Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 587 - 540

"Mr. Scholar is both a good teacher and a friend, and I think you are well aware of that. Now that I have become the head professor of White Bone Spirit Summoning Studies, my tomb-robbing days with Zhiyan are also over." The gradually awakening sunlight illuminated the dew on the pale ossified desk, the brightness tearing apart the tree shadows and scattering them at Lyle’s feet.

Mr. Giant Dragon ended his past with a playful joke. "Sometimes I wonder if Mr. Scholar befriended me to prevent us from opening a second or a third Dragon Priest’s tomb. But it does not matter anymore, for a dead Dragon Priest is nowhere as valuable as a living one. I have come to understand more clearly about the legendary creature that is the Giant Dragon, and I have eagerly wished to become one of the Dragon Priests, but those individuals were once unwilling to accept me."

Lyle saw a subtle smile at the corner of Mr. Giant Dragon’s mouth, resembling the tension and twitching of muscle spasms. If it were anyone else, Lyle might have just ignored it, but the Liches are masters of indifferent facial expression management.

"Teacher, have they changed their opinion of you?" Before Mr. Giant Dragon could reply, a surge of excitement already rose in Lyle’s heart. Were the Dragon Priests making new moves? Had the guides of the last era finally stopped hiding themselves?

An era, was about to welcome change.

Mr. Giant Dragon did not respond, instead shifting his gaze to Zhiyan.

"Zhiyan, I need to know the precise progress of your Dragon Clan research."

Zhiyan nodded, tracing runes on the surface of the white bone table with his fingers and explaining.

"In that one Dragon Priest’s tomb, I came into full contact with Dragon Language Runes, and afterward, in a series of related tombs, I also saw the servant races’ descriptions of the Giant Dragons, resolving some doubts, and gaining an approximate understanding of the Dragon Clan. The general history of the Giant Dragon era is the saga of the master Giant Dragon clans and the servant races that were subservient to them. The appearance of Dragon Priests actually came later in the Giant Dragon era, when some mature Giant Dragons, disliking the bloodthirsty oppression of the father of dragons, took under their protection some intransigent lower races."

"Excluding those ’exceptional’ Giant Dragons, the majority of them were mythological creatures fond of killing and cruelty, amongst them their leader, the father of dragons Yemotar, was the most brutal. Yemotar was the first Giant Dragon in history and the founder of the Giant Dragon era. The king of the ages, the eternal rager, the devourer—the descriptions of the surviving Giants were all from terror and hatred. Yemotar would kill and devour all races that disobeyed the Giant Dragons, causing some ancient species to go extinct because of his gluttony, leaving only the ancient tombs and ruins."

"As the father of dragons, Yemotar controlled the era, and the Dragon Clan rose, but increasingly intelligent mythological creatures began to stray from their bloodthirsty instincts, leading to the birth of the Dragon Priests."

"However, the father of dragons’ brutality also laid troubles for his kin, for Yemotar liked cannibalism. I have seen ancient scrolls in the tombs that describe the father of dragons: ’His wings brought the thunder, flames fell like torrential rain from the clouds, roars came with windstorms that rolled up the earth and stones, swallowing my kin and our lands into his belly... I narrowly escaped after He grew full, but His leftover saliva corroded my legs. In the ruins of my overturned home, only I, alone, remained.’ Humans, as a species that reproduce quickly and have individual weakness, became the most delectable food for the Giant Dragons."

"Until, the divine light descended."

"The Crusades, the Paladins made the Giant Dragons disappear completely, the Paladin leader killed the father of dragons Yemotar and then cast an unknown spell to bury their entire race with their leaders."

"All the dragons died, and the Dragon Priests, who were already at the fringes of the dragon community, also disappeared without a trace."

Lyle held his breath. The history Mr. Zhiyan presented differed slightly from what he had anticipated. Mr. Scholar, as a Dragon Priest, had given people an impression of humility, which made Lyle regard the Giant Dragons as sacred and noble beings, particularly with Mr. Giant Dragon advocating on the side. But now, Lyle realized that the rulers of the previous era might not have been so gentle. Society is always crueler than one imagines.

"Most of the giant dragons are bastards. To us, they are the stuff of nightmares, terrifying predators. But even among the bad, there are good ones, the giant dragons who nurtured Dragon Priests and bestowed wisdom, could be said to be like lotus flowers emerging from the sludge. These giants, seen as traitors in the eyes of their kin for defying the will of the father of dragons and for protecting those weak races, helping them grow stronger, are indeed the most revered by Dragon Priests. If not for the strong intervention of the Holy Light, I suspect the original course of history was a story about the rise of the Dragon Priests in rebellion against Yemotar."

"Most tombs contain records about history, and I’ve got only a rough understanding of the dragon’s own structure from the tomb built by that woman. Even more details are found in the tombs of Paladins who once took part in the Crusades. Their records are quite accurate, and they had some knowledge of the dragons’ form and weaknesses."

"Giant dragons are generally huge reptiles. Their spinal structure is similar to that of snakes, with a pair of wing bones at the position of the forelimbs. Perhaps because they need the flesh to support powerful wings capable of flight, the giant dragons’ forelimbs are relatively narrow and lack physical lethality. However, as formidable spellcasters, those slender forelimbs became their strongest magical power organs. Moreover, that location is near their reverse scale, behind which lies what mysticism defines as the ’core’—the heart. Mana concentrated by their hands can be quickly transferred to the core, transforming into lethal breath."

"These are the details I have for now, but they’re quite general. To break through these constraints... unless you get me dragon bone fossils to decipher." 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Mr. Scholar tapped his fingers on the desktop, looking at Zhiyan with his eyes narrowed to slits.

"If you have a complete set of dragon bones, how far can your knowledge advance?"

Mr. Zhiyan was taken aback for a moment, his eyes lost focus, and then his body began to shake violently. His handsome face, amidst his smile, looked wicked. Clenching his fists, he arrogantly answered.

"As long as it’s complete, no matter how damaged, I can deduce every single scale of it for you."

Lyle was still digesting the meaning of the giant dragon’s words when the giant dragon’s question had already turned to him.

"My student, if you master the complete information of a creature, how much of your Evil God creation can be completed?"

Lyle took a deep breath and answered after a moment.

"I could probably... perhaps... create its body, but that’s just the body, because Soulology is very tricky when it comes to forging a soul that fits the creation, and my Soulology is pretty bad. If Ominous handled it, the result might be very... twisted."

The giant dragon stood up, its towering figure blocking out the sun.

"That will be enough. I only need that flesh."

"... Mr. Giant Dragon, what are you trying to do...""

"Become a giant dragon."