Duke Aiden stared intently at the illustration of the bronze dragon in the ancient tome, murmuring to himself as he clapped his hands in delight.
"Splendid, truly splendid... To think we would stumble upon such unexpected fortune..."
Duke Aiden closed the *Feanso Guide to Dragons* and set it down on the table before him.
He then rose from the sofa, clasping his hands behind his back as he stood before the wall hung with portraits of House Silver's successive grand dukes. Spreading his arms, he could not help but marvel, "My dear daughter, you may have just won us the friendship of an ancient bronze dragon—a treasure beyond measure! House Silver could well reap the benefits for centuries to come!"
Hearing her father's fervent words, even Heloise, who rarely showed her emotions, stood up with the corners of her mouth curving into a pleased smile.
Duke Aiden turned around and resumed pacing across the hall. "Heloise, you must have seen that magical projection from the north?"
Heloise gave a gentle nod. "Yes, Father. Master Kaushik showed me that projection a week ago. If it wasn't an illusion, it only proves that the red dragon emperor of Anzeta is extraordinarily terrifying—an entity far beyond what mere mortals could ever match. He is almost like..."
Recalling that winged behemoth blotting out the sky, even Heloise's violet eyes betrayed a flicker of dread.
She paused for a moment before continuing, "Like a monster out of myth and legend, akin to the World-Swallowing Serpent or the Hekatonkheires... A creature that should never have appeared in the Third Age, when the gods are cut off and mortals rule the land."
Duke Aiden sighed, his tone turning heavy. "Indeed. A dragon of that scale is something we cannot possibly contend with. If the Holy Fadlan Empire still possessed its former glory, I might feel a measure of relief. But today, the Three Kingdoms are locked in endless strife, and the Cinder Empire in the north glares at us like a hungry tiger. I fear..."
Duke Aiden looked up, his expression grave as he gazed at the massive map of the Feanso Continent hanging on the wall.
"I fear that one day, that red dragon will march south, swallow the Kingdom of Thrace, and strip away our northern buffer entirely. And Port Victoria is the most prosperous and wealthiest commercial power in all of Silvermoon Bay. Once that greedy red dragon controls the north, it is all too clear what fate awaits House Silver."
He looked back at Heloise and said earnestly, "Faced with such a red dragon, only those ancient metallic dragons could ever hope to stand against him. Heloise, you may very well have secured the only path of survival left to House Silver."
Heloise replied, "Father, His Majesty Wilhelm of Thrace is a noble and powerful angelic godblood, not a whit inferior to a dragon. What's more... it remains uncertain whether the Cinder Empire will actually push south. Some dragon scholars even claim that the dragon is merely a covetous lord—so long as one offers enough gold, peaceful coexistence is entirely possible."
Duke Aiden let out a self-deprecating laugh. "I hope I am merely overthinking it. The dragon in the north, the Three Kingdoms in the east, the Cult of the Dragon to the south, the nagas of the seas, the demons of the Abyss, and those meddling undead... Feanso is in utter turmoil right now. It leaves me on edge day and night, terrified that centuries of House Silver's foundation might be ruined in my hands."
Heloise walked over to Duke Aiden's side and said softly, "It won't come to that, Father..."
In the eyes of Port Victoria's populace, Duke Aiden, who commanded the mercenary company, was ever a stern and aloof nobleman. Yet he poured all his warmth and tenderness into his only daughter. Only in Heloise's presence did the duke ever wear a rare smile.
Suddenly, Duke Aiden noticed the faint traces of grime and dust on Heloise's clothes.
He remembered then that his eldest daughter had just survived a premeditated ambush. If not for that 'Hermit' stepping in, she might have lost her life there.
Duke Aiden's expression shifted, a cold glint appearing in his eyes. "By the way, Heloise, tell me more about that cult. To dare ambush a House Silver caravan near Port Victoria... they must be tired of living."
His voice was biting cold.
Heloise answered, "Father, those cultists call themselves the Cult of the God of Dominion, claiming their deity is omniscient and omnipotent. The leader of the cultists possessed formidable psionic power, comparable at least to an archmage. The vortex he conjured was no less potent than Master Kaushik's spells."
"The God of Dominion... I seem to have heard that name before..."
Duke Aiden stroked his neatly trimmed beard, lowering his head in thought.
A moment later, he summoned the butler standing by the door and gave a crisp, forceful command: "Vicente, go to the family archives. Gather every scrap of intelligence on this so-called 'God of Dominion.'"
"Yes, Your Grace."
Receiving the order, Vicente bowed his head, turned, and hurried toward the archive room.
As the largest and busiest port city in all of Silvermoon Bay, Port Victoria was a swirling mix of factions, home to over a hundred armed groups and countless cults. As the master of the Hand of Mithral, the mercenary company responsible for the city's security, Aiden archived every piece of intelligence gathered by his subordinates for future reference and to maintain a firm grip over the city.
Moments later, Vicente pushed the door open, carrying a stack of documents including newspapers, search warrants, and bounty notices.
The butler reported, "Your Grace, nearly all the information on the Cult of the God of Dominion is here. This cult worshipping the 'God of Dominion' first surfaced eleven years ago. Back then, it merely recruited a handful of destitute commoners from the lower city. For ten years, the cult remained obscure, far less renowned than the Church of the Deep Dominator, the Returners, or the Cult of Bhaal."
Vicente drew a sheaf of papers from the pile and continued, "However, starting last July, their activities escalated drastically. Twenty-one disappearances and twelve murders have been linked to them. The Hand of Mithral launched several investigations, but failed to locate their lair. Outside the city walls, they appear to be converting goblins, ogres, and other monsters in large numbers as worshippers. Your Grace, that is the gist of the intelligence on the Cult of the God of Dominion."
Vicente presented all the documents to Duke Aiden, then bowed slightly and stood quietly to one side.
Duke Aiden flipped through the papers casually, saying in a low voice, "Recruiting hordes of monsters beyond the city walls to form an army, are they...? That explains it. No wonder so many caravans along the northern roads have been raided lately. An organized monster army has taken the field."
*Thwack.*
Duke Aiden slammed the papers onto the desk, his voice chillingly cold. "Heh. To dare pull this near Port Victoria, they must have someone backing them. And to even dare target my daughter... Unforgivable."
"Simon Amorim."
"My lord."
The Knight Commander of the Hand of Mithral, who had long been standing guard outside, pushed open the door and strode in, dropping respectfully to one knee before Duke Aiden.
Simon appeared in his thirties, tall and robust, though a scar covered half his face. House Silver had taken him in from the fires of war and provided him with the finest knightly training from youth. He had followed Duke Aiden for over two decades. Known as the 'Sharpest Blade of House Silver,' his strength was indisputable, and he was said to be nearing the legendary tier.
Duke Aiden tossed the stack of documents before Simon and commanded, "Simon, I want you to mobilize the finest elites of the Hand of Mithral to conduct a thorough investigation into this so-called Cult of the God of Dominion." He paused, then added, "However... do not alert them prematurely. Avoid detection if at all possible."
Simon gathered the papers bearing the intelligence on the God of Dominion from the floor, scanned the text quickly, and replied firmly, "Yes, my lord."
He was always crisp and decisive, obeying Duke Aiden's commands without hesitation and disregarding all else.
Suddenly, Heloise recalled something and chimed in, "Father, something else just came to mind—that Lord Hermit referred to those cultists as 'vermin,' and he seemed rather familiar with them, as if this was far from his first encounter."
"Oh?"
Duke Aiden's brow furrowed at once, his expression growing even graver.
One had to remember that as an ancient bronze dragon, the 'Hermit' had been asleep for at least four hundred years! Before his slumber, Port Victoria had not even existed. If he was familiar with them, it meant the Cult of the God of Dominion was no shallow, newly formed sect, but an ancient faction that had existed centuries ago.
A newly sprouted cult and an ancient order entrenched for centuries were two entirely different matters. House Silver had risen from the fires of war a mere two hundred years ago.
At this thought, Duke Aiden's face darkened further. He asked in a hushed tone, "Heloise, is Lord Hermit still in Port Victoria?"
Heloise replied, "Yes, Mr. Hermit mentioned he intended to take a stroll through Port Victoria."
"Can you contact him? It is time... to meet this entity who may become House Silver's future ally."
"Of course."
Heloise reached into her pocket and pulled out an ancient greenish-bronze coin. "This is a token Mr. Hermit gave me. He said that if I simply toss it into the air, he will appear here."
Duke Aiden raised a hand. "Wait, do not use the token just yet."
He turned to Vicente and instructed, "Go fetch Master Kaushik and the remaining two commanders."
"Yes, Your Grace."
Before long, a wizard dressed in deep blue robes and holding a mithral staff pushed open the door and entered, bowing gracefully to Duke Aiden.
He looked to be in his forties, immaculately groomed and dressed.
"Good day, Duke Aiden. Forgive my delay."
This was House Silver's chief wizard, Kaushik Hayden, master of the Coastal Wizard Tower, disciple of the Grand Sage Trafalanlo, and a remarkably learned archmage. In the Feanso Continent, anyone recognized as an 'archmage' was only a step away from becoming a legendary wizard, lacking merely a spark of inspiration and accumulation.
"Master Kaushik."
Duke Aiden nodded to the spellcaster in greeting, then glanced toward the door again.
Immediately after, two knights in silver armor—a man and a woman—arrived in haste and knelt on one knee before Duke Aiden.
"Your Grace."
They were the other two commanders of the Hand of Mithral, Feodor Pette and Jennie Aldis, both fiercely loyal and exceptionally powerful.
Kaushik looked at the two commanders, who had rushed in glistening with sweat, and smiled. "Duke Aiden, assembling us here must mean something momentous is afoot."
"Indeed. Not only is it momentous, but it may very well alter the destiny of House Silver."
Kaushik's expression turned somber at once, while the three commanders took on grave looks, quietly awaiting the duke's words.
Duke Aiden nodded slightly. He surveyed the gathering in the hall and declared in a clear voice, "Today, we are about to welcome an extraordinary guest. His identity is something none of you could possibly anticipate—an ancient bronze dragon who has awoken from a slumber of over four hundred years."
"What?"
The listeners in the hall were instantly stunned, and Kaushik could not hold back an exclamation.
Clutching his mithral staff, Kaushik added with a trembling voice, "Duke, if I may speak frankly, I must correct your assumption. As far as I know, an ancient dragon is merely eight hundred to a thousand years old. A bronze dragon capable of sleeping for more than four hundred years in a single slumber must at least be... a great wyrm."
A bronze great wyrm.
As Trafalanlo's disciple, he understood all too well what the appearance of a dragon of this caliber meant to the world. 'Silver Wings' Oszedro, who had resolved crises on the Material Plane and repeatedly repelled Abyssal invasions, was merely a silver dragon at the great wyrm stage. Yet even his teacher Trafalanlo treated Silver Wings as an honored guest, greeting him with humble and warm hospitality. For House Silver of Port Victoria to establish ties with a bronze great wyrm was unquestionably an incredible stroke of fortune, far above their station.
At this realization, Kaushik's breath hitched slightly, and he began adjusting his robes, terrified of presenting any flaw in his attire.
Servants carried in large quantities of gold, and following the *Feanso Guide to Dragons*, they gathered numerous items a bronze dragon might fancy to decorate the hall. After extensive discussions and Kaushik's detailed guidance on dragon-welcoming etiquette, everyone in the hall was finally prepared to receive their noble guest.
Duke Aiden groomed his mustache once more, ensuring it was neat and trim, before giving the order to his eldest daughter: "Heloise, prepare to begin."
"Yes, Father."
Heloise nodded. Under everyone's tense gaze, she retrieved the ancient bronze coin and tossed it lightly into the air.
*Ding—*
A crisp metallic chime rang out. The onlookers held their breath, awaiting what was to come.
The space in the hall warped gradually, then shattered like glass.
None of the numerous wards and alarm spells Kaushik had woven throughout the castle made the slightest sound, effortlessly bypassed by that enigmatic presence.
Suddenly, a gentle, deep male voice echoed through the hall.
"Miss Heloise, forgive me for keeping you waiting. You were quite right, though—Port Victoria is indeed a fine city. I find I like it very much."
Everyone hurriedly turned toward the sound. A man wielding a bronze scepter and cloaked in gray strode out from the spatial rift.
Chapter 565