Iron Dragon's Advancement Journey

Page 89

　Before leaving the Dragon's Vault, Casalos glanced at Milland one last time. Touched by a sense of destiny, the now silent NPC gave Casalos a strange, new feeling, as if Milland knew something important, yet was unable to speak of it, as if his memories were sealed away.

　"Forget it, let's take it one step at a time." Casalos shook his head and left the Dragon Vault, weaving through the elemental turbulence that no longer seemed chaotic, and rushed back to the Labarin Zen Forest.

　Zen Master Bethomas was meditating on the stone platform in the center of the monastery. The dazzling light of the elemental currents enveloped the bamboo forest, and the wind, crackling with electric arcs, brushed against the old man's white beard. The Zen master exuded a transcendent aura, as if he had completely detached himself from worldly constraints.

　“It seems you have touched the edge of truth.” The Zen master did not open his eyes, yet he accurately spoke of Casalos’s change. “The web of fate has revealed its initial picture to you.”

　“Indeed, I have gained a great deal.” A deep resonance came from Casalos’s dragon throat. “Now that the Zen Forest has shown me the way, I should show something in return.”

　Dragons have their own principles for living, and this attitude of equal exchange stems from the instinct of neutrality within the Iron Dragon Order.

　Casalos activated the elemental power within him. Guided by the primordial force, he controlled the four elements to flow within his veins, transforming them into elemental forms—unlike choosing a single element in battle, the four basic elements converged, intertwining, fusing, and annihilating to give rise to all secondary elements, much like constructing the inner realm of a complete universe. The blazing fire, the flowing water, the solid earth, and the free wind—four distinct forces—reached a balance in the chaos, perfectly stabilizing into Casalos's form.

　"Is this the supreme mystery of the elements?" The Zen master finally opened his eyes. "Now, with the help of the Way of Zess, you have grasped the origin of the elements. You have transcended the simple form of matter. Is this the first step towards a higher realm after transcending the mundane? Or is it the beginning of stepping into the realm of the gods? We have always thought that being guided by the mind is the right path, but we have missed the crucial balance..."

　"You understand? You foresaw all of this long ago." Casalos exited its elemental form. Although the old Zen master's cryptic words were difficult to understand, it clearly saw the "future."

　It gained beyond what Valeris had imagined, and Betomas also witnessed the true meaning of breaking free from the shackles of mortals—Cassaloz relied on the Dragon Treasury, while the old Zen master relied on the correctness of the a priori result calculated through fate after seeing the direction clearly.

　The metal beaks clanged together, producing a playful sound: "The foreshadowing started from when I first arrived at the Zen Forest... no, from when you adopted Valeries, didn't it?"

　44.Return

　"The river of cause and effect flows ceaselessly, and I have only seen a ripple in it." The old man's voice was calm and profound. "You have come this far, which is a gift from fate and also your own choice."

　"Why didn't you just tell me about Valeris?" Casalos spread his dragon wings slightly, disagreeing with the Zen Master's words—perhaps it was due to a difference in understanding, or perhaps it was a difference in the physical layer that constituted the pseudo-Laplace's demon; its cause and effect were different from what the Zen Master "saw." At least, the long river couldn't describe what it saw.

　Looking around the Zen temple, Tie Long's gaze finally settled on Jin Long, who was sitting cross-legged in meditation not far away. "I suppose this is also part of what you call 'cause and effect'?"

　“Otherwise?” Bertomas smiled slightly. “Some insights must come from within yourself. If I were to tell you directly, it would only hinder your search for the truth.”

　“An interesting point,” Casaloz chuckled. It wouldn’t readily accept the Zen principles believed in by the Giszele monks. But it couldn’t deny that the Zen forest had indeed opened a new door for it.

　“The road ahead is long.” Bertómas slowly rose. “When you visit the Zen Forest again, you may make new discoveries. The web of fate is always full of surprises.”

　Casaloz clicked its iron beak, its tail tip idly sweeping the ground. Such a cryptic creature was truly uninteresting. The old Zen master keenly sensed the difference between his own perception and itss, and changed his metaphor for fate to weaving a net.

　“Valeris.” Before departing, Casalos turned to the golden dragon monk, “Don’t forget our agreement.” His tone carried an undeniable authority. It was indeed somewhat strange for a juvenile dragon to display such imposing manner towards an adult golden dragon, but none of those present found anything amiss.

　Even though Jinlong didn't express any dissatisfaction, she just nodded silently. Her eyes, which were gradually melting into the dragon's magic, were as deep as an ancient well, as if she had already seen through the mists of time.

　Similar to their arrival, the two dragons traversed the Chaos Sea, finding a permanent passage—whether naturally formed or constructed by some great force—to return to the Astral Plane. Casalos first went to Tunaras. The successful construction of the Elemental Pseudo-Laplace's Demon made its ability to use its willpower in the Astral Plane even more adept; the dragon mana consumption for ultra-long-range apex teleportation had decreased by 30%, and its positioning was more precise… The reconstruction of Tunaras City had begun, and the renovation was proceeding methodically amidst the roar of various heavy construction machines, some combining psionic energy and others aided by magic.

　The remaining Githyanki, under the guidance of the Dragon's Lead engineering team, pushed the garbage dumps into the galaxy and began constructing new residential areas; the chaotic piles of buildings in various areas were violently demolished, crushed into rubble to form rough foundations. Members of the Liberation Front were responsible for escorting those who did not wish to remain onto passenger ships sent by the Dragon's Lead to cross the interstellar sea in search of new homes; transport teams had established stable supply lines with the forward base, ensuring the city's normal operation.

　The main force of the Githyanki remained tied down at the front lines by the Dragonflight's Astral Expeditionary Force, giving them no chance to return to Tunaras. Casaloz's half-dragon guard, led by Svent, had already stormed Tunaras's dungeons. Bellamy and Shacales had somehow joined the fray; with them at the forefront, the radicals and the remnants of the Kra Lich wouldn't last much longer—well, the Astral Plane doesn't have a concept of time passing, so they wouldn't be able to cause trouble for long anyway.

　"Like mother, like son..."

　Casalos caught a glimpse of Shakales, the devoted son, wearing his dragon lich mother's skull as a mask over his own dragon face to protect against the lich's magic.

Chapter 282

　And psychological attacks.

　In short, after everything went smoothly in the Great City, Casalos bid farewell to Valerith, who needed to stay and oversee the city, and moved to the Astral Advance Base to return to Faerûn in the Prime Material Plane via a permanent teleportation array built years ago. As soon as he appeared, several kobold elders from the Underdark Dragonflight surrounded him and started chattering amongst themselves.

　"My lord, this is the situation over the past three months..." The leading half-dragon respectfully handed over a detailed report.

　Casalos took the report and quickly skimmed through it. Just as it had predicted, three months ago, as the unrest began, a massive dome collapse occurred in the Underdark, including the cavity where New Gr City was located. However, thanks to contingency plans, Dragon Territory suffered minimal damage. The pre-constructed all-steel frame support structures functioned perfectly, successfully holding up the dome and protecting the safety of New Gr City's five thousand inhabitants.

　"How much of the upgrade project to the protective barrier is complete?" Casalos asked.

　"85% is complete, and the remaining part is expected to be completed within two weeks," the kobold replied. "Currently, all important facilities are within the protected area."

　What is the situation regarding refugee resettlement?

　“Over the past three months, about 1,200 refugees have poured in. They are mainly survivors from the nearby rift region, as well as some scattered snake-people tribes and bear-goblin tribes. We have identified and resettled them according to the plan.”

　Casalos nodded. These numbers were all within a manageable range. It continued, "What did the Drow say?"

　"They are currently being held under observation. These dark elves also appear to have suffered heavy losses and are much more docile than before. However, given their nature, we remain highly vigilant."

　Where is the mind flayer?

　"There's still no movement; the collapse doesn't seem to have affected the deeper areas."

　Is the condition of the Rift Valley lakes normal?

　"The anomalies began three weeks ago," the kobold elder said gravely. "The lava in the lake suddenly became active, transforming into a type of water-fire elemental creature we'd never seen before. They launched several attacks, but we repelled them all." He hesitated slightly, then continued, "However..."

　"Speak directly if you have anything to say."

　"Based on observations, these elemental creatures seem to be gradually changing, becoming stronger each time they appear. In our most recent encounter, we lost two submarines."

　Casalos narrowed his eyes. The information he had gathered was enough for the pseudo-Laplace's demon to calculate some future events: it saw a chaotic elemental creature, encased in a shell of boiling water vapor, taking root in the prime material plane.

　"We've received the news from the Serpent Abyss." Seeing that the dragon remained silent, the kobolds changed the subject. "The Serpent Empire has suffered a severe blow, and large numbers of refugees are wandering around."

　"Yes. These snake people are extremely cunning and treacherous, causing chaos throughout the controlled areas. We suspect that there are spies from Deep Dragon and Shadow Dragon among them."

　“Ignore it for now.” Casalos waved his paw. “We’ll deal with it after the turmoil is over. The magical chaos will only escalate; our priority is to ensure the safety of Dragon Territory.”

　"Understood." The kobold elder bowed. "There's one more thing..."

　45. Flourishing

　"Go ahead."

　“An anomaly has appeared in the newly developed mushroom field in the western district. The glowing mushrooms seem to have been affected by something and have started to grow wildly, even giving birth to many little people with mushroom heads... Although they are not aggressive for the time being and are happy to help us cultivate new mushrooms and harvest them, if this unexpected situation is not controlled, we don’t know how it will evolve and may affect the overall layout of underground agriculture.”

　"Have you sent someone to take samples and analyze them?"

　"Yes. The initial assessment is that it is related to the collapse of the magic network, but the specific mechanism is still under investigation."

　"Where is Isis? Isn't this the kind of thing she should be responsible for researching?"

　"After the upheaval, Lady Isis did not come to the Underdark. Eisen said she seemed to be busy with something very important."

　"Something very important?" Casalos fell into deep thought. His vision of the future returned a new result, vague and unsettling to the dragon.

　We'll have to see Isis to find out what happened there. Right now, the key is to get a comprehensive overview of Dragon Territory's strategic plans. The issues the dogs raised all have corresponding contingency plans. As a "transmigrator," it would be abnormal if I couldn't even handle these simple matters. Dragon Territory's system is quite mature; even without it, it can handle various crises in an orderly manner.

　"Continue to proceed according to the plan," it concluded. "Report important developments to me as they occur. Now, take me to see the condition of the surface."

　Having created a new elevator connecting to the surface, they arrived at the dragon's nest in the Tindor Snow Mountain. Overlooking the bustling port city of Desera in the distance, a tense atmosphere lingered in the dragon's heart.

　The grasslands of Dragon Territory were teeming with refugees from all over the land. They were ragged, their eyes filled with terror, and many bore wounds. A defense force composed of kobolds, goblins, and others was maintaining order, distributing the refugees in batches to prepared tents in the mountain valleys.

　"The situation is worse than expected." The new governor of Tindor, Morok, a steppe warrior who was said to be a distant cousin of Isis, but that was not important. What was important was that he was indeed an excellent administrator. The governor reported to Casalos, "In the past three months, more than 20,000 nomads have poured into Desera. The Tindor dynasty on the west side is basically dead."

　“Tell me more about it.” Casalos strolled on the balcony of the Dragon's Nest, looking down at the bustling scene at the foot of the snow-capped mountains.

　“First came the abnormal weather,” Morock said. “For months on end, tornadoes swept across the grasslands, followed by a prolonged drought. Herdsmen’s livestock died in large numbers, and their food reserves were almost depleted.”

　“Abnormal weather is normal,” Casalos said, “but not enough to cause the collapse of the entire dynasty.”

　“They are dark creatures.” Morlock said gravely. “They seem to have been summoned by some force, surging out of the ground in droves and creating vast swathes of desecrated land. The nomadic tribes to the west have suffered heavy losses, and the survivors have no choice but to seek refuge with us.”

　"Where is the army of the Tindor dynasty?"

　“At first, we were able to organize resistance, but last month…” Morrock hesitated for a moment, “a rebellion broke out in the capital. Someone took advantage of the chaos to assassinate the king, and then members of the royal family started killing each other. Now the entire dynasty is in the midst of a civil war and has no time to attend to the borders.”

　Casalos chuckled, "It's the same old show again. Can't those demons and stuff come up with something new?"

　It turned to look north. There, the outline of the Hazur Mountains could be vaguely seen, and… three enormous, humanoid shadows?

　“That’s right, that’s the legendary thing,” Morok said. “A month ago, the Hazur Mountains suddenly came to life, and the three highest peaks turned into three rock giants over a thousand meters tall. They fought each other in the center of the mountain range, and the resulting tremors triggered a huge tsunami.”

　"Has it affected Karinsan?"

　“Yes. But that’s not the worst of it,” Morrock continued. “The tsunami has enraged the aquatic races of the Radiant Sea. Large numbers of murlocs have begun landing and attacking the northern shore. Now, the giants and dwarves in the Hazul Mountains are locked in a fierce battle with the murlocs.”

　“Interesting.” Casalos narrowed his eyes. This is indeed an opportunity. If handled properly, it might expand the Dragon Territory’s influence in the north. Whether it’s incorporating the giants and dwarves of the Hazul Mountains or subduing the murlocs of the Radiant Sea, it could greatly enhance the Dragon Territory’s strength.

　Just then, a dog messenger rushed over: "Sir, Cecita wants to see you. She says she has an important proposal."

　"Let her come here."

　Soon, a "petite" red dragon landed in the dragon's nest. Her scales shimmered with a blood-red light in the sunlight, and her eyes flickered with excited flames.

　“I have heard about the war in the north,” Cecita said bluntly. “Please allow me to lead the army there.”

　Casalos Rao

Chapter 283

　He looked at her with interest: "What's wrong, tired of being a mascot?"

　“You know perfectly well that my talents go beyond this.” Cecita was somewhat annoyed, but she still managed to control her temper. “You’ve made me this puppet lord, so you have to let me show my face properly. Let me go, and I promise I won’t let you down.”

　Casalos tilted his head and looked down at Cecita, making her feel uneasy and giving her goosebumps, which made her bright red scales stand up.

　Although this guy's personality inevitably exhibits the volatile nature of a red dragon, he is indeed much more restrained and strategic than the average red dragon of his age, probably a result of being tormented by his menopausal mother. She's been behaving quite well lately, so rather than suppressing her ambition, it's better to give her a chance to make a name for herself. It would also serve as a role model for those two fools, Bellamy and Shacales, who only know how to fight, teaching them how to better serve the Dragon Territory.

　“Yes,” Casalos said, “but I have a few conditions.”

　It simply outlined the code of conduct: strict adherence to Dragon Territory regulations and military rules; prioritizing rescue efforts and stabilizing the situation; and requiring all important decisions to be made in consultation with the staff composed of the Dog Elders.

　“And,” it added, “Bemira will go with you.”

　Cecita opened her mouth, but ultimately nodded in agreement. Bemira was her "guardian," and ever since the day she was brought back to Dragon Territory, this mutated two-headed ogre legendary warlock had been "riding" on her neck, lording it over her. It seemed that Cecita would never be able to get rid of this plague god for the rest of her life.

　After settling matters on the northern front, Casalos turned his attention to the south. The situation in the Black Jungle was equally dire. Although the desecration and contamination by the dragon lich had long been cleansed by Hevilan, the entire forest had collectively fallen into an even more bizarre state during this turbulent year—a "plant" state that seemed quite common in such times.

　“Those trees have gone mad,” the dog continued to report to Casalos. “They’re attacking each other indiscriminately, friend or foe alike. Any creature that gets close will be attacked. We have to evacuate the undefended area.”

　46. ​​Surface conditions

　The dog in charge of developing the Black Jungle placed a dark, rhomboid projection crystal in front of Casalos, bowed slightly in greeting, and quickly retreated. Its claws, covered in fine dragon scales, had developed calluses from years of work, with some scales even fused together, perfectly befitting its identity and duties—kobolds never slack off; working for dragons is their greatest joy, originating from the depths of their souls.

　"My lord, please take a look at the latest situation in the Black Jungle."

　Casalos snapped its iron beak shut, took the crystal from the kobold, and activated the information within with a gentle squeeze of its dragon claw. Despite the imbalance of the magic network after the turbulent years, Casalos, long accustomed to offline casting, could easily activate this specially sealed information recording device, whose stability far surpassed that of ordinary magical items. A hazy gray halo quickly appeared on the surface of the crystal, then transformed into a three-dimensional map, visually presenting the real-time situation of the Black Jungle.

　Data shows that the elemental energy of the entire forest is out of control, forming more than a dozen large-scale activated zones covering over a hundred square kilometers each. Within these zones, plants, trees, and even mosses and large fungi have been activated into chaotic organisms. Presumably, different areas have different activation sources, and these dozen or so activated zones operate independently, dispatching terrifying legions composed of hundreds of millions of tree-people to attack each other.

　The Treant Legion left nothing but devastation in its wake, their roots ploughing up the ground and turning the Black Jungle soil upside down several times over.

　The projection displayed several battlefields. Hundreds of meters tall ancient trees swung their thick, mountain-like branches, crushing hordes of small tree-men into dust; serpentine creatures, animated by vines, entangled another group of short, stocky warriors made of moss, spraying deadly clouds of spores as they squeezed them; and in a distant area, a giant creature made of mushrooms was spewing glowing slime in all directions, and all the plants hit convulsed violently before switching sides, joining the mushroom monster's army.

　The Black Jungle is an ancient, primeval forest. Among the tree-people are many figures hundreds of meters tall, wielding legendary magic. The green-headed dragons, black-bodied dragons, or other jungle dragon corpses hanging from the branches of some large trees are exceptionally glaring. A zoomed-in projection of a section of the battlefield clearly shows two dragon corpses hanging from the branches of a towering ancient tree, swaying in the wind like hunters showing off their spoils.

　“These are the most dangerous.” The dog adjusted the projection focus, magnifying a group of strange, living plants. “We call them ‘Forest Weavers.’ They can manipulate the surrounding plants, weaving them into highly complex magic circles, and then channeling elemental energy to construct temporary magic network nodes. These temporary nodes allow them to cast chaos spells with effects exceeding those of the ninth ring.”

　In the projection, the Weaver, resembling a giant willow tree, was wielding dozens of vines, each shimmering with arcane light of different colors, weaving in the air an unknown and complex runic structure distinct from either the High Elf or Faerûn systems. As the final stroke was completed, a beam of eerie green light shot into the sky, followed by a torrential downpour of acid rain covering an area of ​​hundreds of meters, melting nearby hostile treants into withered branches and fallen leaves.

　"Even a bloodbath wouldn't be this large-scale; only a swarm of insects can compare... Let's continue to observe."

　Casalos's lips behind its iron beak pressed into a straight line, its eyes narrowed, revealing a rare hint of caution. This was the true power of Faerûn's "nature"; if it had sweat glands, Casalos would probably be drenched in cold sweat. Reality wasn't a dragon's treasure vault; even if it charged in and stacked its fiery chains, without the continuous boost from loot drops, it would be overwhelmed by the treants in just a few minutes.

　It couldn't help but simulate the scene of itself crashing into that battlefield—even with its strength, it would be exhausted under the first wave of attacks from the berserk treants. Hundred-meter-tall ancient tree creations, legendary vine behemoths, walking mushroom creations—these things, even in small numbers, would be enough to overwhelm a thousand-strong army, not to mention their raging natural power. Casalos even suspected that if it could send these living plants to Avernas to sell to the devils, even the Lord of the Nine Hells would have to come and thank it.

　"Is there any way to control them?" a half-dragon kobold asked hesitantly, "or to guide them to attack..."

　"Don't be delusional." Casalos rejected the suggestion decisively. "These things are beyond any controllable level. Do you think it's as simple as taming a few chromatic dragons? Forget about controlling them, any creature that gets close to them will be torn to shreds."

　The retrieved data also showed that the entire Black Forest had become a chaotic magical hub. Elemental energy was accumulating and erupting erratically everywhere, forming hundreds of small elemental vortexes. The ground would sometimes crack and spew lava, and sometimes freeze into ice fields covering thousands of square meters, sometimes even alternating between fire and ice several times within minutes.

　The elemental chaos has also led to a decrease in the stability of the prime material plane's spatial barrier. The projection clearly shows that in several of the most intense battle zones, "space" ripples like water, occasionally even revealing brief fissures that display abysses, elemental planes, or even more bizarre alien landscapes. This means that the Black Forest is now not only a battlefield for living plants but could also become an invasion point for various otherworldly creatures at any time.

　“The good news is that they don’t seem to be able to cross this boundary,” Dog said, pointing to a winding red line on the map that roughly follows the original boundary of the Black Jungle. “We speculate that this is because the living plants need a specific magical environment to maintain their activity. Once they leave the jungle, the elemental composition of the environment changes too much, and they wither quickly.”

　"No more recent intelligence?" Casalos asked. "Like the location of the source of the activation? Or the outcome of the war between these tree-people?"

　The dog shook its head: "Elemental chaos is interfering with our reconnaissance equipment. The recent probes we sent out..."

Chapter 284

　They all lost contact after entering the jungle airspace. We can only obtain these fragmented pieces of information relying on observation stations at the border.

　Casalos stared silently at the massive plant war projected on the screen. In its dragon life, even the annihilation of the Athelonian Holy Land was not as spectacular and terrifying as this. The Treant legions fought fiercely, turning the entire black jungle into a giant meat grinder.

　"No one is allowed to enter the Black Jungle, lest they provoke the hostility of those crazed tree-men," it finally ordered. "Set up warning signs, send patrols to patrol the border, and immediately remove any civilians who cross the line."

　Fortunately, these anomalies are abnormal and will return to normal when the gods return to their places. The living creatures also don't seem to stray too far from their original locations, so they won't actively attack the dragon territories east of the Hazul Mountains. In Faerûn's history, a natural anomaly of this scale is quite rare, but it will eventually end. There's no need for direct intervention; waiting is the wisest choice.

　Just then, a strong, unexplained fluctuation appeared in the detection data. Due to the lack of effective detection methods for the magical anomaly, no one knew exactly what had happened for the time being. The image on the projection suddenly began to shake violently, and then went completely black after a burst of electronic noise.

　“It’s dead,” the dog explained. “The last detection crystal was also destroyed by some powerful magical fluctuation.”

　The crowd exchanged bewildered glances, unsure of what had transpired, but such intense magical fluctuations were certainly no ordinary occurrence. Casalos, however, suddenly entered a peculiar state; his indigo dragon eyes became hollow and profound, as if gazing upon a distant scene from beyond time and space.