"This land and I are fated; it belongs to me." Muria decisively set the tone. Although the Peninsula of Evil Dragons was a land without an owner, a proper slogan was still necessary. After all, justification was important, even if just for appearances.
With Muria's decision, Synapse's strategy towards the Peninsula of Evil Dragons changed dramatically. Originally, they had allowed the chromatic dragons to do as they pleased, letting them plunder the local dragons and subjugate the weaker orcs.
However, when Muria discovered that this vast land was rich in resources, unclaimed, and protected by natural barriers that kept the major powers on the mainland from intervening, he saw an opportunity.
Expanding territory is the instinct of every ruler. A true ruler always seeks to extend their domain whenever possible.
This was no longer a small skirmish involving a few hundred young dragons. Muria now deployed his Cloud Giant army, seasoned from battles in the Void and the ocean. The Storm Giants, who had been monitoring the chromatic dragons, also joined the campaign.
Due to their extended time sailing the oceans, Muria's Storm Giant forces had grown to over a thousand, with more than two hundred of them riding giant rocs. Each of these giants had Soul Intent-level combat strength. They formed the highest average combat power corps in Synapse, answering directly to Muria. No one could command the Storm Giants without his explicit order.
Thus began a sweeping operation centered around Synapse's landing point, a true carpet sweep of the land. The Cloud Giants, spaced no more than a hundred meters apart, formed a line that swept across the land. There were three such lines, and wherever they passed, beasts fled in panic, and birds scattered in fear.
The orcs who had been subjugated by the chromatic dragons hid in their villages, trembling with fear. These descendants of orcs who had fled to this land lacked advanced traditions and resources, and thus could not produce any significant warriors.
So when the Cloud Giants flew over their heads, all they could do was hide in their homes and pray to the dragons who had recently subjugated them. They dared not take any other action.
However, these orcs soon realized that the Cloud Giants, who swept through the dense forests like a sieve, driving away ferocious beasts, entered their villages, examined the dragon scales left by the dragon lords, and left them unharmed. It seemed the giants recognized their new master.
...
"Your Highness, in just three days, the Cloud Giant corps has swept through over three million square kilometers of land. All creatures stronger than the Gold level have been captured and sent to Synapse," reported Mia, who was managing everything along with other dragonborn in the Wind King's Castle. Because Synapse's floating islands also housed a significant human population, a group of dragonborn had been born under Muria's influence. Mia had selected some of the best of these dragonborn as her subordinates.
"However, these areas were previously explored by the chromatic dragons, and we have records of them. The truly powerful creatures were already cleared out, which is why the sweep was so fast. Moving forward, the unexplored areas may require us to slow down and have legends follow the giants closely, ready to provide support in case of unforeseen events."
"Understood." Muria nodded. He no longer needed to worry about everything himself; there were now people to help him figure out how to make Synapse better. His think tank would provide him with various plans based on what he wanted to do, allowing him to choose the best course of action.
...
While Muria was waging his grand expansion campaign, in the gold dragon castle he had recently visited, two elegant ladies stepped out of a spatial gate into the sky. One had golden hair styled in an elaborate updo, looking every bit the noblewoman, while the other had flowing silver hair and an aura as cold as an ice goddess.
As they appeared, the Cloud Giants guarding the castle all bowed to them.
"Lady Sivara."
"Lady Gwyn."
It was clear that one of these radiant ladies was the owner of the castle.
"Uncle William." As soon as the not-yet-legendary gold dragon matron, Sivara, entered the castle, she called for the legendary dragonborn who had been subjugated by her grandfather. Despite the power gap, she held this legend in high regard. "I heard a gold dragon visited our castle."
"Yes, he claimed to be from an overseas continent, not from our own," William began to recount Muria's visit in detail, especially highlighting the astonishing fact that Muria had silently bypassed the Cloud Giants' defenses and that the young dragon hatchlings only noticed him afterward.
"Lord William, what did you make of his strength?" The silver-haired lady, Gwyn, who exuded a chilly aura, asked with great interest. She was curious about the powerful gold dragon that had suddenly appeared, especially since gold dragons were rare in the Peninsula of Evil Dragons. In fact, if it weren't for the presence of an ancient gold dragon, she wouldn't have come here. After all, silver dragons were known for their beauty, and many dragons coveted her looks.
"I didn't fight him, so I'm not sure. But from what I sensed, he's no weaker than me—definitely a legend." William frowned. "However, this gold dragon took the form of a young man. He didn't give me the same feeling as the ancient dragons I've met before. He lacked the sense of age and weariness and instead had a youthful vitality. It's possible he's not an ancient dragon."
"Then, Uncle William, where is this gold dragon now?"
"He's already left, Miss." William, who had lived through an unspeakable period of history, answered. He now considered himself the steward of the gold dragon castle. "According to him, he came to visit Lord Delron. He wanted to learn about the continent, and I provided him with the information he sought."
"Was that all? He didn't mention anything else?" Sivara, the gold dragon matron, asked, somewhat puzzled. She had grown up on the Peninsula of Evil Dragons, a harsh environment where her father had kept her confined. She had never even crossed the Dragonsever Mountains to see the human world described in books. According to her father's instructions, she could only leave after reaching the legendary level; otherwise, she wasn't allowed to go anywhere.
"Mommy, were you looking for the gold dragon big brother?" Soon, the return of the gold dragon matron awakened the three sleeping dragon hatchlings in the castle. "The gold dragon big brother gave me a crystal with the coordinates of his residence. He said we could go find him if we wanted to."
A pink-cheeked, golden-haired little girl obediently handed the crystal Muria had given her to her mother.
"The residence of that legendary gold dragon?" Sivara was surprised as she took the crystal from her daughter. She extended her mental power into it and immediately sensed the spatial coordinates within. Using the coordinate knowledge her grandfather had forced her to learn as a child, she quickly deduced the location.
"The coordinates point to a location near the sea, and in the sky."
"Is he mocking us?" Gwyn took the crystal from her friend and calculated the coordinates herself, arriving at the same conclusion. "He claims his residence is in the sky at the edge of the continent."
"Maybe he wasn't mocking us. Skyborne structures aren't that uncommon. For example, there are the floating cities of top-tier archmages. Perhaps this gold dragon is a legendary mage with a floating city," Sivara suggested.
"That's impossible!" Gwyn's face showed disbelief at her friend's fanciful speculation. To them, a floating city was the stuff of legends. Even Sivara's grandfather, a mighty gold dragon, had never possessed such a multifunctional war structure.
"If it's not a floating city, then maybe it's a floating structure that can move through the sky." Sivara instinctively scaled down her guess. A floating city was already the limit of her imagination, and she couldn't conceive of anything more magnificent. She doubted that a gold dragon who had suddenly visited could control something as grand as a floating city.
"Maybe it's an airship!" Gwyn recalled some books she had read. "No, if he's a legend, he wouldn't be so stingy. Maybe it's a floating fortress."
"Mom, Aunt Gwyn, why speculate about where big brother lives? Why not just go see for yourselves?" A golden-haired little girl interrupted her mother and aunt's guessing game. She couldn't understand why her mother was guessing such things. The real thing was right there—why not just go look?
Hearing this, the newly adult gold dragon and silver dragon exchanged glances, their eyes filled with excitement. Neither of them had ever left the Peninsula of Evil Dragons, so they were deeply curious about anything foreign, especially the residence of such a powerful fellow dragon.
"Uncle William!" Sivara looked to the legendary dragonborn her grandfather had left to protect them.
"Fine, I'll accompany you," said William, with a hint of indulgence in his voice. The legendary dragonborn, who had lived for an untold number of years, nodded. To be honest, he was also curious about this unusual gold dragon.
"Thank you, Uncle!"
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