The Elven Cultivator

The Inner Keep.

This was the very core of Dragon City, and the residence of the Lord City Lord.

Ordinarily, not even the Consuls were permitted to take a single step inside without permission.

The only exception was Aurion, the High Consul.

Passing through a series of winding corridors, Aurion stopped before a colossal door one hundred meters tall.

The stone door towered above, its surface engraved with intricate draconic patterns. A faint, dark red light flowed within the lines, like blood surging through the veins of a living creature.

Aurion took a deep breath and placed his hand on the stone door.

The heavy stone door slid silently apart, revealing a deep, dark space behind it.

He strode inside.

Behind the door was an exceptionally wide hall. Its domed ceiling soared a hundred meters high, supported by dozens of thick, black stone pillars.

The pillars’ surfaces were inlaid with enormous Gemstones: crimson, sapphire, emerald, gold... The various Gemstones refracted the light from the Light Source Stones, casting a brilliant glow that illuminated the entire hall in splendor.

But the most eye-catching sight was the behemoth coiled in the center of the hall.

It was a Giant Dragon, over a hundred meters long.

It lay prone on the floor, its wings folded at its sides. Its long neck was slightly bent, its massive head resting on its foreclaws. Its dark red, slitted pupils were half-open, as if it were feigning sleep.

Dark red Scale Armor covered its entire body. Between the scales, a molten, crimson-gold current could be faintly seen flowing slowly, like telluric fire surging beneath its skin.

With every breath, scorching waves of heat billowed from its nostrils, leaving pale red trails in the air.

Even just lying there quietly, the oppressive presence of an apex predator made Aurion’s chest tighten, his breathing turning stiff.

Lord City Lord!

An irrepressible excitement surged through Aurion.

He hurried forward, stopping about twenty meters from the Giant Dragon. He fell to his knees and bowed his head low.

”Lord City Lord, I welcome your return to Dragon City.”

The Radiant Ash Dragon, Isaac, opened his eyes. His icy gaze fell upon Aurion.

”Aurion, did anything happen on the Eldron Plain while I was away?”

Aurion’s heart seized. He hesitated for a moment but ultimately chose to confess everything.

A fear that stemmed from the depths of his bloodline prevented him from hiding anything from the Lord City Lord.

Just as he desperately wanted to know why the Lord City Lord had been gone for so long, but didn’t dare to ask.

Out in the world, the Dragon Race who prided themselves on their noble blood were nothing more than the humblest of servants before a true Giant Dragon.

Aurion recounted, one by one, all the events of the past sixty years.

The emergence of the Fallen Dragon Association, the successive destruction of the military outposts on the Dragon’s Fang defensive line, the death of Marcus, the fall of five Consuls at Graystone Pass, the forced retreat of the garrisons at Bishui Port and the Dragon’s Fang line...

He detailed every incident, daring not to omit a single thing.

The hall fell silent.

Isaac was silent for a long time.

His dark red, slitted pupils narrowed slightly, flames dancing in their depths.

Aurion kept his head down, not daring to even breathe.

Finally, Isaac spoke slowly.

”Are you telling me that I was only gone for a while, and you let an ant from a lesser race force you to abandon all your posts and cower in Dragon City, too afraid to come out?”

His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried a bone-chilling cold.

Cold sweat beaded on Aurion’s forehead. He opened his mouth to explain, but no words came out.

”A bunch of trash!”

”To be reduced to such a pathetic state by a Golden Tier ant.”

Aurion buried his head even lower, not daring to object.

He knew full well that before the enraged Lord City Lord, any attempt to justify their actions would only make things worse.

”Send out the order,” Isaac’s voice was as cold as frost. ”Mobilize all of Dragon City’s forces to search for Canglan’s whereabouts. Report to me immediately once he is found.”

”I’d like to see for myself just how capable an ant from a lesser race can be.”

Aurion’s heart trembled, then flooded with wild joy.

’The Lord City Lord is going to act personally!’

’At this rate, Canglan, the Fallen Dragon Association... they’re all nothing but pushovers!’

”Yes, Lord City Lord!”

He responded emphatically, his voice filled with excitement.

”As for now...”

The Giant Dragon slowly rose to its feet. Its colossal body was like a moving mountain, radiating a terrifying aura that was both cold and suffocating.

”I have not acted for too long. So long that those insects have forgotten the awe they should hold for the great Dragon Race.”

”We will start with those powers who dared to offend the majesty of Dragon City.”

”Let all the lesser races on this plain remember who the true masters of this land are.”

...

「Silver Moon Forest. The Treehouse.」

Inside the Artifact Refining room, Anton sat cross-legged with his eyes gently closed.

Threads of his Divine Sense coiled around the Separation Fire Shield before him. Using his True Essence as a catalyst and his Divine Sense as a medium, he repaired the damaged restrictions one by one.

This was an extremely slow process of nurturing the artifact.

Unlike the forging with fierce flames and reshaping of restrictions during Artifact Refining, this was a gentle, gradual process of warming and repairing, bit by bit.

After more than four years of nurturing, this defensive Magical Artifact was mostly restored.

The once-shocking cracks on the bell’s surface were now mostly healed.

The final remaining crack was also gradually healing under the nurturing of his True Essence.

The moment the last fissure completely vanished, the Separation Fire Shield shuddered violently and let out a low HUM.

A crimson-gold light surged like a tide from within the bell, brightly illuminating the entire quiet chamber.

A moment later, the light receded. The Separation Fire Shield was restored to its original state, hovering silently in mid-air. Its surface gleamed, utterly flawless once more.