Translator: AnubisTL
The sky gradually brightened, tinged with a hazy blue-gray.
Garos and the white dragon Treacy flew in tandem, heading north toward the Borderlands and the Permafrost Tundra.
With their powerful draconic vision, they could already discern the undulating outlines of glaciers in the distance, resembling colossal serpents rising and falling across the horizon.
At that moment, Garos was escorting Treacy to her lair.
The white dragon, reluctant to relinquish her years of accumulated wealth, deliberately slowed her flight, dragging out the journey as long as possible.
Garos remained unhurried, his gaze sweeping across the land below, meticulously observing the conditions of the Borderlands.
Whenever Treacy's pace became too sluggish, he would unceremoniously lash her with his tail or buffet her with his dragon wing, urging her to accelerate.
As time passed, the air grew increasingly frigid. Even before reaching the Ice Plains, the temperature had already plummeted below ten degrees Celsius. At higher altitudes, the cold intensified, with fine frost crystals forming between the clouds.
In this harsh environment, the white dragon's spirit seemed to surge with renewed vigor.
"Treacy, you've lived here longer than any of us," Garos asked. "Besides us, how many other dragons do you know of who dwell in this area?"
The white dragon paused to consider, then shook her head. "Unless I'm hunting to fill my belly, I rarely leave my lair. I don't know much about the surrounding lands."
After a moment, she added, "However, I've spotted the territory of metallic dragons from afar."
"Silver dragons?" Garos asked.
Silver dragons favored cold environments, making them the most likely metallic dragons to inhabit the Borderlands or the Ice Plains.
Garos had never seen a silver dragon, but the descriptions in his inheritance texts invariably praised their beauty or handsomeness. In terms of raw power, silver dragons rivaled red dragons, making them formidable members of dragonkind.
Both shared an ice affinity.
The white dragon paled in comparison to a silver dragon.
If it's an adult silver dragon, its life grade would be at least 15. I probably couldn't defeat it, but with my speed and explosive power, escaping would be no problem, Garos calculated mentally.
"Yes, but not just silver dragons."
The white dragon said, "A male silver dragon, a female red copper dragon, and their offspring all live together in a valley filled with red maple trees."
Garos pondered for a moment, then asked, "Do you know their approximate ages or life grades?"
The white dragon shook its head earnestly. "There's a saying: 'Kings do not meet.' We've never faced each other directly."
Even with Garos's exceptional emotional control, he nearly burst out laughing.
After regaining his composure, he suddenly noticed a crucial detail.
"A silver dragon and a red copper dragon..."
"They could be Deborah's parents."
Garos remembered the red copper dragon who had sent him two batches of alchemy items. Her creations bore a distinct dragonic style, likely crafted by a dragon alchemist. Moreover, when she unleashed her life-saving scale against the worm king in a fit of rage, it erupted with frost-based damage.
Garos had previously speculated that Deborah had a silver dragon elder.
While silver dragons were most common in the Ice Plains, nesting in the Borderlands—a region less frigid than the Ice Plains yet not sweltering—would be a logical compromise for the sake of a red copper dragon mate.
"I need to be careful and avoid being seen by Deborah's parents."
"Metallic dragons value bloodlines and family ties. They might try to bully me, a juvenile, to avenge their daughter."
Garos's heart tightened. He didn't want to confront an adult silver dragon just yet.
"Treacy, where are the territories of the silver and red copper dragons?"
"In that direction, about five hundred kilometers away," the white dragon pointed eastward, giving a rough location.
As the saying goes, 'Kings do not meet kings.' I'll avoid that area for now, the juvenile dragon thought.
After flying for some time, Garos reached the very edge of the Ice Plains—or perhaps he was already within its borders—and landed atop a frost-covered, permafrost-laden mountain.
The air temperature here was well below freezing, and the sunlight felt utterly devoid of warmth. His breath condensed into visible white plumes, and icy air enveloped him from all sides, making him feel deeply uncomfortable.
"This is the place."
"Don't you have any familiars?" Garos asked, noticing the complete absence of living creatures in the area.
"I had some before," the white dragon said. "I ate some when I was hungry, and the rest escaped while I was in dragon sleep."
She was a pure white dragon, lacking any understanding of management. She treated her familiars as emergency rations, and her excessively cruel oppression and bullying drove them all to flee.
Hesitantly, the white dragon landed and feigned searching for a while before leading Garos into her dragon nest.
It was a typical dragon nest, a natural cave structure.
The floor and walls were covered in a thick layer of hard ice crystals. Garos found the ground slippery and his steps somewhat clumsy, while the white dragon moved with the effortless grace of a large cat, completely unaffected.
The aura of a mature dragon permeated the air.
Places inhabited for long periods gradually transform under their influence.
These ice crystals, formed by the white dragon's qi, were no ordinary ice.
For powerful dragonkind like ancient dragons, their lairs not only alter the landscape but also affect the elemental composition of the environment. For example, the territory of an ancient red dragon might even develop vortices connecting to the Fire Elemental Plane, allowing them to summon fire elementals to serve them.
Taking careful steps, the white dragon led Garos deeper into the nest.
The white dragon's face twisted with heartache as she shattered the seemingly final wall, revealing the hidden treasure chamber behind it.
Unlike the anguished white dragon, Garos's eyes lit up, instantly dazzled by the glittering hoard of wealth.
Hah... He took a deep breath, gradually suppressing his instinctive greed. "Treacy," he praised, "I never imagined you were so wealthy, with such vast reserves. My opinion of you has certainly changed."
The white dragon forced a stiff, unnatural smile.
Before Garos, piles of ice diamond, white crystal, and other gems shimmered brilliantly—the white dragon's most prized possessions, illuminating the dark cavern.
Magic gems, gold coins, and silver coins were stacked like small mountains.
This far exceeded Garos's expectations. He never imagined the white dragon's wealth could surpass even his own.
But soon, it will all be mine.
Without hesitation, Garos strode forward, a triumphant grin spreading across his face, and reached out with his clawed hand to rake through the treasure.
Clatter! The red-iron dragon's smile froze mid-motion.
As the surface layer of treasure slid away, revealing the truth beneath, the air seemed to solidify.
The 'treasure' piled beneath consisted merely of ordinary, slightly translucent minerals. The carefully arranged skeletons of tundra rhino stood guard, while polished skulls of Icefield Wolves lined the very bottom.
White Dragon Treacy's mountain of wealth was nothing but a facade.
Trying to put on airs when you're broke? You're even fooling yourself.
"Is this all you've accumulated in nearly two centuries?" Garos scoffed. "Even newly independent young dragons wouldn't use animal bones as filler."
"Do you think you're richer than me?" the white dragon retorted, lifting her head with defiant pride. "This is already quite impressive!"
She remained convinced of her own wealth until a celestial blue light nearly blinded her.
Faced with the white dragon's skepticism, Garos didn't argue. He responded with action.
He tilted his neck, revealing the celestial pool gem hidden beneath the inner layer of his scales.
The gem's light was so exquisite and dazzling that the white dragon felt as if countless ants were crawling beneath her skin. Her eyes burned with longing, and she yearned to bury her face in Garos's scales for a closer look.
Her pupils dilated to their maximum extent, almost blurring as she leaned in, utterly captivated.
Then, Garos abruptly closed his scales, extinguishing the gem's brilliance like a snuffed candle.
"Ah, let me see! Please, just one more glimpse!" the white dragon pleaded, her tail wagging obsequiously.
"Serve me well, and I promise you'll have your share of these gems in the future," Garos said, dangling a carrot before her.
With a swift sweep of his massive, agile dragon wings, he ruthlessly claimed all the white dragon's treasures, leaving only the worthless scraps behind.
(End of the Chapter)
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