Necromancer, summoning 055? What the heck?

Chapter 521 Ancient Records of the Sealed Sounds: Questions about the New Continent
Although the prayer ceremony in the Dragon's Rest Land resulted in a waste of a great deal of faith power due to the dragons' "lack of mathematical knowledge" and ultimately failed to obtain the answer the dragons wanted, its value is still immeasurable.

It facilitated a shift in the dragons' mindset from high suspicion to limited trust, and from an adversarial intent to a cooperative one.

In terms of its significance to the development of the entire dragon race, its value is no less than that of the pioneering journey of the Icefield Dragon Ancestor.

Among the dragons, the one with the most enthusiastic willingness to cooperate and the most resolute actions to cooperate was someone no one had expected before.

Alex, the chieftain of the Red Dragon Clan.

This guy, who once shouted the loudest and most aggressively, "Get out of here, you despicable humans," is now the one who cooperates most actively and thoroughly with the "Dragon God's" messenger.

This is not surprising. Throughout human history, those who advocate quick victory and those who advocate quick defeat have often been the same group of people.

To make up for his reckless mistake, the Crimson Dragon Chieftain took the initiative to follow the Golden Dragon Leader and accompany the delegation to the Dragon Clan's old cave.

Located on a side peak of the Snow Peak Ice Crystal Sanctuary, the snow is knee-deep and the wind is biting cold.

After passing through a flat front plaza, the mountain at the end of the field of vision resembles a vertical wall with a huge opening embedded in it.

The entrance was completely blocked by a huge rock.

The entrance here is much smaller than the Judgment Hall, but even that is only in comparison to the size of the dragons. To the visiting group, the boulder blocking their path was no less than an obstacle on par with a city lord's mansion.

"This place hasn't been opened for far too long!"

"I need some time!"

Perhaps driven by the thought that "we can't let these humans look down on us," Alex made an exception and used his precious psionic energy.

The dragon took a deep breath, its chest swelling like a rising hill. Then, the dragon, which was over fifty meters long, lowered its body, its two front claws gripping the edge of the boulder, the tips of its claws digging deep into the stone surface. Several dark red psionic threads emerged from its claws, spreading out along the outer edge of the boulder like red-hot iron chains, binding the stone tightly.

Alex jerked his neck back, arched his back, and the outline of his shoulder blades was still clearly visible beneath the thick scales. The muscles at the junction of his arms and body bulged high, and a sharp grinding sound came from the mountain, relentlessly assaulting everyone's ears.

Gravel broke off from the gap between the boulder and the cave entrance, crashing onto the ground with a crackling sound.

It took a full half minute for the entire boulder to be moved out and pushed aside like a small mountain.

A chill swept through the cave, and even through the winter clothing, one could feel its bone-chilling cold.

As the Crimson Dragon Clan Chief led the way inside, he kept explaining in a rambling manner.

"The amount of earth fire in the Dragon Cliff area is limited, so we can't distribute it everywhere. We need to give more to the cubs, and also some to the hatching nests of the wyverns and pseudo-dragons. We can't distribute it all. So in some places, we have to not give them earth fire."

"Besides, these things can be stored for a longer time if they're frozen!"

That's true. Without geothermal energy, temperatures of tens of degrees below zero make it easy to preserve anything for a long time.

After passing through a passageway, we arrived at a bright and spacious hall.

This is a naturally formed group of caves, which were modified by the dragons using some kind of power. The cave walls are as smooth as a mirror, and the ground has been cut neatly, presenting a regular geometric shape with uniform width, sharp corners, and a square shape.

The Crimson Dragon Clan Chief used some kind of magic, and the cave quickly lit up.

“Lord Alex, you must be tired from your journey. We brought lighting equipment, so please take a rest.”

The delegation turned on their headlamps and shoulder lights, and beams of bright light slowly slid across the cave, illuminating everything clearly.

There are quite a few things, but it looks a bit messy.

The first thing that catches the eye is the stones of all sizes.

However, these are not ordinary stones.

Dragons do not actually have a written language.

The reason is quite simple: complex language and writing systems are products of gregarious and social nature. Dragons initially existed as a species that lived in small family units, and simple communication was sufficient for most of their lives, so there was no urgent need to create writing.

By the time they were forced to unite with humans after being slaughtered, their numbers had dwindled to almost nothing. They only saw a dozen or so dragons on a daily basis, so there was no longer any need to create writing.

However, the absence of written text does not mean that the dragon race had no records.

"This is the 'Dragon Language Stone,' also known as the 'Sound Cocoon.'"

Chi Long carefully picked up a half-meter square stone from the ground, held the bottom of the stone in his palm, and placed it in front of the visiting delegation.

From the outside, this "Dragon Language Stone" is no different from a common pebble. Its shape is irregular and its texture is completely natural. It looks like an ordinary stone no matter how you look at it.

"Please step back a little."

Chieftain Alex of the Crimson Dragon Clan distanced himself from the others, stood still, raised his head slightly, swallowed hard, and let out a long, drawn-out cry.

As the sound waves surged, the seemingly ordinary stone also began to emit a similarly distant dragon roar.

The surface of the stone remained unchanged, but the sound did indeed emanate from within it, deep and resonant, carrying a sense of vicissitude, lingering and melodious, rising and falling, like an echo from a distant valley.

The dragon's roar emanating from the stone lasted for a full two and a half minutes.

The delegation's recorder was recording video and audio, and timing it with a stopwatch.

The golden dragon leader, who had remained silent until now, listened to the dragon's roar with a hint of melancholy before turning to Xia Chenghui and saying, "This 'Dragon Language Stone' is the way the dragons record their history."

"We are using a type of dragon language magic called [Sound Sealing], which can permanently seal sound within this 'Dragon Language Stone'."

"What you see now are 'Dragon Language Stones' left behind by the dragon ancestors. They may contain their instructions, admonitions, teachings, or some unique discoveries and stories worth recording."

"Only dragons who also understand dragon language magic can activate these 'sound cocoons' and hear the voices from their ancestors or other dragons."

Xia Chenghui nodded in sudden realization.

Before setting off, the HanHai Data Center provided very detailed information about the dragon race, including many of their customs and legends.

One of the documents states that, based on rumors from the mainland and corroborated by various sources, the dragon race actually has the same strange habit as the wolf race's howling moon, often uttering long chants in open fields, with the sound lasting for a long time.

Often, humans find traces of dragons precisely because of these rather peculiar habits of the dragons.

Now it seems that this is not "Dragon Clan's Wild Chant" at all, but clearly the Dragon Clan recording, or listening to a recording.

Almost simultaneously, the two deputy commanders beside Xia Chenghui, Dimo ​​and Jelly, gave him a reminder.

"What are the characteristics of this stone? There should still be some left on the mainland!"

"We need to tell the family right away, before they destroy these stones!"

Xia Chenghui immediately became alert. Indeed, the Dragon Clan had existed for so many years, and even they probably didn't know how many "Dragon Language Stones" they had left behind.

During the construction of every large building on the continent, countless stones of all kinds were used. If there really were "Dragon Language Stones" among them, our lord would be heartbroken!
Xia Chenghui couldn't wait to ask the question.

The "Dragon Language Stone" has distinctive features, but these features cannot be seen with the naked eye, because stones can be flipped over, carried away by animals, covered by vegetation or mud, or even buried deep underground, so it is not realistic to look for them with the naked eye.

The way to find the "Dragon Language Stone" is through the shout of the dragons.

This pre-emptive dragon roar, translated as "Sound Seeking," will elicit a response from the "Dragon Language Stone," transmitting a sound wave that is inaudible to human ears but clearly audible to dragons.

No wonder dragons love to shout and yell all the time...

According to the Golden Dragon Clan Chief, long, long ago, the Dragon Clan had a strict set of rules and systems for using the "Dragon Language Stone".

For example, black or dark gray stones are called "Stones of Sorrow," and are usually used to record things that cause sorrow to the dragons, such as death, separation, defeat, loss, etc.

The dragons believe that dark colors can "suppress" heavy emotions and prevent sadness from surging out too violently when speaking.

For example, white or light-colored stones, in the perception of dragons, represent "blank spaces" and "things that need to be filled," and are called "stones of containment," used to record knowledge that needs to be passed on to other dragons or the next generation.

For example, the location of water sources, hunting routes, enemy positions, newly discovered magical skills, etc.

The red "Stone of Oath" represents intense emotions; the yellow "Stone of Withering" records peaceful last words...

Xia Chenghui seems to have unlocked some new knowledge points.

No wonder it is said that dragons have a penchant for collecting brightly colored stones or crystals and hiding them in their caves, treating them as treasures.

This is clearly someone's diary...

Furthermore, there's that influential proverb on the mainland, supposedly passed down from the dragon race: "The earth has recorded everything we have."

This isn't some sentimental poem; it's clearly stating the truth. But whether it's due to the dragons' deliberate concealment or the human race's own arrogance leading to blindness, the result is that no one on the entire Starry Continent knows this.

At least for now, no relevant records have been found in HanHai's database.

Another document filling a historical gap was being compiled, and HanHai's data clerk was frantically taking notes.

The information in the "Dragon Language Stone" is sealed inside the stone. Weathering on the outside will not affect its recorded content. Of course, if it is broken or destroyed, the dragon language information inside will also be shattered.

The dragons once used metals and metal ores as "sound cocoons," believing that these extremely hard "dragon language stones" were not easily damaged and could be preserved for a long time. However, they soon discovered that the newly appeared two-legged monsters on the continent had a penchant for stealing metals from dragon nests, ultimately forcing them to abandon this route.

Furthermore, apart from a very few dragons with exceptional [sound sealing] skills who can repeatedly add the "repeated speech" effect to make an important "Dragon Language Stone" a multi-layered information entity, the vast majority of other "Dragon Language Stones" are essentially just a "read-only" piece of information that cannot be erased or altered.

Finally, at Xia Chenghui's request, the Crimson Dragon Clan Chief Alex recorded a short message for the visiting delegation.

Although he was somewhat puzzled as to how these humans could hear echoes that only dragons could hear, Alex was relieved when he thought that they had a "Descendant of the Dragon".

The communications team immediately sent the data back to Hanhai via satellite channel, which undoubtedly caused a great commotion back home.

The Hanhai delegation still has a lot of work to do in Longya.

In the Old Cavern, the dragons' own "Dragon Language Stones" are only a small part; the majority are various human items collected by the dragons.

Recording media of various materials, shapes, and sizes were randomly placed on stone platforms, piled up in corners, or hung on stone edges...

The largest is a rather crude-looking statue, more than ten meters tall. The statue is made of some kind of coarse-grained volcanic rock, with its surface covered with pores and cracks. Its shape is extremely simple; it is a standing, genderless human figure with its arms outstretched, as if embracing something.

The statue was covered with various ancient symbols. Later, after persistent analysis by the Dongxia expert team, it was found that more than 95% of them, when translated into Dongxia language, meant "So-and-so was here".

The remaining five percent consisted of declarations of love such as "So-and-so loves so-and-so the most," as well as insults like "So-and-so is a big fool"...

It can be called the culmination of folk culture.

The expert in charge of the analysis couldn't help but start cursing as well.

Besides these stone carvings, there are also animal bones, hides, tortoise shells, fish scales, wood chips, bamboo slabs, stone slabs, copper sheets, clay molds, and textiles with patterns and inscriptions...

There were even a few pieces that looked like dried stomachs of some kind of creature, with strange patterns painted on them with some unknown pigment.

It's clear that the items collected by the Dragon Clan are all very old, with very few belonging to modern continental groups.

Xia Chenghui raised this question, which led to an awkward silence from the two dragon clan leaders.

It was Alex the Red Dragon who finally gave a hesitant answer.

“In the past, there were such things, but those things could be exchanged for supplies, so we took them and traded them. What was left were these worthless items…”

When he spoke the last few words, the Red Dragon Clan Chief's voice was so low it was as soft as a mosquito's flapping wings.

Understood.

If dragons are willing to trade even their own body parts for resources, what treasures wouldn't they exchange? Modern human items, which have some practical value, have all been taken by dwarf merchant groups. What's left are considered worthless or even worthless trash in the eyes of dwarves, which is why they've survived.

They don't want it, but Han Hai won't let it go.

Over the next few days, the HanHai delegation was engrossed in a frantic "data collection" effort.

We take photos, scan, and videotape, striving to digitize the patterns and symbols on every stone slab and every piece of bone shell while minimizing damage.

The cave was temporarily divided into seven work areas, with each area consisting of a data clerk and a safety officer forming a work team. Lighting equipment was fully deployed, illuminating this ancient dragon's lair, which had been dormant for countless years, as bright as day.

To maintain power supply and reduce transmission distance, the team moved both of their psionic generators over and installed them outside the Old Cavern.

The reason for not taking them into the cave is to avoid psionic shocks that could affect any magical items that might be present there.

The entire team was like a clockwork mechanism, operating at an almost frantic pace. Even the deputy commanders and guard captains were unceremoniously called in to assist and do the hard labor.

Everyone slept directly in a corner of the cave. Every time they dozed off for a short while, they would open their tents at the sound of the alarm, hastily eat a couple of compressed biscuits, drink a few mouthfuls of hot water, and continue working.

Alex, the Red Dragon Chieftain who had been diligently accompanying the group, could only stare blankly at the bustling yet orderly warehouse scene every day.

"Quickly, we need to add more light to Zone 3! The spotlights are in bad positions, the shadows are too heavy, and the scan will show discontinuities!"

"Material number 796, the frost crystals on it are too heavy and are covering the pattern. Can a skilled second-tier warrior remove the frost?"

"You're all busy, just use a hairdryer to dry yourselves."

"No, this is raw hide, it hasn't been tanned. We can't just make things up like this, what if it cracks?"

Angus, who was carefully separating a row of stone blocks, waved to Alex: "Keep an eye on this for me, I'm going to help out!"

"Oh, oh," the Red Dragon Chieftain carefully tiptoed across the passage, curled up against the cave wall, tucked his tail between his legs, and dared not move an inch.

Two days ago, to thank the Han Hai delegation for bringing refining materials that helped his wife successfully grow up, Domini Silver Shield, a young male of the Silver Dragon clan, came to help. He accidentally stepped on a piece of wood and was reported by the Han Hai delegation. As a result, he was severely beaten by his father-in-law and is still unable to leave the cave.

Alex didn't want to enjoy that kind of treatment.

I was already hungry...

The voices of HanHai staff members could still be heard.

"Here! There's a hidden layer under this piece of leather. Push the micro-computed tomography scanner over here!"

"A spiral script not recorded has been discovered, partially damaged. Requesting priority recording!"

"My team has to work overtime and we don't have time to eat. Could you bring me two energy bars, please?"

"There seems to be a star map that needs to be compared. Where is the input for [Mirage]?"

The sheer volume of materials made the limited equipment brought by the HanHai delegation seem inadequate, but everyone appeared extremely excited.

This will add another significant chapter to the vast and unparalleled database of Han Hai. Everyone present has a very high probability of being included in Han Hai's history textbooks, even if it's just a glimpse of their back in a photograph.

Just as Alex was staring blankly at the scene, the young human leader slowly walked to his side, raised his head high, and greeted the red dragon chieftain.

The Red Dragon Chieftain carefully bent down.

"Lord Alex, would you like to grab something to eat today?"

"This...this is too much trouble."

The Red Dragon Chieftain was indeed somewhat embarrassed. Dragons are enormous, so their energy consumption is naturally high. When food is plentiful, these big guys usually eat once every eight to ten days, consuming nearly half of their body weight, or hundreds of tons of food, each time.

Such an appetite would mean prolonged hunger in extremely cold places.

The food for the entire delegation for a day wasn't even enough for Alex to swallow in one bite.

However, this leader Xia Chenghui was always very enthusiastic, and he would always invite the Red Dragon Clan Chief to eat with him, which Alex could not resist.

That taste... it was absolutely intoxicating.

Or, how about we just have a small bite?
Just one bite... really just one bite!
"It's alright, let's go. I've already requested support from the esteemed lord, and the new food will be delivered as soon as possible."

Xia Chenghui patted the Red Dragon Clan Chief's fingernails: "Let's go, let's go get something to eat. I have a question I'd like to ask you."

"Hmm? What do you want to ask?"

A man and a dragon walked out, occasionally their conversation could be heard.

"I've heard that the Red Dragon Clan once participated in the exploration of the sea, and the warriors of the Red Dragon even discovered another magical continent."

"Yes, that's true, but it happened a long time ago, a very, very long time ago!"

"I'm really curious, why don't the dragons live on that continent?"

"Is there anything unpleasant about that continent?"

Alex's expression turned somewhat strange, as if he were recalling an unpleasant memory.

His gaze passed over Xia Chenghui's head and landed on the mountainside of Longya Mountain.

There, rows of dragons were busily moving about, darting in and out, their enormous wings stirring up the wind and snow of the Sighing Ice Plains.

(End of this chapter)