The Gold Dragon Council

Aurora flapped her wings, descending as lightly as a butterfly until she touched down upon the ground. To mortal eyes, a dragon over ten meters from snout to tail was already a colossal beast. Yet against the imposing presence of an ancient gold dragon, this young gold dragon appeared slender and petite. Cassius smiled and said, "Aurora, why such a rush?" Aurora hastily lowered her head, bending her forelegs slightly and folding her wings against her back as she bowed respectfully to her mysterious and powerful kin. "Good day, Elder Titus. I am terribly sorry for interrupting your conversation just now." "It is fine. There is no need to be nervous. Take your time and speak." Cassius shook his head, stroking his cheek whiskers with a claw just like any elder gold dragon, playing the part of a senior to perfection. "Aurora, according to what you told me before, shouldn't there still be several decades before the next Gold Dragon Council? Why have you come to notify me now?" Aurora reached between her scales, pulled out a golden insignia, and presented it gingerly. "Elder Titus, since six hundred years ago, the Gold Dragon Council has used insignias like this as symbols of identity. The current Archon, Lord Crassus, sometimes transmits messages through it." Cassius took the insignia. It appeared to be forged from pure gold, its surface carved with a lifelike head of a gold dragon. Around its mouth were twenty-four whiskers—twelve on the upper jaw and twelve on the lower. "My mentor personally applied for this insignia on your behalf, and it is a symbol of your status. The Gold Dragon Council is more than happy to welcome a powerful ancient dragon." Cassius glanced at Aurora's claw and noticed that she held an insignia as well, though the dragon's head on hers bore only eight whiskers, looking rather youthful by comparison. Aurora continued, "This session of the Gold Dragon Council was convened on short notice by Lord Crassus. "You may not know this, but following the fall of Holy Fadlan, the situation across the Feanso Continent has become exceptionally dire. The Abyss, the Nine Hells, the chromatic dragons... even evil deities like Gruumsh, whom you are currently fighting, are stirring restlessly. "Lord Crassus believes the time has come for us gold dragons to fulfill our responsibilities, so he is summoning gold dragons from across the world to hold a formal council." Cassius gazed at the insignia in his claw and gave a wry, sighing laugh. "I never imagined a sinner like me would be deemed worthy of entering the Gold Dragon Council." "Elder Titus, how could you be a sinner?" Aurora lifted her head and spoke earnestly. "You are the hero praised by the bards as the 'Dragon of Dawn' and the 'Wings of Dawn,' the one who slew Gruumsh's brutal scions and repelled the orcish invasion from pushing south! "Even... even if you have troubles you cannot speak of, I am certain the elders of our clan, the wyrms and great wyrms, can offer you some help." "Perhaps... Let us go, then. Take me to the Gold Dragon Council. After so many years, it is indeed time to shoulder the responsibilities I have neglected." "Understood, Elder Titus. The teleportation spell is ready." Whoosh— Aurora drew out a scroll. Ripples manifested in the air before them, opening a massive teleportation portal. The two gold dragons, one large and one small, stepped through one after the other. ... In the southeastern region of the Feanso Continent lay the Jacob Mountains. Known as the "Roof of the Continent," this unbelievably magnificent mountain range thrust into the sky, towering ten thousand meters high and stretching for thousands of li. Those magnificent peaks were exceedingly rugged and perpetually cloaked in pristine white snow, utterly inaccessible to mortals. The venue for the Gold Dragon Council was situated atop one of these snowy peaks—Mount Orlando. The mountain was named after a third-generation progenitor dragon. Legend held that Orlando died upon this peak, wrapping the entire mountain in his wings and leaving behind his tibia. He was the ancestral source of blood for the majority of gold dragons on Feanso. Deep within Mount Orlando lay an immense, cavernous grotto known among dragons as the "Hall of Justice." This was the sacred place where the centennial Gold Dragon Council convened. And now, it welcomed two more gold dragons. Cassius squeezed his way out of the dimensional rift, which felt rather cramped for his size. Silently memorizing the coordinates, he beat his wings and hovered in midair. Aurora whispered, "We have arrived, Elder Titus. Allow me to lead you inside." The two dragons entered the cavern one after the other, navigating through deep, echoing tunnels as magical torches flared to life in sequence along both walls. Suddenly, the view before Cassius opened up into vastness. The interior of the mountain housed an immense chamber that seemed to stretch on without end, far grander than he had imagined. *Trafalanlo's Magnificent Mansion?* Cassius marveled inwardly. Even if this entire mountain had been hollowed out, it could never yield such a colossal space. This was practically a brand-new demiplane. One could only expect as much from the gold dragons, who stood at the pinnacle of draconic spellcasting. Merely to hold a council, they had created an entire permanent extra-dimensional space. Suspended at the vaulted ceiling of the hall was an enormous, yellowed tibia. A full fifty meters long, it emanated an invisible aura of dread majesty. Even though its owner had perished tens of thousands of years ago, through an expanse of time sufficient to reduce mortal empires to dust, Cassius could still feel how terrifyingly powerful the dragon had been in life. A progenitor dragon. This was undeniably the true remnant of a progenitor dragon. The tibia alone was longer than most contemporary dragons; its owner must have possessed a body six to seven hundred meters long, perhaps even approaching a thousand. Even Cassius found it difficult to imagine such an enormous entity. That two-hundred-meter-long Abyssal dragon had been the largest foe he had ever encountered, leaving a deep impression on him. Aurora also looked up at the colossal tibia, her expression solemn as she explained, "That is the tibia of Ancestor Orlando. "It is said that when he died, he enveloped the entire mountain with his wings to shield the living creatures here from falling meteors." Soon, however, she scratched her head in mild embarrassment and added, "I nearly forgot—you are an ancient gold dragon. Your knowledge must be far more vast than that of a young dragon like me." Cassius shook his head and said softly, "It matters not. I was not raised on this Material Plane." He then looked downward. At the center of the hall stood an enormous stone table, several hundred meters long and sixty meters wide. Along both sides rested massive seats sized to accommodate coiling gold dragons, fashioned in varying dimensions. The head seat at the far end was the largest, adorned with exquisite dragon carvings. Transparent agates and gemstones were set into the carved dragons' eyes, lending it an air of solemn magnificence. Gold dragons of various sizes were already seated around the table. Most were adult dragons, alongside a number of young, mature adult, and old dragons. The truly ancient dragons had yet to take their seats. The gold dragons observed the two newcomers with curiosity, and some of the younger ones began whispering among themselves. "Is that the ancient gold dragon from another plane?" "Is he the legendary Dragon of Dawn?" Aurora reminded him in a low voice, "Lord Titus, your seat is in the third row near the head of the table. Only respected and venerable ancient dragons may sit there. I am afraid I cannot accompany you any further." "Very well." Cassius nodded slightly and strode forward unhurriedly. There were already over eighty gold dragons in the hall; he had never seen so many assembled in one place in his life. Yet Cassius was not in the least nervous. His extraordinary Charisma allowed most gold dragons to trust him from the bottom of their hearts, even inspiring genuine admiration. Furthermore, the True Dragon Sorcerer's Ancient Dragon Form was an authentic transformation in magical essence, completely free of flaws that spellcasting gold dragons could see through. Even if some exceptionally knowledgeable great wyrm saw through his disguise, he would lose nothing more than an avatar, which was no great loss to him. On the other hand, if he could successfully infiltrate the Gold Dragon Council, the intelligence he could gather would be staggering—practically equivalent to keeping a finger on the pulse of the entire good-aligned faction. Cassius walked leisurely toward his seat. Along the way, gold dragons bowed and nodded in greeting to this unfamiliar elder. Cassius accepted each greeting with gracious composure, thoroughly enjoying the thrill of playing the venerable senior. "Good day, Lord Titus." "You must be the Wings of Dawn. I have heard much of you..." "Honored Dragon of Dawn, your strength and benevolence have long spread throughout Feanso. You have our deepest respect..." "Elder Titus, it is an honor to meet you. I have admired you for a long time. Your deeds in slaying Gruumsh's scions and standing guard over Evindeldan alone made my blood surge. My name is Anhel, a young gold dragon of the Elliott family..." A young gold dragon with only six whiskers and a noticeably youthful countenance stepped forward, bowing low with an expression full of excitement and reverence. Cassius nodded to him in acknowledgment, an imperceptible flicker of surprise passing through his pale gold pupils. Once he had his back turned to the young dragon, the corner of Cassius's mouth twitched faintly. After impersonating the fellow for so long, he had finally run into the real owner of the name. That odd sensation vanished in an instant. Cassius soon took his seat in the place reserved for an ancient gold dragon, closing his eyes to rest his mind and quietly awaiting the arrival of the remaining participants. Before long, the lively young gold dragons began whispering again. "Look, another ancient gold dragon!" "That elder's scales seem to be engraved with runes, covering almost her entire body—very much like Lord Titus!" Hearing these murmurs, Cassius already knew who had arrived. He turned his head and indeed saw the golden figure completely covered in mystical runes: Beatrice, an ancient gold dragon and elder of the Realm of Eternal Order. Cassius offered a polite nod. "Long time no see, Lady Beatrice." Beatrice returned the smile and replied, "Good day, Lord Titus. When I instructed Aurora to invite you, I knew that with your hatred of evil, you would never miss a council like this." Cassius said, "Then I must thank you for having Aurora invite me." Under Cassius's watchful gaze, powerful gold dragons renowned across the Material Plane took their seats in succession along both sides of the long table. Taking advantage of this gathering, Cassius formed a rough estimate of the gold dragon population on the Material Plane—or more precisely, those who remained active, since the old fellows who slept for centuries and paid no heed to mortal affairs were not included in the count. The seats in the Hall of Justice were nearly full. Excluding himself, the "counterfeit ancient dragon," Cassius tallied them carefully. Present in the hall were two wyrms, four ancient gold dragons, nine very old gold dragons, and fifteen old gold dragons—this constituted the elite power of the gold dragon clan on the Material Plane. Over twenty mature adult gold dragons and more than forty adult gold dragons served as the backbone of the clan, shouldering significant responsibilities. The rest were all young gold dragons whose whiskers had not even fully grown. The only remaining vacant seat was the magnificent head seat at the end of the long table. According to the Gold Dragon Council's hierarchy, the "Lord Crassus" Aurora had mentioned was very likely a great wyrm gold dragon. *As expected of the self-proclaimed 'agents of justice.' What a formidable force,* Cassius marveled inwardly. As the natural leaders among metallic dragons and the favorites of Bahamut, the gold dragons were undeniably powerful. To be able to assemble this many on short notice, including no shortage of formidable powerhouses, was remarkable. Factoring in that yet-to-appear great wyrm, even if Cassius's true body were to come in person, overcoming these gleaming golden dragons would be no easy feat. If the Empire's current dragonblood legion were pitted against them, they would likely be annihilated without leaving a trace. Dong— A deep, resonant chime echoed through the enclosed space, sending a tremor through the hearts of every gold dragon present. Even the rambunctious young dragons hurriedly straightened up, assuming solemn postures under their parents' watchful eyes. They knew that the current Archon of the Gold Dragon Council—the great wyrm who stood at the pinnacle of power on the Material Plane, Crassus the Gilded Sage—was about to arrive. Cassius glanced toward one side of the Hall of Justice as the heavy stone doors slowly parted, revealing a colossal golden silhouette. It was a dragon of staggering proportions, nearly forty meters long, having clearly broken through the natural physical limits of the gold dragon race. The countless whiskers bristling around his mouth were marks bestowed by vast expanses of time. The great wyrm's eyes were narrow and profound, his pale gold pupils resembling tarnished pools of gold, laden with the weight of ages. A platinum crown rested upon his head, and in his claw he held a scepter carved with milky nebulae and polar stars—the symbol of an Archon exercising authority on Bahamut's behalf to govern the gold dragon clan. The great wyrm stepped forward with relaxed, deliberate strides, making his way toward his seat. Even without intentionally exerting his aura, he exuded an awe-inspiring presence of inherent majesty. "Good day, Lord Crassus." The gold dragons greeted him one after another, and even the proud wyrms naturally lowered their heads. Cassius bowed his head as well, but his eyes narrowed slightly as he scrutinized the approaching great wyrm, carefully assessing the Gold Dragon Archon's power level. This great wyrm possessed a physique that surpassed racial limits. A single glance at his dazzling array of costly magical equipment was enough to see that this was an ambitious dragon, entirely unlike those blank-slate dragons who did nothing but sleep away the centuries. [Gilded Sage - Crassus] [Challenge Rating: 28 (125,000 XP)] *A formidable old fellow. Truly... a fine opponent. It would be quite something to fight him.* A spark of excitement glinted in Cassius's eyes. Had he not needed to maintain the solemn facade of an ancient gold dragon, he might have licked his lips.