Epic of Ice Dragon: Reborn As An Ice Dragon With A System

Chapter 2203: An Unexpected Welcome

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"Hmm, so that’s the castle, huh?" Drake wondered, glancing at the massive structure. "It’s huge and-"

Drake’s eyes widened.

Suddenly, he felt something.

A presence.

A powerful presence.

Everything suddenly became silent for a second, it was as if the world itself had stopped moving.

Time had stopped; space was fixed in place.

Only he could move and see what this presence was.

He looked up into the castle, a small figure was glancing down at him from the interior, through the windows.

His statue alone clearly showed he was a male dwarf.

But that presence, and the power he emanated...

And above all, that Aura!

And...

FLASH!

"What?! How is this even possible?!"

Drake gasped as he saw above the skies a massive bronze-colored ring glowing brightly, both looking metallic and also ethereal.

"You have to be kidding me... An Ascendancy Law?! How didn’t I...!"

Drake was caught off-guard.

There was no mistaking it now.

That presence, that man...

That ring!

It was a Venerable.

Why here?

Out of nowhere?!

Fate had yet to fully shatter, but it was already falling into pieces.

Perhaps...

Just maybe...

Their resurrection had begun much ahead of time than he imagined.

"So you’re the new one of this era, huh? I would’ve never imagined you to be a dragon... I thought you lizards could not become Venerables."

He spoke with a rather sharp tongue but also a casual tone of voice.

And it was also non-threatening.

In fact, there was no bloodlust in his presence either, just authority or the immense pressure of his sheer power.

"You’re...?!"

"Calm down, young Venerable, I’ve always been neutral to the wars between the rest. My resurrection has been done ahead of time... my new body works well. Come inside the castle built by my descendants and let us have a private talk once you solve my great great great granddaughter’s issue."

The presence quickly disappeared, and then Drake stood there, the world coming back to normal.

His eyes still widen in shock.

He couldn’t believe it!

He had just faced a fully reincarnated Venerable.

And it was much more than he ever imagined, a presence capable of simply isolating everything around them.

"Drake? Hey, Drake? Are you okay?" Miranda asked.

"Eh?" Drake looked at her confused.

"You stopped walking and stared at the castle for like a minute, you ok?" Benladann wondered.

"I’m... you didn’t see him?!" Drake asked.

"Who?" Andromeda asked.

Not even Andromeda saw nor sensed him!

Drake’s hands trembled for a second, but then he gripped them tightly.

He felt relieved that the Venerable said he was not hostile, but even then, he shouldn’t be too reckless either.

He was strong, he has been growing stronger this entire time.

He had to be a little more confident about his own strength too.

"Nothing..."

Drake decided to simply not speak about what he saw for now, deciding to concentrate on Charlotte’s issue.

If what the man said was the truth, he was a Venerable who was her ancestor.

Drake could only think of a single Dwarf Venerable...

The man known as "Onyx Hammer Blacksmith Demon Venerable".

He was called a Demon Venerable by many righteous factions mostly because he chose to never ally with them.

But he was in truth mostly neutral to all...

A great creator of countless relics, weapons, and armor of unfathomable level and quality.

It was said that he was the one that created each of the weapons that the Venerables wielded.

"I should probably tell the Ice Queen and the Fox about this..."

Within his Divine Realm, Drake quickly sent a message to the two, as their spirits, which were mostly absent lately as they were also preparing for their resurrections, quickly picked up the signal once they realized what it meant.

"What?! You mean that damn dwarf revived first?!" the Fox Venerable was the most flabbergasted. "Impossible...! Damn it! If only you didn’t destroy my whole Inheritance, dumbass!"

"Hmm... Luckily for us, he’s always been neutral," the Ice Queen said. "It would be a good idea to actually make him join our side, Drake. He definitely has become interested on your unique existence, make sure to behave well in front of him, he can be temperamental, like any dwarf, really."

"Okay..." Drake nodded. "What even is his Ascendancy Law though?"

"It has to do with Forging and Blacksmithing," the Fox said. "Ahh, I’m going back to prepare, I should be able to hatch from this egg very soon, expect my arrival, Drake."

"Okay, sure..." Drake nodded. "Ice Queen, would you help me talk to him?"

"Hm, I’ll think about it. I will hear what you talk for now," the Ice Queen said. "I want to see how you can handle things on your own, Drake."

"Fine..." Drake sighed, as he walked towards the castle, many soldiers watching them in awe, as they were all rather huge and intimidating.

Once they reached the throne room, enormous and luxurious, with red carpets and golden furniture, alongside many portraits and paintings on the walls, and also statues everywhere, Charlotte looked at the front with eyes filled with doubt.

"Your majesty! She has returned! Your dear daughter!"

The soldier that brought her along smiled happily, as the King and the Queen of Vanagate looked down at them with sharp eyes.

Both were dwarves, and the Queen looked quite a lot like Charlotte, but much older, with brown skin and long blonde hair tied into braids.

Her husband was a burly dwarf, with long gray beard and a bald head, wearing a golden crown embedded with many jewels.

"Father... mother... I have come back."

Charlotte stepped forward, lowering her head and kneeling before her parents.

"Charlotte... I am honestly shocked you’ve actually returned after all these years, my daughter," the King sighed.

"We’ve already accepted we would never see you again... It has been almost ten years..." the Queen muttered.

"I..." Charlotte tried to muster words, but she couldn’t. "I’m sorry..."

"Sorry? That’s all?" the King sighed. "Being sorry doesn’t justify all the time you’ve left us!"

"You don’t know how much I cried for you!" the Queen said. "Did you enjoy your ten years living as some poor pirate somewhere else?! Were your magical abilities of some use at all to you?"

"Mother, I...!" Charlotte felt pressured, their parents’ gazes struck her heart, she fell silent again.

"I suppose you’ve returned with remorse and now plan to finally resume your duties as our daughter!" said the King.

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