Red Fort, underground palace.
There are granite columns on both sides of the corridor. At the end of the corridor, the statue of Giant Dragon looks at the visitor sternly.
This is the palace used by Ashmark Lineage to commemorate the dead members. Most of the remains of those members are not here, but the family hopes that their souls can rest here, so they built this Dragon Tomb to store the heroic spirits.
Zane maintained the form of a dragon and walked all the way to the depths of the corridor. She had no respect for the previous leaders and members of Ashmark Lineage, so she didn't look away until she saw a familiar statue, and finally slowed down her pace.
"Migol."
Zane looked at the statue of Iron Dragon in front of him. This was the member of the family who died in the first Dragon Blood War.
"The Blue Dragon that killed you has been killed by Taigo. I inherited your Black Lake, and I also gave back to Ashmark Lineage what I owe you."
She said, "There is nothing in this world that you can miss, so go ahead."
"Andihes."
She stepped forward, and there was no one around. Only Zane's voice echoed, "Your son can't be used much, and he can't be counted as a knife. However, he survived after all. You can rest in peace."
"Karajiege."
Zane was silent for a while. "When I agreed to make an alliance with you, I wanted to use your troops to capture Tagoma. Now it seems that I underestimated you. I will not seize your things, so you don't have to show your teeth to me, that's it."
"Valyria."
Zane stroked Young Dragon's head. "Of course you are just a valley lord who raises little dragons, but you raise them very well."
"But I got what I wanted."
She walked quickly past them, saying only one sentence each time and not stopping until she reached the last statue. That statue was particularly majestic, and the words recorded on the stone slab at the base were also densely packed.
Taigo·Ember Scar.
Zane looked up at it and asked, "Is it worth it?"
She stood in front of the statue for a long time, and finally did not leave. Instead, she sat down on the spot, took out the wine bottle, poured half of the wine on the ground, and showed a slightly thoughtful expression.
"I seldom went to drink with you after that. Firstly, I was really disgusted by your spouse. Secondly, our differences became more and more serious. We quarreled and quarreled. In the end, it was just you getting angry and me getting angry, so that there was nothing to say."
She raised one leg, put her hands on her knees, and said with a sullen face, "You are old, Taigo. Although you are still strong, since you had offspring, I feel that you are getting old and have become both stubborn and weak. You always talk about family and glory, and you are timid and dare not do anything."
"But it makes sense to think about it. Heavy-Metal Dragon has no gods anymore. We have to believe in something so that we can persist in this world and not be swallowed up and assimilated by other dragon groups. It would be good if you use those things to deceive and get other Heavy-Metal Dragon to gather around you."
"It's just that I didn't expect that you would deceive yourself in the end and really die for those things."
"Taigo, do you know what death is?"
Zane poured the liquor down his throat. "To die is to fall into the dust. No matter what Dragon King or Supreme you were in life, after death you will be as humble as the lowest wild dog. Your strength and dignity are like a fallen battle flag that can be trampled on by others. Even if I step on your face now, you can't resist and you can't speak."
At the end, she could only sigh, "Everything you care about and protect will die with your death. This family was in chaos when you were alive, how can it be maintained after you die? Do you understand this or not? Is it worth it? Is it worth it?"
No one answered, and the Giant Dragon statue looked forward with indifferent eyes.
"You are really dead."
After a long time, Zane regained his composure and stood up. "I will be very happy after you die, so that no one can stop me. I will establish the Mellon dynasty and become the emperor."
"Then, let us say goodbye here. My stupid brother, from now on, I will show you one by one what you think is wishful thinking."
She drank all her wine, turned and left.
--
Red Fort, Lord's Hall.
Taigo The former palace was unimaginably grand, enough to accommodate ten huge Adult Dragons in parallel. Veloas were lying prone on the lord's seat at the highest place, Adult Dragons and Young Dragons were entrenched on both sides, and Juvenile Dragons were sitting at the bottom of the hall.
"Today is a gathering of dragons. Except for Lord Black Lake who is still sleeping, all members of Ashmark Lineage are here."
Veloa's voice was gentle. "I called everyone here because after five years of recuperation, the family has gradually gotten rid of the shadow of the war. The children have become Juvenile Dragon. Our strength has been restored, but there are also some worries about the future, and everyone needs to know."
"In the last Dragon Blood War, although we repelled the powerful enemies who came together, we also paid a heavy price. The Steelspine Plains that the family relied on for survival was severely damaged. The casualties of the various clans under the rule have not recovered yet, and the family's reserves of food, weapons and supplies were also wiped out."
"Poverty and hunger have always plagued Lost Wilderness. Giant Dragon are consuming it every day, and the same is true for the clans under our rule. In this case, if we just wait for slaves to produce, we are just waiting to die."
"I have reason to believe that starting from this moment we are in, as time goes forward, our power will no longer be able to continue to grow, but will instead fall into decline again."
"On the other hand, both the grown-up children and the new members have a desire for slaves, land and wealth, and the current family is not able to give these things."
"So we have to take action and launch a war of plunder."
Veloa paused for a moment, Great Dragon were silent, and Juvenile Dragon below exchanged glances without speaking.
"Since everyone can see the situation clearly and agree with it, I will propose two motions."
"The first motion is to continue to promote Bloodridge War. After success, Giant Dragon can get Bloodridge's land and Titan's treasure. Half-Orcs, Ogre and Goliath Giant will all become our slaves, Steelspine Plains, the family depends on for survival, and there will be no worries in the future."
"Of course, this is also Taigo's legacy. We, the successors, should not live up to his expectations."
"The second proposal is to march south and cross the fjord to capture Wave Sea Islands. The Naga and Fishfolk living there are our goals. If successful, we can also obtain land and slaves, and can use this to connect with other continents and exchange trade materials."
"Our real goal is not war, but victory. War will only make us weaker, but victory can bring land and population. Therefore, in my opinion, Bloodridge Tribes and Wave Sea Islands are more suitable goals at this stage."
Veloa waved his paws. "Next, everyone can express their opinions and talk about their views on the family's future strategy. Whether it is Young Dragon or Juvenile Dragon, every member is qualified to speak. If you have any questions or requests, you can also raise them here."
The Juvenile Dragons did not make a commotion and remained silent. In fact, this was not the first time that the Veloa leader had held a meeting. Before this, she had summoned the dragons more than once to discuss the current family situation, and also gave the Hatchling Dragons the qualification to speak.
The ruling style of Veloa is completely different from that of Taigo. In the past, when Taigo was crawling on Throne, no one could comment on his orders. Even if all the Giant Dragon lords objected, they could not change his decision. All the family could do was execute it.
As for Hatchling Dragon, at that time he was not even qualified to meet the leader. To this day, only Ladon and Jelierion have met Taigo and said two or three words to him.
Juvenile Dragons respect Veloa and think that she is a very graceful leader and very gentle, but she is just a little uncomfortable. Under the lingering influence of the former leader, they don't dare to speak directly.
At this time, there was a rustling sound of footsteps outside the palace.