Evil dragon has a warm heart
Chapter 589 - 589 587 Only Russell

Chapter 589: Chapter 587 Only Russell Chapter 589: Chapter 587 Only Russell Traveling at a speed of Mach 3 was simply too fast; what might have required several days and nights of flight for a colossal dragon, Russell, riding on Sacred Unicorn Polly, needed only one day.

“Thank goodness, we didn’t get lost.” As soon as he felt an eerie, deathly force, Russell knew he had arrived at the Molten Fire Duchy.

The giant dragons had perished, the volcanoes extinguished.

The radiating power had begun to wane, hence within the borders of the Molten Fire Duchy, that protective strength for all life had died.

“It’s hard to imagine that a giant dragon has just perished like this.” Upon entering the Molten Fire Duchy’s territory, Russell was filled with emotion.

He and Polly did not fly but instead strolled across the ice and snow.

After the fall of the colossal dragon, the radiant power of Meltdown Volcano, although not dissipating immediately, was like a decaying corpse; everything began changing. The most fundamental force experienced the most significant change, conveying the harsh reality of the life cycle in decline.

“Nothing is eternal, is it?” Polly remarked, echoing the sentiment.

“Yes,” Russell responded quietly, realizing that even in a world beyond the ordinary, nothing is truly immortal.

Humans have brief lifespans, dragons also reach their natural limits, mortals succumb to aging and sickness, and Divine Spirits can likewise shed blood and fall.

Soon, he and Polly entered a Warm Enclave.

Here, the lifeless power stirred slightly with vitality, undoubtedly sustained by the power of the Bipedal Flying Dragons. Yet, with the protection of the great dragon gone, the Warm Enclave would also swiftly decline, and the Bipedal Flying Dragons would degenerate.

Historical records suggest that with the fall of a nation or a great dragon, the Bipedal Flying Dragons will degenerate into a flock—Bone Dragons.

Flesh rots, souls tormented.

They charge fearlessly into the Snowfield until even their bony remains are shattered, ultimately disappearing into the quietude.

“Russell, the people here are crying,” Polly whispered softly.

Riding swiftly on her, Russell arrived in front of a castle where many serfs from all directions had gathered around, their sobs and moans merging into a chorus that filled the entire Warm Enclave with an atmosphere of grief.

Numbly, these people watched Russell arrive, riding a majestic Sacred Unicorn, unable to accept the sudden catastrophe that had befallen them.

“May I ask, who are you?” a castle Guard Knight approached, his accent somewhat strange and variously different from those in the Shadowflame Duchy and the Scorching Torrent Kingdom, but still recognizable upon closer listening.

It was the same language.

Russell glanced at the knight’s plain armor and spoke in a measured tone, “Russell Fluorescent Fungus, I come from the Shadowflame Duchy to mourn the Meltdown Dragon and Archduke Fritz, passing through to observe the situation.”

The knight was initially taken aback, then frowned as if trying to place Russell’s accent.

But soon he exclaimed, “Phantom Dragon Knight Russell Fluorescent Fungus! Ah, you are Russell… no, no, no, Your Grace the Grand Duke!”

With that, he immediately beat his chest in salute to Russell.

Evidently,

The name of Phantom Dragon Knight Russell had already spread throughout the Molten Fire Duchy, and even ordinary knights of the Warm Enclave had come to know of him.

“Your Grace the Grand Duke, if you would please wait, I will notify the castle at once!” The knight sped towards the castle.

Then there emerged several nobles, both men and women, dressed in black and white, rushing out of the castle. The knights in plain armor also began to fall into rank, readying to greet a distinguished guest.

“Your Grace the Grand Duke, welcome to Blue Mountain Fort; I am Reyus Oak, heir to Blue Mountain Fort,” the young noble introduced himself, excitement and gravity in his tone. “My father, Baron Blue Mountain, Reyus Oak, has gone to Changting, as have all the noble lords of our nation.”

Changting, which was the Moltenfire Duke’s palace, was so named for its large area and its rectangular architectural structure.

“Could you tell me how the Meltdown Dragon perished?” Russell asked.

“Please, Your Grace the Grand Duke, enter the castle to freshen up, and I shall explain everything here to Your Grace,” Reyus Oak answered with a bitter smile, unable to resist lamenting, “In a few years, everything here will have vanished.”

Inside Blue Mountain Fort, Russell tasted the castle’s signature oak bark beverage while listening to Reyus explain the circumstances of the dragon’s tragic demise.

Ten days before.

It was probably on October 3 of Dragon Calendar Year 5586 that in the outskirts of the Molten Fire Duchy, traces of Snow Trolls appeared. A few Snow Trolls attacked a Flying Dragon Knight. The Bipedal Flying Dragon was torn in half on the spot, but the Knight managed to escape disaster.

The Snow Trolls didn’t care at all about the fleeing Knight.

After the Knight returned to Changting, he immediately reported the incident with the Snow Trolls, and the Meltdown Dragon couldn’t possibly tolerate Snow Trolls wreaking havoc in its own territory. Thus, it personally inspected the edge of its domain within the Snowfield, attempting to deter the Snow Trolls.

“Unexpectedly, three days ago, the Snow Trolls had already formed a legion, led by a Frost Giant and a Snow Giant… The Meltdown Dragon was ambushed, and ultimately fell in battle on the Snowfield. Upon hearing the news, the Grand Duke vomited blood and followed the Meltdown Dragon in death.”

The details of the battle were hazy and unclear.

With the arrival of the Frost Domain, the battlefield became too dim to see clearly. In addition, the Flying Dragon Knights who accompanied the Meltdown Dragon suffered heavy casualties, with only a few managing to flee back to their domain.

“What’s the name of that Frost Giant?” Russell asked.

“I don’t know, but everyone calls it ‘He’. In the recent decades, Snow Giants had never appeared on our Duchy’s border, let alone a Frost Giant,” Reyus sighed, “Who would have imagined it would turn out like this?”

Russell sighed as well.

Originally, only Snow Giants inhabited the Snowfield, but now Frost Giants had taken charge. If it weren’t for his sudden emergence, Shuang Da would have probably followed in Shuang He’s footsteps and obliterated the Shadowflame Duchy.

Silence lingered for a moment.

He looked outside the castle, “What are these people gathering around the castle for?”

“Mourning the Meltdown Dragon and the Grand Duke…” Reyus said with a bitter smile, “The people no longer have the heart to work. The power of the domain is waning, and while the Volcanic Oasis might hold out for a while, our Warm Enclave will not last.”

After a pause, he continued, “Before my father set off for Changting, Lord Relis—the Titanium Dragon of our family—its Scale Armor started to show cracks…”

The Bipedal Flying Dragon depended on the Dragon for its existence, differing from elves and Phantom Beasts. Their power came directly from a Dragon’s radiation.

With the Dragon’s fall, the Bipedal Flying Dragons were bound to degrade, an outcome that was irreversible.

“Don’t lose heart, Reyus,” Russell stood, patted Reyus on the shoulder, “Although the domain is lost, the will of the Knight must not be shaken… I’m going to see Fred in Changting. By that time, a proper plan will be in place to preserve the people of the Molten Fire Duchy.”

Hearing this,

Reyus quickly bowed to Russell, “Thank you for your help, Your Grace the Grand Duke.”

“Get the domain’s morale in order—gather what must be gathered,” Russell said, and then turned to leave Blue Mountain Fort.

Becoming a streak of lightning, he swiftly flew away from the Warm Enclave that was cooling down.

In front of the castle gate, Reyus Oak watched Russell’s departing figure, clenching his fists to give himself a small boost of spirit. Even though the nation was on the brink of collapse, there was still hope for the family lineage to continue: that was to leave this land of warmth.

“Reyus, has the Grand Duke left?” the middle-aged noblewoman approached.

“Mother, Grand Duke Russell has already gone to Changting.”

“What an extraordinary Knight—he is indeed. The Shadowflame Duchy is fortunate to have a new Dragon Knight,” the noblewoman said admiringly, then suddenly asked, “So, will we be relocating to the Shadowflame Duchy or the Scorching Torrent Kingdom in the future?”

“I don’t know, Mother. That decision is for my father to make,” Reyus replied, pausing briefly, “But I hope it’s the Shadowflame Duchy.”

“Why?” the noblewoman inquired. “The Scorching Torrent Kingdom is stronger and could offer us more protection.”

“But it is Grand Duke Russell who is the future of the Way of the Knight.”

“He is indeed commendable, the world’s first Phantom Dragon Knight, but he certainly falls short of King Ares,” the noblewoman shook her head. “The kingdom has two Dragons; the Grand Duchy, just one. I definitely support moving to the kingdom.”

Reyus helped his mother back into the castle, not contradicting her words.

Yet in his heart, he yearned to head for the Shadowflame Duchy and even aspired to become one of Russell’s followers.

King Ares was indeed mighty, but he, like any other Dragon Knight, had no substantial difference. These Dragon Knights merely ascended the path of strength through the approval of a Dragon.

Only Russell.

Step by step, he climbed to the pinnacle of the Way of the Knight alongside his bonded partner—a Knight with such a future, shining even brighter.

“The one who could conquer the Snowfield and usher in a new era could only be Grand Duke Russell!”