It was almost the annual interest day again, and for the first time since the establishment of the Golden Empire, the atmosphere of the annual interest day was gradually growing stronger; every household had already begun purchasing drinks and meat for the annual interest day.
However, within the Empire, the most sought-after goods were still the fireworks and firecrackers produced in the fireworks factory.
Although the guards of the Public Order Bureau had emphasized that firecrackers were not allowed to be set off in the cities on normal days, many people still risked fines to excitedly light firecrackers in various corners, and then honestly waited in temporary detention cells for their families to pay the fine and take them home.
Therefore, even when The Silver Dragon Christiana stepped into the small town of Kex in the evening after a whole day of diligent work, she could still hear sporadic explosions of firecrackers and the sharp shouts of the Kobold guards patrolling the streets.
The Empire had been in a vigorous growth phase recently, with large and small cities connected, and towns and villages surrounding them. From the Golden Coast in the east to the Warm Solitary Forest near the coastal mountains in the west, it already spanned tens of thousands of miles.
After the Empire relaxed its pioneering rights and issued a policy encouraging imperial residents to spontaneously develop and cultivate land, a wave of pioneering emerged within the Empire.
Especially the Empire's legions, which were tasked with opening up the entire Empire's vital routes from east to west, those legion warriors didn't care whether the forces within the Empire could keep up with the legion's advance speed, and directly charged towards the Western Coast like a blade.
Although this could quickly open up vital routes and connect with the Vampire nations of the Western Continent, establishing mutual trade cooperation.
However, due to the excessively long journey, apart from the vital transportation routes, other wilderness and forest areas were not brought under the Empire's rule; even if all the Goblins and Kobolds currently within the Empire were dispatched, they would not be able to undertake this enormous task.
Just maintaining the safety of the transportation routes was already a heavy task, not to mention that those Kobolds and Goblins had even more important tasks than this.
Thus, the Empire's pioneering legions' operations were temporarily halted for rest and reorganization.
The Lizardman legion, newly joined to the Empire, also had no choice but to reluctantly stop under the leadership of Rayleigh.
With the support of the Empire's weapons, military equipment, and food supplies, coupled with the mutual assistance of the pioneering legions, these Lizardmen, for the first time in their monster lives, experienced the grand demeanor of sweeping across this land.
Apart from these unorganized temporary legions of Lizardmen, the rest of the legions were equipped with complete military armaments; not only were the warriors' armors as sturdy as boulders, but their weapons were sharp enough to make it difficult for any monster to resist.
Each legion's ranks also included a considerable number of spellcaster legions, healing physicians, and Wyvern Knights in the air for reconnaissance and striking power. With integrated air and ground forces, when the grand army pressed forward, even some powerful Dragon Lords would actively avoid them, not wanting to rashly engage in battle.
But while the legion warriors who had a blast fighting were happy, the True Dragons tasked with patrolling were even more dejected.
Not only were the Dragons Lords in the Dragon Nest constrained by the increasingly expanding territory, but they also had to conduct fixed-point patrols according to their assigned areas daily.
Even the three temporary worker True Dragons, Bronze Dragon Gros and Natalierie, and The Silver Dragon Christiana, were unknowingly assigned various tasks that didn't belong to them, subtly driven by the Dragon clan. Some things, once accustomed to, truly couldn't be changed.
Therefore, The Silver Dragon Christiana, after completing her five-day distant patrol mission, returned to this small town to enjoy a rare holiday.
This brief respite after busyness surprisingly brought a sense of joy to The Silver Dragon Christiana's heart, surpassing countless years of her past; only the surprise when facing treasures could surpass this joy.
"Am I going crazy? How could I like this feeling? It must be that I've been too busy recently and overworked my brain!"
The Silver Dragon Christiana couldn't help but shake her head, shaking off the strange thoughts in her mind.
During this time, The Silver Dragon Christiana always deliberately avoided thinking about the differences between Metal Dragons and Chromatic Dragons, preferring to use her own eyes and heart to view everything happening within the Golden Empire, this nation ruled by True Dragon s.
The Silver Dragon Christiana began to feel that such a civilization should be the one Silver Dragon liked, and the nation she should aspire to.
Although the citizens were ruled by True Dragons, they possessed their own freedom, and by relying on themselves, they could live a prosperous life.
Those who first set foot on this land, simply by relying on the Dragon clan's tax exemption policy at that time, could become wealthy simply by farming, without worrying about the exploitation of nobles or their property being confiscated at any time.
Here, Christiana saw a world that truly achieved relative fairness; sometimes, Silver Dragon found it hard to believe that this was a land ruled by those Chromatic Dragon.
But without a doubt, The Silver Dragon Christiana had already fallen in love with this land, especially the morning bell ringing every day, bringing forth all things, always giving her a good mood amidst her busy work.
Of course, if the Ancestral Red Dragon knew this Silver Dragon's thoughts, perhaps The Silver Dragon Christiana would only receive some ill-natured complaints.
Christiana slowly walked along the gradually widening street and arrived in front of the temple of several Dragonman guards.
Within the Empire, every town now began to construct the Empire's temples. These temples were both a manifestation of the Empire's ruling power and a promise given by the Dragons to the Empire's citizens.
The Empire's citizens worshiped the Dragons, followed their will, and offered their faith, while the Dragons ruled all living beings on earth and provided protection to their citizens.
Stories about the temple circulated among the Empire's populace; the beacon towers built in the temple, located on both sides of the temple, were the covenant made by the Dragons with their citizens.
If one day, the loyal citizens of the Empire encountered irresistible danger, as long as they were in a place with a Dragons Temple, they only needed to light the beacon in that temple.
The True Dragon in the sky would descend, spread their thick, sky-covering wings, protect their citizens from wind and rain, and repel darkness.
The origin of this story is untraceable, as there are now many bards and Scholars serving the Empire, and even Emperor Kalon Kogmora would need to expend some effort to trace the origin of this story.
However, in The Silver Dragon Christiana's eyes, behind the widespread circulation of this story, it subtly draped a veil of divinity over the Dragons who ruled the Empire.
The Dragons in the story, through its widespread telling, had already acquired some abilities and concepts similar to gods.
And in The Silver Dragon Christiana's inheritance, she also knew that there were once mortal beings who, by becoming heroes in stories, had their deeds widely circulated.
Those heroes among mortals could also, by this means, embark on the path to godhood, becoming powerful demigods with divinity.
But this method was not something that could be achieved simply by being widely circulated; it required those who believed in the story to truly be convinced.
Only then could the entity behind it utilize this kind of fame and faith-like power to obtain ancient, god-like power.
So, although The Silver Dragon Christiana didn't know who was secretly spreading it, the Silver Dragon, who was not foolish, already had a target for the mastermind behind it.
She passed the Dragonman guard; the emblem on her chest was enough for The Silver Dragon Christiana to directly enter the temple.
The statues of the Dragons were lifelike; in The Silver Dragon Christiana's eyes, the statue of the wise and far-sighted Ancestral Red Dragon seemed to be enthroned, restrained and composed, yet it was the center and sole focus of the entire space.
The Dragons all kept their wings folded, only the Ancestral Red Dragon stood with its head held high, its gem-carved eyes appearing real, gentle and profound, seemingly looking down, seemingly gazing.
Its slightly spread wings shielded the surrounding Dragons beneath them.
In The Silver Dragon Christiana's eyes, this not only symbolized the Ancestral Red Dragon's supreme position among the Dragons, but also symbolized that this Red Dragon shielded the Dragons from the most violent storms.
Yes, although she was somewhat reluctant to admit it, The Silver Dragon Christiana now, with more understanding, admired that extraordinary Dragons even more.
Just like the temple before her, although the current power and rank of the Dragons were not yet sufficient to grasp the true purpose behind the scenes, the Ancestral Red Dragon had already prepared everything in advance for his companions.
Christiana's soft eyes swept over the statues of the Dragons, finally resting on the statue of the Ancestral Red Dragon, and she sighed softly.
Facing the Ancestral Red Dragon now, she felt a sensation akin to homesickness before returning home; she didn't know what this feeling was, but it made this proud Silver Dragon both very afraid and very eager.
She was afraid to approach the Ancestral Red Dragon, yet she yearned to approach that Red Dragon—an emotion Dragons rarely experienced in their lives.
For this, she even developed an indescribable, dark, jealous feeling towards the Dragonss who could shamelessly interact with the Ancestral Red Dragon.
But the Silver Dragon, who always prided herself on being noble, refused to admit that she possessed such dark psychology. At such times, only before the emblem of Platinum Dragon Godcould she find sufficient tranquility and peace, and discard the various thoughts that made her feel ashamed, which swirled in her mind.
Christiana walked around the statue of the Ancestral Red Dragon, wanting to go behind the Dragons, towards the emblem mark that was almost like an ornament to other creatures, but quite conspicuous to Dragons.
But her fleeting glance made her discover that, at some unknown point, a new Dragons statue had been added among the statues of the Dragons.
The appearance of this True Dragon statue was almost identical to the Dragons, but the gems used to carve this True Dragon's eyes were quite special.
When viewed from different angles, the True Dragon's eyes would display different colors, and under the sunlight shining through the dome, they were like colorful rainbow rays swirling around the True Dragon's eyes, beautiful and unique.
"Oh, could it be that in these past few days, a new True Dragon has joined the True Dragon?"
The Silver Dragon Christiana exclaimed in surprise, murmuring to herself, "But even if it joined the True Dragon, it shouldn't be ranked alongside the Dragons; even Deniro, the Mist Dragonhasn't reached that level yet."
The Silver Dragon Christiana rarely furrowed her beautiful brows; being among the Dragons had now become one of her small goals, and seeing an unfamiliar True Dragon get there before her made The Silver Dragon Christiana feel a certain indescribable emotion.
It wasn't until she stood before the emblem symbolizing Platinum Dragon God Bahamut, an emblem like a star in a galaxy nebula, that her unspoken emotions calmed down.
The Silver Dragon Christiana, like the robust Bronze Dragon Hollister when he first saw the temple, always found it difficult to guess the Ancestral Red Dragon's purpose in placing the emblems of various Dragon Gods in the temple.
This Silver Dragon now found it a game to guess the Ancestral Red Dragon's thoughts and see through some of his intentions; if successful, it would bring Christiana an indescribable sense of satisfaction, but on this point, she could never guess the Red Dragon's thoughts.
Although True Dragons, like other races, could have a general belief in multiple deities, it was acceptable for Dragon Gods whose positions were relatively ambiguous, but it was a dangerous act for Platinum Dragon God and the Immortal Dragon Queen.
Although the two True Dragon Gods had outwardly made peace, behind the scenes, they continued their thousands of years of private opposition and rivalry.
Not only did Bahamut have a knight order specifically for hunting Chromatic Dragond, but the Immortal Dragon Queen also established one specifically targeting Chromatic Dragons who abandoned their faith and turned to Platinum Dragon God.
When targeting each other, the two True Dragon Gods seemed to have transcended the limitations and constraints of divine duties, resorting to every possible means.
Even The Silver Dragon Christiana could understand this point; she simply didn't believe that the seemingly cunning and treacherous Red Dragon wouldn't consider this.
"The majesty of a king must bear its weight; perhaps, this is why he can be king," Christianamurmured softly, lowering her head, casting aside distractions, and silently began to pray.
"Great Platinum Dragon God, your bloodline descendant, Christiana, prays to you here, praying for your wisdom, which is greater than strength..."
Before The Silver Dragon Christiana finished speaking, in the next instant, the star emblem on the dome quietly lit up, and an invisible force broke through the barrier of the Ekania World and entered this emblem.
A powerful majesty erupted from the emblem, instantly vanishing without a trace, but in The Silver Dragon Christiana's consciousness, a huge projection appeared.
Godly majesty and True Dragon dignity, like a surging tide, emanated from the projection, making The Silver Dragon Christiana feel that her real body was rapidly shrinking to the size of dust.
"Great Ancestral Dragon God, revered Platinum True Dragon King," The Silver Dragon Christiana lowered her head and bowed to the supreme Dragon God.
This was the first time Platinum Dragon God Bahamut responded to this Silver Dragon, with a small part of his consciousness descending into the Ekania World.
This was also the preferred choice for many deities and powerful beings to descend into the material world; powerful True Gods, evil entities, demons, or devils, once they reached a certain level, all possessed the power to traverse worlds.
But to traverse worlds, one not only had to expend immense power to cross the world's barrier, but also had to consider the resistance of the planar consciousness born in certain material worlds, or the plane's instinctive rejection.
No matter what kind of being, once powerful enough, it would be refused by the material world to bear its existence, so to cross the world barrier, immense power had to be expended.
The more powerful the being, the greater the power expended, and the stronger the resistance encountered. This is also why most deities prefer to descend consciousness; not only is the consumption relatively small, but secrecy can also be guaranteed.
Only in extremely special circumstances would god-like beings make an exception and descend their divine power avatars, but generally speaking, such an act often results in more loss than gain.
Moreover, for the Gods of Faith, the existence of world barriers was also a dangerous restriction. The Gods of Faith sat high above the astral realm, able to absorb faith from countless planar worlds.
But when they descended into the mortal realm, the world barrier's spontaneous repulsion would reject the intrusion of the deity's divine power of faith; even if faith could be absorbed, the consumption would increase exponentially.
Some sufficiently powerful material planes even allowed deities to only absorb faith from their own world plane; this restriction made the Gods of Faith rarely set foot in mortal realms outside the astral realm.
Even if they descended into the mortal realm, they wouldn't stay for too long.
Because in these material worlds, some powerful demigods, false gods, and evil entities would regard these descended deities as potential prey; the God of Magic, for example, was overthrown by the ancient Magic Empire in this way.
However, True Gods who descended consciousness had far fewer concerns; even losing a part of their consciousness was not a major defect for them.
But facing Bahamut's descent, The Silver Dragon Christiana surprisingly felt that deep down, she didn't have the sense of pilgrimage she had expected; perhaps it was the other party's words that shattered the sacred veil covering the True Dragon God.
"Christiana, beautiful Silver Dragon, my most beloved lineage after the Gold Dragons," the image of Good True Dragon King Bahamut at this time was that of a middle-aged man; he reached out and stroked The Silver Dragon Christiana's head.
"I need you to do something for me, get close to that Ancestral Red Dragon, Kalon Kogmora, gain his trust; he will be an important aid to my great goal," Bahamut said.
The Silver Dragon Christiana's eyes flickered, but she didn't hesitate and immediately agreed.
It wasn't until night fell that The Silver Dragon Christiana walked out of the temple.
With countless stars and a bright moon hanging high, The Silver Dragon Christiana exhaled a breath of cold air and whispered, "What a truly boring world!"