Chapter 25: The Dragon of Imagination

Chapter Twenty-Five
The Dragon of Imagination

Audrey was not surprised by The Sun’s request.

Since the City of Silver had popularized the acting method, then by her calculations, he should already be approaching the end of digestion. Seeking the next potion formula was naturally one of his highest priorities.

I wonder how a Bard should act. Singing hymns every day? When a fight starts, hiding to one side and using song to bring courage and strength to companions? Or first blessing himself, then charging forward with a nail hammer and longsword? I wonder whether it improves singing ability. If it does, then a Bard would absolutely make an outstanding singer or opera performer…

Audrey let her thoughts wander with interest, deliberately not responding in a hurry so as to display difficulty on her part and prevent The Sun from suddenly raising the price.

This had not been part of her upbringing, nor was it something learned at Beyonder gatherings. It was purely a technique she had figured out herself after advancing to Telepathist.

“I will find the Sequence 8 potion formula corresponding to the Bard pathway for you as soon as possible, but not today. Can you accept that?” Audrey said after some consideration. Then she glanced at the head of the ancient long table. “We can ask Mr. Fool to bear witness.”

At this moment, Klein smiled.

“Miss Justice, perhaps I can pay the Light Suppliant formula on your behalf.”

Audrey’s eyes instantly brightened. She nodded quickly in small motions.

“No problem! Then what should I exchange with You?”

I have not thought of that for now…

Klein chuckled softly.

“There is no need to be in a hurry. Perhaps my blessed ones will later require assistance with certain matters.”

His reasoning was simple. If he allowed Miss Justice to obtain the Light Suppliant potion formula from one of her Beyonder circles, then the knowledge he had stolen from the Eternal Blazing Sun at the cost of nearly being burned to a crisp would not be wasted?

At the very least, it would no longer be useful within the Tarot Club!

“All right. I will do everything in my power to help them,” Audrey promised cheerfully.

Klein pressed a hand down lightly. A sheet of yellow-brown parchment appeared before him, bearing the formula for the Light Suppliant potion. It included substitute materials and ancient names, and the entire formula had been translated into Giant:

“Main ingredients: one piece of Brilliance Stone, or powder from a Blazing-white Soul; blood of a Mirror Hedgehog, or the heart of a Magma Giant. Supplementary ingredients: one Golden-edged Sunflower, three drops of aconite juice…”

With a light push, the parchment appeared before The Sun.

Although Derrick knew that even if he forgot everything, he could recover the memory by praying to Mr. Fool, he nevertheless recited the formula with complete seriousness. Only after quite some time did he say, “Miss Justice, we may now exchange information regarding dragons.”

“Mr. Fool, I request a private exchange,” Audrey said, raising her hand swiftly.

Her original idea had been to have The Sun manifest the corresponding content on paper for her to read. However, that would make it inconvenient for her to ask questions. She would have to write them down and push them back to him, making the exchange exceedingly complicated.

A private exchange? If it were truly private, you probably would not understand what The Sun says, and The Sun would be the same…

Klein’s tone showed no fluctuation as he nodded.

“Very well.”

In Beyonder circles, Hermes was knowledge that had to be grasped. Ancient Hermes was content that could be learned and was fairly popular. Giant, Dragonish, Elvish, and similar languages were relatively niche. Few people understood them.

No sooner had Klein spoken than he blocked off The Hanged Man, making it so that he could neither see nor hear them.

Alger was somewhat interested in information related to dragons, but not enough to pay a price for the right to listen. Thus, he maintained his silence and waited quietly.

Seeing that Mr. Fool had gestured for them to begin, The Sun Derrick remained quiet for several seconds, organizing his words before saying, “The dragon race was the mortal enemy of the Giant King’s Court. They all looked like enlarged lizards, their entire bodies covered in scales of different colors. Their four limbs were thick and powerful, and their wings were broad enough to drive their massive bodies through the air at high speed. They were the rulers of the sky.

“Some possessed fiery breath. Some could command lightning. Some brought corrosion, and some could create frost. But none of those were the mainstream of the dragon race. The most numerous dragons were the mind dragons represented by Ankewelt, the Dragon King. The Beyonder pathway that originated from the mind dragons is the Spectator pathway. In the City of Silver, we usually call it the Dragon pathway.”

For this kind of trade, Derrick had originally prepared to copy the common history textbooks directly. But after discovering that Miss Justice, Mr. Hanged Man, and himself seemed not to be in the same “world,” he had gradually come to realize the value of histories considered ordinary in the City of Silver. Therefore, this time, he only spoke about dragons, not information related to giants, elves, mutants, phoenixes, vampires, and the like.

Ankewelt, the Dragon King… That is consistent with the Church scriptures…

Audrey nodded lightly and politely did not interrupt The Sun’s narration.

Derrick recalled his textbooks and continued, “At that time, the strongest and most terrifying of the dragon race was Ankewelt, the Dragon King. It was also known as the Dragon of Imagination. Apart from it, its son, Alzuhod, was also a famous powerhouse who covered the sky and looked down upon the earth and seas. Its title was the Dragon of Nightmare.

“There is a legend about Ankewelt, the Dragon of Imagination. The objects it imagined would surely manifest. The kingdom it fantasized about would inevitably descend upon the material world. The future it declared would certainly unfold and become reality.”

This…

Klein, who was listening in, suddenly furrowed his brows. If Audrey Justice had not been focusing intently on The Sun’s words, she would certainly have noticed his abnormality, even through the thick gray fog.

The description just now made him think of Sealed Artifact 0-08!

The future it declares will surely unfold… Some traits are quite similar!

Klein leaned back against his chair. He seemed more relaxed, yet in truth became even more attentive.

The Dragon of Imagination… How cool. So this is a manifestation of divinity!

Audrey listened with shining eyes, both excited and expectant.

After pausing for several seconds, Derrick continued, “Its son, Alzuhod, the Dragon of Nightmare, was equally terrifying. It could dominate every creature’s mind, making them act according to its will, while those creatures found it very difficult to notice. They would believe that those were their true thoughts. It could also weave true nightmares in reality, drawing many, many living beings into them unconsciously, then giving them the cruelest and most horrifying endings.

“Legend says it especially loved pranks. It would make a prince kiss a princess awake, but the awakened princess would already be mostly rotted. It would make a girl from an ordinary family put on dancing shoes and dance before a prince, yet never again be able to stop, until death. It would create all sorts of coincidences, turning the fates of many living beings toward tragedy.”

All sorts of coincidences… This one sounds even more like Sealed Artifact 0-08… Of course, I know very little about that Sealed Artifact…

Klein restrained the impulse to rub his chin and made himself look like an ancient, still well.

“What a vile dragon… But its abilities are very interesting,” Audrey said, half sighing and half excited.

Is this the future of the Spectator pathway? No. I should call it the Dragon pathway! I do not want to switch to any other Sequence!

Audrey could hardly wait to become a Sequence 7 Psychiatrist, then continue advancing at astonishing speed.

The Sun Derrick answered sincerely, “Two or three thousand years have already passed since the history of the dragon race and the giant royal family. Everything I know comes from textbooks and legends. I cannot guarantee it is true.”

“At least your history has not been severed,” Audrey comforted in a good mood. “What happened afterward?”

“Afterward? The Lord who created everything awakened. The Dragon of Imagination, the Dragon of Nightmare, and other famous dragons fell from the sky and lost everything, including their lives. Sunlight failed to shine upon the land for forty-nine days. Countless volcanoes erupted. Floods that swallowed everything raged across the world. From then on, the dragon race declined, forced to retreat into various dangerous places. After that, the Giant King’s Court was also destroyed by the Lord,” Derrick recounted in a somewhat heavy tone.

This is different from the history I know… Was it not the Lord of Storms, the Eternal Blazing Sun, and the God of Knowledge and Wisdom who led humanity in defeating the dragons and giants, and killed their kings respectively?

Audrey was confused for a while. She felt as though time, space, and history had become misaligned.

Klein was equally full of doubts. He felt that true history was filled with mystery, especially this Second Epoch history, which was older than ancient.

The myths and legends recorded in Church scriptures should be largely false, but the history passed down in the City of Silver also cannot be completely trusted… What would true history look like?

Restraining his thoughts, he smiled and said, “Is the exchange finished?”

“This is all I know,” Derrick answered with a hint of guilt.

He felt that the information he had provided did not quite match the value of the Light Suppliant potion formula.

Audrey silently inhaled. The corners of her mouth curved upward.

“I am very satisfied.”

I have learned the direction of my future…

She happily added in her heart.

After several members communicated for a while longer, Klein announced that this week’s Tarot Gathering had ended.

After sending away Miss Justice and the others, he did not remain above the gray fog for long. He swiftly returned to his bedroom, reducing the risk of being detected by someone.

…

Queen’s Borough, inside the luxurious villa of Earl Hall.

In a cheerful mood, Audrey paced back and forth a few times, planning to reward Susie with several pieces of dog treats.

Just then, she heard someone knock on the door.

From the earlier footsteps and their rhythm, she recognized the person as her personal maid, Annie.

“Come in.”

Audrey glanced at the mirror, straightened her hair, and held her back erect.

Annie entered holding a sheet of paper and smiled.

“Miss, your telegram. It is from the Southern Continent.”

The Southern Continent? Alfred?

Audrey suddenly thought of her brother and happily accepted the paper, lowering her eyes to examine it.

As expected, it was a telegram sent by her second elder brother, Alfred Hall, from the east coast of the Balam Empire on the Southern Continent. It read:

“Have found the Seven-Colored Lizard Dragons you wanted. Two in total. Await delivery.”

But I do not need them anymore…

Audrey froze, blinked, and suddenly turned her head to look at Susie.

The golden retriever wagged her tail, looking completely baffled.