Chapter 102 Ancient Red Dragon! [Request for Recommendation Vote]
The Archmage’s Scepter is a well-known artifact.
Its most powerful ability is to be used in conjunction with the Cloak of Anti-Detection, allowing the user to enter an invisible state at any time and place, becoming undetectable by spells or naked eyes.
This artifact was once the most favored item by Soren, but after he mastered the Divine Profession of Shadows, his need for the Archmage’s Scepter diminished significantly. Nevertheless, this artifact still has great utility; even if Soren can’t use it, it is an invaluable treasure to any mortal.
Ildis possesses quite a few good items.
However, most of them hold little value for Soren, with the only two things that pique his interest being the two staves.
The first one is the Archmage’s Scepter.
The second one is the Scepter of Saphiras.
Compared to the Archmage’s Scepter, the Scepter of Saphiras appears much more mysterious. The Scepter of Saphiras is carved from gray ash wood, about four feet long, and inlaid with nine star-blue gemstones. A one-inch diameter diamond, featuring the emblem of the All-Seeing Saphiras, is embedded at the base of the scepter, while another three-inch diamond, with a thousand facets, is inconceivable for mortals to create, and finally, there is a diamond with the emblem of the God of Mages – Agustus embedded at the top of the scepter.
When Soren obtained this scepter, he surprisingly could not identify its properties.
The Scepter of Saphiras is enveloped in a divine power, not only the sealed All-Seeing Saphiras but also a power belonging to the God of Mages, Agustus.
“The power of the Mage’s Divine Profession has been transferred to the scepter?”
Soren tightened his grip on the Scepter of Saphiras, murmuring, “No wonder Ildis was willing to betray the Goddess of Magic’s Church to take it away.”
Ildis wants to be invested as a god.
And he also wants to obtain the power of the Mage Divine Profession, which is why he took the risk of fleeing into the Red Dragon Mountains with the Scepter of Saphiras.
—”Saint Transformation!”
In order to explore the mystery of the God of Mages’ fall, Soren infused the perception of a deity into the scepter, wanting to ascertain if Agustus’ soul was hidden within.
However.
To Soren’s surprise, Agustus’ soul was not among them; it seemed to have truly fallen. What he sensed was a tormented soul, that of the Prophet – Saphiras. This soul was extremely weak and its consciousness was quite blurred, as if much of its power had been drained.
The Red Dragon Mountains are not a place to linger.
Soren imprisoned Ildis’ soul, then opened a portal with the two staves and his spoils.
He prepared to return to Modo.
But!
At that moment, an angry roar suddenly erupted.
Immediately, an astonishing Dragon Pressure enveloped from the mountain peak, accompanied by a raging wind, and a colossal creature descended from the sky, landing outside the cave!
“Who is it!?”
“Which lowly bug dares to trespass into the lair of the Ancient Red Dragon – Frostara!”
The deep voice of the dragon carried boundless rage as a massive dragon head appeared at the cave’s entrance. The terrifying Dragon Pressure made all nearby creatures dare not approach easily, and the scorching flames flickered into view, seeming to indicate that if Soren’s answer were in any way unsatisfactory, the Red Dragon before him would incinerate him to ashes with its terrifying Dragon Breath.
Carelessness.
Soren had just killed Ildis and forgotten the existence of the Ancient Red Dragon for a moment, even forgetting that he was directly beneath its lair.
Ancient dragons are very cautious.
They possess rich life experience, and typically, the lairs of ancient dragons are many times more dangerous than those of adult dragons, as they will fill their lairs with all sorts of magical traps and alarm spells over a long period. Ildis had stealthily made his way here without casting any teleportation spells because the vicinity of an Ancient Red Dragon’s lair can sense the beacons of teleportation spells. This could easily expose one’s presence, and after killing Ildis, Soren was in a hurry to return to Modo, momentarily forgetting about this Ancient Red Dragon, just as he was casting the High-level Teleportation Spell, the spell’s power startled this Ancient Red Dragon.
The surrounding space was sealed.
The cunning Ancient Red Dragon immediately used a Dimensional Anchor to lock the spatial area; Soren would not be able to leave unless he invoked Divine Power.
However.
At that moment, Soren was no longer so afraid of an Ancient Red Dragon.
His figure slowly emerged from the cave, and upon seeing the scepter in his hand, the eyes of the Ancient Red Dragon instantly burst with bright light, solemnly saying, “Human! Hand over the scepter in your hand to me! The great Frostara will forgive your offense against me!”
A greedy light glimmered.
Even a fool could see that the scepter in Soren’s hand was extraordinary, let alone an Ancient Red Dragon with its knowledge; recognizing the Scepter of Saphiras would not be difficult.
“Don’t let greed blind your eyes.”
A hint of mocking smile appeared on Soren’s lips as he calmly stood before the massive Ancient Red Dragon, saying, “First, take a look at who I am!”
At this moment.
The Ancient Red Dragon then struggled to shift its gaze away from the artifact and focused on Soren before it.
In the next instant.
The enormous body of the Ancient Red Dragon, Frostara, trembled, and its head immediately lowered, its voice tinged with a hint of fear, “Lord of Shadows – Soren!…”
“Frostara was unaware of your arrival!…”
“Please forgive my previous offense!… You may leave at any time!…”
The brilliance of divinity cannot be hidden from the Ancient Red Dragon.
Especially since Soren did not have any means to conceal his power, when the Ancient Red Dragon saw his Saint Transformation, it immediately realized his identity.
Then, fear was born uncontainably.
Soren gently caressed the Scepter of Saphiras in his hand, narrowing his eyes as he looked at the Ancient Red Dragon before him, smiling, “It seems that offending you requires a price.”
“Then.”
“What price should you pay for offending me?”
—”Domain of Shadows!”
—”Domain of Death!”
—”Domain of Slaughter!”
The power of the triple domains enveloped the surrounding space, instantly sealing off all retreat routes for the Ancient Red Dragon.
Soren slowly took a step forward, lightly chuckling, “How should I punish you? One must remember that the cost of offending a deity is not light!”
Cold sweat appeared.
The Ancient Red Dragon before him involuntarily took a step back, its voice now devoid of the initial momentum, quietly saying, “Great Lord of Shadows! I am willing to compensate for my earlier offense against you!…”
“Look!”
“This is mithril from the Underdark. These are gems from the Southern Islands. I am willing to offer all of these to you!”
A pained expression flickered across the Ancient Red Dragon’s face, but it still opened a spatial door, subsequently bringing forth a large block of mithril and over a hundred gems. For dragons, being willing to offer their treasures as compensation is a significant concession, knowing they are all hoarders of wealth.
Soren accepted them without reservation.
As Soren received these items, a hint of relief appeared on the Ancient Red Dragon’s face, as it indicated that Soren had accepted its apology.
If Soren did not take these items, it would likely have to prepare for battle immediately.
Because no one can offend the majesty of a deity and not pay a price; if Soren refused these items, it meant that the price it paid was not severe enough, and the true god before it intended to extract an even more painful price.
………………
(PS: First update. There will be another chapter today.) (To be continued ~^~)
