The Magic Empire for 20,000 years

Chapter 153 Bone Dragon Meets Two-Legged Wyvern
More than half a year ago, when the half-dragon legion of the Emerald Mountains embarked on an expedition to Eldoron, most orcs believed that the human kingdom in the north was about to perish.

They had witnessed the incredible power of Emerald, the Green Dragon Lord, and his legion of half-dragons.

However, unexpectedly, a few half-dragon soldiers who escaped returned to the Emerald Mountains and brought news of their defeat:

"We lost. Everyone is dead. Human magic is terrifying!"

Even the ancient dragon Emerald, which the orcs had always regarded as invincible, disappeared without a trace after that night and never sent out any orders again.

Rumors say that the dragon was defeated and killed by humans long ago.

"Have the humans of Eldoron become this powerful?"

"Even the ancient dragon Emerald and his terrifying half-dragon army couldn't stand against them?"

"Was it really such a powerful enemy that the tribal warriors fought against back then?"

That night, shock and fear exploded among the orcs.

……

Time returns to the present.

"Chief... Chief."

"The undead legion controlled by human mages is marching towards the Emerald Mountains. Should we run away?"

An orc gazed at the undead army to the north and asked the Blood Wolf chieftain in fear:
“We have a blood feud with the humans of Eldoron in the north. If they conquer this land that was once controlled by the Green Dragon Lord, they will certainly not let us go!”

The Blood Wolf Chieftain bit his lip tightly with his upper fangs.

—Since the three major orc clans were all merged into the Blood Wolf Clan, he has become the leader of all orcs in the Emerald Mountains.

However, the great chief was absolutely certain:
His tens of thousands of orc warriors were as vulnerable as newborn babies in the face of Eldoron.

"Let's retreat."

Chieftain Blood Wolf sighed softly.

This great chieftain, with his temples streaked with gray, had long lost the vigor and spirit of his youth.

"We're leaving this emerald mountain range and moving to a more distant place..."

"We can't go further south into the plains. There are human settlements there, and if we harm those humans, it will surely provoke the wrath of Eldoron."

“We can go further east, to the easternmost edge of the continent, to the shores of the sea…”

The aging orc chieftain rallied his many people and fled the verdant dragon territory overnight.

The orc clans that once dominated the valley have migrated once again.

They traveled to the eastern coast, where they could see the vast dragon continent to the east of the sea.

……

at the same time.

The Eldoran Legion, composed of 30 high-level spellcasters, 600 mid-to-low-level spellcasters, and 3000 undead soldiers, entered the lush Emerald Mountains under Elion's leadership, as if they were in an empty field.

Emerald, the green dragon lord who once ruled this forest, has been dead for more than half a year, and the protective magic he left behind in his territory has dissipated.

The forest labyrinth and treant guards that once seemed capable of repelling all invaders have long since returned to ordinary trees. The birds that once served as the dragon's eyes and ears have also broken free from magical control and returned to normal.

Even the remaining half-dragon goblins and half-dragon kobolds scattered like birds and beasts after their master's death, and all fled when the human army arrived.

Along the way, Eldoran's legion only encountered some ordinary beasts, as well as weak supernatural creatures such as dire wolves, owl bears, giant spiders, and creeping monsters, which were easily killed by mages and half-dragon soldiers.

"Everything went smoothly."

"Soon, this Emerald Mountain Range, rich in forestry and minerals, will become the new frontier of Eldoron."

Elian walked ahead of the legion, speaking as he went.

Although such a mountain range covered with dense forests is not very habitable except for a few places at the foot of the mountain and in the valleys.

However, the Emerald Mountains themselves contain quite abundant biological and mineral resources.

Although its value cannot compare to the woodlands of the elven kingdom, which are filled with fairy magic.

But for Eldoron, who only occupies the barren areas around the river valley, this was like sending charcoal in snowy weather!
Elian looked around, observing the twisted and terrifying giant trees and the monstrous figures scurrying through the forest, and made a simple assessment of the value of this forest:
"A logging camp can be built at the foot of this mountain, specifically for logging dragonblood wood. This will facilitate Eldoron's future development of shipbuilding and wand manufacturing."

"Well, this valley could be fenced off and used as a hunting ground. It could be developed sustainably, with regular hunts of valuable prey. For example, owl-bear pelts could be used to craft low-level spell scrolls..."

"As expected of a territory favored by a dragon lord and steeped in dragon magic for decades, its overall value is quite high."

Just then, a mage scout descended from the sky and reported to Elian:

"Report, Your Majesty El-Erian." "More than 300 wyverns have been spotted in the valley ahead."

"It's probably the dragon legion kept by the Green Dragon Lord Emerald."

"These wyverns seemed very resistant to our arrival and attacked a dozen or so undead soldiers in the advance team."

"Should we go to war with this batch of wyverns?"

Elian waved his hand and laughed:

"No need."

"I have my own ways of taming them."

Elian chanted a spell softly, and black flames burst forth in front of him, revealing a gigantic white bone dragon as large as a small mountain.

—【Bone Dragon】!
The giant skeletal dragon spread its wings, revealing ferocious fangs and claws, with dark red flames burning in its sunken eye sockets.

Unlike the undead in most people's minds, this bone dragon's body seemed to be covered by an indestructible spiritual energy field. And every mage who saw the [Soulfire] in the eye sockets of this giant bone dragon felt a mental shock.

—Psionic power!
This bone dragon, made from the remains of the Brain Dragon, also contains a portion of its spiritual energy from its previous life!
In order to make this bone dragon's strength as close as possible to that of the original brain dragon in its lifetime, Elian put in a lot of effort:
Six months ago, after the underground war ended, he went directly to the Elven Royal Court and, with the name of the King of Man as his guarantor, exchanged seven legendary-grade [Dark Moon Black Agate] from several major Moon Elf and Dark Elf families.

This gemstone contains the magic of the dark moon and is the best material for rituals involving darkness, moonlight, shadows, and death.

Throughout the entire continent, only the Moon Elves and Dark Elves possess them. Even across the entire Elven Kingdom and the entire continent, there are fewer than 20 in reserve.

If it weren't for the fact that Elian led the team to successfully rescue the crown prince of the Sun Elves, making such a great contribution, the Elven Kingdom would not have given him such important strategic resources!
In exchange for such precious legendary materials, Elion used over 80% of the valuable materials he had collected from the corpses of tens of thousands of monsters after the great battle as the barter.

Even so, it only covers half the price. The other half is still owed on credit.

For the next six months, Elion led more than a dozen high-ranking mages skilled in necromancy to perform a ritual every night for 180 consecutive nights. They applied ointment to the skeleton of the main brain dragon, soaked it in negative energy, and ignited a ball of [Soulfire] in the bone dragon's eye socket with the remaining psionic power on the main brain's corpse.

If the ceremony is interrupted on any night, all previous efforts will be wasted and materials will be wasted.

After going through all this trouble, they finally created this bone dragon, which barely reached the level of a mid-level legendary, giving Eldoron a second top-tier combatant.

Roar!
The skeletal dragon spread its wings and let out a deafening roar that shook the trees, trembled the earth, and sent shivers through the entire forest.

Elion took a step forward, mounted the skeletal dragon on its back, and soared into the azure sky on this undead dragon.

All that could be seen were two-legged wyverns perched on the rocks in the valley below, waving their venomous tails and hissing.

More than 300 bipedal wyverns.

These sub-dragons, whose melee combat skills rivaled those of mid-level warriors, were stunned when they saw a massive white skeletal dragon charging menacingly from the sky.

Elian gently patted the bone dragon's massive head.

The skeletal dragon roared loudly, and the dark red flames in its eyes suddenly brightened. A terrifying pressure swept down from the sky, instantly enveloping the entire valley.

——【Dragon's Might】!
This dragon's might, infused with psionic power, was comparable to that of a true mid-level legendary dragon. It directly overwhelmed the souls of hundreds of wyverns, causing these sub-dragon species to tremble.

This is……

The aura of a true dragon?
It might even be... the master's aura?

The owner who had been missing for six months has returned?

The wyverns, lacking the intelligence of true dragons, sensed their master's presence and excitedly flapped their wings, letting out joyful cries.

More than 300 bipedal dragons soared into the sky, circling and circling the bone dragon riding Elian, like a hundred birds paying homage to a phoenix, as if to say:

"Welcome back, great master."

Although it was incomprehensible why the owner's appearance had changed so drastically, the aura that seemed to be rooted deep in his blood could not be faked.

Seeing the flock of wyverns submit to him, Elian smiled faintly.

"As expected, these mindless monsters are the easiest to fool."

The best approach would be to tame these monsters directly, rather than fighting them.

Elian, controlling the bone dragon, uttered solemn dragon language:
"Now, the master of the Emerald Mountains has returned."

“These humans are my loyal allies. From now on, you must obey their commands, be absolutely obedient to them, and become their mounts.”

"This is your glory."

The wyverns flapped their wings joyfully, cried out excitedly, and circled downwards, landing in front of the humans one by one, lowering their proud heads like obedient and cute puppies.

The human mages on the ground looked at the obedient and docile two-legged dragon in front of them and felt a little uncomfortable for a moment.

Back then, on the battlefields of Eldoron's southern frontier, those wyverns all looked ferocious and menacing, as if they wanted to tear them to shreds!

(End of this chapter)