Avenderdan, the fortress that stood on Blackrock Mountain for thousands of years, is now full of broken walls and scars.

The dwarves and elves silently gathered the remains of their comrades and burned the corpses of the orcs piled up at the city gate.

Thick grey smoke rose up into the sky, and a solemn and tragic atmosphere filled the city. The dwarf craftsmen were mending the city walls while humming ancient ballads in a low voice.

"To the tinkling music of hammers, the dwarves built magnificent fortresses."

A desolate war cry came from the northern grasslands, and wild and evil creatures gathered.

After this brutal battle, the outskirts of Avenderdan were almost reduced to ruins, and nearly six thousand dwarf heroes were buried underground.

You have to know that there are only more than 30,000 dwarves in the entire Avender, and almost every resident has lost their familiar relatives, lovers or friends.

The remaining 9,000 dwarf warriors and the elves of Serenya were stationed outside the city, forming patrols, trying their best to eliminate sporadic orc cavalry reconnaissance teams and explore the next move of the Red Blood Tribe in the north.

"The wine I drank with you spilled on the ground, and the soul that shines brighter than gold and gems shines in Solanya
Farewell, my friend."

Ed Klein stood on the top of the city wall, softly singing the "Farewell Song" that has been passed down by the dwarves to this day.

He looked at the boundless Wugo grassland and let out a long sigh. In this battle, the dwarves paid a terrible price.

But they prevailed.

The mountain kingdom's heritage that had been passed down for thousands of years and the glory of the shield dwarves were finally preserved, but where will they go in the future?
Bjorn appeared behind him with a cane, his voice full of concern.

"Your Majesty, we have clearly won a glorious victory. Why are you lamenting so much?"

"Bjorn, you should be able to see that too."

"."

The old dwarf did not answer, but just stared at Ed's pale, weak face silently.

The dwarf king smiled bitterly and continued, “I never expected that I might not live longer than an old man like you who is over 400 years old.

I am not afraid of death, but I don’t want to die yet. I can’t let go of the mountain kingdom.”

"Your Majesty, you."

"."

Suddenly, the two dwarves fell silent. They had worked together for a hundred years and could guess each other's thoughts even without speaking.

Ed knew that after his body was melted with the Hammer of Stone, he would not live long. If it were not for the rescue of the "Dawn Dragon", he would not even be alive now.

The soul-forging fire contained in the Hammer of Rock was too strong. Now, not only his body but also his soul was slowly burning, heading towards irreversible destruction.

This kind of process is difficult to reverse even with resurrection, not to mention that dwarves are not a race proficient in magic.

But now, the situation on the continent is so chaotic. Not only the orcs in the north, but also the Abyss, the Nine Hells, and the three kingdoms, all forces are ready to move and should not be underestimated.

When the next crisis comes, how will the Mountain Kingdom survive without the support of this "Master of the Furnace"?
"We went deep into the underground caves to find the fascinating golden color."

Ed and Bjorn looked into the distance together, listening silently to the songs echoing in the city.

The old dwarf hesitated for a moment, his mouth moving slightly: "Your Majesty, I have a way that may be able to protect Avenderdan for at least a hundred years."

Ed looked at him, as if he had guessed what Bjorn was thinking, and said calmly: “Do you think this is really feasible?

For thousands of years, we shield dwarves have always been self-reliant, relying on our hammers and tenacious perseverance to survive in the world."

Bjorn lowered his eyes and said with a helpless smile: "Your Majesty, this is only the last choice."

"Ow—"

Suddenly, a loud long howl was heard in the distance. The dwarves and elves all looked up and saw a vague black dot appearing on the horizon.

"what is that?"

"Look! It's in the sky!"

"Who is coming this time? Is he a friend or an enemy? Are they the orcs' allies?"

"Alert! Defend Avondeldan to the death!"

The patrolling dwarves and elves quickly picked up their weapons vigilantly, as if facing a powerful enemy, and talked incessantly.

Ed and Bjorn were no exception. They also looked solemn and looked up into the distance.

The black spot in their sight grew bigger and bigger, and finally turned into a golden dragon more than ten meters long.

"Is this... another visiting golden dragon?"

Ed quickly raised his hand, signaling his soldiers to lay down their weapons, and gave the order in a deep voice.

"Everyone, put down your weapons. This is a kind and noble golden dragon, a fellow of our Alpine Kingdom's eternal benefactor, Lord Titus!"

“It’s a golden dragon!”

"As expected of a fellow of Lord Titus' kind, such an elegant and beautiful being!"

The soldiers on and below the city wall breathed a sigh of relief, put down their bows, crossbows, spears and other weapons, and the expressions on their faces became particularly relaxed.

They witnessed with their own eyes the golden dragon lending his all to help them, burning their enemies and killing the chieftain of the Red Blood Tribe.

In the past few days, Lord Titus has often hovered over the city, showering his warm light and healing the wounded, for which the dwarves are even more grateful.

In the hearts of the dwarves and elves, the golden dragon has become the embodiment of justice and their steadfast ally.

If that is the case, then how could Lord Titus’s fellow tribesmen be enemies?

The strange golden dragon was so graceful and sinuous, it flew in its signature wave motion, almost as if swimming through the air, before lightly descending on the city wall.

It folded its wings over its back like a giant golden moth.

The dwarves observed this strange golden dragon. Compared to Lord Titus, the golden dragon in front of them was much smaller.

Its body is more slender, its movements more graceful, its golden scales engraved with complex and delicate patterns, and its body is filled with the scent of saffron and spices.

Ed nodded in greeting and said in a neither humble nor arrogant manner: "Dignified and elegant golden dragon, welcome to your arrival. I am Ed, the Lord of the Mountains.

May I ask why you are visiting our city which has just experienced a war?"

The golden dragon slowly opened its mouth, and a clear, pleasant, and somewhat childish female voice echoed on the city wall: "Your Majesty Ed, my name is Aurora, a golden dragon from the south.

I came to visit the elder Titus, the Dawn Dragon. I admire his deeds in helping the dwarves fight against invasion."

An expression of "as expected" appeared on Ed's face, and he pointed to a cave in Blackrock Mountain.

“No problem, Lord Titus will live there temporarily. He should be resting in the cave now.

He is indeed a kind, just and responsible strong man, and the eternal benefactor of our Mountain Kingdom.

During the period after the war, Lord Titus always hovered over the city and healed the wounds of our dwarf warriors." "Thank you, Your Majesty Eddard."

The female golden dragon who called herself "Aurora" spoke in a very sincere tone.

She simply nodded, then flapped her wings lightly, soared into the air over the city wall, and flew towards the cave.

Looking at the back of the golden dragon, Ed said with emotion: "Bjorn, maybe you are right.
Today, the Mountain Kingdom may really need a more steadfast and powerful ally who can protect us for hundreds of years."

"Good day, Senior Titus. I am Aurora, daughter of Akarof, a golden dragon from the south. Is it convenient for you now?"

After flying a few dozen meters away from the cave entrance, Aurora landed on the rock and asked cautiously.

Even for a golden dragon, trespassing into its lair is considered rude; after all, that is where its treasures are stored.

Aurora seemed particularly cautious. She did not want to anger the mysterious senior or cause him to dislike her.

After all, she didn't know the other party's character, and according to her experience, those ancient golden dragons were often stubborn.

"come in."

Not long after, a deep voice was heard from inside the cave.

Aurora was overjoyed and hurried into the cave. She even followed the etiquette of the golden dragon and deliberately controlled her vision.

——However, there was not much treasure in this temporary nest. The dwarves did send a lot of gold, but it was blocked by Cassius deep in the cave.

Walking out of a relatively narrow cave entrance, the young golden dragon finally arrived at the "hall" of the nest and saw the true face of the predecessor who had recently emerged.

Aurora quickly lowered her head obediently, folded her wings, slightly bent her front legs, and greeted softly again: "Good day, Senior Titus."

She quietly raised her head and saw that this "Dawn Dragon" had a huge body of more than 30 meters, with completely golden scales and extremely wide wings.

There are more than a dozen barbels growing around its mouth, and its deep eyes are like a pool of molten gold, giving people a feeling of mystery and wisdom.

From Jinlong's aesthetic point of view, this senior is a thorough "handsome man".

It is indeed an ancient golden dragon!

Aurora was particularly happy, because older golden dragons often choose to go to Mount Heaven to serve His Majesty Bahamut, and rarely stay in the material plane.

Almost every golden dragon who remains in the material world has a strong sense of responsibility and justice.

At the same time, Titus, or Cassius, was also observing the visiting golden dragon with his golden pupils.

【Aurora Vipsania Agrippina】

Challenge Level: 16
A young female golden dragon, looking rather immature, but more powerful than ordinary golden dragons, its strength is comparable to that of an adult golden dragon.

What is more peculiar is that the surface of her scales is engraved with complex and delicate patterns.

A golden dragon of this age is most likely not a messenger sent by Bahamut.

So, he asked tentatively in a calm tone: "Young fellow, why did you come here?

Could it be that the day of the Golden Dragon Council has arrived?"

In fact, Cassius was just being evasive. The Golden Dragons have a worldwide hierarchy, at the top of which is a leader known as the "Archon".

This leader is elected by the species from among the ranks of the ancient gold dragons and serves for life until he or she decides to resign, and councils are held every few hundred years to discuss various matters.

Aurora was a little surprised, but still answered: "Senior Titus, if I remember correctly, the next Golden Dragon Council should be in thirty years.

Besides, I am only a young golden dragon, and I am not qualified to invite you."

Cassius shook his head helplessly and said with a wry smile: “Oh, it seems that after that war, I have been away from this world for too long.

I can’t remember the time.”

Riddler.

By keeping things vague, you can make others feel that you are unfathomable.

Aurora listened quietly to the words of the senior, and indeed imagined a vicissitudes and tragic past in her mind. However, it was very impolite to ask about it presumptuously.

As expected, he is Senior Gu Jinlong who has lived for thousands of years!
After expressing his feelings in his heart, the young golden dragon dared to continue speaking.

"Senior Titus, I just heard about your heroic deeds and admired you so much that I wanted to come here to visit you."

Cassius smiled and said, "Aurora, I think it's not just this matter. Tell me, what else do you want?"

The young golden dragon scratched his claws and said a little embarrassedly: "You are indeed wise, in this case, I will speak frankly.

Senior Titus, we admire your adherence to justice and order. We sincerely invite you to join the Carved Skin Organization and become an elder of our 'Loz'."

Carved leather, a familiar noun.

Cassius looked at the delicate carvings on Aurora's body and immediately thought of the meaning of the word.

The Leatherwyrm, a member of a mysterious order of dragons and half-dragons.

They take their name from the markings carved into their scales which grant them miraculous mystical protection.

In their strict discipline, commitment to personal perfection, and mystical transcendence, dragons of the Carved Skin Order are similar to human monks.

But the Carved Skin Dragons do not establish monasteries; they gather in small groups called "Lozes".

These packs, made up of many dragons or half-dragons sharing a large territory, come together occasionally and quickly rally to help if one of their members is threatened.

Suddenly, Cassius was delighted. He had originally planned to look for this organization, but he didn't expect that the other party would come to him.

As an advanced profession similar to a monk, the Carved Leather Dragon possesses a steel-like will of order and can resist many supernatural forces - including the power of chaos.

After obtaining this advanced profession, Cassius will have more confidence to fight against the abyss demons.

At the same time, he can better maintain his own sanity and no longer be affected by the will of Karix.

Although he was ecstatic in his heart, Cassius remained expressionless, and he said calmly: "Carved Skin Dragon? I have heard of this profession, it is indeed a lawful organization.

That sounds pretty good.”

Aurora quickly responded: "Senior Titus, we will provide you with the entire inheritance of the Carved Skin Dragon, as well as..."

She gritted her teeth for a moment before continuing, "We will also collect some gold coins as your salary."

Cassius showed a gentle smile like an elder and said softly: "I agree, as long as you work hard for justice and order."

Aurora was extremely surprised and came forward and said, "Senior Titus, you are indeed as kind and powerful as the rumors say. Welcome to join us."

Inside the cave, the genuine golden dragon and the pirated golden dragon smiled at each other, and the scene was extremely harmonious.

Aurora was happy that the organization had gained strong support, while Cassius was secretly happy that he had obtained a new advanced job for free and had infiltrated the metal dragon. (End of this chapter)