Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 598 - 551: The Thief Lyle

The Firstborn of the Dragon, the very first offspring of Yemotar, the father of dragons... this... doesn’t seem that remarkable.

The scholar had discerned Lyle’s meaning and the magic model took shape in his hands. The Dragon Priest gradually revealed the secrets of the giant dragon. "Yemotar is the origin of the giant dragons, and all giant dragons are his descendants. However, there is a gap between ordinary giant dragons and the direct bloodline of the father of dragons. And this gap is enough to differentiate the Dragon King and the giant dragons into two distinct species."

"Giant dragons are winged creatures adept at magic and part of the reptilian family. But when Yemotar first came into this world, he was not a giant dragon. At that time, he could not fly and crawled the Earth with four arms and two legs. He was known as the Devourer, once the mortal enemy of the Sleeper."

All things originated from the Evil God, including giant dragons. The King of the giant dragons, the founder of the Dragon Clan, Yemotar, was once an ancient Evil God. Lyle’s frame trembled, as the will of ill omens stirred in his mind — it was a mix of hunger and hostility.

The deep voice echoed in the cavern, and even the breathing of Gem Sage Destan became less audible. Everyone’s attention was focused on the scholar as he narrated the ancient tale.

"The Devourer and the Sleeper battled for countless eons. Their identical origins meant neither could best the other, leaving the world in chaos, tossed about in the rage of waves and flames. Until one day, Yemotar changed himself. Membranes grew from his two arms into wings, his body covered in scales, elongated and resilient, letting out deafening roars. He transformed himself into the form of the very predators of the ancient Evil God, the shape of a giant dragon. The eternally fervent Dragon Soul would not be perturbed by whispers, the thick scales would resist corruption, and there was magic, Draconic Magic that could suppress the power of the Evil God. Yemotar cast aside his past identity and drove the Sleeper to the depths of the sea. And thus, he forged the age of the giant dragons."

"Yemotar’s transformation was irreversible, but the past connection remained like a lingering infection in his bloodline. The direct bloodline of Yemotar could change themselves according to their instincts, and as the Firstborn of the Dragon, Koranac, too, possessed such power. After becoming the Guardian of the Manu clan, he transformed himself into the Giant Gemstone Dragon."

"Koranac is special; as the firstborn, he is entitled to inherit the position of the father of dragons. The members of the Dragon Priest council, including myself, have decided to take advantage of this and steal the era of the giant dragons. That is our plan."

"The era of the Dragon Priests requires a Supreme Dragon Priest and a Supreme Giant Dragon. The candidate for Dragon Priest must be won through our might, but as for the Supreme Giant Dragon, there is only one candidate, Koranac. His fate has been written long ago, he is the rebellious prince, the ordained one to end the tyrannical rule of the father of dragons, prophesied by Morok I. We also believe this, as the Dragon Crown of the era makes the father of dragons too powerful and the Firstborn of the Dragon incapable of opposition. But we could exploit the rules of the firstborn’s right, and by creating a new Dragon Crown, steal the crown of the era, the new Dragon King Koranac will surely bring forth a new age..."

There seemed to be infinite longing in the scholar’s words, but the deep cavern and his dejected posture betrayed the Dragon Priest’s sorrow.

"Then Melok Raymond appeared. He killed the father of dragons, shattered the age of the giant dragons, and also shattered our unassailable arrogance."

"All schemes appear utterly ridiculous before the Holy Light."

Lyle recalled Mister Raymond’s manner, his presumptive declaration, "I am destiny." Perhaps only a monster like the King of the Crusaders could so naturally speak thus because he truly shattered destiny, the destiny of an era.

Thus that very Mister Raymond became a Lich. What exactly had happened back then?

No longer entangled with Raymond’s combat abilities, the most pressing issue now was to resolve the existence crisis of the Manu clan, to address the root cause of their issue, the mad Dragon Priest Kolosis.

"Kolosis, as a participant in the old plan, also knew the purpose of the Dragon Crown. Yet unlike us, who pooled the power of several Dragon Priests, he sacrificed his own kin, three Gem Sages, and countless clansmen. He has completely lost his mind, heading towards an extreme opposite of ours."

The scholar’s detached declarations reverberated among the Manu, and Destan wanted to say something but ultimately replaced words with flickering light.

"As a representative of the council, I, Morrok I, have decided to reclaim the Giant Dragon Soul and the remains of the Giant Dragon Koranac from the Dragon Priest who has forsaken his duty,"

"I and the Giant Dragon will become the main force to annihilate Kolosis, but first, we need to draw Kolosis out of Ashpurin, a place once blessed by the Giant Dragons, where Kolosis’s power will be greatly enhanced. It’s unwise to battle on the enemy’s home ground."

Destan’s light flickered again, "I see, you need me to be the bait, the only piece left of the Kolosis’s Gemstone Dragon Crown is my crystallization..." Right now, the only thing Kolosis is interested in is the crystallization of the Gem Sage, the last piece of his plan.

"No, we cannot afford the loss of you; we cannot imagine what power Coranac, as the Firstborn, would gain if the Dragon Crown were completed," said scholar Sir, rejecting the use of Destan as bait. He took out some scrolls from his spatial pocket, some so ancient they were moldy and had to be frozen to stay intact, which may contain ancient knowledge like legendary tales.

Perhaps, scholar Sir has found an alternative to the bait, Lyle thought. Mister Rockhold was standing right next to him, the two slightly weaker youths feeling somewhat idle. Mister Rockhold had been about to use archaeological appraisal on a nearby Gem Manu, but what was essentially harassment was politely declined.

Lyle hoped that scholar Sir would find a solution quickly, worried that Mister Rockhold might reduce the Gem Manu’s clan’s goodwill to a negative number in the process. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Just as Lyle wished, scholar Sir put away the scrolls and turned confidently to face Lyle.

A chill crawled up Lyle’s spine.

"Teac... Teacher?"

"Lyle, you are the solution."

I am supposed to face a Giant Gemstone Dragon corpse and a crazed Dragon Priest?!

"But teacher, there’s nothing on me that could attract the Dragon Priest, doesn’t the power of the Evil God play a role in the crafting of the Dragon Crown?"

"It has no effect," Lyle was about to feel relieved when scholar Sir continued, "Indeed the fragments of the Gemstone Dragon Crown are what Kolosis cares about, but those fragments are not just the piece that belongs to Destan... "

"You mean..."

"Lyle, infiltrate Ashpurin and steal the Gemstone Dragon Crown from Kolosis’s hands. As a juvenile of the Evil God and a Creeping Shadow Creature, you can block any scrying spells."

"You are the only one who can do it."

"My student."