bdsm-fiction Page 75
Page 75
The West didn't lose a single thing; its haul consisted of the head of the Terasque behemoth and half of its chest with its left arm attached—better than nothing.
What the other dragons didn't know was that Casalos seemed to have snatched a big piece from the Dragon Treasury.
Unfortunately, there were too many miscellaneous things in the real world, and Casalos, no matter how itching to enter, didn't have a chance to immediately rush into the Dragon Vault to confirm the spoils—it had been flying aimlessly in the sky for two years, and the Dragon Vault had long been filled with primal power, yet it hadn't automatically entered during its dazed and unconscious state. At least the creator of this thing hadn't forgotten about basic functions like protective mechanisms... Complaints aside, through the ability to trap Grommash in the Astral Plane and now intercept the spoils, Casalos could still vaguely sense that the Dragon Vault might be much more powerful than it imagined, and those strange mechanisms might just be restrictions that had to be made to protect its "weak" self.
Thinking about it this way, the room-clearing mode is quite like a tutorial, where you can even interact with the avatar of the Dragon God. The current Survivor mode is probably the real training dungeon. According to the Archbishop, Elben, which the swarm is devouring, is indeed a real world. As long as Casalos continues to explore, there will always be a chance to gradually unravel the mysteries of the Dragon Vault. For now, let's deal with the annoying scroll dragons before thinking about anything else.
As it turns out, the aloof impression that the Scroll Dragons left among the creatures of Faerûn, including other true dragons, was a mistake. They ignored you simply because you didn't possess the knowledge that interested them. Casalos unfortunately revealed enough knowledge to an elderly Scroll Dragon to one of them, and naturally, he was entangled with it.
Not long after waking up, the scroll dragon Lakmadon came knocking on his door, claiming to be a comrade-in-arms who had worked together to kill the giant beast Terasque, and boasting of the great cause of protecting the biggest spoils for Casalos. He followed Casalos around with a fawning smile, asking all sorts of questions.
"How did you come up with the idea of putting gunpowder in the gaps between the scales to ignite and speed things up?" "How did you transform yourself into an elemental creature?" "What was that thing that finally pierced through the Terasque behemoth?" "Why do you sometimes flash with light, like a Bejuri gem, and even reveal me when I'm invisible? What kind of magical magic is that?"
One question after another rained down from the Scroll Dragon's mouth, its silky fur displaying a multitude of curious expressions, much to Casalos's annoyance, yet he couldn't bring himself to chase the dragon away. Strictly speaking, the Scroll Dragon had also saved Casalos's life; otherwise, exhausted after piercing two different types of tortoise shells, it wouldn't have been able to defeat the Terasque behemoth. Deep down, Casalos was still grateful to Lakmadon. After all, it was an iron dragon that strictly adhered to order, not a chaotic fool, and couldn't possibly repay kindness with enmity. In the end, it had no choice but to reveal some secrets that weren't exactly core to its knowledge.
"That's not gunpowder, it's a solid propellant made of hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene with added metallic combustion-supporting powder. Don't ask me what hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene is, you wouldn't understand even if I told you. This isn't magic, your basic knowledge is too poor. You just need to know that it's a more effective type of gunpowder, the basic principle is similar anyway; I've completed the advancement of Elemental Master, so of course I can become an elemental creature; what pierced the behemoth's shell was a plastic-bonded explosive shaped charge based on cyclotetramethylenetetranitramine—another more effective application of gunpowder. This stuff is actually used for mining deep minerals. If the Terasque behemoth wasn't so stupid as to be completely useless, you wouldn't be able to use it recklessly; as for the flame... that's of course the flame of the Bejuri Gem Dragon, that's the reward I gave for helping a bound Bejuri old dragon soul reach the other side. Breaking through your invisibility is a piece of cake, isn't it?"
"what?"
The Scroll Dragon stared blankly at Casalos, its long tail tangled in two knots from its erratic movements, its mane and plucked, chicken-wing-like wings drooping to the ground. After a long while, it asked uncertainly, "How come I didn't know that advancing to Elemental Mastery allowed for elementalization? And Faerûn still has the Bejuri Gem Dragon?"
It seems it only understood these two things...
171. Dilemma and Vision
"You're not an elemental master, how do you know it's impossible?"
"Are you kidding me, Iron Dragon cub? Why can't the other elemental masters I've met do the same?"
"Have you seen any other elemental masters? Their advancement is not as good as mine."
"I haven't seen it with my own eyes, but my grandfather has seen it, my great-grandfather has seen it, and one of my ancestors was even an elemental master and an archmage of the energy system! You mean that the ancient scrolls of dragons, which are the advancement of an elemental master and an archmage of the energy system, are not as advanced as yours?"
“I can become elemental, but your ancestors couldn’t.”
"..." The Scroll Dragon was speechless and awkwardly changed the subject: "Let's talk about the Bejuri Gem Dragon. There was no trace of them in Faerûn in my great-grandfather's time, or even my great-great-grandfather's time. Do they really still exist in this world?"
“I don’t know if there are any living Bejuri Gem Dragons left, but at least one has died, and the flames on my body are proof of that.”
"where?"
"The Dark Regions".
"..." The Scroll Dragon fell silent again. Given the ecology of the Bejuri Gem Dragons, if they still existed in Faerûn, they could only be found beneath the Underdark, the largest labyrinth on Toril. For some unknown reason, the Scroll Dragon was unwilling to venture into the Underdark—Casaros was unaware of this. It was curious about the Scroll Dragon's silence, but at this moment, it was best to remain curious.
"Besides, those things like 'base,' 'ene,' and 'amine,' they all sound like newly coined words that follow certain rules. I really lack the relevant knowledge system. Do you know where I can learn them?" Juan Ce Long changed the subject again, but went straight to the core of some issues: "Or rather, under what conditions would you be willing to let me learn that knowledge?"
"Ok?"
Casalos used these newly coined terms to deal with the Scroll Dragon in an attempt to deter it. Deep down, it didn't like having much to do with these knowledge-seekers and arcane mystics. The Scroll Dragon had an insatiable greed for the unknown, wanting to know everything clearly, yet lacked the common sense and judgment expected of dragons. Like other dragons, even Toona wouldn't delve into the secrets of her mate, Ratambirol.
Wasn't the old golden dragon curious about why Casaloz could transform into an element? And didn't Vera Marandes also want to know how Casaloz pierced the shell of the giant beast Terasque? Did they ask Casaloz? Of course not, they didn't even express the slightest intention to investigate, because not probing the secrets of other dragons is the proper boundary for dragons to maintain in their interactions.
For a dragon to be so brazen as to ask Casaroz questions to his face is simply too unrestrained, especially since Casaroz holds so many secrets.
If it weren't for the fact that I knew from God's perspective that the Scroll Dragon was this kind of scoundrel, given the nature of the Iron Dragon, I should have already found a way to make the Scroll Dragon keep the secret forever. It's one thing not to repay kindness with enmity, but you've already started to investigate my secrets, aren't you just trying to deal with me? Are you suggesting I not be allowed to take the initiative and gain the upper hand? Even gold and bronze dragons don't have such a good temper; only silver dragons can tolerate it.
But... what if we put aside the traditional mindset of dragons and think about it from a different perspective?
Could we leverage this systematic knowledge that we learned in our past lives but didn't delve into to build a group of truly research-oriented allies?
Yes, it's a group, not just one. Like the Atheros, the Scroll Dragons are highly social species, even more so within their own kind, which is the basic social unit of the Atheros. If you can continuously provide knowledge that attracts a single Scroll Dragon, along with effective guarantees, then getting the help of a group of Scroll Dragons is not a pipe dream.
Casalos seemed to see the milestone achievements of "Radiant Radiance" and "Eternal Blazing Sun" illuminate in the curious eyes of the Scroll Dragon.
Chapter 235
No matter what it becomes, which time traveler wouldn't want to grow mushrooms?
Dragonling has indeed conducted relevant research, but unfortunately, there has been no progress for a long time.
Uranium ore has been found, and other radioactive materials have also been traced, but the generous Mother Earth… no, it should be the goddess of magic, or even the supreme deity, has played a cruel joke on Casalos. The isotopes cannot be separated in this damned world!
Casalos didn't know if this was because isotopes didn't exist in the cosmos created by AO, or if the magic that existed in all things when the second-generation goddess of magic sealed spells above the ninth ring forcibly bound together isotopes that were prone to nuclear reactions according to some deeper rule—if this could be achieved with magic, it would obviously fall into the category of spells beyond the ninth ring, much more serious than legendary spells pieced together using loopholes—anyway, with the current technological level of Dragon Territory, it couldn't even cross the threshold.
While there are kobolds and grey dwarves, and Dragonflight has no shortage of engineers and spellcasters, perhaps only Isis is a true arcane explorer and seeker of knowledge. Casalos carries too heavy a burden; he has neither the time nor the energy to teach Isis much, and the process of seeking knowledge is one that requires collective effort the deeper one delves. Essentially, arcane exploration is also a form of scientific research, only that certain beings, for some purpose, have sealed it off as a black box. Relying solely on Isis, let alone breaking through this black box, even figuring out the most basic applications of arcane magic is impossible.
Even the Goddess of Magic herself didn't understand the true nature of the Magic Network, what it could do, how much magic remained undiscovered, or what its effects were. It was precisely for this reason that she consistently supported mages' exploration of the Magic Network and research into spells, even abandoning all defenses out of curiosity to directly use her divine essence to contact Karthus's magic, leading to a generational shift. Isis, at best, was the illegitimate daughter of a second-generation Goddess of Magic; how much could she possibly understand?
A group of scroll dragons can do so much.
Even if they can't achieve brilliant accomplishments in pure physics, a group of scroll dragons who are purely engaged in arcane research can still crush those timid and closed-door archmages in Faerûn, leaving them unable to lift their heads. What legendary spells can't they create?
Moreover, Casalos has the Dragon Vault as a backup.
Casalos was tempted, but how to proceed and how to get the Scroll Dragon on his ship required a thorough discussion with his staff. For now, he could only keep Lakmaton in suspense and stall him before making any further plans.
“I’ve been awake for several hours now, and I must pay my respects to Lord Dracol and Lady Vera Marandes. Are you trying to make me rude and create conflict by blocking my way?”
"Pah! Their lives were saved by you and me. If anyone should be rude, it's them..." the Scroll Dragon said, but still stepped aside. The Iron Dragon didn't refuse outright, which meant there was hope. As an old dragon who had lived for a long time, it understood this principle.
172. A Big Surprise
Perhaps because it involved the gods, the meeting with the two golden dragons was rather unremarkable.
Since Casalos fell into a coma and was separated from the dimensional prototype of the future divine kingdom of Karthus, everyone had been staying in Dracol's territory for some time. In addition to formally expressing his gratitude to Casalos, the old golden dragon, as the host, also extended the hospitality by inviting Casalos to recuperate and tour the area for a while.
Given the frequent presence of Pointy Ears and Harpists' Alliance members in this area, Casalos politely declined the offer.
Of course, it was inevitable that they would take the opportunity to secure some business for Ratambirol's identity and open a special trade route. Although the old golden dragon found it strange that the iron dragon was as enthusiastic about commerce as the steel dragon, and was even playing the role of an intermediary, it couldn't refuse. After this battle, it and the old golden dragon Dracol could be considered to have a life-or-death friendship.
In this way, Ratambirol has finally made contact with the Golden Dragon. As long as he seizes the right opportunity to put on Ratambirol's skin and make a pact with the old Golden Dragon, he can make his business with the richest race in Faerûn.
Dragons' thirst for treasure is etched deep within their souls, and golden dragons possess the strongest obsession with all kinds of gems among all true dragons. The surplus gems produced in dragon territories now have a channel for dumping. Besides, custom-made dragon armor and dragon weapons would likely be very popular with golden dragons—their body structure differs significantly from other true dragon subspecies. Even though magical equipment can mostly be automatically adapted to the user's body type after synchronization, the universal structure still feels somewhat awkward.
If given a choice, who would refuse better magical equipment? It's just that the pricing might take a considerable amount of time to negotiate with the old Golden Dragon.
Vera Marandes and Silverwing didn't say much; they had stayed there to wait for Casalos to wake up. After meeting and confirming that everything was alright, the golden-and-silver-clad couple gave Casalos a magical token for communication and hurriedly left. It seemed they had some urgent matters at home to attend to; building relationships, consolidating their reputation, and maintaining connections would have to wait until later.
The Sun Elf priest, disheartened by his god's betrayal of the dragon, retreated to Averiska, too ashamed to face it. The paladin, worried his friend was going astray, followed him. Meanwhile, the Kingdom received an urgent recall from Harua; King Zarathustra of Harua seemed to be in trouble, and the old captain needed to return to the rescue.
The group that met by chance and went on this unique adventure together then completely broke up.
Under the resentful gaze of a certain half-elf ranger, Casalos, along with Fiona, Lothley, and their ever-present Scroll Dragon, departed for Damara to support the war against the Witch King. A few days earlier, bad news had arrived from Damara: the monarch of the Bloodfeather Dynasty, King Vidin of Damara, had tragically perished in the battle against the Witch King.
With their monarch killed on the battlefield, Damara's morale was severely damaged, and the kingdom completely collapsed. Since Vidin had no heir, the succession to the Damara kingdom became a major problem. The collateral branches of the Bloodfeather family, the ancient nobles of Damara, and the new families that had rendered great service in the war—anyone with a bit of power wanted to sit on the throne. Who cared that the Witch King's army was pressing in—this situation was clearly the work of demons, but in such a time, who could control their lust for power?
Only the paladin Gaelos Dragonstalker was still tirelessly holding the line, but the infighting in Damara was escalating, and even the legendary paladin was struggling to cope, desperately needing reinforcements to stabilize the situation. In the years since Casalos disappeared, the young athelian dragons who remained in Damara had become quite familiar with Gaelos and his knightly order, almost all of them having earned the title of dragon knight and showing it off everywhere. Of course, they couldn't back down now; Casalos had to go and support them first.
Actually, it wasn't too worried about the situation in Damara getting out of control. In the original timeline, Gaelos had managed to pull through by himself, and now with a large group of young and strong Atheros and Gorons helping out, things couldn't possibly get any worse.
The only possible variable is the powerful ally of the Witch King, Crimson. The ancient red dragon Crimson was not seriously injured because of Casaloz's involvement. If it suddenly joins the battle, it will indeed overturn the battle situation in Damara. However, as long as Casaloz arrives, none of this will happen.
Casalos refused to believe that Crimson, who had witnessed the Battle of Terasque, would rashly go to war for the sake of conquering the strange when he saw him.
And indeed, as the whooshing sound of Casalozs swept across the front lines of Damara, the crimson figure broke away from the Extinction Army and returned to the depths of Vasa. The ancient red dragons would not admit that they feared the young iron dragons, but they would spend decades or even centuries reassessing the risks of being enemies with Casalozs.
Casaloz, a young yet imposing figure, single-handedly broke through the two layers of defense of the Terasque behemoth, which required a combined attack from all the dragons to barely break through. This feat has been deeply etched in the hearts of all those who experienced the battlefield firsthand.
金属
Chapter 236
Not to mention the dragons, the chromatic dragons who survived this battle will try their best to avoid conflict with Casalos until they are absolutely certain of victory.
With morale stabilized and the defensive line strengthened, Casalos finally had time to slack off. Under the pretext of needing a short period of rest to recover from his injuries, he dragged Fiona to an underground lava river to open the Dragon's Treasury.
Casaroz's hatching experience instilled in it an unwavering trust in Fiona. It didn't know if the Iron Dragon exhibited imprinting behavior, but its first experience in the Dragon Vault had taken place under Fiona's protection, so it felt perfectly safe to do it again. Under Fiona's watchful eye, Casaroz calmly arranged the spell trigger sequence, then settled comfortably into the lava, sparks spitting from its nostrils as it drifted off to sleep…
"Wow!"
Upon opening its eyes, Casaloz exclaimed in amazement. The sight that filled its pupils made Casaloz forget its usual snapping action with its iron beak. It raised its tail high, tilted its head back, and paced around, spreading its wings wide to the sides, each scale trembling with excitement.
When it awoke from its coma, it received the good news that the Dragon Treasury had intercepted a huge trophy for it. Due to various factors, it could not check it in time, but it couldn't help but make all sorts of guesses in its head.
But no matter how much he guessed, Casalos never expected that the Dragon Vault would give him such a huge surprise.
“You seem very excited.” The archbishop appeared silently beside Casalos. “Indeed, for you right now, this is quite a trophy.”
173. Grand Gift
Within the Dragon's Treasury, the silver river that once flowed through the void vanished, transforming into a boundless, dazzling starry sky. Casalos's resting place was no longer a desolate floating boulder on the river, but a marble plaza standing with exquisite human-shaped statues.
It was the floating city of Elena, which should have been destroyed by the dragons and the Miser Core, and the demiplane that had sheltered Elena for a thousand years, suspected to have been created by a disciple of the Archmage Karthus.
Casalos knew that this was not a manifestation of his own imagination through a distorted alteration of the Dragon's Treasury virtual space, but a real existence—sometimes the boundary between reality and illusion is blurred.
"How did you do it?"
"Time reversal, just a small trick." The archbishop's face, hidden behind his cloak, remained indistinct, yet his gaze seemed to pierce through the barrier of time: "What I, and others like myself, or the gods of the realms and the heavens, and even most ordinary beings in the entire 'multiverse' who know the miracle of 'magic,' have always perceived as 'time reversal' is actually merely the restoration of specific information within a specific region, far removed from the flow of time itself..."
To put it simply, since you haven't opened the training dungeon for a long time, the energy accumulated in the Dragon's Treasury has reached a new threshold, so an additional one-time function that automatically adapts to your current needs and feasibility has been activated.
When you entered the demiplane and saw the floating city, a subconscious desire for both things arose. Therefore, the Dragon's Treasury used this function to seize the demiplane and the floating city. If the demiplane's owner still controlled it, the accumulated energy wouldn't have been sufficient to take it over. However, because it voluntarily relinquished the demiplane for certain purposes, things became much easier.
A demiplane large enough to contain a floating city, a grand arcane floating city with the Miser Core at its core—this was the surprise that the Dragon Vault brought to Casalos.
What is a demiplane? First, it's important to clarify that this isn't some future "demiplane" public storage room mass-produced and distributed by the Goddess of Magic through a magical network, accessible with an eighth-circle spell. According to Faerûn's definition, a demiplane is a small, finite-sized hyperspace with its own unique laws. They are cosmic systems that appear unlike anywhere else... in other words, an independent microcosm.
Demiplanes can exist for many reasons. They can be created by arcane or divine magic, or by the will of a powerful god or other forces. They can also exist naturally, such as as a fold of a cosmic system that has separated from a constricted universe, or as an infant universe whose energy is growing.
The demiplane created by the disciple of Archmage Karthus was clearly an arcane creation. The method of creating demiplanes using arcane magic had long been lost on the continent of Faerûn; even the Scroll Dragon didn't know how to create such a thing. In fact, the most recent recorded demiplane in Faerûn's history was created by the school of Archmage Karthus; the demiplanes of Netheril were all the property of Karthus and his disciples.
With Karthus's failed ascension and the destruction of Netheril, these demiplanes were also completely annihilated in the endless expanse of time and space.
To trace the history of the demiplane further back, we must go to the Imasca Empire, which was destroyed by two pantheons, and very little information about it has survived.
Other known demiplanes include the living Ness, the legendary Observatory that observes all things in the multiverse, and the Great Harmony Realm, which only allows gods to enter and can wash away their divine power so that they can sit down and talk peacefully.
The demiplane that the Dragon Treasury seized and repaired from the disciples of the Archmage is certainly not as significant as the previous ones, but it still possesses extraordinary strategic importance. Leaving aside the distant future, the existence of this demiplane is enough to ensure that the core of Casalo's Dragon Territory safely weathers the impending global "natural" catastrophe.
Furthermore, the demiplane of the Archmage's disciple is connected to the Arcane Network and possesses complete arcane rules. It's not the system currently used in Faerûn, where the second-generation Goddess of Magic had her super-ninth-level spells sealed; it still uses the fully open Arcane Network protocol from the Netheril era. This is precisely why a half-lich could instantly kill an ancient red dragon with a single spell, and why Elena could maintain her levitation against gravity. Thus, this demiplane can serve as an excellent arcane research laboratory—this was precisely the Archmage's original intention in creating the demiplane.
The only slight flaw is that after the demiplane was seized by the Dragon Treasury, its "docked" location moved from outside the Prime Material Plane's boundary to the Astral Plane. To truly enter it in physical form, one must first traverse the vast Astral Plane and find the only teleportation passage. The Iron Dawn doesn't have the coordinates for this passage, and the Dragon Treasury hasn't provided any readable coordinate information. Casalos needs to take the time to use the spiritual entity created by the Dragon Treasury to enter the Astral Plane from the demiplane and retrieve the Prime Material Plane before determining the Astral Plane's route.
Besides the demiplane, the floating city of Elena is a treasure trove waiting for Casalos to open.
That was the floating city of the Archmage Karthus. Karthus had made ample preparations for his ascension to godhood. He had left all his knowledge, his school of thought, and all his wealth on Elena. Now, all of it belonged to Casalos!
The half-lich was caught up in the delusion of its mentor's ascension to godhood and abandoned everything for it, but Casalos would not do so; it knew what was truly useful and important.
"Now that the good news is over, let's move on to the bad news. The information backtracking from the Dragon Treasury is regional, and because the demiplane became an independent spacetime reference frame after decoupling from the Prime Material Plane, isolated from each other's fates, everything that should be in the demiplane at the recorded point in time is there, and the state remains consistent... Whether you can obtain Karthus's legacy, and how much you can obtain, depends entirely on your own efforts."
"What do you mean by having everything that should be there?" Casalos's eyelids twitched, and a bad feeling rose in his heart.
Archbishop Artanis raised his hand, extending his gloved palm with five fingers spread out like a human's: "You've already guessed it, haven't you? The freeze protection will end in 5 seconds, and you'll be able to see it for yourself soon."
As soon as he finished speaking, the last finger that was still upright bent down, and a strange sensation was like soap bubble washing over Casalos's body.
“龙
Chapter 237
"How did you get into Elena's defensive barrier?!" A hoarse shout came from the top of the towering mage tower directly opposite the plaza. The half-lich, whom they had met not long ago, hovered atop the tower, gripping his twisted wooden staff, and looked at Casaloz with astonishment: "You've come to track down those dragons who sacrificed themselves for my great cause?"
173. Fighting the Lich Alone
"This must be my punishment for slacking off in the back during the previous battle!"
Casalos did not answer the lich's question. Instead, it soared into the sky, trying to gain enough speed and height to avoid any possible attacks. At the same time, it summoned a high-level fire elemental to drape itself in, shielding itself from the biting cold that had appeared with the lich's arrival.
Facing the demigod lich alone, Casalos was indeed under immense pressure. This disciple of Karthus had demonstrated his strength to the fullest when he instantly killed the ancient red dragon; he was a spellcaster wielding spells beyond the ninth rank.
Even in the current situation where Casalos is the only dragon, it's unlikely that the lich would immediately unleash a powerful spell exceeding the ninth level. But the mere fact that it's a demigod lich is enough to instill despair in the dragon.
The Lich is overpowered, and the Demigod Lich is the most overpowered of all Liches!
Moreover, Casalos had to fight on the demigod lich's home turf. The endless undead creatures, unknown barriers, and magical traps scattered throughout the floating city of Elena were no pushovers. Without a bunch of ancient dragons and archdragons bombarding him from the front, Casalos didn't even have the ability to break through Elena's barrier.
It is trapped within the barrier, and the battle will never end unless the demigod lich is defeated, the barrier's core and the Miser Core are found, and Elena's control is seized.
Casalos won't die, because it's a psychic entity created by the Dragon Vault; it will immediately resurrect in its full form upon death. However, this isn't good news. The demigod lich isn't Garrosh Hellscream. These mysterious beings, who seem to have transferred their very soul essence to the outer realms, are masters of soul manipulation and have countless ways to imprison Casalos's "soul" without killing it.
The corpse-running strategy is completely unworkable this time; it can at most be considered a one- or two-time retry as a margin for error. To defeat this demigod lich, Casalos needs some time to devise a detailed and feasible tactic.
The demigod lich lost interest at the lack of response and retreated back into the mage tower to continue "waiting" for its target. Hordes of undead poured out from the various buildings in the city, and dozens of ordinary liches mixed in among them danced and cast various flight spells on all the undead, and together they surrounded and attacked Casalos, who was trapped by the barrier.
The opportunity lies with these native inhabitants of Elena!
Seeing the undead creatures take to the air and form a swarm resembling a small insect colony, Casalos's indigo eyes lit up, and a rough tactic was already forming in its mind.
However, before it is officially implemented, it needs to gather more information to refine the plan, and there are not many opportunities to try it out.