Spellcasting Gods

Without a doubt, Zhang Cheng's words completely shattered the image of friendship he had painstakingly built in Celine Baratheon's mind, and their relationship plummeted to a freezing point.

Even after dinner, the little guy didn't say another word to him. He hid in a corner by himself, sulking, and even secretly wiped away a tear.

In fact, the girl didn't know that Zhang Cheng's true nature was cold-heartedness. What she had seen before was just an illusion, a disguise to make himself appear harmless in daily life, much like a chameleon constantly changing its body color to blend into its environment.

However, Zhang Cheng ignored the child who was throwing a tantrum; to be precise, he no longer had the energy to care about anything.

Because shortly after returning to the tent, the addiction that hadn't bothered me for so long suddenly started acting up again, and I was enduring unimaginable pain.

To avoid alerting his men outside, he had to bite down on a piece of wood, forcing himself to remain silent and curling up tightly to resist the indescribable torment. Several times he fell into a semi-conscious state, only slowly falling asleep as dawn broke.

He didn't know how much time had passed—maybe minutes, maybe hours—when a noisy shouting outside the tent woke him up.

Exhausted, Zhang Cheng struggled to get up, quickly washed his face with water from the wooden tub, and then lifted the curtain to come out.

The once calm sea suddenly began to boil, like boiling water, emitting large amounts of white steam and turning an eerie blackish-gray color.

The sailors and soldiers were terrified and gathered together to discuss what this incredible phenomenon meant.

Others knelt on the ground, praying devoutly to the seven gods, hoping to receive their protection.

"Eric! What exactly is going on?" Zhang Cheng questioned the team leader, whose face was not looking good.

"My God! Sir, you're finally awake! Just five minutes ago, the entire island suddenly started shaking violently, and then the seawater looked like what you're seeing now. I think it's very likely a precursor to a volcanic eruption. We'd better leave immediately, otherwise..."

In the end, Eric couldn't help but shudder. Even someone as daring as him didn't want to encounter one of nature's most terrifying disasters—a volcanic eruption.

It's important to know that the area where the ruins are located is a large group of active volcanoes. Long ago, the Valyrians used powerful magic to forcibly seal all the volcanoes, which enabled them to create the glorious civilization that followed.

"A volcanic eruption?" Zhang Cheng frowned instinctively.

As a semi-natural science enthusiast, he knew a little about volcanoes, but from the reactions of the surrounding seabirds and the smell in the air, there was no obvious indication of anything, at least not the smell of sulfur.

Normally, regardless of the type of volcano, it will release a large amount of sulfur-containing gas before erupting, and animals and birds will become restless, so it is easy to detect.

But now, the birds and small animals are still going about their business as usual, showing no signs of panic at all, and the smell in the air is perfectly normal. It doesn't look like a volcanic eruption at all.

After a few seconds of contemplation, Zhang Cheng immediately shook his head: "No, that's not right. This isn't a volcanic eruption; it's the result of some other force. Gather a team immediately; I need to go down there and take a look."

"Go down? You mean..." Eric's eyes revealed excitement and anticipation.

He had long known that a secret passage had been discovered inside the tower ruins, but he had not been granted permission to enter.

“Yes! Let’s go in and see what’s hidden beneath this tower. Remember, pick the bravest and most experienced fighters; we don’t need too many, about thirty will suffice.” With that, Zhang Cheng turned and went back to the tent, stuffing everything he might need into his backpack.

About half an hour later, an expedition team consisting of 25 fully armed soldiers, 5 sailors with extensive exploration experience, and Eric and Zhang Cheng, a total of 37 people, left the camp and headed deeper underground.

As they passed through the room filled with Valyrian steel ingots, no one realized just how valuable those strips covered in thick dust were.

After walking through the narrow, stuffy tunnel for about fifteen minutes, almost everyone in the group was drenched in sweat, constantly drinking water to keep themselves from dehydrating.

Glancing at the multi-functional watch thermometer on his wrist, Zhang Cheng realized that the ambient temperature had reached 45 degrees Celsius. At such a temperature, most people wouldn't be able to endure it for long.

Just as he was considering whether to turn back, the soldier at the front suddenly stopped, knelt down with a thud, and trembled uncontrollably, as if he had seen an incredibly terrifying scene.

Eric noticed this immediately, rushed up, covered the other person's mouth, dragged him to the back, and then popped half his head out to look around the corner.

moment!

His pupils suddenly dilated and then contracted, followed by him pulling his head back. His back pressed against the wall, he bit his lower lip hard and gasped for breath, his face filled with terror.

"What's going on? What's inside?" Zhang Cheng quickly asked in a low voice.

Eric didn't answer, but just shook his head frantically, signaling not to go over.

However, he clearly underestimated Zhang Cheng's courage and his insatiable thirst for power.

Without any hesitation, Zhang Cheng pushed the other person aside and walked around the corner alone.

Before he could take two or three steps, he saw a fiery red color in front of him, or more precisely, a large pool of scorching hot lava.

In the very center of the lava pool stood a five-meter-high, three-meter-wide stone monument covered with various high Valyrian scripts and unidentified symbols, the same symbols as those on the Horn of the Dragonbinder.

It goes without saying that what's recorded above is the powerful blood and fire magic of the Valyrians.

Of course, stone tablets and lava alone would not be enough to frighten someone like Eric.

What truly terrified him was a giant red dragon lying in the lava!

A prehistoric behemoth, including its tail, could easily exceed 250 meters! It's like a small mountain!

Most importantly, it did not die; instead, it continued to emit soft snoring sounds, and golden sparks would occasionally spit out from its nostrils.

In addition, in front of its mouth, there is a crystalline substance radiating intense energy radiation, which is the meteorite described in the book as causing the apocalyptic catastrophe...

Chapter 0166 The Dragon Awakens

"Cronada, the first dragon, the mother of all dragons..."

Zhang Cheng subconsciously read out the words translated from the Dragon's Horn, his face filled with horror.

He could hardly believe how long the dragon had lived and how it had survived the energy depletion cycle.

It's worth noting that even a behemoth like "Black Death" Bellerion, with a wingspan exceeding two hundred meters, couldn't survive when its energy was continuously depleting.

Furthermore, why was the meteorite near the dragon instead of where it fell?

In short, the more Zhang Cheng thought about it, the more he felt that something was not quite right about the whole thing, as if he had missed a very important detail.

However, the current situation clearly does not allow him to calm down and analyze things slowly. He needs to make a decision as soon as possible: whether to take advantage of the dragon's lack of energy to steal the meteorite and run away, or to first record the mysterious symbols on the stone tablet that resemble a complete magical system.

Both of them were extremely important to him; the former meant a new source of energy, and the latter meant more magical knowledge.

Just as he hesitated, the soldier behind him who had seen the situation inside first suddenly had a mental breakdown for some reason. He frantically pushed his comrade aside and ran towards the ground, uttering incomprehensible mutterings like "Ahhhhhhh" as he ran.

Damn it!

Realizing the situation was getting out of control, Zhang Cheng didn't hesitate to use his teleportation ability, mercilessly piercing the opponent's throat.

Before he could draw his sword, the enormous creature, which had been sleeping, rolled over, immediately causing a violent tremor in the ground.

At this moment, everyone else finally understood that the unusual reaction on the sea surface was not a harbinger of a volcanic eruption or an inexplicable supernatural phenomenon, but rather caused by the dragon changing its sleeping position.

As the dragon's massive body flattened itself back down, everything returned to calm. Apart from the slightly rapid breathing of the still-shaken crowd, it was as if nothing had happened.

Zhang Cheng took a deep breath, carefully drew his sword, and gently laid the corpse flat, making no sound throughout the entire process.

After he finished all this, he wiped the sweat from his forehead and face, took out paper and pen from his backpack, and quickly wrote down the contents of the stone tablet.

As for the specific meaning, he didn't intend to think about it too much for the time being, at least not before leaving this dangerous island.

No wonder the Targaryen family records say that a terrible demon is sealed here, and they never intended to reclaim the legacy of Valyrian civilization...

As time ticked by, every member of the expedition team endured pain and torment.

For them, it wasn't just that the ambient temperature exceeded the limits of human endurance; more importantly, the primordial beasts within the lava pool were constantly provoking their senses.

If it weren't for that unlucky guy who showed everyone what happens when you try to escape, some people probably would have already turned and fled.

However, Zhang Cheng completely ignored the soldiers' and sailors' expectant gazes, focusing intently on copying down one mysterious symbol after another along with its corresponding High Valyrian script description.

In just a few minutes, he copied most of the contents of the stone tablet.

After all, although the stele was very large, the content was not much, totaling only 150 symbols, plus 400 sentences of explanation in high Valyan script.

As he finished copying the last word and was about to close the notebook, he looked up and suddenly saw two eyes, like flowing lava, staring intently at him.

no doubt!

The dragon has awakened...

For a moment, the air seemed to freeze. The sailors and soldiers hiding at the back stairwell couldn't care less and turned around and ran back. Only Eric, the leader, gritted his teeth, drew his longsword, and stepped out, ready for battle, or rather, ready to die.

Because in the dragon's eyes, his sword was basically no different from a toothpick. Not to mention whether it could pierce the thick scales that shimmered with red light, even if it did, it would only cause superficial wounds. Killing the dragon was simply a pipe dream.

Before the soldiers and sailors could run a few steps, the dragon suddenly opened its mouth without warning and spewed a breath of suffocating flames into the tunnel.

next second...

The entire tunnel was instantly filled with flames. Not only the people inside, but even the rock walls on both sides, which were more than fifty meters long, melted into lava!

Seeing this, Zhang Cheng felt his scalp tingle. He was certain that his protective flame barrier wouldn't last even half a second under such intense dragon flames.

Clearly, this dragon is an enemy that he absolutely cannot defeat at this stage.

Just as he was about to use Blink to escape, the dragon suddenly opened its massive maw full of sharp teeth and said in a strange voice, "Ah! How many years! Finally, a human has the courage to stand before me again! Now, speak your humble wish."

Although Zhang Cheng didn't understand a single word of those pronunciations, he somehow managed to grasp their meaning.

Most importantly, this dragon is completely different from other dragons in the A Song of Ice and Fire world; it can actually speak!

Sensing that the other party had no intention of attacking immediately, he forced himself to calm down quickly, and then asked in the "Common Language" that the parchment had instilled in his brain: "Are you the first dragon in the Valyan legend? The Mother of Dragons?"

"Hahahaha! That's right! I taught those poor little creatures how to tame young dragons and how to use the power of magic. I must say, they did a good job, even a bit beyond my expectations. But none of that matters now, since they've already received enough punishment for breaking the contract." The dragon let out a loud laugh, its laughter filled with sarcasm.

"Breach of contract?" Zhang Cheng keenly grasped a key word.

The dragon nodded slightly: "Yes! Broken contract! I initially made a pact with the leaders of Valyria, teaching them knowledge, magic, and the techniques to tame my offspring. When the time was right, they were to grant me one wish. But unfortunately, these guys quickly broke the contract after gaining power and even attempted to seal me away forever. In fact, they succeeded to some extent, but their arrogance and conceit ultimately destroyed them."

At this point, it touched the crystal radiating intense energy with its massive claw: "See this little thing? It is the source of all supernatural power in this world, and also the sustenance I need to survive. The Valyrian Dragon King attempted to obtain this power, far beyond his comprehension, to become a god walking among mortals, resulting in an unimaginable catastrophe. It is thanks to his recklessness that I have been fortunate enough to survive to this day. Now, state your wish, young man, and I will make a deal with you..."

Chapter 0167 The Truth (Part 1)

A transaction is an exchange of value between two parties using currency and services as a medium.

Although many people claim that their transactions are fair or even win-win, in reality, since the invention of trading, there has never been such a thing as "fairness" or "win-win".

On the contrary, it is always a case of the strong plundering the weak.

If a transaction seems to offer numerous benefits to both parties, it will inevitably severely harm the interests of a third party.

As many philosophers have pointed out, the essence of the world is competition, plunder, and deception, even though humanity has been trying to deceive itself into believing that light and hope are always with us, even in the darkest moments.

Ironically, most people who believe in the goodness and light of the world often end up in bad situations, while those who believe in the dark nature of the world are more likely to survive in harsh environments and acquire wealth and power.

As someone who firmly believes that the world is inherently dark, Zhang Cheng doesn't think it's a wise choice to make a deal with a dragon whose power far surpasses his own, especially before he has even figured out the situation.

He couldn't understand why, since the other party possessed the energy crystal sufficient to sustain life, they would choose to remain dormant in this sunless underground place, instead of rushing out and soaring freely in the blue sky.

Clearly, either the dragon has some ulterior motive, or it is imprisoned underground by some force and cannot leave.

Most importantly, Zhang Cheng was eager to know where the original dragon in front of him came from, and where the magical knowledge and power it provided to the Valyrians came from.

After all, according to the normal process of life evolution and development, in a world like A Song of Ice and Fire that does not generate mysterious energy, it would be impossible for magical creatures like dragons, which rely on mysterious energy to survive, to appear without the intervention of a powerful external force.