Under the Red Dragon.

Chapter 197 Respect

The sun sank behind the mountains and the earth was dim.

As the entire triumphal ceremony and founding ceremony came to an end, the hustle and bustle of the city dissipated into every household, lights gradually lit up, and smoke rose.

But the tops of the mountains became unusually noisy.

Climbing up the mountain ladder to the Dragon King Castle, there are torches burning on both sides. Looking up from the bottom of the mountain, it looks like dots of lights connecting the entire sky and the earth, deep into the clouds dyed red by the twilight.

Even after a day of hard work, there are still groups of people climbing up the wide white stone steps, chatting and laughing.

Although these people spoke in a relaxed and natural tone, the excitement on their faces and the pride suppressed in their hearts could not be erased.

Because they are all the lucky ones who were invited to attend this important dinner by the Dragon King, who ruled the entire empire and ascended the throne today, the supreme ruler of the empire, Karon Gogmora.

This means that their achievements are watched by the Dragon Emperor who sits high on the throne and is given extra recognition in this way.

In the past, many people considered it a great honor to be invited by the owner of the Dragon King Castle.

After leaving the dragon's castle, now the royal court, many people kept bragging about the palace high up in the mountains.

Legend has it that this palace is the most luxurious, spacious and majestic palace in the world.

There you can enjoy all the fine wines and delicacies in the world, and see all kinds of rumors about the most beautiful women in the world.

Some bards even compare the dragon's palace to the gods' palace on earth. There is nothing you cannot enjoy, only things you cannot imagine.

Even the devils in hell and the demons in the abyss were jealous of the dragon for having such a palace.

Some poets who specialize in writing obscene stories even write about it in their stories.

In order to satisfy his lust, the powerful and brutal red dragon imprisoned the angels in heaven and the succubus in the abyss deep in the palace, torturing and whipping them day and night.

Day and night in the palace, the cries of angels, the screams of succubi, and the arrogant and complacent laughter of the red dragon could be heard.

Even some people who have never climbed the mountains believe in such rumors. After all, the generosity and tolerance of the monarch can be bestowed on the people of the territory. For creatures outside, the red dragon will be more majestic if it is more brutal.

Those officials who had the opportunity to step into the palace proudly boasted to their colleagues that although they had only had a quick breakfast and quarreled for several hours the last time they entered the Dragon King's Castle before being driven down the mountain, it did not prevent them from showing off to others as the first comers.

Among those who climbed the mountain one after another were the captains of the Dragon Legion, the gnoll Yugu, the barbarian Gib, the centaur Chiron, as well as important military commanders such as Batholi and some senior officials.

Some warriors who had won significant awards in the war against the orcs were also invited to attend the dinner.

In addition, some accomplished scholars and wizards were also invited, such as alchemy professor Teach, and several scholars who made breakthroughs and optimizations in dragon blood potions, and the inventor Goblin Boom was also among them.

The goblin Shanshan and several leaders of dragon merchant groups also arrived in the territory before today. These talents who made wealth for the dragons were naturally among the invited guests.

Count Renis, who came from the jungle kingdom founded by the vampires, and representatives of various aristocratic forces were invited to participate. Even if the dragon empire would not ally with these forces that took the initiative to extend an olive branch to the dragon group, it would still maintain good relations with them.

"Damn these guys, damn it, ah, ah, ah!"

Watching the group of people climbing to the top of the mountain, Sally, who was once a capable assassin in the Scarlet Rose Mercenary Group and now an outstanding intelligence officer in the Dragon Empire, looked at her teammates' backs angrily and cursed viciously.

The blond magician captain was brought to the dinner because he had made some breakthroughs in his research on magic alloys used to make magic-powered armor.

The Shield Warrior, a powerful holy warrior, is now the centurion of the second company under the First Central Legion of the Dragon Empire. Because of his bravery in combat, he killed six orc warlords and an orc great warlord in battle, and was awarded the Battle Hero Medal. He was also at the dinner.

And young Bill, the master assassin of the Holy Order and current Deputy Minister of the Imperial Unified Planning Department, was also invited to the dinner as a senior official who had made outstanding contributions.

The druid and logistics master in the team also became lucky people because of their contributions. In other words, among the Scarlet Rose Mercenary Group, the unlucky Sally was the only member who failed to reach the top.

The palace on the top of the mountain had already been transformed into a brightly lit temple in the night. Under the advance arrangement of the head maid Chariz, who was once Caron's right-hand man in government affairs, hundreds of maids had already decorated the hall on the first floor of the royal palace.

Several metal dragons have been locked to the pillars of the wide corridor outside the first floor of the castle, guarding the gate of the castle.

Silver Dragon Chris, the holy Valkyrie worshipped by many metal dragons, suffered the greatest humiliation in her life. The head that she could hold high during parades was now buried deep between her claws.

The two bronze dragons also turned their heads away and remained silent. Although dragons do not feel ashamed, they are quite proud.

Only the ancestral golden dragon Obilash, this unlucky yet lucky golden dragon, chose to sleep on the spot despite his serious injuries, which undoubtedly avoided great embarrassment.

Even though Charon had said he would do this on the battlefield, some people who had some connection with those metal dragons still couldn't believe that the Red Dragon Lord would really do this.

Because in their view, although the red dragon is covered with red scales, it is more rational and wiser than the smartest gold and silver dragons, and will not make such an unwise choice.

Moreover, this is also an extremely excessive humiliation for those proud metal dragons. What's more, the famous Good Dragon Alliance has countless powerful metal dragons. It is impossible to allow these giant dragons to be tied like dogs in front of the gate of the red dragon's castle to guard the door.

Although this made them realize that the Dragon Emperor who ascended the throne was a man of his words, they would occasionally worry about the newly established Golden Empire.

However, when they stepped into the palace-like castle, all their worries were thrown behind them.

They had never been to the palace of the gods, so they didn't know how it compared to the palace of the Red Dragon Lord. But as they stood in the palace, under the countless dazzling lights, they couldn't seem to see the exquisite dome above their heads. The huge marble pillars with exquisite carvings were like pillars supporting the sky.

Thousands of people gathered together, occupying only a small area in the hall. The vast space seemed to have no end under the light. Even the empty throne of the king seemed extremely high and untouchable in their eyes.

The hall of the royal castle was filled with long tables made of precious wood, covered with layers of exquisite silk cloth, and countless tempting foods were placed on the exquisite gold and silver tableware.

There are a wide variety of game such as white-horned bison, chamois, wild boar, mountain deer, river and sea delicacies such as lamprey, sturgeon, pike, perch, and mountain birds such as swan, pheasant, and heron, all either roasted or cooked.

There were also other drinks such as milk wine, mead, fruit wine, and even the quite expensive Hippocrates sweet wine purchased from the southern trade was carried up in barrels.

There were countless spices in the exquisite silver dishes, including nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, etc. There was also an unlimited supply of safflower, one pound of which was enough to buy a normal horse, and ten pounds of sugar, which could be exchanged for a good horse.

Even so, there were still slim and beautiful maids bringing up all kinds of food like a stream. This luxurious scene made even the vampire Count Renis, who was used to extravagance, dumbfounded.

You have to know that there was once a war that lasted for several years in the dragon's territory. In other human kingdoms, slightly poorer countries, even the king might not be able to guarantee that he would have meat for several meals a day.

It is conceivable how wealthy the dragon group once was.

After these people were stunned by the luxury and grandeur of the palace and the wealth of the dragons, they noticed that the giant dragon lords were sitting on thrones in the distance, talking and laughing, speaking freely, discussing policies or talking about interesting things.

This was also influenced by Charon. He and the dragons in the dragon group hated those cumbersome procedures and excessive etiquette, so they tried to be as casual as possible in private.

However, the young red dragon Caedilos and other dragons that joined the dragon group later did not have the title of Dragon Lords, so they just lay on the exquisite and soft blanket.

In front of them is a huge table, on which are placed the favorite foods of dragons of different scales.

Some officials and their families wanted to step forward and salute the dragon lords, but they were driven back by the impatient dragon lords.

As the Dragon Emperor, Charon possesses a natural majesty, and so do these dragon lords.

Therefore, they do not need to deliberately show and maintain their majesty. What they should show now is the tolerance and easy-going nature of the dragon.

The officials and invited guests quickly relaxed in this atmosphere, threw away their restraints and started talking freely.

Except for some specific people, everyone can sit wherever they like.

The guests arrived one after another, and the maid waiting outside the gate of the royal castle gently rang the golden bell hanging on the wide corridor, which also meant that the banquet officially began.

Fortunately, Karon did not keep others waiting for long. He did not need to deliberately put on the airs of a ruler. The moment the golden bell stopped, the figure of the Red Dragon Lord stepped into the hall from the back garden of the royal castle and ascended the throne.

The sounds in the hall disappeared instantly, the dragon lords stopped talking, and all the guests stopped talking and laughing, looking at the king with a calm and majestic temperament.

But to everyone's surprise, the red dragon sitting high on the throne was extremely decisive.

Caron raised the huge golden cup, glanced at the audience, then raised the corners of his mouth, revealing his thick, long, white fangs.

"The first cup of wine is to all the dragons in the dragon group who fight for the empire. I toast to their noble courage and fearless determination."

"Cheers to the dragon!"

Everyone responded, toasting each other, and even the dragons raised their huge wine glasses that were as big as buckets and gulped down the wine.

After the head maid beside him refilled the wine glass, Karon raised his glass again: "The second glass of wine is for all the warriors of the dragon group, for their loyalty and bravery!"

"To the loyal warriors!"

The dragons responded, and everyone joined in the voice, raising their glasses to drink again.

Karon nodded slightly and continued, "The third glass of wine is for all the officials of the Dragon Group. I want to toast their hard work and wisdom!"

"Respect the wisdom of hard work!"

Karon raised the last glass of wine and laughed loudly, "A toast to the dead heroes of the dragon group. Cheers to their sacrifice and perseverance!"

"Salute to the unyielding heroic spirit!"

The atmosphere in the hall gradually became warmer with the continuous toasts.

The copper dragon Alfred's pupils rolled around. When Kalon put down his cup, he raised it again and said loudly, "One more cup, to the leader of the dragon group, the monarch of the empire, Kalon Gogmora!"

The dragons stood up, all the guests stood up, and they raised their glasses together.

"Respect to the leader of the dragons, the monarch of the empire!"

Caron smiled faintly and raised his glass again, "Let's drink together and toast to our future!"

(End of this chapter)