When the Golden Dragon turned towards the sound, he saw a small Dou Ding climbing the cliff, pale golden eyes shining even in the bright sunlight.
The strongest of the third generation of the Augustus family, had just turned ten, but still looked like a child, resembling a five or six-year-old. Having awakened his Titan Bloodline at birth, his development was significantly slower than that of his human peers.
However, any humans of the same age who dared to underestimate him because of his appearance would be beaten senseless by him; he has proven this fact more than once.
The girl, immersed in a sorrowful state, did not respond to the call from behind her, remaining motionless like a stone statue. But the utterly clueless Uranos politely greeted the Golden Dragon,
Then, under Noah’s astonished gaze, this little Dou Ding leaped forward with a flying kick towards the slender figure of the tear-streaked, pitiable Elven girl,
The airborne Dou Ding, in mid-flight kick, was frozen in place, as if trapped in amber like a tiny insect,
"What’s wrong with her?"
The immobilized Dou Ding sensed that his new playmate was not quite right.
"She will never see her father again."
Noah released Uranos’s Immobilization Spell.
Uranos scratched his head, then patted it, revealing a face that looked like he had a great idea. Then, under the unusual gaze of the Golden Dragon, he approached the girl, picked her up, and slung her over his shoulder,
"Elizabeth, I don’t know how to comfort you, but fighting can help you forget everything. Come, let’s go hunt ghouls. Don’t dwell in sadness; this is not the expression you should wear."
Uranos, with the girl’s body half-dragging on the ground, walked to the edge of the cliff and jumped off,
"Uncle Noah, I’m taking her with me. Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of her."
"When did this happen? How did it escalate to this point?"
Noah’s expression was quite colorful; he really didn’t know when his young nephew had gotten mixed up with the Silver Dragon’s orphan,
"The bloodline of the Augustus family is already chaotic enough, adding some Silver Dragon lineage doesn’t seem to make a difference, never mind it."
The Golden Dragon was quite liberal about it.
Even though this Elven half-dragon’s age might actually surpass his own, possibly comparable to his foster parents, or even older.
But, considering Uranos is part of the Longevity Species, a small century-old difference doesn’t matter, as long as offspring can be born, it’s fine.
"Is that Rafael’s daughter?"
A tall, silver-haired elder appeared beside the Golden Dragon, looking at Uranos half-carrying, half-dragging the elf girl through the mountains, a touch of sentiment in his silver eyes.
Noah wasn’t surprised by the sudden appearance of the Silver Dragon elder beside him; they had already greeted each other before,
"That boy is my nephew, he can be a bit impolite, I hope you’ll forgive him."
"What’s the big deal?"
The Silver Dragon Hughes, dressed like an old scholar, shook his head indifferently,
"Having such a companion, this child should soon break away from her father’s death shadow, which is a good thing.
Come to think of it, we old folks should thank him, for saving us an ordeal.
I might have told her sooner, instead of letting her figure it out on her own and come to me full of hope only to receive a despairing answer."
Noah recalled the changing expression of the Elven girl and spoke with a hint of guilt.
"For a child who’s not yet grown and cannot stand on her own, to know her father’s demise is exceedingly cruel.
You’ve been quite considerate; it was just that our arrival was too conspicuous, alerting the child to something amiss."
The elderly Silver Dragon Hughes gently shook his head,
"In these extraordinary times, let’s be understanding; nobody is perfect."
"The wrongdoers are not us, but those vile Dragon Hunters!"
"Indeed, no matter where they come from or which Majesty they devoutly serve, they must pay the price for this!"
The old Silver Dragon’s eyes showed an icy gleam, like a snowstorm over a perpetual glacier,
"No one is exempt, not even the immortal Divine can shield them."
As an elder Silver Dragon, saying such words was quite bold, but he was not alone; in fact, during this period, Noah’s territory had already become a gathering place for the Metallic Dragon Race.
Although no dragon had declared or initiated a formal gathering, when they heard of Rafael’s fall, many Metallic Dragons intent on revenge naturally came to Noah’s territory.
The reason, again, was simple: Rafael’s widow was here, and it was also the territory of the Golden Dragon, making it a natural gathering and planning ground for those Dragons seeking vengeance.
Driven by anger, some Metallic Dragons forsook their Transformation Technique, arriving in their strongest forms directly into the Elidis Mountain range.
Thus, when the half-elf dragon girl saw Dragons frequently entering Noah’s territory in their true forms, she naturally became somewhat apprehensive.
Because the Metallic Dragon Race only gathers spontaneously during significant events. On ordinary occasions, even gatherings for friendly interactions are attended in humanoid form, so much so that uninformed individuals are oblivious to dragon assemblies.
The activity of the Dragons also spread numerous related rumors outside the mountains; many adventurer groups on missions in the forests witnessed the majestic figures of the Dragons.
This triggered unexpected changes even Noah hadn’t foreseen, pushing his reputation as the Mountain Master of the Elidis Mountain to new heights.
Although no adventurer has seen Noah with their own eyes, any tavern in Elisium City, large or small, has individuals lavishly praising the Dragon Lord.
In the eyes of outsiders unaware, the increasing and extremely active Dragons in the Elidis Mountains must surely be commanded by the Holy Dragon Noah, ruling this thousand-mile expanse.
For an unknown reason, this Holy Dragon assembled many of his kind, suggesting that he holds a significant stature among the Dragon Clan, thus further cementing his title as the Holy Dragon.
Between us, facing his kind, especially mostly seniors, Noah felt a bit embarrassed and shy about holding such a title.
However, in light of an event like the Silver Dragon’s fall, the trivial matter of mere mortals’ respectful terms for Dragons can naturally be disregarded.
By comparison, the approaching Ancient Dragon garnered more focus from the actively gathered Metallic Dragons.
Only a Dragon of this caliber could preside over a gathering where many elder Dragons appeared and could pursue the culprits who may have fled to other worlds.
"Lord Naberius is arriving soon."
As the local Lord, Noah, though just a juvenile dragon, received the latest news, permitting him to join the elder Dragons in welcoming the arriving Ancient Dragon.
In such a setting, even Noah, despite his distaste for humanoid forms, had to conform, temporarily, as many of his kin were prowling in fury in their powerful forms, ready for vengeance.
The finally arriving Ancient Dragon from the Silver Dragon branch appeared as a handsome young man in minstrel attire, with a harp and bagpipes, exuding a debonair charm.
If no Dragon had introduced him as the esteemed Ancient Dragon, Noah wouldn’t have believed he was indeed the Ancient Dragon.