Chapter 720: The Volcanion Clan Gets Curious
Bruno and Paren headed directly to the [Astral Dragon Cosmic Terminal] through the teleportation platform.
Silver-blue spatial light swallowed them, and a moment later, the scenery completely changed.
Compared to Astral Cosmic Terminal One, the [Astral Dragon Cosmic Terminal] existed on an entirely different scale.
Massive floating halls stretched across space, enormous docking rings surrounded the outer regions, and gigantic dragon-shaped statues coiled around the terminal’s highest towers.
Streams of ships constantly moved in and out of the terminal, looking like tiny glowing insects circling an enormous cosmic mountain.
Paren had visited this place before.
Even so, arriving here as a Celestial Realm cultivator somehow felt different.
The pressure he once found overwhelming was easier to endure, and his senses could now perceive far more of the formations, energy flows, and powerful presences hidden throughout the terminal.
Before he could think too deeply about the difference, one of Bruno’s attendants hurried toward them. "Supervisor Bruno."
Bruno’s expression immediately sharpened. "Report."
The attendant bowed quickly. "The envoys have already arrived. They’re currently waiting to meet you."
Bruno’s eyebrow twitched. "Damn. They’re fast. I only just received confirmation that they were coming, and they’re already here."
Bruno did not waste another second. He turned back toward the attendant. "Quickly. Take us to them right now."
The attendant immediately nodded. "Yes, Supervisor. Please follow me."
He turned and hurriedly guided them through several restricted corridors, past layers of security formations, and eventually toward one of the highest-level reception halls inside the [Astral Dragon Cosmic Terminal].
The massive doors slowly opened.
The moment Paren looked inside, he saw them. There were several figures waiting within the hall.
At first glance, all of them appeared mostly humanoid. Yet none of them bothered hiding their draconic traits.
Curved horns rose from their heads in different shapes and sizes. Long tails extended behind them, while enormous wings remained folded tightly against their backs.
Patches of dragon scales covered different parts of their bodies, some along their necks and arms, others spreading across their shoulders, cheeks, or hands.
Their appearances were humanoid enough to interact comfortably with other races, but there was absolutely no mistaking what they were.
Dragons.
Bruno knew perfectly well that beings of their level could probably assume completely human forms if they truly wanted to.
They simply chose not to.
There was no reason to hide their nature.
They came from one of the proudest and most powerful races in the greater cosmic universe, and more importantly, they represented one of the top clans within that race.
Hiding their draconic traits would almost feel like hiding their status.
The envoys were also not releasing their full auras. In fact, each of them appeared to be deliberately restraining their power out of basic courtesy.
Yet the pressure leaking naturally from their bloodlines alone was enough to make Paren’s expression tighten slightly.
His newly formed [Inner World] reacted faintly inside him as his instincts warned him that every person in front of them was dangerous.
There was no mistaking it. Every envoy standing inside this hall was at least a Celestial Realm cultivator.
---
Bruno stepped forward first, while Paren remained a short distance behind beside Bruno’s attendant, silently adjusting his posture as he observed the meeting.
No matter how much he hated higher-level work, this was not a situation where he could afford to look sloppy.
Bruno gave the dragon envoys a polite nod. "Welcome to the [Astral Dragon Cosmic Terminal]."
The leading envoy looked directly at Bruno with golden-red eyes.
His horns curved backward like burning obsidian, while deep crimson scales covered parts of his neck, shoulders, and arms.
Even without releasing his aura, there was something naturally oppressive about his presence. "Supervisor Bruno."
His voice was calm, proud, and heavy, carrying the natural confidence of someone who had rarely needed to lower his head before others.
Bruno maintained his polite expression. "May I ask what business brings honored guests like yourselves into the territory of the Astral Cosmic Civilization?"
The leading envoy’s gaze briefly shifted toward Paren.
His golden-red eyes paused on him for a moment, seemingly noticing his newly stabilized Celestial Realm aura, before calmly returning to Bruno. "We are representatives of the Volcanion Dragon Clan."
Bruno’s expression changed almost imperceptibly.
He knew that name.
The Volcanion Dragon Clan was one of the major clans belonging to the Red Dragon Race and one of the truly powerful dragon clans in the greater cosmic universe.
Yet Bruno’s polite expression remained perfectly intact.
The leading envoy continued, "Recently, our clan received some rather interesting information."
His golden-red eyes became slightly sharper. "A junior from the Ignis Dragon Clan advanced from the Awakening Realm into the Star Realm in only one month."
Bruno remained silent.
The envoy continued, "More importantly, his condition afterward was unusually stable. His foundation showed almost none of the instability normally expected from such an absurdly rapid breakthrough."
Paren immediately knew who he was talking about.
Kaelvar Ignis.
The envoy rested one hand behind his back. "We also learned that back during the Newbie Tournament, this same Ignis junior was defeated by a young dragon belonging to the faction responsible for his training."
His tone remained controlled, but genuine curiosity had entered his voice. "And apparently, that defeat was one of the main reasons he later chose to undergo training there himself."
Paren’s thoughts immediately shifted toward Dahlia.
Sure enough, the envoy continued. "That young dragon is even more interesting."
The atmosphere inside the reception hall subtly grew heavier. "According to the information we obtained, she was originally human and came from a Low Grade World."
Several of the other dragon envoys shifted their attention toward Bruno. "Yet somehow, she transformed into a genuine dragon-type existence."
The leading envoy’s tail moved slightly behind him. "Not only that, she defeated Kaelvar Ignis despite being less than one hundred years old."
Paren remained quiet, but inwardly he could already feel where this conversation was going.
Dahlia’s existence was simply too abnormal for the Dragon Race to ignore forever.
A human becoming a dragon was already strange enough.
A human transforming into a dragon powerful enough to defeat an Ignis Dragon genius while still ridiculously young?
That was the kind of information capable of attracting attention from the top dragon clans sooner or later.
The leading envoy’s voice remained polite, but the pressure hidden beneath his words became impossible to miss. "Naturally, as one of the major clans of the Dragon Race, we became curious."
His golden-red gaze sharpened slightly. "Curious about the faction capable of creating such a dragon."
He paused. "A faction called God Gym."
Bruno’s expression remained calm. Internally, however, only one thought crossed his mind.
"Damn it. Just as expected."
The Volcanion envoy looked directly at him. "So, Supervisor Bruno, would you be kind enough to escort us there?"
A faint hint of amusement entered his otherwise proud expression. "After all, we are quite curious about this faction that not only produced such unusual results... but also has the confidence to place the word ’God’ in its name."
For a brief moment, the entire reception hall fell silent.
Paren slowly lowered his gaze. One exhausted thought immediately crossed his mind.
"Garion, you bastard. Your trouble has finally attracted dragons."