Under the Red Dragon.

Chapter 508 Born from Choice

In the height of summer, the Golden Empire's True Dragon Emperor, who had been forcibly captured, was forced to receive the powerful Zerg Queen.

To demonstrate the friendly cooperative relationship between the Golden Empire and the Zerg civilization, the Golden Empire "dispatched" the True Dragon Emperor Kalon Gogmora to host a private banquet for Livzeta. This small banquet was held in the valley outside the central city.

The world of Lipunos is different from the world of Ekania. The original civilization of this world has a relatively short history, so the landscape and vegetation appear to be much older than the civilized lands in the world of Ekania.

In this lush valley, even the smallest trees are over a thousand years old. If it weren't for the different standards of elemental magic in the ley lines, the number of tree people that could be born in this valley would probably be more than a dozen.

Therefore, the female servants who served Kalon used magic scrolls made by the imperial mages for everyday convenience to awaken several tall tree people, transforming and paving the open space in the valley by the lake, and setting up a huge picnic camp.

Apart from the twelve enormous demonic dragons pulling the imperial emperor's carriage, who lay idly nearby, humming incessantly.

And occasionally, the rustling of the ancient tree-men angrily shouts as they tear at the thick green hair on the heads of a few passing tree-men. At the edge of this lake, which is as clear as a green jade mirror, there is only the gentle ripple of the water.

"Eating in this way is completely inefficient, wasting both time and manpower!"

Livzeta frowned slightly, and fine lines appeared on her delicate, upturned nose, as if she were not used to the mundane world.

Based on what Kalon Gogmora currently knows about the Zerg civilization, this Zerg queen is, to some extent, a complete 'vegetarian'. Although much of her life essence is formed by the exploitation and transformation of the lives of living beings, she cannot be considered a carnivore.

"Anything you've enjoyed is not a waste,"

Caron's burly body lay lazily on a thick magic carpet, a relatively practical and high-quality item that had been scavenged from the treasury of that unfortunate fellow, Lipunos.

Not only does it possess the ability to carry massive amounts of weight while flying, it also has a passive defense against any attack magic below the ninth ring.

Most importantly, this magic carpet has been enchanted with mansion magic.

Simply supply the magic carpet with enough elemental magic, and it will automatically draw upon the corresponding elements from the surrounding area to create a huge villa, which can take a day and a night to form with a single supply, making it the perfect choice for travelers.

Kalon found these magical items very interesting. Although he himself had mastered the corresponding magic, every high-quality magical item that he did not own would be coveted by this dragon with a serious collecting obsession.

"enjoy?"

Unlike other females, Livzeta, the Zerg queen, did not favor beautiful coats and luxurious gowns.

As always, she wore an outer garment resembling leather armor, and when she didn't display any majesty or imposing presence, she looked like a valiant female general.

Is this the meaning of life? To enjoy wasting time?

Livzeta picked up a skewer of grilled fish, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, from the food box in front of her with some skepticism. She sniffed it, then took small bites with a mixture of doubt and curiosity.

The mixed taste, unlike the pure life essence, made Livzeta's face fall, but it wasn't unpalatable.

Although this was not the first time the empress had come into contact with the outside world and had witnessed the lives of many humanoid races, Livzeta had never thought of trying the lifestyles of those inferior races.

Charon sprawled on the soft blanket like a cat, completely unconcerned about his appearance. He grinned, revealing his fangs, as he watched the storm giant warriors by the lake, their chests bare, excitedly using their lightning tridents as harpoons.

"The meaning of life lies in every moment, not in clinging to a particular goal. Even gods, who sit high on their thrones, have many who are passionate about various pleasures."

Because only in that way can these beings with long lifespans truly feel alive, and not just be immortal corpses!

Caron turned to look at Livzetta, who had just raised her full golden glass to taste the drink, and said casually, "It's quite interesting to think about."

"Many people abandon their emotions and desires, even their humanity, for the sake of power. But when you become powerful enough, you need to actively seek out these complex things."

"Hmm, don't waste it,"

Caron flicked his tail and raised his head slightly, stopping Livzetta from spitting out the wine in her mouth.

"Is food in the mortal world always so difficult to describe?"

Livzeta frowned as she swallowed the wine, which was quite sour to her taste. Her refined palate, nurtured by the pure essence of life, still found it difficult to accept these ordinary foods with their various flavors.

"For me to experience the lives of ordinary people in order to possess true humanity, it would be more than ten times harder than for me to go deep into hell and the abyss to kill a great demon or a great devil."

"Moreover, I've heard from other legendary powerhouses that your Golden Empire is the wealthiest in your world,"

"Every dragon king's lair in your empire is inlaid with countless gems and paved with thick layers of gold. You still care about this little bit of waste? You truly are the emperor of dragons; even your instinct to hoard wealth is far stronger than that of most dragons in the world."

"Besides, you want me to learn to waste money, but you also want me not to waste money. It's giving me a real headache!"

Caron didn't think the queen before him was stupid and couldn't distinguish the difference, because he himself was a monster, so he understood that the thought processes of many monsters were completely different from those of humanoid races.

He simply sighed seriously, "I don't know how to help you embrace true humanity, but experiencing life like that of the most humane species is always more effective than groping in the dark."

"As for the Empire's reputation for wealth, well, your Zerg civilization is different from the Empire's, so it's naturally difficult for you to understand how much money and resources it would take to wage a war that spans the stars,"

"If the dragon race hadn't spent so much time recuperating and building up its wealth since establishing its nation-states, never initiating wars, and accumulating a substantial fortune, this single expedition would have been enough to bankrupt many powerful empires and kingdoms."

Thinking of this, Kalon couldn't help but grit his teeth.

After all, the Empire's current finances are not particularly strong. In fact, to reduce the burden on the Empire's finances and ensure sufficient surplus for continued development, many transactions are secured by the Empire's political and economic credibility. Moreover, in preparation for the other great dragons in the Gogmora Dragonflight to ascend to godhood in the future, much of the wealth in the private dragon treasuries of the Golden Empire's dragon kings has been flowing out to acquire the power of wealth and treasure, thus meeting the standard requirements for godhood dragons to devour wealth.

As a powerful race of dragons achieving godlike status, the Investiture of the Gods has its minimum standards and requirements.

But even the lowest minimum requirement, which involves acquiring a similar amount of willpower as other types of divine power utilize reputation to transform into strength, is still frighteningly high.

This is one of the reasons why very few dragons have been able to ascend to godhood in this way since the existence of dragon races has been recorded in history.

Based on the findings of the mages in the Imperial Magic Research Department after reviewing countless texts, the current wealth of the Golden Empire is insufficient to support the position of a powerful, divine dragon.

After all, no one wants to be the lowest level of god-like existence. Just like many demon lords in the abyss, they also possess the immortal essence of god-like power, but they cannot truly compare with powerful beings.

Throughout the empire, whether it be the various dragon kings or other great dragons, they are all pursuing a higher path.

Therefore, even in Karon's private dragon treasury, a continuous flow of wealth flowed into the empire, achieving the reuse and recycling of wealth.

On the one hand, it is preparing for the future of the Gogmora dragonflight, and on the other hand, it is promoting a healthy economic cycle for the Empire.

This was enough to allow the Golden Empire, decades after its establishment, to step out of its original material plane and conquer the other side of the starry sky.

"Hey, the wine you just tasted, although it came from the Emerald Garden in Antajena, cost a whopping two gold coins to produce,"

"If sold in the high-end markets of the southern and central continents of the world of Ekania, a single bottle would fetch at least ten gold coins; every sip you taste would be incredibly valuable,"

Charon tilted his head, extended a claw, and pointed to the maids who were still busily carrying fine wine from the interior of his enormous, palace-like carriage. He said, "Don't be fooled by my life's extravagance compared to other mortals; I have never had the habit of wasting anything."

“Those maids, dressed in their finest clothes, never waste a single grain of food! Your behavior will surely displease those hardworking maids!”

Karon's words caused the maids who were standing to the side playing instruments and singing melodious tunes to turn their heads and look over. Several maids smiled sweetly at the dragon, and their mouths continued to sing, producing beautiful voices like those of bards, carrying a magical power.

Many of the maids who followed Caron were no longer the original members.

Many outstanding maids would receive the Empire's Dragon Blood Elixir, gradually transforming into dragon-blooded beings to serve the Emperor until they voluntarily relinquished their duties.

However, many female servants who never received the Dragon Blood Potion, despite being around Caron, possessed stronger physical attributes and longer lifespans than ordinary people.

However, they would usually only serve Charon for a period of ten years before being released from the Dragon Court by the head lady-in-waiting, Chariz, to find their own partners and start families.

These female servants who left the Dragon King's Court were the most sought-after women in the empire, not only because they had accumulated considerable wealth for ordinary people, but also because of their overall qualities.

Moreover, it has become a consensus among the people of the empire that the true dragon emperor does not like to lay hands on his own maids.

In the legends of many bards, the God-Emperor, who sits on the throne of the Empire, favors only those exceptionally powerful female beings, such as the messengers of the heavens and the succubi of the abyss of hell, because only in this way can the Red Dragon's desire for conquest and its primal lust for ravaging be satisfied.

These factors have also led to another popular custom in the Golden Empire: the female servants selected by the Dragon King's Court are often referred to as the beauty queens of the empire.

This is quite different from the beauty pageant held by the Black King Rossani of the former Empire. With the backing of the Imperial Court and the Dragon Emperor, this event is of exceptionally high quality.

Therefore, many of the female servants who left the royal court and started their own families were often trained to become female servants in the royal court, forming a fixed professional system.

Therefore, many of the maids who followed Caron Gogmora had formed a family-like relationship, serving this true dragon emperor for generations!

However, Livzeta found it difficult to understand the true dragon emperor's behavior. She said with some curiosity, "Gorgorra is the supreme dragon emperor of the Golden Empire. His power and status are beyond description in the mortal world."

"Even so, do you really need to care about the opinions of these insignificant lives?!"

Caron's steady gaze pierced through the aroma of food and the steam of the delicious soup mingling between them as he looked at the incomprehensible Queen and smiled faintly.

"It's not that I need to care about their opinions; from a human perspective, this is just my human side,"

Although Caron's physical movements were sluggish, his calm demeanor exuded a confidence that even Livzeta found hard to resist.

"Many rulers always like to be high above, looking down on everything, and regarding the rest of the living beings as pigs, dogs, cattle and horses."

"The development of everything in the world cannot deviate from their will in the slightest, nor can any free will that goes against their will be allowed to emerge under the rule. They can only become puppets under the supreme will, and are not allowed to go astray in the slightest."

"Only those close to them can obtain different rights!"

"But I am different,"

Karon said slowly, "I like to view all living beings under my order as beings with independent personalities, just like the relationship between males and females. I don't like simply possessing them; I prefer to gain their hearts."

"This has nothing to do with right or wrong, it's just a choice made by my own human nature. Perhaps it is because of this that I can achieve a perfect balance with my own excessively strong dragon nature and exceptionally strong divinity."

"One must possess abundant humanity to avoid being completely overwhelmed by divinity and bestiality!"

Livzeta remained silent for a long time before slowly nodding and saying, "Human choices, I think I understand them now. Every choice we make is like a birth of humanity!"

(End of this chapter)