"Garoth Ignas."
The legendary Brass Dragon announcer flapped his enormous wings, descended in front of Garoth and his group, and handed him a dimly glowing dinsional pouch.
"This is the prize you earned by taking first place."
Garoth showed no intention of opening it right then. He calmly extended a foreclaw and took it securely.
"Oh? Not going to take a look at what's inside? Aren't you afraid I'll secretly skim off your share?"
The legendary Brass Dragon's eyes twinkled with a teasing light, his smile half-amused as he spoke.
Garoth t his gaze with composed confidence and replied without arrogance or flattery, "I trust the tal Dragon domains, especially a venerable legendary dragon like you, to uphold character and credibility."
Hearing that, the legendary Brass Dragon admired this victorious yet humble, politely spoken red iron dragon even more.
As a Brass Dragon by nature, he almost couldn't suppress the urge to chat a bit longer.
But when his peripheral vision caught sight of another of his kind nearby—Brass Dragon Zafiri staring over with bright eyes—he ultimately only showed a aningful grin, elegantly beat his wings, and turned away leisurely.
Brass Dragons love to talk.
But they usually enjoy expressing themselves more than patiently listening to others.
This often ans that even Brass Dragons themselves sotis find conversations with fellow Brass Dragons exasperating and prefer to avoid long exchanges.
At that mont, the beaming legendary Gold Dragon Ovis also beat his wings and drew near.
His face was full of an unhidden smile, the kind of joy that seed about to spill over.
"Good kid, well done! Aside from these tournant prizes you deserve, I won't go back on the promise I made to you earlier."
Ovis said in a loud, satisfied voice.
"I'll apply for your qualification to enter the 'Eternal Tide' right away."
"However, the process takes so steps and will take a little ti."
"Do you plan to take this chance to stroll around the Everbright Dragon Domain a bit, and enjoy the scenery of this domain's capital, or do you want to co back with to the Vophal Dragon Domain now and wait there for news?"
Before Garoth could answer, Gold Dragon Nasha cut in, "Vophal is so boring, we've already had enough of it."
"The Everbright Domain is way more lively and interesting. We should stay here and have so fun for a few days."
Alberto nodded vigorously in agreent, wagging his tail as he said, "Exactly! I want to let those Everbright snobs see just how extraordinary my charm is!"
The two siblings were from the Vophal Domain and had long lost excitent for their own territory.
They preferred to linger in the grander, more bustling Everbright Domain for a few days.
Deborah was also curious about the Everbright Domain. She glanced at Garoth and softly suggested, "There's nothing pressing about going back to Vophal right now. Why don't we stay here for a few days?"
"When Elder Ovis has the paperwork mostly sorted, then we can head to Vophal. It's not urgent."
Even Brass Dragon Zafiri naturally chid in, "Yeah, yeah, Everbright is much more interesting than other places."
Though his companions were unanimous, Garoth did not decide imdiately.
He hesitated for a mont, then turned his gaze to Gold Dragon Ovis and asked a key question: "Is the Everbright Domain... sufficiently safe? I an, for soone like , would staying here expose to unpredictable risks?"
From what Deborah and the others had told him earlier, Garoth already knew of the Purification Faction among the dragons.
Although they were few in number, their hostility toward evil dragons ran deep and was intense.
Logically, right now—standing in the spotlight and attracting everyone's attention—no one would be foolish enough to act against him openly.
But it never hurts to be cautious; a defensive mindset is prudent.
Ovis heard the subtext in the red iron dragon's words.
"Haha, you're worried about those single-minded Purification types, huh? Very prudent, good."
Ovis waved a foreclaw dismissively and spoke in an easy tone, "But on that point, you can rest assured."
"Those guys may be extre and sowhat unbalanced, but they still adhere to the basic pride and bottom lines of the tal Dragons."
"I know them reasonably well."
"You won your victory in front of all the dragons with outright legitimate strength. They might feel annoyed or unwilling to accept it, but they won't stoop to petty underhanded tricks."
"Of course, that said, once you yourself reach the Legendary tier soday, it's likely so jealous dragon will step forward to cause trouble, but by then, given your potential, you probably won't have to worry."
Ovis, as an elder of the domain, held high rank and broad experience.
His judgnts and assurances carried substantial credibility.
Besides... Garoth's light swept across Nasha and Alberto beside him, and he had his own calculus, so he said, "All right, then I'll stay in the Everbright Domain for a few days before heading to Vophal."
"However, I'm unfamiliar with this area, so let Nasha and Alberto accompany . They seem eager to explore."
In any case, having those two Gold Dragons by his side was like gaining two extra 'talismans' and 'shields', eliminating many potential troubles.
Ovis first slightly nodded, then chuckled.
He understood Garoth's intention and readily agreed, "No problem. Let them follow you as guides. If anything happens, they can notify imdiately."
With that assurance, Garoth felt much more at ease.
Before long, as ti passed, the large number of giant dragons gathered above the arena sea began to disperse, beating wings of various colors as they departed in different directions.
Most returned to their respective domains.
But so dragons, perhaps having never set foot in Everbright before, chose to stay temporarily out of curiosity and longing to witness the capital of the tal Dragons firsthand.
Garoth was among the latter.
He planned to use this opportunity to casually roam this legendary place and personally experience the customs and atmosphere of the tal Dragon sanctuary.
Although Deborah, Nasha, and the others were tal Dragons too, it was also their first ti in Everbright, and they felt fresh and excited, so they eagerly joined Garoth's casual sightseeing rather than leaving imdiately.
About half an hour later,
they arrived above the majestic main island of the Everbright Domain, gliding slowly over a vast area of rolling erald hills and dense forests.
During the flight, Garoth keenly noticed that the area seed divided into different sections.
It contained large numbers of ferocious beasts and magical creatures of varying forms.
Moreover, at regular intervals the average level of these dangerous beasts visibly stepped up in tiers.
Many young tal Dragons were active in these zones, so acting alone, so in small groups, fiercely battling those beasts and magical creatures—apparently using the fights to hone combat skills and hunting techniques.
What caught Garoth's attention even more was that whenever a tal Dragon overestimated itself and chose an opponent far beyond its strength, falling into danger and risking its life, a legendary dragon would invariably dive from the clouds in the sky and intervene in ti to resolve the crisis.
"This is one of the training grounds set up inside the domains."
Deborah explained nearby with a familiar tone, "We have similar venues in our Raging Tides Domain."
"Usually, dragons who are not yet adults are allowed to operate and hunt within zones corresponding to their age range, to train basic combat skills and survival ability."
"Also, each training area deliberately places several particularly powerful 'beast kings' inside."
"Any giant dragon can apply to the on-duty guardian elders to challenge those beast kings."
"If the challenger wins, they not only receive generous rewards issued by the domain but also earn considerable honor; however, if they fail and need an elder's rescue... the challenger's parents will later have to pay a substantial 'protection fee' to the elders as compensation."
"If one encounters danger outside a challenge, a protection fee still applies, though the amount is sowhat lower depending on the situation."
Just then, Gold Dragon Alberto returned from another direction, panting a little but wearing a relieved expression.
"Finally shook off Zafiri! Haha, guess what? She ran into Karus, who'd already been treated and regained consciousness, and imdiately turned to follow him to see how he felt about losing to the red iron evil dragon! Karus's expression—pff..."
He said it with schadenfreude.
Nasha shot her brother a warning glance, then teasingly told Garoth, "Alberto here often overestimates himself and challenges beast kings above his rank. My father has had to pay guardian elders protection fees so many tis he lost count because of him."
Listening to their talk, Garoth couldn't help but reflect—compared to evil dragons, the upbringing environnt for tal Dragon offspring was worlds apart.
They had planned, relatively safe training grounds where they could practice combat without fearing for their lives.
The only real worry was whether showing off and failing would earn their parents' wrath over huge protection fees.
By contrast, the upbringing path for evil dragons was undoubtedly far crueler and harsher, with a high mortality rate at every step.
But from the perspective of overall clan developnt strategies, the choices of tal Dragons and evil dragons each had advantages and disadvantages.
tal Dragons valued the quality and inheritance of offspring, opting for selective breeding, strict control over numbers, and heavy resource investnt in training; evil dragons indulged freely and cared little for offspring quantity or quality, producing many more young—often several tis or even ten tis more than tal Dragons.
Even though most evil dragon offspring would die in the brutal juvenile competition, as long as a small portion survived and grew, those survivors—having endured the harshest selection and trials—tended to be truly strong, without dilution; dragons like Gordon were only rare exceptions among the survivors.
At that mont, a few young giant dragons noticed Garoth's striking group.
After circling hesitantly a few tis, curiosity and eagerness won out and they cautiously approached.
Among them, a female Bronze Dragon in her youth phase was the most direct in manner.
"Lord Garoth, hello! I'm Yujelly."
After a simple self-introduction, the Bronze Dragon's eyes shone with strong expectation as she stared at the red iron dragon and mustered courage to ask, "May I ask... what exactly should I do to beco as strong as you? I... I really want to win with the weak over the strong and knock down those talent-level Gold Dragons of my rank! Can you point in the right direction?"
Garoth looked at the pure longing in her eyes and shook his head slightly.
He answered earnestly, "In my view, there's never truly been a aningful 'weak beats strong.'"
"Whether through superior equipnt, better strategy and tactics, or a deeper foundation of power... as long as you ultimately win, then in that contest you are the stronger side."
"The opponent you defeat is the relatively weaker one."
Bronze Dragon Yujelly fell into thought, a light flashing within her, seeming to grasp sothing.
At the sa ti, hearing the red iron dragon's calm and rational words, the other young tal Dragons nearby—who initially had so reservations—also felt that the powerful champion did not match rumors of an unapproachable, savage evil dragon.
Their courage grew, and they began to swarm Garoth, chattering with a flood of questions.
"Your body is so strong! The sheen on those scales, the lines of your muscles... may I touch them to feel?"
"Lord! The way you dodged in the battle, especially that near-right-angle turn, was so fast and fluid! I really want to improve my speed, do you have any special suggestions?"
"I feel your Dragon Qi is vast as the ocean, incredibly deep! Do you have any unique Dragon Qi training techniques you could share?"
Garoth did not mind answering a few of these energetic young tal Dragons.
But their questions ca thick and fast, and covered every angle.
After a mont's thought, Garoth raised a foreclaw to signal them to be patient, then spoke.
"Every dragon's talents, constitution, and growth path are different."
"My training thods might not suit you."
He paused and offered an inscrutable smile, continuing, "However, so principles are universal. If you temper yourselves a thousand tis over, constantly push beyond limits, find the path that fits you, and then stick to it, that's the best training for any dragon."
Very sensible!
Although so of them had heard similar advice from parents or elders, hearing it from the red iron dragon champion who had just crushed Gold Dragon prodigies with sheer power felt weightier and different.
Several young tal Dragons felt like they'd heard words full of deep wisdom and benefited greatly.
They left exhilarated as if clutching a treasure.
As ti went on, word spread quickly throughout the domains: the red iron dragon champion was not only powerful but wise and approachable.
In the following days, Garoth's situation in the Everbright Domain changed dramatically.
His victory, his wisdom, his uniqueness—these factors combined to win him a group of tal Dragon fans.
Past tal Dragon champions had received similar attention.
But perhaps because Garoth was the first evil dragon champion, he ignited even more curiosity and enthusiasm among the tal Dragons.
Garoth had originally intended to quietly stroll and savor the domain's customs.
But he soon discovered he could barely find a mont of peace in Everbright.
Wherever he went—
whether to visit the majestic libraries built on sheer cliffs that exuded ancient knowledge, or to fly over bizarre landscapes shaped by mighty dragon forces, or even to pause briefly at the edge of a spring spouting elental energies—various tal Dragons would "happen" to appear and spot him.
Then, like iron filings to a magnet, these tal Dragons would swiftly swarm, asking enthusiastic questions:
from combat techniques to lifestyle habits, from bloodline origins to dragon life philosophy, the queries were endless.
It was as if every dragon had beco a Brass Dragon.
At first, Garoth would reply politely with a few simple answers.
But he soon realized that only drew in even more spectators and questions,
and that the situation seed unavoidable.
In the Everbright Domain, he was like a lighthouse in a pitch-black night: strikingly conspicuous, impossibly prominent.
No matter how low-key he tried to be, his distinct, majestic silhouette always attracted the gaze of nearby giants first.
Sotis, when the crowding beca unbearable, Garoth had to bare his teeth, pull the classic ferocious evil-dragon face, and try to scare those overenthusiastic peers away.
That trick worked at first.
But after a few tis, the young tal Dragons learned the pattern.
This red iron champion only looked fierce; he wouldn't truly harm them—just scare them.
So instead of feeling frightened, they found it entertaining and began to secretly hope they'd be snarled at by this special champion.
Garoth felt helpless.
Before coming to the tal Dragon domain, he had imagined many scenarios he might face.
For example, being provoked everywhere, publicly belittled and insulted by arrogant tal Dragons, then repeatedly proving himself with overwhelming power and sharp strategy, turning the tables and exposing their hypocrisy.
But he never expected:
the legendary giants would not bother him because of their status;
the dragons who disliked him would still fear him and not dare to challenge;
and in the end, the thing that beca annoying and headache-inducing was the tal Dragons' boundless, intimate crowds and adoration.
"Then again, I can't entirely bla them."
Soaring in the sky and watching the young dragon silhouettes once more stirring and trying to approach, the red iron dragon sighed lightly, "It's simply that my charm is too outstanding, making it irresistible for them."
The red iron dragon felt a bit troubled by having too much charm.
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