Chapter 175: Shaya, Am I a Regent to a Child? (Part 3)
“Lost Island.”
Shaya’s eyes flickered slightly.
The reason he took such a tremendous risk, crossing three eras to return to the First Era, was all for his Golden Elf teacher.
However, even in this First Era, High Elves were still beings beyond humans’ reach.
Even from the perspective of powerful human kingdoms, their understanding of elves was limited to half-elves with a trace of elven blood sold by slave traders, or the Dark Elf Drows who occasionally existed in the Underground World, hiding in the shadows.
As for Forest Elves and Golden Elves, high-class elves like them only existed in the ethereal legends of bards.
They were a Silver Race, innately capable of controlling elements and possessing long lifespans.
In that flourishing Glorious Era, they held a status equal to that of the Ancient Dragons.
And Lost Island was said to be the habitat of the High Elf race, located in the Endless Sea beyond the Western Continent.
“If I recall correctly, the reason ‘Lost Island’ is named as such,”
“is because since the Great Calamity, countless great navigators and adventurers have set sail, seeking the legendary island rumored to lie beyond the Western Continent, holding ruins and treasures from the Glorious Era.”
“However, without exception, all who sought that island either returned in vain or were lost in the endless waves of the sea.”
Hearing Shaya’s words, the Golden Dragon’s hoarse voice spoke again.
“That is only natural.”
“When the Great Calamity broke out, before the Elf King completely succumbed to corruption and madness, he used his final authority as Elf King to gather the power of the World Tree and sever the Elf Royal Court from the World Tree.”
“He created a massive barrier, permanently sheltering the elves’ habitat within, protecting them from the ‘Fallen Sun’.”
“Similarly, it is a bloodline-based barrier. Only those of High Elf lineage, or those granted permission, can enter, even if they reach the outskirts of Lost Island.”
“However—”
“In the very beginning, in the age when glory still existed, the Royal Courts of Giants, Elves, and Ancient Dragons all depended on the World Tree.”
“Even after the initial glory faded and the World Tree died,”
“some branches remained, forming the foundation of the mortal world.”
A faint light flickered in the Golden Dragon’s clouded eyes as it looked back at the vast, desolate ruins behind them.
“This is a World Tree Fragment, though it has long since died.”
“But even so, as the former master of this Royal Court,”
“I am one of only two beings in this world who can, using the connection between the World Tree branches, awaken this world and find Lost Island for you.”
The clouded light in its eyes receded slightly, and the Golden Dragon gazed intently at Shaya.
“Unless you can find the Giant King’s Royal Court…”
“And it has retained its inherited authority after a thousand years, possessing beings capable of communicating with the World Tree branches.”
“Otherwise, I am your only option… Even if you find any other True Gods who haven’t gone mad, you will never find Lost Island.”
It slowly raised its claw, half black and half shimmering with a faint golden hue.
The next moment.
Enveloped by a thin veil of night, deep and mysterious, like a dragon egg adorned with starlight, it appeared before Shaya.
Looking at the Night Egg before him, the Golden Dragon’s clouded eyes showed a hint of melancholy.
“It is not my child.”
“Or rather, I am not qualified to be its parent.”
“It is the King’s child.”
“Even the Elf King, before losing control, had time to use his final strength to detach the Elf Royal Court from the World Tree, creating Lost Island and the Evernight barrier to protect over half of the High Elf population from the ‘Light Calamity’.”
“As Ancient Dragons, who are more powerful than High Elves, we should have done better than the Elf King.”
“It’s just that… when the Sun God fell from the Throne of Heaven, it was precisely when the King had just completedgestation and passed most of his power and authority to his child, leaving himself at his weakest.”
“At that time, as the designated heir to the future Royal Court, as the most powerful Pureblood Dragon in the clan besides the King, and one of the only two Ancient Dragons with the authority to command the branches of the World Tree.”
“I was a coward…”
Uncontrollable regret flashed in the Golden Dragon’s eyes.
“When my kin needed me most, my heart was blinded by the immense fear of death, and I chose to flee.”
“By the time I finally resolved myself and returned to the Royal Court, everything was beyond salvation.”
“The dragons, driven mad and out of control by the Fallen Sun, followed their most primal instincts of devouring and evolving, tearing apart the weakened King after gestation—”
“Then, they began to slaughter each other to seize the divinity they had each consumed.”
“When I arrived, I was met only by the ruins of a barren Royal Court… and the remains of Ancient Dragons who were once as close as family, now desiring to devour each other’s flesh and blood.”
“And the King, enduring the pain of being devoured and his divinity stolen by his own kin, refused to flee, protecting his child even unto death.”
“The grand Ancient Dragon Royal Court met its irreversible, tragic end due to my cowardice.”
“From that day on, I became a lingering spirit, or an undead, haunting the ruins of the Royal Court.”
“Because of my mistake, the glory of the Ancient Dragons has dimmed. Perhaps some dragons escaped the Royal Court and scattered to the Western Continent… but driven mad, they are meaningless even if they are still alive and have left descendants with dragon blood.”
“They are merely large lizards with a trace of dragon blood, having long forgotten the glory of the past Royal Court, how could they be worthy of the name Ancient Dragon.”
“This is my sin, and no matter how many years it takes to repay or atone, it will never be enough to fill this debt.”
The Golden Dragon’s gaze fell on the Night Egg, softening slightly.
“All I can do is protect the child that the King protected with his life.”
“It is the King’s child… and the last remnant of the Royal Court.”
“In the thousand years since the Great Calamity began and the Glorious Era ended… it has been absorbing the residual power of the World Tree Fragment.”
“It is the last witness to that glorious era, to the glory of the Ancient Dragon Royal Court.”
“The history of this glorious Royal Court will be sung by it.”
The Golden Dragon’s voice paused slightly.
The next moment, a crimson and gold divine light erupted from its cloudy, jaundiced dragon eyes.
The pitch-black decay receded from its body, revealing the brilliant crimson and gold scales beneath.
Only now did the undead haunting the Royal Court regain some semblance of its former glory as a Golden Dragon.
“The influence of the Fallen Sun is still ongoing.”
“As beings who reside in the heavens, we suffer the most severe corruption. Even a slight touch of sunlight can lead to a tendency for loss of control and madness.”
“Even High Elves had to create an eternal night, hiding themselves within a massive Evernight barrier, never to leave Lost Island again.”
“No one knows how long the Fallen Sun’s radiance will last; perhaps a thousand years… or perhaps several eras.”
“But I know that this place cannot last that much longer.”
“For the past thousand years, I have barely managed to resist the ‘Light Calamity’ by relying on the power of the World Tree fragments in the Royal Court ruins.”
“But now, the last power of the World Tree branches is also about to be depleted.”
It looked directly at Shaya: “I know… recently, among the human race, a new method of contracting has been developed—”
“It can connect a human’s mental power with the soul of a supernatural being through a contract.”
“In the past, dragons, giants, and elves alike looked down on humans.”
“We thought humans lacked innate racial talents and long lifespans. An adult Pureblood Dragon could sweep aside the strongest humans; they were merely the most insignificant Black Iron Race.”
“But now, I realize we were wrong.”
“Precisely because humans are born with nothing, without the supernatural powers and strengths bestowed by the Creator God, they are also unrestrained.”
“Not bound by the Fallen Sun, they can walk freely under the sunlight.”
“Only with the assistance of a pure-blooded human soul, by forming a contract with a human, can we hope to suppress the madness and loss of control tendencies of us superior races.”
“Moreover…”
“Among humans, who are born with nothing, exist beings like you.”
The Golden Dragon looked at Shaya, pausing slightly.
“Contract with the King’s child, and take good care of it for the King.”
“In exchange, I will use the authority of an Ancient Dragon Royal Court heir to help you establish a guide to Lost Island through the connections between the World Tree branches.”
By the end, the Golden Dragon’s words even carried a hint of pleading.
Shaya did not speak, merely observing the dragon before him in silence.
For some reason, being observed by Shaya, the Golden Dragon felt a shiver of coldness.
It was as if it were transported back to its childhood, the first time its parents brought it to the Royal Court to meet the King on his high throne.
Deep and mysterious.
“Have you truly thought this through?”
The Golden Dragon heard a calm voice sounding in its ear.
“The power of this sub-dimension can last for about another hundred years.”
“If you do this, you will likely deplete the last of the World Tree branches’ power immediately.”
“Once the World Tree’s protection is lost and you are directly exposed to the Fallen Sun, with your current soul and physical state, you will fall into complete madness, with no possibility of awakening your self-will.”
“In that case, for my own self-preservation, I will kill you first.”
Hearing Shaya’s words, the Golden Dragon couldn’t help but give a bitter smile.
“Indeed, nothing can be hidden from Your Excellency.”
This was perhaps the first time since the opening of the First Era that the Ancient Dragon race had addressed a human with the title “Your Excellency.”
“However, you do not need to trouble Your Excellency to do it yourself.”
“As a sinner of the Dragon race, I have lingered here for a thousand years.”
“Living for another hundred years… holds little significance.”
“My only hope is that the King’s child will not follow in our footsteps—”
“Rather, it can grow up healthy and strong.”
“And walk in a free, bright world.”
Shaya raised an eyebrow: “Aren’t you afraid I’ll act unscrupulously—devour your King’s child and make it my own?”
“A child who inherited half the authority of a Dragon King, yet is still in its infancy… if it appeared on the Western Continent, even True Gods would be tempted, wouldn’t they?”
“And didn’t your Ancient Dragon Royal Court have close allies during the Glorious Era? Why entrust it to a stranger like me instead of asking an ally?”
Although Shaya was confident in his charm, the creature before him was a dragon, not a human.
He didn’t believe he could overcome racial barriers and gain the dragon’s complete trust after a single encounter to have it entrust the King’s child to him.
“I have no other choice.”
“After the Great Calamity, even those mythical creatures who retained their reason and walked the earth normally were, deep within their souls, eroded and corrupted by the Light Calamity.”
“They are merely suppressing it through various means daily and could lose control at any moment.”
“Compared to them, I would rather trust Your Excellency, a pure-blooded human.”
Of course, the Golden Dragon did not reveal everything.
For instance, when it was in a better state, it had left the sub-dimension of the World Tree Fragment to study humans in the outside world.
This was also why the legend of the Evil Dragon and the Princess and Prince originated in a small human country called the Kingdom of Trees.
However, while ordinary humans could be free from the Fallen Sun’s influence—
the strength of an ordinary human’s soul, unaccustomed to cultivation, would be insufficient to withstand a contract with an Ancient Dragon and assist it in dispelling the effects of corruption and madness, making it a fantasy.
Before the Golden Dragon could conduct further research, the aftereffects of direct sunlight exposure to the Fallen Sun during its external research appeared, leading it into a semi-mad state.
Only with a sliver of remaining sanity did it prevent itself from harming the Night Egg.
If Shaya hadn’t awakened it, it might have remained in a daze until its physical functions completely deteriorated and its life came to an end.
At this moment, this young human, of mysterious origin yet exceptionally powerful, who had so easily awakened it from its madness, was its only hope.
If he were truly an ordinary person, how could he be worthy of being entrusted with the King’s only child?
The Golden Dragon looked at Shaya and suddenly blinked its cloudy, jaundiced eyes.
“While a dragon’s authority might be precious to those mythical creatures… Your Excellency does not seem to be on that path.”
“And I believe in that snake’s judgment.”
“Anyone followed by the Quicksilver Snake cannot have too bad a character.”
The quicksilver light flashed and vanished.
Shaya’s mind stirred, and the small, quicksilver snake leaped out of his Soul Pact Space, looking at the Golden Dragon. “You know me?”
“The King mentioned you.”
“A favorite of destiny, the Quicksilver Snake.”
Looking at the little quicksilver snake, a trace of nostalgia appeared in the Golden Dragon’s eyes.
“The King said that in the early days of the Glorious Era, you had a particular fondness for the treasures in the Ancient Dragon Royal Court’s treasury.”
“Every time the Royal Court’s treasury was inventoried, you could often be seen coiled around a Holy Relic, unwilling to leave for a long time.”
“Some elders of the Dragon race proposed locking you up, but the King would always laugh and refuse, letting you leave. Sometimes, he would even give you small trinkets.”
“However, since I joined the Royal Court, I heard you had disappeared and I never saw you again.”
“Later came the Light Calamity, the Great Calamity…”
“Now that I think about it, you probably received a warning from destiny, foreseeing that Great Calamity in advance.”
Shaya couldn’t help but glance at the snake on his shoulder.
This guy had such a past?
Freely entering and exiting the Ancient Dragon Royal Court treasury filled with Holy Relics?
That was truly enviable… no, outrageous.
The snake, on the other hand, flicked its small pink tongue, looking bewildered.
“Did that happen? I don’t remember anything like that.”
“It’s no wonder you don’t remember.”
Shaya tapped the snake’s head and threw the Quicksilver Snake back into his Soul Pact Space.
He had realized that he shouldn’t treat this guy as a mythical creature.
It was a complete troublemaker; no wonder it was a firsthand witness to the First Era, yet Shaya’s specific inquiries yielded nothing, forcing him to investigate himself.
Of course, from another perspective—
The Great Calamity at the end of the Glorious Era had affected the once powerful Ancient Dragons, Giants, and Elves, yet this combat-ineffective Quicksilver Snake remained unharmed.
It seemed that the so-called “favorite of destiny” was not just a name.
The Golden Dragon then turned its querying gaze back to Shaya.
It was still awaiting Shaya’s answer.
“Since that is the case, then—”
“The transaction is agreed upon.”
Shaya said softly.
After all, his Soul Pact slots had many vacancies after the trip to Eden.
Even with the seventh Soul Pact used to contract the Quicksilver Snake, his fourth and sixth Soul Pacts were still empty.
Even if the fourth Soul Pact couldn’t accommodate a new contract due to Augustina’s anomaly, he could simply ask the subservient Holy Grail to give up its sixth Soul Pact slot.
As for assisting in bearing the madness and corruption brought by the Fallen Sun—
Apologies, but as a master illusionist, he had always been effective against rampaging Tailed Beasts.
“Good.”
Upon receiving Shaya’s affirmative, the Golden Dragon nodded quickly.
The next moment.
BOOM—
Crimson and gold flames erupted fiercely around the Golden Dragon.
The original clouded blackness vanished completely, replaced by the mythical creature form of the Golden Dragon.
It was the Golden Dragon burning its last life essence.
It did not ask Shaya to complete the contract first, nor to fulfill its part of the transaction.
It did not propose any means of supervising the completion of the transaction.
The Golden Dragon knew very well that against Shaya, who could so easily suppress it and awaken it from its semi-madness, it had no room to negotiate.
This black-haired, black-eyed young human was the master of this transaction—
And all it could do was exert itself to the utmost to show its sincerity.
BOOM—
Amidst the fiercely burning, scorching flames, the once barren and dark world, and the desolated Ancient Dragon Royal Court, let out a resounding roar.
It was the ruins of this dilapidated Royal Court responding to the final wish of its former heir, and now, the dragon sinner.
In this instant, Shaya saw the phantom image of a colossal ancient tree quietly appear in the sky of this barren sub-dimension.
Then.
A connection, transcending time and space, faint and indistinct, emanated from this World Tree phantom.
Finally, it extended towards a certain location in this world.
Swish.
The luxuriant, dense branches unfurled.
Shaya saw a leaf of the World Tree slowly descend from the colossal phantom.
A drop of faint golden liquid was gradually rolling down from the leaf.
Plink—
In an instant, the faint golden liquid transformed from a phantom into substance.
It dripped onto Shaya’s forehead.
A refreshing coolness spread across his brow.
And at the moment the drop of World Tree sap landed, Shaya felt, within his Spiritual Ocean—
the dim star sea formed by hundreds of Sands of Time flickered all at once, emitting dazzling starlight.
Shaya’s spiritual power, which had slowly stabilized after ten years of arduous cultivation in Eden and had not seen significant breakthroughs for a long time, actually increased again.
The magnitude of the increase in spiritual power was not substantial, but considering the current volume of Shaya’s Spiritual Ocean, such an improvement was astonishing…
If it were merely simple meditation, the current improvement would be equivalent to a year of hard training.
Simultaneously, Shaya also felt an ethereal coordinate and connection, along with the falling faint golden liquid, imprinted into his mind.
That was what the Golden Dragon had promised—
the directional pointer to Lost Island, where the High Elves resided.
“Originally, the ‘World Tree’s Blessing’ could elevate the racial potential of newly inducted Ancient Dragons by one tier.”
“However, with the remaining power of the World Tree branches, it can only achieve this much now.”
The Golden Dragon’s voice became weaker.
Around its body, the crimson and gold flames that were burning gradually faded, along with its golden dragon scales.
Given its corrupted state after thousands of years, burning its life essence at such a cost meant it was nearing death.
Yet, even so, the Golden Dragon continued to look at Shaya.
The light in its golden dragon eyes gradually dimmed.
“I only hope that Your Excellency will keep your promise.”
“May the King’s child not suffer the same fate as us—”
“I hope it can grow up healthy and strong.”
“And then, walk in a world of freedom and light.”
Its voice gradually faded into nothingness.
Vitality receded from the once powerful Ancient Dragon, returning to pure dead silence.
The fire of life in its eyes slowly extinguished.
But, the next moment.
The Golden Dragon suddenly widened its eyes.
It saw the black-haired, black-eyed youth gently crouch down.
Then, he placed his hand on the desolate Royal Court ruins.
Illusory light particles scattered, then diffused.
In the quicksilver light, the Golden Dragon saw the vibrant Ancient Dragon Royal Court again.
In the bright sunlight, its kin bustled about.
Green dragons lounged in lush valleys, cultivating splendid seas of flowers; dream dragons soared in the sky, weaving beautiful or sorrowful illusions for the beings below.
Ancient dragons in human form played seven-stringed zithers and blew bone flutes, cheering for the duels among metal dragons.
Abundant food was everywhere, gold coins piled high in the treasury, inexhaustible.
And the King of the Ancient Dragon race sat on his high throne, serenely overlooking everything in the Royal Court.
“King…”
The Golden Dragon uttered a low sound.
Its flesh and blood rapidly receded.
Transforming into faint golden light particles, it dissipated into the gradually fading phantom of the World Tree.
