons growing and tightly intertwining around his bones like taut iron chains.
In this evolution, the Ferrum's head grew larger, its face became more ferocious, and a new pair of horns grew from beneath its originally neat horns, extending backward from its cheeks near its pupils.
His body size nearly doubled in just one short period of adolescence.
Because it was entirely black, Ferrum at this point looked more like Iron Dragon than Chrome Dragon.
However, while the Iron Dragon's scales are blunt, heavy, and overlapping, the Ferrum's scales still maintain a cutting edge, arranged perfectly. The color of the scales is not as bright as the Iron Dragon's, but deep and dark, without any reflection.
Compared to the Iron Dragon, the Ferrum's body is equally massive, with its chest and back exuding the oppressive presence of a large dragon species, yet its waist and abdomen remain taut, its limbs have clearly defined joints, and its outstretched membranous wings resemble blades, presenting a sleek and streamlined shape.
He is no longer Chrome Dragon, nor does he evolve into Iron Dragon; instead, he has become a type of dragon that has never appeared before.
Nether Dragon.
However, he has not yet been promoted to Ancestor Stage.
The Nether Iron in his bloodline has completely suppressed chromium, but the chromium element still exists. Ferrum was born Chrome Dragon, and chromium is his original bloodline and the beginning of his life. For his bloodline, Nether Iron is the outsider.
Back when Ferrum first swallowed the Nether Iron, his body experienced a strong rejection reaction. Only by relying on his amazing talent of " Consume Gold, Absorb Iron " and the powerful vitality of his Archaic Species bloodline was he able to barely absorb the Nether Iron and incorporate it into his bloodline sequence.
This is something that no other Heavy-Metal Dragon could accomplish, and it is a unique evolutionary path belonging to Ferrum.
At this moment, the last chromium element still held fast in his dragon heart, resisting the "invasion" of the Nether Iron. In their bloodline memory, if even the dragon heart were invaded by the Nether Iron, then this body would die completely, so it must not be given up easily.
Unfortunately, that stubbornness beyond his control became the last impurity in Ferrum's body.
Ferrum, however, was not in a hurry.
The adolescence period is long, and he is confident that he can complete the advancement during this stage. Moreover, he already has twelve Disaster Level, which is equivalent to the level of High Adolescent Dragon, so he is not lacking in power.
It wasn't until the beginning of the Scaled Era 8160, that Ferrum opened his eyes.
The aura of awakening spread ahead of time, and he knew that his companions were already waiting outside. Normally, the Disaster Level of Juvenile Dragon is around level seven to nine, but the powerful beings favored by the Scattered Fire Sets the Plains Ablaze are destined to be more than that.
Each time Heavy-Metal Dragon ends its slumber, it needs a fierce battle to test each other's strength. When it Hatchling Stage Dragon Hatchling, Ferrum completed its challenge against Ladon. Now that the Hatchling Dragon has become a teenager, it is its companions who will challenge it.
Ferrum is looking forward to this challenge.