"Interesting!"
Muria walked along a country path, with human farmers busy sowing seeds on either side. He suddenly remembered that, according to the human calendar, it was now the spring planting season.
He carefully observed the human peasants working by the roadside. Their faces still bore signs of hunger, and most of their clothing was tattered, little more than scraps of fabric sewn together.
Moreover, Muria noticed remnants of whip marks on their bodies and saw the telltale marks of shackles on their hands and feet. However, despite this, the faces of these farmers were smiling, filled with hope for the future, their eyes brimming with vitality.
"Slaves!" Based on the marks on their bodies, Muria quickly deduced their former status. Ordinary humans with shackle marks on their hands could only be slaves.
In a world with extraordinary power, it was not uncommon for humans to maintain a system of slavery. Many humans who wielded such power treated ordinary people as little more than livestock.
However, these farmers clearly were no longer slaves. Judging by their expressions, they had likely been freed from their former status.
Dressed in fine clothes, Muria's presence on the country road did not attract the farmers' attention, as they could not see him. As a mortal, one couldn't see Muria unless they had reached the soul level or above. At that level, even a warrior could sense his presence through their soul.
Muria continued to walk and observe, gradually approaching a city. He noticed that the number of farmers increased as he got closer, and their smiles appeared even more genuine.
He also saw some officials instructing the farmers, indicating that the lord or ruling class here was highly concerned about agriculture. Otherwise, these officials would not be out in the fields, studying how to improve crop yields with the commoners.
"The Grand Duke will be inspecting soon. Everyone, stay alert and make no mistakes. If anything goes wrong, I won't be able to protect you," an official scolded his subordinates while instructing the farmers, a mixture of nervousness and anticipation evident on his face.
"We understand, Lord Agricultural Officer. The great Red Dragon Knight, Lord Bernard, inspects the territory every ten days, and today marks the tenth day."
The bureaucratic officials frequently glanced skyward. Muria noticed this and also looked up curiously. Based on their behavior, it seemed that the Grand Duke, this Dragon Knight, would arrive from the sky.
And it appeared that this was not an isolated event. The ruler of this land seemed to patrol regularly enough that these officials had learned the pattern.
Roar!
A fierce and brutal dragon roar echoed from afar. Under Muria's gaze, a massive red dragon flew in from the distance, its flames turning half the sky red. It was a flamboyant sight.
Muria paid little attention to this dragon, which seemed only recently matured but possessed strength rivaling that of an ancient red dragon. His gaze was fixed on the figure between the dragon's horns—a man clad in golden armor, wearing a purple cloak, surveying the land below.
As the dragon approached, the officials who had been instructing the farmers looked up, saluting and paying their respects to the Dragon Knight in the sky.
The figure standing atop the dragon's head nodded in satisfaction at the sight. However, just as he was about to fly over the area, he suddenly paused and turned back. It seemed he had sensed something unusual in the area he had just passed.
Believing in this instinct, which had brought him great success, he steered the red dragon back to the area. However, he could not see the hidden Muria.
Even so, the knight was not willing to give up. He circled the area with the red dragon, and when he found nothing unusual, he channeled his battle aura into his eyes, activating a secret technique. It was then that he saw Muria, who was looking up at him.
"Who is that..." The moment the Red Dragon Knight locked eyes with Muria's brilliant golden eyes, his heart skipped a beat. He felt a deep sense of inadequacy and immediately understood Muria's identity.
"A dragon!" A surge of ecstatic joy filled Bernard's heart, as if he had discovered a rare treasure. He immediately guided the red dragon to land near Muria. Seeing no reaction from Muria, he jumped off the dragon's head, adjusted his gear, and approached Muria with his most courteous smile.
"Your Grace!" As Bernard dismounted, all the surrounding officials and farmers fell to their knees in reverence, indicating how deeply his authority was ingrained in their hearts.
However, neither Muria nor Bernard paid any attention to this. Bernard's focus was entirely on Muria. In his mind, compared to a dragon, what were these people? As long as he had enough dragons, officials and farmers could be obtained at will.
"Great being, welcome to the Thorn Territory! I am Bernard Tulip, the lord of this land," the knight introduced himself to Muria, his tone exceptionally friendly. He couldn't gauge Muria's power; in his eyes, Muria was a blazing light, not even a humanoid figure. This was a first for him.
"Hmm," Muria nodded with an indifferent expression.
"May I ask your name?" Bernard's gaze was fixed on Muria, which made him feel slightly uncomfortable. He instinctively disliked such a gaze, and a sense of irritation began to rise within him, as if this human had some ill intentions.
"Moo," Muria thought for a moment and gave a name. He was quite interested in this territory, where everything appeared to have been recently reclaimed from the wilderness, yet was orderly. This suggested that its ruler was very skilled in management and agriculture.
"Moo, where did you come from? What are your intentions? Do you need my assistance?" Bernard was very concerned about the origins of this unknown but powerful dragon that had suddenly appeared in his territory.
"From over there." Muria casually pointed in a direction. After all, the territory was surrounded by wilderness on all sides, so he had no fear of being exposed. "I heard there were humans here, so I came to take a look out of curiosity."
"I see." Bernard breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that Muria had come to his territory out of curiosity. His routine inspections every ten days were precisely because dragons occasionally came to his territory out of curiosity, and some even considered looting due to its prosperity.
"Have you satisfied your curiosity?" Bernard asked, his face filled with anticipation as he looked at Muria. Based on what he had seen, he speculated that Muria was not one of the common chromatic dragons.
He had seen gem dragons before, and they did not emit such light. Since Muria was neither a chromatic dragon nor a gem dragon, he had to be a metallic dragon. Judging by the brilliance of Muria's power, he was likely a gold dragon, stronger than a red dragon.
"No, not yet. I followed this road and have only seen a small area. There are still many places I haven't explored." Muria responded, indifferent to whatever ill intentions the knight might harbor. He could easily suppress them, so he planned to see what this Dragon Knight intended to do.
"If Lord Moo wishes to tour my territory, I would be more than happy to oblige. However, since you are unfamiliar with my lands, why not accompany me back to my castle? I can arrange for some guides to show you around."
Hearing that Muria wanted to explore his territory further, Bernard's face lit up with barely concealed joy. He had been managing this territory for ten years, and it was his pride. Based on what he knew, no other nation had achieved such governance. He was confident in that.
"Fine," Muria agreed in a cold tone to the knight's invitation. He had no particular affection or dislike for this knight, only a slight curiosity.
"Please, Lord Moo, climb aboard," Bernard eagerly summoned his contracted red dragon, inviting Muria to stand on its back.
Muria examined the majestic and fierce-looking red dragon before stepping onto its back.
"Roar!" The proud red dragon roared at Muria as he approached.
"Behave!" Seeing a newly matured dragon roar at him, Muria did not hesitate. He slapped the dragon's head, causing it to tilt skyward, scattering broken scales.
The sight left Bernard speechless, but then he felt a surge of joy. His fierce mount, after being slapped by Muria, obediently shrank its neck and fell silent.
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