Ankewelt

"Dragons..." Alger repeated quietly, a flicker of shock in his eyes that he could hardly conceal.

He immediately recalled the description of the Second Epoch in the secret chapters of the Book of Storms.

The Second Epoch was also known as humanity's "Dark Epoch." Back then, dragons, giants, elves, mutants, devils, phoenixes, demonic wolves, and undead dominated the sky, sea, and land. In the end, however, the Lord of Storms, the Eternal Blazing Sun, and the God of Knowledge and Wisdom led humanity to defeat these supernatural creatures one by one, ushering in the "Radiant Era" at the beginning of the Third Epoch. Only afterward came the so-called Great Cataclysm.

Dragons had ruled the sky and land in the Second Epoch. They were the true rulers of this world before the gods had fully risen to power. Yet now, this mysterious Mr. Temperance had mentioned this secret so casually, as though he were merely correcting a trivial factual error.

This deepened his reverence for the seemingly easygoing, unassuming gentleman.

Audrey blinked her emerald eyes, turning the words "Spectator" and "dragon" over and over in her mind, temporarily forgetting the question she had intended to ask.

She had grown up listening to stories of knights and dragons, but had never imagined that the Pathway represented by those mythical creatures would now lie before her. It filled her with a strange excitement, as though she had touched the edge of an epic.

"Thank you for the additional explanation, Mr. Temperance." Audrey's eyes shone as she listened. Her youthful thirst for knowledge and natural curiosity about the mysterious world briefly overcame the restraint demanded by aristocratic etiquette. She thanked him politely first, then could not help asking:

"Are the dragons you mentioned the ones from legends and stories? Why was the Spectator Pathway once called 'Dragon'? Could only dragons follow the Spectator Pathway in the past?"

"Ah..." Audrey suddenly stopped, realizing that she had asked rather eagerly. Would that make me seem insufficiently composed? She hurriedly added, "Sorry, was that too presumptuous of me? If this involves any secrets..."

"It's fine," Lin Chuan replied with a smile. "This isn't really much of a secret."

Alger had listened to her questions without any change in his expression, but inwardly, he had pricked up his ears. He was equally eager to hear the answer this mysterious Mr. Temperance would give. After all, even a few words from someone like him might contain secret knowledge unobtainable in the outside world.

"That's a good question. Quite perceptive." Lin Chuan first gave Audrey his approval, then continued, "But knowing too much isn't necessarily a good thing. I'll briefly introduce the parts you can safely learn about."

He paused, as though recalling some distant, dull events, then continued:

"First, dragons are a race with many branches, such as brass dragons and mind dragons, as well as some unique individuals. The old name for the Spectator Pathway referred to mind dragons."

Mind dragons? Audrey pondered the name. It did indeed sound closely related to a Sequence like Spectator, which observed other people's thoughts. Thoughts and the mind-weren't they essentially the same thing?

"As for why the Spectator Pathway was called 'Dragon,' it's because this Pathway was first passed down by the dragon race. And the one who once stood at its pinnacle was the King of Dragons-Ankewelt."

"He was also known as the 'Dragon of Imagination.' There is a legend about Ankewelt, the Dragon of Imagination: whatever objects he imagined would manifest, whatever kingdoms he envisioned would descend into the material world, and whatever future he proclaimed would unfold and become reality."

"As for your last question, hehe, why not look at it the other way around?" Lin Chuan chuckled, then continued, "It wasn't that only dragons could follow the Spectator Pathway, but that those who reached the end of the Spectator Pathway were all dragons."

"Oh, don't overthink it. I mean that literally. Hmm... you can understand it as High Sequence Spectators being able to transform into dragons."

The Dragon of Imagination!

Ankewelt!

Audrey silently repeated the name, inexplicably feeling a sense of reverence and... curiosity.

She had wanted to ask what sort of being he was, what had become of him, and why people would turn into dragons. But since Mr. Temperance had said that "knowing too much isn't necessarily a good thing," she wisely held herself back from asking further.

Alger, meanwhile, felt an indescribable shock. Imagined objects would manifest, envisioned kingdoms would descend, and proclaimed futures would become reality... Through this description, he could almost see how powerful the King of Dragons who had ruled the skies in the Second Epoch had been.

There probably wasn't much difference between such a being and a god, was there? Perhaps even... He dared not pursue that thought. It would likely be blasphemy.

Just then, Lin Chuan tapped the edge of the table and reminded them:

"By the way, try not to speak this King of Dragons' name or his legend after leaving this place. Otherwise, you might invite trouble you can't handle, or attract certain people's attention."

"Here Above the Gray Fog, you have Mr. Fool's protection, so you can learn this much of these secrets. But after leaving, try not to say them aloud or even recall them."

Lin Chuan's tone remained calm, but his tapping on the table and the words that followed made both Audrey and Alger's hearts tighten.

Mr. Fool's protection... Audrey immediately picked up on those key words and nodded solemnly, engraving the warning firmly in her memory.

Alger also gathered himself, firmly suppressing his desire to investigate. At the same time, he gained a new understanding of the Fool's power.

For Mr. Temperance to speak of his "protection" so naturally, this being was probably even more unfathomable than Alger had estimated.

"Thank you for the warning, Mr. Temperance." Alger lowered his head slightly, his tone even more respectful than before. "And thank you for your protection, Mr. Fool."

He spoke with genuine sincerity. After all, he did not want some ancient being to set its sights on him afterward simply because he had learned a name he should not have known.

Audrey turned to Alger and asked, "How can I obtain the Spectator formula? What should I give you in exchange?"

As though he had prepared his answer long ago, Alger replied in a deep voice:

"Ghost shark blood. At least 100 milliliters of ghost shark blood."

Lin Chuan suddenly spoke up. Looking at Audrey with some puzzlement, he asked, "Have you decided to choose Spectator? Why not consider learning more about the other twenty Sequences before making your decision?"