Under the Red Dragon.

Chapter 424 Called King
Monica stared blankly at the scene unfolding before her eyes, the perfect fantasy that had once existed in her heart now transformed into a real and tangible scene.

The Dragon Nest Mountain Range could perhaps also be called the Nest of Ten Thousand Dragons.

In the endless, verdant ancient forest mountain range, the traces of countless dragons are so numerous that even a dragon with the natural ability to see hundreds of kilometers away cannot count them all.

Even though these numerous dragons appear extremely sparse scattered among the towering mountains, their extraordinary, existential presence is immediately noticeable.

This is an incredibly terrifying thing for other intelligent creatures and beasts; for the apex predators to live together in such a large group would be a disaster.

According to the dragon research records of the Golden Empire, ordinary wild beasts and extraordinary species in nature need to eat at least 20% of their own body weight in food every day to maintain a highly active state.

A young dragon needs to consume at least 40% or more of its own body weight in food every day in order to maintain high efficiency in the education and training programs arranged by the Empire.

If you lie flat in your own nest, you can reduce the amount of food you need by at least half.

Dragons entering adolescence consume twice as much energy as young dragons, and their daily food intake is almost equal to their own body weight.

Only when the dragons enter adolescence and their energy efficiency from the outside world reaches a higher level can they slightly reduce their need for food.

However, in order to grow themselves and because of the dragons' characteristic of consuming everything and integrating it into their own slight growth, the dragons never lack food.

Although outsiders cannot know how many resources the great dragons of the Golden Empire spent raising these young dragons, even if they were provided with ordinary living conditions, these countless young dragons could devour all the poultry and livestock in a large ranch in a single day.

However, this extremely terrible disaster was nothing short of a miraculous dreamland for the dragon.

"How is this possible? How can dragons live together with lesser dragons? These inferior dragons are only fit to be ruled by dragons, not to be on par with them..."

Iron Dragon Morton stopped at the precipice ahead. Looking up, he saw the massive, scaled castles of the various dragon kings of the Golden Empire standing atop the main mountain ranges.

The Azure Thunder Fortress represents the Blue Dragon, the Crimson Palace represents the Red Dragon, the Green Palace represents the Green Dragon, and the Blackfire King's Fortress and the Everfrost Fortress represent the Black Dragon and White Dragon, respectively.

These Dragon King Fortresses stand atop the mountain, shrouded in thunder and lightning, poisonous fire and glaciers, like the majestic head of a giant dragon covered in thorns looking down.

Below these dragon king fortresses are many independent nests built against the cliffs. Some are exactly like the nests of wild dragons, while others have been carefully crafted to resemble human dwellings.

Iron Dragon Morton could see that there were many baby dragons and young dragons in these nests, including various kinds of secondary dragons, but the majority were the young of the five-colored dragons.

The nests and dwellings of these young dragons are located in the middle section of the mountain range, while the outer perimeter of the mountain range is where the nests of the great dragons are built against the mountain, surrounding various dragon kings.

But Morton's face showed disbelief, not only because of the many dragons in front of him, but also because the iron dragon felt it was a dream.

This is because even the gentlest dragons will not live with lesser dragons. Even though the Iron Dragon Morton also treats his lesser dragons as subjects, the hierarchy between those lesser dragons and the sub-Iron Dragons is still very clear.

Monica's beautiful face was also filled with surprise as she looked at the red dragon Nero, who had a mysterious smile on his face, and asked, "Among dragons, there is an innate sense of territory. No matter what kind of dragon it is, it is difficult for them to tolerate their personal space being encroached upon."

"Moreover, they are not all the same kind of dragons. Various dragons are mixed together, including metal dragons, five-colored dragons, and secondary dragons. How can they get used to this kind of lifestyle?"

As they gradually climbed the main road leading to the Imperial Dragon Court, the commanding view allowed Monica to clearly see the situation on the distant mountain ranges on both sides of the main ridge.

The massive Dragon Mountain Range stretched endlessly, its eastern and western ends obscured. Monica even suspected that this mountain range had erected an insurmountable barrier in the sea.

"The existence of social civilization determines the consciousness of social civilization, and the consciousness of social civilization can in turn influence the existence of social civilization."

A gentle, youthful voice rang out. It wasn't Nero, the red dragon, speaking, but rather another dragon-man climbing up behind them.

This dragon-man was equally handsome, with pupils that seemed to hold the power of lurking thunder, but he was gentler than the red dragon Nero, making the menacing blue dragon blood on his head and horns seem less imposing.

The beautiful girl with a green jade crown on her head, who was standing next to Blue Dragon Blood, cast her emerald green eyes at Monica and Iron Dragon Morton. A hazy green hue flowed in her eyes, as if brewing something bad.

“Caesar, Salera,” Nero saw his former companion and a hint of joy appeared on his face, but he only nodded slightly.

“So you are the Monica who has troubled Nero, this busy man, to come to my door in person,” Caesar said, turning his gaze to the fairy dragon. “You certainly have your own outstanding charm. No wonder Nero didn’t come to see me after returning to the Empire.”

Monica paused slightly. In the eyes of this blue dragon, she did not see any possessiveness of the five-colored dragon towards beauty, but the appreciation in its eyes was genuine.

Only the green dragon's eyes revealed a hint of comparison, but before Monica could respond, the blue dragon Caesar had already passed her and walked towards the iron dragon Morton in front of her.

"Don't misunderstand, this is just Caesar's personality,"

Salera suddenly laughed and explained to her companion, "He thinks he's already made his stance clear to you, so he doesn't care about your stance anymore."

"Without such a strong attitude, Caesar would not be able to maintain his position as the most powerful among the second-generation dragons of the empire. After all, not all dragons are like us, who have grasped the true meaning of the dragon. They are still just dragons."

"Within the empire, there is only the distinction between true dragons, giant dragons, and non-dragons; there are no inherently strict hierarchical rules governing secondary dragons and giant dragons,"

Blue Dragon Caesar stood proudly beside Iron Dragon Morton, giving the 'Steel King' a meaningful look.

“Every generation has its own mission. This generation of young dragons is the beginning of exploring the future social structure of the Dragon Empire and Dragon Civilization.”

"This is also the starting point for the Golden Empire to truly integrate all dragons. Whether they are secondary dragons or giant dragons, only by comprehending the true dragon path of the empire, fully controlling their own source desires and bloodline power, and crowning their power with wisdom, can they stand out."

Blue Dragon Caesar said calmly, "By the Empire's standards, Morton, you can only be considered a slightly stronger dragon, far from meeting the standards of a true dragon. Within the Empire's system, you don't even have the qualifications to wield power independently."

"To merge all dragons?" Morton, the Iron Dragon, had a violent glint in his eyes.

Karon Gogmora holds the title of True Dragon Emperor in the world of Ekania, and is referred to by many outsiders as the Dragon Emperor. But even the most fanatical believe that the title of this ruler of the Golden Empire is only related to the ten true dragons commonly known.

Even though Morton the Iron Dragon had exaggerated Caron Goggmora's ambitions during his verbal exchange with Nero the Red Dragon, he never imagined that the dragons of the Golden Empire harbored ambitions far more terrifying than he had exaggerated.

But now, even Morton the Iron Dragon has to wonder if these mad monsters do indeed have a high chance of achieving temporary success in the mortal realm.

Having witnessed the superiority of the true dragons of the Golden Empire, the path of the true dragon will become the goal sought by many dragons who aspire to power.

"However, no matter how brilliant the Golden Empire is, it does not possess absolute supreme military power. Once it touches certain supreme realms, it will invite ruthless attacks, even if those realms require a great price to achieve."

Iron Dragon Morton's eyes flickered, but he didn't say these words aloud.

Blue Dragon Caesar didn't care what Morton was thinking; he was simply stating his opinion.

Because Blue Dragon Caesar had long understood through his years of political experience that there is no absolute right or wrong in the world, since everyone's thoughts, desires, and wants are different. There is only strength and weakness, but the weak can only slowly understand what the strong have instilled in them.

"See those dragon lairs?" Blue Dragon Caesar said, pointing to the dragon lairs built within the mountains surrounding Dragon King's Fortress. "These dragons are the great dragons who haven't mastered the true path of dragons."

"Within the empire, these dragons enjoy absolute safety and a life of abundance, but they are also subject to many constraints,"

"Only by becoming a true dragon in the Gogmora dragonflight can one be qualified to separate from the main lineage of the Dragon King, possess an independent private territory, have the right to wield independent power, and have the ability to assume greater responsibilities."

Blue Dragon Caesar smiled slightly and said, "With the Empire's capabilities, providing every great dragon with an absolutely private space to build its lair is not difficult at all."

"But this rule is not only because the Dragon Civilization needs to cultivate a sense of community and cohesion, but also because it is a small driving force that propels these great dragons toward the path of true dragons."

Iron Dragon Morton looked at the young blue dragon with some confusion, still unable to discern the other's purpose.

"I mean,"

Blue Dragon Caesar slowly said, "This is the superiority of a true civilization. Even the smallest detail will have countless elites considering and pursuing it for us, instead of the original dragons living like wild beasts, with strength as the absolute reference."

"Your race of iron dragons once possessed this potential, but you were unable to achieve it. Morton, when you ascend to the royal palace, remember to respectfully bow to my king!"

Blue Dragon Caesar lifted his foot and walked uphill, his back straight and tall, his words echoing in Morton's ears.

"What Emperor Goggmora brought to the empire and the dragons was not merely appearances, but a spirit and will that even the dragon gods could not leave behind,"

"So when you see Him, remember to praise His glorious name!"

Until Iron Dragon Morton and Fairy Dragon Monica stepped into the Dragon Royal Court, the two foreign dragons were impacted by the civilization shaped by the Golden Empire. Even the smallest detail was filled with the vitality and life force that this dragon civilization should have, and there was also a sense of weight that should not be in this young empire.

So when they saw the majestic Dragon Royal Court before them, Iron Dragon Morton and Fairy Dragon Monica were not surprised at all, but rather felt it was only natural.

This is how the royal court of the Golden Empire should be!
The royal court was filled with a gentle atmosphere, where the aromas of food, tea, and wine mingled with the scent of sandalwood and the delicate perfumes of the maids.

The entire palace seemed to be enveloped in a hazy mist of fragrance, as beautiful as a dream.

Thanks to Nero the Red Dragon's guidance, Monica was able to occupy a prominent position in the Dragon Court, which allowed her to meet many renowned figures of the Golden Empire.

One after another, legion commanders whose titles were already circulating in the outside world arrived. War lizardmen, ogres, barbarians, trolls, centaurs, snake demons, and other intelligent races from almost every intelligent species in the world of Ekania gathered in this magnificent palace.

Monica even saw giants and grey dwarves living in the dark depths, races as rare as dragons, who were also a steadfast part of this diverse empire.

The diverse array of races and creatures made Monica forget even the fine wine and food in front of her, and the Fairy Dragon, who enjoyed interacting with intelligent beings, thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere.

As one after another, large dragons entered the palace, the gentle music in the entire palace began to fall silent.

Behind each enormous five-colored dragon and metal dragon was a string of young dragons, fledglings, and juvenile dragons, lined up on both sides of the royal court, and the atmosphere began to become somewhat solemn.

Even the usually noisy and chattering dragon chicks were unusually calm, each one sticking out their bottoms and tilting their little heads to look around.

Over the years, the newly born dragon hatchlings have grown up listening to the stories of the empire's previous great dragons, but many of them have never been able to meet the empire's supreme king, the lost Dragon Emperor, and thus they hold great expectations.

As the dragon, accompanied by the royal orchestra, began to play its majestic music, and its powerful voices filled the air, everyone and all the dragons in the hall stood up.

"Fight to the death for me!"

"I will turn the whole world upside down,"

"The masses are about to cry out,"

"Call me king!"

Amidst the roar of the mighty dragon, a colossal dragon silhouette appeared and disappeared in the smoke, like an ancient giant god.

Unparalleled strength, unparalleled will, unparalleled majesty, and an incomparable physique.

All the people and all the dragons saw the Dragon Emperor of the Empire standing before them, blocking out all the light of day and casting shadows as large as mountains.

(End of this chapter)