The continent of Sterling, where Synapse was currently hovering, was the eighth subcontinent Muria had visited during his travels. Of course, this time, Muria wasn't here to explore. His current focus was entirely on his campaigns in the alien realm.
As for retrieving the dragons he once raised, Muria no longer concerned himself with such matters. He had delegated that task to his subordinates. These dragons were now insignificant to his growing power. Finding them was merely a way of fulfilling an old obsession. Having him personally search for them would be a waste of time.
The primary reason Synapse had come to the Sterling subcontinent wasn't to search for the dragons he once raised but to gather all the pure-blooded dragons living on the continent, regardless of age or species.
As for the dragons he once raised, retrieving them was a secondary task. In fact, no real search was needed. No matter how well those exiled chromatic dragons had fared, none of them could compare to Muria. So, when Synapse arrived at Sterling, these chromatic dragons came seeking him on their own.
Due to the various plans Muria had set in motion, Synapse had remained on the Sterling subcontinent. As a result, the beings living on the continent experienced what eternal daylight felt like.
The thousand cloud cities Muria had brought back from the Boundless Heaven were suspended above Sterling, bathing the sky in light, leaving no room for darkness to exist across the entire continent.
Despite the astonishing sight, it didn't cause panic. Angels frequently traveled in and out of the cloud cities, and everyone knew what angels were—holy and benevolent creatures. This brought the people living below great joy, making them feel incredibly safe.
...
One Month Before the Wedding
"The venue is finally set!" Muria sighed in relief as he gazed at the wedding site arranged with a thousand cloud cities. It seemed simple to use cloud cities to set up the venue, but in reality, it was quite complicated.
There would be Seraphim and Epic Titans attending the wedding, and Muria had already received confirmation from two of his grandfathers. As for the dragons, there were rumors that a Dragon King had explicitly said they would attend after receiving the invitation.
However, Muria didn't know how many Epic figures from the three races would show up, making the seating arrangements a delicate task. It would be extremely embarrassing if a high-level guest arrived and there wasn't an appropriate place for them.
Fortunately, Muria didn't have to worry too much. His mother, the Golden Dragon Queen, had turned the thousand cloud cities into nodes of a grand magical formation, creating a floating continent of holy light above the Sterling subcontinent.
As soon as the venue was set, guests began to arrive. After all, Muria's grand display of using a thousand cloud cities for the wedding had spread like wildfire. Every faction was eager to find out more, and Muria hadn't bothered to hide his plans.
Thus, one of the most anticipated parts of the wedding for Muria began: the arrival of gifts.
"Hmm, here's the first wedding gift from a local kingdom: a 13-kilogram chunk of Starsteel. Wow, they're really being generous!" Muria's mother, the Golden Dragon Queen, marveled at the silver-glowing legendary metal in her hand, clicking her tongue in admiration.
"Looks like you scared them pretty good with all the commotion you caused. They even sent over such a rare resource."
"I didn't plan on doing anything to them. They're just overthinking it. But since they've sent it, I'll gladly accept."
Muria walked over and quickly snatched the Starsteel from his mother's hands. It was the first wedding gift he received after sending out the invitations, and this chunk of legendary metal was the most valuable item in the package.
"What, you can't even let me look at it?"
"No," Muria shook his head decisively. If the legendary metal stayed in his mother's hands any longer, he feared some of it might mysteriously disappear.
"Tsk, so stingy! You think I'd actually steal your wedding gift?"
"What do you think?" Muria gave a wry smile. His mother had been "borrowing" from him since he was young. He could already anticipate that the gifts he'd receive at this wedding would be numerous, including strategic-level resources like legendary metals. If he left it to his mother to collect them, it would be strange if she didn't help herself to some of it.
"Mother, I'll handle receiving the gifts myself. You should rest."
"No way. You've invited so many guests that I don't think you can handle it all on your own. It's my duty to help you."
No matter how much Muria tried to persuade her, the Golden Dragon Queen refused to relinquish her role as the gift collector. In the end, Muria had no choice but to agree. After all, she'd brought up the time when he raided her treasure vault. It was a matter where he had acted a bit too excessively, so in the end, he had to concede.
As the wedding date drew closer, more and more guests arrived. Every guest was either a ruler of a nation or a legendary powerhouse with a renowned reputation.
Ten days before the wedding, even the ten major empires of the main continent sent envoys bearing lavish gifts to congratulate Muria.
Along with these imperial envoys came delegations from the temples of benevolent gods Muria had once been friendly with. They too brought gifts and well-wishes for the wedding.
Muria knew without a doubt that these people weren't just here to offer congratulations but also to gather information. They were undoubtedly alarmed by the spectacle he'd caused, and this was exactly what Arudiba, the Seraphim, had intended.
Therefore, Muria didn't mind their presence. He accepted all the gifts without hesitation. If they wanted to snoop around, they could go ahead. If they crossed the line, they wouldn't even know how they met their end, especially with the massive magic formation his mother had set up.
Roar! As the wedding approached, a dragon's roar echoed from beyond the horizon, shaking the heavens. With the roar came an overwhelming pressure that swept across the land. Only those at the legendary level could remain standing, while everyone else, trembling, knelt to the ground in awe. This was the natural aura of an Epic being.
The first Epic guest had arrived, and it was a Dragon King. Muria didn't recognize this particular Dragon King, but he hurried to greet them.
After settling the Dragon King in the central cloud city, Muria eagerly opened the first gift from an Epic guest: a weapon case.
Upon opening the case, Muria immediately felt sharp energy sweep across his face, causing a slight stinging sensation on his skin. Inside the case were seven warblades, each of a different design.
"Seven legendary weapons!" The Golden Dragon Queen, who had been watching from the side, picked up the shortest of the seven blades. Even so, it was still 15 meters long.
"Giving seven legendary weapons at once—that's quite generous!" The Golden Dragon Queen sighed, gently tapping the blade's surface, producing a clear metallic ring. But soon, her expression turned strange. She tapped the blade a few more times before showing an expression of disdain.
"I take back what I said. That Dragon King is so stingy!"
"What's wrong?" Muria asked, puzzled. He tapped the weapon as well but sensed nothing amiss. These were indeed authentic legendary weapons and of high quality, too.
"Muria, you can't even tell what material these blades are made of?" His mother scolded him, clearly displeased that he had seemingly forgotten the basics of dragonkind.
"I can't tell. But the material should be excellent. Even if it's not legendary metal, it's close."
"Tsk, close to legendary metal? These weapons were forged from the scales that fell off that Dragon King's body! Compared to real legendary metal, the material doesn't even come close. That Dragon King is a miser!"
"It's fine. No matter what, they're still seven legendary weapons. That's far better than I expected." Muria wasn't too disappointed.
He had never had high expectations for gifts from Dragon Kings. Dragons were naturally stingy creatures. Even a Dragon King wouldn't suddenly become generous. That would be wishful thinking.
"Seven legendary weapons? Do you think those are valuable to that Dragon King? Didn't you hear how I addressed him? That Dragon King specializes in forging weapons. It probably took him less than a day to make those seven blades."
The Golden Dragon Queen was indignant. "He's a Dragon King, for heaven's sake! And this is all he could offer? Even the gifts from human kingdoms were more valuable!"
"Calm down, Mother. Dragons are just like that." Unlike his mother's anger, Muria was quite calm. To that Dragon King, these seven weapons were just crafted from a few of his shed scales. This kind of gift was indeed quite miserly.
"Well, live and learn. You can look forward to the gifts from the Seraphim and my Titan ancestors. But don't expect too much from the Dragon Kings' gifts."
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