Under the Red Dragon

The sun rose, illuminating the earth. But even in the ever-changing Golden Empire, most of the things that happened internally were not new.

"There's nothing new under the sun,"

Councilor Baal, with graying temples, stood on the terrace of his three-story house, sipping iced licorice tea, looking down at the farce unfolding in the commoner district just across the wide street, and spoke softly.

The Central Council of the Golden Empire, as the highest level of power delegated by the Emperor, possesses unimaginable authority.

Although the Bronze Dragon Arina is busy with government affairs every day, the government affairs handled by the Bronze Dragon Arina are only a few thousandths or even tens of thousands of the things that the Golden Empire needs to deal with.

Because most affairs ultimately converge in the hands of the Empire's Central Council, where council members review, approve, process, and dispatch them, then quickly transmit them to the governor's offices in various provinces.

Only important government affairs, such as directions and routes that the Empire's Central Council finds difficult to decide, are presented to Thunder Lord Dos and the Bronze Dragon Arina after receiving opinions and plans from the affiliated Upper Council.

As one of the few great scholars and high-ranking officials in the Central Council of the Golden Empire, Baal has the ability to live in this high-end residential area called "Degonia Flower Pistil" with his talent, owning his own luxurious three-story villa.

But for a scholar of this level, whether in the Golden Empire or anywhere else, Baal can use his ability and talent to own a house ten or a hundred times larger than this, and a luxurious manor dozens of times taller than this three-story villa.

This is not because Baal was sold by slave traders; in fact, Baal was once a senior advisor in the Southern Noble Alliance of the Northern Continent.

Nor is it because Baal hopes to obtain an incredibly long lifespan through the rulers of the Golden Empire—the dragons—but because there are always some people in the world who have their own ambitions and ideals.

These people might be more aptly described as idealists.

Baal could not see his ideals blooming brightly in other places, so under the contact of the Golden Empire's Planning Department, he resolutely resigned from his senior advisor position and came to the Dragon Country from afar.

Because in this country built from the wilderness, Baal saw the soil where his ideal flower could bloom.

"Haha, it's like the 'World Serpent's' steel train. Before boarding the train, everyone outside hopes there are seats available, even if they have to stand."

"But once those people get on the train, they only think about closing the doors quickly,"

Green, also a member of the Central Council, raised his insulated water cup with a dragon tattoo, sipped on 'Green Capital Emerald' tea soaked in life spring water, and commented on his old friend's sigh.

As a tea grown by pixie sprites in the tea garden of the Forest Dragon Antagina, 'Green Capital Emerald' has the effect of activating blood circulation and nourishing the body's aura. It is also the most beloved drink of the older officials in the Empire.

However, the stock of this tea is scarce and is only given by the Dragon Lord Antagina based on merit and mood, so even Councilor Green cherishes it immensely, savoring it with relish.

During this period, the Golden Empire ushered in a period of rapid development.

With the Ancestral Red Dragon and the native dragon lords of the Gogelmora Dragon Clan in charge, according to the Emperor's orders, the Bronze Dragon Arina and the Blue Dragon Dos reinvested the remaining redistributable wealth gathered in recent years into the Empire's overall construction.

At this moment, the population of the Golden Empire is visibly increasing day by day, and the prosperity of cities everywhere can be described as rapidly changing.

Even Degonia, a city built after the Orc War, has spread out with wide roads in all directions, with not only stations where the 'World Serpent's' steel train stops.

There are also stations where countless wyverns, two-legged dragons, steel pterosaurs, goblin airships, and other aerial vehicles stop, reaching the border of the far north ice plains, the mutual market city gradually built by frost giants on the grassland.

To the west, it connects to the wintering city on the Empire's border, which has trade relations with the vampire country in the western continent.

To the south, following the Golden River, you can also take boats sailing in the inland river to reach the southernmost city—Baystream City.

From Baystream City, you can purchase many giant-race slaves and the specialties brought out of the God-Forsaken Mountains by those giant races.

In Degonia, in addition to the vast and crowded commercial markets and residential areas, there are also large squares built in every city for citizens to gather and celebrate, and dragon temples dedicated to the statues of the dragons in the Gogelmora Dragon Clan.

There are also the unique bathhouses of the Golden Empire, recuperation and treatment gardens that concentrate priests, medical mages, and physicians of various races, as well as alchemical magic workshops, weapon forging workshops, and so on.

And the embodiment of the martial spirit in the Golden Empire, the huge domed gladiatorial arena.

It is worth mentioning that, due to the increasing number of vampires and werewolves in the empire, the accumulated resentment and hatred between these two races over the years has stained the brains of these vampires and werewolves in the arena of almost every city in the empire.

These vampires and werewolves dare not violate the empire's law prohibiting public private fights, so they can only bring this resentment to the arena, which has led to particularly booming business in the empire's arena during this period.

Moreover, these vampires and werewolves are physically strong, and even if their brains are spilled out, they can be saved. The next loser will carry more intense anger and launch a challenge to the victor. This project has become a daily news item that the empire's citizens are now talking about with relish.

However, it is precisely because of this rapid and vigorous development that some chaotic situations in the empire, in the eyes of scholars of Baal and Green's level, expose the essence of the problems behind them, which are undoubtedly revealed.

"In the end, it's nothing more than power and profit,"

Baal agreed with his old friend's view. He adjusted the olive hat on his head and said softly, "In economics, the value of an item is given by all those who recognize its value, even if it is just a worthless stone."

"Then a person's power is also given by all those who recognize their power,"

Baal pointed to the garrison soldiers patrolling the city with sophisticated weapons and said, "But in the world, the essence of power is ultimate force. The most powerful people here are not you, nor should it be me, but those people,"

"And those tolerant lords, and the Emperor of the Empire."

Green smiled slightly and said with a tacit understanding, "But the Emperor of the Empire delegates the power in his hands, wanting to shape the civilization of the Golden Empire into a widely recognized imagined community, in order to ensure that this created set of rules is spontaneously followed and obeyed by all living beings, rather than relying on violence in his hands."

Baal clapped his hands lightly and agreed, "Looking at the history of many kingdoms and empires in Akania, no one has ever been able to draw experience and lessons from these histories. The wheel of history rolls forward, again and again."

"The reason why history cannot be surpassed is not because of other reasons, but because of that thing called 'human nature' that exists in all living beings in the world."

Green said lightly, "So many scholars have gone mad. They saw through the laws and wanted to change them, but found that this change was actually violating the laws, and finally went completely mad."

"Even my teacher, hehe, was once the youngest great scholar in the world of Akania, but he became a madman because of this endless thinking."

"Because he discovered that those countries that worship gods actually possess the power to reverse this situation and law. But the gods worshiped by those countries are not much different from those mortals who slay dragons and will eventually become evil dragons, or even more evil and dark."

Baal looked at his old friend's eyes that were becoming a little moist and said solemnly, "That's why we came here. It doesn't matter who we believe in. What matters is whether the belief can make the country progress and the civilization develop, instead of being trapped in a small space for a lifetime for the sake of eating."

"Ordinary people in high positions may intensify their efforts, and others may take their place, but as long as it is always under the light of the Emperor of the Empire, the Empire will use constantly progressive and reforming steps to crush these obstructive things."

"The Empire's wheels will roll forward, unstoppable!" Baal smiled.

"Do you believe that the Golden Empire will break this law?" Green was silent for a long time before asking.

"It definitely can," The wrinkles on Baal's face seemed to be straightened by the firm expression at this moment, as if he were a dozen years younger, in his prime, just like a teenager.

"His Majesty is like the sun hanging in the sky of the Empire. If the Empire enters darkness, it will also be burned by the sunlight in the sky."

Baal smiled and said, "Although the Empire is a country jointly created by His Majesty and the dragons, if the Empire does not grow into the way His Majesty wants to see it, it will be personally destroyed by him."

"How do you know?" Green, hearing this, was shocked, and even spilled the precious tea in his thermos cup.

Baal turned around and pointed to the majestic mountains behind Degonia. On that huge fire peak, the will belonging to the Ancestral Red Dragon was like a rising sun, soaring into the sky.

"His Majesty told me."

Green looked at his old friend with an unexpected look and sighed, "It's a pity, maybe we won't see that moment. Sometimes I even wonder why His Majesty didn't directly summon the Empire's legions to burn all those decayed and stinky nobles and systems to ashes."

This time it was Baal's turn to show a surprised expression. Baal asked in surprise, "Aren't you always a conservative?"

"I just want to try my best to maintain stability in the internal affairs of the Empire, but externally, I just feel that His Majesty and the dragons may be a little conservative," Green laughed loudly.

Baal shook his head helplessly and smiled, "His Majesty is different from other dragons. From the rumors in his infancy, we learned that His Majesty is not the same as those reckless and brainless compatriots,"

"Did not extort cities, plunder the innocent, or occupy civilized lands. Even the sinking of Hobis in the past was only because of hatred."

"Therefore, the Dragon Country established in the wilderness did not cause too much vigilance from other civilized forces."

"But it's different now. The rise of the Empire has made them start to fear and be afraid. So even if the civilizations of other continents are in chaos, there are still many tentacles extending into the Empire. The complex chaos is caused by this."

"And those high-ranking spellcasters, the Empire's development ideas are completely different from those of the spellcasters. This is a conflict of ideas and concepts."

"The Empire's popularization of magic knowledge and the standardization and scaling of magic technology use have never appeared in the world of Akania."

"The high-ranking spellcaster groups are like those nobles who cling to the decaying system. They will not sit idly by and watch this happen, nor can they imitate and promote this change."

"They do not have a system like the Empire, so if the use of magic is popularized, then the lofty status of the spellcasters will be shaken to its foundations. These vested interest groups will never allow others to shake their interests."

"The existing contradictions in the Empire should not have broken out at this time, but were catalyzed by those with ulterior motives."

Baal smiled and said, "So don't worry, His Majesty has profound wisdom and holds the reins, and naturally has his considerations, just like a dragon in slumber, making a surprising sound."

"I'm just a little regretful," Green said lightly.

These scholars of the Central Council have already proposed an agenda to the Emperor of the Empire.

Those who hold the supreme power in this vast system of the Empire must not gain longevity because of their merits.

Because longevity will gradually rigidify the thinking of some people, and they hold power, causing the civilization of the Empire to fail to fulfill the Emperor's thoughts and will.

Regardless of whether the ideas of these scholars and high officials are feasible, some dragon lords have also developed a little admiration for these scholars.

Baal laughed loudly, his heroism soaring to the sky.

He looked at the fiery aura rising from the majestic peak, curling into a sun-like shape, and laughed loudly, "What's there to regret? These mountains, seas, and hundreds of millions of miles of rivers and mountains will have our successors to continue writing new chapters for the civilization of the Empire."

"We, these pioneers, will also leave our own strong and colorful mark in the history of the Golden Empire's civilization. That's enough!"

...

The Executive Governor's Office welcomed a beautiful guest.

The Bronze Dragon Arina has been living in the Governor's official residence of the Empire for the past few years, and rarely goes to her own lair.

Arina once thought about building her own castle when she saw the Ancestral Red Dragon's back garden.

However, the Bronze Dragon Arina, who has been in control of the Empire for many years, knows that money does not come easily, so she dismissed the idea of building her own castle, definitely not because she didn't want to bleed money.

As for the castle being built on the summit of the Red Copper Dragon Alfred, the Empire's Minister of Propaganda, it has nothing to do with the Bronze Dragon Arina.

The Bronze Dragon Arina just often gives her spouse, uh, provides some suggestions.

However, when Arina looked up from the castle construction plan, she saw an unexpected but reasonable guest—the adult Silver Dragon Chris Diana.

Bronze Dragons are usually in humanoid form in the Governor's Office.

Although Arina's humanoid form is also a tall and beautiful woman, there is still a gap compared to the Silver Dragon, which is known for its beauty.

Especially the adult silver dragon, because of the thoughts in her heart, the timidity on her face, like a lost deer, had a pitiful charm that Alina found endearing.

However, the bronze dragon's unique, non-majestic upper-class authority derived from the dragon bloodline added a different charm to Alina.

"Chris, what's the matter?"

Bronze Dragon Alina asked directly, not because Alina disrespected Silver Dragon Chris, but because dragons themselves have a straightforward habit, and she had grown quite disgusted with complicated etiquette after presiding over the empire for many years.

Silver Dragon Chris's beautiful eyes looked at the increasingly majestic female governor. She deeply admired the other's talent. But more than that, it was the ancestral red dragon's unparalleled trust in this bronze dragon that Chris deeply envied.

"Alina, am I going to leave the empire? My position has been relinquished. Has the empire made a decision about where I'm going?"

Silver Dragon Chris asked courageously, but this question made Bronze Dragon Alina smile.

"Well, Calon has made a decision. Perhaps in a few days, he will take the time to meet you," Alina smiled, "Isn't this the result you wanted, to leave this evil-ruled empire and return to your silver dragons' land of justice and light?"

Silver Dragon Chris shook her head, shyly and angrily saying, "Don't laugh at me, Alina. I'm just here to seek your help."

Bronze Dragon Alina shook her head and said softly, "Why should I help you, persuade Calon to change his mind, and keep you here? Chris, although we are familiar with each other, and I admire your efforts and responsibility, we are not friends, nor do we have any common interests."

Silver Dragon Chris bit her shell-like teeth, was silent for a while, and then said: "People are divided into groups, and three or five mouths will inevitably have factions."

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"The Kog'Mora dragon group that rules the empire, not only has five-colored dragons and metal dragons, but also other dragon species. Because of the different scale colors and bloodlines, and the different times of joining the dragon group, the latecomers cannot integrate into the Kog'Mora dragon group, and will form their own camps and positions, with their own claims and interests."

"I have been in the Golden Empire for a long time, and I can also feel that the Kog'Mora dragon group does not regard those later dragons as their companions."

"In the future, the Kog'Mora dragon group will not only have the five-colored dragon camp, the metal dragon camp, and the sub-dragon camp, but also the gem dragons, and other dragon species' camps."

"So if you help me persuade the emperor to keep me, I will take you as the leader and follow your lead from now on."

Bronze Dragon Alina narrowed her eyes slightly, looking at the silver dragon with some surprise, "You observe very carefully, Chris, but you are not a dragon in the Kog'Mora dragon group after all, so these are just your guesses and imaginations, but even so, you can be considered very powerful."

The Bronze Dragon praised the Silver Dragon, but shook her head and said, "But you are wrong, Chris. After all, you cannot understand the truth through a veil. Just like Calon said, only through personal experience can you draw a conclusion about something."

Alina stood up from behind the desk, put her hands behind her back, paced in the study, and said softly, "As early as when Calon set the council of dragons, we had already reached a consensus at that moment."

"This is the idea that the Kog'Mora dragon group must implement, not to distinguish by blood and scale color, but by wisdom and thought."

"Factions, there is no doubt that there are, but maybe it will be beyond your expectations,"

The Bronze Dragon Alina's voice, which had become mature, laughed and said: "Perhaps it is more appropriate to use the descriptions of those human races to describe the relevant controversial factions within the current Kog'Mora dragon group."

"In the Kog'Mora dragon group, because of the five-colored dragons' natural evil dragon blood, they pay more attention to their inner thoughts and their own thinking after they have cultivated the Dragon's Proof."

"So although they are still ferocious five-colored dragons to the outside world, they often examine their own thoughts before making a decision, whether it is because of the manipulation of the evil dragon blood, which leads them to be more inclined to the conservative faction."

"Of course, perhaps it is more reliable to describe them as a blame-shifting faction."

"The metal dragons and other dragon species in the dragon group, although they have also cultivated the Dragon's Proof, our tendencies are more daring. Just like Mist Dragon Deniro once wanted to apply for the empire to send a legion to kill all the forces that stretched out their black hands to the empire."

"Our achievements cannot be destroyed by anyone, even if it means actively launching a great war! Because we have seen that hypocrisy and false justice, we are more eager to destroy them, but the five-colored dragons are not. They are born in the evil camp, so they are used to it."

"Among the five-colored dragons in the Kog'Mora dragon group, only Akz and Klayana tend to be on our side."

A look of confusion appeared on Silver Dragon Chris's small face, but she felt that Bronze Dragon Alina's statement was very much in line with her original intention.

Just like she had once thought about whether to go back and expose the hypocrisy of those nobles and dragons, and then launch a public trial at the bottom.

Fortunately, the experience in the empire made Silver Dragon Chris know that this kind of stupid behavior is completely unfeasible.

Not only because it is not feasible, but also because public trials are stupid. Because this kind of trial is based on morality, not on law and order.

And the laws and order are controlled by those nobles, unless the laws of the empire are in effect throughout the Ekaterina.

Alina looked at the silver dragon's confused expression and laughed softly: "Of course, there is also the so-called neutral faction."

"Alfred and Yang Dragon Nakson are the neutral factions."

"Nakson's neutral inclination is undoubtedly due to his holding of the law."

"Although Alfred is my spouse, his views are different from mine. Although there is a reason for me to deliberately make Alfred behave like this, it is more appropriate for Alfred to be called a fence-sitter, because his character is the kind that likes to bully others."

Alina curled her lips, not without contempt for her partner: "Whichever faction's voice is louder in the Dragon Group's Kings' Meeting, whichever faction performs better in arguments, Alfred will lean towards that faction."

"As for the later dragons, before they control their dragon blood desire, they will naturally be despised by all the dragons in the Kog'Mora dragon group,"

Alina raised her head high and laughed softly: "The true dragons of the Golden Empire are not a joke!"

"So, you still won't help me?" Silver Dragon Chris saw from Alina's tone and body posture that the other party did not explicitly refuse.

"Of course," Alina said softly: "Calon naturally has his own ideas, and it is impossible for me to try to change his decision because of a little benefit."

"However, if you really want to stay in the empire, perhaps I can give you a goal. Finding them will make it easier to persuade Calon to change his mind."

"Red Dragon Clayana, Green Dragon Antagena, and Pixie Raven!"

"Apart from these three guys, it is not easy for you to get close to the other dragons. They will not find Calon for you. Only these three guys, whether they say it casually or seriously lobby for you, can have a miraculous effect on some small things."

Silver Dragon Chris walked out of the Governor's Mansion in disappointment, returned to her residence, took out the gold coins she had accumulated over the years, and planned to find the target given by Bronze Dragon Alina.

But Red Dragon Clayana didn't know where she had run to. According to those golden kobold guards, Clayana had secretly run to the emperor's lava lake to take a bath again.

As for Pixie Raven, she didn't know whether she was playing cards at the Dragon Card Hall in some city or had run to the Emperor's Castle.

As for Green Dragon Antagena, she was sharing 'power' with the ancestral red dragon, just like other dragon lords.

"Your Majesty, the experiment has ended, and the experimental data and related results are also being statistically obtained with approximate results," the blond mage Mofanred stepped forward. Although he spoke respectfully, he did not perform many courtesies.

This Imperial Archmage, one of the few in the empire, has always disliked complicated etiquette like dragons. This is his personality. Therefore, Calon had also told Antagena that he did not need to deliberately care about these things, and to treat other people's habits as disregard and provocation to dragons.

Antagena stood on this huge Laboratory No. 1 platform and nodded slightly. She knew the talent and ability of this Archmage and did not take it to heart.

In Antagena's vision, rows of laboratories were displayed in front of her like neatly arranged grids.

The doors, windows, and walls of these laboratories were made of transparent magic fiberglass, which was enough for her to see the situation inside the laboratories.

These densely packed laboratories, like grids, totaled 25,000, with many different races of creatures inside.

There were humans, goblins, ogres, trolls, elves, vampires, werewolves, etc., and even demons and devils were not in the minority.

However, unlike other imperial citizens who volunteered as experimental subjects and could move freely in the laboratory, these low-level demons and devils were bound by tiny black anti-magic stone chains, unable to move, and could only make some fixed-pitch threshold sounds.

Around these experimental subjects of different races, there were huge, strange magical instruments.

These magical instruments were like hollowed-out brains mounted on iron frames fixed to the ground. Several eyes carved from special synthetic gemstones were embedded in these instruments, connecting to the core of the magical instruments.

The brains of these experimental subjects were covered by these huge magical instruments, but judging from the actions of the experimental subjects, some creatures were silently praying, some were reading books, and some were watching images on magic crystals.

The 25,000 creatures of different races were doing different things and making different sounds, each with its own strangeness and abnormality.

As the experimental subjects' emotions fluctuated and their minds changed, the eyes on the brain-like magical instruments also lit up with different colors of light.

Red, orange, green, blue, indigo, violet, or a mixture of several colors.

These strange lights were of varying lengths, stretching and shrinking with the mental fluctuations and spiritual changes of the experimental subjects, like rainbows with their own consciousness, jumping and stretching in these laboratories.

Unlike White Dragon Camide, Green Dragon Antagena, after fully controlling her dragon blood lust, had the wisdom to understand the meaning, purpose, and process of these experiments.

These magical instruments could measure a certain mental frequency energy emitted by the experimental subjects.

Those rainbow-like lights of different colors represented certain emotions of the experimental subjects.

For example, love, hate, fear, tyranny, sadness, depression, passion, joy, etc. When a rainbow wavelength representing an emotion became active, it meant that the special energy provided by the experimental subject's emotion had reached its maximum.

"Tell me about the results of the experiment, Mr. Mofanred," Green Dragon Antagena respected these wise scholars, just as dragons respected the strong with power.

"Yes,"

Mofanred gently waved his hand, scanned a thick stack of experimental data handed over by his assistant, and completely memorized the experimental data in his mind.

Then, according to his knowledge, he summarized and generalized, and stated it in a more concise language, rather than professional terms.

"Your Majesty Antagena, according to this experimental study, whether it is humans or most other races, except for creatures that are accidentally born due to certain strong emotions."

"The energy frequency that can be generated to the maximum in the creature's body is not 'love', nor is it 'hate'," Mofanred said softly: "But a kind of mental emotion that can generate at least four thousand times more energy than love and hate."

"This mental emotion is defined by us as authenticity!"

Green Dragon Antagena frowned, somewhat unable to understand. "Authenticity, what kind of mental emotion is it?"

Mofanred thought for a while, and then expanded this slightly technical term to make it easier for the green dragon lord to understand.

"If other descriptions are used as metaphors, it may deviate from the essence, but the general meaning is,"

"True power comes from oneself, or to describe it in one word—'sincerity'!"

Mofanred pointed to a very special laboratory in the center and said: "Perhaps the goal set by the alien gods for those special creatures is to drive these creatures to discover their power of sincerity and obtain power from it."

"And the small rewards given to these creatures by the alien gods are a relatively cheap exchange."

"Of course, this is just a preliminary guess and may not be true. It still needs to be compared with multiple experiments to get the relevant correct results."

"Are you saying that everything those special creatures feel is woven by the alien gods, harvesting the so-called true power of these creatures?"

Antagena frowned, trying to analyze the mystery.

Mofanred coughed and couldn't help but say: "Your Majesty only needs to tell the results to His Majesty."

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