Chapter 170 - Chapter 33: Victory #2 (1/2)
Chapter 170 – Chapter 33: Victory #2
At the lake shore, a white boat was waiting for In-gong’s party. It was wide and long, but it was a transportation ship, so it didn’t have a roof.
Only one person was on the boat. Moriyu climbed onto the boat first and bowed politely. In-gong understood intuitively as to what she meant: only In-gong’s companions could visit the Dragon Temple.
The 61 lizardmen were In-gong and Felicia’s escorts. By requesting for them not to enter the temple, it could be interpreted as being rude. However, In-gong didn’t mind. If the Dragon Temple was plotting something, then he would just destroy the conspiracy.
Looking back at Felicia, it seemed like she also understood the general situation. She agreed with a wink and climbed onto the boat first. Then she was followed by Delia, Karma, Carack, and finally In-gong.
The lizardmen realized belatedly that they couldn’t visit the Dragon Temple. They were upset but chose to wait on the shore instead of making a fuss. They respected the authority of the Dragon Temple and were also faithful to In-gong and Felicia.
The boat carrying In-gong’s group moved quickly despite having no sails. After moving 100 meters, they arrived at the Dragon Temple where several priests in hoods were waiting.
“Drakon Kechatulla, we greet the Great Dragon Warrior.”
The priests removed their hoods and greeted the party. Looking at them, In-gong could understand why ordinary lizardmen called the priests of the Dragon Temple as ‘those who were closer to dragons’.
The male priests were one or two heads taller than ordinary lizardmen, and their scales were bigger and thicker. The female priests were beautiful like Moriyu. Each time they moved, their scales seemed to shine.
“The high priest is waiting for you inside.”
A male priest, who acted as the representative, said politely to them. The priests acted like they were facing the dragon warrior, rather than the royal family of the Demon World. The priests’ interest was focused solely on In-gong. Rather than complaining about that fact, Felicia urged In-gong on. She wanted to enter the temple quickly.
“Please guide me.”
In-gong refrained from laughing as he instructed them, causing all the priests to get up at once. Despite their big size, their steps were light. When they got closer, the temple itself looked like a huge dragon. The white plates attached to the outside of the temple looked like dragon scales. Inside the temple, the ceiling was high and simple, and it shone like bright, white light in the sun.
Moriyu and the priests continued straight ahead, and a big room soon emerged in their sights. There was cold water flowing along the rim of the room, with a small waterfall on both walls. Felicia let out a sound of admiration as soon as she entered the big room. However, it wasn’t just due to the sacred feeling of the room. Felicia’s gaze was sparkling with curiosity as she gazed at the lizardman in the middle of the room.
“The high priest greets Drakon Kechatulla. I would also like to greet you, Princess of the Demon King’s Palace.”
Felicia was the first to bow to the high priest. She had a bright smile on her face.
“I am delighted to meet the descendant of the great dragon.”
Felicia said elegantly. In-gong agreed with Felicia’s words in his heart.
‘It is real.’
The lizardmen claimed to be descendants of a dragon, but they were very different in comparison to the draconians.
However, the high priest was different. Wings sprouted from his back, making him look much more like a dragon than the draconians, who had a human-like appearance. It was enough to make one believe he was a polymorphic dragon, instead of a lizardmen.
The high priest was an old man, and the deep look in his eyes proved that.
“Drakon Kechatulla, the great dragon warrior. I would like to speak plainly. You are here because I have something to tell you.”
The high priest didn’t waste time with unnecessary rhetoric. Among the lizardmen, he was particularly gigantic. He stared into In-gong’s eyes and said,
“A few days ago, the dragon warrior awakened the Giant King’s Sword. Thanks to this old body, I can finally be sure that the dragon warrior is back after a long period of time.”
“High Priest, do you have a Giant King’s Sword here?”
Felicia asked. The high priest shook his head.
“The dragon warrior only had one Giant King’s Sword. Instead, there is something which can be called the brother of the Giant King’s Sword. It is this.”
Like In-gong and Felicia, the high priest was dressed in golden ornaments, and he lifted up something which was hanging from his waist. It was a beautifully painted horn.
“This is the Dragon’s Horn. Just like the Giant King’s Sword, it has the power to rule the lizardmen. It has been sleeping for a long time until it woke up a few days ago.”
There were several large gems embedded in the horn, and the gem on the Giant King’s Sword shone with a similar light.
“Great Dragon Warrior, you may wonder why these things exist and why they respond to the dragon warrior. From now on, I will tell you everything I know.”
The high priest took breathed deeply for a moment. Then his gaze looked far away, like he was engrossed in his memories.
“The giants were divided into three during the turbulence of time and lost their traditions. We lizardmen have also forgotten most of the traditions and our mission after so many years. I am the only one who can remember, just barely, some things that occurred in the past.”
It hadn’t been a thousand years; it was much longer than that.
“Drakon Kechatulla, the warrior who fought against the evil red serpent god… The giants and lizardmen were created to help the dragon warrior. These species were born to fight the evil red serpent god.”
“Treasures.”
Felicia said suddenly. The swamp mammoths they’d had to fight when they faced the Red Lightning tribe were treasures of the Great Enkidu, and the swamp mammoths lived with the lizardmen.
The high priest smiled.
“You can say that they are like treasures, just on a larger scale. The lizardmen and giants were made by the ancient dragon.”
“Are you talking about the elder dragons?”
The high priest shook his head at Felicia’s question.
“I don’t know for certain. However, the creation of the lizardmen and giants happened at least 10,000 years ago. The elder dragons known today aren’t that old.”
10,000 years… That was a large unit of time. Once again, Felicia asked hurriedly,
“High Priest, do you know about the indigenous species?”
“They certainly existed. But they disappeared 10,000 years ago. Their civilization was destroyed by the wicked red serpent god.”
This was the first time In-gong had heard this story, but he was convinced that it was true. Ruins of the indigenous species could be found all over the Demon World, and such large destruction wouldn’t occur naturally.
“But you can rest assured. The red serpent god has disappeared. It is thanks to the work of the indigenous species and the great dragon warrior.”
There was a kind smile on the face of the high priest. He looked proud of his ancestors. In-gong asked,
“High Priest, what is the dragon warrior?”
“The dragon warrior refers to a person with the heart and soul of a dragon—an agent of the sacred dragons to maintain the world.”
In-gong currently had a dragon heart because of Ainkel, but according to the words of the high priest, people like In-gong existed 10,000 years ago.
“High Priest, do you know about the Four Knights of the Apocalypse?”
The high priest’s eyes sharpened at the question, and he expressed a fierce hostility.
“They are called the riders of destruction—the unique people who fought with the evil red serpent god. Dragon Warrior, can you take this?”
The high priest handed over a ring. The ring was made out of platinum and embedded with a blue gem.
“This is something that one of the elder dragons, the Recorder Torres, left at the Dragon Temple 1,000 years ago.”
In-gong received the ring. Then miraculously, the size of the ring was reduced to fit In-gong’s finger.
“Shutra.”
Felicia said in a somewhat uneasy voice. However, In-gong smiled reassuringly at her. The ring was a relic of an elder dragon. Until now, the relics of the other elder dragons had accepted In-gong as soon as he touched them. It was as though they had been waiting to be conquered.
In-gong exchanged one final glance with Carack before putting the ring on his index finger. At that moment, he heard a man’s voice in his head.
‘I am the Recorder Torres.’
In-gong was in the dark, and he heard the voice coming down from a high place. He raised his head and saw a huge dragon’s head with beautiful white scales.