met free Page 145
Page 145
Taona stepped forward at the opportune moment, her bone staff tapping rhythmically on the ground. Her voice was gentle yet carried an undeniable authority: "We bring valuable intelligence from Nymphaea Island regarding a wealthy merchant fleet bound for Baldur's Gate, laden with gold, jewels, and precious magical artifacts. The ship's defenses are weak, making it the perfect opportunity to strike. Would you be interested in hearing the details?"
A glint of greed flashed in the ogre wizard's eyes, his thirst for wealth almost overflowing. But years of pirate experience kept him wary and suspicious. "Intelligence? Hmph, empty words won't do. You must first prove your worth and loyalty." He waved his hand, and the lizardman shaman beside him immediately handed him a tattered leather bag containing several gleaming gold coins and a sharp-hilted short sword. "Go, lead our men to that fat sheep. If the intelligence is accurate and you successfully plunder it, I'll trust you and give you your due share."
Casalos and Toona exchanged a smile, like the purest form of wickedness before committing evil. The ogre sorcerer offered exactly the opportunity they needed—gaining the pirates' trust while simultaneously finding the true location of their treasure by planting beacons on the looted "treasure."
As for acting as bait to lure a lone merchant ship, a large illusion spell plus a wrecked ship and a boatload of stones is enough.
"Deal." Casalos grinned, revealing a rough yet cunning smile. He reached for the leather bag, feeling the weight of the metal inside. "However, boss, you'd better prepare a large share of the spoils for us. The Bloodaxe Clan doesn't work for nothing; we want real wealth, not some small favors."
The ogre wizard let out a deafening laugh, slamming his fist on the wooden table with a dull thud. "You've got guts! I love guys with guts! Go, prove your worth, and then we can become true partners!"
53. Treasure
About thirty nautical miles from Velen, a merchant ship laden with valuable cargo was slowly sailing in the open sea. Its long, slender hull and three masts, with their billowing blue triangular sails, were perfectly concealed in the night. Only the gilded decorations adorning the railings and the sculptures on the bow gleamed faintly in the light of Suren.
The merchant ship's structure and course indicated that it came from the elven kingdom of Kalinsan, south of the Sword Coast. With Kalinsan officially severing ties with Deepwater Territory, these ships, which secretly ran away from Kalinsan's ban for high profits, were the lucrative prey that pirates dreamed of.
However, if a spellcaster of a sufficiently high level were to use detection magic, they would discover that the entire merchant ship, from its hull to its cargo, was constructed from an illusion so complex it resembled a maze. This seemingly real merchant ship was, in fact, nothing more than a meticulously crafted, enormous illusion.
Deep within the caves of the "Scorpion" pirate crew's camp, the ogre wizard Grash sat before a rough wooden table, gazing intently at the crystal ball before him. A faint blue light shimmered within the sphere, revealing the distant sea. He saw the "merchant ship," and also three small, fast sailing vessels approaching.
"Very well..." Grash muttered to himself in a hoarse voice, "Those two newbies better not disappoint me. If this operation fails, I'll feed them to the sharks."
Its lizardman assistant asked cautiously, "Boss, are you really comfortable letting two outsiders command this operation? What if they have some kind of conspiracy...?"
"Hmph, so what if there's a conspiracy?" Grash chuckled dismissively. "I sent them useless trash; I won't care about the losses. If they succeed, it proves they have value. If they fail, it'll serve as a warning to the others."
Through the crystal ball, Grash could clearly see the situation on the sea. The lead, dilapidated single-masted sailing ship carried only seven or eight pirates, mostly orcs and lizardmen, with a few malnourished-looking humans. These were the lowest-ranking cannon fodder in the pirate crew, who usually didn't even get a share of the real gold.
On this very ship, Casaloz, disguised as an orc, stood at the bow, commanding this rabble. Its small, red eyes, characteristic of orcs, gleamed, and the rough battle axe slung across its back gleamed coldly in the light of Suren. (The last sentence appears to be unrelated and possibly a fragment from another text.)
"Listen up, you bunch of useless trash!" Casalos roared in a gruff voice. "You better watch your step when we make our move! Anyone who messes up, I'll be the first to chop them up!"
Several thin pirates nodded tremblingly. Their weapons were all junk, some even rusty. These men held the lowest ranks in the pirate crew and were often bullied—most of them hadn't joined piracy voluntarily. The Netherlands had its own unique geography and culture; the women abducted to the islands for the pirates' sexual gratification also became tools for reproduction. The new generation was pirates from the moment of their birth; no one had a choice. Of course, the structure of piracy meant frequent internal mobility; as long as one was daring and willing to fight, rising from the bottom to become a pirate leader wasn't difficult.
It is said that the current pirate king of the Netherlands is a born pirate like this... Unfortunately, the ogre wizard gave Casalos and his gang a bunch of complete useless people, and now they are suddenly being sent to carry out an important mission, feeling both excited and terrified.
On the second ship, Toona was making final magical preparations. The tip of her bone staff glowed faintly as she whispered complex incantations. As an experienced ancient dragon, her understanding of arcane magic was actually quite limited, but it was more than enough to deceive a group of weaklings and to provide remote surveillance for an ogre wizard. Now, she was adding more realistic details to the upcoming "battle": the smell of blood, the smell of gunpowder, the sounds of clashing weapons, and even the real sensations of pain.
"Remember," she said to the pirates around her, her voice filled with the sharp, slippery, sinister edge of a lizardman and the mystical air of a shaman, "this mission is crucial to establishing our authority before 'Scorpion.' Anyone who embarrasses me will not return alive."
The pirates on the third ship were even more pitiful; their ship was a cobbled-together junk, in danger of falling apart at any moment. The few human pirates on board were emaciated, appearing to be chronically malnourished, and their weapons were nothing more than polished whalebone and rusty short swords—almost comparable to the slaves of Atas.
Grash, observing all this through the crystal ball, grinned, basking in his own "resourcefulness."
Time passed quietly, and the three dilapidated pirate ships gradually approached their target. When the distance was less than a nautical mile, Casalos gave the signal to attack. A sharp whistle pierced the night sky, and the three pirate ships pounced on the "merchant ship" like hungry wolves.
Panic cries immediately erupted from the illusionary merchant ship, and several elven crew members scrambled across the deck, attempting to prepare a defense. However, these efforts proved futile; despite the pirate ship's dilapidated state, the attack, under Casalos's command, was quite disciplined.
"Quick! Throw the grappling hooks!" Casalos shouted. Several orc pirates frantically threw out grappling hooks, finally managing to join the two ships together.
Casalos himself was the first to leap aboard the "merchant ship," wielding a battle axe. He viciously cleaved the two crew members who stood in his way into four pieces before charging onto the deck. Following closely behind were the skinny pirates, who, inspired by Casalos's indomitable spirit, also displayed their ferocity, smashing the sickly, pointy-eared bean sprouts to pieces.
"Everyone down! Hand over all the valuables!" Casalos roared in a thunderous voice. "Those who resist will die!"
The surviving crew members on the merchant ship immediately knelt on the deck, their hands trembling as they raised them. Their eyes were filled with fear, just like those of the ordinary merchants the pirates encountered after each successful raid.
Taona's ship slowly approached, and she gracefully leaped onto the deck, her bone staff, which she leaned on, emitting an eerie green light. The equipment of the pirates following behind her was temporarily enhanced with magical energy, shimmering with an aura that made them appear much more threatening.
"Search the cargo hold!" Taona commanded in a shamanic, authoritative voice. "Don't miss a single corner!"
The entire looting went exceptionally smoothly, without encountering any substantial resistance. The crew members were completely terrified and dared not put up a fight.
"Boss, look at these boxes!" The first orc pirate to rush into the ship's hold excitedly pried open a wooden crate, which was filled with glittering gold coins. Under the moonlight, the gold coins shone so brightly that all the pirates' eyes lit up.
Even the lowest-ranking pirates, who rarely saw anything of value, were trembling with excitement. They had never seen so much wealth before and could hardly believe their eyes.
Grash, who was monitoring through the crystal ball, sensed that something was amiss, but as more and more boxes were opened, he quickly dismissed his doubts.
Sparkling jewels, exquisite silverware, and even several bags of moon coins radiating an eerie glow. Each item seemed priceless, enough to drive any pirate mad.
The ogre wizard's eyes gleamed with greed as he stared at the crystal ball. It was treasure even the Pirate King coveted; he couldn't help but swallow hard!
"Those two guys are really something," Grash muttered to himself, "finding such easy prey. But..."
The raid went exceptionally smoothly. The pirates loaded five large chests of "gold coins," two bags of "moon coins," and three chests of "jewelry" onto the pirate ship. The weight of this treasure was almost too much for the small, thin pirates to carry, but greed overcame fatigue, and they managed to move everything. The heavy gold nearly sank the small boat, and it was only thanks to Tao Na's levitation spells that it was stabilized.
"Kill all the crew and burn the ship!" Casalos gave the final order.
The ogre wizard frowned: those elven crew members would be worth a fortune on the slave market, isn't it a waste to just kill them like this?
"The value of these goods is too high; we can't leave behind any evidence!"
Grash relaxed his brow: That's right, that's right, I didn't expect this orc to be so clever.
The pirates exchanged glances, but ultimately succumbed to the orcs' imposing presence, raising their knives and lighting torches. Blood stained the purple deck, and flickering flames rose from the canvas and timber. Soon, the entire ship was engulfed in flames. In the firelight, the pirates' faces contorted into sinister grins.
Three pirate ships, laden with "loot," departed the burning merchant ship and headed towards the Netherlands. Until they completely disappeared into the night, the burning "merchant ship," along with its "corpses," dissipated into starlight on the sea breeze. But no one could see this unnatural sight anymore—the ogre wizard's crystal ball only allowed him to see the vicinity of his own men.
Grash nodded in satisfaction; these two newcomers were indeed useful. However, the real test was yet to come; he wanted to see how the two would handle the distribution of the spoils.
When the three pirate ships returned to camp, it was already the next morning. The lower-ranking pirates who had participated in the operation excitedly carried their "spoils" ashore, their faces beaming with unprecedented joy. For them, this operation was simply the pinnacle of their lives.
Grash emerged from the cave, feigning awakening. He gazed at the heavy chests, his greed almost overflowing, yet he forced himself to maintain the outward dignity and composure befitting a pirate leader.
"Carlo! Shaman!" Grash shouted, "How's it going? Is the operation progressing smoothly?"
Casalos strode up to the ogre with a smug look on his face. "Boss, our Bloodaxe Clan's intelligence was right, wasn't it? We've come back with a full haul!"
Grash walked up to the boxes and opened them himself. When he saw the glittering "gold coins" and "jewelry" inside, he could no longer suppress the greed in his eyes.
"Very good, very good!" Gela patted Casalos on the shoulder. "You have indeed proven your worth."
However, what happened next greatly disappointed the small pirates who participated in the operation—after counting all the "loot," Grash only gave each pirate who participated in the operation a symbolic gold coin as a reward, while he kept most of the wealth for himself.
"Boss, is that all?" one of the orc pirates asked, dissatisfied. "We risked our lives..."
Grash smashed the head of the orc who dared to resist with a single punch, his ferocious gaze silencing the rest of the pirates involved. "You trash, being able to participate in such an operation is already a great favor! Want more?"
The remaining low-ranking pirates, though resentful, could only swallow their anger in the face of Grash's blatant threat to their lives. After all, compared to having their heads blown off, a single gold coin was a considerable sum for them.
"As for you two," Grash turned to Casalos and Toona, "you've done a good job, but not enough to become full partners. If you want a real share, you'll have to continue proving your worth and loyalty."
"What?!" Casalos's face flushed crimson upon hearing this. His hand gripped the handle of his battle axe, a crimson glint in his eyes. He roared in the savage voice characteristic of orcs, "I brought the news of this 'fat sheep,' I plundered all this wealth, and now you're telling me I have no share? The Bloodaxe Clan never tolerates such insults!"
The atmosphere in the camp instantly became tense, and the other pirates gripped their weapons tightly. Grash also wore a ferocious expression, but he was no ordinary ogre and did not attack immediately, instead quietly observing the reactions of the two newcomers.
Just as Casalos drew his battle axe, Toona appeared in time. She strode to Casalos's side, pressed down on his arm, and released several soothing spells onto the "orc's" robust body through contact.
"Carlo, calm down! We're here to cooperate, not to cause trouble."
Then she turned to Grash, bowed slightly, her slippery scales taut: "Boss, please forgive my companion's impulsiveness. Orcs are straightforward, but they are also the best warriors. We understand your caution; after all, trust takes time to build."
Grash's expression softened slightly upon hearing this, and it nodded: "The shaman is right. Trust does indeed take time to build. Since you're here to cooperate, you should understand this."
Tao Na continued, "While our Bloodaxe Clan values honor and fairness, we also understand the value of patience. Since you, our leader, are willing to give us a chance to prove ourselves, we are naturally willing to cooperate. However, I would like to know clearly how many missions are required to obtain the status of a formal partner?"
Grash thought for a moment, then held up three thick fingers: "Three times! Successfully complete three more similar operations, proving your ability and loyalty, and I will acknowledge you as official partners, giving you your due share and status."
Casalos, though still outwardly indignant, finally took a deep breath and nodded in agreement under the combined "persuasion" of Toona's magic and words. "Alright, for the sake of the shaman, I accept this condition. But, boss, I expect you to keep your word. The Bloodaxe Clan hates being deceived more than anything."
"Don't worry," Grash assured him, patting his chest. "I, Grash, always keep my word. As long as you prove yourselves, I will never treat you unfairly."
With the agreement reached, Grash was clearly in high spirits. He ordered his men to prepare a sumptuous dinner to celebrate the successful operation. However, as night fell, he quietly left the camp.
Grash sailed alone in his ship, carrying almost all the treasure, into the depths of the archipelago. He followed a secret route known only to himself, traversing rugged reefs and turbulent currents. Every so often, he would cast a detection spell to confirm that he was not being followed before entering an unusually calm sea, patiently waiting for the right moment.
Time ticked by, and Grash's eyes were fixed on the sky. As the colorful Tear of Suren, which circled the moon, streaked across the morning star, a miracle occurred: the sea suddenly receded rapidly, revealing a small reef, only a dozen meters in diameter, beneath which lay a winding, swiftly flowing channel.
Without hesitation, Grash rowed the boat forward swiftly. Its movements were practiced and rapid; the small boat, imbued with levitation spells, sped along the current without touching any reefs. Clearly, it had traversed this route countless times. Before the tide rose again, the ogre wizard successfully entered the secret treasure vault deep within the cave—a sealed underground space enclosed by a reef, already filled with all sorts of treasures and the wreckage of dozens of small boats—a secret chamber where boats could enter but not leave.
Unbeknownst to Grash, while it was busy hiding its treasure, two pairs of eyes were clearly "seeing" its every move through the location of a magical beacon. On the sea not far from the coast, two giant dragons were quietly lurking, with only their eyes visible above the water.
"Found it," Casalos said to Toona via telepathy. "That ogre's secret treasure location looks quite large; the wealth inside should be considerable."
Toona responded, "Those magical beacons worked even better than expected. Now that we know their exact location and the entrance, what do you plan to do next? Block it up inside, or…?"
A few minutes later, Grash used a spell-like ability to fly out of the cave, waiting for the tide to rise quickly and submerge the reefs, before flying towards the "Scorpion's" camp.
“That’s too merciful to it.” Casalos blinked. “Just imagine how interesting its expression will be when it discovers that all those treasures it plundered that didn’t belong to it have vanished.”
54. Passion
When Grash returned to camp from the secret vault, it was in an unusually good mood. The loot from the Kalinsan merchant ship had far exceeded expectations; the glittering moon coins alone would be enough to live comfortably for the rest of its life—of course, it had no plans to retire yet.
The two new Bloodaxe clan members have shown considerable value. If their intelligence network and combat capabilities can be further utilized, the implementation of the next "big business" plan will proceed much more smoothly.
The ogre wizard trudged into the cave, only to find that the lizardman sentries, who should have been patrolling at this time, were nowhere to be seen. This gave it a sense of foreboding, but the vigilance honed by years of pirate experience prevented it from asking aloud. Instead, it quietly crept deeper into the cave.
The faint torchlight cast swaying shadows on the rock face, and Grash saw a scene that sent his blood pressure soaring: the low-ranking pirates who had participated in the raid were sitting around a campfire, each holding a handful of glittering gold coins. Some were counting the money, some were checking the purity of the coins with their teeth, and a few drunkards were loudly boasting about their "extra spoils" for the night.
"Damn it!" Grash's roar echoed like thunder throughout the cave, causing dust to fall from the stone walls. The low-ranking pirates were terrified by the sudden roar, scattering their gold coins everywhere and hastily kneeling down, trembling.
"You damned maggots! Where did this money come from?!" The ogre wizard's eyes burned with fury, and dangerous magical light gathered in his hands, clearly ready to unleash a deadly spell.
A skinny orc pirate nervously held up the note in his hand: "Boss... Boss, it was left by those two new guys... They said it's an extra reward for the brothers..."
Grash snatched the note and, by the firelight, deciphered the words written in Common Tongue. As he read, his expression grew increasingly grim, until finally he practically gritted his teeth as he read the note aloud:
"To Chief Grash of the 'Scorpion' Pirate Crew: Thank you for your generous wedding gift. The treasures you've hidden in your secret vault are now adding splendor to a sacred dragon wedding. In return, we've left some small change for your men—after all, a good boss should share the joy of success with his subordinates, shouldn't he? Also, we suggest you be more careful in choosing treasure locations in the future; the regularity of high tide is common knowledge even among fishermen. We wish you good luck in your future pirate career! —From two anonymous 'treasure enthusiasts'"
Grash's face turned purple with rage, his fingers trembling violently with fury. The note not only mocked his intelligence but also blatantly insulted his authority as a pirate leader. What he found most unacceptable was that those mysterious thieves knew the exact location and method of entry to his secret treasure vault—meaning either there was a traitor within his ranks, or the other side was powerful enough to track him silently without being detected.
"Search! Turn the entire camp upside down!" Grash roared furiously. "Find those two traitors! I want to tear them to pieces with my own hands!"
However, the search only fueled Grash's impotent rage: the two who claimed to be from the Bloodaxe clan had vanished without a trace, even their makeshift tent had been completely cleared away, as if it had never existed. To the ogre wizard's utter despair, when he returned to his secret vault, he found it empty except for a few piles of shipwrecked remains; all the wealth he had accumulated over decades had been looted.
The only thing left there was another note written in the same sarcastic tone: "Thank you for preparing such a hidden warehouse for us, saving us the trouble of finding a safe relocation location. Your collection of pearls and gems is of excellent taste, especially that luminous pearl from Everlasting Island, which will be the most dazzling decoration in our wedding flight ceremony."
That night, the furious roars emanating from the "Scorpion" camp could be heard throughout the entire Nalanthea Isles. In his rage, Grash crushed three of his innocent minions, vowing to personally find the two mysterious thieves and skin them to make banners.
However, this was just the beginning of the nightmare.
In the following weeks, similar incidents occurred frequently throughout the Netherlands. The leader of the "Blood Shark" pirate crew discovered after a stormy night that his carefully hidden treasure in an underwater cave had been emptied, leaving a note that read: "Thank you for providing such a thrilling underwater adventure. Those chests you chained to the bottom of the sea now add to the splendor of true love."
The "Sharp Blade" pirate crew buried their treasure beneath a single large tree on a desolate island. The next day, they discovered a huge pit where all the treasure had vanished. A sarcastic note on a piece of paper nearly gave their leader a stroke: "Your digging skills are indeed excellent, saving us a lot of time. Next time, consider adding some traps; it would make the game more interesting."
What terrified the pirates most was the fate of the "Octopus" pirate crew. Their leader was an experienced former Velen naval mage who had used complex magical protection to hide his treasure in a demiplane, believing it to be foolproof. However, not only was the treasure stolen, but the coordinates of the demiplane's entrance were also altered, and the leader nearly got trapped in spatial turbulence. The note left behind was equally professional and sarcastic: "Your magical skills certainly need improvement. I suggest you read more of the book 'Fundamentals of Arcane Geometry.' Also, using fifth-circle spells to protect treasure worth at most three circles isn't cost-effective. Instead of being a pirate captain here, you'd be better off surrendering in Waterdeep and doing a few years of forced labor; you might earn more than you're currently robbing ships and men."
Within a span of three weeks, fourteen pirate gangs, large and small, were similarly plundered. Without exception, all the stolen items were the most core and secret treasures of each gang, and each time, ironic notes were left behind. The writing style and knowledge displayed on these notes far exceeded that of ordinary pirates, demonstrating that the thieves possessed extremely high levels of education and extensive adventurous experience.
Even more bizarrely, all the pirate crews that were plundered discovered that their lowest-ranking members received a certain amount of "bounty money." This amount of gold coins might only be enough for those small pirates who usually struggled to make ends meet to live well for a few months, but it was enough to dismantle the power structure and trust chain within the pirate organization. The hierarchical order within the pirate crews was impacted like never before, and many leaders found their authority being questioned.
Panic spread like wildfire across the Nalanse Islands. Pirate leaders began to suspect each other, believing it was a trap set by their own comrades. Most of the pirates who frequented the seas were hot-tempered, and they believed there must be a traitor within their ranks who had revealed the treasure's location to the mysterious thieves. This fueled their increasingly frequent executions of their men over trivial matters.
Enraged by the theft of their treasure, the Lizardman shaman of the Venomous Fang Clan executed three guards on the spot, sparking infighting among his men. A dozen orcs escaped in the chaos, severely weakening the clan. Pilar of the Fish-Dragon Clan, paranoid and suspicious, imprisoned his trusted lieutenants in the dungeon and personally guarded the vault, yet still couldn't prevent another theft, leading him to smash half his camp in anger. Those clans yet to be robbed were like frightened birds. The leader of the Black Shark Clan personally led patrols of the treasure location day and night, but due to exhaustion, he misjudged the situation and wrongly killed two loyal lieutenants, causing internal trust to collapse. The Bloodsail Clan went even further; the leader suspected his lieutenants of colluding with external enemies, resulting in the loss of a third of their fighting force in the ensuing infighting.
The animosity between pirate groups escalated rapidly. The Venom Fang believed the Black Shark had betrayed their treasure location coordinates and sent assassins to raid their camp at night. A fierce battle broke out between the two sides on the reefs, resulting in dozens of deaths and injuries. The Cerch Pirates, on the other hand, spread rumors accusing the Bloodsail Legion of colluding with Waterdeep, which led to other smaller groups joining forces to besiege the Bloodsail Legion's stronghold, forcing it to disband.
The entire Nalanthea Isles was gripped by fear. Leaders viewed everyone as a traitor, and small-scale skirmishes were frequent. The "big deal" planned for this month—a large-scale joint attack on the Waterdeep City transport fleet—was also forced to be postponed due to the pirate groups' inability to establish effective mutual trust. No leader was willing to reveal their battle plans, fearing they would once again become the target of the mysterious thieves.
Under these circumstances, the pirate king, who had been hiding deep within the archipelago, had no choice but to reveal himself.
Balthazar Bloodsail, the pirate lord of Netherlands, is a paragon of hybrid sorcerers, said to possess green dragon blood, allowing him to move freely underwater, and also boasting formidable melee combat skills and leadership abilities. He rarely participates directly in ordinary raids, instead hiding in a ghost ship that roams the archipelago, directing pirate activities throughout the islands through a complex network of communications.
When Balthazar appeared on Gathering Island in the center of the archipelago aboard the legendary ghost ship "The Vengeful Spirit," all the surviving pirate leaders felt an unprecedented pressure. This pirate king stood over two meters tall, his dark green scales shimmering in the scorching sunlight, and his amber vertical pupils emanated a ruthless aura as pungent as chlorine gas. His voice was as deep as an ancient bell, each word carrying a chilling, unsettling resonance.
"My 'subjects'," Balthazar said, standing on the high platform of the assembly island, looking down at the tense pirate leaders below, "it seems you've had quite an interesting time lately. To have allowed a pair of petty thieves to wreak havoc on the entire archipelago is truly impressive."
No leader dared to speak, for they all knew the Pirate King's temper—any attempt to find excuses for his incompetence would incur the cruelest punishment.
"However," Balthazar's tone suddenly lightened, "I do have to thank those two 'generous' friends. Their actions have shown me the true level of you worthless lot. You can't even protect your own property, yet you dare to dream of participating in a bigger plan?"
The Pirate King paced a few steps on the high platform, his short, thick tail swaying slowly behind him—a habitual gesture of a half-dragon when deep in thought. "Now, I give you a chance to prove your worth. Find those two thieves who call themselves dragons and bring them before me alive. The winner will receive a rich reward and an important position in the 'big business'; the loser..."
Balthazar didn't finish his sentence, but everyone understood what the unfinished part meant.
At the same time that the Pirate King issued the bounty, on a deserted island hundreds of nautical miles south of the Netherlands, two giant dragons were making final preparations for an ancient and sacred ceremony.
This small island is located at the confluence of the Radiant Sea and the Traceless Sea, far from all shipping lanes and areas of human activity. The island is lush with vegetation, has clear freshwater springs and expansive beaches, and its magical environment is exceptionally pure, making it an ideal location for traditional rituals.
Casaroz displayed Ratambirol's most perfect form; its silver-blue scales gleamed metallically in the setting sun, its spine held high, revealing its inner excitement and slight tension. Before it lay a mountain of treasures "borrowed" from fourteen pirate crews: glittering gold coins piled high, gems of various colors scattered like stars, exquisite ornaments and weapons neatly arranged, and rare magical items emitting a faint arcane glow.
The total value of these treasures would drive any human king mad, but for the dragon about to undergo its wedding flight ceremony, they were merely symbolic gifts to express love and sincerity.
Toona lay quietly on the soft sand not far from Casalos, her elegant silver-purple scales trembling slightly in the sea breeze. As an experienced ancient dragon, she felt no nervousness about the upcoming ritual, but a long-lost excitement and anticipation welled up within her. Having been single for over eight hundred years, facing this young yet charismatic male of her own kind, she felt an emotional surge unlike anything she had ever experienced before—this time, there was no need for the performance of pandering to a young male dragon; it was truly her first time trying something like this, and the instincts within her dragon soul, bestowed by Asgrath, were gradually taking over her emotions.
"Are you ready, my beautiful Tauna?" Casaroz said in a deep, magnetic dragon language, its voice trembling slightly. This was also its first time participating in such a sacred ceremony—it, Fiona, and Karakor had never experienced this sacred step before.
Toona gracefully raised her head, her amber dragon eyes gleaming with gentle light: "Of course, my dear Ratambirol. Although you are still young, I believe you are ready for this sacred moment."
The first stage of the wedding flight ceremony then began. Ground courtship is one of the oldest and most sacred traditions of the dragon race, expressing love and commitment to each other through complex body language and magical displays. Most modern dragons may have long forgotten this tradition, which originated from the blessing of Lady Tamara.
Casalos took a deep breath, channeling its dragon magic to its surface. The scales on its neck and back unfurled like bird feathers, emitting a silvery-blue glow under the stimulation of the dragon magic. Lightning naturally gathered at the tips of the scales, accumulating potential to pierce the air. Multicolored arcs of electricity danced on the scales, like living lightning bolts traversing its body. The fins on either side of its jaws stood erect, their edges shimmering with rainbow-like halos.