"How old are you?" Muria asked kindly, looking at the sapphire dragon below him with a warm smile on his face. Among the dragon races, gem dragons were generally weaker than metallic and chromatic dragons, but their strength was still not to be underestimated. Notably, several dragon kings had emerged from the gem dragon lineage. However, the most distinctive feature of gem dragons, which neither metallic nor chromatic dragons possessed, was the nature of their scales.
When a gem dragon sheds its scales, they resemble naturally formed gemstones, often surpassing them in quality. For example, the scales of the sapphire dragon before Muria could be treated as actual sapphires if removed.
The key point is that the scales of a sapphire dragon can regenerate, meaning that every gem dragon is like a renewable gemstone mine. Owning a sapphire dragon would essentially eliminate any financial concerns.
However, using a gem dragon merely as a renewable gemstone source would be a waste of its true potential. The dragon knight Bernard, who had formed a contract with this sapphire dragon, understood this well. Instead of exploiting the dragon, he treated it with great care, while the sapphire dragon used its power to influence the surrounding land and create gemstone deposits, ensuring Bernard never had to worry about wealth.
Now, all of this belonged to Muria. However, out of caution, Muria did not force the sapphire dragon to break its contract with Bernard, as he sensed the dragon was wary of its own kind. This was unusual and suggested that it might have been hurt by other dragons during its youth, leading it to trust the human Bernard more than its own species.
"I can't remember exactly, but I must be over two hundred and thirty years old by now," the sapphire dragon replied nervously, looking somewhat timid as it glanced at Muria.
"You're already an adult dragon," Muria said, a bit surprised by the dragon's age. Although he knew that gem dragons were naturally small in stature, seeing an adult gem dragon in person and comparing it to the other adult dragons under his command made him realize just how small gem dragons truly were.
Despite their small size, gem dragons were on par with chromatic and metallic dragons in terms of average strength. However, overall, gem dragons were weaker because their population was even smaller than that of metallic dragons.
"Do you know where you came from? Do you remember where your parents are?" Muria continued to ask.
"I don't remember," the sapphire dragon replied, shaking its head anxiously and casting a hopeful glance at Bernard, as if expecting him to speak on its behalf.
"How absurd," Muria thought, feeling slightly displeased that this sapphire dragon trusted a human more than a fellow dragon. However, he did not let his feelings show.
"Bernard, where did you find him?" Muria turned his gaze to Bernard, knowing that if anyone besides the ancient metallic dragons had any information on the whereabouts of gem dragons, it would be this dragon knight.
"Your Highness, I found him in my own castle," Bernard said, somewhat embarrassed as he recounted the origins of the sapphire dragon.
"What did you say?" Muria's expression showed interest.
"My lord, every word I say is true. I discovered Ian on my sixteenth birthday in the basement of an abandoned castle. When I found him, his scales were shattered, and there was a claw wound on his body that had pierced his lungs..."
Bernard vividly described the scene when he found the sapphire dragon, like a story full of legendary elements—a brave and kind knight encountering a severely injured and dying dragon.
"A dragon literally fell into your lap," Muria remarked as he stared at Bernard with a calm gaze, causing the dragon knight to feel increasingly uneasy. In reality, Muria was marveling at Bernard's fortune. If Muria hadn't brought Synapse to the Evil Dragon Peninsula, Bernard's fate might have been entirely different. Based on his power and character, Bernard could have possibly conquered the Evil Dragon Peninsula, establishing a Dragon Knight kingdom there.
Such extraordinary luck made Muria feel that Bernard was indeed remarkable. If he had been able to establish a kingdom, he might have eventually risen to the ranks of royalty on this continent over time.
But the one unfortunate event for this dragon knight was encountering Muria, who ended up benefiting from all the opportunities that should have belonged to Bernard.
"Bernard, I have a task for you," Muria said after a moment of thought. He decided to take advantage of Bernard's unusual fortune. Although this luck might have been depleted after encountering Muria, it was worth testing again—after all, the very fact that Bernard encountered him could be seen as another manifestation of his fortune.
"Please, Your Highness, command me," Bernard said, bowing respectfully. He was fully aware of his position. His future accomplishments would be entirely dependent on the heights his master, Muria, could reach. If Muria became a king, Bernard could become a duke. If Muria became an emperor, Bernard could become a king. But if Muria remained a noble, Bernard could not surpass him. As a servant, his highest rank must always be one step below Muria's, whether in power or status.
"You know I'm planning to establish a Dragon Academy. Since it's named after dragons, it should include all dragon branches. Currently, we have over a thousand chromatic dragon students, and the ancient metallic dragons are helping me recruit more, but I still have no leads on the whereabouts of gem dragons. Without students from one of the most important dragon branches, the academy would be incomplete," Muria said, focusing on Bernard.
"I believe you have a connection with gem dragons, so I'm assigning you the task of finding their whereabouts. If you succeed, I'll grant you and your descendants titles of nobility for generations to come."
Muria didn't bother asking whether Bernard agreed to the task. As his vassal, Bernard had no choice but to accept.
"I will obey your orders, Your Highness," Bernard replied, bowing deeply. His master had given him an order, and now his only concern was how to complete it as quickly and effectively as possible.
After sending Bernard, this fortunate future king, on a quest to find gem dragons, Muria returned to Synapse to oversee everything. He began to allocate Synapse's resources and forces, secretly supporting the six marquess dragons of the Kushan Kingdom to bolster their power and help them expand their influence.
Of course, this was a long-term process, so Muria set a century-long plan in motion to seize control of a nation—something only an immortal like Muria could patiently plan. In a hundred years, even the king of the Kushan Kingdom might have changed.
Additionally, Muria continued to monitor his giant army's campaign against the Evil Dragon Peninsula. Although the army's progress had slowed, they still maintained absolute dominance over the native creatures and dragons of the peninsula.
To Muria, the fierce beasts and dragons of the Evil Dragon Peninsula, which ordinary humans feared, were nothing more than paper tigers. They lacked both quality and discipline compared to his giant army. Their defeat was inevitable; the only question was how many ancient chromatic dragons were hidden in that land.
Aside from these military campaigns, Muria's main focus was the dragon eggs he had obtained from the Dragon Peninsula. He had ordered skilled human craftsmen to build elemental dragon pools optimized for hatching dragon eggs, where each egg was carefully placed according to its type.
After returning to Synapse, Muria's favorite place to visit was the dragon pool, where he sometimes even conducted Synapse's affairs. He enjoyed witnessing the moment when a large-headed, small-bodied hatchling dragon broke out of its shell.
...
"Bianca Schmidt!" The thick fire element in the air had almost liquefied, turning the bright red pool into a blazing cauldron. In the midst of this, a massive dragon egg, covered in intricate patterns, cracked open. A small, seemingly weak claw emerged from the crack, followed by another. The two claws worked together to break the shell into pieces, revealing a dragon's head that looked both dazed and cute. The hatchling took a deep breath of the near-liquid fire element and let out a tender roar, announcing its true name to the world.
On a nearby platform, Muria watched the scene with a contented smile, pleased to see a dragonborn enter the pool to retrieve the red dragon hatchling, which had begun its first meal by eating its own eggshell.
Muria knew this dragon was about to face its first lesson: obedience. It would soon experience something entirely different from the memories in its bloodline—learning to obey every command from its superiors, discarding all the bad habits passed down through its heritage.
"My dragon army has gained another soldier," Muria thought with a slight smile as he watched the hatchling struggle and try to bite its handler. In Muria's mind, every unhatched dragon egg in the pool was already one of his future subordinates.
To ensure their healthy and successful hatching, he spared no expense, using the best resources available. However, Muria was not as generous with the metallic dragons. To obtain resources from him, they would have to pay the appropriate price. He was always clear about the distinction between public and private matters.
Although some ancient dragons criticized him for being too kind to chromatic dragons, Muria simply listened without any intention of changing. The chromatic dragons he raised would be willing to fight and die for him. Could the metallic dragons do the same?
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