My mom is waiting for treatment, and you're summoning me to be a hero?

Three days later, Longcheng was decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers.

This giant city at the heart of the Dragon Realm hasn't been this lively in a long time.

The ancient dragon trees lining both sides of the street were covered with banners woven with gold thread, embroidered with the totems of various dragon lineages, with the emblems of green dragons, blue dragons, red dragons, and black dragons arranged side by side.

Starting last night, envoys from various ethnic groups began entering Dragon City.

Many people are talking about the Dragon Emperor.

Today, the people who came to the city brought new news.

"...Have you heard? Someone killed that demigod monster from the deep sea yesterday."

"How could I not have heard of him? The Thousand-Eyed Sea Demon, an old monster who has lived for nearly two thousand years, almost wiped out the merfolk before, but last night someone chopped off his head with a single sword."

"He cleaved a demigod monster in two with a single sword strike?"

Ironheart, the dwarf king, carrying his battle axe that was half a head taller than himself, strode up from behind and forcefully squeezed between the two.

"When did demigods become so worthless? This Thousand-Eyed Sea Demon is no weaker than Tashuk; who can cut it down with a single sword strike?"

"I don't know, that person is very low-key."

Tie Xin scratched his chin, a thoughtful glint in his large, bell-shaped eyes.

King Aize, the Elf King, walked at the very back of the group and said only softly, "Let's go, let's get into the city first."

After passing through the city gate passage, everyone slowed down their pace.

The interior of Dragon City was more bustling than any of them had imagined.

It wasn't the kind of solemn, lawless liveliness, but rather a genuine, everyday liveliness full of life.

There was a restaurant run by a man named Green Dragon on the street. Several large pots were set up at the entrance, with an unknown mushroom soup simmering in the steam.

A blue dragon was selling pearl shells he had fished out of the deep lake in the Dragon Realm from a street corner. His words were as fluent as those of a seasoned merchant who had been in the human empire for decades.

A black dragon was building the city wall, carrying stones and timbers as it flew back and forth on the scaffolding.

Several young dragons of different colors chased and played in the alley, rolling around in a ball. Nearby, several old dragons squatted on the steps, drinking tea and playing chess, occasionally raising their heads and roaring to tell the younger ones not to run too far.

Everyone who saw this scene wore strange expressions.

Tie Xin whispered to Aize, "It seems that Hong Lü's methods are indeed brilliant. To be able to integrate so many lineages into one city and keep the various races living in harmony is something that no Dragon Emperor in history has ever accomplished."

Aize nodded: "Yes, I haven't seen many intact cities since I came from Young Dragon City. This shows how violent Hong Lu's methods are. But after suppressing all the races, he was able to restore normal order to all the dragon clans before he ascended the throne. This Hong Lu is even more powerful than I expected."

Upon hearing this, Tie Xin thought for a moment, then scratched the back of his head: "Let's go, let's go to the coronation hall first and see what Hong Lü is like. Speaking of which, how will that kid Lin Mo make his entrance today? Knowing his temper, he'll definitely have to show him some colors in front of the new Dragon Emperor."

……

The main hall of Longcheng, the enthronement ceremony.

The main hall had been rearranged, with gold and silver rune silk coiled around the stone pillars on both sides.

The guest seating was arranged in a fan shape and divided into several sections according to race and power.

The dwarf king Ironheart plopped down in the most prestigious seat at the front, put his battle axe aside, crossed his legs, and began to survey the layout of the hall.

The Elf King Aize sat beside him, his eyes closed in meditation.

The rest of the people took their seats in turn.

However, they all avoided the seat at the very front.

That was precisely the work of the Holy Kingdom of the Tower.

Saint Zefa was already sitting there waiting.

He was wearing a brand-new royal robe, and the wounds on his face had been mostly healed by holy light magic, but the weariness around his eyes could not be hidden no matter what.

He sat in the high-ranking guest seat, his posture appearing upright, but his buttocks only touched half of the chair surface. His back was ramrod straight, but his neck kept nervously turning from side to side.

He was searching for Lin Mo, that jinx.

They even intentionally moved the seat back a few inches so that in an emergency, they could minimize the preparation time for escaping as light elements.

To his left was a gilded gift box containing the three remaining high-grade divine essence crystals of the Holy See.

He originally planned to meet with Honglu privately after the coronation ceremony to exchange the crystal for a military alliance between the Dragon Clan and the Holy Tower Kingdom.

This is the most important purpose of his trip.

The problem is, I haven't seen Hong Lü since I arrived here yesterday.

The thought of this made him so angry he wanted to grind his teeth.

"Is this old man even interested in cooperating? He dares to refuse to see me."

Meanwhile, representatives from various ethnic groups in the guest seats began to chatter amongst themselves.

The goblin representative fiddled with the abacus beads on his wrist, which he used to calculate accounts, and complained to the orc chieftain beside him.

"This new dragon emperor's genealogy is really impressive. Before even ascending the throne, he sent people to deliver letters to each country, specifically asking us to bring more congratulatory gifts. The wording was particularly impolite, almost as if he were saying, 'Don't come if you don't have at least three good things.' In my more than sixty years of life, I have never seen anyone lower themselves to ask for treasures."

The orc leader nodded in agreement.

"Our orc plains are already dirt poor. We dug up our two thousand-year-old Bloodthorn Flowers, which were originally meant for the next chieftain's baptism, as a congratulatory gift. But this Dragon Emperor has an even bigger appetite than Lin Mo."

"Speaking of which, where's Lin Mo?"

The representative of the Stone Skin tribe spoke in a muffled voice, turning his large stone head around and scanning the guests' seats several times.

"He's always present at these kinds of events. He's been there for the Papacy's trials and for the various ethnic groups' meetings. How come he's nowhere to be seen at such a momentous occasion as the Dragon Emperor's ascension to the throne?"

The goblin representative rolled his eyes and chuckled, "Look, he doesn't even have a seat from the human empire. I'm afraid the new dragon emperor didn't even invite him."

Upon hearing this, everyone gave him a disdainful look.

Logically speaking, these minor races should never have been invited to the Dragon Emperor's coronation.

After all, dragons have always been proud.

But this time, you, a mere goblin, have been invited. How could the emperor of the human empire, a rising star of the younger generation on the continent, not be invited?

Wow!

Suddenly, the dragon bell in the main hall rang.

The twelve deep, resonant chimes echoed under the dome, silencing all the whispers and murmurs.

The coronation ceremony began.

After the bell tolled, the holy light in the hall dimmed by a third, leaving only a cylindrical golden beam of light in the center of the high platform, which fell straight onto the dragon throne.

Beside the dragon throne was a conferment platform covered with a scarlet velvet carpet, on which were placed three tokens symbolizing the authority of the dragon clan.

The Dragon Emperor's Scepter, the Dragon God's Seal, and that Black Dragon Spear.

As the music began, the dragon's roar echoed, and all the guests fell silent, their gazes fixed on the golden curtain on one side of the platform.

Behind the curtain was where the new emperor would make his appearance.

The golden curtains were slowly drawn back.

A tall figure walked out, his steps unhurried.

He was still wearing that golden armor, without changing into the dragon emperor's robe, without wearing a crown, and without even adding a cloak.

But the golden armor had clearly been carefully polished, and every scale was so shiny it reflected light.

This person was none other than Ah Jin.

The hall was silent for a moment, then a chorus of whispers rose and fell.

"What's going on? The Dragon Emperor isn't Hong Luyao? How did he become this dragon warrior?"

"Could it be a little performance arranged by Hong Lu?"

"How is this possible?"

……

Saint Zefa was even more bewildered.

He grabbed the dragon clan deacon leading the way and asked in a low voice, "Isn't your Dragon Emperor Hong Lü?"

The steward was a young green dragon. He wasn't annoyed when the steward tugged at his sleeve; he simply bowed slightly and answered with a smile.

"This is His Majesty King Akin, the new Dragon Emperor. He is the one who is being enthroned today."

Saint Zefa's lips twitched suddenly.

"A new Dragon Emperor? What about the old one?"