Ashen Dragon

Most venerable and graceful of giant dragons, Bahamut His Majesty's favored child—the Gold Dragon.

Seeing such self-praise from the Young Gold Dragon, Cassius couldn't help but laugh secretly, yet it didn't strike him as odd.

Gold Dragons never conceal their pride, from the very moment of their creation, they have proclaimed themselves as Bahamut's eldest offspring, the born leaders among Metallic Dragons, the symbols of goodness and justice.

— And indeed, it's often so, though other Metallic Dragons are loath to admit it.

Feigning astonishment, Cassius exclaimed: "Are all the Carved Skin Dragons in the Eternal Order Realm Gold Dragons?"

Aurora spread his wings and involuntarily puffed out his chest: "Yes, when Lord Ferdinand created this Half-plane, he once said—

Unlike the naively indolent Silver Dragons, the curiously odd Bronze Dragons, and the annoyingly noisy Brass Dragons, we Gold Dragons are poised and serene, the born Carvers.

Only Gold Dragons can be the finest Carved Skin Dragons, wielding the power of our legacy to maintain the world's justice and order."

As for dragons beyond the Metallic Dragons—the five-colored dragons, Gem Dragons, Half-Dragon and the like, the esteemed Ferdinand hardly deigns to mention them.

After all, in the eyes of Gold Dragons, these dragon types are of mixed quality, either filthy evil or inferior in bloodline, simply incomparable to themselves.

Truly worthy of being Gold Dragons.

Cassius mused internally, then with a smile said: "Indeed, Aurora, your Eternal Order Realm has indeed surprised me greatly."

"Roar—"

Gold Dragons in the distance flew over one after another, emitting light and joyful roars.

Clearly, they too had spotted the enormous Gold Dragon over thirty meters long next to Aurora, rejoicing at the appearance of another revered Ancient Gold Dragon in Lodz.

The leading adult Gold Dragon flew to a spot not far from Cassius, his body also covered with intricate runes, even more numerous than those on Aurora's surface.

"Aurora, wonderful, you're back so soon, and you've brought back this guest."

"Of course, Uncle El Hernan, Elder Titus has already agreed to join the Eternal Order Realm."

That Gold Dragon known as "El Hernan" looked towards Cassius, respectfully lowered his head, bending the knees of his forelimbs, tucking his wings, strictly adhering to the etiquette of the Golden Dragon Clan.

"Good day, you must be the rumored 'Dragon of Dawn,' indeed a mighty and noble elder."

Then, El Hernan lifted his head, corners of his mouth turned up, barbels fluttering, his majestic dragon face revealing a smile:

"Welcome to join the Eternal Order Lodz, Elder Titus."

Cassius nodded in greeting, and then said: "I am indeed willing to become a member of the Carved Skin Dragons, only recently I have to assist the High Mountain Kingdom to eliminate the Orc threat, so I might not stay in the Eternal Order Realm continuously."

El Hernan exclaimed: "Elder Titus, your concern for justice is indeed true, you are worthy of being called 'Dragon of Dawn' by mortals.

Not a problem at all, our Eternal Order Realm was built exactly to inherit ancestral power, to better uphold justice."

El Hernan turned his head, pointing towards the distant white monastery: "Let Aurora take you to visit our Monastery first."

"Alright."

Aurora again said in a light tone: "Elder Titus, please follow me."

One can only say this Half-plane is truly made to measure, flying in the Eternal Order Realm with the Gold Dragon's unique wave-like movements feels exceptionally light, as if every thread of wind is supporting the wings.

At the same time, the flying speed of Gold Dragons is extremely fast, soon they arrived in front of the Pure White Monastery's gate.

"Boom—"

The gates slowly opened, revealing a tall and spacious corridor that could admit Ancient Dragons, its sides flanked by pillars carved with complex patterns.

And on the walls to the left and right of the corridor, as well as at the top, were brightly colored, exceptionally exquisite murals, on which were lifelike giant dragons.

The very first of these giant dragons yearned to break free from the innate instincts of dragons, pursuing pure Order, thus attempting to carve runes onto the surfaces of its own scales.

——This was the origin of Carving.

Aurora explained, "As you may know, Carvers are a special organization composed of dragons and Half-Dragons.

Our name comes from the marks carved onto scales, giving us incredible mystical protection; all Carvers are strictly disciplined, devoted to perfecting themselves and becoming transcendent beings."

This Young Gold Dragon pointed to the mural: "Most Carvers are True Dragons, since Dragon Beasts, Land Dragons, Bipedal Wyverns, and other dragon-type creatures lack the thick and heavy scales necessary for carving.

Of course, what's more important is — they lack the Wisdom and Will needed to become a Carver.

However, it's also true that not all Carvers pursue a pure sense of Order; in recent millennia, there have also been Blue Dragons and Green Dragons, those filthy Evil Dragons, who despicably stole the power of carving, seeking to establish their own evil Order."

At this point, an expression of disgust involuntarily spread across Aurora's face, but quickly, she added with a smile:

"However, brutes like Red Dragons with heads full of muscles and magma will never be eligible to become Carvers."

Red Dragon jokes, these are the somewhat old-fashioned, serious sorts of humor that Gold Dragons rarely indulge in.

Cassius's mouth twitched slightly, thinking to himself that the rules you're so proud of will soon be broken by a Red Dragon disguised as a Gold Dragon.

However, on the surface, he said calmly: "Naturally, chaotic evil creatures like Red Dragons will never understand the true essence of Order."

Aurora led Cassius to the end of the corridor, into an even more spacious hall that was hundreds of meters tall, where it was especially clean and orderly, with several Gold Dragons also appearing within it.

They sat on their respective platforms, some with eyes closed in meditation, others using special cone-shaped Crystal Stones to carve upon their own scales, immersed in their respective practices.

Indeed, the practices of these Carvers were quite similar to Martial Monks, and they also possessed bodies tempered a thousand times, iron-like Will, and some kind of supernatural Strength.

The hall was quiet, except for the sound of a distant bell ringing from time to time.

Cassius raised his head; at the top of the hall was a huge disc nearly a hundred meters in diameter, its surface filled with intricate patterns.

And at the center of the disc was a dim, lusterless silver scale, also etched with mysterious runes.

What surprised Cassius even more was the powerful aura of authority emanating from that scale, which made him almost want to bow in worship.

Upon seeing the disc and the runes on the scale, he felt a sense of perfect Order.

It seemed to symbolize the most tangible fairness and Order, representing the ultimate authority, and even his soul felt like it was being cleansed, purified.

In an instant, Cassius even felt the urge to revert to his true form, but fortunately, he suppressed it and did not undo his "Incarnate Ancient Dragon."

He couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "This is..."

However, Aurora, by his side, was silently staring at the disc, already unconsciously entering meditation, not even hearing what her senior had said.

Suddenly, a serene and pure female voice came from above.

"This is the Balance of Dragons, the scale shed by the God of Justice—Landis.

Thousands of years ago, Ferdinand created this Half-plane, also known as the 'Eternal Order Realm', with this scale at its core."

Cassius raised his head to see a large Gold Dragon, also thirty meters in length, gently flapping its broad wings, descending slowly from the top of the Monastery.

Those golden pupils were calm and undisturbed, indifferently surveying the many Gold Dragons below, as well as Cassius, who was amongst their ranks.

And Aurora, too, suddenly woke from her reverie, lifting her head to say with surprise and reverence, "Teacher Beatrice!"

As if afraid that the new senior joining them would be puzzled, Aurora explained, "This is Teacher Beatrice, the child of the Ancient Golden Dragon Ferdinand."