Chapter 586: The Golden Dragon’s Paradise

"Lord Titus, please follow me."

Aurora hummed softly, then pulled a teleportation rune from the crevice between her scales.

As the rune shimmered, the surrounding space gradually distorted, and a large teleportation gate big enough for a dragon appeared in the cave.

Sensing this unfamiliar spatial fluctuation, Cassius’s golden eyes flickered—he directly saw through the gate’s destination.

A demiplane.

Similar to ordinary planes, but with measurable size and limited portals—an extradimensional space.

Other planes were theoretically infinite, but demiplanes had limits, sometimes only a few hundred feet across.

Demiplanes could exist for many reasons. They could be created by arcane or divine magic, formed by a powerful god’s will or other forces. They might also form naturally, such as from dimensional foldings of pocket universes or nascent universes expanding with energy.

Recalling prior knowledge, Cassius stared at the spatial passage and softly asked:

"This is... a demiplane?"

Aurora answered proudly, "Yes, our Loz has its own demiplane, called the ’Domain of Eternal Order.’ It is the shared home of the Scalebound Dragons and our finest training ground."

"Domain of Eternal Order, huh... sounds promising," Cassius muttered, sensing the faint spatial coordinates.

"Of course, Lord Titus, you’ll understand once you’re inside—it’s probably better than you imagined."

The large and small gold dragons folded their wings one after the other and entered the teleportation gate. For Cassius, over thirty meters long, squeezing in required extra effort.

They traveled through the Ethereal Plane’s passage, and within minutes, Cassius had already fully grasped the method to reach the Domain of Eternal Order.

A demiplane is almost always anchored at a fixed location relative to a larger parent plane.

Typically, that parent is the Material Plane, but gates to demiplanes can be found from the Astral, Ethereal, or any inner/outer plane.

Demiplanes have access limitations: they can only be entered from specific points on their connected larger planes. Some connect to multiple planes, with specific anchor points for each.

These demiplanes often serve as conduits between disconnected realms or contact zones between universes.

The Domain of Eternal Order was a special place linking the Material Plane and Mount Celestia. In the ethereal channel, Cassius could see several astral filaments branching toward outer planes.

"Swoosh—"

A flash of white light blinded Cassius. The scene changed from monochrome to vibrant color.

He had exited the Ethereal channel and arrived at the so-called Domain of Eternal Order—the home of the Scalebound Dragons.

"This demiplane..."

Cassius looked around and saw rolling mountains, babbling brooks, and vast open highlands.

It was a massive floating island, hundreds of miles in diameter, shrouded in a mysterious pale golden field. Beyond it—nothingness.

A radiant sun hung high in the sky, shining brilliance over the land.

Cassius immediately realized this wasn’t the true sun, but a projection of the sun from the Material Plane. Everything here—

—grass, soil, water—all operated on rules that mimicked the Material Plane, with slight differences.

For example, under the influence of that mysterious field, the Weave ran more smoothly, magical reactions were gentler, and destructive spells were difficult to unleash.

Bathed in sunlight, the vegetation thrived, lush and vibrant. Celestial beasts like pegasi, stags, and unicorns wandered freely.

Every creature within the demiplane seemed to emit a faint halo.

The wind rustled through the dense forest, and water chimed gently, composing a peaceful symphony.

In the heart of the mountains, nestled among the woods, stood a majestic monastery built from white stone, its walls etched with intricate, mystical patterns.

Staring at the harmonious carvings, even Cassius, whose true self lay outside the world, felt tranquility.

It was as though a warm breeze swept through his mind, cleansing all thoughts of bloodshed and slaughter.

Cassius couldn’t help but sigh inwardly: "What a place. As expected of the metallic dragons—wealthy and extravagant."

Aurora gazed at the distant white palace, calm but clearly proud: "Lord Titus, we’ve arrived. This is the Domain of Eternal Order—a land of spiritual peace, a sanctuary in pursuit of supreme order, and the gathering place of Scalebound Dragons."

She paused, blinked, and said mysteriously: "So, can you guess what’s our Loz’s greatest trait?"

"What is it?"

Before Aurora could answer, the sound of air being stirred came from the palace. Cassius looked toward the noise.

To his surprise, several glittering gold dragons took flight, gracefully flapping their rippling wings.

Under the sunlight, their scales shimmered with a sacred glow.

Aurora smiled and said, "You guessed correctly, Lord Titus. Every member of the Domain of Eternal Order’s Loz is one of our kind—

The most noble, the most elegant dragons—Bahamut’s chosen—gold dragons."

Seeing the young dragon praise her own race so proudly, Cassius couldn’t help but chuckle internally. But he wasn’t surprised.

Gold dragons never hid their pride. From the moment they were created, they considered themselves Bahamut’s firstborn—leaders among metallic dragons and symbols of goodness and justice.

—And often, that belief was true, even if other metallic dragons wouldn’t admit it.

Cassius feigned astonishment: "All the Scalebound Dragons here are gold dragons?"

Aurora spread her wings and unconsciously puffed her chest: "Yes. When Lord Ferdinand created this demiplane, he once said—

Unlike the naive and idle silver dragons, the overly curious bronze dragons, and the chatty, annoying brass dragons, we gold dragons are calm and composed—natural Scalebound.

Only gold dragons can be the finest Scalebound, using the power of our legacy to uphold the world’s law and order."

As for non-metallic dragons—chromatic, gem, or half-dragons—Lord Ferdinand didn’t even bother mentioning them.

In gold dragon eyes, those races were either vile, impure, or of low blood—unworthy of comparison.

As expected of gold dragons.

Cassius mused to himself, then smiled. "Indeed, Aurora, your Domain of Eternal Order has truly impressed me."

"Awooo—"

The distant gold dragons began to fly over, letting out cheerful howls.

They too had noticed the massive dragon beside Aurora and were delighted that another ancient gold dragon had joined Loz.

A leading adult gold dragon flew near Cassius, his body also covered in exquisite runes—more elaborate than Aurora’s.

"Aurora, wonderful—you returned so quickly, and even brought back a guest."

"Of course, Uncle Elhenan. Lord Titus has already agreed to join the Domain of Eternal Order."

The gold dragon called "Elhenan" looked at Cassius, respectfully bowed his head, bent his forelegs, and folded his wings—strictly following gold dragon etiquette.

"Good day. You must be the famed ’Dragon of Dawn’—truly a powerful and noble elder."

Then Elhenan lifted his head, his whiskers swaying, a smile breaking across his majestic dragon face:

"Welcome to the Domain of Eternal Order, Lord Titus."

Cassius nodded and replied, "I’m indeed willing to become a Scalebound Dragon. But I still need to help the Highland Kingdom eliminate the orc threat, so I may not stay here permanently."

Elhenan sighed in admiration: "Lord Titus, you truly uphold justice—as expected of one mortals call the ’Dragon of Dawn.’ That’s absolutely fine. Our Domain was founded to inherit the power of our ancestors and better uphold justice.

Elhenan turned his head and pointed to the white palace in the distance: "Now then, let Aurora take you to tour our monastery."

"Very well."

Aurora said cheerfully again, "Lord Titus, please follow me."

One can only say that this demiplane was truly tailor-made. Flying with the gold dragons’ unique undulating motion in the Eternal Order Realm felt exceptionally light, as if every breeze were lifting their wings.

At the same time, the gold dragons flew at incredible speed, and in no time they arrived at the gates of the white monastery.

"Boom—"

The gates slowly opened, revealing a tall and spacious corridor large enough for even ancient dragons to pass through. The columns on either side were engraved with intricate patterns.

On the walls to the left, right, and overhead were vibrant and exquisitely painted murals, each depicting lifelike great dragons.

The first of these dragons longed to transcend draconic instinct and pursue pure order, thus attempting to carve runes onto the surface of its scales.

—This was the origin of the Scalebound.

Aurora explained, "As you may know, the Scalebound is a special organization composed of dragons and half-dragons.

Our name comes from the markings carved into our scales that grant incredible mystical protection. Skin-Carved Dragons are beings of strict discipline, personal refinement, and mystical transcendence."

The young gold dragon pointed to the mural. "Most Skin-Carved Dragons are true dragons. Dragon beasts, land dragons, wyverns, and other draconic creatures lack the thick, heavy scales necessary for carving.

Of course, more importantly—they lack the wisdom and will required to become Skin-Carved."

"That said, not all Skin-Carved Dragons pursue pure order. In the past millennium, some filthy evil dragons like blue and green dragons have despicably stolen the power of the carvings, trying to construct their own twisted orders."

As she said this, Aurora’s face showed a trace of disgust. Soon after, she smiled and added:

"But creatures like red dragons, whose brains are filled with nothing but muscles and magma, will never be qualified to become Skin-Carvers."

Red dragon jokes—a rare type of humor enjoyed by otherwise stern and serious gold dragons.

Cassius’s mouth twitched slightly. He thought to himself that their rules were about to be broken by a red dragon disguised as a gold one.

But on the surface, he remained composed and said, "Indeed, creatures like red dragons, chaotic and evil, will never understand the true essence of order."

Aurora led Cassius to the end of the corridor and into an even more spacious hall, hundreds of meters tall. Inside, everything was extraordinarily clean and orderly, with several gold dragons present.

They sat on their respective platforms, some meditating with eyes closed, others carving their scales with special conical crystals, immersed in their training.

Indeed, the training methods of these Skin-Carved Dragons resembled those of monks, and they also possessed bodies honed by countless trials, wills of steel, and certain supernatural powers.

The hall was silent, with only the occasional tolling of a distant bell.

Cassius looked up. At the top of the hall was a massive disk nearly a hundred meters in diameter, covered in complex patterns.

At its center was a dull, lusterless silver scale, also inscribed with mysterious runes.

What shocked Cassius most was the immense pressure emanating from the scale, making him feel the urge to bow in reverence.

Upon seeing the runes on the disk and the scale, he sensed a feeling of perfect order.

It seemed to symbolize the most tangible form of fairness and order, representing supreme authority. Even his soul felt on the verge of being cleansed and purified.

In that instant, Cassius even felt an impulse to revert to his original form. Fortunately, he suppressed it and did not shed his "Ancient Dragon guise."

He couldn’t help but exclaim, "This is..."

But beside him, Aurora quietly gazed at the disk, unconsciously slipping into meditation and not hearing the elder’s words.

Suddenly, a calm, flawless female voice came from above.

"This is the scale shed by the dragon god of balance and justice—His Majesty Landis.

Thousands of years ago, it was with this scale as the core that Ferdinand created this demiplane—what you know as the ’Eternal Order Realm.’"

Cassius looked up to see a massive thirty-meter-long gold dragon flapping her broad wings as she slowly descended from the top of the monastery.

Her golden pupils were tranquil and emotionless, coldly observing the many gold dragons below, as well as Cassius hidden among them.

Aurora also snapped out of her trance. She raised her head and spoke with joy and reverence: "Teacher Beatrice!"

Perhaps afraid her newly joined elder would feel lost, Aurora quickly introduced, "This is Teacher Beatrice, daughter of the Ancient Gold Dragon Ferdinand, and an elder of the Eternal Order Realm.

At the same time, she is the ’Bestower’ within our Loz. The initial runes we bear were all carved by her.

Therefore, nearly every kin within the Eternal Order Realm addresses her respectfully as—Teacher."

But at that moment, the ancient gold dragon called "Beatrice" was observing Cassius with a scrutinizing gaze.

Their eyes met, and the ancient dragon spoke with profound meaning: "Good day. You must be the ’Dragon of Dawn,’ Titus. The Eternal Order Realm welcomes any kin who pursues order. But why... do I see a fog of concealment around you?"