MTLNOVEL Chapter 07: Dragon Valley (7)_2
"May I ask, Lord of Lich King, we have many dragon nests here. Are you planning to visit them all individually?" a dragon asked.
"Yes," Gray answered softly.
"But that will take a long time."
"The road to a grand dream has no shortcuts. Besides, I have an infinite lifespan; I will reach them all one day."
"But Lord of Lich King! When you make everyone equal to you, you also give up all your privileges. What will you gain from this?" another dragon asked.
"I gain honor, I gain the meaning of life," Gray answered loudly, "I know the Golden Dragons are a proud race. In fact, I am a proud Lich too. The crown people place on my head represents their expectations of me. That is my pride. My pride does not allow me to compromise with evil, nor retreat half a step in the face of challenges. Throughout the journey, we will receive flowers and applause, but those are not important. What matters is that we ourselves are the meaning of our existence. True majesty is when everyone genuinely respects you from the bottom of their hearts, not when you think of yourself as noble."
"But, Lord of Lich King," yet another dragon asked, "your path may not necessarily succeed. You might fail. If you fail, what then? Can you still maintain your pride?"
Gray fell silent.
For a moment, the surrounding dragons began to whisper among themselves.
Just as the dragons thought Gray was at a loss for words, Gray suddenly raised his head and said, "I have a child. Perhaps I am the first Lich in the world to have a descendant. After having a child, becoming a father, my sense of mission grew even stronger. Before, I only needed to think about what kind of person I wanted to become. But now, I also have to consider what kind of person I want my child to become."
All the dragons fell silent immediately.
After a pause, Gray continued, "I want him to be brave, firm, and open. I want his life to be bright and great, able to withstand the scrutiny of his own heart. I hope fear, cowardice, and mediocrity stay far from him. To achieve this, I must first become that kind of person. Because only then can I be his role model. Failing is not terrifying, what's terrifying is our cowardice in the face of difficulties. If we desire it, we should step forward to pursue it. Even if we fail, someone will pick up our banner and carry on. In the human world, I learned a word that a Lich could never grasp, 'legacy.' Their lifespan is less than a hundred years, but they can pass on their torch from generation to generation, striving towards a goal. Why could such fragile humans once sway the fate of the entire continent? Because of legacy, because of honor, that is the soul of a race. Even if they are deceived, even if they fall into the abyss, for thousands of years, humans still occupy the most vast lands on the continent. That is human pride."
Looking at Richie, who stood still in the distance, Gray said softly, "That's also the pride I want to give to my child. And what about the noble Golden Dragon Clan's pride? What do you want? Just the comfortable days in Dragon Valley?"
Richie stared blankly at his father.
...
"I am convinced."
"I am convinced."
"I am convinced."
"I am convinced."
In the secret key, countless dragons echoed this phrase. The wind was quietly changing.
Even the Golden Dragon Great Elder, who had always stayed silently at the highest peak, slightly opened his eyes.
...
"I want the meaning of living, not just mere existence. I want to be respected, not just feared." Gray took a step forward, walking slowly along the mountain path on the steep cliff towards his next destination, "If the road is long, so long that it seems endless, then we should set off now, not give up because we might not reach the end. Let the Holy Light be with us."
...
"Maybe this is the power of the Lich King, another kind of power..." a dragon whispered in the secret key.
...
Countless dragons quietly followed Gray's figure.
When the road ahead was cut off, a dragon would secretly stop, then stretch out its head to build a new bridge for him.
When Gray reached a dead end, a dragon would lower its tail from above so he could continue climbing.
The speed of persuasion was becoming faster, and the number of Golden Dragons surrounding Gray was increasing. The mighty momentum was like a rolling snowball. The attitudes of the entire Golden Dragon Clan were transforming at a visible pace.
...
"My God... what on earth is he doing?" the whispers in the secret key were astonished.
"I was planning to watch him make a fool of himself, but... I never thought the Lich King would turn out this way... Maybe we should reassess him. He has little power, yet he's accomplishing things that power alone cannot achieve."
"Is there still no news from over there? I mean the Black Dragons."
"None yet, it's impossible to get news so quickly."
"'Impossible so quickly'? Look at the scene before us; the same 'impossible' is being made possible by our opponent. How do we face such an opponent?"
...
Gray had just reached a new dragon nest. The owner, a silver dragon, was already crouching at Gray's feet: "At your service."
Gray made the sign of the cross on his chest, then reached out and gently touched his huge nose, speaking softly: "On behalf of justice and all beings on the continent, I thank you."
The surrounding Golden Dragons quickly let out earth-shattering roars.
"We will declare war on the Black Dragon Clan because we must correct their wrongdoings and restore justice to the people of Gustav. Once victorious, we will also ensure justice and fairness for the Black Dragon Clan. We will not discriminate against them, nor retaliate. Punishment will have its limits. Once they atone for their sins, we will treat them equally. This is not because we are lenient towards evil, but because we adhere to our inner faith. Our faith will not change because of anyone, nor will it be twisted by anyone."
"This world has never been fair, but that doesn't mean it will remain unfair forever. Rebuilding it is our mission."
"If someone chooses to watch and wait, there is no need to blame them. Greed and cowardice are their choices, but faith is ours. The Holy Light will be with us."
...
"This might be true pride." a dragon in the secret key sighed, "Compared to him, we are just a bunch of self-important beings who think we're powerful because we're dragons."
"Maybe we should really leave Dragon Valley."
"I think it's truly too boring. Didn't we choose this place originally because our living space was compressed by Heaven and Hell?"
A strong wind swept over Dragon Valley, filtered through the magic array, leaving only a breeze blowing into the valley.
Under the night, the green forest swayed gently in the wind, producing a rustling sound, like soft musical notes jumping.
In this silence, Gray's voice spread to every corner of Dragon Valley. Not because Gray's voice was loud enough, but because some dragons directly conveyed Gray's words to each key, so all the dragons in Dragon Valley could hear Gray's voice.