Beneath the Red Dragon

Chapter 55: Chapter 13: The Emperor’s Legendary Path

Karon listened with cold sweat nearly breaking out. According to the mage, any Legendary figure could easily invert and twist another person’s ”pseudo-vacuous” worldview, if you’re not Legendary yourself. And this is just one of the most basic capabilities of being Legendary.

What is this pseudo-vacuous worldview? To put it simply, it’s the perception and understanding of every material thing in this world.

In other words, a Legend can make those whose essence has not yet reached the Legendary level take what’s above as below, left as right, true as false. Only those Legends who have similarly constructed their own worldview system can confront a Legend.

This is what truly defines the threshold of becoming a Legend; those who are not cannot even see the true form of their opponent in battle.

Even without the mage’s reminder, after knowing how terrifying a Legend is, Karon didn’t even think about looking at them closely, deciding to run as far as possible until he has the capability to contend with a Legend.

”Entering the Legendary realm through this orthodox method indeed makes one immensely powerful. Even Legendary Races that are born as Legends can only rely on their bloodline talents to stand shoulder to shoulder with properly cultivated Legends. It’s rumored that some exceptionally powerful Legendary Mages can even fight Time Dragons.”

”But trying to use this method to enter the Legendary realm is extremely difficult, which is why His Majesty the Emperor of the Empire chose another path.”

”The Empire itself is his chosen path to Legend, and his ambition doesn’t stop there. He wants to step into the Domain, become a Demigod, and transform his Empire into his own Land Divine Kingdom.”

The old mage’s face relaxed again, smiling as if completely unbothered by the Emperor’s terrifying ambition.

”Doesn’t that mean that it’s going to be hard for me and the Dragon Group to escape this Emperor’s control?” Karon felt a bit gloomy; this news wasn’t good for him. He didn’t want to learn from someone who could bear long periods of subjugation.

Judging by his current developmental speed and the energy accumulation rate of the Heart Energy Vortex, it would take a long time to successfully escape the Empire with the Dragon Group.

By then, perhaps the Emperor would have already crossed the Legendary threshold, making such a chance even further out of reach.

The old mage saw through Karon’s worry, restraining his smile as he calmly said, ”Although the Empire is prosperous now, this is the limit allowed by many Human Kingdoms to have a nation born in this remote corner of the Northern Continent.”

”If not for needing the Gata Empire to fend off threats from the Land of Monsters, the Empire would not have been allowed to form long ago.”

”Although the Emperor understands this, it’s his path to Legend and he cannot give up. Besides, his lifespan is running short. In just twenty years, he climbed from a Mid-tier Extraordinary to the Peak of the Holy Sanctuary, bearing a severe cost.”

”The Emperor of the Imperial is vigorously preparing the army, planning logistics, and weapons. You only need to wait patiently for a few years to gain your freedom; he is destined to fail.”

The fine scales on Karon’s brow furrowed slightly. The mage’s words contained a large amount of information, all highly valuable. Why was the mage doing this? Without hesitating, the Red Dragon directly asked.

The old mage chuckled, ”Because you are a smart, talented Giant Dragon, I wanted to see if you might be worth investing in. It seems you are unlike your foolish, impulsive, and hard-to-communicate kinsmen, so I’ve decided to invest a bit in you.”

The old mage stood up from his swaying rocking chair, looking seriously at the Red Dragon,

”For nearly two hundred years, the gods have not responded to the believers in this world. Perhaps you know more about the Evil Dragon God Tiamat than I do, yet as far as I know, neither Tiamat nor the Platinum Dragon King Bahamut have responded to their beloved Giant Dragons for a long time.”

”This plane, no, this entire world might be undergoing some drastic changes I can’t comprehend, while those mediocre nobles still bicker over small powers.

Smart mages, however, look further ahead, which is why I chose you. Of course, you’re not the only one who’s benefited from me.”

A flash of insight struck Karon’s mind, recalling what those Alien Species had said in the Gladiatorial Arena cell. Indeed, some changes seemed to be happening below the surface of this seemingly peaceful world.

Not only were the gods affected, but even powerful demigods were affected, filling his heart—already unwilling to remain dormant any longer—with a sense of urgency.

Yet, the current Emperor is someone even Holy Sanctuary Mages are unwilling to directly confront, and Karon currently isn’t worth such a massive expense from this mage either.

The Red Dragon lowered his head, ”So do you also need to sign a contract with me for your investment?”

”Heh heh,” the mage gently shook his head, ”I have ten thousand ways to get around the limitations of such a Magic Contract. Such things can only bind the mediocre; I don’t trust it. As for a True God Contract, hehe, no gods are responding to their believers now.”

”Furthermore, fools cannot become mages, and short-sighted ones cannot become Legends. I’d like to believe you’re not a short-sighted Dragon.”

Karon remained silent, pondering for a long while. A fleeting thought passed through his crimson vertical pupils. ”What if I could accelerate the Emperor’s war preparations?”

”You’re saying?” the old mage’s face showed a trace of interest, looking expectantly at the Red Dragon.

”The Dragon Group’s territory, though far away and visited only a few times a year, is fertile and prosperous, with endless minerals and resources.

If effectively developed and utilized, the output from the territory could quickly satisfy the Emperor’s appetite.”

The mage’s eyes brightened. No one doubted the richness of resources in the Dragon Group’s land, but its distance and the gathering of numerous monster tribes made it unfeasible for humans to safely occupy it.

Just dealing with the nearly endless monsters and beasts would require a massive manpower expenditure, not to mention needing strong military protection and a significant labor force, making the resource consumption disproportionate to the gains.

Yet if the Dragon Group’s Beloved maintained security within the territory, it became a different story. Enough labor and craftsmen could turn the endless resources into a gleaming path of success.

The old mage’s narrowed eyes seemed to shine even brighter than a dragon’s pupils. Smiling, he said, ”If you can control the Dragon Group’s territory, we at the Mage Association can handle the operation. Hmm, this matter will require a Magic Contract.”

?

”Didn’t you say you don’t trust Magic Contracts?” If Karon had a mirror, he’d probably see a big question mark above his head.

”Ahem,” the old mage coughed twice, ”For gold coin matters, we’ll definitely need a Magic Contract. Don’t worry; I’ve specifically researched over a thousand restrictive clauses for Magic Contracts to ensure neither side exploits any loopholes.”

”Huh?”

”Huh, what?” the old mage spoke seriously, ”And by the way, I’m called Lapus!”