Transforming into an undead was no easy feat. It was not as simple as finding a place steeped in dark magic, stabbing oneself, and sitting back to await the change.
Doing so carried a seventy percent chance of rotting into bone and flesh, reduced to nourishment for the dark magic, while one's soul might very well be swallowed by that land of death—with nothing left to show for it.
The true hurdle of undead transformation lay in preserving the integrity of the soul; the physical body was ultimately inconsequential.
Anbaixiu's ritual to transform into a lich had cost him a substantial portion of his savings, and even then, the success rate had not been particularly high. Back then, he had cast the few remaining Dice of Fate he had just to secure his odds.
Transforming into a bone dragon was even more troublesome. The soul of a dragon possessed far greater strength than that of any other creature, and the chances of keeping it fully intact during the transition were pitifully low.
Anbaixiu had made some inquiries and learned that in over a thousand years, dragonkind had produced only five bone dragons. These were true bone dragons with minds of their own, prized treasures in ordinary times. In combat, they merely used magic to cobble together a dozen makeshift bone constructs from loose remains just to put on a show of force.
Before Canggu's transformation into a bone dragon, Sefris—a prismatic dragon blessed with immense magic—had been the only one among dragonkind to successfully undergo the process.
Even Sefris had not done so willingly. At the time, no one else among dragonkind could shoulder the responsibility of sustaining a horde of wyrmlings. Gravely wounded, Sefris had no choice but to take the desperate gamble.
Perhaps fate had shown them a shred of pity, for Sefris succeeded, barely preserving a sliver of dragonkind's vitality.
Later, dragons of various kinds perished one after another, their skeletal remains carpeting the Dragon Tomb, but only five ever managed to become bone dragons.
Those who died completely were reduced to the bones strewn across the ground.
Having listened to Sefris's explanation, Anbaixiu rubbed his chin and said, "Something doesn't add up. This dark magic is practically on the verge of developing its own consciousness. Under these conditions, the success rate for transforming into a bone dragon shouldn't be so abysmally low, should it?"
Sefris replied helplessly, "Most dragons do not wish to become undead. They would much rather journey to the divine realm of dragons upon death. What they fail to understand is that this war is not over yet. We cannot go to the divine realm."
Anbaixiu paused, taken aback. The old dragon claimed the war was not over yet?
Not many people were privy to such information.
Anbaixiu had brought the heroic spirit of Arthur Ryan to the Silvermoon High Court and gathered intelligence from the Old Elven King who had fought in that war, deducing the truth from there.
Back then, the Lord of the Dawn and the gods of dragonkind had agreed that neither side would directly intervene in the mortal war, without even handing down explicit divine oracles. Since the dragons' defeat down to the present day, the Lord of the Dawn could only watch helplessly as the Ryan imperial family degenerated further and further. Beyond withholding blessings, the Lord of the Dawn could not even explain the situation to other believers.
By the same token, the deities of dragonkind could only watch as their young were banished across the sea to struggle for survival, leaving the overseas dragon population barely above a hundred today.
"How did you know the war isn't over?" Anbaixiu asked. "Did some dragon deity break the rules and tell you to await the day of dragonkind's return?"
Sefris shook his head. "I deduced it myself, because I have never seen a single dragon received into the afterlife. Their souls simply shatter completely and dissolve into this Dragon Tomb. Yet no matter how I pleaded with them, none believed me. They thought I was lying just to acquire more bone dragons."
After lamenting, Sefris turned back to Anbaixiu. "Today, my judgment has failed me time and again. You now know every secret of dragonkind. What do you intend to do? Will you help us return to our ancestral land, or will you use the name of the Elegy Poetry Society to oppose us?"
It was evident that once Anbaixiu uncovered the secret of the Dragon Tomb, Sefris adopted an attitude of having nothing left to hide.
Borrowing divine power to extract dark magic was indeed dragonkind's greatest secret; the remaining young dragons were mere children who knew nothing.
Moreover, after all this time, Sefris had also realized one thing: while he was not certain of Anbaixiu's true aim, he was certain the lich had not come to avenge his daughter.
Though his reaction was somewhat sluggish, having realized this, Sefris recognized he was no match for the lich when it came to scheming. The intelligence Anbaixiu possessed far exceeded his expectations, so the time had come to lay his cards on the table.
In truth, Sefris hoped Anbaixiu would help. Turning the Elegy Poetry Society into an ally of dragonkind would make returning to their homeland far easier.
His daughter and son-in-law were both members of the Elegy Poetry Society. Surely that bond made them closer than any relationship between a lich and the living, did it not?
Just as Sefris thought Anbaixiu would give the matter serious consideration, Anbaixiu chuckled. "Your Excellency Sefris, as you have seen, the heroic spirit of Arthur Ryan is under my stewardship for the time being. You should understand my stance, shouldn't you?"
Sefris frowned. "You are a lich! Don't think I'm unaware of what the continent has become. The Ryan Empire is the most hostile to the undead. Besides, Arthur Ryan said himself that he was willing to accept the return of dragonkind."
Hearing this, Anbaixiu wagged a finger with utmost disdain. "Your Excellency Sefris, speaking like that is a bit shameless, wouldn't you say? While Arthur Ryan's heroic spirit was present earlier, I spared your dragonkind some face. But now you dare invoke Arthur Ryan's name? He is my dearest friend, a sworn brother who has braved life and death with me! You claim he accepts dragonkind's return?! Isn't that crossing the line?!"
Sefris was baffled by Anbaixiu's words and hurriedly explained, "No, didn't you hear what he said just now? He set up such a pact precisely because he was willing to grant dragonkind this chance!" Having said that, Sefris turned his head to Gareth. "Is there something wrong with this friend of yours? Did his soul get damaged or something?"
Gareth remained silent, suddenly at a loss for words.
Based on his understanding of Anbaixiu, whenever the lich struck such an attitude, someone was bound to suffer—and this time, the unlucky victim was definitely going to be his father-in-law. Yet Gareth felt a surge of secret satisfaction; he had long found this old man an eyesore!
Ever since his marriage to Canggu, the old dragon had been nitpicking and finding fault with him at every turn. A relic from the era of dragonkind's grand supremacy, the old coot cared only about dragon supremacy. Gareth was an undead transformed from a human, so one could well imagine how much friction existed between them.
Were it not for such a stubborn, discriminatory father-in-law, a man of Gareth's abilities would never have acquired the reputation of a live-in son-in-law who married into the family. With his current strength, he could tear this Dragon Tomb apart single-handedly. That he had endured until now was entirely out of profound love for his wife.
And now, Anbaixiu was about to swindle the old man. Gareth could hardly wait to clap and cheer.
Thus, Gareth put on an act and said, "This is my father-in-law, Master of the Dragon Tomb, an esteemed elder of great stature in dragonkind. Think back to when we fought side by side in the City of Alchemy, brother. Cut him some slack for my sake."
Anbaixiu glanced at Gareth. Why did that phrasing sound so familiar?
Fought side by side in the City of Alchemy? Did he mean joining forces to swindle the Knights of Condemnation paladins to death?
Anbaixiu understood at once. He let out a sigh and said, "Very well, for Gareth's sake, I'll put it differently. Your Excellency Sefris, Arthur did indeed give you a chance to return, but what was the prerequisite?"
"You mean the recognition of the continental kingdoms?" Sefris asked in return.
Anbaixiu shook his head. "You see, that is precisely where the problem lies. What Arthur truly meant was atonement. Only after atonement does one earn the right to speak of forgiveness. So tell me, what has dragonkind done over these seventeen hundred years to atone? Name just one thing—I'm all ears."
Sefris fell silent.
It was not that he could not answer—there simply was nothing to say.
Anbaixiu continued, "I never lived through that monumental war, but I like to read. Since dragonkind was driven out, I have only ever heard of seafarers being slaughtered in cold blood upon encountering dragons; I have never heard of stranded humans receiving aid from one. You dragons still harbor bitter hatred toward the races that overthrew your rule.
"Your Excellency Sefris, if your kind had truly shown any remorse, you wouldn't have spent seventeen hundred years without performing a single act of atonement."
Anbaixiu's words left Sefris utterly speechless. Indeed, the dragon had never once considered atonement; all he believed in was 'the victor takes all, the vanquished is branded a rogue.' Had he not heard the heroic spirit of Arthur Ryan personally explain the reasoning behind the final rule, he would have assumed Arthur was merely looking to humiliate dragonkind once more and force them to bow their heads.
Anbaixiu's final remarks were not entirely meant to dupe the bone dragon; they were also genuine reflections.
Arthur Ryan's actions aligned with the tenets he lived by, and adding a clause that permitted return once forgiven was beyond reproach. Yet Arthur had underestimated the inherent flaws of dragonkind... or rather, all races were the same.
Sentient nature was universal: the vast majority of intelligent beings refused to acknowledge their wrongs, constantly harping on victors and losers, and therefore never learned from history, trapped in an endless vicious cycle.
Lenient toward oneself, strict toward others—such was the nature of mortal beings. Anyone capable of overcoming this and upholding an absolute lack of double standards was a saint.
Over a thousand years ago, an Arthur Ryan had appeared, yet seventeen hundred years later, a second had never emerged.
Anbaixiu admired him, yet still considered Arthur Ryan foolishly naive.
And precisely because he knew what it took to be a saint, Anbaixiu understood he was merely an ordinary worldly man. He had never entertained notions like other transmigrators of clamoring for fairness, fairness, and utter fairness.
How could one flaunt such a banner when one could not even practice it oneself?
It was simpler to keep things straightforward: doing whatever brought benefits made life much easier.
So Anbaixiu felt not the slightest pang of guilt over swindling Sefris. Sefris was already mentally disoriented by his words—whether from self-reproach or indignation, dragonkind was his absolute obsession, and the old dragon could no longer think straight.
Therefore, the time had come to deliver the finishing blow.
Anbaixiu shifted his tone and spoke with deep sincerity, "Your Excellency Sefris, do you truly believe that throwing your weight around after returning to your homeland would be good for dragonkind? This time, there is no Arthur Ryan to stay their hand. If dragonkind is defeated once more, you will be hunted to utter extinction without exception.
"Have you ever considered what dragonkind truly needs?"
Sefris looked up, puzzled. "What is it?"
Anbaixiu smiled and said placidly, "I don't know either. But why not ask the living dragons? Why not introduce me to them? We can sit down and have a chat. Truth only becomes clearer through debate, doesn't it?"
Chapter 375