Evil dragon has a warm heart
Chapter 631 - 631 629 Forging Hope as the Key

Chapter 631: Chapter 629: Forging Hope as the Key Chapter 631: Chapter 629: Forging Hope as the Key Back at Red Castle, the thunder sound communication from Bluebird Castle had been restored, and Marquis Merlin admitted he had dreamt of volcanic eruptions but had not taken it seriously before.

When Russell inquired about it, it piqued Marquis Merlin’s curiosity instead, “Does my dream have some significance?”

“This isn’t a dream, it’s a real volcanic eruption,” Russell informed Marquis Merlin with a return thunder sound. “A completely new and powerful dragon has emerged from the eruption at Outer Space Volcano, and I, Russell Amber Dream, am the knight of this dragon!”

After receiving the thunder sound reply, Marquis Merlin suddenly felt dizzy.

Uncle Mejie and Lady Kuna, who were by his side, were equally stunned and disoriented when they saw the content of the thunder sound.

“This… Grand Duke Russell, are you joking?” Lady Kuna exclaimed, having recognized the reality of the situation.

Marquis Merlin took several deep breaths to calm himself before replying, “No joke at all. Young Russell always wears a smile on his face but is ruthless at heart—he doesn’t seem like one to jest. Besides, my dream… I fear it is all true!”

“Father, send another thunder sound to inquire further,” Uncle Mejie urged anxiously.

But Marquis Merlin waved his hand dismissively, “The birth of a dragon means young Russell must be busy with a myriad of things. Why should we, the idlers, rush to join the hustle? Let’s wait.”

And indeed, Russell was very busy.

The kings and grand dukes of various countries had already been waiting for him for quite some time at the Thunder Voice Conference.

“What you have dreamed is not merely a dream,” he immediately composed a thunder sound and sent it to the conference. “Last night, the Dreamscape Ancient Dragon erupted, and I have formed a contract with the Dreamscape Ancient Dragon, ascending to the rank of Ancient Giant Dragon Knight.”

The thunder sound continued, “Above the elementals, the hope of returning to the ancients lies in mastering the rules, embodying the rules, and condensing an Ancient Dragon with the rules. As for the specific feelings, allow me some time to explore before sharing with all of you.”

“Furthermore,” he added another thunder sound communication, “I have changed my surname, and you may refer to me as—Russell Amber Dream.”

The thunder sound was sent out.

The Thunder Voice Conference exploded into chaos; a series of question marks followed the thunder sound, emanating from all over Dragon Sleep Continent and converging at Shadowflame Duchy.

After informing the countries, Russell then refrained from further participating in the Thunder Voice Conference, deciding to let the kings and grand dukes reel from the shock for a while.

He immediately convened a Cabinet meeting.

“I’ll focus on a few key points in this meeting,” Russell went straight to the point. “Firstly, I have advanced to an Ancient Giant Dragon Knight. Shadowflame Duchy fears no challenges, and it’s up to the Cabinet to reassure our citizens on this basis.”

“Congratulations, Your Highness!”

“The watchful eye of the dragon shines upon us with protection!”

“Your Highness has finally made a pact with His Highness Shadowflame!”

“Wait, Your Highness. What does it mean to be an Ancient Giant Dragon Knight?” Chief Steward Lord Kunbei, who had listened carefully, noticed that Russell had said ‘Ancient Giant Dragon Knight,’ not just ‘Dragon Knight,’ which clearly wasn’t the same concept.

“An Ancient Dragon is a being above dragons,” Russell explained calmly. “The Ancient Dragon I have contracted with is the Dreamscape Ancient Dragon… You should all have seen ‘Song of the Volcano’ and know of the Lost Dragon born for vengeance; that’s roughly what an Ancient Dragon is.”

“Ah! Your Highness, you’ve contracted with His Highness Shadowflame?” The ministers were utterly befuddled.

“Don’t rush, I’m going to form a contract with Shadowflame immediately afterwards; there’s no rule that states I can only contract with one dragon,” Russell chuckled, then said, “Kunqiao, as the Lord Seal Minister, the internal and external public relations for this matter will be handled by you.”

“Yes, Your Highness!” Lord Kunqiao replied in a daze.

Even after Russell explained the concept of the Ancient Dragon, Kunqiao still felt his mind was not fully comprehending what was happening.

How did the good fortune of contracting the Shadowflame Dragon turn into contracting the Dreamscape Ancient Dragon?

“The second matter pertains to the political restructuring of Shadowflame Duchy. I have decided to ascend to the rank of King, changing the royal surname to Amber Dream. The name of Shadowflame Duchy will be changed to Dreamshadow Flame Kingdom, and apart from that, everything remains unchanged.”

Having said this, Russell announced the meeting adjourned.

The Cabinet Ministers were left in disarray within the conference room, utterly shocked by the unexpected and sudden developments.

“What in the world is going on?”

“How did His Highness end up contracting with the Dreamscape Ancient Dragon?”

“The knight of the lost dragon, I believe his name was Sigruft… Your Highness, no, now it’s Your Majesty, when did Your Majesty contract the Dreamscape Ancient Dragon?”

“Lord Roland, this matter…”

“Sorry, like you, I’m still unclear about the situation,” Roland spread his hands. He had been too busy recently, barely having idle chats with Russell, so naturally, he didn’t know about Russell’s situation. “But, just follow the orders as given.”

Whatever Russell commanded, the ministers would execute.

This was the power dynamics of the Shadowflame Grand Duchy now.

…

“Shadowflame thought you had forgotten about Shadowflame.” Within the Shadowflame Volcano, the Shadowflame Dragon stared at Russell with burning eyes.

Observing him carefully.

It keenly sensed that the aura around Russell had become unfathomable, such that even it could feel a tremendous pressure.

This was the oppression of a superior being upon an inferior one.

“How could that be? I’ve promised that there would always be a place for you beside me,” Russell said, standing before the Shadowflame Dragon, feeling the same change. He always used to find the dragon’s might very powerful.

Now.

He felt that although the Shadowflame Dragon was strong, there was still a certain gap between them, and he could now look at the Shadowflame Dragon eye-to-eye or even look down on it.

“The Ice Cream Volcano erupted; why hasn’t this guy appeared?” the Shadowflame Dragon uttered in a bubbly magic dragon language. “Shadowflame felt its power, mighty and strange, seemingly not an elemental force.”

“Indeed, Ice Cream is an Ancient Dragon, a Dreamscape Ancient Dragon.”

“Ancient?” the Shadowflame Dragon quickly spotted the blind spot. “Ice Cream… it actually returned to the ancient times?”

“The so-called ancient times are the initial rules of the world, to comprehend and embody these rules, is to ascend as an Ancient Dragon. Ice Cream has mastered the rules of dreamscape, thus it has surpassed the Elemental Giant Dragon, becoming an even more powerful upper-tier dragon.”

“Rules, laws, Spirit Dragon, Giant Dragon… the logic is clear, but…” The Shadowflame Dragon swiped its forelimb.

Suddenly, it presented a clump of starlight.

This represented its hope of returning to the past.

Looking at this hope, the Shadowflame Dragon shook its head heavily: “But Shadowflame cannot unravel it, cannot solve it, even though Shadowflame’s power has reached the critical point of breaking free, it still cannot unravel the tangles within this hope!”

It held the hope in the palm of its claw, lowered its head, looking into Russell’s eyes: “Ice Cream, how did it return to the ancient times?”

“Sorry, Shadowflame, Ice Cream did not go back to the ancient times, but rather, it was originally birthed from the embodiment of rules as an Ancient Dragon.” Russell explained.

The Shadowflame Dragon fell silent for a moment. “Shadowflame wants to meet it.”

This was to seek guidance face-to-face, on how to return to the ancient times.

Russell, however, said: “You cannot see it, at least not for now. As an embodiment of rules, Ice Cream, being the Dreamscape Ancient Dragon, is unable to descend into the real world.”

“Hm?” The Shadowflame Dragon’s eyes flickered with intrigue.

“However, you can go to Amber Dreamscape and meet Ice Cream in person,” Russell said with a slight smile. “Of course, if you want to enter Amber Dreamscape, you’ll need to make a sacrifice and forge your hope into a key.”

“What does that mean?” the Shadowflame Dragon looked gravely, considering that its hope to return to ancient times was at stake; any dragon would proceed with caution.

“I’ve dreamt of Mother Earth, the planetary will; hope is no longer on the earth.”

Russell went on to explain: “So, holding onto hope and trying to solve it won’t bring you back to ancient times. The only place of hope now is Amber Dreamscape. Shadowflame, forge your hope into a key and take a look in Amber Dreamscape.”

After a pause, he added: “Perhaps, that is the true hope of returning to the ancient times.”

“Shadowflame needs to contemplate.” The Shadowflame Dragon was obviously not eager to part with this cluster of hope, its most precious possession.

“I won’t harm you, Shadowflame,” Russell said softly. “If you don’t trust me, then let’s make a pact. Ice Cream won’t descend into the real world, but you, Shadowflame, will be my only dragon companion as I traverse the Dragon Sleep Continent!”

“Shadowflame trusts you, but Shadowflame needs time to think,” the Shadowflame Dragon lowered its head to the ground. “This does not prevent, Shadowflame and Russell from fusing… Come, Shadowflame’s knight, lead Shadowflame into a new era!”