Academic gathering with Lich colleagues

"A tree hole?"

Irason answered with an air of seriousness.

“That’s no ordinary tree hollow. It’s a secret base I used to sneak out from when I was slacking off during my reign. It’s very well hidden, and only Tiffany and I know about it! It’s a royal secret room!”

"...Then I'll put you back in the secret room now, and you can stay in your tree hole and not come out."

"No! Brother! No! Weren't we comrades who sealed away the evil god together? You can't do this to me! No!!!"

Chapter 548 The Flute Sound from Ashplink

Although Irazon did not complete her task, the scholar did not punish her as he had promised. The Green Dragon Priestess possessed a unique quality; her innocence had not faded with time, and this childlike purity had the charm to unite everyone around her. This vitality was also what the current Dragon Priest Council needed, for these elders, who had existed since the last era, were old enough.

"My tribe, the ancient humans..." The commotion subsided, and the black dragon priest Omhead gripped the lower half of his staff, slowly introducing the tribe he had once guided, like an old man. "My tribe has changed. In the fifty years since my betrayal, our numbers have dwindled drastically due to famine and the invasion of giant beasts. Now, our population is less than a hundred wanderers. They were driven from Sahazane, slowly heading towards extinction in the desert..."

The scholar's eyes widened. "Brother..."

"It's quite easy to seize power in such a weak tribe. All I need to do is give them some help and the right to survive. Now I've joined my tribe as an outsider, becoming a strange, burdensome elder who knows some shamanic magic. They've lost their heritage in the struggle for survival, and the leader they've elected is a young man named Zalar, a wise and calm decision-maker."

The leader of the ancient human race was a wise man. Such a choice, which would have been a stroke of luck for all endangered tribes, is, in the eyes of scholars, merely a tragic reminder of the transience of time. Ancient humans revered wisdom; this would have been absolutely impossible had Omhead been in power.

Competition existed among the dragon priests, and rivalry among their respective clans. The final battle of the plan would determine which clan would become the leader of the new era, a decision that stirred undercurrents of conflict among the dragon priests. The two most powerful clans were the arcane sorcerers, led by Moroki, who valued wisdom and magic, and the berserkers, led by Ormhead, who worshipped strength and physique. The two leaders respected each other but also fought fiercely for a long time. This struggle ultimately ended with a narrow magical victory. Facing Ormhead, the embodiment of power, even the then-arrogant ruler Irian felt fortunate. This powerful brother was also a worthy adversary.

Today, our former adversary, the ancient humans, has become so impoverished and weak.

“Everything will be alright, elder brother. As long as we are here, we will revive our people.”

“I know, but I doubt whether those brethren lost in the wilderness still possess the courage to accept my blood. Salazar was the home I gave them, but they abandoned it. Just as you once said, Morok'i, ‘Only those who transcend death can be allies with the Black Dragon.’ Perhaps they are no longer fit for it.”

The scholar stared into the old man's eyes, those deep, dark eyes like obsidian embedded in cracked rock strata. Omhead was still the same terrifying monster he had been before.

“As long as you, brother, remain unchanged, I believe that those warriors who share your bloodline will retain that sense of self-importance.” The scholar patted the black dragon priest on the shoulder. “I will help you, brother. The wisdom of the arcane remains profound.”

"Hmph, my fists are still as hard as ever." The two dragon priests stared at each other, their unintentional bursts of power causing the surrounding debris to scatter.

"Should we put our hands together and chant a team slogan, like 'Long live the Dragon Priest' or something?" A tuft of green hair appeared in their line of sight. Irason ignored their imposing presence, his eyes gleaming with excitement!

"...You'll handle the Dream Elf?" Omhead's eyes went from sharp to dejected.

The scholar replied listlessly, "I'll do it. The City of Wanderings and the Elven race still maintain close ties. Through public relations, we can also exert some influence on the Dream Forest."

Omhead nodded and turned to leave.

"By the way, Morokui, have you found any information about the dragon bones? If not, I'll..."

"I've found the source of the dragon bones. Just three days ago, someone sounded the Dragon Summoning Flute." The Dragon Summoning Flute is a special artifact left behind by the dragon priests among their followers. Its purpose is to call for help; when a dragon priest encounters an accident, the followers can seek assistance from other dragon priests and the followers themselves. After the dragon's death, this magical artifact rang out day and night, but all the dragon priests had long since lost heart, and the artifact became useless. But now, this ancient artifact has been played once again.

Where did the sound come from?

"Ashplink, the jewel of earth and stone, Manu (or the gem man). Something may have happened to Kolosis, but I must go there anyway. His dragon Kolosis is the most special one, and finding his bones will be of great benefit to our plans."

“Moroki,” the black dragon priest recited the ancient hymn, “may glory be with your wisdom.”

The scholar laughed, "Are we already going to return to the old red tape? Then let's play the ancient song in this new era."

The scholar raised his head and then recited his dragon language.

"May arrogance be with your power, Omhead." The scholar opened a portal and left.

Irason stood beside her aloof sister, peering in curiously. A thick layer of green dust had covered the pages, making it impossible for Priscilla to remain a wooden figure and decipher the words. She blew a cool breeze to wipe away the dust and closed the book.

"My dear sister, what are you trying to do?"

Irason lifted the hem of her skirt, which was covered in blooming flowers, twirled around in place, and then bowed in greeting.

"May purity be with your tides, Principes."

Irason opened her big eyes, looking on expectantly.

Princess did as she was told, her face cold.

"May the fool be with your dreams, Irason."

"Hehe... Hmm? You misread it! It should be 'May the ethereal be with my dreams'... Principes! You're talking bad about me!!!"

"No, darling, you misheard me. I meant 'ethereal'."

“I clearly heard…” Before Irason could finish speaking, Principes opened her arms and hugged her, stroking her soft, willow-like hair.

"Poor Irason, you must be exhausted from being deep in the dream, that's why you misunderstood me. But it's alright, I believe you received my blessing, right? Darling, you should rest now and go to the dessert shop in the City of Wanderers to replenish your sugar..."

Irason's thoughts were disrupted by the sudden physical contact, and all that remained in her mind was...

"Candy! You're right, darling, I really need to rest. Do you want to come with me?"

"I would be delighted."

Chapter 549 The Calamity of Holy Light, the Disaster of the Dragons

The tea party with Mr. Zhiyan continued, but it was no longer about serious matters. Having decided to wait, the conversation shifted to Mr. Zhiyan's tomb jokes, how he constructed a network of relationships through the connections of the deceased—it must be said, the aristocratic networks were truly chaotic. Just listening to Zhiyan's absurd tales was an eye-opener for Lyle.

A low, buzzing sound suddenly emanated from Mr. Dragon's chest, accompanied by vibrations. Lyle cast a questioning glance. The dragon tore open its clothes, revealing a large hole in the flesh and blood disguised on its bare abdomen. A pair of the dragon's ribs were trembling on the skeleton, emitting an eerie green light.

"Time's up." The dragon pulled out a pair of ribs, crushed them into fragments, and tossed them to the open ground beside it. These fragments formed a new skeletal portal, its central green door radiating a dazzling light. From a small point in the center, azure gradually swallowed the ghastly green. The portal's magical power source also changed from the death power of necromancy to pure magic.

"That was a scholar. I had him leave spatial anchors on my skeleton so he could find me anytime. Just in case I forgot, I attached those bones to my spine." A human bone alarm clock and pager—Lyle was no longer surprised by Mr. Dragon's amazing feats.

The bone marked as a spacetime anchor was placed in his chest cavity. Lyle had been taught some basic teleportation techniques by the scholar. Spacetime anchors were magical mediums capable of opening a spacetime rift at any time. Therefore, if the dragon man mishandled it, a spacetime rift would grow from his body and cut him in two, or even many times over.

"Teacher, this is dangerous. The spacetime rift will shred you."

"The danger doesn't end there. The spacetime rift will also detonate the dragon's six-locked magic, turning him into a powerful death bomb, along with deadly bone fragments," the scholar's elegant figure emerged from the portal. He had clearly heard Lyle's words. "The dragon will reshape itself after the explosion, and you will be killed. I warned him not to take such a risky action, for the sake of those around him."

The dragon was very dissatisfied with the scholar's evaluation of him, "I timed it perfectly. The magic that created the Gate of Bones was provided by me. Theoretically speaking, as long as you don't forcibly open the portal, you are absolutely safe!"

“My mistake,” the scholar nodded to Zhiyan, who was huddled in his seat, and smiled at Lyle. “I just wanted to remind you, old friend, that you now have companions by your side.”

“I believe in Lyle’s strength.” The evil god could definitely reshape himself from the explosion, and Lyle was pleased to have gained the dragon’s approval, even though it felt like a stab in the back. Nia’s tentacles rubbed Lyle’s head; she could sense everything about him. “Your heart is a little cold.”

A handsome face appeared on Lyle's side, his melancholy eyes like a traditional Chinese ink painting.

"Be content, he doesn't care whether I live or die," Zhiyan said.

The group finally reunited, and they were already familiar with each other.

The scholar looked at the somewhat reserved Mr. Zhiyan, who was rubbing his chin.

"As expected of Zhiyan, a researcher who has a deep understanding of dragon knowledge. This is our first collaboration, and I look forward to your assistance, Mr. Zhiyan."

"I am the one who should work with the scholar. It is my honor."

As an observer, Lyle saw all of this clearly and understood it. The Rock-Holder was the Law's brother, while the Law was the Scholar's student—this was a suppression of their relationship; the Scholar was one of Andre's giants, while the Rock-Holder was a marginal figure in the field—this was a suppression of their social status; the Scholar was Princess's brother, while the Rock-Holder robbed her grave—this was a suppression of their moral and ethical principles. In conclusion, Mr. Rock-Holder's lichization was not yet complete; he still retained some human moral compass, which had been largely solidified in his long period of solitude.

Lyle felt completely relaxed at that moment, and he wasn't nervous no matter where this journey would take him.

Those are Professor Andre and Professor Dragon, two professors personally leading extracurricular activities, how can we panic!

"Our destination is Ashpurink, the homeland of the Manu people. They were once part of the Dragonkin, and their leader is Krossis, a fellow dragon priest and my former companion. This time, the Manu people have taken the initiative to request our aid; they have sounded the Dragon Summoning Flute, which proves that something must have happened to my old friend." The scholar briefly explained the purpose of their mission.

"So there weren't only five Dragon Priests?"

"Of course, at the end of the last era, the number of dragon priests was almost one-tenth of the total number of dragons. We formed an alliance, united for the future, which was the Dragon Priest Council. But the Holy Light killed the dragons, killed our power and our goals. The dragon priests and dragons fell apart together, our alliance was broken, and we each retreated to our own territories to eke out a living. Only the five of us remained. The whereabouts of our other dragon priest companions are unknown; perhaps they have already died with the dragons, or perhaps they have found a way to survive. But in any case, they have not contacted the Dragon Priest Council again, which means that we must also remain cautious about Kolosis."

“If he is still alive and remains friendly to us, we will reabsorb him; if he is dead, we will protect his descendants and uphold the ancient covenant. If he shows hostility…” the scholar said coldly, “we will destroy him and seize his dragon soul.”

“Scholar teacher, I have some questions.” Lyle frowned and raised his hand.

"I will answer to the best of my ability, which may be helpful for our next steps."

"The Holy Light killed the dragon, and the dragon race perished. Why did it affect the dragon priests and their kin? And you, Professor, seem so certain that the other dragon priests could only die or survive... Then why are only five dragon priests, including yourself, still alive..." This was the secret of the previous era's demise that Mr. Zhiyan had mentioned before. Lyle was very curious as to why the dragon priests met such an end.

"This is why we fear the Holy Light." The scholar conjured a chair with magic and joined Lyle and the others at their tea party. "The leader of the Holy Light... well, I think you all know I'm referring to Raymond. The leader of the Crusades, the Angel of Light, Merok, the Crown of the Holy Light, he also has another title, [Dragon's Bane]. Raymond pierced the heart of the dragon father Yemortar with the spear of the Holy Light, and dragon blood rained down. After that, he cast a terrible spell... to me, it was more like a curse, the curse of the Holy Light."

"This curse will be passed on through any connection of blood, race, or lineage. All those connected will suffer the same pain as the dragon father Yemotar and perish with him. It will affect those who are close to the dragon first, then spread to the entire race, and then to the dragon priests and their kin who have inherited the knowledge of the dragons."

"The curse of the Holy Light can kill all the rulers of the Age of Dragons."

"The reason we were able to survive is actually quite simple."

"We severed our connection with the dragon."

“As dragon priests, we killed the dragons who bestowed upon us knowledge and power.”

Chapter 550 Manu

Dragons are the mentors of dragon priests and the guardians of their kind. Having shed the bloodthirsty ferocity inherited from their brutal dragon fathers, these powerful and proud giants possess a majestic beauty. And when such a perfect being becomes your mentor, your closest confidant, the bond between dragon and dragon priest is special and profound.

But the scholars, for the sake of their race's survival, killed the dragon they respected most. To harm one's mentor, protector, and companion must have been a painful choice.

"Moroki is a wise blue dragon. I remember every scale of his, every scar on his body from the breaking of time and space—the price he paid to save me from the magical rampage… I once witnessed his breath shatter a meteorite at night, and the next moment he would return to my side as a stream of light, teaching me to master magic with a gentle voice. He has a heart far gentler than his ferocious face…" Beside the scholar, magical threads intertwined to form a lifelike magical dragon, as if the dragon had always accompanied the scholar, but it was actually an illusion created by magical shaping magic.

"His noble heart only served to highlight how wretched I am. Moroki is the prophet of the dragons; he foresaw the fall of the dragon age and thus trained dragon priests in an attempt to change everything. But his apprentice, Elion, whom he nurtured with all his heart, failed. Moreover, this dutiful mentor now faces the betrayal of his disciple's staff."

“I am a king, and I will do everything in my power to protect my country. The resilience instilled in Moroki made me hardened to kill my teacher, but Moroki’s compassion is what broke me. My hands were soaked with his dragon blood, and he held my head in his hands, his weak voice ringing in my ears.”

【Erian, your future is limitless. Absorb my magic, not as my student to receive my inheritance, but as my slayer to enjoy this spoils. The Holy Light will not punish the enemies of dragons, Erian, this time, I will not be wrong.】

Crush my bones, strip my flesh, bury everything I am in your kingdom. Let me continue to watch over you, watch your nation enter a new era, Elion. Let my magic become your wings, let my flesh forge your land, Elion, then you will have two magic nodes, my child, and you will prosper in the new era.

"He readily accepted my betrayal and blessed me, a man of darkness. Dragon priests are not righteous, Lyle. I was not truly humble, but the sincerity of Moroki tormented my soul. I inherited his name, but this kingdom called Moroki is not as noble as that dragon. The kingdom I built is no longer thriving; intrigue and corruption flourish beyond my sight. Guilt and rage consumed me, and I chose death, letting this nation that had disappointed me perish on its own."

Then Carlos, son of Irian, ascended to the throne and immediately declared the nation's demise, fleeing with the capital. The fall of this arcane kingdom was even faster than the scholars had imagined.

No wonder the five dragon priests were devastated; they had personally killed their mentor to save their race. They made a heartbreaking choice for their people. The other dragon priests, lacking either the ability or the will to kill the dragon, perished alongside it in the power of the holy light.

"Now it seems that there are more than just the five of us who are 'lucky'."

If the power of the Holy Light has been passed down to the Dragon Priests, it will inevitably affect their race. Now that someone has once again sounded the Dragon Summoning Flute, it means that the Manu, the former dragon's kin, still exists, and the Dragon Priest Kroxis may still be alive. The connection between the Manu and the dragons has been severed.

“There might still be complete dragon bones in Kolosis, which could help us realize the dragon plan,” the scholar said while adjusting the portal, introducing the race called Manu.

Manu and the dwarves are closely related, though their bloodline is actually quite distant. Their ancient ancestors were earth spirits, primordial life forms composed of rock and earth. Earth spirits were born of the earth, and different ley lines shaped their different life paths. Some earth spirits came into contact with lava within the ley lines; the powerful fire melted their rough edges, and they gradually evolved into the dwarves, who love forging and fire.

The ancestors of the Manu did not encounter the heat of lava; instead, they discovered another form of energy: magical gems refined purely from the earth. They migrated along the ley lines, settling atop gemstone mines, these lustrous gems being their lifeblood. These earth spirits eventually transformed into slender, digging creatures with long forelimbs and crystallized fingers. Manu are born in the rock strata adjacent to gemstone mines, and at birth, they are marked with a angular indentation on their foreheads. This is where the gemstone connects, and the quality of that gemstone will influence the Manu's entire life. The Manu possess exceptional talent in gemology; high-quality gemstones empower them, and skilled jewelers can craft even more exquisite gemstones.

In the scholars' memories, Ashprink was like the legendary golden city, where proud Manu jewelers forged a powerful army from beautiful gems. Their terrifyingly exceptional talent from birth made human kings quite wary. But the Manu, like mermaids, were the survivors of evolution; their power stemmed from the gems, but they were also limited by them. Gems are not as common as stones.