Chapter 679: Vira: Has the Red Emperor Already Forgotten All That Came Before?
In the vast, boundless Serene Spirit Wilderness, there were many fey gathering places, each with its own unique landscape and atmosphere.
The Verdant Homeland was one of them.
This name had been chosen by the fey who lived there after much debate, and finally, on a full moon night, the eldest tree spirit had made the final decision.
The tree spirit said that the meadows here shimmered with a soft emerald green all year round, and the wind that blew carried the scent of grass and nectar.
There was no more fitting name than the Verdant Homeland.
When the red iron dragon stepped out of the rift, such a wind greeted him, brushing across his scale-covered face.
The meadow spread out beneath his feet, stretching as far as the eye could see.
Green waves undulated with the wind, dotted with vast patches of wildflowers.
In the distance, there were also many incredibly massive ancient trees, with vine-woven bridges and treehouses hanging between their branches, where the figures of fey flitted and danced.
Not only that.
In this fantastical, dreamlike and magnificent territory, there were also buildings constructed from white stone and living wood.
These were the strongholds of the Aola guards.
In the Verdant Homeland, besides the local fey life, Aolan dragons and other guards were also a common sight.
Winged dragons slowly circled at low altitude, while armored soldiers marched in formation along the edges of the meadow.
Just then, a squad of armored centaurs was patrolling.
Fey holding small wine cups landed on the centaurs' backs, using their broad spines as a prairie for a picnic and chat, their laughter carried on the wind.
A young Aolan dragon was lying on the meadow, basking in the sun.
Pique spirits had turned the great dragon's body into a playground, giggling as they climbed up and down, while another group diligently fed the dragon all sorts of delicacies: flatbreads, candied fruits, berries, all delivered ceaselessly to its maw.
The great dragon squinted its eyes, looking quite content.
Occasionally, it would extend its tongue to sweep in a berry, not even bothering to lift its eyelids.
The Aola garrison had been stationed here for hundreds of years.
At the very beginning, the two sides weren't familiar with each other. They each went about their own business, not interfering, with the fey watching those large armored figures from afar, and the Aola soldiers maintaining a professional caution.
But after all, they were under the same roof.
As time passed, the Aola warriors and the fey lifeforms came into contact more and more. From occasional nods of acknowledgement to sitting side-by-side around a campfire sharing food, the distance imperceptibly shrank.
In the end, this gradually developed into the harmonious situation they had today.
Among the many fey gathering places where Aola was stationed and developed, the Verdant Homeland was the closest and the most valued by Aola. It was almost equivalent to Sacred Aola's headquarters in the Serene Spirit Wilderness.
By the way.
The Aola legions had once tried to break away from the fey and build a completely independent headquarters in the Serene Spirit Wilderness, to establish a foothold here in their own way.
However, the plan failed.
The influence of emotions in this plane was incredibly violent.
Even the strong-willed Aola warriors suffered from the violent fluctuations of their emotions, making it difficult to maintain legion discipline. Irritability and depression alternated, turning their once strict order into chaos.
This problem did not exist when living together with the fey.
As for the fey of the Serene Spirit Wilderness, setting aside those twisted evil spirits like the wrathful faeries, all normal fey possessed a special kind of power.
Beings who lived with them could feel a heartfelt comfort and happiness.
And their emotions would not experience such intense fluctuations.
In summary.
After so many years of development, for various reasons, Aola had slowly formed a mode of existence of symbiotic win-win with the fey gathering places in the Serene Spirit Wilderness.
They depended on each other and helped each other succeed.
Whoosh!
The folding of wings brought a gust of wind, flattening the wildflowers on the meadow before they sprang back up, sending waves of green spreading outward.
Garoth landed in the center of the meadow, his massive body completely detached from the spatial rift.
There was a moment of stillness.
The Aolan dragons folded their wings and bowed their heads, the guards suppressing their inner excitement to solemnly salute, thus expressing their respect for the Emperor, before continuing their tasks and doing their own things.
Then, a shout pierced the stillness of the meadow.
"It's the Red Emperor!"
"Loyalty! Loyalty!"
"The great Scarlet Emperor Cangxing is here!"
Voices rose one after another.
The entire gathering place instantly became lively.
One by one, fey surged out from the ancient trees' branches and leaves, flew out from the flowers, converging into a colorful torrent surging towards the red iron dragon.
"Welcome to the Verdant Homeland!"
"We've prepared honey and dew for you!"
"And berries! Just picked from the forest, the biggest and sweetest kind, we kept them especially for you to try!"
"Wow, Your Majesty, your scales are even shinier than before, it's like they've been polished by moonlight, hehe, hehe, they're so smooth to the touch, can we touch them a little longer..."
A group of fey surged forward, babbling a mix of praise and greetings, their voices mingling chaotically.
Garoth lowered his head.
In the Material Plane, he was the Emperor, the Scarlet Emperor Cangxing who had slain the Demon King.
His majesty was profound and inviolable.
Apart from his blood kin and a few close ministers, others hardly dared to breathe too heavily in his presence, their gazes full of awe and distance.
However, the fey of the Serene Spirit Wilderness had no such sense of distance.
They surrounded the red iron dragon, unafraid of his size and majesty, expressing their welcome to him in their own fey way, unreserved and without concealment.
Garoth didn't dislike this kind of atmosphere; on the contrary, he found it relaxing.
Suddenly, a brownie jumped onto a rock, raised its arms, and shouted with all its might: "For the arrival of the Red Emperor, we must hold a feast! A carnival!"
The fey blinked, then broke into cheers.
"Carnival! Carnival!"
"Feast!! Bigger than all the festivals of previous years combined!!"
"Bring out all the wine barrels! All of them!"
"Cake! I'm going to bake a cake bigger than a house! It's going to be topped with a whole mountain of berries and drizzled with a river of honey!"
Cheers rose in waves, filling the entire meadow.
A very tiny fey flew up to the red iron dragon. It was only the size of a palm, with wings as transparent as gauze, and asked in a thin voice: "Great Majesty! Will you join us for the banquet? Will you, will you?"
The fey quieted down.
Countless bright eyes looked up at the great dragon, their gazes full of expectation and curiosity.
Garoth bared his teeth in a grin, revealing a row of sharp fangs.
"Then let the carnival begin."
"I will be here, with you, until the bonfire burns to ash."
He said.
Cheers erupted again, louder than before. The fey began to spin in groups, when suddenly, a clear voice approached from afar.
"Lady Vira has arrived!"
The voice was deliberately exaggerated, its tone rising: "You little sprites, make way immediately! Or are you waiting for Lady Vira to personally sweep you aside with her tail?"
The lively meadow fell silent for a moment, and then the fey parted like waves, rushing to the sides.
"Caw! It's Lady Vira!!"
"Hurry, hurry, make way, make way!"
"Don't block the path, don't block the path, Lady Vira's anger is nothing to mess with!"
They cleared a wide passage down the center of the meadow, their movements so synchronized, their speed so fast, it seemed as if they had practiced it countless times. The meadow was split in two, revealing a straight gap in the middle.
At the end of the passage, a faerie dragon was hovering in midair.
Her size was larger than most fey, but she was still miniature and petite, insignificant in front of a true great dragon.
But her appearance was still very eye-catching.
Her scales displayed a gradient primarily of blue and purple, transitioning from a deep indigo on her back to a light violet at the tips of her wings, shimmering with iridescent colors in the sunlight, as if a piece of sunset had been condensed upon her body.
Faerie Dragon Vira.
The guardian of the Verdant Homeland, one of the most beloved beings on this land among the fey.
Her head was slightly raised, like a queen inspecting her territory.
The fey retreated from her sides, letting out exaggerated exclamations and whispers. A few pique spirits even made a show of bowing to her.
Vira nodded in satisfaction, then flew towards the red iron dragon in the center of the meadow.
Seeing this, the fey scattered at once, heading off in groups to prepare the feast and wine party, and in the blink of an eye, the meadow was much emptier.
Garoth crouched on the grass, watching the faerie dragon fly towards him.
"Lady Vira, a single word from you and all the fey disperse. Truly commanding presence. I'm afraid even some ancient dragons couldn't match this aura."
He teased slowly.
However, Vira stopped in front of the great dragon and didn't respond, just stared at him.
Her eyes didn't blink, her gaze locked onto the red iron dragon's face. The faerie dragon squinted, her maw slightly open, revealing a row of sharp little teeth, a look of scrutiny in her pupils.
"Hmph."
A cold snort.
Then another.
"Hmph, hmph!"
She cleanly turned her head away, twisting it in the direction Garoth definitely wasn't in. Then she folded her wings, holding them against her sides, striking a haughty pose.
Garoth was a little puzzled.
Normally, when Vira heard his praise, she would proudly raise her head, flap her wings, and then use a tone that said "You've finally seen my true nature," to compliment herself from every angle following his lead.
But this reaction was obviously not right.
"You seem to be in a bad mood."
Garoth brought his head a little closer: "What, did someone offend the guardian of the Verdant Homeland? Say the name, and I'll go take care of it."
His words fell.
Vira turned her head, flew around the red iron dragon's head a few times.
After circling a few times, she suddenly stopped, hovering right in front of Garoth's snout. She stood up on her hind legs, crossed her front claws over her chest, and her expression was serious.
"Garoth."
"Tell me honestly, have you been messing around with other faerie dragons out there?"
Vira stared straight at the red iron dragon and said so.
This question came out of nowhere.
He looked at Vira with confusion, making sure she wasn't joking: "Why do you ask that?"
"You ask me why?"
The faerie dragon bared her little fangs: "In recent years, there's been a faerie dragon, sporting the Red Emperor's personal claw-signed autograph, flying around every fey gathering place, showing off everywhere, with its tail stuck up higher than the sky."
"And it's not just showing off the autograph."
"That faerie dragon paints quite the vivid picture, telling stories about how he fought alongside the Red Emperor and guarded the Material Plane! Tells them like they're real, even making up the details convincingly!"
"Everywhere he goes, the fey swarm around him. They listen entranced, scrambling to invite him to stay as a guest."
"Even fey from the Verdant Homeland went to listen to him and came back singing his praises right in front of me!"
"You have no idea, I've been totally upstaged."
Garoth was silent.
He probably knew what was going on.
The faerie dragon showing off his autograph at the major fey gatherings, who else could it be but Netal?
This God of Faerie Dragons genuinely seemed to be proud of getting a legendary, Mandate-of-Heaven-level autograph. His behavioral logic was impossible to deduce with common sense. He probably had no idea how strange it was for someone of his status to do such a thing.
"Haven't you considered that it might all be a rumor?"
Garoth said unhurriedly: "The so-called Red Emperor's autograph might just be a fabrication."
Vira's eyes lit up.
She raised her head, tentatively leaning forward, the tip of her tail slightly curling, her voice becoming expectant.
"Hey, Garoth, is it a rumor? Those stories are all made up by that shameless faerie dragon, right? You didn't give an autograph to another faerie dragon, did you?"
Vira asked expectantly, ready to cheer at any moment.
Garoth lowered his gaze, looked at her seriously, his expression earnest and sincere.
"No."
He said, "Let me clarify, it's not a rumor. I did carve an autograph onto a faerie dragon's wings. With my own claws. The handwriting is clear."
Vira's expression froze.
Her wings stopped in midair, her pupils slightly dilated, her body stiff, as if frozen by a time spell. Then, the corners of her mouth curved downwards into an arc, revealing an utterly devastated expression.
"You... you really do have another faerie dragon on the side. I'm no longer the Red Emperor's only faerie dragon buddy."
"I knew it, I knew this day would come..."
The faerie dragon slowly descended to the ground.
She landed on the soft meadow, her tail splayed out, her wings drooping, seemingly having lost all strength.
"The great Red Emperor has already forgotten all that came before. He has forgotten who accompanied him in his youth to steal honey, who chased him through the twilight, who sang and danced with him under the moon..."
"Those days, those memories, have all been covered by new glories."
Wait, where did these memories come from?
I don't remember doing any of this with you?
The red iron dragon watched Vira's performance.
The faerie dragon covered her face with her wings, her body trembling slightly, her voice choked with sobs: "I should have foreseen this day. The great Red Emperor has flown to a wider world. Former old partners will only be gradually forgotten..."
"In the end, poor Vira can only huddle alone in some dark corner."
"Guarding faded memories, listening to the legends of the Red Emperor carried on the wind..."
"No one remembers me... no one comes to visit me... I can only count the remaining days, count the falling leaves one by one, live out a miserable remainder of my life..."
Her words finished, the faerie dragon's body tilted sideways, and she flopped limply down.
Her four limbs splayed out, half her tongue sticking out of the corner of her mouth, her eyes tightly shut, looking as if she had died from exhaustion.
Garoth looked at the faerie dragon collapsed on the grass and sighed.
"Well, well, suddenly dead out of nowhere? Ah, life and death are fickle, the heavens' will is unpredictable."
"But it's fine. The scenery here is beautiful, the meadow is soft, it's not a bad resting place. If I pass by in the future, I can pick a few wildflowers to place on your grave."
As he spoke, the great dragon dug a deep pit with a single claw stroke.
He gently pushed the faerie dragon into the pit, then started to scrape the surrounding soil back in to fill it up, the dirt falling finely onto Vira.
Whoosh!
A small figure shot up into the sky, kicking up a cloud of grass clippings and soil.
"Wheeee!"
Vira spat out a small stone from her mouth and started shouting: "Naturally evil red iron dragon! You are so cold and ruthless! Not only do you forget your old partner, but you even try to bury her alive!"
"Truly a cold and merciless evil dragon, your heart is harder than a stone!"
"Ah, I'm so furious this time that I could die!"
After shouting a few times, she plopped back down onto the grass, playing dead again. On her back, four claws in the air, eyes tightly shut, her tongue lolling out even further.
"Stop with the dramatic performance."
Garoth stopped joking with the faerie dragon and stated bluntly: "That faerie dragon was Netal."
In an instant.
Vira's eyes snapped open, a flicker of surprise passing through her pupils.
She sprang up from the grass like a shot, landing steadily on all four claws, her wings spread wide, resurrected with full health.
"Netal?!"
She gnashed her teeth as she repeated the name, flames of fury burning in her pupils: "Him again! That blabbermouth pain in the neck! That con-man who delights in tricking other fey for fun!"
This description didn't seem exclusive to Netal.
Garoth glanced at Vira, finding that she didn't see any problem with it at all, and was still flailing her front claws indignantly.
At the same time, Vira was scrounging for the most venomous words, cursing fiercely: "He's like a... a slimy, golden-scaled snot-nosed slug!"
There was absolutely no killing power.
Vira's angry tirade sounded more like acting spoiled.
Garoth shook his head slightly, thinking to himself.
Finally, Vira looked up at the sky, took a deep breath, and slowly calmed her emotions.
"Anyway, I've got my eye on him now. I'll get my revenge sooner or later."
"This debt is recorded. Interest on interest, never to be forgiven. Even if he's a god, making Lady Vira unhappy means he must bear the painful consequences."
She mimicked the red iron dragon's profound expression, lowering her voice as she spoke, trying her best to appear majestic.
Clap, clap, clap!
The sound of applause came.
"Good! Very spirited!"
"I support your revenge against Netal! Get him back good! Make him taste the bitterness of humiliation!"
Hearing this, Vira immediately nodded.
"Right, right. I'll make him know that Lady Vira is not someone to be trifled with! I'll make him look like a fool in front of all the fey."
As she spoke, she looked towards the source of the voice: "Oh, by the way, who are you? Your voice sounds familiar..."
She stopped abruptly.
Vira's eyes went wide, her pupils reflecting the scene gradually taking shape before her.
In front of her, a vortex silently spun open, shimmering with rainbow light. Petals and stardust drifted out from the vortex. The head of a golden faerie dragon was just emerging from inside, wearing an innocent, clueless smile.
Two faerie dragons stared at each other, eyes wide.
"Me? We meet again. I'm Netal."
"Your declaration just now was truly resounding and eye-opening, so passionate. I support your revenge against Netal! We can scheme together."
"But, do you have any good ideas?"
"The great Netal loves hearing interesting prank ideas. The more fiendish, the more they suit his taste. If he hears them, he'll even applaud and cheer for you."
The golden faerie dragon said earnestly, his words contradictory and disjointed.