Necromancer, summoning 055? What the heck?

Chapter 518 A Thousand Pieces of Gold: The Hope of the Vast Silver Dragon Clan
From the foot of the mountain to the mountainside, the delegation entered the residential and activity areas of Yalong.

The space here gradually opens up, and the mountain terrain is transformed into a relatively gentle slope, forming layer upon layer of natural, enormous steps.

Each step was covered with a thick layer of ice and snow, beneath which the dark gray rock walls, green moss, and shocking claw marks were faintly visible.

It seems these big winged creatures also enjoy sharpening their claws.

The survival status of the wyverns is much better than that of the pseudo-dragons below. They basically maintain one nest per family, with sufficient distance between each other, and even if they make a sound, it won't disturb the neighbors too much.

At the entrance to the nest lay a pile of huge, gnawed skeletons, while pelts stripped from some unfortunate large creatures were neatly laid out at the bottom of the nest as bedding.

Although it is still somewhat rough and sloppy, the sanitary condition of the Yalong residential area is much better than that of the area below.

Many round, pseudo-dragons roamed back and forth here, diligently cleaning up all sorts of garbage, mainly the skeletons and scraps of food they had eaten, as well as various secretions and excrement.

Every now and then, a pseudo-dragon might accidentally block the way or not be properly cleared, and be blown away by a wyvern's wing, turning into a rolling lump of flesh.

Fortunately, it was a pseudo-dragon that still had some dragon genes and was relatively resilient. After whimpering a few times in the snow, it swayed and climbed back up to continue working.

It's clear that Yalong has a somewhat volatile temper.

Just as the delegation passed by, a sub-dragon with slightly reddish scales suddenly spread its wings, its two front claws flailing wildly in the air, and let out a sharp screech.

The sound was so shrill, like a piece of metal being scraped slowly and forcefully across glass, that many members of the delegation couldn't help but frown and cover their ears.

"Shut up."

Without turning his head, Zi Lin uttered two words, and the dragon immediately felt as if an invisible hand had grabbed its throat. It immediately folded its wings and curled into a ball, no longer daring to make a sound.

It's just like a department head who has just scolded his employees and then gets glared at by the director.

After a day's journey, True Dragon Purple Scale led the delegation to a cave on the upper level of the dragon gathering area, just a step away from the dragon's activity area above.

“You shall rest here and await the summons of the Arbitrators.”

After saying this, Zi Lin did not leave immediately. Its huge body blocked the cave entrance, its vertical pupils emitting an eerie light in the dark cave, staring unblinkingly at Xia Chenghui.

After a moment of silence, it suddenly spoke again.

"By the way, you just said that these tempering materials have already been given to the dragon race as a gift, is that right?"

Its voice carried a deliberately suppressed, unnatural calm, trying to appear indifferent, but everyone could hear the urgency surging from its chest, almost overflowing.

It's not that dragons lack shrewdness; it's just that concern makes them lose their composure!
Xia Chenghui nodded without hesitation: "Yes, this is a token of the Lord of the Vast Ocean's goodwill to the Dragon Clan. Regardless of whether the Dragon Clan responds amicably, these gifts have already been sent, and you may dispose of them as you see fit."

It was vaguely clear that Zi Lin was quite excited. This big guy lowered his head for the first time ever, awkwardly bowing with his chin almost touching the ground.

Then, he stomped his big feet heavily on the ground, leaped up, and jumped repeatedly towards the top floor.

Under the enormous dragon claw, the rocks in this area seemed to let out a groan of unbearable pressure.

Watching the dragon's departing figure, Dimo ​​approached Xia Chenghui and asked in a low voice, somewhat puzzled, "Commander Xia, these tempering materials are so valuable, are you just giving them away to the dragons for free?"

Jelly also moved closer without making a sound.

Both of them were intelligent. The value of the item was clear from the reaction of the dwarfs who were in charge of inspecting the materials. According to the dwarfs, this thing was worth at least several hundred dragons.

There might not even be several hundred wyverns in the entire dragon's nest...

As a result, Xia Chenghui simply gave it away, which they found very difficult to understand.

Putting myself in their shoes, if I were the leader, I would at least have to negotiate with the dragons. Even if I couldn't get anything substantial in return, I would still have to get a promise or guarantee.

If we just give it away for nothing, what if the dragons turn their backs on us? Wouldn't that be a complete loss?
However, both Dimo ​​and Jelly understood one principle: the winning team always has a reason for everything they do.

The fact that this captain, as a third-term graduate of the Han Naval Academy, could serve as the lord's special representative to visit the Dragon Clan means he is definitely not a fool.

They desperately wanted to know an answer.

Xia Chenghui didn't hide anything.

These two are Liu Shuang's cousin, who made great contributions in the Dragonback River and now has a very obvious tendency to break away from the elves and integrate into the vast sea.
The other one first became an important external support for Han Hai through the "Tiger Brand" transaction, and then contributed dragon scales and family secrets, providing crucial assistance for visiting the Dragon Clan.

Their age, intelligence, and ability are all top-notch, fully demonstrating their promising future. According to Xia Chenghui's estimation, these two are at least figures like Commander Galen and Colonel Loma.

He simply invited the two of them to sit down and explained it to them in detail.

"The lord once taught us a lesson: at all times, we must keep in mind our core mission and grasp our main objectives."

What is our main purpose in coming to the Dragon's Nest?

After a moment's hesitation, Jelly stammered out a reply: "To establish... to establish a cooperative relationship with the Dragon Clan, and to try to obtain some of the Dragon Clan's historical information and data."

"Correct!"

Xia Chenghui nodded approvingly at the jelly: "Therefore, all our actions must first and foremost be aimed at this goal!"

"And as you have seen, along the way, the dragons have been very secretive about many things."

He paused, organized his thoughts, and then continued:
“We have no basis for communication with the dragons. The dragon scales provided by General Dimo ​​only secured us a chance to enter the Ice Crystal Sanctuary. If we cannot gain the dragons’ trust in this short window of time, based on the dwarves’ past experience, the dragons will quickly drive us away.”

"If the core mission cannot be completed, even if we save all the materials and even bring back a large batch of dragon materials, it will still be a failure."

"So, whatever we can do to better accomplish our core mission, that's what we must do."

Dimo and Jelly are both quick learners, and they immediately had a moment of enlightenment.

That's right. If we can't get the information Chen Mo needs, then all the materials we saved and all the money we made on this trip will be meaningless.

Xia Chenghui paused for a moment, observing their reactions, before continuing, "Everything revolves around the core mission; we're goal-oriented. If threats work, then we threaten; if extortion is feasible, then we extort; if a deal works, then we deal!"

"In my personal opinion, obtaining an opportunity to communicate with a higher-level dragon administrator is more conducive to completing the core mission. Therefore, sending these things out directly is the optimal solution in my opinion."

"in addition!"

Xia Chenghui raised his head and looked at the snow-capped peaks.

"If the dragons dare to take our things without giving us an equal return, I believe we won't be the ones who regret it!"

The two young officers chuckled to themselves.

That's right, strength is the foundation of confidence, and it doesn't matter if you suffer a little loss first.

The two stood up one after the other and bowed to Xia Chenghui, saying, "We are honored to have your guidance!"

In fact, Xia Chenghui's move did indeed bring great shock to the Dragon Clan's Tribunal Elders.

After Zi Lin, the dragon clan elders, brought the materials into the hall from the Dragon Nest outpost, their first reaction was to suspect that there was something fishy about the materials.

Was it a case of inferior ingredients being passed off as superior ones? Or was it missing a key ingredient? Or perhaps, it was simply poisoned?
The leader of the silver dragon clan was the most anxious, and he practically pounced on the dragon as if trying to snatch it.

He couldn't help but be anxious.

Within the entire dragon's nest, there are still fifty-seven true dragons, of which only four remain of the silver dragon clan: three males and one female.

The male chieftain Sig Silvershine, the chieftain's male descendant Thrandu Silvershine, Thrandu's female descendant Leonie Silverfeather, and another male silver dragon Domini Silvershield.

Silver Shield is over a hundred years older than Leonie Silverfeather, so they are still roughly the same age. He is a relatively young male that the Silver Dragon Clan risked their lives to rescue from the battlefield, just to preserve the last hope of the Silver Dragon Clan.

The remaining members of the Silver Dragon family consist of a grandfather, a father, a granddaughter, and a prospective son-in-law.

If the dragons do not intend to reproduce through incest, then having Domini Silver Shield and Leonie Silverfeather unite is the only option for the silver dragons.

In fact, dragons don't care much about incest, but direct blood relatives, especially parents and children, are certain to not be able to produce normal offspring.

They've tried many times.

Even on Earth, many ethnic groups have creation myths where only one male and one female close relative survived, eventually giving rise to the entire race.

For example, Nuwa and Fuxi of the Xia people; Izanagi and Izanami of the sea serpents; Zeus and Hera of the West; Nanawatsin and Oxiko of Eagle Continent...

However, in all the aforementioned mainstream creation myths of great civilizations, the male-female relationships of inbreeding are either brother and sister, or sister and brother, or if all else fails, a virgin can give birth alone; there is no father-daughter or mother-son relationship.

Or, from another perspective, the legendary lineages that reproduced by fathers and daughters or mothers and sons have either disappeared into the annals of history or are now few in number and virtually unknown.

It's clear that some taboos surrounding life are difficult to break. Returning to the current situation of the Silver Dragon clan, their granddaughter, Leonie Silverfeather, as the only female member, carries the hopes of the entire clan. To await her maturity, Domini Silvershield even deliberately buried himself in ice, entering a state of hibernation, all to preserve his physical functions as much as possible.

However, due to the lack of two key tempering materials, Leonie Silverfeather was never able to reach adulthood and was trapped in her infancy.

Among the magical refining materials of all races, those of the Silver Dragon race are the most difficult to collect. Even if the Silver Dragon race is willing to pay a high price, the gnomes still cannot gather all the materials they need.

One of the materials can only be found in small quantities in the forbidden areas of the Sky Empire. The other, known as "Thousand Machine Arrangement," has simply transformed into a double-petaled plant that only flowers but does not bear fruit, and no longer has the Thousand Machine Fruit that the Silver Dragon needs.

This is also the main reason why the Silver Dragon clan has been in a state of "functional extinction" with no chance of survival.

But for Chen Mo, none of that mattered.

Grand Druid plus agricultural expert, life-giving spring plus gene editing!
The freshly baked "Qianji Pai" fruit is perfect, fresh, and full of vitality.

The Silver Dragon Clan Chief was almost out of his mind at this moment. His biggest concern was whether the Vast Ocean had really sent the "Thousand Machines Arsenal".
Sig Silverlight roared impatiently. The other dragon leaders instinctively took a few steps back, making way for the old silver dragon who was about to go berserk.

"Give it to me, let me see it quickly!"

"I need to get a test!"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Dragons possess powerful physical attributes, including strong comprehensive sensory abilities such as vision, smell, and touch.

The nearly 800-year-old leader still possesses excellent verification skills.

Just a dozen seconds later, the Silver Dragon Clan Chief confirmed the authenticity of the materials.

Without uttering a single unnecessary word, Chief Sig Silvershine grabbed the document, turned, and rushed out of the Judgment Hall, leaving only a single sentence in the wind.

"Captain Zilin, please take care of the people of Hanhai. I will repay you when I return!"

Next, the other leaders also quickly checked the tempering materials given to them by Han Hai.

Although their need is not as urgent as that of the Silver Dragon, who would complain about having too much of this precious material?
The inspection results confirmed that the products were genuine and of the highest quality, and that some of the materials were even more effective than those provided by the dwarf.

“Those dwarfs always keep the best for themselves and sell the inferior goods. These humans are honest, though.”

Since Han Hai is being so "honest," it's basically impossible for the dwarf race to continue this deal.

But it's alright.

The dwarfs were willing to provide detailed information about the materials and temporarily hand over this trading channel, of course, because Lord Chen Mo had arranged generous compensation for them.

Dwarfs are inherently profit-driven. Selling materials, even the most valuable ones, is still hard-earned money; how could it possibly be as lucrative as engaging in the virtual economy?

After the dragon leaders present verified the authenticity of the "gift," the atmosphere in the Tribunal for Elders became more enthusiastic than ever before.

Chief Purple Dragon first praised his subordinates, but he stuttered a bit while speaking, a lingering effect of a throat injury sustained in battle years ago.

"Zilin, you are very good, very good! This is a very, very great achievement!"

"What...what do they want? Do you know?"

Zi Lin shook his enormous dragon head: "He didn't say anything, he just... just said he wanted to meet the leader of the dragon clan and looked forward to future cooperation."

"They're probably up to something big!"

The Golden Dragon Clan Chief let out a long dragon roar: "However, the Silver Dragon Clan's things have all been taken away, and they're probably all soaked in water by now. There's no point in saying anything more. Let's prepare to meet them..."

"Not necessarily!" As a deep-seated enemy of the Crimson Dragon Clan, the Green Dragon leader scoffed, maliciously stirring up trouble: "Didn't Old Crimson say that they should leave their things behind and get out?"

"Now that the items have been left behind, wouldn't it be enough to just have Red Dragon go and chase the people away?"

Several clan leaders turned their heads to look at the Crimson Dragon Clan Leader, who had been silent for quite some time.

The creature kept its head down, its claws silently rummaging through the refining materials belonging to the Crimson Dragon Clan, proceeding with extreme care.

At this moment, under the direct gaze of all the dragons, the red dragon leader opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he only let out a mumbled indistinct sound and then turned his head to the side.

As the old dragon turned to the side, all the bone armor on its back stood up, and its already red body color suddenly became even redder.

I don't know if it was shame, embarrassment, or anger.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

A day later, the core members of the Han Hai delegation were received by the Dragon's Judgment.

The Trial Hall has a very open layout, like a huge sinkhole carved out of the belly of a mountain.

The bottom of the sinkhole is a perfect arc shape, enclosing a flat, smooth, mirror-like ice surface. Beneath the ice surface, some kind of winding, extending lines are faintly visible, like cracks under the ice, or like runes of some kind of magic circle.

Every so often, these patterns emit a faint, intermittent glow, as if breathing.

"Please!" Purple Scale waved its claws at the representatives of the visiting delegation.

The moment they stepped into the hall of judgment, dozens of pairs of eyes of different colors fell on the members of the visiting delegation.

Apart from the members in hibernation and on duty, almost all the other true dragons were present.

They lay or sprawled, curled up in the crevices of the ice and rocks, or half-buried in the snow.

Some dragons opened their eyes and tilted their heads to examine this strange group, their eyes filled with curiosity and scrutiny; others closed their eyes and pretended to sleep, but their nostrils twitched incessantly, as if they were sensing and observing in another way.

Some grinned widely, their lips curling up in a smile that was actually quite ferocious; others had sharp teeth, raised scales on their necks, and made a whimpering sound from their throats, as if it were a greeting or a warning.

The sounds, high and low, intertwined in the hall, creating a complex, multi-layered sound field.

It was as if it were the prelude to an impending storm.

Regardless, Han Hai's gift evoked goodwill from a considerable number of dragons, as well as curiosity from others.

Upon entering the cave, Jelly looked around and confirmed that the legend of the elves had completely lost its value.

Forget about sparkling crystals or gleaming gold; you couldn't even find a single piece of scrap metal on site…

The leader of the Black Dragon Clan spoke first.

Its sound wasn't as deep as Zilin's; instead, it had a clear, metallic quality, like someone rapidly striking a gong, which sounded somewhat comical.

"Which of you is the human who brought the dragon scales? Where did the dragon scales come from?"

Dimo took a deep breath, stepped forward, bowed slightly, and quickly performed a simple greeting.

"Respected Dragon Lord, Dimo ​​Monroe, Envoy of the Vast Ocean, has come to pay a visit on the orders of Vast Ocean Lord Chen Mo."

"This scale comes from Mount Fulong. It was a gift from the Black Dragon Clan there to our ancestor, and it has been passed down from him!"

"Fulong Mountain? I vaguely remember it!"

The black dragon leader raised his claws and made a grasping motion, and the dragon scale in Dimo's hand flew into his palm.

He held it between two fingers, examined it carefully for a while, then moved it to his nose and sniffed it carefully, finally letting out a low, wistful sigh.

"Sally's scales!"

When he uttered that name, everyone sensed a complex and indescribable emotion.

Perhaps the Black Dragon leader was reminded of the sorrow of losing an old friend, or perhaps he was reminiscing about a bygone era.

"Very well, humans, you have gained the precious friendship of the dragons. Now, tell me, what do you want?"

Dimo straightened up, took half a step back, and handed the stage over to Xia Chenghui.

"My Lord of the Vast Ocean said that the Dragon Clan, as one of the oldest races in the Starry Sky, has experienced countless changes over the years and witnessed the rise and fall of history."

"Our lord has always been dedicated to exploring the truth of history and studying the mysteries of the continent. It is precisely because of this dedication that the unique character of the Vast Ocean has been created."

"We hope to hear some old stories and learn some new knowledge from the dragons."

"Well, for example, historical records, legends, geographical maps, and information about the sky, the land, the sea and the islands."

(End of this chapter)