Chapter 223: Chapter 222: A Dragon’s Life Story

Mysterious Valley.

As the Giant Dragon departed, the valley fell silent.

“Will the Lord be all right?”

Macken was worried. Forcibly climbing onto a Giant Dragon’s back was an extremely dangerous act.

Although high-level Knights could fly for short periods, that was an ability reserved for the Silver Moon Level. Ronin didn’t possess such power yet.

A fall from that height would be disastrous.

Ridder frowned, his heart also filled with worry.

“The Lord’s actions are risky, but he must have a plan. All we can do is trust him.”

Elron murmured softly, “May the God of Light protect the Lord!”

As they were speaking, Krami and the others, who had been hiding in the cave, emerged, trembling with fear.

The flames from the Dragon Breath had died down in the valley, but the air was filled with the foul, lingering stench of something burnt.

“I can’t believe we’re still alive!”

Jenny looked at her husband, Horn, who gripped her hand tightly. Their eyes were filled with the joy of surviving a catastrophe.

The others all felt much the same way.

The terrifying head of Carlos had left a deep shadow in their hearts. It would likely haunt their nightmares for some time to come.

“Commander, where is Lord Ronin?”

Tom scanned the area. Only Ridder, Macken, Elron, and Joffrey were standing outside; Ronin was nowhere to be seen.

The others noticed this as well and turned to Ridder, their expressions tense.

’The Lord hasn’t run into trouble, has he?’

“The Lord intends to conquer that Giant Dragon. He climbed onto its back and headed north.”

Hearing this, everyone was stunned into silence.

For them, just standing before the Giant Dragon required immense courage, let alone climbing onto its back.

Not only had the Lord done it, but he even wanted to conquer the beast?

They couldn’t help but look up at the sky. ’The Lord… how does he dare?’

“Macken, Elron, you will lead the team and remain here. Until the Lord and I return, you are to keep watch on this cave, but remember—do not enter it rashly.”

No one could be sure if there were other enemies inside the cave. To be safe, it was best to wait for Ronin’s return before making any further plans.

“I’m heading north to see if I can find any sign of the Lord.”

The Giant Dragon’s flight speed was incredible. It had vanished after soaring into the heavens, but faint roars from the north seemed to indicate its direction.

Although everyone was worried about the Lord’s situation, there was nothing they could do to help. They could only stay and guard the cave entrance, silently praying for his safe return.

…

Ronin was on a northern beach, listening to Carlos recount his life story.

If one had to describe his life as a dragon in a single word, it would be—tragic.

From the moment he hatched from his shell, Carlos had been imprisoned in that cave. More than two hundred and eighty years had passed since then.

For over two hundred years, Natalia had been continuously channeling some kind of Dark Energy into his body through a Dark Altar, attempting to transform him.

To be honest, Ronin was stunned by the dragon’s age.

He had assumed the Giant Dragon was a few decades old at most, never imagining it had already lived for over two centuries.

What Ronin found even more inconceivable were Natalia and her group.

According to Carlos, he had been imprisoned by them since birth.

Did that mean Natalia, Nebular, and the others were even older than the Giant Dragon?

Even a Meteor Level expert had a lifespan of only one hundred and twenty to one hundred and thirty years. Natalia was merely at the Silver Level, so how could she have lived for more than two hundred years?

But when asked about this, Carlos couldn’t offer any explanation.

As a prisoner, he had no way of learning such information.

Carlos only knew that over the years, Natalia and the others did almost the same things every day.

For example, every morning they would perform their ritual on him, and every evening they would go out to patrol. It had been the same for over two hundred years, day in and day out.

The only thing that changed was perhaps Natalia’s choice of partner. For instance, today it might be Nebular, tomorrow Wutang, and the day after, another Knight.

As for Eliot, the master the female Knight had mentioned, Carlos had never seen him in all these years. Not even once.

After their conversation, Ronin told Carlos to rest for a while, and he sat to one side, deep in thought.

Over two hundred years ago, the Orland Empire had already collapsed, and the continent had plunged into decades of chaos.

It was during this time that the families of Oduin and Tricia, both related to the imperial royal family by blood, gradually grew powerful, eventually forming the two kingdoms of the north and south.

During those centuries of chaos, who knows what events transpired.

Even the historical records of Wushan Castle only offered brief accounts of major events. How could they possibly record what happened here, in the northern part of the Wubei Territory?

Ronin guessed that this Mysterious Valley, Carlos, and even Natalia and her group might have been left behind by some powerful figure from that era.

’But after so much time, did that expert forget about this place, or did they perish?’

Ronin couldn’t figure it out, so he decided to stop thinking about it and focus on the matter at hand.

“Carlos, I will give you a gift as a reward for submitting to me.”

Perhaps because the Contract Scroll from the login reward was different from Lurans’s Contract Scroll, Ronin was able to summon Carlos’s Attribute Panel, just as he could for Macken and the others:

[Frostfire Wings Carlos]: Fifth-level (7349/7500)+

Frostfire Wings was Carlos’s title, one he said he’d had for as long as he could remember.

Ronin was more interested in his level and progress.

For humans, a Fifth-level Extraordinary was a Silver Knight or a Chief Mage, and they only needed 1,500 to 2,000 Energy Essence to break through to the Sixth-level.

But for Carlos, a Giant Dragon, to break through, he needed 7,500 points!

No wonder he was still only a Fifth-level Magical Beast after more than two hundred long years.

Still, on second thought, it seemed reasonable.

For an Advanced Level Giant Dragon like Carlos, being three hundred years old was still considered the juvenile stage, with a level typically between fourth and sixth.

The fact that he could grow to this level while being imprisoned and tortured was already quite impressive.

If Carlos’s level progress had been low, Ronin might not have chosen to invest too much. But since he was so close to full, Ronin didn’t mind giving him a little push.

As Ronin invested the Energy Essence, the panel changed:

[Frostfire Wings Carlos]: Sixth-level (0/12500)+

The number made Ronin’s heart skip a beat.

’My god, raising this Giant Dragon from the Sixth-level to the Seventh-level requires over ten thousand Energy Essence!’

’This is pure robbery!’

Ronin looked at the remaining 1,449 Energy Essence in his possession and felt a wave of powerlessness.

Carlos, on the other hand, stared with wide eyes, completely stunned.

He had been wondering what kind of gift his new master, who appeared to be empty-handed, could possibly give him.

But the next moment, a miraculous power descended upon him. The feeling was as refreshing as rain after a long drought, and he couldn’t help but let out a contented draconic cry.

“I… I’ve leveled up??”

The edges of Carlos’s scales began to turn red, no longer just a pure ice-blue.

At the same time, new scales were growing beneath the old ones.

Once the new scales fully grew in, the gaps between them would be much smaller, making it extremely difficult to thrust a weapon through the cracks.

CLINK~

An old scale fell to the ground, followed by a second, then a third…

Carlos gave a shake, and hundreds of scales clattered to the ground.

“What’s this?”

“When my power increases, some of my old scales automatically fall off, and new ones grow in their place.”

Carlos’s voice became reverent. “Thank you for your gift, Master!”

Advancing from the Fifth-level to the Sixth-level might have only been a little over a hundred points of progress for Ronin, but if Carlos were to achieve it on his own, it would have taken him at least several decades, if not a century.

But now, he had broken through in the blink of an eye!

Carlos was both stunned and overjoyed. This master was indeed far better than Natalia.

This comparison moved him deeply, and the previous conflict and unpleasantness began to fade away.

Although he was a dragon, having been isolated from the world for so long had left him with a somewhat childish temperament.

“This is good stuff!”

Ronin’s eyes lit up. He hurried over to pick up a Dragon Scale and examine it.

The ice-blue Dragon Scale was smaller than the palm of his hand, but it was tougher than steel and even offered some resistance to Magic.

“Dragon Scale Armor…”

If these Dragon Scales were crafted into armor, its defensive capabilities and value would be absolutely extraordinary!

“Carlos, are these Dragon Scales of any more use to you?”

Ronin said, “I want to use them to make a suit of armor!”

“Please, use them as you wish, Master!”

To Carlos, the shed Dragon Scales were only valuable as collectibles. But when faced with the master who had increased his power, he didn’t hesitate in the slightest.

“The shed Dragon Scales are of no value to me.”

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