Having settled the matter of the count's fate, Cassius suddenly recalled something, a look of keen curiosity surfacing on his face.
"By the way, Trump. Come experience a new spell."
"Yes, Master."
The ogre immediately obeyed, holding his ground and tracking every shift in the surrounding Weave, not daring to move an inch.
*Snap.*
A crisp sound rang out.
Trump saw ripples disturb the space before him as the Weave fluctuated violently, yet the disturbance vanished in the blink of an eye—so fast it was nearly imperceptible. The red dragon had already materialized behind him out of thin air.
That was no teleportation spell, but the result of accelerating the flow of time, pushing raw speed to its absolute limit.
Yet it was not over.
Trump suddenly felt the surrounding space and time begin to stagnate. A suffocating pressure bore down on him from every direction, but he fought down the urge to resist and remained frozen where he stood.
*Temporal Stasis.*
In that split second, he felt as though he were trapped in an eternal, invisible cage. Time stretched out into infinity, and everything around him plunged into utter immobility.
*No...*
*This feeling...*
Seconds and minutes ticked by—or so it seemed. Without any point of reference, Trump had no way of knowing how much time had passed, and despair began to creep into his heart.
Then, in the next instant, the invisible cage abruptly vanished. Everything around him resumed its normal course, the air began to circulate once more, and the ogre returned to reality.
"Hah... hah... hah..."
Trump's jaw dropped. First, he looked down at his own body in disbelief, then panted heavily as he looked around, muttering to himself, "Was that... Time Stop?"
"Master, did you..."
His voice trembled, and drool nearly dripped from the corner of his mouth.
Time Stop was, after all, one of the most practical and renowned 9th-level spells in existence, beyond the reach of even many legendary wizards.
To an archmage who yearned to study spells and unravel the mysteries of the Weave, Time Stop was an unattainable dream.
All the more so because this had truly halted time in the most literal sense.
Seeing the ogre's entranced expression, Cassius smiled and said, "You can thank those dragonslayers who traveled from afar. One of them was a wizard from the Tower of Time—which earned me compensation from them."
With a flick of the red dragon's claw, an exquisite scroll appeared before him. Iridescent patterns pulsed across its surface, as though the tides of time itself were shimmering over it.
Trump was dumbfounded, his heart pounding violently against his ribs. He reached out with trembling hands to take the scroll, barely able to keep his grip steady.
"Th-This is..."
"A scroll of Time Stop, crafted by a time dragon's own claws."
Trump's massive frame dropped to his knees, tears of overwhelming emotion welling in his eyes. "Master... this... this is far too precious!"
Cassius merely replied in an indifferent tone, "It is not a gift for you, but for the Ministry of Magic to study."
"I want you to classify it as top secret. Only spellcasters of proven loyalty to the kingdom may be granted access to examine it."
"Furthermore, I expect to see research results within five years. Even if you cannot cast a 9th-level spell of this caliber, use it to enrich the kingdom's knowledge of chronomancy."
"Yes, Master!" Trump answered with utmost solemnity.
An ordinary dragon would have hidden a treasure of this magnitude in the deepest recesses of their lair, never allowing a soul to lay eyes upon it.
Yet Cassius had bestowed it so casually, placing it directly into his hands for study.
What recognition!
What profound trust!
Tears welled in Trump's eyes once more, and he silently resolved to give his all to realize the red dragon's grand design.
Unconcerned with what was passing through the ogre's mind, Cassius continued his instructions:
"Once affairs in the Northlands are fully settled, it will be time for the second conferment ceremony. Many have distinguished themselves in this war; go make the preparations."
"Yes, Master." Trump looked up, his face breaking into a broad, obsequious grin. "Though, would you care to inspect... the custom piece you requested earlier?"
"Very well."
***
"Heave-ho! Heave-ho!"
"Careful!"
"This is something His Majesty prizes!"
Several burly ogres carried a massive metal chest, trudging laboriously into the palace, with Trump leading the way on tiptoe.
"Greetings, Your Majesty!"
After kneeling in homage to the red dragon, the ogres swiftly withdrew at Trump's gesture.
The ogre archmage knelt on the floor like a mountain of flesh, his voice trembling with excitement. "Master, this is the equipment we crafted for you with everything we had—the culmination of the kingdom's wisdom and resources: the Crown of the Supreme True Dragon."
"Only such a treasure is worthy of your greatness."
As Trump's voice fell, the metal chest slowly opened, spilling out brilliant golden radiance.
Even Cassius looked over with genuine curiosity. Inside lay a crown forged of pure adamantine, gleaming with a brilliant golden hue throughout, intricately carved with the ferocious likeness of a dragon. Set into the dragon's eyes were gems that shimmered with flowing, iridescent light.
[Crown of the Supreme True Dragon]
[Quality: Very Rare]
[Creator: Trump]
[Description: A magnificent and immensely valuable treasure, crafted over several months by Chief Minister Trump of the Kingdom of Cinders alongside over a hundred spellcasters from the Ministry of Magic, at the cost of nearly one hundred thousand gold coins.]
["Spare no expense! Make every part as lavish and magnificent as possible! This is something His Majesty requested personally!" — Chief Minister Trump]
[Effects:
Indestructible: Forged from adamantine, this crown is nearly impossible to damage in battle.
Form Alteration: Imbued with transmutation magic, it can adapt to the wearer's size and alter its shape accordingly.
Calamity Warning: Upon detecting that the wearer has fallen into a rage or lost their sanity, it automatically sounds an alarm to jolt the wearer awake.]
The "Very Rare" quality of this crown had been bought entirely with a mountain of gold.
Still, considering that the kingdom currently possessed no legendary spellcasters, forging a magic item of this caliber was no small achievement.
*Only Very Rare...*
*Still, not bad at all.*
Cassius raised a claw slightly, and the crown lifted into the air, floating over to settle atop his head.
Under the enchantment's power, the adamantine crown adjusted snugly around his horns, adhering directly to the surface of his scales. Far from looking out of place, it lent the red dragon's ferocious, terrifying visage an added air of regal majesty and lavish dignity.
He could feel the magical runes within the crown continuously monitoring the surrounding Weave, poised to respond at a moment's notice.
Trump, flush with excitement, hurried to flatter him: "Master, before your magnificent presence, even this crown pales in comparison..."
Cassius, however, was already lost in thought.
*Perhaps this crown could be elevated even further—perhaps even to the Legendary tier.*
Chapter 366