Chapter 41: Please Don't Speak Dialect, Speak Standard Common Tongue, Thank You
When Joshua walked out of the secret vault with empty hands and let Nostradamus close the door, his face still carried a hint of seriousness.
"What's with that expression?"
The old mage manipulated the arcane power in the atmosphere to reseal the door of this imperial treasury, then reactivated the temporarily halted arrays. Amidst the cold wind that once again filled the hall, he looked at the warrior's empty hands and asked with some curiosity: "Could it be that you didn't find what you were looking for?"
Saying this, Nostradamus felt a bit puzzled. He furrowed his white brows: "Although bloodline potions might not necessarily be useful to you, those vessels housing souls each have the potential to be heirlooms. Simply placing them in your territory and amplifying them with arrays could subtly influence an entire region's people over time."
"Not to mention the extremely rare breathing art inheritances nearby. Their value far exceeds that of a powerful enchanted weapon; they are the foundation for rapidly strengthening a faction. Israel gave you this opportunity because he sees your potential to reach the Legendary Realm in the future."
—The breathing arts you have, I already possess; the breathing arts I have, some of you do not.
"I've already obtained the most precious thing."
Shaking his head, Joshua extended his right hand under the watchful eyes of the crowd. Both Brandon, Ying, and Lin curiously looked at the warrior's palm. Even Nostradamus couldn't help but shift his gaze there.
In the center of his palm was a faint, fluctuating golden light mass, within which countless figures emerged. Vaguely, one could hear the battle cries of what seemed like tens of thousands of people shouting in unison, along with the echo of long horn calls.
Except for Lin and Nostradamus, who vaguely sensed some of the item's functions, both Brandon and Ying were puzzled.
"Is this... a high-concentration soul crystal?" The blonde swordsman scratched his head in confusion. The silver-haired girl was similarly perplexed. Ying frowned, deep in thought, but couldn't figure out what was so precious about it.
Lin, however, could vaguely sense that this soul mass contained immeasurable potential, especially for artificial souls like himself and his sister. Simply staying near this soul light could slowly strengthen their essence. Although Ying appeared outwardly as a beautifully delicate maiden like a doll, her nature was actually as coarse-minded as their master's, so it was normal that she couldn't detect it.
The old mage saw it most clearly. He looked at Joshua with a surprised expression and muttered to himself: "You actually managed to gain the recognition of so many souls?"
Indeed, it was the most precious thing. The souls within those soul vessels had separated a part of themselves to gift to the warrior, which was a heavy burden for them. Even under the best preservation, it would take at least a dozen years to fully recover.
Nodding slightly, Joshua put it away. The passive effects of [Soul's Ultimate Essence] had many uses—whether it was making the warrior braver, gaining a fearless army, cultivating mounts unafraid of charging, or forming a powerful knight order. Even if used actively, it could make his own power even stronger.
This was far more precious than bloodline potions or breathing arts. It was a treasure he had obtained by bearing the faith of all those souls.
"Speaking of knight orders..."
Joshua slightly raised his head, his red eyes looking northward: "I wonder how Black is doing, and whether he's having fun in the volcano."
—And on the Ilgena Continent, in Babel Province, on the outskirts of the capital.
The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder. The rumbling sound of Mana Cores operating spread in all directions. With the mobilization of several military units, over fifty armored vehicles equipped with large-caliber cannons had urgently arrived here. Countless accompanying infantry were hastily digging trenches, and their target was a terrifying creature descending from beyond the sky.
Stone Golems.
From the forest at the edge of the distant plains came the vibrations of massive objects moving. The sounds of trees snapping and rocks shattering were incessant, like countless elephants charging together, causing countless birds to screech and flee from their nests in the thickets.
Not long after, under everyone's tense gaze, one after another enormous, at least ten-meter-tall terrifying beings crossed the forest and came into view.
They had bodies like gray rock, with glowing white light masses for eyes. These monsters, called Stone Golems, resembled enlarged biological statues with distinct human or animal forms. Yet their movements were exceptionally agile, like normal living creatures, without any sluggishness from their rocky bodies.
After leaving the forest, they stopped in place, as if sensing something. After a while, as if detecting something, these giant stone giants or stone beasts began to march with heavy steps, silently charging toward the capital of Babel Province.
"Begin attack!"
Once these massive monsters entered range, the Federated Army, which had formed its formation, quickly launched its assault. At the command, countless alchemical cannons fired. Shells struck the torso of the leading Stone Golem, and a violent explosion shattered a third of its body. The rest was covered in cracks, rendering it immobile.
But that was just one Stone Golem. As a dozen were taken down, three times as many stone monsters charged out of the forest. Among these later arrivals, a few were noticeably stronger than the earlier ones—larger bodies, harder shells. Several cannon shells hit one without leaving any visible marks.
"Steel-rank and Mithril-rank Stone Golems have appeared! Switch to armor-piercing rounds!"
Noticing this, many artillery vehicle loaders began changing ammunition. Years of war had given them deep knowledge of their enemy. Generally, the weakest type, which could be killed with a single shell, was called Rock-rank. Those with reinforced shells that could withstand multiple hits were Steel-rank. Above them, shells that couldn't damage them at all were Mithril-rank, requiring special armor-piercing rounds to penetrate their shells and harm their cores.
When Stone Golems first invaded, almost all were Rock-rank. But that was during the late Elven Dynasty, when mana-powered weapons using Magic Crystals were just emerging, and most people fought with magic and bows that hadn't yet weakened much. So the early battles were extremely difficult—several cities were breached, and all their inhabitants were slaughtered.
As elven technology advanced, the Stone Golems grew stronger. The first Mithril-rank Stone Golem appeared seventy years ago, when the late Elven Dynasty was overthrown. Its attacks caused immense damage to the emerging Federation, and almost no one could stop it. The disaster was only ended by luring it into a volcano.
Rumors said that above Mithril-rank, there were Adamantite-rank Stone Golems. Three years ago, Cold Wind Valley Fortress nearly fell because of such an Adamantite-rank Stone Golem. But due to scarce information, no one could confirm its existence.
This battle was supposed to be a tough fight. The Federated Army wasn't fully prepared for war. Recent frequent natural disasters across the region had kept everyone busy—heavy rains, blizzards, earthquakes, and coastal giant waves all struck in succession. The Sigma Volcano near Babel Province had also erupted not long ago. Troops everywhere were engaged in disaster relief, and even with all-out effort, they could only muster a large legion in Babel Province.
Fortunately, the original legion-level Stone Golem invasion had been reduced by a third by the Volcano Dragon's attack, and the most troublesome third was about to fall near the capital. This immediately gave the Federated Army some breathing room. As cannon fire roared continuously, wave after wave of Stone Golems were destroyed. Some did break through the elven positions, destroying several armored vehicles and killing many, but they couldn't expand their gains and were promptly taken down by vengeful elves.
The battlefield echoed with explosions. Although the number of Stone Golems wasn't large, the later ones became increasingly elite. At one point, five Mithril-rank Stone Golems appeared directly. This put immense pressure on the soldiers present. Protected by these five Mithril-rank Stone Golems, a large group of Rock-rank monsters charged menacingly toward a densely packed position.
Even armor-piercing rounds couldn't instantly kill a Mithril-rank Stone Golem, and their charge speed was too fast to avoid. The elven soldiers in the position had already prepared for death. But just as the Stone Golems were about to crash into the position, a red flash appeared. A massive fireball materialized in the center of the leading Mithril-rank Stone Golem's body. A huge explosion followed, with intense light radiating as if the sun had dimmed for a moment.
That Mithril-rank Stone Golem, struck by the fireball, naturally shattered into countless fragments, destroyed on the spot.
Amidst the sweeping hot wind, the elven soldiers turned back in shock. What they saw was a majestic beast, even larger and more terrifying than the Stone Golems, slowly emerging from the city. With every few steps, it shot a golden-red stream of light from the core in its chest. As it approached the position, beam after beam struck the powerful Mithril-rank Stone Golems.
Continuous explosions rang out. Powerful shockwaves lifted the surface of the earth, spraying dust everywhere. Even the armored vehicles seemed tiny before such force. The ground trembled as if in an earthquake.
When the explosions ended, only a large pit remained where the Stone Golems had been. At the center of the pit was rapidly cooling lava. The remaining fragments of the Stone Golems had been blown clean away by the earlier shockwaves, leaving no trace.
"Is the Volcano Dragon really on our side?"
An elven soldier hiding in a trench from the explosion's shockwave whispered to his companion beside him, looking somewhat fearful: "This power is too terrifying... A Mithril-rank Stone Golem destroyed in one hit. We'd need quite a few armor-piercing rounds to do the same..."
His companion shook his head: "If I were you, I wouldn't think about that. If the Volcano Dragon weren't on our side, would you still be alive?"
The Stone Golems had nearly broken through the artillery position. Without the Dragon Horse's intervention, at least dozens or hundreds would have died, and several armored vehicles destroyed. Giving his frightened friend a moment to think, the soldier added in a helpless tone: "And even if it weren't, we'd have no way to deal with it..."
Hearing this, the first soldier fell silent.
Indeed, whether friend or foe, the Federation was powerless against the Volcano Dragon.
With the Dragon Horse's involvement, the battle ended quickly. This Stone Golem descent wasn't large-scale, nor did they gather into groups to charge together. Instead, they came one by one, in waves, giving the Federated Army opportunities to defeat them piecemeal.
By evening, reconnaissance units confirmed that all Stone Golems had been destroyed. This sudden invasion was declared over.
Nearby, Black lay lazily on the ground, seemingly resting. The earlier battle with the Stone Golems wasn't as exhausting as the first time he had gone all out to destroy countless falling stars, but repeating the same actions over and over had tired his mind.
Around him, many soldiers and researchers were watching, but the Dragon Horse didn't mind. Whether in Moldavia's main city or at Nissier's Winterfell Academy, he had always been the center of attention for citizens and students. He was used to being stared at. Black rested very peacefully, so much so that he didn't even notice a lightly armored mana-powered vehicle stopping in front of him.
From the vehicle stepped out a white-haired elderly elf, with several elite soldiers guarding him. On the old elf's chest was a badge with the following inscription.
"Professor Nelson, this is the Volcano Dragon."
A leading elite soldier pointed at Black's massive body and said quietly to the elderly elf: "He's resting now. Should we come back later?"
Having fought alongside him, many soldiers had lost much of their wariness toward Black, though a trace of instinctive fear remained, making them reluctant to stay near him for long.
"...Even having seen pictures, I'm still this shocked..." The elderly elf named Nelson squinted at the Dragon Horse's enormous body: "Indeed, there are many traces of dragon lineage. The name 'Volcano Dragon' is not undeserved—are you sure he's gentle, even interacting with a boy for a while?"
"Of course, we have detailed recordings." The leading captain confirmed. "If you hadn't arrived so hastily, we could have shown you the video in the command room."
"It's fine, knowing this is enough... Oh."
As he spoke, the elderly elf suddenly let out a soft exclamation, a cautious expression appearing on his wrinkled face: "He's awake."
And as he said, Black, sensing someone speaking in front of him, opened his golden dragon eyes and stared at the elderly elf and the several soldiers who looked as if they were facing a great enemy.
"Growl..."
Letting out a soft roar, Black raised his long neck and looked down at the only elf who showed no fear—Professor Nelson.
—He looks a lot like that old mage who often appears by my master's side.
Black thought so, but there was one decisive difference: this old man was too weak, completely unlike that immensely powerful old mage.
As the Dragon Horse pondered, Professor Nelson cleared his throat and began speaking to Black in ancient Dragon Tongue: "Greetings, powerful being..."
As a linguistics professor proficient in various languages, even the strange tongues of myths and legends, Nelson had come on a mission to communicate with this immensely powerful Volcano Dragon. But halfway through, he noticed that Black's eyes were full of confusion, as if he didn't understand what was being said.
—Strange. A dragon that doesn't know Dragon Tongue?
This put Nelson in a difficult spot. He knew other languages, but if the Volcano Dragon couldn't even understand Dragon Tongue, then other languages had little chance of being understood.
Still, to fulfill his duty, the white-haired language master switched to another language—this time, the legendary language of the Fairies. It was strangely beautiful, like singing, with ever-changing tones that perked Black up. He happily nodded along to the rhythm, tapping the ground with his dragon claws, creating a very rhythmic beat.
—This guy doesn't understand a word! He's just treating it like a song!
Professor Nelson had to immediately stop this communication. He was shocked to find that this Volcano Dragon not only appreciated music but also had a good sense of rhythm. For a moment, he even thought that Fairy language might be quite suitable for singing.
But the mission was important. Even though Black showed displeasure at the music stopping, Nelson switched to another language to try again. This time, it was the Outer Language used by Elemental Lifeforms. To the ear, it sounded like meaningless roars.
To Black, it was indeed meaningless, because he started roaring back, as if not to be outdone. How could a white-haired elf be louder than a dragon? This communication naturally ended in failure.
Nelson was extremely unwilling. He refused the soldiers' suggestion to return and stayed put, trying various languages to communicate. Black seemed to treat it as a game, playing a call-and-response game with the white-haired elven professor, feeling quite cheerful.
—This guy clearly often communicates with intelligent beings, but what language does he use?!
After a while, having used various languages—including Stone Spirit, Giant, Halfling, and various Beast Tongues—Professor Nelson finally felt exhausted. He began to doubt whether the creature was truly intelligent. But the facts showed that the Volcano Dragon's intelligence was quite high, on par with elves. He not only appreciated good music but could also accompany himself with dragon roars, showing considerable musical cultivation in a sense.
"Let me try this one last time..." Although he thought it unlikely, Nelson had no other choice. Night had fallen, and he hadn't eaten dinner yet; his body couldn't take much more. "In ancient legends, the language used by the Plains People... Although it has nothing to do with dragons, it seems to be the only one I haven't tried."
With the mindset of finishing quickly and going home for dinner, the slightly tired white-haired elf spoke in the Plains People's language: "Excuse me, can you understand?"
Hearing the familiar tone, Black, who had been treating it all as a game, immediately turned his head and stared seriously at Professor Nelson with his huge dragon eyes, as if waiting for the next sentence.
—Strong reaction!
The old elf was greatly encouraged. Recalling the vocabulary of the Plains People's language, he began to speak somewhat haltingly: "Greetings, powerful Volcano Dragon. I am a representative of the Bay Federation's elves..."
"Growl!"
At this point, Black shook his head. He let out a series of varying-length dragon roars at the bewildered elven professor, as if conversing.
"What... what are you saying?" Nelson wiped the sweat from his brow. He could now confirm that this Volcano Dragon understood his words and was a fully intelligent being. But he couldn't understand the dragon's words—they weren't Dragon Tongue, just simple beastly roars.
—What's going on?! A dragon that doesn't speak Dragon Tongue but understands the Plains People's language, and communicates by roaring? What is he even saying?!
What else could he be saying?
Black had roared so many times, mainly expressing two meanings.
One was: "My name is Black, not Volcano Dragon."
The other was: "Dialects are hard to understand. Please speak standard Common Tongue. Thank you."