The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

"Do you still remember this obsidian ring, brother?" After feeding the little water dragon, Ach continued chatting with Liszt, she wore a black ring on her hand.

"I do remember it, the divine artifact equipment of a Moon Slayer Archmage from ancient times—have you already cracked its usage method?" Liszt exclaimed in surprise.

According to the appraisal in the Knowledge Ancient Book, this obsidian ring is made of metal alloy, most likely an alloy of a large amount of unknown metals, its function being equivalent alchemy.

"Not yet, but I have some clues." Ach said, "Records about alchemy are scarce, but considering the transformation between substances, Ach believes that equivalent alchemy is achievable, and this obsidian ring is a tool that assists in alchemy."

"So how do you perform alchemy?"

"Brother, you mentioned before that substances are made up of very small particles called atoms, which consist of a nucleus and electrons; and the nucleus is made up of different protons and neutrons, very tightly packed and difficult to change; the change in a substance's properties is due to the atom losing or gaining electrons."

"Yes, I did say that, can't remember which incomplete alchemist tome I read it from." Liszt was embarrassed. He had indeed taught Ach a lot of physical and chemical knowledge, but having not been in contact with this area of knowledge for several years, he had forgotten it all.

Now, he could no longer understand what chemical reactions are in theory, only remembered something about electrons being gained and lost.

So, he couldn't help but ask, "Ach, have you discovered something in this respect?"

"Mm, the losing and gaining of an atom's electrons, changes only the temporary state of the material, not its essence. Brother, you said that changes to the atomic nucleus are real alchemy, which can turn iron into gold."

"Hmm, did I say that? Probably."

"Ach has discovered that the function of the obsidian ring is to stimulate the metamorphosis of metals; it can accelerate the nuclear activity of metal atoms, allowing the nuclei of metal atoms to easily break down and recombine. Once Ach fully grasps the methods and theories, the ancient art of alchemy can be replicated!"

Although Liszt could no longer remember anything about atomic nuclei.

He only knew that nuclear fission and fusion can change chemical elements.

Nuclear fission is the principle behind the atomic bomb, and nuclear fusion is the principle behind the hydrogen bomb—an atomic bomb seems to use something like uranium to fission, creating barium elements and releasing a large amount of energy; a hydrogen bomb, on the other hand, fuses hydrogen isotopes, deuterium and tritium, into helium, also releasing a tremendous amount of energy.

But this doesn't mean he didn't understand the significance of alchemy: "Ach, does that mean, once you develop alchemy, you can really turn stones into gold?"

"Not stones, brother, according to the obsidian ring's capability for equivalent alchemy, it is between metals that properties can be changed through alchemy. It's possible to turn iron into gold, or even into magical metal, although the meaning of equivalent alchemy might also include some loss."

"Loss?"

"For instance, maybe ten portions of iron could only be alchemized into one portion of mountain copper, the 'value' of mountain copper in material terms would definitely be far greater than the 'value' of iron."

He caught on quickly: "Does that mean that all metals have a different 'value' between them?"

"That's likely, but we need to explore the respective alchemy 'value' of each metal. Right now, it's not clear which metal has a higher value and which one has a lower value."

"Being able to figure out the value of metals would definitely allow one to earn a massive fortune through alchemy."

Liszt's eyes gleamed, the prospect clear to him: "From the current market prices, the price of a ton of iron doesn't compare to the price of a pound of mountain copper. If you can alchemize a ton of iron into a pound of mountain copper, you'd make money; if it becomes ten pounds, it's a windfall; and if it turns into a hundred pounds, that would be an incredibly lucrative business!"

"Ach will deduce the art of alchemy as soon as possible."

"Don't be too anxious," Li Si Te said, having obtained the Phoenix Incarnation, although he was uncertain of his exact lifespan.

But he felt that his aging process had greatly slowed down.

According to the legend of the Phoenix's five hundred-year cycle, he could definitely live for two to three hundred years, and perhaps even reach the five hundred-year lifespan of a Dragon Domain LandLord.

Of course, contracting an Immortal Dragon was still one of his dreams.

...

The Little Water Dragon was slumbering, digesting the Water Attribute Super Magic acquired from its gluttony.

Ach continued to research the power of the Cursed Dragon, preparing to summarize the Soul Element in the near future. Meanwhile, materials for setting up the Magic Teleportation Array were being collected; this time, the modified Magic Array would be far more stable, comfortable, and safe than the Heart Reed Teleportation Formation.

Li Si Te then inspected his dominion.

Now, with the large influx of the Knight Class, he had an increasing number of Moon Slayer Natives at his disposal, essentially completing the incorporation of the southeastern half of Flame Island. Apart from some small tribes hiding in the corners of the primeval forests, all other Moon Slayer Native Tribes had emerged from the woods to become subjects of the Flame Kingdom.

Moon Slayers were different from Africans. Although they too lived primitive societal lives, they generally had an upright attitude towards work and were willing to labor hard.

This was probably because the forests on Flame Island were not as rich in resources as anticipated.

In Africa, the abundance of food led the locals to develop a lazy and gluttonous temperament. In the forests of Flame Island, the Moon Slayers had to fight Magical Beasts and endure hunger in the winter, and as tribes grew, they had to split and migrate to farther lands for better survival.

Out of necessity, the Moon Slayer Natives developed a resilient and hardworking nature.

With the construction of Flame King City at its center, Flame Island was divided into a southeastern and a northwestern half, and the Knights of the Flame Kingdom were now expanding into the northwest.

There weren't many Moon Slayer Natives in the northwestern half, but there were also about a million Serfs that could be incorporated.

Li Si Te paused his inspection at Flame King City, where more and more trained and experienced Moon Slayer Serfs had been arranged to work. A huge city designed to accommodate a population of five hundred thousand was rising from the ground. The construction of the Royal Palace on the nearby Holy Mountain had also commenced.

Standing on the peak and merging with the mountain itself.

From afar, it complemented Flame King City, and the blueprint underwent several revisions before it was finally determined. The valley of the Holy Mountain was the home of Bone Dragon Vinnie's Dragon Nest; the forest behind the Holy Mountain housed the Dragon Nest of Mountain Copper Dragon Mata—Mata wasn't demanding about its environment but needed to be well-fed and taken care of.

Jade Mountain was home to Light Green Gem Dragon Ethan's Dragon Nest, while the Endless Volcano Cluster was Fire Dragon Leo's lair.

The Dragon Nest for Grey Iron Dragon Ornn was yet to be determined; it was flying aimlessly over Flame Island, ready to find its own favorite habitat to establish a nest.

Formless Dragon Bard needed no fixed abode, its home being the world beyond the physical realm.

As for the Little Water Dragon, it hadn't even gotten a name, let alone a Dragon Nest—worst case scenario, it could simply be tossed into the Vast Ocean, making the sea its Dragon Nest.

"By the way,"

He rode on Formless Dragon Bard, examining his Royal Palace from the boundary of the physical world: "The King's Castle could be directly called Flame King City, but what should the Royal Palace be named... The Royal Palace in Sapphire is called Azure Sky Peak Palace, in Steel Ridge it's called White Gold Tooth Palace, and the one in Eagle is named Iron Dragon Chain Palace..."