Ember Dragon

Chapter 777 The Dragon on the Altar

Half-heartedly, Adrian was brought by the young man named Sivan into a building made of reinforced concrete, surrounded by a pungent smell of gunpowder.

Outside the building, there is a steel sculpture of guns and dragon claws, made from discarded guns, which gives people an inexplicable shock.

"Come, Lord Adrian, please come this way." Xiwen's face was rosy, and he pointed to the metal door, his tone full of pride.

"This is the headquarters of our Klaubo Military Industry Group. We are the largest arms supplier in the entire empire, and even in the entire Feanso. We have the most sophisticated weapons and equipment, as well as the most elite mercenaries. As long as you are willing to pay, we can even help you conquer a kingdom!"

Adrian and Rolf followed Sivan into the exhibition corridor of the building. Models of guns and artillery appeared on both sides, accompanied by magical images that demonstrated their power.

In the image next to a large-caliber firearm, facing the menacing abyss dragon beast, the imperial soldier held his breath, raised his gun, aimed, and pulled the trigger.

"boom!"

There was a loud gunshot, and the imperial soldier was knocked backwards by the strong recoil.

At the same time, a bullet carrying a flame burst out and instantly pierced through the chest of the dragon beast, causing its huge body like a hill to fall to the ground, raising a cloud of dust.

"What a powerful force. The lethality is no less than a fourth-ring spell!" Luo Erfu couldn't help but exclaimed.

No wonder there are rumors that the souls of mortals are imprisoned in these firearms. It is incredible that such power can be assembled from a piece of steel and wood.

Rolf thought to himself.

Adrian was also very surprised and murmured: "If we can have such equipment, we can fight against those worshippers..."

When Rolf saw Adrian subconsciously mention the name of the Dragon Cult, he quickly tugged at his clothes, signaling him to be careful. After all, they were still unclear about the emperor's attitude towards the Dragon Cult.

Xiwen, however, didn't care at all, as if he didn't see it, and said with a smile: "This is our latest semi-automatic rifle [Demon Slayer-III]. It is extremely powerful and can cause additional damage to creatures in the evil camp. It is the best choice for killing devils, demons, and cultists."

"Then please tell me this."

"You want to ask about the price, right? Oh, you're right. I have a new customer discount here. A rifle like this only costs two gold coins. If you buy more than 50 rifles at a time, you can get a mortar for free."

Xiwen was beaming with joy, and he talked incessantly as if he had opened a box of conversation.

Adrian looked embarrassed and sighed, "It's a pity that we are now homeless. All our belongings were taken away by those villains. We don't have enough funds."

Xiwen's expression froze for a moment, but he soon showed a stereotypical smile again: "It's okay, my friend, you can get a loan. The Imperial Bank has just launched an 'arms loan' to assist civilian professionals. The annual interest rate is only 15%, and the maximum loan amount can reach 100,000 gold coins!"

"They will send professionals to conduct a comprehensive value assessment of your strength, equipment, and status until you are able to repay."

Adrian felt a headache listening to this skillful rhetoric. Although he could not understand what the other party was saying, he could vaguely sense the trap.

Thinking of this, the paladin untied his armor, took out an exquisite magic dagger from the lining, and handed it over: "I don't understand these newfangled things. Can you help me see how much this [Blade of Inspiration] is worth?"

"Ah, you still have this kind of thing. Of course, no problem. Magic equipment is hard currency in the empire. We will definitely give you a reasonable price."

Xiwen's face suddenly lit up with joy, and he was about to reach out to take it, but he accidentally glanced at the imperial token hanging on the lining of his armor, and his expression suddenly changed.

"This is... an audience token? God, you actually have something like this!"

A flattering expression suddenly appeared on his face. He handed the magic dagger back, hunched over and bent down.

Rolf looked a little nervous. Even though the magic net here was almost blocked, he subconsciously clenched his staff.

Adrian asked calmly, "Sir Xiwen, what does this token mean?"

"This is this"

Xiwen, who was eloquent just now, now stuttered, his words were unclear, and his throat was trembling.

He swallowed a mouthful of saliva, and then said carefully: "Ai, Sir Adrian, this is an audience token!"

"This means you can meet the Supreme Majesty Cassius! Even talk to Him face to face!"

"This is His Majesty Cassius! Our supreme emperor, the giant dragon that symbolizes victory and glory - this is the supreme honor that ordinary people in the empire cannot get even if they try their best! Also, only those great figures above the rank of earl can be valued by His Majesty."

Adrian stared at Xiwen's flushed face, which showed undisguised excitement, admiration and shock, which were obviously not fake.

This filled his heart with surprise and confusion.

After all, in his past ideas, red dragons were a group of cruel and brutal beasts, lunatics with no moral concepts. In the Seleucid Kingdom, they often flew over the city in groups, spewing deadly flames, bringing wailing and crying.

Then, this group of terrifying red dragons will land in the city, pull young boys and girls out of the houses as if they were picking out a piece of tender barbecue, and throw them directly into their mouths, chewing the flesh and bones until they make a crunching sound.

When they flapped their wings and left, the once prosperous city had turned into a burning ruin, filled with thick smoke and desperate shouts and cries.

And the older the red dragons are, the more intense they tend to be, and they will do crazier and more inhumane things.

Adrian had long been accustomed to the atrocities of the red dragon and even felt numb. As a result, his subordinates were unwilling to go to the Burning Empire and would rather die than become food for the dragon.

In Adrian's mind, the emperor was nothing more than a red dragon, a terrible evil beast - no matter how many complicated titles were placed before his name, it could not change that.

But now, Adrian saw extremely sincere admiration and respect in the young man's eyes. He even suspected for a moment that it was the result of mind control.

But when they walked out of the building, a group of people wearing red robes came towards them. They looked fanatical and sang passionate songs loudly.

"Your Majesty is like the sun in the sky, and we are like the seeds on the ground, shining endlessly on the earth, growing vigorously and finally becoming seedlings—"

"Amaunator, above."

Adrian and Rolf were both stunned, their faces full of disbelief.

Xiwen explained as if it was normal: "These are the followers of the Burning Ash Sect. They worship His Majesty Cassius as a walking god on earth. They hold parades every few days to spread His Majesty's reputation."

Adrian looked at the dragon riders in armor patrolling along the predetermined route in the sky, and couldn't help asking, "God, how did you tame these beasts so that they can carry humans in the sky like the most docile horses?"

“Beast?”

Xiwen shook his head and said seriously, "No, no, no, they are all official citizens of the Burning Empire, with their own organization and allowances, and many of them are veterans with outstanding military achievements."

"See that building over there? That's the Red Scale Garrison. All the two-legged flying dragons have to take off and land at the Dragon Park." The flying dragons on the platform flapped their wings, rising and falling, but all seemed to be in an orderly manner, with almost no collision or friction. Their operation was like a perfectly timed clock.

And at the outpost next to the platform, an ogre was lying lazily on his side, holding a loud speaker and loudly directing the take-off and landing of the flying dragon.

"This"

Looking at these bizarre scenes, Adrian was overwhelmed and didn't even have time to marvel.

Xiwen beside him waved his hand and said softly, "Let's go quickly, Lord Adrian. His Majesty Cassius' time is priceless, so you must cherish it."

Soon they arrived at their destination, the Great Altar of Istalia.

"We're here. This is the Great Altar of Istalia, the sacred place where Emperor Burning Ashes ascended the throne." Xiwen said.

I saw this stone mountain, or stone pillar, rising from the ground, breaking through the clouds and reaching straight into the sky. Even if I raised my head as high as possible, I could not see its end.

Surrounding it were several huge wyverns and hundreds of fully armed, solemn-looking tiefling soldiers.

"Amaunator, above."

Seeing this magnificent sight, Adrian and Rolf couldn't help but utter a sincere exclamation and pray subconsciously.

But their prayers to the sun god soon attracted the attention of the guards. The flying dragon roared, and the tiefling guards looked over with sharp eyes, raised the spear in their hands, and pointed it at the three people.

"Who are you? Why are you approaching the Holy Land?"

Adrian and Rolf both became a little nervous, but Xiwen raised his hand with a smile on his face: "Sir, they have an audience with the emperor.
The token is the person that His Majesty wants to see in person."

"Token."

The tiefling guard held out his hand.

Adrian calmly took out the token with vertical pupils and the fire emblem from his arms and handed it over.

The tiefling guard checked for a moment, then made way for them and said in a cold voice, "You can go up now."

Xiwen's face was full of excitement, his legs were shaking, and he was about to follow, but the group of guards stopped him with their spears: "Sorry, you are not invited."

Xiwen raised his head with a sad face, waved at the two people from a distance, and shouted excitedly: "Sir Adrian, say hello to His Majesty for me! For me - don't chase me away, I have the right to stay here!"

Looking at Xiwen, who was crying and laughing with a crazy look on his face, Adrian felt not only nervous and frightened, but also a bit of anticipation.

Why on earth was that emperor so worshipped that he was regarded as a god? He had lived for several decades, and he had only seen such a trait in the old French Emperor Aragon I.

Even though he was a red dragon, Adrian couldn't help but want to see his true appearance.

"I wonder what attitude the emperor will have." He muttered to himself and waved to the wizard behind him.

"Rolf, let's go."

“Sir, please remain vigilant and do not let your guard down and fall into the trap carefully designed by others.” Rolf whispered.

Adrian chuckled: "I am just a poor noble who lost his territory. What intentions does the emperor have for me?"

"Besides, we are on someone else's territory. No matter what, the worst that can happen is death." After saying this, Adrian's originally heavy footsteps became lighter.

Following the stairs to a height of 100 meters, Adrian overlooked the panoramic view of Istalia. Looking at this endless, majestic city built of steel, and the crowds flowing like a tide, he couldn't help but sigh with heartfelt emotion.

"What an amazing city, what a bizarre and strange country, completely different from what has been rumored. No, this place is completely different from any city in Fianso."

Rolf reminded: "Maybe it just has a bright and beautiful appearance, and countless bones and blood are buried in the dark underground that we can't see."

"Why speculate?"

Mandrian continued to climb, his steps becoming more determined. "Once we meet the emperor, we will know everything, but I have a feeling that the fate of the Seleucids will change from now on."

For some reason, while climbing the stairs, Adrian felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity with the Red Dragon Emperor, whom he had never met.

Soon, the two of them were about to reach the top of the altar at great speed.

A strong pressure spread over him unconsciously. Adrian subconsciously slowed down his pace, his breathing became rapid, and drops of sweat oozed from his forehead.

Rolf held his staff tightly, hunched over, his legs trembling, and he didn't even dare to breathe.

Finally, Adrian mustered up his courage, held his breath, and resolutely raised his head despite the pressure.

Facing the sunlight, he finally saw the true face of the legendary Burning Emperor - on the top of the altar in the distance, there was a dragon that was so huge that it was unprecedented.

Adrian was sure that this dragon was bigger than any dragon he had ever seen, as big as a mountain.

Even the Crimson Embers Kazul would look extremely small and ridiculous like a baby dragon in front of the emperor.

What catches the eye is not only the ordinary red, but also the extremely brilliant gold.

In the sunlight, the scarlet scales of the giant dragon sparkled with golden light and were covered with a vague halo, as if it was wearing armor made of light.

The red dragon's horns were huge, like a heavy crown, and its light golden vertical pupils were like lava balls with flames constantly surging in them, just looking down at him condescendingly.

What shocked Adrian the most was the story behind the Burning Emperor——

There was actually a red sun slowly rotating, emitting endless light and heat, releasing a thousand-foot radiance! The radiance was filled with the sun's divine power that made him extremely familiar and comfortable.

At this moment, Adrian finally understood where that inexplicable sense of intimacy came from.

This is clearly a solar magic that even holy priests cannot perform!

An absurd thought emerged in his mind: Could it be that this Red Dragon Emperor was also a follower of Amaunator, the Lord of Eternal Glory, God of Law and the Sun, just like him?

(End of this chapter)