Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 668 - 619: Giant Dragon Encouragement Master

Chapter 668: Chapter 619: Giant Dragon Encouragement Master

The view from inside the Fire Evader Armor allowed Lyle to see a complete Dwarven society. It was not because the Magic Equipment came with a Spell that expanded his field of vision, but because Lyle, clad in the Fire Evader Armor, bore an uncanny resemblance to a steel puppet designed by the Dwarves. Without the attention drawn by other races, the Dwarves reverted to their most comfortable way of living.

They would speak loudly with their friends, they would groom their thick beards; some of their sleek, shiny beards, oiled and hanging down to their waists, were decorated with metal clasps that made the Dwarves’ pride shine as brightly as a grand tie accentuating their appearance. Most Dwarves’ beards were unkempt and bushy as if a bear’s face had sprouted on their chest, edges stained with soot or wine spills, fixing their appearance in a state of disarray. In truth, this was because they had just finished forging or heavy drinking—they could spend an hour or two getting their beards dirty, and twice as long getting them clean again.

Thanks to the sufficient volume of their voices, Lyle could hear their conversations clearly.

"Damn it, that whippersnapper with hardly any hair on his chin has drunk half my cellar’s collection! As my heart bleeds I still have to send this goat-kicked fool to the hospital for alcohol poisoning. I really want to give him a thrashing with a Warhammer."

"Bastard! And here I was wondering why poor Tab had a square bruise on his forehead—you lied to me, saying he fell on the fireplace!!! You terrible, hairy savage! Now put your cup down!!!"

"Damn it, woman!!! You tricked me with strong liquor!!! You’ve spoiled the wine!!"

"You wait for me at the door, I’m going to get the hammer from the room to send you to the hospital to join Tab!!! Don’t run away! You coward!!"

"A brainless steel puppet would listen to you more! Get out of the way, Iron Fool!!!"

Lyle stepped back to watch the Dwarf dash past him in a flurry, followed by a fierce, hammer-wielding female Dwarf chasing after on a goat. Lyle turned to the Red Dragon Priest, who calmly continued forward.

"Don’t worry, any Dwarf riding a mount at high speed will be stopped by the guards here."

"So that guy’s safe?"

"He’ll hide at a brother’s house for a few days, waiting for the woman’s anger to cool down, or after the most vicious beating; a few days should be enough to reinforce a Warhammer."

Lyle and the Red Dragon Priest eventually moved away from the crowd, down a secluded spiral path carved into the mountain, paralleling the lava pool above the Great Furnace’s stairs. Active lava sometimes spurted tens of meters high, blooming into a spray not far from Lyle. (...or should it be sparks?) Protected by the armor, Lyle didn’t feel the change in temperature. What reminded him were the steps beneath his feet, gradually softening as the rocks turned from solid to molten at the end of the path—a pool of magma.

They had reached the Great Furnace, and the Red Dragon Priest led Lyle onto some crimson rocks floating in the magma. These rocks, brought from the Fire Elemental plane, could withstand high temperatures and burning. The occasional splashes of lava that hit Lyle’s steps only made him feel slightly warm, thanks to the Fire Evader’s armor.

Upon setting foot on the largest lava island, several fire elementals crawled ashore from the lava pool, dancing and circling around the Red Dragon Priest, some staring at Lyle’s armor from the outside of the circle.

"Don’t touch them; they’ll think you’re inviting them to play. Fire Elementals are restless creatures, and provoking them can be troublesome. Accepting one will attract more." Larger and fiercer fire elementals with more humanoid shapes emerged from the cave, signifying a concentration of intelligence.

"Excuse me, I’m looking for the Baron of the Garden."

The fire elementals all crowded around, but the Red Dragon Priest released his pressure to keep these troublemakers at bay and proceeded with Lyle into the largest cave.

"Release pressure, but do not attack them. They explode at a touch, and only high-level elementals can suppress their nature to become communicative beings. The Baron of the Garden is such a high-ranking Elemental Lord, a creature of elemental thought processes that can be considered normal."

A majestic voice echoed through the cave.

"My dear Mel! Don’t be sad! Smile! I’ll perform a special show for you! The Elemental Lord jumping through hoops of fire!!!"

Lyle fell silent.

Fleisheimer covered his face.

"Only relatively normal."

Moving deeper into the cave, Lyle saw a fire elemental giant, over ten meters tall, pull a ring of fire from between its pectoral muscles and leap through it. It produced some sparklers in the air and then started hula hooping with the fire ring around its waist.

In the presence of the Lord of Flames, the figure looked quite small—a red-haired female elf, with a resemblance to Silvette’s human form, hugging her knees and curled up into a ball, and a pair of ruby-like dragon horns revealed Imelt’s identity.

"We have a guest, little Mel." The Baron of the Garden squeezed the hoop into a doughnut, gulped it down in a few bites, and with burning eyes glanced at the Red Dragon Priest before fixing his gaze on Lyle.

Imelt lifted her head, her eye bags especially ruddy in the blurry air.

"Teacher Fleisheimer, and..."

"Lyle." Lyle, operating the Fire Evader Armor, slowly approached the Red Dragon, taking extra care as he passed by the Baron of the Garden.

"Don’t be reserved, Priest of the Dragon King; Imelt often mentions you. You were her first friend. Mel’s friends are my friends too." The Baron of the Garden placed his hands on his hips, controlling his flames to cool down slowly.

Lyle walked up to Imelt, the young girl he had watched grow up. She had turned into a young woman in just half a month.

"I’m sorry you had to see me in such a cowardly state, Lyle."

Lyle sat down beside the Red Dragon.

"When you were little, Nia beat you into tears quite a few times, that Magic Crystal recording your childhood is still preserved in your father’s treasure vault. That is all so clear to me, it feels like it happened just yesterday, though it was only last month."

Imelt puffed up her cheeks and, with a mix of shame and anger, raised her left hand to rap Lyle’s shoulder.

Clang!

The Fire Evader Armor’s scale-like surface rippled waves, the force of the impact spreading through the body. Even with a human appearance, Imelt’s strength was on the level of a Giant Dragon.

The child has grown up, I can’t joke around carelessly anymore.

"That’s different. I am of age now, no longer a whimpering fledgling dragon. I’ve let my teacher down, and they don’t like me. I don’t know where I went wrong. I... perhaps I’m just not suited for Mackenbert, I was supposed to protect my Kin Clan and city..."

The prolonged hostility from the Dwarves and setbacks in the Craftsmen’s Council had caused the young girl just out of the nest to fall into self-doubt. Moreover, the Red Dragon Imelt was a dragon with a strong sense of teamwork, yearning to blend into a collective. Were it her siblings, they might have better adjusted to the current situation. This anxiety became the source of the Red Dragon’s grief, which if not addressed, could lead to the collapse of her confidence.

"Am I the worst of them all? Alcalon and the others must be getting along well with the Kin Clan by now, right? Why did I get two conflicting powers? Does my father dislike me? Am I something my mother picked up from the trash can?"

The delusional Red Dragon’s thoughts grew more and more distorted, and Lyle hurriedly stopped her.

"Of course not. Your parents love you deeply, and I saw with my own eyes that you were the first child to hatch; you are the eldest daughter. In fact, it’s quite the opposite—your father admires your gentleness and your ability to take care of your siblings. Haven’t you noticed that after you entered adolescence, you were the only child who wasn’t disciplined by the dragons? The parent-child activities are just a cover—I’m pretty sure Alcalon gets beaten up frequently, not because the dragons have the highest expectation for him, but because he is the most bearable."

"Regarding the powers the father of dragons bestowed upon you..." Lyle cradled Imelt’s hands, "they are the most beautiful blessings your father could give you. Everyone got the best. The Giant Dragon gave you two conflicting powers because... he believes you can harness them. They repel each other, but they can also complement each other. And when the two become one, Imelt, your power is perfect."

"You don’t need to change anything, perfect child. It’s the Dwarves who need to change, and I will help them change, to learn to appreciate the perfect you." Just like before, Lyle reached out to stroke the Red Dragon’s head, "Summon your courage and go through the craftsmen’s assessment again, Imelt."

"But, my weapon can’t cause any damage..."

"I’ve thought of a solution already. You’ll shine brightly, Imelt. This time, when you forge, you must give it your all. Don’t be discouraged. Proudly show those dwarfs the real you, showcasing the noble grace of the daughter of Yemotar, the father of dragons."

Imelt stood up, a smile blooming on the Red Dragon’s face, and in her eyes rekindled the most beautiful fires of confidence.

"I believe in you, Lyle."

"Believe in yourself, Imelt. I will set up the best stage for you, but the performer is still you."