The continuous mountains were like True Dragons buried deep within the earth, growing as the True Dragons grew.
The Dragon Nest Mountains had now gradually spread towards the sea, like a small tail growing from the mountain range, with some interconnected low, earthen hills emerging from the ground and stretching out towards the ocean.
Today's weather was exceptionally clear, so many of the liege lords living near the Dragon Nest Mountains could see countless Batwing Wyverns soaring through the mountains, their countless wings vibrating, producing a collective, resonant flapping sound.
Previously, the Kobold Soldiers stationed on the paths leading to the Dragons's Dragon Nest had all been withdrawn, with only the checkpoints at the foot of the mountain still guarded by KoboldSoldiers, and Imperial Guards at the final steps leading to the Dragon Nest's summit.
These Wyverns replaced those soldiers, becoming the eyes and claws of the True Dragon Group among the mountains. Batwing Wyverns, much faster than any Wyvern in the Ekania World, could circle the mountains in less than a quarter of an hour.
This made it difficult for any creature attempting to abruptly cross the mountains to escape the eyes and attacks of the True Dragon's claws.
In addition, many sufficiently intelligent and agile warriors were selected to choose Wyvernpartners that suited them from the mountain where the Batwing Wyverns nested.
However, although the Batwing Wyverns had submitted to the Dragon clan, their inherent pride would not allow these Wyverns to be willingly tamed by these warriors.
These intelligent and agile warriors needed to use their abilities to tame these Wyverns; only by successfully taming a Wyvern and possessing their own flying mount could they be selected for the Sky Battle Regiment and become a main battle regiment soldier with enviable treatment and an extremely high status.
Therefore, the mountainside where the Batwing Wyverns nested was very lively now, with unlucky reserve warriors occasionally being thrown from low altitudes by the Wyverns' playful antics, their screams covered by the excited cries of the Batwing Wyverns' teasing.
Although these Batwing Wyverns dared not put the Dragon clan's reserve soldiers' lives in danger, being thrown around was enough to teach these warriors a lesson.
And these unlucky warriors who failed to form a partnership with a Wyvern would also be considered not smart or agile enough; they would be eliminated and could only choose to become soldiers in other types of regiments or join the ranks of the peacekeepers.
Because the Dragon clan's main battle regiments only recruited elites who were excellent, whether in strength or luck.
And among this group of warriors waiting to enter the arena and choose their taming targets, Countess Bartoli was prominently listed.
This Countess, though powerful enough, was unable to participate in the battle for the Green Field Forest plane because she needed to handle all matters within her countdom, which greatly disappointed this thrill-seeking and warlike Countess.
Countess Bartoli believed that if she could have participated in this battle, she would not have performed worse than You Ge the Gnoll and Gibb the Barbarian, among other chiliarchs, because she was not only an exceptionally skilled warrior but also possessed military acumen.
Therefore, she also hoped to gain Kalon's permission to establish her own battle regiment.
And this soon-to-be-created Wyvern Battle Regiment, the Sky Army, was her goal. She had not given up her noble life to be an ordinary officer in the Dragon Clans Territory; she would prove with her strength that she deserved the Dragon clan's trust.
Seeing another warrior successfully tame a Wyvern and joyfully ride it flying wildly at low altitude, Bartoli could no longer restrain herself. The tall and curvaceous Countess, dressed in tight leather armor, did not appear petite even among many tall warriors.
She stepped out of the crowd and walked towards the largest cave, where the king and leader of the Batwing Wyvern clan resided, the most powerful Wyvern, and precisely her target.
"Oh, what a sexy and wild lioness she is! She actually dares to challenge the king of the Wyverns. I've decided, even if she fails, I won't mock her,"
The atmosphere among the soldiers in the crowd became lively. Before this, no one had set their sights on the Wyvern leader; they all had enough self-awareness.
A burly human soldier stood beside his tamed Wyvern, shouting loudly to encourage Bartoli, the brave female warrior. He whistled, his expression flirtatious,
"Go for it, beautiful and wild female warrior! Your sexiness excites me, and your courage makes me adore you. Even if you fail, I can still let you ride a Wyvern with me and experience the feeling of soaring through the sky!"
Countess Bartoli's soft and well-defined face turned, looking at the smug warrior, her lips curving slightly. She laughed loudly: "Hmph, I'm not interested in weaklings like you!"
Amidst the laughter of the many warriors and the embarrassment of the soldier who had teased her, Bartoli stepped into the cave, ready to face her challenge.
The colossal Kalon folded his wings and looked down from the mountaintop. His excellent vision took in this scene, and he also slightly revealed his thick, long, bone-white fangs. The slight fatigue accumulated from long practice and forging was swept away by joy at this moment.
Behind Kalon, a tall sanctuary stood atop the mountain.
In front of the sanctuary's main hall, a huge golden bell hung, reflecting dazzling light under the sun's rays.
Kalon sensed that within this huge golden bell, faint threads of faith were converging, slowly flowing throughout the bell's body, dyeing the golden giant bell with a layer of pure white halo.
After several months of continuous practice and improvement, he had completed his work. Although it was still only a semi-finished product, he no longer needed to put too much effort into it; only time was sufficient.
The rest of the large bells had also been successively sent to other cities and every village settlement within the territory during this period, but Kalon had not yet allowed those loyal souls to ring this golden bell.
Because according to the calendar revised and corrected by the human Scholars based on the territory, which had begun to be published, the last day of this year was approaching soon.
Creatures in this world did not have festivals or customs like celebrating the New Year, but Kalon had arrived, and now they would.
Since Kalon had made his choice and decision, he would transform his territory according to his own ideas, and, influence the entire world.
This was the nature of the Red Dragon, and also Kalon's idea!
On the last day of this year, Kalon would ring the golden bell, marking the end of the old year and the arrival of the new.
That day was also named Year's End Day, or Year's Pass!
Having unique festivals and ceremonial activities for one's own kingdom was also an important step in establishing a unified cultural consciousness. Racial divisions were not a difficult point; a unified cultural consciousness was enough to bridge any racial differences.
To obey the Dragon clan's laws and etiquette was to be a citizen of the Dragon clan.
And at the top of the Dragon clan's Sanctuary, a crimson banner, identical in scale color to Kalon, unfurled in the wind, the flag fluttering, its emblem clearly visible.
It was a virtual Red Dragon's eye inlaid with various colored gems—green, red, blue, black, bronze, yellowish-brown—each gem like the radiance emanating from the True Dragon's eye, making the True Dragon's eye appear like a deity's gaze overlooking the mortal world.
This was the Dragon clan Territory's royal flag, the modified royal flag, and there were a few transparent gems that had no color at all, which also represented Kalon's vision and ambition for the future.
The crimson flag fluttered fiercely in the wind. Kalon stood on the mountaintop, overlooking his territory, and suddenly sighed softly, "The Year's Pass is approaching!"
As the Year's Pass approached, the territory also became exceptionally busy.
Officials at all levels of the territory, having received the news, began preparing for the first important festival to be held in the Dragon Territory.
These officials were bustling, prioritizing the commands and goals issued by the Dragon clan. Even the Kings Capital, the city being constructed under the supervision of Germott, temporarily slowed its construction pace to prepare for this important festival.
The fireworks factory built on the outskirts of the Golden City, at the foot of the Dragon Nest, was now exceptionally busy. Thanks to the fact that the materials and craftsmanship for fireworks were not overly complex, ordinary people, once skilled, could set up an entire production line for fireworks products.
And the dozen or so apprentices who once followed Goblin bang bang had now become master-level figures presiding over the entire fireworks factory.
To meet the immense demand that was soon to arrive, these fireworks were only simply brushed with the Dragon Territory's insignia on their outer casing.
Even so, the entire fireworks factory was increasing its workforce.
Many Kobold Soldiers barked loudly, moving and transferring cartloads of goods. Cart after cart of goods, marked with their destinations, were received by the Kobold Soldiers and then transported to their respective destinations.
"Woof, woof, these are goods for Deep River Village, but we're supposed to go to Ox Hoof Village," the leading Kobold barked irritably at his subordinates,
"You stupid idiot, you got the wrong goods! You're a fool who stuck his dog head between his own butt! All you do is cause me trouble!"
The need to supply so many fireworks did not mean that this product, established as a industry, was already widely popular; in fact, the fireworks production line had only just been perfected.
But with the first major festival approaching, Kalon felt it was not excessive to make it even grander. So, at his signal, every city, every village, and every family would receive at least one single-tube firework.
And those merchants who had no concept of a New Year festival, it was believed that after experiencing an unforgettable night, they would also develop a strong interest in this inexpensive product that could bring moments of dazzling beauty.
At that time, the Dragon Clans Territory would not need to do much promotion for this product; it would naturally gain many customers and then see its wealth grow.
Not only the fireworks factory, but even the political and basic administrative departments within the territory were busy and arguing.
"Oh, damn it, there's a Kobold here, a Kobold from Cave Village, who gave birth to six cubs this year! My goodness, you know those human residents only gave birth to a maximum of four, lucky quadruplets!"
The grassroots official, wearing a sky-piercing True Dragon horn hat, rubbed his forehead in distress. This kind of sky-piercing True Dragon horn hat was currently very popular in the territory. Various True Dragon horn hats initially became popular among young children who liked to stick two twigs on their foreheads.
Some astute merchants also launched this hat accessory, which quickly became popular throughout the Dragon Territory, and that astute merchant also made a fortune from it.
"What's that? I have a report here that a Goblin from Plum Village actually gave birth to eight little ones in the past year. It's so absurd it could be in the human kingdom,"
Another official, wearing a soft-horned hat, said to his colleague, "It seems the title of Heroic Mother should go to this lucky Goblin. If you ask me, these useless races should still be encouraged to reproduce. Won't the territory be full of these green creatures running around in a few years?!"
"Shh," another person, not wearing a hat, a human official sitting in the corner, motioned for his colleague to be quiet. He said, "These matters are naturally for the higher-ups to worry about. We just need to execute orders. Besides, the higher-ups want us to be impartial and balanced now. What you're saying isn't popular!"
"Alright, alright," the official with the soft-horned hat shrugged indifferently. He said, "Since we're supposed to be impartial, why don't we just choose one from each race to bestow the title of Heroic Mother?"
"Hmph, you're a clever one," the fourth official, sitting at the large table by the door, smiled and said, "Then next is the selection for the Diligent Model. Let's follow this method again!"
By the time these candidates were finally decided, more than half a day had passed. Finally, the official with the sky-piercing Dragon horn hat said, "Besides the badges awarded by the higher-ups, there must be substantial rewards. What should we reward these lucky ones with? A plowing ox, or a pack horse?"
"Forget it, I only have one ox at home now. Let's just reward them with a chicken or a duck," the soft-horned official's cleverness was quietly replaced by creeping stinginess.
The official with the sky-piercing Dragon horn hat disagreed, believing that the territory should be more generous in such matters, so the two officials began to argue.
The official sitting in the corner showed a smug expression and said, "Or we could report to the higher-ups that the reward given is an ox or a horse, but privately, we give a chicken or a duck,"
"That way, we can also get some benefits!" The official in the corner smiled, looking smugly at his colleagues, thinking his idea was brilliant.
But the noisy atmosphere in the room suddenly quieted down. The other three officials all closed their mouths, no longer speaking, only looking at this self-proclaimed clever official with strange eyes.
And in the small garden outside, through the open window, a black talking raven could be seen perched on a fruit tree planted in the garden.
These extremely intelligent talking ravens were among the smartest of birds.
Not only could they understand some not-too-complex human speech after training, but they could also repeat what they heard, in an orderly and precise manner.
And this raven had now quietly flapped its wings and flown towards its destination.
That was a distant white building, three stories high, with a large sign hanging over the door of the third-story building—Political Department!
Caw, caw,
The raven flew to the third floor, tapping the closed window with its wings while making cawing sounds from its throat.
The window was opened, and a young Elf Druid leaned out from inside, reaching out to scoop up the raven.
The young Elf Druid handed the dried meat in his hand to the raven's beak, smiling as he said, "Oh, look at my clever little darling, what good news have you brought me?"