The Storm Giant's blood poured onto the crown, which was cast from electrum, woven with mithril, patterned with gold, and inlaid with jewels. Originally, the crown was a dull grey, like a treasure obscuring its own brilliance, a divine artifact covered in dust, appearing exceptionally simple.
But now, along the mithril and gold patterns, faint traces of flowing runes appeared, like activated mithril, flowing around the grey crown, glittering momentarily before fading, then returning to its dull appearance.
Storm Titans are the natural rulers of the Storm Giants and one of the powerful lineages of the Ancient Titans. These Titans are born with the ability to wield the power of storms and lightning, a right bestowed upon them by their ancient bloodline.
Moreover, Storm Titans not only rely on their mighty power to control natural disasters but also master the power of runic magic, making them outstanding bloodline descendants under Annan, the God king of Giants.
This Storm Titan's crown is a relic of inheritance forged by the Titans who ruled the Storm Giants in ancient times. It is a symbol of kingship that rules the Storm Giants, and also the legacy and authority left by the Storm Titan.
This is also an extremely powerful magical treasure.
Not only was the Ancestral Red Dragon's gaze drawn at this moment, but even the evil and good True Dragons of various scale colors around them widened their vertical pupils, and dazzling light burst forth from their eyes.
The poison of greed, deeply rooted in the True Dragon's bloodline, was easily stirred by this powerful treasure, breaking through the control of the True Dragon's will and growing wildly, making the Chromatic Dragon's arrogance soar and the Metal Dragon's avarice intensify.
But awed by the Ancestral Red Dragon's majesty and power, and the long-term results of its control, these True Dragon s of various scale colors merely took a small step, then stopped, exhaling large streams of air from their nostrils, alleviating the restlessness of their dragon blood's greed.
Even the Storm Giants were shaken by Garcia's actions. Even these young Giants did not know that such an incredibly precious treasure existed in their tribe, and they all stared, extremely excited, with ever-changing expressions on their faces, unable to conceal their feelings.
Kalon exhaled deeply, the greed in his eyes flashing and dying. The poison of greed in the True Dragon's bloodline could not affect him, but the desire that every living being possesses, the desire to possess the best things in the world, also existed within him.
Even the strong-willed Ancestral Red Dragon had to admit that in front of this treasure, he could not remain as calm as before.
For him, setting aside all its functions and value, this crown was still the most powerful supplement and nourishment for his bloodline talent.
The gem inlaid in the ancient and self-concealed crown was like a heart growing entwined with a jade vein—that was the Titan's Heart, formed by the condensation of the Storm Titan's bloodline.
As long as it was consumed, the results and gains would far exceed the essence of the Blue Dragon Demon's heart.
Furthermore, the Golden Empire, established by the True Dragons, although already powerful enough, far surpassing some human aristocrats and weak kingdoms, shared the same weakness as the True Dragons.
The Golden Empire was too young to compare with the foundations of those ancient kingdoms and human empires. Even the inherited knowledge from the Ancient Magic Empire and the knowledge exchanged through transactions with other gods required a large amount of time to transform into tangible, real trump cards, rather than just knowledge stored in libraries, scrolls, and minds.
Throughout the entire Golden Empire, there were only two Legendary weapons, but neither was suitable for True Dragon use. One was the Bagg Pestle Hammer, a spoil of war obtained during the Orc War, currently wielded by Gabriel, a dragon blood descendant of the Ancestral Red Dragon.
The other was an ivory bracelet confiscated from Hydra, which was currently worn on Pixie Raven's wrist, becoming the secret treasure of this spellcaster who possessed both fairy and elf forms.
In terms of practical value, the Storm Titan's crown far surpassed these two Legendary weapons.
Kalon slowly exhaled a breath. Between his claws, magical light shone like an encompassing radiance. The healing spell model formed as the Ancestral Red Dragon willed it, releasing energy that healed the Giant's wound, directly closing the wound where his heart was exposed, leaving only a long red scar.
After healing Garcia, Kalon slowly extended his claw and hooked the crown, which the Giant had offered, between his fingers.
"Such a precious treasure, Garcia, you could completely master it yourself under the Empire's wing and obtain the power left by your ancestors."
The Ancestral Red Dragon toyed with the crown in his hand, narrowing his eyes slightly as he asked, "If you obtained the power left by your ancestors, the Storm Giants would naturally be able to grow strong again. Why would you make such a choice?"
Garcia raised his head, fully exposing his gaze to the Ancestral Red Dragon, and a deep voice resonated: "If the Storm Giants sought the protection of others, we would naturally not make such a choice."
"But the Golden Empire is ruled by the Kogmora Dragon Clan, and what we seek is the favor of an existence like Kogmora. Because even if the Storm Giants are in a remote corner, I know something of the Dragon Emperor's actions."
"Outsiders may revere the Golden Empire's current united and rising appearance, but what we revere is the glorious surname of Kogmora."
Garcia's expression indicated that his words were entirely from his heart. He calmly said, "Moreover, our inferior aptitude prevents us from passing the crown's will test. Even my grandfather could not defeat the former Storm Titan in the will test and gain the crown's approval."
"The Storm Titan's intention when leaving his legacy was to hope that his bloodline descendants would possess a will as strong as his own, only then would they be worthy of controlling this mighty power of natural disasters."
"But if the bloodline descendants fail the test, the Storm Titan will allow other races to wield this power, even the blood enemies of the Storm Giants, even if the enemy uses this Titan's crown to enslave and slaughter all the Storm Giants in the world!"
Garcia's face showed an expression of shame. He whispered, "My grandfather often said that the Storm Titan did not want his bloodline descendants to embrace a false strength based on their ancestors' legacy. Only true personal strength is worthy of the Titan's gift, even for an enemy! Those who are weak and do not strive to rise are only fit to hide in dark ditches, surviving and perishing!"
"But I think, among the beings I have seen, only you have the possibility of passing the Titan's test!"
Kalon couldn't help but sigh in admiration for the magnificent temperament of the Storm Titan.
"Truly worthy of being aTitan who once contended with True Dragons for dominance in the universe and ruled the world."
"Among these races that were once powerful and ruled the world for countless generations, there would be such strong individuals. I wonder what astonishing deeds the Ancient Ancestral True Dragons, who once dominated the universe and occupied heaven and earth, would have passed down."
Unfortunately, gods are not omnipotent and omniscient, and the True Dragon's inheritance is even more so. The inheritance remaining in the Ancestral Red Dragon's bloodline is more about the deeds of the Ancient True Dragons ruling heaven and earth (doing evil and rampant among all living beings) than anything else.
Kalon held the Titan's crown in his claws, his dark golden pupils fixed on the Storm Giant's eyes, and casually asked his last question: "The Storm Titan's crown, to others, may be an incredibly powerful treasure, but in my hands, it might be completely destroyed, disappearing from this world forever, with no symbol of kingship remaining..."
"This already belongs to you, it is yours. How you dispose of it is not for others to question!" the Storm Giant said in a deep voice.
"Hahaha, good, good,"
The Ancestral Red Dragon suddenly laughed, his voice reverberating, and a wild, heroic spirit burst forth in the Ancestral Red Dragon's heart.
"Lower your head, Garcia," Kalon stopped his laughter and said softly.
Garcia lowered his head, and the Storm Crown, which the Ancestral Red Dragon held in his claws, was placed upon Garcia's head.
Garcia was so shocked by the Ancestral Red Dragon's action that he quickly raised his head, a bewildered expression in his eyes, and his thick arms, like ancient forest trees, had nowhere to rest, sometimes raising, sometimes lowering, but his stammering words were stuck in his mouth, unable to speak.
The other Storm Giants even thought that some sudden change had occurred, and a bewildered expression appeared on their faces.
Until the Ancestral Red Dragon's undulating voice sounded again.
"Garcia, from now on, the Storm Giant race will be the Dependents of Kogmora, and you will be the king of the Storm Giants."
The Ancestral Red Dragon smiled, revealing his fangs. His golden-glowing, dark-gold pupils swept over all the Storm Giants, making them fall like a whirlwind sweeping through wheat fields, and waves of wheat across the land, causing dull thudding sounds as they hit the floor.
"I allow you to keep this supreme crown for me, because I still have important things to do and cannot fulfill your trust for now."
The Ancestral Red Dragon laughed loudly: "Look, how vast and empty is my Golden Empire's royal court. Although the maids are loyal, they often lament their inability to maintain this royal court."
Kalon lowered his head, his six long, thick True Dragon horns pointing skyward, and looked down at the kneeling Storm Giant, laughing: "You, after I leave, guard this vast royal court for me, and keep this Titan's crown for me!"
"We will obey our Lord's command and ensure nothing is lost!" Garcia pounded his mighty Giant chest, like the resounding beat of a mortal's drum, excited and unable to contain himself!
The Ancestral Red Dragon did not look at the precious crown again, and led the still reluctant True Dragons out of the royal court.
Imperial Guard Gabriel stood to the side of the palace gate, facing the Ancestral Red Dragon and the True Dragons, and bowed his head slightly without speaking.
Kalon let the rest of the True Dragons go first, stopping beside this dragon blood Angel, and his thick True Dragon claw slapped Gabriel's broad shoulders, pushing the Imperial Guard, whose face was hidden under the Dragon -faced golden helmet, back a step.
"After I leave, watch over the Empire."
Kalon looked at the Imperial Guard, who were like pillars, and said faintly.
The Ancestral Red Dragon did not promise this dragon blood descendant any power to rule the Empire, because they were not born for it. But they also did not need the Ancestral Red Dragonto grant more power.
The Dragon Emperor's Imperial Guard represented the Emperor's will, and when the Imperial Guard exerted their full strength, they had the right and the confidence to guard the Empire.
The Dragon -faced golden armor suddenly opened, revealing Gabriel's perfect face, which possessed the advantages of the Ancestral Red Dragon. He solemnly whispered, "As long as the Imperial Guard is here, the Empire's True Dragon banner will not fall, Father!"
The Ancestral Red Dragon nodded, then suddenly coiled its thick, long True Dragon tail, and with a speed that lightning could not reach, it coiled up this serious young man and flung him high into the sky.
By the time the Imperial Guard, who was prepared but still unable to stop the Red Dragon's actions, stood firm on the ground in exasperation, he only saw the Ancestral Red Dragon's distant back disappearing into the deep corridor, and the Ancestral Red Dragon's playful words.
"Little fellow, you are still young, you should be wild and lively, don't pretend to be mature all day long!"
Gabriel turned his head fiercely, treating the Ancestral Red Dragon's words as idle chatter. Click, the Dragon -face re-covered.
The powerful dragon blood Angel returned to his majestic and unfathomable appearance.
By the time Kalon strolled into the garden, the True Dragons were already in place, and the spellcaster legion was also ready in the True Dragon's garden.
Around the grassland where the World Tree Ovo originally grew, these mages had carved intricate magic patterns with a mixture of mithril and gold, mixed with magical element powder.
Even some intermediate-level mages would feel dizzy just by looking at these dense magic patterns, because the breadth of an intermediate-level mage's mental power could not bear the knowledge and information expressed by these complex magic patterns.
But these massive magic patterns formed a huge magic network around the World Tree Ovo. This was an incredibly vast magic array, and even the canopy of the World Tree could not completely cover all the Context of this magic array.
In the array nodes, adorned with thousands of magic crystals and magic gems, stood spellcasters wearing robes of different colors.
Many of these spellcasters held staves forged from the Tree of Life, and the staves were inlaid with large, refined gems.
Even the mages' robes they wore were woven from gold thread and magical silkworm silk or spider silk, which had no obstruction or even amplification effect on magic power, so it could be said that they were armed to the teeth.
It wasn't that all the mages of the Empire were so wealthy, but because most of the mages standing here were from academies established by the True Dragons before the Empire was founded, and from the spellcaster legion that was completely loyal to the Empire, cultivated through various means.
While other low-level mages were still carefully conceiving spell models countless times due to their meager mental power before daring to truly use mental power to construct spell models, and were still struggling with meditation to increase a little mental power and magic power every day.
The mages cultivated by the Empire were already able to increase their magic power by using bottles of magic potions under the Empire's resource allocation.
They used powder ground from gold and silver to draw magic arrays, maintaining the stability and smoothness of meditation, and used meditation rooms inlaid with magic crystals to expand the breadth of their mental power.
In the distribution of resources obtained from developing those small elemental planes, these mages also received a large amount of support, allowing the number of spellcasters in the Empire to grow rapidly.
With a large amount of resources tilted, many low-level mages and intermediate-level mages were sufficiently cultivated, and mages with excellent talent did not have to worry about growth resources.
Although Kalon did not deliberately record how many years the Empire spent cultivating these mages, it should have been close to ten years, which was enough for a generation of short-lived species to grow up.
Therefore, the hundreds of low-level mages, over a hundred intermediate-level mages, and dozens of High-level Mage here, their backbone, were the Empire's core legion.
Like powerful warriors, they were the cornerstone supporting the True Dragon in the Empire, contributing to the Empire's economic development, the growth of magical civilization, and the victory of wars, and they had completely consistent interests and goals with the Empire.
Other spellcasters were also talents who had been thoroughly vetted by the Empire and completely bound to it.
This was almost draining the Empire's temporary strength. Once these people were lost, the Empire's development and growth might slow down significantly.
These spellcasters also knew the importance of this trip and silently awaited the Emperor's instructions.
Kalon scanned these quite young mages and nodded slightly.
Sacro, the most outstanding High-level Mage of the Empire's young generation, who held a dominant position in the mage corps, bowed slightly, then turned and said to the spellcaster legion, "I have already explained the purpose and importance of this trip."
"Before His Majesty, I can also give you a choice. If you choose to withdraw, there is still a chance now!"
The spellcasters remained silent, their actions demonstrating their attitude.
They rose because of the Empire, their home was here, their country was here. The beliefs instilled in them from a young age made the will of these mages identify with this civilization and Empire where family and country were one.
"Very good," Sacro showed a satisfied expression. He smiled and said, "The Empire's rule began with the Era of the True Dragons, but the Empire's continuation is in our hands."
"We and the Empire rise and fall together with the country, sharing its joys and sorrows, and its destiny."
"If we fail today, we will also leave experience and lessons for future generations, so that future generations can develop and grow along our path. Our names will also be engraved on the Empire's Pillar of Merit, and will be forever revered."
The eyes of the spellcasters lit up one by one. They clenched their fists, influenced by Sacro, the mage who was good at stirring up atmosphere, and their emotions resonated.
"So, come on, let the Empire's path go further in our pioneering!"
Sacro laughed loudly, raising the staff in his hand.
One by one, the mages raised their staves. In this atmosphere, they were of one heart and mind, with no distinction. A field enveloped the spellcaster legion, a powerful blessing similar to a legion's will.
But it was unique to mages: telepathic casting, the power of synergy!
One by one, the magic crystals lit up at this moment, one by one, the nodes were rapidly lit, and one by one, the array lines flowed with streams of magic light. The huge array, under the combined casting of hundreds of spellcasters, slowly lit up and began to operate.
And on the outermost perimeter, the divine spellcasters wearing the mark of the Dragon God emblem began to pray for the power of the Dragon Goddess of magic to descend.
These users of the Dragon Goddess of magic's power were not followers of this Dragon God; they believed in and respected the existing True Dragons, but they could use some of the Dragon Goddess of magic's power, because this was a transaction between the Dragon Emperor and the Dragon God.
In the quiet time of night, the Dragon Goddess of magic's domain power of tranquility was enough to produce even more powerful effects. An invisible domain instantly covered the garden, preventing outsiders from detecting it and external gods from observing it.
And standing in the center of this vast magic array, Fafna the Ogre Giant, bowed her head beside the World Tree Ovo, and under the convergence and guidance of the mental power of countless spellcasters in the magic array, she activated her bloodline talent.
"Howl!"
A chilling howl spread throughout this tranquil domain, and an incomparably vast phantom stretched out from behind Fafna the Ogre Giant.
She had three heads, all with long hair coiling like sea snakes, resembling the face of a Giant ogre, but even more vast and ancient.
This was the Giant ogre's bloodline power, the talent left by the ancient demigod, the Three-Headed Sea Demon.
Immense mental power was guided, gathered, and absorbed by Fafna's talent, the Sea Demon, causing the central head of the Three-Headed Sea Demon to gradually materialize from a phantom.
A massive mental pressure swept across this tranquil domain.
The moment the Three-Headed Sea Demon's head formed, Fafna, who had been bowing her head, suddenly raised her face, her eyes bleeding.
Rumble,
The earth rolled, and a thick, gnarled tree root shot out from the ground like a living thing. It was one of the World Tree Ovo's main roots.
At this moment, with the Giant ogre's support, this massive main root surged, piercing through space like lightning, and then pierced through the Ekania World's barrier towards the distant void, extending into the immeasurable distance.