Chapter 1194: Invitation and Meeting

Master Modir was an extraordinary man, and lately, among the adventurer parties venturing out, his name had become legendary. The main reason, of course, was his feat of blasting an elemental lord to bits with seventeen terrifying spells. But what truly boosted the old man’s reputation was another factor: the tireless boasting by Lora and her companions after returning to camp.

From the young huntress’s perspective, most of the loud promotion came from her somewhat unreliable friends—she herself was honest, cautious, and modest in speech.

Among her less dependable comrades’ tales, the stories about the old wizard Modir had gradually escalated. From “seventeen spells to kill an elemental lord” to “one forbidden spell shattering a fire giant,” then to “hurling a fireball that leveled an entire valley (including the fire giant).” The latest version went like this:

In a skirmish, the old wizard Modir let out a furious roar, casually cast a flash spell, then swung his staff and smashed the elemental lord to pieces. Without pause, he charged into the elemental rift, rampaging through the fire elemental realm, slaughtering countless foes, clearing the entire lava plain, then dunked the fire elemental prince’s head into a river of magma, beat him senseless, and calmly left—sealing the elemental rift behind him, taking the door with him.

Of course, no one believed this latest version. It was born from a particularly heavy drinking session by one adventurer, perfectly illustrating a well-known truth among them: the more you drink, the bigger the story, the earlier you get drunk, and the better your skills seem.

No matter how wild these rumors became, the adventurers in camp agreed on one thing: Master Modir was powerful, a figure worthy of their awe. Though his profession level was still listed as “undetermined,” nearly everyone believed this eccentric old man had reached legendary status.

As for why such a mighty legendary wizard would willingly mingle among adventurers… Modir’s official explanation was “for the adventure.” But no one in camp really believed that. Countless theories about the secret behind this had circulated privately, and every time a “well-informed” adventurer passed out drunk in the tavern, several new versions would spring up.

Did the powerful Modir know about these rumors? Probably. Though Lora hadn’t interacted much with someone of his caliber, she doubted the camp’s rabble thought their “private” gossip could escape the notice of a legendary wizard’s keen perception. Yet Modir never commented on it. He cheerfully ran around, greeting everyone, registering like an ordinary adventurer, handling supplies, making new friends, seemingly lost in some great joy—just like now, his face alight with delight and curiosity as he and the other adventurers gazed at the wondrous crystalline hills.

After a brief rest, several adventurer teams were reassigned to patrol the open areas around the crystalline hills. The accompanying dragon warriors began setting up various facilities and devices they’d brought from New Agondor on this strategic high ground. Lora looked toward the “hill,” where jagged crystal pillars jutted upward, and bright flames occasionally burst forth. The dragons were welding sturdy alloy plates with their fiery breath, preparing to build several intersecting defensive walls at the new gathering point. Inside these walls, they planned to install basic power stations, shield generators, and high-powered communication devices—a process that shouldn’t take too long.

There was already a temporary communication station on the crystalline hilltop. Before the safe passage was cleared, an elite dragon vanguard had flown over the monster- and elemental rift-infested plains to set up a small comm tower and power station on the summit, maintaining a tenuous link between Agondor and the Western Continent outpost. But the temporary station had limited power, was hard to resupply, and could be cut off at any time by roaming monsters. That’s why New Agondor sent reinforcements—to open the route and try to establish a proper camp here.

Modir walked alongside Lora, occasionally glancing up at the sky, his eyes scanning the murky clouds. The land’s endless daylight was ending; the next six months of darkness would blanket Tal’Rond. The dim light reflected in the old wizard’s sunken eye sockets as he suddenly sighed, “It’s not easy…”

Lora was caught off guard by the sudden remark. “What do you mean? What’s not easy?”

“Do you see the massive, chaotic energy fields covering the sky above this continent? Miss Lora, you’re an extraordinary too—if you focus, you should be able to see them,” the old wizard said softly. “These energy fields are remnants of the war. I don’t know how long the dragons will need to neutralize and purify them. Until then, maintaining long-distance communication here is no simple task. High-powered stations like the one on the crystalline hill are a heavy burden for the dragons now, yet they persist in trying to rebuild order in such a harsh environment, never once considering abandoning this land…”

“Maybe dragons, like humans, have a deep attachment to their homeland,” Lora mused, shaking her head gently. “I don’t know much about dragons, but what about you? Have you found what you were looking for?”

Modir fell silent for a moment, then smiled faintly. “It’s not that easy… I’ve been tormented for years by this vague sense of guidance and confusion about my own memories. Countless times I thought I glimpsed hope of lifting the veil, but it was always a waste of time. So even coming here, I never expected to find answers quickly—maybe the answers don’t even exist.

“Miss Lora, I haven’t found it yet. I don’t even know what I lost, or what connection this land has to me. I’m taking it one step at a time… Honestly, even if I find nothing in the end, I won’t regret it. This has been an extraordinary adventure, and I’ve gained insights I never had before.”

The old wizard seemed quite optimistic. His carefree attitude left Lora unsure how to comfort him, so she simply smiled and nodded. “After so many days in Tal’Rond, I’m beginning to understand what you once told me—that every adventure has its value, and the process of exploring the unknown is itself the greatest reward.”

Before she finished, the sound of wings flapping suddenly interrupted their conversation. Lora looked up to see a massive black shape descending slowly from the sky—a black dragon radiating immense presence. As it landed, a radiant light enveloped it, and when the glow faded, the dragon had transformed into a composed young woman with short black hair, dressed in a sleek black gown. She walked toward Modir.

Lora tensed instinctively—not out of hostility or suspicion. After so many days in Tal’Rond, she and the other adventurers had grown used to dragons’ presence and their civilized friendliness. Still, seeing such a huge creature descend from the sky naturally stirred a bit of nervousness.

Though the worry was irrational, every time she saw a dragon land, she couldn’t help but imagine the massive beast slipping and crashing down, wreaking havoc. She had no idea where this strange thought came from.

Lost in these musings, the black-haired dragon maiden reached Modir and bowed slightly, greeting him with meticulous formality. “Mr. Modir, apologies for the sudden summons—the camp commander wishes to meet with you. Do you have time now?”

“Me? The commander wants to see me?” Modir looked surprised, pointing at himself as if he hadn’t expected that a legendary figure like him, mingling among adventurers, would have already drawn the attention of the dragon leadership. “Do you know what it’s about?”

“Sorry, I’m just the messenger,” the black dragon maiden shook her head. “But you can rest assured, it’s not bad news. Your outstanding performance against the elemental lord is well known. I believe the leadership wants to commend you.”

“That’s good news,” Lora immediately smiled, nodding at the old wizard. “Looks like you’ve finally caught the attention of the dragon authorities, sir.”

“Is it really good news?” Modir stroked his chin thoughtfully, hesitating before nodding slowly. “Well, as long as they’re not planning to revoke my adventurer’s license here—that thing cost money. Lead the way, miss. Where is your commander now?”

“He’s already at the temporary camp on the crystalline hill,” the black dragon maiden nodded. “Would you mind if I flew you there? If you don’t mind, I can take you right now.”

…

Moments later, atop the crystalline hill, the temporary camp’s open area, the massive black dragon landed smoothly on the landing pad. Before the dragon touched down, Modir, who had been carried in the dragon’s claws, nimbly jumped to the ground and quickly moved to a safe spot nearby.

Brushing dust off his clothes and beard, Modir glared at the black dragon maiden emerging from the glow and couldn’t help but say, “I thought when you said ‘take me there,’ you meant I’d ride on your back—you never said you’d carry me in your claws!”

The black dragon maiden looked apologetic. “Sorry, I… I wouldn’t mind having a friend of Tal’Rond like you ride on my back, but I was injured in the last battle, and my back… probably isn’t suitable for carrying you.”

“Oh, no need to explain—I get it,” Modir quickly interrupted, looking a bit embarrassed. After a brief pause, he scratched the back of his head and muttered, “I should be the one apologizing. Sometimes my brain doesn’t work right for certain reasons…”

As he spoke, he frowned slightly, as if recalling something, and muttered, “Come to think of it, I’m not sure if it’s just my imagination, but I feel like I’ve been carried in a dragon’s claws like this before.”

The black dragon maiden looked puzzled at the old wizard talking to himself, then heard him ask, “Miss, do you know if any dragons among your kind usually carry people with their claws?”

“Ah? Using claws?” The black dragon girl paused, a bit dazed, and said instinctively, “I’ve never heard of any tribe having that kind of custom… At most, it might be some individuals’ personal preference—if it were the old days, maybe their back scales had just been waxed, and they didn’t want anyone riding on them.”

“Is that so?” Modir scratched his head, then quickly dismissed the trivial detail. “Never mind, it’s not important. Take me to your commander.”

“Right away, Mr. Modir.”

Following the black dragon girl, Modir soon passed through the temporary camp’s landing zone. After walking past several makeshift barracks being welded and assembled, they arrived at a large building constructed from steel and stone. The girl stopped at the door, bowing her head slightly. “I can only take you this far—the leader wishes to speak with you alone.”

Modir was momentarily distracted and didn’t catch that she had quietly replaced the word “commander” with “leader,” a term carrying special weight in Talrond. He nodded absentmindedly. The young-looking black dragon lady—who might have actually lived for forty millennia—slipped away silently, leaving only a heavy metal door standing before the old mage. The door slowly creaked open on its own.

Modir blinked, then reached out and pushed it open.

Inside was a spacious room, brightly lit by several glowing orbs hanging from the ceiling. The furnishings were simple and functional. A table and a few chairs sat in the center, while sturdy metal shelves lined the walls, holding various magical devices humming softly. Near a window stood a tall figure clad in pale gold robes, with shining blond hair. As Modir’s gaze settled on him, the figure turned to face him.

The leader of Talrond—Hragor.

Modir stared, studying this ageless, inscrutable dragon for a long moment before frowning. “Who are you? You don’t look like an ordinary camp commander.”

Hragor seemed ready to deliver an opening speech but couldn’t help laughing at Modir’s direct question. “I thought every adventurer would at least have some impression of me, especially a mage like you—after all, I was present at the welcoming ceremony in the adventurers’ camp.”

Modir blinked, shaking his head apologetically. “Sorry, my memory isn’t always reliable. So, who exactly are you?”

“You may call me Hragor,” the leader of Talrond said gently. “I am, for now, the ruler of the land beneath your feet.”

(End of chapter)