Chapter 972 - 195: Crown of Frost
This Ancient Dragon, over a hundred meters long, was once undoubtedly a ruler among Giant Dragons. Even if it wasn’t comparable to a peak Ladon with its three unique heads, it was at least on par with the Copper-Horned Red Dragon, a high-grade Dragon Species.
If it could be tamed, that would immediately add another ally of "Tier Two" power, surpassing the currently only Tier One Ladon.
Unfortunately, it was about to die.
As a long-lived species, the Giant Dragon’s life should be extraordinarily long, but with each new phase, they must break through a latent threshold.
If they stayed secluded in their lairs and slept for long durations, more would have grown into Ancient Dragons, and Ancient Dragons wouldn’t be so rare in this world.
"I have never seen you before, young descendant."
Even though its life was like a flickering candle about to go out, the old dragon could still see the extraordinariness of his kin.
The bustling vitality, the surging primordial essence like a flood breaking a dam, stood in sharp contrast to his vast dragon body.
This was a fellow kin who, although having surpassed the Ancient Dragon threshold in power, was still very young and couldn’t yet be deemed "ancient," with plenty of years to live.
This indicated that the other’s bloodline, even among high-grade Giant Dragons, was of the top tier, in ancient times, at the very least, it could have been "a descendant of a Dragon King."
"I was born in the sunny south, and this is my first time coming to the far north to seek kin."
The old dragon rested his heavy head on a massive rock, exhaling a wisp of smoke tinged with a hint of gunpowder: "I too have been to the south but did not see many kin, instead, low-grade Dragon Beasts tainted with dragon blood are quite common."
Losa nodded: "Indeed, that is the case."
High-grade Giant Dragons clearly do not consider low-grade dragon species, for example, those beasts that acquired dragon blood later, as kin. Although there are mid-grade dragons like the Tyrannical Dragon who demonstrate destructive power comparable to higher-grade Dragon Species, their intelligence is considerably lacking.
Such low-intelligence powerful dragons are not accepted by high-grade Giant Dragons.
Being high-grade comes from intelligence.
"You are very powerful, but you are also very young, I do not know from which Dragon King’s bloodline you are bestowed the legacy, I hope you are not here for conflict, unlike those muscle-headed younglings."
The old dragon was dying, his voice was weak, but an old dragon is still an old dragon; it could not disregard the increasingly dim future of their kind, like the young dragons always interested in contesting strength.
"I wish to recruit some allies."
The old dragon’s heavy eyelids lifted in a bit of surprise, mumbling in a deep growl: "Does such a mighty dragon like you require allies?"
"I transformed into a human and established an Empire. The adversaries I face are numerous but not formidable. With humans, I can command them to gather food, and during long slumbers, there will always be someone to guard me, isn’t this a good thing?"
The old dragon looked at Losa in astonishment. Although throughout its long life, it had indeed seen many kin adopt humans as vassals, obtaining faith and offerings, it was the first time hearing of a human forming an Empire.
"Then go to the Ice Crown Peak, it is in the Land of the Far North, where the most kin are. Every year at this time, many young Giant Dragons gather here, seeking mates and settling disputes. Further north across the Ice Sea, there are other kin, but they’re all Ice Dragons who might not favor you."
Losa was slightly surprised; he did not expect a certain degree of socialization among the solitary, ill-tempered dragon species in the far north.
Losa conversed with the aging Ancient Dragon for a while until it became impatient, closing its eyes and uttering no more.
It was almost dead, and although Losa was strong and promising, it did not matter much to the old dragon. Being patient to converse with Losa was a concession as he was a "Dragon King’s descendant."
Seeing the old dragon become restless, Losa ceased disturbing it, raising his head with a low roar of farewell, and then flapped his wings, creating a tumultuous gale and soared into the sky.
Hearing the whistling wind, the old dragon slightly raised its eyes, watching the vigorous, prime old silhouette of the red-black giant dragon, as if returning to the high-spirited days of roaming the mountains and seas of ice.
Roar——
It let out a low roar, and the scenery before it became increasingly blurred.
...
Losa flew towards the so-called "Ice Crown Peak" as directed by the old dragon.
Dragons being the most proud and wild creatures, Losa’s journey, even with the status of a Legendary Ancient Dragon, did not hold the luxury of taming several Ancient Dragons as subordinates, at most taming a few adult dragons thirty meters long.
Anything smaller would barely catch his attention.
After all, for a Giant Dragon to grow under normal circumstances takes too long; he needed immediate combat power. By the time a group of young dragons matured, the Overseas Empire might already have entered the industrial era at a brisk pace.
Departing the Dragon Bone Tomb, Losa carried the young judge lady headed west. The position of the Ice Crown Peak should lie northeast of the Scandinavian Mountains, currently amidst the phenomenon of the polar day, where the skies never darken, and the vast snowy plains are dazzling white under the sunlight.
With a few wingbeats, a stretch of continuous shadow appeared before him, rising like a celestial pillar, viewed from afar resembling the reclining spine of a giant from Nordic Mythology.
Even a Giant Dragon, over two hundred meters long, stood minuscule like a speck of dust in contrast to the majestic mountains.
A mirror-like ice lake was nestled in the mountain’s bosom, with patches of moss-green trees speckled upon the snowy plain.
What a picturesque scenery.
"One day when the nation stabilizes, I shall lay down these mundane burdens and take you all traveling from Northern Europe, through the Vast Sea, to the yet undiscovered New Continent, to explore everywhere."
Losa’s telepathic message resonated.
Wrapped in a fur coat purchased from a Russian hunter, the young judge lady curiously questioned, "Can’t you travel anytime while still being Emperor?"
"That’s true."
With his new ability of "Holy Edict Resonance," Losa could maintain communication with his retainers anytime, which indeed eased his travel.
"We are still very young; don’t talk like weary old souls who’ve seen through worldly attachments. You have built an Empire, and there are many things to do next—tedious, complex but unavoidable tasks."
Lavinia encouraged Losa, worrying he has developed a withdrawal mentality due to days of handling complex state affairs.
Losa couldn’t contain his laughter: "Nonsense, I’m merely musing over future retirement life. Compared to founding a realm, ruling is harder, yet in my eyes, it doesn’t seem much of an ordeal."
His tone paused, turning solemn: "Since I’ve accepted the grace of establishing the Empire, I won’t abandon it. Moreover, the state of this country is inherently linked to my strength."
His three exclusive Divine Artifacts all connected to the Empire’s status to some extent; should the nation prosper and unify, even if all Ancient Gods revived on his land, he wouldn’t be afraid.
Amidst their conversation.
Losa had flown into the mountains, noticing something amiss on the ground as all the snow collapsed, pouring into the valley, flames engulfing the forest, while a frenzied mother dragon circled incessantly in the sky.
The mother dragon wasn’t large, flying at a low altitude, thereby not noticing the unexpected visitor passing overhead.