Under the Red Dragon.

Chapter 448 The Eve of Sleep

As the sun sets, the mountains turn a hazy yellow.

This is the time when the actual banquet takes place in the Dragon King's Court.

Some have said that while attending a party in the Dragon King's Court is certainly something to be proud of, stepping into the Dragon King's Court's back garden is what truly signifies entering the core of the Golden Empire.

In fact, this statement is not standard enough.

Those who are allowed to enter the Dragon King's Court's back garden party have all undergone countless screenings by the Empire's Dark Raven Eye, but their position is not the primary consideration.

Each time, the Dark Raven's Eye will randomly select a few lucky individuals from the chosen pool according to the needs of each selection, and then report to Princess Garune of the Naga and Head Maid Chariz for review and approval.

The assassin Sally, who has now been promoted to the head of a large group in the Imperial Intelligence Department and was once known as the 'Shadow Widow', was chosen to enter the Royal Court's back garden entirely because of the presence of Sully, the partner of the Imperial Dragon King Kamid.

Besides Sally, a wealthy young woman who is still single, many other mid- to low-ranking officials who have been vetted and whose stance toward the Empire has been tested also bring their families into the back garden.

To rule the empire, one must employ both kindness and severity.

Many officials in the lower and middle ranks of the empire, despite their excellent abilities, still need time and outstanding political achievements to be promoted, and currently have no access to the core high-ranking officials of the empire.

However, such gatherings can also express the recognition of the many dragon kings and emperors of the empire for those low-ranking officials who work diligently, and can also inspire the fighting spirit and cohesion of many low-ranking officials.

However, these minor tasks were all handled by the maids around Caron, so Caron didn't need to worry about them.

As the eldest daughter of a noble family, Lady Charlize had been by Caron's side for a long time and had long since mastered these methods.

As a princess of the Naga race, Galun may not be as skilled as Zarya in governing her subjects, but she is quick to grasp the essentials.

In the back garden, all sorts of magical plants bloomed and vie for attention, but none could outshine today's protagonist—Kamid's partner, Suli.

The fountain in the garden sprayed water that reflected the colorful rainbow, as if draping the goddess in a halo, making her bright and beautiful.

Many officials sat opposite, while their spouses and wives sat beside Sully, chatting quietly. Sally was also among them, looking enviously at Sully's delicate crown of twelve gemstones and her shimmering cloak.

Even Su Li's hands were adorned with matching ruby ​​and ivory bracelets, and her ankles, slightly exposed beneath her long dress, were also adorned with gold anklets. With the slightest movement, the small bells on the gold anklets would emit a melodious sound.

"The fact that His Majesty was able to access His Majesty's treasury to select this complete set of treasures demonstrates His Majesty's affection for Her Majesty Sully and his favor towards Her Majesty Kamid,"

"This magnificent attire perfectly complements Her Majesty Sully's noble bearing,"

A young lady, also dressed in her finest attire, attended the party in the back garden, which had a very relaxed atmosphere, like a picnic.

There wasn't even a seating arrangement; even low-ranking officials could freely approach the Dragon King. Except for a few officials who kept talking and trying to show off, who were eventually sent flying by a single claw from a certain red-scaled Dragon King when he got impatient with them.

However, the families of these officials still take this very seriously.

"But Her Majesty Suli's outfit must have a significant history, after all, even I, a magic apprentice, sensed the powerful spiritual light emanating from Her Majesty Suli,"

The noblewoman exclaimed, "The treasures that can enter His Majesty Gogmora's treasury are extraordinary."

Su Li shook her head, revealing four pearly white teeth with a generous smile, and said, "I don't know what's so special about my attire, but His Majesty's treasury is truly dazzling."

"You wouldn't believe it, when I first entered the treasure vault, I was completely paralyzed. I was thinking then, maybe I'm a dragon without a true dragon form,"

Suli's words made everyone around her laugh. In the empire, dragons were considered the most precious creatures, and who wouldn't want to become a dragon?

"I'm still only at the outermost layer of the treasure vault. In the end, it was Camid who personally chose this outfit for me!"

"I think I might know something about your outfit,"

Sally, this young heiress, has an exceptionally sharp eye and a wealth of information due to her work in intelligence. She has made a fortune by buying up and promoting the sale of the Dragon Eternal Card at rock-bottom prices, and is now a wealthy woman who owns mansions in various cities of the empire.

"Oh, I was curious too, but when I asked that lazy guy Kamid, he knew nothing at all, which really annoyed me,"

Suli looked at Sally, who was dressed in a tight-fitting magical armor set, and felt a bit of goodwill towards this heroic female assassin.

"This is the Iolum Longevity Set,"

Sally smiled and said, "There aren't many complete sets of magic armor left in the Empire. I've only seen them on Her Excellency Bathory, the commander of the Wyvern Legion. Apart from that, only Her Majesty Sully possesses them."

"It is said that the Iolum Set is a magical suit created by the Imperial Ministry of Magic based on the principle of the super-rank magic, the Iolum Longevity Technique, and possesses miraculous powers,"

"It can not only grant a long life to a mortal who knows nothing about magic, but also subtly improve the wearer's physique."

A chorus of exclamations arose from the surrounding crowd. As a kingdom of dragons and magic, there were many ways to grant a person a long life.

But no matter which kind it is, it is not knowledge that can be taught casually. Even dragon blood is the most precious thing in the empire.

Moreover, maintaining a youthful appearance has always been a passion for women.

"This kind of thing is a rare treasure no matter where it is. It seems I am indeed very lucky."

Su Li smiled slightly, revealing her white teeth.

Sally nodded and said, "It is indeed a rare treasure. It is said that the Iolum Longevity Technique has no side effects, but the price transferred to other substances is complete annihilation."

"Therefore, the study of this super-level magic has been listed as one of the forbidden spells by the Empire. Although this super-level magic can still be found in the Empire's National Library, even within the Empire, only a few archmages are qualified to learn this magic. Archmage Morvanred and Archmage Laperth are two of them."

"It is said that many ancient mages hidden throughout the world of Ekania have come to learn this spell because of the existence of the empire. Many mages are even willing to give up their entire fortune to gain the qualification to learn this spell."

Suli nodded, learning with great interest about every anecdote about the Golden Empire.

Her gaze lingered elsewhere; in the vast back garden, there existed not only this small group of humans, but also many more dragons.

The new generation of empire's young gathered under the World Tree Owo to play and chase each other. Occasionally, the little Pike sprites that flew through the flowers would be caught in the claws of the young dragons, making the Pike sprites yell and shout angrily at the young dragons for interfering with their work.

The Titan Serpent Hanirik slithered down from the World Tree and patrolled the garden to ensure his father's party would not be disturbed.

This demonic python was born without magical abilities, so it has not yet transformed into a humanoid form, but its gentle aura and personality have won the hearts of many.

Suli's gaze then shifted to the young dragons of the Empire. They were gathered together, chatting amongst themselves. Many of the Empire's young dragons also stared expectantly at these new generation members, just as the young dragons had watched the Empire's great dragons with equal interest. Suli liked this atmosphere. In this alien kingdom where everyone was different from her, she felt a stronger sense of family than when she was at the foot of the sacred Mount Olympus.

Especially after learning about the dragons over the past few days, Suli has gained another reason to love the Goggmora dragonflight.

"That old dog Lypnos, he's lived for at least several thousand years and still has no discernment,"

Nero, the red dragon, sat cross-legged in front of a fountain, baring his fangs and grinning maliciously, "He will die in our hands sooner or later!"

"He will witness the might of the dragons and the empire, but for now we can only be patient. Both the empire and we need time."

Achilles' face also contorted with rage, and this time he wholeheartedly agreed with Nero's propositions and statements.

“Let the dragons of the Empire awaken from their slumber,” the blue dragon Caesar swayed his thick, long tail, his eyes fixed on the movements of the dragons in the Goggmora dragonflight.

He added, "This time, it's a matter of trading time for time. According to the estimates of the Empire's think tanks, the chaos caused by releasing the information will be enough for the Empire's dragons to smoothly transition back to their slumber and awaken."

"It's not just about diverting attention from the Empire for a while, drawing the attention of the Empire's hidden enemies to a larger target; it's also a major review of the Empire's journey beyond the world of Ekania, truly embarking on the path of the Astral Plane,"

Blue Dragon Caesar bared his fangs and sneered, "The Empire needs to know which forces outside the world of Ekania are close to the Empire, which are hostile, and which can be persuaded to remain neutral."

"The Empire needs to know even more: how many truly powerful individuals exist in this star system, who they are, and how many dragon races and factions exist within it,"

"As for Lipunos, that old dog blocking our way, he's just one of our targets! Although he's powerful, he's not qualified to be the Empire's true enemy! He's only a target for a period of time!"

The green dragon Salera chuckled softly, "To be honest, things are still developing outside. If it weren't for the fact that the empire itself currently needs power to ensure the Dragon King and Emperor's peaceful slumber, I would have liked to mingle with the dragons who have come running and head to the world of Lipunos."

"Look around, just how many powerful figures and geniuses in this world can be compared to those in the empire!"

"Go if you want."

Derrick, the Cloud Dragon, stood with his four claws on the clouds and casually remarked, "Anyway, the Assassin's Court of the Empire will send quite a few dragons to infiltrate that world, with the Grey Dragon Naro as their commander."

"With this information concealed, even if Lipunos is powerful, he will not be able to distinguish which dragons are truly imperial and which are driven by greed,"

"If you manage to find an opportunity to rescue Her Majesty Chris, it would be a great achievement!"

The fairy dragon Monica sat to one side, her gaze lingering on the vicinity of the Dragon Group, and she let out a barely perceptible sigh.

Having received a reply from Grand Duke Dracula allowing them to negotiate, the fairy dragon had put aside many of her worries and was now drawn to other things.

The remaining young dragons, gathered around these few young dragons, have formed a centripetal force group of the second-generation giant dragons.

Among them was a young dragon, the very same Eastern dragon that had once appeared beneath the nest of the Karon dragon, named Dongwu!

Young dragons have their own topics, and older dragons have theirs.

For humans on earth, five generations living together is already considered legendary, but for the dragon race, it's not impossible for ten generations of dragons in the Golden Empire to live together in the future, as long as the dragons are willing to reproduce.

Although the second-generation young dragons in the empire have begun to show their talents, the great dragons of the empire are the true pillars of the empire, and thus have become the center of the back garden.

However, due to their enormous size, the dragons were not as scattered as the other groups. Instead, they sat cross-legged on the soft carpet, talking and communicating with each other to reach a consensus.

"Alfred and I can delay our slumber by three years,"

Queen Alina, the Bronze Dragon, sat beside the garden fountain. The current female Bronze Dragon was majestic, exuding the aura of an ancient dragon lord, attracting the attention of all dragons.

"The handover of imperial affairs will be completed gradually over the next three years, but Karon and your slumber will not be disturbed,"

The bronze dragon looked at Kleinaya, Kamid, and Germott, the young dragons, and said slowly, "You don't need to worry about the follow-up arrangements. We will ensure that your transformation will not be affected in any way!"

The ancestral golden dragon Obirash was also on this list of sleeping dragons. Although this golden dragon was arrogant, its own abilities were not bad.

"The empire's laws, military industry, civil law, organization, economy, and every other aspect must now be reformed. Even while we are asleep, it needs to progress with the times."

“Alina, the burden on you dragons will be very heavy. Based on my own slumber, it will take at least five years, not to mention Charon.”

"Don't worry," Ellie the green dragon wagged her tail and said, "Although I may slack off when I can, all of us dragons who are not asleep will unite around Alina to assist her during this time."

The giant dragons Midil, De Niro, and Naxon all nodded, while the adult golden dragon Naloya and the silver dragon Flo also expressed their agreement.

Cadillos wagged its tail and whispered, "I can also postpone my slumber a little longer..."

“Oh, no need,” White Dragon Ronnie readily replied, “You can go to sleep, Cadillac!”

"After all, your job mainly involves taking care of cubs, and this job, well, is quite replaceable!"

"Besides, your partner Delos will do a great job!"

All the dragons burst into laughter at the same time, and the atmosphere immediately became lively as they looked at Cadilos with a sour dragon face.

But the once bustling back garden suddenly fell silent, so quiet that the sound of the fountain had become the dominant noise.

"What are you talking about, looking so happy!" A deep voice rang out from behind the dragons.

All the great dragons turned around and saw the Zudai Red Dragon and Kalit and Akz standing behind them, while the two young blue dragons, with their massive bodies, looked as thin as boy dragons next to Kalon.

The little elf Raven, hidden inside Charon's scales, looked smaller than one of his scales.

The massive shadow that fell down enveloped the bodies of the surrounding dragons.

"It's nothing, we've been waiting for you!"

The white dragon Garmott and the other dragons spoke in unison!
"Is it,"

Kalon laughed too, his massive body pushing aside the two dragons on either side before lying down on the spot.

"Tell me what's making you happy so I can share in your joy!"

(End of this chapter)