On the road

He carried his dry rations on his back and headed toward the central volcano, his heart full of anticipation and hope.

He knew that as long as he persevered, he would surely find the dragon's lair and fulfill his dream.

Redd followed the direction in which he had seen the dragon fly the night before, walking onward and occasionally looking up into the sky, searching for its silhouette.

His heart was full of anticipation and nervousness. He knew he was drawing ever closer to his dream.

After more than four hours of arduous travel, Redd found a dead tree.

He climbed the tree and lay down on a branch to rest.

He did not lie on the ground because the Fire Earthworm from the night before had left a deep impression on him, making him feel unsafe lying there.

Redd lay on his side on the branch, looking at the many volcanoes ahead, and could not help feeling somewhat troubled.

He did not know which volcano held the dragon's lair, but he knew he had to find it.

Just then, Redd noticed a figure flying out of a fractured volcano far to the southeast.

Although it was far away and the figure looked tiny, Redd was certain it was the dragon.

That volcano was distinctive, with a huge breach that formed a river of lava flowing down its slopes.

Black smoke billowed from the entire volcano, rising straight into the sky.

The dragon flew very high, passing far above Redd's head.

Excitement surged through Redd. He knew he had found the right direction.

He quickly climbed down from the tree and looked toward that distinctive volcano.

He knew his destiny would change there.

Redd watched the dragon fly high overhead, an irrepressible excitement welling up inside him.

He could not help shouting, hoping to attract the dragon's attention.

However, perhaps because it was too far away, his waving and shouting failed to reach the dragon's ears at all.

The dragon flew off into the distant sky at tremendous speed, leaving Redd watching its retreating form, his heart full of regret.

The dragon Redd had seen was already far away. He could not help slumping against the tree trunk and giving a self-deprecating smile.

It seemed I don't have any commanding aura that can make a dragon submit on the spot.

However, he soon adjusted his mindset. His thoughts shifted: although he had failed to attract the dragon's attention, he had confirmed the location of its lair.

Having a clear destination was a good thing in itself.

After resting for the time it took half a stick of incense to burn, Redd rallied and headed toward the Broken Volcano peak where the dragon's lair lay.

Along the way, apart from volcanic ash drifting down through the empty air and molten lava flowing over the ground, he saw hardly any normal creatures.

The land seemed shrouded in some mysterious power, full of desolation and danger.

Ahead, Redd saw the ruins of a dilapidated palace.

He approached to investigate and found five wild dogs digging inside, unearthing white bones and biting them with loud crunches.

The wild dogs looked hungry and ferocious. They paid no attention to Redd's arrival and remained focused on their food.

Redd cautiously approached the wild dogs as he continued forward.

He knew he had to remain vigilant at all times, because in this world full of unknowns and dangers, any lapse could have fatal consequences.

He headed toward the fractured volcanic peak, his heart full of anticipation and determination.

He knew his destiny would change there.

Redd's arrival broke the stillness of the ruins. The five wild dogs instantly stopped digging and stared at him with bloodthirsty eyes.

As Redd approached and the distance between them narrowed to ten meters, the Dragon King’s Aura he naturally emitted suddenly took effect.

The five wild dogs' eyes instantly shifted from ferocity to terror. They backed away repeatedly, making low, guttural growls, then turned and ran, disappearing into a corner of the ruins.

Redd studied the wild dogs closely and found that they looked much like the wild dog carcass he had picked up earlier, hideously ugly and disgusting.

He sighed helplessly, thinking that apparently not a single creature capable of living in the Valyria Ruins looked remotely normal.

His gaze shifted to the white bones the dogs had dug up. Beside them lay visibly rusted, decaying armor.

It appeared to be a human skeleton.

Redd went over to examine it, hoping to find something useful.

However, everything was badly decayed and of no use.

Even so, Redd refused to give up. He searched the entire palace ruin and finally discovered weapons hanging on a relatively intact wall. There were quite a few types, but most were badly rusted.

Redd carefully inspected the weapons, hoping to find one that was at least barely usable.

He knew that in this dangerous world, a weapon that suited him could mean the difference between life and death.

He carefully picked up a sword and tried to swing it, but age and rust had made the blade brittle, and it snapped in his hand.

Redd shook his head and continued searching. Eventually, a relatively intact-looking short sword caught his eye.

He carefully took down the short sword and found that although the blade had some rust, its overall structure remained sound.

Redd was delighted. This short sword could at least offer him some protection until he found a better weapon.

After spending a long while choosing among the ruins, Redd finally selected an intact round shield, two dull, rusty longswords, and three small daggers.

He tested the weapons one by one. Although they were somewhat rusty, their edges were reasonably sharp. At least they were better than being empty-handed.

Redd knew that although his Dragon King’s Aura could keep ordinary magical creatures from daring to approach, it might not work against a dragon.

Having a shield and longswords could at least give him a little more courage.

Redd glanced at the weapons and food he carried, as well as the Dragon Egg held against his chest, and suddenly felt he had rather too many things on him.

However, he also knew that none of these things should be discarded.

He could only carry this equipment on his back and move slowly onward.

Before he had gone far from the palace ruins, Redd saw an enormous skeleton partly exposed above the ground.

The skeleton was dozens of meters long, and the exposed portion of its skull alone stood two meters high.

Its size made it clear that these were the remains of a dragon-the most powerful creature in this world.

Even though it had been dead for a long time, Redd could still sense its power. It was entirely the involuntary awe humans felt when faced with an enormous creature.

Redd stood before the dragon's remains, his heart full of awe and curiosity.

He knew he was approaching the world of dragons, a world full of mystery and danger.

He took a deep breath and prepared to continue onward.

Just as Redd passed within ten meters of the dragon's remains, his heart full of awe and curiosity, the system's voice suddenly rang out in his mind.