Beneath the Red Dragon

"Hold steady, we are about to arrive at the Royal Capital," for the first time, the Young Red Dragon, usually disinterested in explaining to the two Gray Dragons, spoke up.

Buzz, buzz, buzz,

One by one, Magic Gemstones lit up, and a gigantic Teleportation Magic Array appeared beneath the claws of these Giant Dragons. The excited chirping of the Juvenile Dragon cubs and the sudden heavy panting of the two adult Gray Dragons instantly disappeared.

It was as if a window, closed to all sounds, was suddenly pushed open from a silent room, facing the bustling street, or as if ear muffs were removed after blocking the ears.

The first reaction of the two adult Gray Dragons, Naka and Naluo, was just that.

At the edge of the expansive square, massive statues of Giant Dragons, with varying scale colors, raised their heads and spread their wings, all eyes fixed on the statue of the Ancestral Red Dragon, the Emperor of the Imperial, at the center of the square, with wings spread wide, overlooking all beings.

A multitude of noisy sounds filled the air, as if the bustling townspeople under the Dragon’s feet were enacting their life stories.

Many elders strolled across the square with children, narrating stories of Dragons and the legend of the founding of the Golden Country to those children.

Ten years is how long it takes for an ordinary person to grow from childhood, to youth, to mature, to old age, and then find peace. It’s also enough time for short-lived species to skip a generation.

Many children played and frolicked under the Dragon statues.

A little girl claimed to be the messenger of Forest Dragon Antajena, wearing a Treasure Crown Hat like a Green Dragon, and in a childish tone, she instructed the other children to run east and west.

A stout child claimed to be the Black Dragon Lord, the war general of the Black King, commanding the other children, and at the slightest disobedience, fists and kicks were administered.

A handsome young boy claimed to be the Emperor of the Imperial, the son of the Ancestral Red Dragon, and was then overwhelmed and beaten by the other boys until he was bruised and battered.

"You’re no good either, Raka, unless you can beat us all into submission, or outsmart us all, only then can you claim the red dragon’s crown!"

The children squabbled and made noise, ceaselessly.

In addition to the noise in the square, there was also the bustling noise on the wide streets.

Trolls, Ogres, Kobolds, and Jackal-Wolf Men roamed here; Humans, Elves, Goblins, and Half-Elves lived together, and Beastmen and War Lizardmen of various species were also a common sight.

On the main road, paved with several meters-thick stone slabs, were designated lanes for carriages and other vehicles to travel, also designated Dragon Avenue for the formidable Giant Dragons to walk, and pedestrian paths for other species.

However, this was not intended to signify hierarchy, as others could also step onto Dragon Avenue.

Of course, if you happen to be in front of a Dragon, don’t be surprised if a Dragon accidentally steps on you. In such cases, you would need to compensate the Dragon for any damages, as that is the traffic rule.

In this city, Dragons were not uncommon; occasionally, a Giant Dragon would pass by, and among them were quite a few Bronze Dragons and Red Copper Dragons.

These two types of Metal Dragons, under the influence of Bronze Dragon Alina and Red Copper Dragon Alfred, also began to take an interest in the Golden Empire.

Naka and Naluo, the two adult Gray Dragons, even saw traces of merchants from the Star Realm in this city; Secret Magic Merchants also roamed the city.

And the notorious Star Realm pirates—the Ghis Yankees—also appeared in this city. Occasionally, the sound of selling materials obtained from Star Realm Giant Beasts was heard; it was these Ghis Yankees fencing their loot.

The sound of bells, drums, conches, horns, and bagpipes intertwined, different from the delicate instruments like harps and flutes of the mainland’s various countries, these sounds carried an ancient and imposing style, belonging to the Dragon Country’s music.

The melodies of these intermittently sounded music evoked vastness and desolation, reminiscent of ancient times when Dragons soared in the sky, overlooking the barren and wild land.

The city was dotted everywhere with tall, gigantic spireless tower-like structures, making the two adult Gray Dragons want to fly up and climb to have a view of the city’s scenery.

The towering walls, over a hundred meters high, and even taller than the walls, were nourished by the abundant Life Force spread over the entire city by the Tree of Life, and behind the Tree of Life, standing majestically at the horizon, hidden among clouds and mists, was the Fire Peak Mountain Range, standing ten thousand meters high.

"I think we should first take a good tour of this great city," Gray Dragon Naka gulped, turning back to his brother Naluo and said.

"Good idea, a reliable good idea," Gray Dragon Naluo said happily, then tossed the Silver Dragon tied on his tail in front of Young Red Dragon Kedelos.

"Kedelos, you take this trophy away first, after we finish touring the city, we’ll come find you."

The Young Red Dragon barely had time to stop them; the two Gray Dragons had already run far away.

"What kind of reliability is this," carrying a group of juveniles, the Young Red Dragon couldn’t help but grumble with a head full of complaints.

"Forget it," Kedelos turned around, looking down with delight at the group of juvenile dragons who could no longer contain their excitement, spreading their wings and jumping in the field.

"You will soon have two hours of free time, but if any of you haven’t reported to Silver Dragon Chris by the specified time in the afternoon, you will regret it tomorrow,"

Young Red Dragon Kedelos snorted sparks from his nostrils, threatening these juvenile cubs with a sneer, "If you’re late, tomorrow’s task will be facing an adult Griffin alone, don’t blame me for not warning you."

The current education policy the Empire implements for these new juvenile Giant Dragons is: Metal Dragons teach by word, Five-Color Dragons lead by action, and they are supplemented by outstanding teachers from humans and other species.

These juveniles have nowhere near the carefree playtime of the Dragon Group in their childhood.

"But why are we Five-Color Dragons required to learn from Metal Dragons? We are enemies, even though they are now part of the Empire, they’re just our subordinates,"

A young Black Dragon lifted its head, voicing its doubts.

The other Juvenile Dragon cubs nodded in agreement, quickly looking over.

"Huff,"

Two sparks splattered as the Young Red Dragon Kedelos raised their sharp claws, shouting, "You’re full of dragon crap,"

"Your viewpoint is inherited from your bloodline and too narrow,"

"Do you know, the Emperor of the Empire once said, each Giant Dragon stands on the shoulders of the Giant Dragons of the past generations, but the remnants of the bloodline of previous generations should become the ladder we climb, not the fetters binding our minds,"

"If you can’t do this, you’re unworthy of being the Empire’s future, the Empire’s future should keep pace with the times, standing on the trend of the era,"

"Those Dragons crippled by the bloodline of the past are unworthy of being called True Dragons of the Empire," Fiery light flared from the eyes of this Young Red Dragon, giving this rogue Red Dragon a teacher-like dignity.

"Remember, you are the Empire’s Dragons, supported by the whole country, possessing the greatest and highest authority, also bearing the deepest and heaviest responsibilities. Failure to meet these two points makes you unworthy to be called the True Dragon of the Empire."

"Get out, go back and think about it, you bunch of fools!" The Young Red Dragon waved its claws, gesturing for this flock of juveniles to scram.

"Woohoo,"

"Yay,"

The group of juvenile cubs, scared by the fiery light in the Young Red Dragon’s eyes, instantly went from pretending to ponder to cheering joyfully, scrambling and dispersing into the bustling crowd along the avenue.

Occasionally, the calls of these juveniles could be heard,

"I’m going to the Dragon Eternal Card Hall; I still have two Silver Coins! Who wants to go with me, help me check it out, you can also play a round!"

"Didn’t you say you were out of money?"

"Yeah, but I got an excellent score in the Magic General Knowledge course, and the teacher gave me a reward, so now I have money again!"

"Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go together!"

The Young Red Dragon Kedelos looked at the note etched in its claw scales, couldn’t help but scratch its head, and murmured to itself, "Did I leave out some things, never mind, whatever, I’ll check if I missed anything, I can always say it next time anyway, at least saying such reasonable words, it should make those little cubs think I’m wise."

Then the Young Red Dragon poked with its thick tail at the Silver Dragon, still pretending to be unconscious but forced to take on a humanoid form, and headed with a high strut toward the Governor’s Mansion at the foot of the King’s Capital Mountain Range.

Although very afraid of the current nagging of Bronze Dragon Alina, the Young Red Dragon felt that at least this time, it did a decent job.