Chapter 256: The Grand Occasion Before the Founding Ceremony

As spring approached, an increasing number of monsters from the Overseas Archipelago and visitors from the distant continent gathered in Oqi City.

They had all come to witness the birth of a new kingdom. For a time, the Overseas Archipelago bustled with unprecedented life.

It was not just commoners; the guests invited by the White Dragon Lord were arriving one after another.

Given the White Dragon Lord's status as a council member, even the major factions whose leaders could not attend in person sent envoys of appropriate stature. There were princes representing the dignity of royal families, legendary powerhouses serving as the pillars of their kingdoms, and the Bolton Dynasty had even dispatched a high-tier legend.

This high-tier legend was Orbis Lutherd, commander of the Sun-Setting Legion—the empire's recognized ace army, which had forged its reputation on the Blood War Battlefield. The continent-renowned commander had arrived this morning.

Several other high-tier legends on good terms with the white dragon were also present, including the Silver Dragon Scholar, Jetesla Nashudine. Upon receiving the invitation, the old dragon—who loved traveling the world to record novelties—had set out for White Castle immediately.

There was also Leopold Chodmartin, a gold dragon who maintained a strong relationship with the white dragon. Having nothing better to do, the fellow had arrived at White Castle quite early. The slumbering Ancient Gold Dragon, Adelaide Leslie, had also received notice and come to White Castle to attend the grand event.

The other invitees were all heads of major factions. Being rather busy, they had all replied that they would arrive the day before the founding ceremony.

To the White Dragon Lord's regret, the Grand Duke Silver Dragon had declined the invitation. He had written back explaining his situation: the great explosion had severely damaged his body, rendering him unable to attend in person.

The Grand Duke Silver Dragon did, however, express his best wishes for the newborn kingdom of Yafiavi in his letter.

The White Dragon Lord wrote back to express his understanding, wishing the Grand Duke Silver Dragon a speedy recovery and promising to visit once this busy period was over.

Priest Sinod of the Holy Sanctuary had also declined the invitation.

The Holy Sanctuary had not been peaceful lately. One of their occupied, highly important resource planes had been targeted by a high-tier legendary lich, so Priest Sinod had been ordered to guard that plane and simply could not get away.

The White Dragon Lord expressed his understanding of this as well, planning to find time after the kingdom's founding to visit the Holy Sanctuary and ask questions related to faith.

Meanwhile, the druid dragon sister, Elena, had followed her teacher, Master Hajir, to cultivate in the Necromantic Plane. However, she had already received her older brother's magical transmission and was expected to return soon.

...

The night was as dark as ink, but White Castle, situated in front of the White Tower, was brightly illuminated.

In the main hall of White Castle, the White Dragon Lord, the Silver Dragon Scholar, the Ancient Gold Dragon, and the gold dragon sat around a table. A row of small, square tiles lay in front of each of them.

The White Dragon Lord threw out a tile.

"Bird."

"Kong!"

Sitting opposite him, the Silver Dragon Scholar used Mage Hand to snatch the Bird from the table, drew a new tile, and tossed another one out.

"Nine of dots."

Sitting to the White Dragon Lord's left, the gold dragon, Leopold Chodmartin, drew a new tile. His eyebrows shot up with unrestrained joy, and he pushed over the row of tiles in front of him.

"Hahaha! Self-drawn full flush! Pay up, pay up!"

The other three dragons sighed helplessly, counting out a few chips from the piles in front of them and sliding them over to the gold dragon.

"Oh, Leopold, you lucky bastard! How many times have you won tonight?!"

The gold dragon beamed with delight.

"Haha, just as you said—when luck comes, nothing can stop it."

The White Dragon Lord felt helpless.

Talk about instant karma!

When the game began, the White Dragon Lord had used his understanding of the rules to win far more than he lost, uttering those exact words. He never expected to be slapped in the face so quickly by the gold dragon's explosive luck.

Indeed, the four dragons were playing a wildly popular tabletop tile game from Blue Star—mahjong.

As more and more guests arrived with a few days still left before the founding ceremony, the lack of entertainment outside of White Castle's arranged banquets made the atmosphere a bit dull.

Seeing this, the White Dragon Lord introduced mahjong, which had been popular globally in his past life, to this other world. He explained the rules to everyone, and the novel tile game quickly won their affection.

They were not the only ones playing. In White Castle's massive, dragon-proportioned garden, tables had been set up one after another. Envoys from various factions who had traveled far to attend Yafiavi's founding ceremony surrounded them, competing passionately, while Harpy attendants wove through the crowd carrying fruit platters and wine jugs.

Right then, the White Dragon Lord sensed a magical fluctuation inside the White Tower. Along with it came an excited yet exhausted dragon roar. It was none other than the druid dragon sister, Elena, who had rushed back immediately after finishing her cultivation in the other world.

Hearing Elena's voice, the White Dragon Lord also sensed a powerful aura of nature beside her. Without needing to activate the Tower Spirit's perception, he knew the newcomer was the high-tier legendary druid, the cat-woman Hajir Kuten.

The White Dragon Lord stood up and gave the three dragons an apologetic smile.

"My apologies, I have a guest. Willy, keep our distinguished guests company for a few rounds."

Willy, who had been chatting nearby, heard his older brother's call and walked over to take his place.

With a single thought, the White Dragon Lord teleported directly into the Magic Tower.

At a glance, he saw the druid dragon sister looking completely wilted, with the cat-woman, Hajir Kuten, standing right beside her.

Seeing Elena's current state, the White Dragon Lord furrowed his brows imperceptibly.

The originally verdant vines on the druid dragon sister's body had begun to wither and yellow, and even a portion of Elena's own vitality had drained away with them.

Elena had told her siblings about this condition before. This was the special cultivation method of the Withered Vine Druids: comprehending the life, death, flourishing, and withering of nature.

Withered Vine Druids were a special class among druids. When the vines on Elena's body completely withered, it would mark the moment the druid dragon sister stepped into the Legendary Rank.

Indeed, Kuten was not Hajir's real surname, but the inherited surname of the Withered Vine Sect.

Although called a sect, ever since Elena's grandmaster returned to nature, the Withered Vine Sect consisted only of Hajir and Elena.

The sparse population of the Withered Vine Sect was related to their unique cultivation method.

Aside from the green that represented life, nature also contained the withered yellow that represented death. Ordinary people feared and refused to accept death, and the druid community loathed withering even more.

But it could not be denied that death was an inseparable part of nature.

The Withered Vine Sect was a special sect that comprehended and accepted death. Before reaching the Legendary Rank, its members were no different from normal druids, but their path after stepping into the Legendary Rank was vastly different.

Before entering the Legendary Rank, every Withered Vine Druid would be led by their teacher to the Necromantic Plane, using secret magical rituals to perceive the meaning of death.

This perception served as a catalyst, allowing the Withered Vine Druid to comprehend the true essence of death upon stepping into the Legendary Rank and receiving the gifts of the source sea.

After entering the Legendary Rank, another power completely opposite to life would appear within a Withered Vine Druid's body: the power of death.

The power of death brought a massive boost in combat strength, but it also carried a huge hidden danger—it consumed their internal vitality. Therefore, a Withered Vine Druid's lifespan was far shorter than that of an ordinary legendary druid.

The stronger a legendary Withered Vine Druid became, the shorter their lifespan, unless they sought life through death and stepped into the high-tier legend realm.

Upon reaching high-tier legend, the combat prowess of this special class would skyrocket.

A high-tier legendary Withered Vine Druid could perfectly control the forces of life and death within their body, able to convert them with a single thought.

But the prerequisite was enduring the difficult years of the standard Legendary Rank. Reaching high-tier legend was incredibly hard; since the Withered Vine Druids' inheritance was established tens of thousands of years ago, only three had ever achieved high-tier legend.

The White Dragon Lord, however, was not worried about Elena's situation at all.

First, dragons possessed immensely powerful vitality. Even with the power of death squandering it away, Elena would still enjoy an exceptionally long life.

Second, the White Dragon Lord had already decided to hold a Bloodline Advancement Ritual for his siblings within a year after the kingdom's founding. When the time came, relying purely on the bloodline power of the Ancestral White Dragon, his siblings would secure a direct ticket into the high-tier legend realm and become Ancient Dragons.

If the hundred-thousand-year lifespan of an Ancient Dragon wasn't enough for Elena to advance her druid class to high-tier legend, then even the gods would be out of options.

The White Dragon Lord first expressed his welcome to Master Hajir, then turned to face the exhausted Elena.

"It seems your journey to the Necromantic Plane was not a pleasant one. Is there anything I can do for you, my sister?"

Hearing her older brother's half-caring, half-teasing tone, Elena rolled her eyes. Being physically and mentally exhausted, however, she was in no mood to bicker.

"I want a room, and uninterrupted sleep."

This was Elena's first time back since the new residence was built, so she was completely unfamiliar with the layout of the new White Castle.

"No problem."

With a thought from the White Dragon Lord, a cluster of ice-blue Magical Energy appeared in the air.

"Just follow it, and it will take you to your room."

The ice-blue energy cluster began to move, trailing a long tail through the air, and Elena followed after it.

While the White Dragon Lord and his sister were conversing, the cat-woman Hajir watched him with secret astonishment.

When she first met the White Dragon Lord decades ago, he was just a "little" dragon whose combat strength barely reached the Legendary Rank. Seeing him again now, she actually sensed an aura of danger emanating from him.

This meant he was now capable of posing a threat to her.

Hajir felt it was utterly absurd. As a veteran Level 27 high-tier legend, and possessing a powerful special class like the Withered Vine Druids, she didn't even take ordinary high-tier legends seriously. Yet now, she was sensing danger from a young dragon not even a century old.

But Hajir wouldn't write this off as her own illusion.

Although the cat-people race had an innate deficiency in physical strength, their intuition for danger was exceedingly sharp.

This dragon harbored a secret.

This was a good thing. With such a powerful older brother to support her, Elena's path forward would be much easier.

At this thought, Master Hajir stopped dwelling on the matter.

The Magical Energy had just led Elena away. The White Dragon Lord looked at the dazed cat-woman, not knowing what she was thinking about.

"Master, you are Elena's most respected elder, which makes you my elder as well. Would you like to rest for a while like Elena, or go downstairs to chat with the other council members?"

The White Dragon Lord's gratitude toward Hajir was completely genuine. Although the two of them had barely spoken a few words to each other over the years, the help Hajir had provided him was immense and irreplaceable.

After Elena became Master Hajir's disciple, White Castle's development on the continent had been completely smooth sailing. Even after amassing wealth that rivaled kingdoms, no legendary powerhouse had ever come to slay the dragons.

The cat-woman deserved the greatest credit for allowing the white dragons to safely survive those nerve-wracking years.

Thanks to the cat-woman's connections and the Silver Dragon Scholar's recommendation, White Castle and the Nine Eyes Alliance had always cooperated happily.

It was also because of her that the legendary powerhouses and mighty organizations on the continent hadn't schemed against White Castle.

The White Dragon Lord wasn't naive enough to believe that White Castle had remained so peaceful simply because he had kept his head down to quietly grow and avoided causing trouble.

Let alone the completely self-serving evildoers, there was no shortage of hypocrites who flew the banner of justice while acting as thieves and scoundrels.

In their eyes, a wealthy, underage chromatic dragon was just a fat piece of meat on the chopping block. Yet, they had never translated their temptations into actions.

This was the deterrence brought by Master Hajir, a high-tier legendary powerhouse. In the eyes of outsiders, Elena's teacher, Hajir Kuten, was White Castle's protective umbrella.

Of course, that was in the past. Now, the White Dragon Lord had the strength to protect himself and his kin. The high-profile establishment of the non-human kingdom, Yafiavi, was a manifestation of his power.

Hajir Kuten could also feel the sincerity in his words. She was satisfied with his attitude and felt that her past decision had been well worth it.

Back then, to let Elena practice the druidic path with peace of mind, she had sent a word of warning to all the top factions on the continent, telling them that the three dragons on the Overseas Archipelago were under her wing.

Because of this, the white dragon had never felt any pressure from the outside world.

But that was in the past now. The White Dragon Lord had grown strong, and as Elena's teacher, she and the White Dragon Lord were natural allies; mutual benefit was the inevitable outcome.

"Lord Amos, although I am Elena's master, we now stand at the same height. Let us interact as peers."

The White Dragon Lord agreed to the cat-woman's suggestion. Even though Hajir had lived for nearly a thousand years, she still looked like an incredibly cute cat-person girl.

To make the White Dragon Lord acknowledge such an adorable cat-woman as his elder was a psychological hurdle he couldn't quite clear anyway. Treating her as a peer was the best outcome.

As the two conversed while heading downstairs, the cat-woman inadvertently caught sight of the collection on the Mage Tower's bookshelves, and her eyes lit up. The text on the book covers was the mysterious Ancient Draconic Tongue.

The White Dragon Lord noticed Hajir's gaze.

"These are bizarre tales and records from ancient times that I learned from my inheritance. If you are interested, you can stay here and take a look."

Hajir gave the white dragon a deeply meaningful look. The White Dragon Lord's words revealed a piece of information: he possessed an inheritance from ancient times. This proved that a certain concentration of Ancestral Dragon blood flowed within him.

Because only the Ancestral Dragon bloodline could yield massive amounts of ancient Dragon Inheritance.

"Then I won't stand on ceremony."

Unable to resist the temptation, the cat-woman chose to stay in the Mage Tower.

The White Dragon Lord left the cat-woman in the Mage Tower, ordered a magical servant to attend to her, and then walked toward the main hall.

It was true that some of the books on the shelves were bizarre tales and records from ancient times, but others contained lost ancient magical knowledge.

These books had been specifically prepared by the White Dragon Lord for his dragon brother and sister. And exactly because they were meant for his siblings, they only contained simple ancient knowledge.

After all, his brother and sister were not professional mages. If it were too complex, they wouldn't be able to understand it.

Precisely because of this, the White Dragon Lord permitted the cat-woman to browse them freely. First, to repay her for protecting White Castle in the past. Second, they were natural allies, and the stronger an ally was, the better. Finally, it was to lay the groundwork for his siblings' future advancement.

The cat-woman would sooner or later notice Elena's changes. Preparing her in advance would prevent her imagination from running wild.

As for exposing his identity, the White Dragon Lord wasn't worried. The Ancestral Dragon bloodline and being a true Ancestral Dragon were two entirely different things. Atavistic dragons bearing the Ancestral Dragon bloodline could still be seen occasionally throughout the multiverse, but true Ancestral Dragons were extinct.

As long as the seal remained intact, unless he said so himself, no one would ever guess out of thin air that he was an Ancestral Dragon.