Thunder Dragon City. The heavy rain had just ceased.
A colossal dragon was perched atop the high tower, its wings casting a shadow that smothered half the sky over the Duke's manor.
"Stretch out your hand, Leylo."
The Duke—Leylo's father—spoke in a low, commanding voice. Standing upon the high dais, even his ornate ducal robes could not mask the scent of iron and blood that clung to him from his years in the military.
Leylo shifted his feet. His movements were somewhat stiff.
Leylo was nervous. He hadn't expected that so soon after his soul had crossed over into this world, he would be thrust into such a grand ceremony.
What's more, he was the protagonist.
He lifted his eyes toward the center of the magic circle. There lay a newly hatched Thunder Dragon whelp, lounging lazily. Its pale blue scales shimmered under the magical radiance, smooth as fine silk. Yet, its golden vertical pupils flickered with a trace of primal savagery and defiance.
Beside him, his "excellent" elder brother, Elliot, had a faint, inscrutable smirk playing on his lips.
That smile was as practiced and precise as if it had been measured with a ruler.
As he sifted through his blurred memories, Leylo finally began to grasp his current situation.
This was the Thunder Dragon Clan. Today, the Duke's second son, Leylo, was to undergo the soul-binding ceremony with a hatchling sired by the family's guardian dragon.
"What are you idling for?" the Duke's voice boomed.
"The glory of this family rests upon your gamble today."
Leylo took a deep breath. The scent of dragon breath in the air had grown thick, a pungent musk that made his throat itch. He reached out, his fingertips trembling slightly as he slowly drew closer to the whelp.
According to the laws of contract magic, if the hatchling was willing to accept him, a radiance of mana would ignite the moment his fingers touched it, sealing the pact.
"Hiss!"
The hatchling suddenly snapped its head up. A threatening low growl rumbled in its throat, accompanied by a blast of searing heat that reeked of ozone and crackling electricity. It jerked backward violently, its golden pupils filled with nothing but raw disdain and impatience.
No light flickered. No radiance appeared.
No contract was forged. No fusion occurred.
A deathly silence fell over the hall.
The Duke's expression darkened instantly, his face so grim it looked as if it could drip ink, while his gaze swept over Leylo like a serrated blade. His elder brother Elliot's smirk finally broke free of its constraints, blooming into a clear, mocking grin.
The whispers of the surrounding nobles were like countless tiny needles, pricking at Leylo's eardrums.
The Duke's countenance became unbearable to look upon. He turned and spoke coldly to the Dragon-Speaker presiding over the ceremony: "The ritual is over."
Leylo stood frozen on the spot, his hand still suspended in mid-air like a puppet with its strings cut. He could feel countless gazes—pitying, mocking, gloating—washing over him like a tide, drowning him. He lowered his head and silently retreated to the edge of the crowd.
The rain began to fall once more.
Half an hour later.
Inside the Duke's study, the air was thick with the acrid, choking scent of cigars. Outside the window, the sky remained leaden; the gloomy light made even the most luxurious furnishings in the room feel oppressive. The Duke sat behind a massive oak desk, his head unmoving as his fingers pinched a document.
"The ritual failed. There is no longer a place for you in Thunder Dragon City."
"Sign this Reclamation Order. From this moment on, you are the Lord of Blackstone Manor."
Leylo stood before the desk, his rain-soaked hair matted against his forehead, giving him a wretched appearance. Blackstone Manor? In his hazy memories, that place lay at the northernmost edge of the Duchy—a desolate, godforsaken land. It was said that the winters there could freeze a rat solid, and the summer mosquitoes were large enough to carry a man away. This so-called 'reclamation' was nothing more than a dignified exile.
"Father..."
"Do not call me Father."
A roll of parchment was tossed at Leylo's feet.
"From now on, you shall address me only as His Grace, the Duke!"
Leylo stooped down and picked up the feather-light Reclamation Order. He said nothing more.
Argue? Beg?
It was utterly pointless.
In this world where power is paramount and strength is everything, the defeated have no voice.
The Thunder Dragon Clan had built a Grand Duchy from nothing in the north of the human realms, relying solely on iron-blood and ruthlessness. They were ruthless to their enemies, and even more so to themselves. Clan law dictated that any scion who failed to bond with a dragon upon reaching adulthood must become a Pioneer Lord, sent into the northern barrens to expand the Duchy's frontiers.
Having just transmigrated into such a harsh reality, Leylo felt a surge of indignation. Yet, looking at it from another perspective, perhaps leaving this place—distancing himself from everything familiar to his predecessor—was a fresh start. Caught in this inner conflict, Leylo scrawled his name across the Reclamation Order.
At that exact moment, without warning, a cold, emotionless mechanical voice echoed in his mind.
[Ding! Host has been detected obtaining Lord status. Daily Intelligence System successfully activated...]
[Today's intelligence has been refreshed. Please check, Host.]
Leylo's body jolted. The hand holding the pen froze. The "cheat code" of his transmigration had finally activated?
Immediately following, lines of pale blue virtual text materialized abruptly before his eyes like a holographic projection.
[1: Within the Clan's Knights, Grand Knight Ed is currently wallowing in obscurity. A man of unyielding integrity and formidable strength, he has languished in the position of a mere squad leader for years due to his lack of political maneuvering. If promoted to Captain of your personal guard and entrusted with significant responsibility, he will break through his bottleneck in the short term, ascending to the rank of Earth Knight and swearing undying loyalty to you.]
[2: Kree, the Captain of the East Gate Guards of Thunder Dragon City, has embezzled a total of 1,700 Gold Dragons from military funds and taxes. He has hidden the loot beneath a broken water vat in front of an abandoned thatched shack, located three hundred paces south of the East Gate.]
[3: In three days, the Blackstone Mountains will witness a rare lightning storm. This storm will be accompanied by the appearance of a minor spatial rift. An unknown "foreign object" may fall from the rift into the depths of the mountain range.]
[4: In the broad river valley on the southern foothills of the Blackstone Mountains, a sizeable flock of Grey-headed Geese resides. Grey-headed Geese are Rank-1 magical birds; their meat is succulent, and their liver is a delicacy highly sought after by the nobility.]
[5: An envoy from the southern Violet City-States will arrive in Thunder Dragon City this afternoon. The purpose of this visit is to negotiate the repayment of war loans with the Duke of Thunder Dragon.]
[6: The nine-headed hydra, Hydra, occupies the vast northeastern regions of the Duchy, and the scale of the minions it has recruited is already immense. Now, the slumbering Hydra is about to awaken, and the "Tide of the Hydra" will once again sweep through the surrounding kingdoms.]
[7: On the road from Thunder Dragon City to Blackstone Manor, a massive animal migration is about to begin. Hundreds of thousands of Magic-horned Horses have begun their journey from the northern barrens, traveling over two thousand kilometers to the lush Wintermoon Lake in the southwest for breeding. Numerous carnivorous magical beasts are lying in wait along their path, anticipating this annual feast. Communication between Thunder Dragon City and the northern territories will be severed for a month. If you intend to head to Blackstone Manor, depart immediately.]
[8: Deep within an abandoned mine in the eastern mountains of Blackstone Manor, a juvenile Silver Dragon abandoned by its parents lies hidden. This dragon is a rare mutant; though it belongs to the metallic dragon species known for their physical prowess, it unexpectedly possesses magical talent far exceeding that of elemental dragons. It is currently extremely weak and highly wary.]
...
Leylo's eyes widened inch by inch, his heart hammering uncontrollably against his ribs.
A Silver Dragon? And a mutant one with transcendent magical talent at that?
In this very moment, he could almost hear the thunderous rush of the blood surging through his veins.