…
Since that moment, An's status had undergone a dramatic transformation. After receiving the dragon blood baptism from the Lord of Synaps and becoming Muria's kin, even though he belonged to the weakest group, he now held a lofty position.
After successfully transforming into a Dragonborn, An even gained the right to converse directly with the Grand Duke of the Red Dragon Principality, Duke Bernard, a dragon knight with a red dragon as his steed.
Reflecting on everything he had experienced over the past few years, An felt as if he were in a dream. He remembered his childhood dream of becoming a dragon-slaying hero, but he never imagined that years later, he would become a Dragonborn with the supreme blood of dragons flowing through his veins.
"Captain, do you know why we've been urgently assembled?" One of An's subordinates approached him with a cheerful grin.
An was usually very approachable, and without anger, he had little deterrent effect. However, when he did get angry and displayed his Dragonborn traits, no ordinary Dragonborn could withstand his might, except for a few peers like himself.
"I don't have specific information, but I heard that we're boarding warships to travel through the void to another world and follow the great Lord of Synaps into battle."
"Captain, where did you hear such nonsense? That's impossible. Look at what we've been learning all these years. They haven't taught us any secret cultivation methods. Even you, the strongest among us, have only just broken through to the Gold level. In a void war, we'd be nothing but cannon fodder."
"It's said that there are special arrangements. Just follow orders and don't think too much. The higher-ups see things differently from us. You're probably going to handle logistics or something; they wouldn't send us into combat."
"Understood."
Soon, An led his neatly arranged squad in batches aboard floating ships to the void warship port on the central island. Then, he received new orders to board a troop transport ship with his team.
Just then, two golden-haired figures appeared silently above the void ship port. One of them, a golden-haired girl with an aura as radiant as the sun, instantly drew the attention of many Dragonborn boarding the ships, causing a small commotion.
"Captain, look! Who is that? She's so beautiful!" A white-haired Dragonborn next to An looked up at the sky, his eyes filled with infatuation, even slowing his steps toward the ship.
An, overseeing his subordinates boarding the ship, frowned slightly and followed their gaze. He then saw a face so flawless that it shouldn't exist in the world.
This perfect, unparalleled beauty momentarily took An's breath away. He never imagined there could be such a perfect being in the world, surpassing all limits, as if the world had concentrated all its beauty on her.
An had thought that, after living, studying, and residing with a group of beautiful Dragonborn for so long, he would no longer be interested in so-called beauties. But now, he realized he was wrong.
"What am I thinking?" Realizing his inappropriate thoughts, An quickly cut off his wayward ideas, clenched his fists, and drove his nails deep into his flesh to clear his mind.
He then quickly lowered his head, no longer looking up at the sky, and urged his subordinates to board the ship. He didn't know who that golden-haired girl, whose beauty alone was a blessing to behold, might be, but he recognized the girl in the maid outfit standing behind her.
She was Mia, the head maid of Synaps and the personal maid of the Lord of Synaps. If such an influential figure in Synaps had to stand behind that girl, it was clear her background was astonishing, far beyond the reach of someone like him. He felt immensely lucky just to have caught a glimpse of her.
"Atris, your charm is simply too overwhelming. Please move to the flagship to rest. It will take some time for everyone to board," Mia said with a helpless expression, aware that Atris's appearance had already caused quite a disruption among the ordinary Dragonborn.
…
Under the night sky, stars twinkled. Unlike the bright stars of Erathia, each star here represented a world already teeming with life, not the divine realms of deities.
This world had no gods. It had been ruled by two Titans in succession, leaving no foundation for the birth of deities. For example, the Yanlun Tribe, currently holding a sacrificial ceremony, worshipped not a specific deity but the land on which they lived.
Muria had inquired about it: all the Yinhuang tribes and cities worshipped the earth beneath their feet. Even the centralized Jiufeng Dynasty in this world held sacrifices to the Yinhuang World itself. Hence, the possibility of any god being born in this world was nonexistent.
"Muria, is this the world assigned to you? What a primitive power system!" The red dragon Auston, lying at Muria's feet, lazily remarked as he stared at the massive bonfire lit by the Yinhuang people, his tone laced with disdain and arrogance. He felt like a city dweller visiting the countryside, looking down on everything with contempt.
"Bang!" Without a word, Muria punched the red dragon's head, smashing it into the rock beneath. "The power system of this world was brought by the first Titan. What are you trying to imply by calling it primitive?"
"I'm not implying anything. I'm just expressing my opinion. I have no complaints about you, of course," Auston assured Muria, pulling his head out of the rock, shaking off the debris, and pounding his chest armor with his claws to make his oath.
"Watch quietly and stop talking nonsense. This world's power system may be behind Erathia's, but without me, you're just a red dragon relying solely on your physical talents to get by. What right do you have to judge anything?"
Scolded by Muria, Auston obediently shut his mouth. Meanwhile, the Yanlun Tribe's sacrificial ceremony had reached its most crucial stage—the coming-of-age ritual for young Yinhuang boys, marking their first totem and laying their foundation.
Amid the cheers of the Yanlun people, four Yinhuang boys stepped forward, followed by tribesmen carrying their sacrificial offerings for the ceremony.
The most frail and smallest boy among them, Heizhen, had the most eye-catching offering behind him—a feathered serpent dragon over fifty meters long, carried by four adult Yinhuang men. Compared to Heizhen's offering, the other boys' offerings seemed rather small and cute.
The Yanlun tribesmen looked at Heizhen, a boy born with physical deficiencies, with complex emotions—envy, jealousy, disdain…
"Heizhen, that weakling, using a feathered serpent dragon as a sacrificial offering? What a waste! It would have been better given to Ahchai, our tribe's most gifted youth."
"Exactly! The weakest one gets the best offering? What a waste of resources."
"Maybe we should suggest to the high priest that Ahchai and Heizhen swap offerings. After all, Ahchai's father prepared a steel-toothed tyrannosaur for him, which would be a dream offering for Heizhen."
"Are you out of your mind? Heizhen's offering was given to him by that lord from the city. We have no say in the matter. Just watch quietly, or you'll face consequences if you anger that lord."
"Heizhen will be the first to undergo the coming-of-age ritual," Muria suddenly announced as the ceremony was about to begin, his voice plunging the entire Yanlun Tribe into a moment of silence.
Everyone then turned their gaze toward the elderly, slightly hunched high priest.
"Heizhen, bring your offering forward!" Seeing Muria's gaze, the old priest immediately called Heizhen up. It wasn't worth clashing with Muria over this; the order didn't matter, as his tribesmen would benefit regardless.
The old priest failed to notice a boy below clenching his fists tightly. According to tradition, the strongest youth in the tribe should undergo the coming-of-age ritual first, but he had just been deprived of that right.
"Bang!" Under the watchful eyes of the Yanlun people, the fierce feathered serpent dragon was thrown into the towering bonfire, and the seemingly small flames instantly engulfed it. Then, a mysterious power emerged, melting the feathered serpent dragon's body like a candle in the heat.
Roar! As the feathered serpent dragon's body completely melted in the flames, a giant serpent, identical to the feathered serpent dragon, formed of black mist, soared out of the fire. It circled above the bonfire before plunging into the excited Heizhen.
Heizhen groaned in pain as a ferocious and terrifying feathered serpent dragon totem gradually appeared on his bare upper body, covering his entire arm and half his shoulder.
As the totem appeared, Heizhen felt a surge of immense power from the feathered serpent dragon tattoo on his left arm, filling his flesh and making him feel as if he might burst.
In fact, his body was indeed swelling. In just a few breaths, Heizhen's underdeveloped body grew to a normal Yinhuang boy's height, a full fifteen meters.
"Are you jealous of Heizhen?" Muria suddenly asked, smiling as he saw the boy's dramatic transformation and his rapidly increasing strength. "Are you envious of the feathered serpent dragon I gifted him?"
_________________________
[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! $5 for all!!]
[w w w . p a t r e o n .com / INNIT]
[+50 PowerStones = +1 Chapter] [+5 Reviews = +1 Chapter]