Chapter 607: Dragon of Dawn

Chapter 607: Dragon of Dawn

"Clang—"

Crassus tapped the table with his scepter, producing a crisp metallic sound, like a bell being struck.

The milky pole star at the tip of the scepter lit up, and a chill wind infused with Bahamut’s aura swept through the entire Hall of Justice, making all the gold dragons present feel a jolt in their hearts.

The young gold dragons attending the council for the first time gaped, full of surprise and awe.

Cassius looked at the platinum dragon and the illusion of starry skies before him, putting on an expression of utmost reverence—though inwardly, he was coveting that scepter.

"This really is a genuine artifact, far surpassing the jewel I snatched from that old silver dragon."

Feeling the surging, unending waves of divine power, Cassius couldn’t help but think so.

Crassus lifted his scepter, and the chill wind instantly faded, then he spoke in a deep, resonant, and commanding voice.

"In the name of Crassus, current governor of the gold dragons, I hereby declare—the 267th Gold Dragon Council begins."

The Primordial Gold Dragon looked around, his gaze sweeping across the gold dragons at the long table before continuing, "Everyone, today I’ve convened this emergency council mainly to discuss some recent problems faced by the Material Plane. As you all know, after the fall of Holy Fadlan, those beings who have lurked in darkness for centuries can no longer contain themselves."

"Yes, the blue dragons in the Brendan Desert have been very active lately."

"The City of Ten Thousand Spells has detected several newly opened Abyssal gates, all leading to the Material Plane."

"We found signs of the long-dormant Cult of the Dragon in the Kingdom of Seleucia. They’re mixed in with the Tiamat Church."

"The Nine Hells are restless too. Devils have reappeared in the Material Plane."

The gold dragons nodded in agreement, discussing and sharing the calamities and troubles they had encountered.

Cassius quietly listened, piecing together news from gold dragons all over the world. Due to the butterfly effect of the Ember Empire, many of these events now diverged from the plot in his memories.

If ten gold dragons jointly discussed a matter, they could submit a proposal to Crassus to be openly voted on at the council, and send capable gold dragons to handle it methodically.

According to tradition, only very old or older dragons could submit proposals on their own, while the governor—Crassus—had a veto right.

Soon, the first matter was put to a vote—regarding the Cult of the Dragon.

Crassus held his scepter and gently waved it. Lines of draconic script appeared on the long table, listing the details of the task.

"Gather intelligence on the Cult of the Dragon; at least three adult gold dragons are needed."

"Lord Crassus, I live in the Kingdom of Seleucia—I should be able to handle this task."

"Grandfather, I’m willing to accept this task."

"For the glory of the North Wind Lord, I’ll infiltrate the enemy to gather intelligence!"

These gold dragons, born to champion justice and judge evil, all volunteered, actively taking on the responsibilities of good dragons.

Matters from all over the world were brought forward for open discussion—disasters and evil beings that others would shy from were simply clear targets for gold dragons.

It’s said some particularly fanatical gold dragons would disguise themselves as women, children, or other helpless victims, using themselves as bait to lure out any evil lurking nearby—the original ’sting operation.’

The council lasted three days and nights, with gold dragons exchanging intelligence, covering almost every evil force in Fianso—except the Ember Empire.

"That’s strange..."

Cassius stroked his whiskers, feeling a little puzzled.

By gold dragon standards, his Ember Empire was definitely an ’evil force.’ So why hadn’t the governor brought it up yet?

He’d heard the Ember Empire mentioned often in the dragons’ conversations, but Crassus never raised it as a council issue.

Beside him, the old gold dragon named Samuel was quite friendly, seeming to like this unfamiliar kin: "Lord Titus, I’ve even heard about your deeds in the south—those human bards sure have a way with words."

On the opposite side, the old gold dragon Elliot also remarked, "Wings of Dawn, Dragon of Daybreak, descended from the sky alone, slaying Gruumsh’s minion, and driving back hundreds of thousands of orcs..."

Cassius shook his head gently, twirling his whiskers with a polite smile.

"Heh, Lord Samuel, you flatter me—those are just mortal exaggerations."

"I certainly didn’t fight alone—my allies’ achievements shouldn’t be overlooked. In that war against Gruumsh’s minions, the King of Blackstone Mountain and Serenia’s Blade of Twilight both played major roles."

"Clang—"

Just then, Crassus struck his scepter again. Instantly, the hall fell silent as all the gold dragons listened to the governor’s words.

The Primordial Gold Dragon looked around before continuing, "Besides the topics already discussed, there’s another matter—a special plea for help from someone who once did the gold dragons a great favor: the current Duke of North Aether, Walter Graham."

Samuel seemed to recall something, murmuring, "I remember that name—he’s the god-blooded noble who rescued Tatiana from Hell decades ago?"

"Yes, that’s him."

Crassus nodded in confirmation.

Tatiana was a female old dragon who had been ambushed and captured during a skirmish between metallic and chromatic dragons, then imprisoned by the Dragon Queen in Hell for over two hundred years—Walter rescued her.

Now, Tatiana was in a deep sleep to heal, so she hadn’t joined this council. The newly arrived Titus was temporarily filling her place.

Hearing this, Samuel said, "Gold dragons never forget kindness—I suggest we approve his request for aid."

"Indeed, when a benefactor is in danger, we should help without hesitation."

"He rescued an old dragon! If Lady Tatiana were here, she would definitely give her full support."

The gold dragons all agreed, while Cassius’s expression was a bit complicated. He hadn’t expected the Fadlan rebel leader of his previous life to now be ’Duke of North Aether’—clearly Wilham’s doing.

And the North Aether Plain borders the Caspar Hills, the first target of the empire’s southern campaign—at last, the Ember Empire was about to be mentioned.

"You’re oversimplifying things..."

Crassus’s expression became meaningful, his pale gold eyes filled with helplessness as he slowly raised his scepter.

"Walter’s opponent is no ordinary being, but an extremely terrifying red dragon—one far beyond your imagination."

"A red dragon?"

"Dealing with such a brutal, lawless dragon is our gold dragons’ calling!"

"Those hot-blooded muscle-brained louts!"

The young gold dragons were still indignant, while the older, more knowledgeable dragons looked grave, a shadow of suspicion crossing their minds.

"His enemy is the ruler of the Great Anzeta Steppe, the strongest red dragon in centuries—the Ember Emperor, Cassius Klauberu Norixius."

Crassus raised the silver scepter that symbolized the highest authority of the gold dragons. Starlight sparkled in the Hall of Justice, gradually forming a vivid image.

—A massive red dragon howled at the sky, spewing torrents of flame. The hills under his feet were like little mounds, the demons beneath his wings mere ants.

By normal standards, the gold dragons present realized something astonishing—the red dragon was over a hundred meters long, which was simply unimaginable!

"What a colossal red dragon..."

"By Bahamut, a true dragon over a hundred meters—how can such a monster exist?"

"I’ve heard of him—the Ember Emperor nearly killed the Melward family patriarch, the Silver Wing Oszedro!"

"North Wind Lord, when I aided the Prince of Sacred Flame on the Fire Elemental Plane, this red dragon was famed even there. The natives called him the Soul-Eater Dragon—he devoured the Pasha of the Fire Genie Empire!"

The gold dragons discussed this, their voices tinged with awe, shock, and even fear. After all, such dragons were legendary even to them.

The age of dragon lords ruling the earth was long past, and the glory of the Ancestral Dragons had faded. After dozens of generations of bloodline dilution, modern dragons could barely imagine their ancestors’ power.

A fresh-faced young gold dragon questioned, "Isn’t it our gold dragon mission to punish evil? Even if this red dragon is godlike, we should not fear."

"Lord Crassus, I volunteer for this task—to repay Walter’s favor!"

—The speaker was none other than Angel, the young gold dragon whose name Cassius had once used.

Crassus regarded the eager Angel with the gaze of an elder and slowly shook his head.

"Angel, this mission is too dangerous. You’re not strong enough to survive such a fight—it’s certain death unless you’re at least an old dragon."

"Besides... this is almost a war we cannot win."

Crassus lowered his scepter, speaking slowly: "Cassius isn’t just powerful—he possesses a bloodline on par with the third-generation Ancestral Dragons, which means he has the potential to become a Dragon King."

He looked around at the old and ancient dragons, for only they could understand the significance.

Sure enough, Samuel, Elliot, and Beatrice all looked shocked and solemn.

A Dragon King could create new dragon subraces, just as Bahamut begot the metallic dragons, Tiamat spawned the chromatic dragons, and Sardior made the gem dragons.

After the Dragonfall War ended the age of dragons and the Ancestral Dragons died off, Cassius’s emergence was more than a matter of good or evil—it concerned the fate of the entire dragon race.

Cassius listened intently to secrets Crassus was now sharing—secrets even he’d never heard in his previous life—his own face becoming grave.

"This trip really was worth it—even if I lose this avatar, it’s worth it. Who knew I’d be even more important than I imagined."

Crassus gazed at the Bahamut holy symbol atop his scepter and continued: "And perhaps unlike what you all imagine, by my intelligence, though he’s a red dragon, the Ember Emperor isn’t actually inclined toward the Chromatic Dragon Queen. He once signed an alliance with the Melward clan, allowing silver dragons into the empire’s core institutions. He’s even prayed to Bahamut—though just for aid."

"But the chromatic dragons are also working hard to win Cassius over, sending blue dragon envoys repeatedly, hoping to gain his offspring."

Crassus looked up, pale golden eyes like pools of molten gold flashing. "Everyone—the Mother of Evil Dragons is awakening. She wants to return to the earth and bring disaster to the world.

But the revered North Wind Lord, His Majesty Bahamut, will never allow it. Another drawn-out war between metallic and chromatic dragons may break out.

And which side tips the scale may depend on that neutral, unpredictable factor—the Ember Emperor, Cassius."

The young gold dragons all fell silent, not daring to speak—this was the future of their kind, and they weren’t qualified to comment.

Samuel hesitated, then asked, "So what do we do? Are we to ignore Walter’s plea?"

Crassus sighed, "Victory is impossible for him. Send an old dragon if we must—doing our utmost to keep Walter alive is the best we can do."

Just then, a deep, resonant voice rang out.

"I object."

Instantly, every gold dragon’s gaze turned to the source—it was ’Wings of Dawn,’ the old dragon Titus.

"Does having Ancestral Dragon blood give one leave to defy law and justice? The Chromatic Dragon Queen is far stronger than the so-called Ember Emperor—should we surrender to her power, too?"

Titus’s voice was powerful and genuine, stirring the hearts of all present.

The old dragon’s eyes blazed; his golden scales shone with brilliance—he truly was like the dawn, bringing redemption to the world.

Crassus’s face darkened, but he replied, "We simply wish to pursue a grander, nobler goal—that, too, is justice."

"Justice reached by evil means is never true justice!"

At this moment, Titus—Cassius—was fully in character. He slammed the table and said righteously, "Lord Crassus, I have no idea what you mean about Dragon Kings, Ancestral Dragons, or bloodline revival.

I only know—a brutal red dragon wants to seize the land of the good, and we gold dragons wish to ignore it!

I also know—gold dragons who truly walk Bahamut’s path would never tolerate this, nor look away!"

Cassius’s voice grew louder, ringing with impassioned conviction, stirring the gold dragons with the sheer force of his presence.

Watching the dragons’ reactions, Cassius secretly thought: Bahamut’s path? What does Bahamut know—I know it best!