Chapter 207: Being on the Floating Continent
“What’s your name?”
―Zigarion… that’s me.
“How old are you?”
―How many loaves of bread have you eaten in your life… wait! I think I’m at least 700 years old!
As the arm unit of the assault armor descended, Zigarion rolled his yellow eyes.
He had no idea what they were shooting at him, but it hurt enough to make him scream in his dragon body.
What was more annoying was that it wasn’t a Goliath.
He sneaked a peek through his True Eye and saw that its appearance resembled a bird.
And he had to endure another mysterious attack as a price for using magic.
The strange human with black hair who rode the strange Goliath warned him.
“If you use magic one more time, I’ll make you feel the heat again. By the way, that attack was the minimum.”
―The minimum?
“Yeah. If I raise the output to the maximum, I can’t guarantee that your body will be preserved.”
Zigarion wanted to shout defiantly, but he was too timid to do so.
Instead, he grumbled that it was cowardly and got hit by a railgun.
―Stop! Stop it!
“You attacked me. Therefore, your life depends on me. Don’t forget that.”
He was interrogated for almost an hour after that, and his knowledge was leaked bit by bit.
From his name to his age, from his level of magic to his ancient memories and knowledge.
Of course, this interrogation was not gentle.
Leobold mercilessly fired railgun bullets whenever he felt dissatisfied with the answer.
Zigarion tried to block them with his barrier, but he got exhausted and started to whine in a corner.
―Damn… hitting me where I’m already hurt! Even the elves weren’t this cruel!
“Let’s start with the dragon war that happened 200 years ago. You’ve been hiding on the floating continent since then, right?”
―I don’t… remember.
“You were bragging about terrorizing the continent when you fought me earlier.”
―That, that was just a bluff. I didn’t like the cause that my kin forced on me, so I hid…
“What cause?”
―We were supposed to rule over Astera.
“Why? It doesn’t seem like a simple vanity for a dragon. Did you have a goal?”
―To end all conflicts by becoming the rulers of the continent. Some dragons liked that idea, but I thought it was absurd.
“A conflict to end conflicts. Did you know what Altema did? The dragon who caused all this.”
―Altema was the most insane… no, fanatical follower of the cause among them.
“Why?”
―Why?
“Was there a reason why he was so fanatical about the cause? He wasn’t just a crazy dragon.”
―I don’t know, how would I know?
“How strong was he? Compared to you.”
Zigarion snorted and realized that this was not a simple question.
If he rated himself high, he would underestimate her who almost destroyed the world.
If he rated himself low, his pride would not allow it.
―Um… slightly above average…
“So most of the dragons were about your level? Not so impressive then.”
Leobold’s eyes showed contempt for the entire race of dragons.
Well, it was understandable since his attacks didn’t work and he was only beaten and interrogated.
Zigarion felt indignant.
He didn’t care about himself, but he couldn’t stand his kin being insulted.
He had heard how strong Altema or Valakas were, even though he didn’t participate in the war directly.
―Damn it, I was at the bottom! And it was hard to find anyone lower than me!
Leobold finally looked satisfied.
“You should have said that from the beginning. So to sum up, you didn’t do much in the dragon war 200 years ago and you’ve been hiding on the floating continent ever since? Why didn’t you come down after the war ended?”
―In case there were any surviving kin…
“You were afraid of being pushed by stronger beings who followed the cause.”
―That’s what I mean… are you human?
“What do you mean?”
―Your ether is strange and you don’t look like a human at all.
Indeed, Leobold had an ether response comparable to Plague’s flagship-class ship.
Normally, his body and ether circuit would be different, so he couldn’t use 100% of his power, but that was enough to surprise him.
“Think whatever you want.”
―Tsk, you threaten me and take my information but you don’t tell me anything.
“I won.”
Leobold approached Zigarion’s huge head and leaned in close to his face.
“I spared your life out of mercy even though I won. You better remember that.”
―…
Zigarion couldn’t breathe properly under that terrifying pressure.
What was this force that oppressed a dragon?
Did he have a champion among his ancestors?
Or was he of dragon blood?
While he imagined all sorts of things, Leobold spoke as if he was being generous.
“Leobold Vandus. That’s my name.”
―Leobold?
“Have you heard of it before?”
―No, it’s just that it sounds similar to my name. Zigarion, Leobold… don’t they sound alike?
For a moment, Leobold felt the urge to smash his giant head, but he barely restrained himself.
‘What a cowardly and stupid dragon.’
If all dragons were like him, the god who fought them would not be so remarkable.
But it was certain that this being was quite inferior among the dragons.
The interrogation continued for a long time, but there was not much new information.
The damn dragon had been playing king on the floating continent for 200 years.
He did get some information about the dragon’s combat power, but that wasn’t why he came here.
He declared in front of Zigarion, who was looking at him nervously.
“You called yourself the king of the floating continent? Sorry, but this land is mine now.”
***
Zigarion’s face changed drastically.
―What, what are you talking about?
“I’m the only owner here since you surrendered to me. No other race can come here anyway.”
―I did surrender, but I didn’t…
Zigarion shut his mouth after saying that.
He would rather die than get hit by that beam of light again.
But he couldn’t accept his sovereignty and back down either.
The floating continent was the last unknown land in Astera, a safe haven from the elves and humans.
He had nowhere else to run.
Leobold saw his dilemma and offered him a proposal.
“I know you’re in a tough spot. So I’ll make you an offer.”
―What, what kind of offer?
“Make a contract with me. I’ll treat you with some respect since you’re a dragon and a former ruler of this land.”
Zigarion felt tempted by his words of saving face.
He realized that this was not the time to hide anything.
His judgment was not very high, but he knew that if he missed this opportunity, the human in front of him would act outrageously.
‘How can a human be more violent than an elf! What’s wrong with the world…’
It was no use complaining.
He had to make a choice.
But he had to hear the terms first.
―I, I want to hear the details.
“Help me and I’ll give you what you want. There are plenty of resources on this floating continent, but ether stones are scarce. I’ll give you those.”
When did he finish such an investigation?
Zigarion felt his eyes widen at the mention of ether stones.
―How, how many?
“As much as you need.”
Dragons were not usually carbon-based life forms.
If he had eaten animals as he pleased with his huge body, the ecosystem of the floating continent would have been destroyed by now.
Zigarion confessed that he didn’t eat, but consumed ether stones.
To be precise, he absorbed the ether stored in the ether stones.
Dragons needed a lot of ether stones for their size, but they were scarce on the floating continent.
As a result, he had to dig the ground like a peasant to get them.
He could have easily gotten them if he had gone down to the ground, but he would have been stalked by the elves.
Zigarion puffed up his chest.
―Do you know how much those pure ether stones are worth…
“That’s enough for now.”
Leobold snapped his fingers and a golem came in with ether stones and dumped them on the floor before leaving.
It wasn’t really a golem, but a walker, but Zigarion didn’t care.
His eyes were fixed on the glittering ether stones rolling around on the floor.
“If you accept my contract, I’ll supply you with those every month. As you can see, they are very pure. I’m proud to say that they are incomparable to the ether stones made by amateur magicians.”
Ether stones could be made as much as he wanted on the Settler.
He could have made a lot of money by selling them, but he needed to create demand first, so it was still difficult.
The reason why he was persuading him like this was because it was hard to completely subdue the dragon.
He had lost in battle, but his power was not negligible, and Leobold couldn’t control him with his own strength alone.
So it was better to coax him gently and get what he wanted than to beat him up and make him rebellious.
It looked like he was luring a street animal, but Zigarion didn’t seem to notice.
―You’ll supply me with those pure ether stones every month… what do I have to do for you?
“Recognize my rule over this floating continent and exclude other forces. If elves or other humans try to come up here, chase them away.”
―That’s not a hard condition. Anything else?
“Come to my domain and lend me your power when I need it. By the way, my domain is on the west coast of the continent.”
―You’re a nobleman, I see. What if I show myself as a dragon to humans?
“Of course you have to live as a human. What I want from you is not your weak combat power, but your magical ability.”
Zigarion was furious, but he calmed down when he glanced at the Goliath.
“Since we’re talking about it, I want to see you transform into a human.”
―Hmph… it’s called polymorph. It’s the first time I show it to a human, so be honored… ah, fine. I’ll do it quickly.”
A moment later, the huge blue dragon disappeared and a young man with blue hair appeared.
Leobold tilted his head.
‘I can’t believe it even if I see it. Where did 2,500 tons of mass go?’
「Hyperspace… or what they call subspace here. He hid it in another dimension. The gravity also disappeared.」
‘Then it’s not polymorph but physical summoning magic.’
He approached Zigarion and plucked a hair from his head and handed it to the walker.
“Ouch! What are you doing!”
“Hmm… you look human enough, but…”
Zigarion was subjected to various tests and barely escaped from his hands.
“Ho, how dare you touch the body of a dragon!”
“I’m annoyed by touching a male body too, so shut up. Do you need to eat in this state?”
“I have to eat to maintain this body. I’m picky, so you better prepare some decent food.”
“Eat whatever you get. You stand out too much, so just say you’re a foreign nobleman. You’ll be staying at my place for a while.”
“Hmph… I guess I have no choice.”
Zigarion took out a mirror and stroked his hair.
He was forced to come down to the ground for the first time in 200 years, but he didn’t feel bad.
‘But he wants me to live on ether stones he supplies… how pitiful.’
Well, it was better than digging the ground on the floating continent.
As Zigarion started to pack his lair, Leobold came over and looked at him.
“You’ve collected a lot of ore for 200 years.”
“I have a collection of shiny jewels here too.”
He proudly showed his collection, which was impressive even to Leobold.
He didn’t know that there were so many colorful gems buried on the floating continent.
He wasn’t very interested in jewels, but he didn’t deny their value.
“Give them all to me. There’s a lot of useful stuff for the lair.”
“What are you talking about? Do you know how much these are worth?”
Zigarion ran around and heard Leobold’s words.
“Think of your future. Do you want to be satisfied as the king of monsters on the floating continent with no one to support you, or do you want to be the guardian of the domain and be recognized by many people? It’s up to you.”
Zigarion’s eyes lit up at the words of being recognized by humans.
“Your domain is not that big, I heard…”
“It is now. My domain will grow rapidly with the resources of the floating continent. And do you think the airship came here by chance? I knew there were resources here. And I have the power to defeat a dragon.”
It was an amazing thing, but it wasn’t wrong.
Now Zigarion began to imagine the scene of his domain developing rapidly.
And he also imagined himself being loved and respected by many people in it.
It was an irresistible temptation for him who had been alone for 200 years.
“Hmm, it’s not bad…”
“That territory might become a nation and develop into an empire. I need your help there.”
“A guardian of the empire…”
He felt like he was almost persuaded.
“I’ll also pay attention to your image building, so let’s do well.”
There was no more reclusive dragon.
The guardian dragon, who was the emperor’s loyal friend and received reverence from countless imperial citizens, raised his head.
“…Fine. I’ll follow your words.”
“You made a good choice.”
Leobold patted his shoulder.
Arma sent him a message through his vision.
「I feel like I sold a possible future.」
‘Shush.’
He pretended not to know and sent Zigarion outside.
Now he only had to wake up the crew members under Granden and mine the resources.
***
“Uh…”
Granden groaned and got up.
When he came to his senses, he was on the deck of the airship.
He shook his head and woke up the crew members under Hampton.
“Get up, get up!”
“Hmm… Huh!”
“What, what is this? What happened?”
They all got up and looked around.
The place where the airship landed was a barren land.
The weather was chilly but not too cold.
Granden and Hampton leaned on the railing and looked at the barren land, then said at the same time.
“Could this be the Floating Continent?”
“It seems so. I can’t believe it, but…”
It was a miracle that they escaped from the attack of that blue-winged dragon.
They didn’t know why the crashing airship was intact.
The crew members checked the engine and other equipment and reported that there was no major problem.
“Can we fly now?”
“Yes! We have enough buoyancy! We can start anytime!”
“Then let’s…”
Hampton was about to give an order, but Granden stopped him.
He looked at the scenery in the distance with his knight’s vision.
“Amazing…”
“What is amazing? Sir, sir!”
Granden walked down from the ship as if he was bewitched by something.
Soon he picked up a small pebble.
It was a pretty yellow pebble.
Hampton, who followed him, widened his eyes when he saw it.
“Sir, is that…”
“I don’t know much about minerals, but this seems to be gold, doesn’t it?”
“Let me check.”
Hampton’s hand trembled as he bit the pebble with yellow light mixed in it.
“Gold, this is definitely gold. My God, gold is rolling on the ground…”
“This must be similar to the open-pit gold mine in Elvrande.”
There were many gold mines in Astera, but they had to break rocks with great labor to barely find gold veins.
But there was an open-pit gold mine in Elvrande.
They proudly revealed it and everyone who went there was amazed.
It was literally a place where gold nuggets rolled on the ground.
The size of the gold nuggets was small, but it was definitely enviable that they could mine without much labor.
Every country coveted that open-pit gold mine, but they couldn’t do anything about it because it was in
’s territory.
“But now we don’t need to do that.”
“Because there is gold here…”
And they didn’t need to invest a lot of labor either.
They just had to walk around and pick up pebbles.
Compared to this place, the rumored Elvrande open-pit gold mine seemed pitiful.
“But can we take this? There is that dragon here.”
Hampton’s voice trembled so that anyone could tell he was afraid.
Of course, Granden felt the same way.
In front of that huge creature, a knight’s existence was infinitely powerless.
If they had Goliath with them, they might have resisted a bit, but they couldn’t bring it with them.
He grabbed Hampton’s shoulder and pleaded with him.
“First of all, calm down the crew and collect the gold. We’ll weigh it before loading it on the ship, so don’t try to steal anything.”
“Of course. But what about the dragon?”
“…I don’t have a good idea either. We have no choice but to load the gold as quickly as possible and leave this place.”
“Speed is the key then. Hey! You! Come down here!”
It was when Hampton shouted loudly.
A rough wind blew in the air and a creature with blue wings landed on the ground.
Granden reflexively drew his sword, but felt cold sweat running down his forehead.
It was a dragon he had only heard of in legends.
A dragon that was thought to have gone extinct in the Great War 200 years ago was staring at him with yellow eyes.
‘Damn, I’m going to die here.’
He wasn’t afraid of death, but he regretted not seeing healthy Eily again.
As he prepared for death and gripped his sword, Zigarion began to act as planned.
―Hmm… It’s been a long time since I’ve seen humans. I’ll give you a gift for being the first ones to set foot on my territory. It’s a gift from me, the blue dragon Zigarion, so be grateful.
Granden remembered the name Zigarion clearly even in his tense state.
It was a legendary species that was thought to have disappeared, talking to him.
―I’ll allow you to take the resources of the Floating Continent.
“You’re, you’re allowing us?”
―Yes. Go and tell them! Only you can mine the resources of the Floating Continent! I, Zigarion, am the owner and protector of this place!
His wings moved fiercely and the atmosphere shook.
Clouds gathered as if by magic and lightning flashed.
Granden clenched his teeth and glared at the blue dragon flying into the sky.
There was a thud from behind and Hampton collapsed.
“We survived in front of a dragon…”
“It seems so. Is it luck?”
He wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Surviving from the dragon was important, of course, but there was a more important issue.
The fact that he was allowed to take the resources here.
He didn’t know if it was a one-time deal or a long-term promise, but for now it seemed that there was no problem taking this gold to his territory.
He grabbed Hampton’s hand and helped him up.
“I know it’s hard, but let’s move. Let’s leave before the dragon changes his mind.”
“You’re strong, sir. I’m still shaking…”
In fact, he was the same.
He just tried not to show his trembling hands to the crew.
Soon the crew members who came to their senses started picking up pebbles with gold in them.
Gold piled up in the empty hold.
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