Chapter 41: Ancient Dragon Species
This letter, handed over by Ying, appeared ordinary at first glance, but it bore a signature that would make any citizen of the Empire pause.
Israel Diamond.
This was the name of the current Emperor of the Northern Empire.
From the name alone, one could tell that, in terms of bloodline, the Imperial Royal Family were not natives of the North; their lineage likely originated from the Western Mountains. But who cared? This Emperor, now forty-five years old, in the prime of his life, and having devoted his entire life to expanding the Empire's territory, was an ambitious conqueror. Most importantly, as the most personally powerful Emperor in the Empire's history, his strength was more than sufficient to support his ambitions and to command the loyalty of all his subjects.
Transcendent Template, Legendary Destiny.
In this era before the Great Magic Tide had truly begun, when even a Gold-rank expert was considered a top-tier fighter, a single Legendary was enough to sustain a vast empire.
Opening the letter, Joshua took out the enchanted paper inside and carefully read the text.
**[To the loyal Lord Radcliffe, this letter is given]**
The handwriting before and after was different. According to the customs of nobles, the warrior guessed that aside from the signature and this first sentence, the main body of the text was likely dictated by the Emperor and written down by someone else.
His gaze continued scanning.
**[The true source of the plague is a powerful dragon of unknown form. It is this dragon that is spreading the plague, driving magical beasts to become bloodthirsty and mad, thus initiating the Black Tide.**
**This Black Tide is indeed fierce, but its numbers are significantly reduced compared to previous ones. Coupled with the well-prepared defenses of the various fortresses, it should certainly be repelled. However, as a precaution, and to ensure the 'Sealed Land' is not affected, I have sent Lord Wolfe with a Dragon-Slaying Stone as a contingency measure.**
**If it does not attack, a dedicated subjugation force will be dispatched shortly. But if that dragon dares to invade, I believe that with the power of Lord Radcliffe and the 'Weapon,' you can seize this opportunity to slay it and end this spreading plague.]**
**[May the Gods Bless the Empire. Year 831 of the Falling Stars, 25th Year of the Emperor's Reign. This letter is given to Inspector Monster Wolfe at the Morlai Palace in the Imperial Capital.]**
— Appendix: Information on the aforementioned dragon obtained by the Imperial Royal Disaster Observation Council:
Following the simple and straightforward content was a white appendix sheet. On it was drawn a strangely shaped dragon, and the blank space behind it was filled with dense data analysis and speculations on its attack methods.
In the drawing, half of the dragon's body shone like platinum, while the other half was as deep as the night. A golden horn stood tall on its right side, while a black horn on its left was tucked close to its neck. Only the golden half of its head had an eye, which was tightly shut, while the black half had none. Its two-colored wings bore two large wing-claws, and its smoothly curved limbs contained immense explosive power.
It was clearly visible that the golden right side of the dragon's body was much stronger than the black left side. The contrast was stark, making it feel like two completely different species.
Upon seeing this drawing, Joshua's expression became more serious than ever before. After carefully examining it several times, the warrior took a deep breath and then spoke, word by word, solemnly: "Chaos Black Erosion Dragon!"
After saying this, he put the drawing aside, his face solemn, and carefully recalled: "Right, I should have thought of it earlier. Black-purple powder, berserk magical beasts, an unbalanced ecosystem—what else could it be but a Black Erosion Dragon?"
As a former Legendary warrior, Joshua had obliterated almost every type of magical beast and monster on the Continent of Strife, with dragons being a top priority. Although he had killed fewer Black Erosion Dragons, he still had some memory of them.
This was a special type of ancient dragon with neither sight nor hearing. It relied entirely on its wings to spread virus-laden scale powder to sense its surroundings. Creatures contaminated with this powder would become weak if their constitution was frail, making them easy prey. Conversely, creatures with strong willpower and robust bodies would become frenzied, bloodthirsty, and seek out opponents for a fight to the death. This perfectly matched the description of the plague.
"A Black Erosion Dragon... it should be a new dragon species discovered a few years from now, after part of the [Central Black Forest] in the continent's center is explored. How is it appearing now... and it's a Chaos Black Erosion Dragon."
Muttering to himself, Joshua couldn't quite recall the situation from back then. He closed his eyes, frowning as he tried to remember: "I was developing in the Far South back then and rarely went to the Northern Lands. I only know that the Black Tide was indeed very fierce there one year... Forget it, thinking too much is useless."
Giving up on recalling such useless things, the warrior paced in the reception room. Casually, he turned the greatsword and armor placed aside back into their model forms and hung them on his waist: "This is a type of Primordial Realm Ancient Dragon..."
The Five-Colored Dragons and Metal Dragons were an alien race called [Astral Dragons], a highly intelligent and civilized species spread across multiple worlds, even having their own deities. Creatures like the Black Erosion Dragon and the Calamity Dragon were native species of the Continent of Strife, known as [Primordial Realm Dragons]. While some possessed intelligence comparable to humans, most were akin to beasts with immense power.
That said, the Primordial Realm Dragons also included various extremely terrifying beings. The [Ancient Dragon Species] were representatives of these long-lived dragons that brought natural disasters wherever they appeared. Whether it was the [Heavenly Calamity God] Storm Dragon, which could summon hurricanes and storms covering several mountain ranges; the [Moving Mountain] Lao Shan Dragon, whose mere walking could destroy cities; or the [Natural Disaster] Calamity Dragon, which once triggered an elemental imbalance and nearly caused the Great Aias Volcano to erupt—all were so-called Ancient Dragons.
And the Ancient Dragon species representing ecological imbalance was precisely the awakened form of the Black Erosion Dragon: the [Source of Calamity and Disease], the Heavenly Return Dragon.
This time, in the heart of the Black Forest, a true Heavenly Return Dragon must have appeared. It was its power that was suppressing all its kin, preventing them from undergoing their final molting and awakening, thus creating the half-molted Chaos Black Erosion Dragons. The reason it moved quickly, flying in a large circle around the Empire, was likely to find a place for its own final molting.
"The strength of Ancient Dragon species... the weakest are generally around the Ultimate or Legendary rank. But the Black Erosion Dragon is different. Before awakening, its strength is only at Mid-Gold Rank, which is within my ability to handle."
Sitting back down at the table, Joshua recalled the strength of the Black Erosion Dragons he had hunted in his memories. He reached into his pocket, pulled out the redwood rune box, and stared at it thoughtfully: "Even if it's a stronger Chaos variant, with the Divine Mechanism and the Dragon-Slaying Stone, I do have a chance to..."
"Master, the tea is here."
A clear, youthful female voice interrupted the warrior's thoughts. Joshua turned his head to see the silver-haired girl carrying a cup of hot tea, opening the door to the reception room, and walking in with light, graceful steps.
"Thank you, but why is there only one cup?"
Taking the cup, Joshua looked up, somewhat dissatisfied, at his Divine Mechanism: "Didn't you prepare one for yourself?"
"Ah... but I don't need to drink tea."
Hands clasped in front of her legs, Ying replied blankly, tilting her head in confusion: "I am a Divine Mechanism; I don't need to eat."
"When there are two people, but only one is drinking tea, it creates an awkward scene."
Reaching out to ruffle the girl's silver hair, Joshua sighed and shoved the teacup back into Ying's hands: "And just because you don't need something doesn't mean you shouldn't try it. You have to learn to enjoy life. Here, this one is for you first."
"Ah, this... thank you..."
Murmuring softly, Ying took the hot tea with a bewildered look, her cheeks slightly flushed. Not knowing what to say, she could only change the subject: "Master, should I start preparing dinner?"
"It's still early; not needed for now. First, sit down and help me copy the information on that dragon from the appendix."
Looking down at another letter, Joshua replied casually: "Sorry for the trouble."
"Mm..."