Under the Red Dragon.

Chapter 604 Within the Universe, Several People Reign as Kings

The sky is high and the clouds are light, the autumn wind is brisk.

The northern continent of the world of Aikania is now covered in a blanket of frost, a blend of golden yellow and emerald green.

North of the Golden Empire on the northern continent, the Frost Giant race has multiplied and grown, causing the empire's grasslands to be affected by the extremely cold climate, with frequent frigid currents sweeping across the land.

Even in autumn, a third of the empire's northern grasslands are covered with fine frost.

But in the many plains and hilly areas within the empire, the land was covered in a golden hue.

The large plantation owners, piloting imperial magical machines, harvested crops in the boundless fields, their heads bowed low and almost touching the soil.

And from the loudspeakers of these magical machines, one could faintly hear many songs and melodies that had been passed down in the Empire.

One after another, the Pixie sprites flapped their wings and flew back and forth across the vast fields, conducting on-site audits of the autumn grain production.

Because the laws of the empire clearly stipulate that any citizen of the empire who has mastered a certain amount of land and production resources must report their production activities and resource transactions to a limited extent.

If judged solely by the scale of grain crop production and planting, only large-scale growers with tens of thousands of acres or more can enjoy such treatment.

However, even in the area surrounding Frostleaf City, a municipality directly under the imperial province located in the central plains of the empire, there are as many as 330 such large-scale private plantation owners.

Although this was because the Empire designated the central region as a planting area, it is enough to show the importance that the Empire attaches to the logistical base for food production.

Many family-based farmers drive adult elephants or guide large animals such as land dragons on the grasslands to carry out harvesting work.

These adult giant elephants are controlled by farmers through slave contracts produced on the assembly line of the Imperial Magic Factory. These relatively intelligent beasts are thus manipulated, increasing their production efficiency several times or even dozens of times.

Adult elephants on the grasslands can often reach a height of six meters, with trunks that are two to three and a half meters long.

The maximum distance that the elephant can swing its trunk is about six meters. This means that these grassland elephants and forest elephants can easily harvest crops within a six-meter diameter area simply by gently swinging their flexible trunks while walking.

Once these enormous animals have harvested and transported all the crops, the final processing will be handled by the farmers.

Therefore, when the young Jinlong Lasu stood on the hilltop and looked down at the fields, what he saw was a strange scene where steel machines and giant animals and beasts were clearly separated yet integrated into one.

This gave the young Jinlong an indescribable feeling.

For some reason, Rasu really enjoyed seeing this scene.

Therefore, the young golden dragon tried its best to hide its figure among the red maple leaves covering the mountains. The golden dragon did not seem to be particularly conspicuous in these red maple forests.

"It is said that the slave contracts used by these farmers were only in effect for about a quarter of a year,"

Gail, the silver dragon also hidden in the maple forest, turned his gaze from the distance to his companion beside him and said, "The effects of these enslavement contracts will dissipate every quarter."

"Those farmers would have to buy back the corresponding slave contracts in the market,"

Silver Dragon Gale chuckled, then said mischievously, "I highly doubt that this isn't because, as the factory owners claim, products from magical production lines aren't as reliable as those created by the hands of mages, but rather because the Empire wants to generate a continuous stream of wealth this way."

"Even if a slave contract only costs half a silver in the Empire's market, these small amounts add up over quarter after quarter, enough to make the corresponding industry flourish."

"I even went to check the relevant data. Guess how many people in the empire are currently engaged in agricultural production?"

Young Golden Dragon Rasu's attention was not on the number of people engaged in agricultural production in the empire, but on something else entirely.

The young golden dragon turned its gaze away in surprise and looked at its companion beside it. Its fangs were bared, and its voice grew louder, startling many birds in the maple forest into scattering in all directions.

"What? You mean, a slave contract in the Golden Empire sells for only half a silver?"

"certainly,"

Silver Dragon Gale couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Rasu, you shouldn't just confine yourself to your own mountain territory. You need to go out more, take the initiative to contact the Empire."

"Given the current level of development of the Empire's magical industry, even mid- to high-level magical items can be broken down into numerous small production steps to mass-produce finished products,"

"Even the alchemical tools used by those dwarves, the Fury of Moradin, only cost one-tenth of its original price in the Imperial market,"

"To be honest, I'm quite enjoying life in the Empire right now,"

Silver Dragon Gale laughed and said, "Living in such a country is far more convenient than living in the South we used to live in."

"Many adult and sub-adult metallic dragons who once wanted to expand their territory overseas even felt that such a life was much more comfortable than riding a group of monster familiars who knew nothing."

"With enough money, you can buy almost anything you want in the empire, and with enough merit, you can even learn powerful magic."

“Rasu, I know you have been resisting assimilation into this country, but nowadays there are very few dragons in the south who would resist this country as much as you do.”

"I know, I know everything,"

The fine scales on the young golden dragon's cheeks twitched slightly, indicating a hint of anger, which made the golden dragon's tone somewhat irritable.

"The Gogmora dragonflight has separated our southern dragons around the perimeter of this kingdom to reduce our contact with each other and encourage us to stick together,"

“Every time we Southern Dragons meet, we are almost always within another large group, surrounded by another large group. They want to gradually divide and digest us through this method.”

Jinlong Lasu said angrily, "I don't blame you for being unable to resist such influence and erosion, but it is absolutely impossible for you to make me bow down easily."

"And that damned red dragon Nero, that damned blue dragon Caesar, that damned green dragon Opes, those arrogant bastards,"

“They are older than me, and the gap between us will widen again once they wake up from their slumber, but I will not give up. I will defeat them one day!”

Silver Dragon Gale sighed softly, glancing at his somewhat agitated companion beside him, and said gently, "Lord Fuller said that if you want to change something, you have to acknowledge something, you have to integrate into it."

"Rasu, you can't even face the reason why those dragons are so powerful. How are you supposed to defeat them?"

"Resisting empires means resisting progress. As long as you maintain your current views and ideas, the gap between you and them will only widen until one day you reach your peak maturity, your potential is exhausted, and you will never be able to catch up with them again."

Rasu stubbornly turned his head away, ignoring his companion's advice.

But at that moment, the entire mountain suddenly trembled slightly.

The maple forest covering the mountains was rustling and shaking, as if an earthquake affecting the entire continent was quietly taking place on this land. Not only the mountaintops beneath the two giant dragons, but also the boundless fields in front of them began to tremble.

The rumbling sound was extremely faint, but it was very clear to the ears of the two dragons.

The crops in the fields began to sway, and the Pixie spirits flapping their wings in the air also became somewhat panicked, shouting and urging the farmers in the fields to find safe places to take shelter. But everywhere in sight seemed to be covered by this slight tremor, and countless people began to flee in panic from the fields.

"Damn it, what on earth happened?"

The young golden dragon reacted instantly, shoving the silver dragon beside him with his forepaw and shouting, "Gail, why don't you go back to your own mountain and take a look at those weak creatures in your territory? I have a strong suspicion that this tremor will affect the entire Golden Empire."

Before he could finish speaking, the silver dragon Gale saw Rasu rise from the mountaintop, swooping down and skimming low in the air.

"Don't panic, don't lose your composure,"

The young golden dragon swept across the land like a streak of golden light, letting out a deep and powerful dragon roar.

"With me here, this land will not descend into chaos, and everyone will flock to me!"

Countless farmers in the fields looked up in surprise and shouted almost simultaneously, "Ah, it's the Empire's golden dragon, Lord Rasu, the guardian dragon of Frostleaf City!"

"Yes, hurry, go quickly, go to Lord Rasu's place, that's the mountain palace where Lord Rasu is stationed..."

"What a weak creature, it only causes me trouble,"

As Rasu soared through the sky, he expelled a giant jewel from his belly.

The surface of this precious jewel is smooth, but it is made up of tiny modules that are interconnected, resembling a giant magical crystal creation.

However, countless intricate magical runes flow across the surface of this precious orb. Among them, the magical runes representing the four elements of earth, water, wind, and fire are rapidly circulating under the infusion of the young golden dragon's magic power, thereby achieving a powerful magical function to control the elemental magic power of this area.

The disorder of these elemental magic energies was gradually calmed by the young golden dragon using the giant orb, slowly easing the tremors that surrounded him for miles around.

But the distant land was still experiencing continuous tremors.

However, the young golden dragon was not worried about this, because he had already seen many dragons taking off from the distance.

Among those dragons that rose into the sky were many former companions, metal dragons from the Southern Alliance.

The young golden dragon Rasu descended from the sky onto his mountaintop, but the enormous jewel above his head still maintained a massive influx of magical power.

The farmers who had gradually gathered at the foot of the mountain put aside their worries and began to praise the young Jinlong's achievements.

Many children and teenagers even sang the empire's folk songs at the foot of the hill. Although the voices of these folk songs were faint, they were perfectly clear in the dragon's ears.

"The dragon, perched high in the mountains, is generous and forgiving."

"The dragon promised the creatures that dwell there a land flowing with milk and honey."

"The dragon's eyes are like the sun, watching over its people, who worship with devotion, herding cattle and sheep for the dragon..."

The young golden dragon held its head high, seemingly disdainful of the praises from these weak creatures.

Rasu merely glanced at the enormous jewel above his head and muttered softly, "The low-level core module of the Imperial Law Network seems to be quite useful."

"I wonder what it will be like when the Golden Empire's legal network is fully established and connects the entire territory of the country."

"No natural disasters, no human calamities, only stability."

"That seems like a good idea too."

People and dragons in areas far from the Dragon King's Court could only feel the widespread tremors, but the dragons and creatures within the Dragon King's Court and the surrounding cities experienced an even more terrifying sensation.

When the ancient silver dragon Illum Fuller was also alarmed, he saw that the skies above the Dragon Mountain Range, where the Dragon King's Court was located, were filled with flying dragons.

Even the old golden dragon, Bayuhart, looked up in surprise at the sky above the Dragon King's Court.

Because beneath the sun above the world of Ekania, another black sun suddenly appeared out of thin air.

The small, black sun, resembling a dead star, gradually grew larger and larger, lying horizontally above the Dragon King's court, casting a huge black outline.

However, this black death star sun is not a physical entity in the world of Ekania, but rather a projection.

The tremors that had spread across most of the Golden Empire only gradually subsided after the dead star sun had completely quieted down.

"What's this guy up to now?"

Bayuhart withdrew his prying gaze and muttered to himself, somewhat puzzled.

Even this dragon god sensed a faint threat from that black, dead star sun.

That wasn't fatal, but it was extremely clear.

This made the golden dragon instinctively think that the Dragon Emperor was intimidating its existence.

……

"The magic of the stars, the rules of the celestial bodies, is it?"

Caron Gogmora suddenly opened his seven pairs of vertical pupils and looked into a void of starry sky.

The legendary king Aguna has long since vanished, and even the colossal figure of the neutron death star has disappeared without a trace.

Only the multi-armed giant Mogeyes, who had regained his freedom, and the silent, strange life form existed in the void.

"Star Magic, the Laws of the Stars, are the Emperor's Laws that Aguna used to govern all the laws,"

"He made himself the master of the stars by the laws he created, transforming the thousands of fundamental rules of the universe into the pillars of the stars. No wonder every move he made carried the power to shake the stars,"

Caron sighed, a mix of emotion and regret.

What is poignant is that such a powerful being has passed away over countless years, and even its consciousness cannot remain. Only the shadow of the rules of the past has transformed into its final spirit, bestowing upon itself its understanding of the rules.

Unfortunately, he was unable to compete with such a king in the same era, which must have given Kalon endless motivation.

"Compared to Aguna, how many people in the universe can be considered kings?"

Caron suddenly spoke, his voice low and calm.

(End of this chapter)