Ashen Dragon

At the end, he took a deep breath, and a hint of despair showed in his eyes, filled with sorrow and anger.

"I think... Hell couldn't be much worse than this."

Cassius was well aware of the rule of the five-colored dragons. In the narrow vertical pupils of these cruel, tyrannical, and short-sighted lords, these weak humans didn't even count as livestock; at most, they were considered a piece of juicy moving meat.

They'd take a bite when hungry, not to fill their stomachs, but to savor the wails of the weak, the thrill of destruction.

Tiamat was not such a short-sighted deity, but it was difficult for Her to reign in these evil five-colored dragons. Moreover, for Her, the most important thing was always one thing—escaping Hell and descending into the Material Plane.

In this way, She could reign over Fianso with a divine body, becoming the supreme ruler here, restoring the glory of ancient dragons.

Cassius gently tapped the ground with his claw and said firmly, "This is the difference between me and Tiamat. I want to build a strong and prosperous empire and realize the grand blueprint in my heart.

Whether human, dwarf, elf, or tiefling, ogre, regardless of race or faith, as long as they can bring benefit to the empire, I will consider them my citizens."

"And Tiamat? She just wants to be a god ruling everything, making the five-colored dragons Her nationals, treating all other races as slaves. No, if the benefit is enough, She can even easily abandon any five-colored dragon."

Adrian was stirred by his words, exclaiming, "Your Majesty, I have never seen a Red Dragon like you."

With a slight tremor, Cassius supported his body with his stout limbs, slowly standing up from the altar, his expansive Dragon Wings unfolding, shining brightly.

Adrian and Rolf felt as though a majestic mountain rose from the ground, pressing toward them, a massive shadow enveloping them, imparting an indescribable sense of oppression.

Cassius gazed down at them from above, saying in a deep voice, "I will never become Tiamat's thrall, nor will the Ashen Empire become the hunting grounds of the five-colored dragons.

Therefore—I have no choice but to be at odds with the Dragon Worship Church, to challenge the Five-Colored Dragon Queen!"

Looking at the proud Red Dragon, Adrian was utterly convinced by his words.

There was no doubt that His Majesty Cassius was indeed a proud, noble, and ambitious Emperor, and his resolve to oppose that Five-Colored Dragon Queen, the Mother of Evil Dragons, was evident.

In this brief conversation, Adrian deeply felt the charisma of this Emperor.

If he hadn't already converted to the Amanata Church, he would have wanted to draw his sword then and there, swear allegiance, and become an imperial citizen.

Even now, his emotions were still surging, quite stirred.

At least he confirmed one thing—this Ashen Emperor is genuinely determined to confront the Dragon Worship Church!

Thus, Seleucis finally had a glimmer of hope, to escape from this tragedy filled with wails, cries, and bloodshed.

Taking a deep breath to calm his repressed mood, Adrian raised his head and carefully asked the second question he wanted to know: First seen on MVLEMPYR.

"Your Majesty, why me?"

Not only Adrian, but even Rolf accompanying him couldn't figure this out, having conducted many discussions before arriving at the Ashen Empire.

The reason was simple: in front of such a colossal empire, their strength was utterly insignificant.

Not to mention the invincible, unconquerable Ashen Legion that was renowned across the continent, they hadn't even been able to defeat the fully armed Tiefling patrol team outside the city.

Around Sword Bay Region, there are several well-known cities, such as Waterdeep City (Waterdeep), Elturel (Elturel), and Neverwinter City (Neverwinter), with Waterdeep built on the Elf Empire Ilfaen's capital—Erin Vier's old site, having numerous temples of divine beings. Miracle Temple is the game's most magnificent Magic Goddess Temple, featuring luxurious towers embedded with colorful paintings and magical decorations, exuding a grand Baroque style, whereas Neverwinter City leans more towards Gothic architecture, emerging after Aegostor developed the earliest human settlement for nearly a hundred years. The main city of the story, Bod Gate, is the largest and most prosperous trade city-state in Sword Bay, mixing nobles, commoners, and thieves, known to adventurers as the "conspirators' nest." Bod Gate got its name from a hero, Gray Port adventurer Bodlan, who returned to Gray Port with wealth after exploring continents beyond the Sword Sea and led a team to build a city here. According to residents' status, Bod Gate is divided into the noble Upper City and the commoner Lower City, with Outer City Districts scattered around Chenyi Mountain, and the gate separating the Upper and Lower Cities is called Bod Gate, with the entire city named after it, serving also as a monument to Bodlan, the city's founder. Currently, Bod Gate is ruled by a four-person council, where four Grand Dukes reign, with one serving as the council leader, who decides in case of a tie; decisions are made by Grand Duke Elder Ravenclaw. The Upper City's security is handled by elite class official police force Guard (Watch), while other areas are managed by a mercenary corps named "Flaming Fist," also commanded by Grand Duke Elder Ravenclaw as the highest leader, headquartered at Bodlan Sea Tower, the strongest fortress against sea invasion, while the crescent-shaped Gray Harbor, Bod Gate's economic lifeline, sees hundreds of merchant ships daily, bringing both gold coins and greed with sin. The Upper City has a relatively elevated terrain, comprising Castle District, Temple District, Manoburn District, and Wide Alley District, housing numerous religious buildings, Miracle Hall and Supreme Miracle House, which serves as both a craft workshop and a religious center of the God of Craft, Gund, in Bod Gate. The Lower City's buildings are mostly stone houses, with six districts: Sea Tower District, Blonrich District, Steep District, Crowded Side District, East Road District, and Branpton District, with the middle class usually residing in Blonrich District near the Upper City's nobles, while East Road District, near Stone Lizard Gate connecting the Outer City, is more mixed with many lively bars and cheap inns, Sea Tower District housing the Flaming Fist mercenary corps camp, near Sea Tower District's largest rocky offshore island harboring the mercenary corps headquarters Bodlan Sea Tower, and Branpton District and Steep District relatively rundown, belonging to the sailor and labor community. The Outer City Districts stretch along the Chongsar River, gathering temporary buildings and slum settlements, with a stone bridge crossing the Chongsar River called Flying Dragon Crossroad, full of vendors and even expanded with wooden planks adding structures, where laws and order don't exist, even Flaming Fist mercenary corps can barely patrol effectively, drawing those unable to settle in the city or criminals. The moss under the sewer's dome glows a ghostly green under faint phosphorus lamp light, murky sewage laps at boot soles, each step causing a sticky "gurgle." Purple-black slime oozes from the wall cracks, converging towards the drain like veins—a unique neurocorrosive substance in the Spirit Sucking Monster Nest, inhaled by common people leads to auditory hallucinations, as if countless tiny tendrils were wriggling in their ear canals. Suddenly, a crack reverberated across the ceiling, and a high-frequency vibration released visible purple mind shock waves. The first guard, his helmet dented, had his eyes burst into blood mist under cranial pressure; the second barely had time to scream before tendrils punctured his ears, pulling his spine out like a marionette's strings.