Chapter 684
Asuna is the progenitor of dragons?
Cohen's thoughts were immediately pulled back to reality. He withdrew his hand, straightened Adele's clothes, and said:
"Come with me, it'll be good to hear what His Majesty the Dragon God has to say."
Adele nodded almost without thinking.
She was also worried about leaving Cohen alone to face a dragon god whose attitude was unclear and whose motives were unpredictable.
Cohen took Adele's hand, and the two entered the secret room.
This secret chamber is not entirely underground. The towering vaulted ceiling is cleverly concealed in the deepest part of the palace's underground structure, and the thick walls are not etched with decorative patterns, but rather with layers upon layers of magical restrictions.
When they entered the secret room, it had already been properly arranged by Bahamut.
The ground was engraved with ancient dragon patterns that shimmered with a faint golden light. The patterns intertwined to form a complex ritual array, with a translucent dragon scale floating at the center of the array.
Bahamut's gaze locked onto Cohen and Adele the moment they stepped in. His eyes lingered on Cohen's face for a moment, then swept over Adele, before finally returning to Cohen. He gave a slight nod as a greeting.
Then he began to speak:
"The timing is perfect, Your Majesty Corleone. The spacetime coordinates have been calibrated. If the Grand Duke of Iliad is ready, I will begin the teleportation."
Cohen nodded.
Bahamut said no more, and with a wave of his hand, the spacetime dragon scales floating above the center of the magic circle began to slowly rotate on their own.
As it rotated, the iridescent light around the scales intensified, instantly filling the entire secret chamber.
Immediately afterwards, Bahamut began chanting ancient, obscure incantations, each syllable resonating with the magical power of the ley lines in the chamber and even deeper within.
The magic array patterns on the ground suddenly lit up with a dazzling red light, as if injected with molten lava, intertwining with the seven-colored light emitted by the scales.
The space inside the sealed room began to distort violently.
It is not the collapse of the physical structure, but a distortion in a higher dimension.
Cohen felt a slight dizziness, as if the ground beneath his feet was stretching and contracting in all directions.
Soon, a dark crack was torn open in the top of the secret room.
The crack was not filled with bricks and stones, but with a deep and endless void. Then, a desolate and lifeless aura rushed in along with spatial turbulence, causing Cohen and Yardel's robes to flutter.
Just then, the suspended and rotating spacetime dragon scales suddenly trembled and emitted a clear, melodious cry like a dragon's roar.
Then, it stopped rotating and suddenly collapsed inward, all the light, patterns and matter converging into a single point of extremely bright silver light in an instant.
The next moment, the bright silver light seemed to be grasped by an invisible hand, stretching and extending until it transformed into a "bridge" made entirely of solidified light.
The bridge radiated a stable and soft silver-white light, and one end of it stood firmly "grown" in the center of the ground magic array.
At the other end, it pierced precisely into the void rift in the dome, like a serpent extending its head, and extended into the dark and desolate dimensional crevice.
As the light bridge took shape, the unstable silver light flickering at the edge of the void rift immediately subsided, as if it had been anchored by the light bridge.
The secret chamber returned to its surface calm, with only the bridge of light spanning the ground and the void silently testifying to the miracle that had occurred.
Cohen looked up at the other end of the bridge.
The darkness of the void was so profound it was unsettling. Soon, from within that darkness came the sound of crisp footsteps.
A tall, slender figure stepped onto a flowing, silvery-white bridge of light and walked in step by step from the other end of the endless void.
It was Asuna Iliad who returned from the Dragon Dimension.
After Asuna stepped off the bridge of light, the silvery-white bridge of light flickered silently behind her a few times, then quickly dimmed, and finally disappeared along with the void rift in the dome.
As soon as Asuna stopped, her eyes immediately fell on Cohen.
Ignoring the dragon god radiating immense divine power not far away, he rushed to Cohen in three strides, opened his arms, and gave him a tight hug.
Then he looked up and gently kissed the corner of Cohen's lips, released his arm, and took a small step back.
She turned to Adele, who was standing next to Cohen, and greeted her with a smile.
Then, the gazes of Cohen, Adel, and Asuna all focused on the dragon god Bahamut.
Bahamut hesitated for a moment, then looked at Adele next to Cohen.
Before Cohen could speak, Asuna said:
"Your Majesty, Cohen had already discussed the general situation with me before I came."
"You can speak frankly now."
As she finished speaking, she tilted her head slightly, glanced at Adele beside her, smiled slightly, and continued in that calm yet firm tone:
“Adeline is my sister, we are family.”
There are some things that even I need to listen to my sister's opinion before making a final decision, and Cohen will also respect my sister's judgment.
So even now, for some reason, you feel it's necessary to keep it from her for the time being.
But after you finish speaking, I will likely tell my sister everything and ask for her opinion.
So, letting her know from the beginning might save both of us some unnecessary time and... suspicion.
Bahamut watched Asuna calmly as she spoke, without any emotional fluctuation.
He only spoke slowly after Asuna finished speaking:
“In that case…” Bahamut’s gaze was now completely focused on Cohen, his lava-like vertical pupils seeming to pierce through his body and look directly into the secrets hidden deep within his soul.
“Then I’ll be frank. Just now, in His Majesty Corleone’s legendary domain, I clearly saw the phantom of that giant dragon.”
Based on my understanding of the origins of the dragon race's bloodline, that pure, ancient 'dragon power' surpasses all existing dragon bloodlines.
Its origin, without a doubt, comes from our dragon race, from the progenitor dragons who have long since vanished at the end of the river of time.
The air in the sealed room seemed to suddenly become much heavier as the words "Primordial Dragon" were uttered.
Bahamut's gaze slowly shifted from Cohen to Asuna standing beside him, and he continued:
"Then I learned from some people that Miss Iliad, you are His Majesty Corleone's... lover."
"So, combining these two points—the traces of power originating from the progenitor of dragons appearing on His Majesty, and the extraordinary soul and life connection between His Majesty and Miss Iliad, who possesses dragon blood..."
He paused, as if making a final conclusion, his voice low and certain:
"I speculate that the true source of power for the primordial dragon phantom that appeared in His Majesty Corleone's legendary domain was not His Majesty's accidental awakening."
Rather, it originates from you, Miss Iliad, from the power imprint of the primordial dragon deep within your bloodline!
Asuna showed little emotion at the Dragon God's words, merely nodding slightly and replying:
"King Jin Hui’s speculation was already mentioned to me by Cohen during the message."
You mean, I carry the bloodline of the primordial dragon within me?
Bahamut nodded. "Indeed, Your Majesty Corleone, Miss Iliad, have you considered... what this means?"
Cohen's brow furrowed upon hearing the question, forming a thoughtful frown, and he asked:
"Does this mean that Asuna has the bloodline of the ancient ancestral dragon flowing through her veins, and is a descendant of the long-lost ancestral bloodline of your dragon race?"
Bahamut slowly shook his head:
No, it's not simply a matter of 'bloodline descendants'.
To be able to manifest such a pure and exalted primordial phantom in a companion of such a pure human being as you.
Miss Iliad's existence cannot be explained simply by being a descendant who inherited a portion of the power of her bloodline.
"In fact, what I suspect is..."
After a brief pause, Bahamut stared directly at Asuna and dropped his groundbreaking deduction into the stagnant air of the sealed room:
"—You are the primordial dragon."
"..."
"..."
"..."
A deathly silence descended suddenly.
Cohen felt the light in the secret room seemed to distort for a moment, and the stone floor beneath his feet gave off an unreal, floating sensation.
He turned sharply to Asuna, then abruptly turned back to stare at Bahamut, his facial muscles tense with extreme shock and absurdity, his lips slightly parted as if he wanted to immediately refute, but he was momentarily speechless.
Adel turned to Asuna beside her, her brows furrowed, and the azure in her eyes deepened.
Asuna herself, at the center of the storm, was struck in the chest as if by a silent bolt of lightning.
My whole body stiffened, as if all my muscles and bones were resisting this message.
Those usually sharp and calm golden eyes were now filled with confusion.
It took Cohen a long time to recover before he finally asked:
"Your Majesty Jin Hui...you, you are not mistaken?"
Although Asuna is of dragon blood, her main bloodline is human.
As you can see, she exhibits none of the characteristics of a dragon—no scales, no wings, no dragon form.
Moreover, the primordial dragon…
He paused, his voice rising slightly with excitement:
"That is a legendary existence, the origin of the dragon race, a legend older than the ancient, a near-mythical existence that has long since disappeared from countless eras ago."
Asuna is a living, breathing human being, how could she possibly be the Primordial Dragon?
This...this is absolutely impossible!
Asuna had recovered slightly from the initial shock, but the shock still lingered in her eyes.
She instinctively grasped Cohen's hand, looked back at Bahamut, her voice slightly hoarse from tension:
“Your Majesty, I have no related memories, nor any feelings or power to match them. I am simply a pure dragonborn.” Faced with the shock and doubt of the two, Bahamut did not rush to refute, as if he had already anticipated such a reaction.
I understand your confusion and doubts.
It is natural that your understanding of the true origins of our dragon race, and our form of existence spanning countless ages, is limited.
His body leaned slightly forward, creating an invisible pressure:
"Before I explain in detail my doubts and why I make such a speculation, I need to ask you a question, a question that touches upon the oldest and most fundamental mystery of this world—"
How much do you know about... the 'First Gods'?
"First God"?
When the word was uttered by the dragon god Bahamut in an ancient, resonant tone, both Cohen and Adele paused, exchanging a glance.
Asuna may not know much about the concept of the first gods, but Cohen and Adel, who were gods in their previous lives, knew quite a lot about it.
After a brief silence, Cohen slowly began to speak:
"The first gods are the oldest deities that existed before the existing order, the existing pantheon, and everything that can be traced back to by the existing timeline."
They are the source of rules, the embodiment of concepts, and the original holders and definers of the world.
It can be said that the gods who are active in the astral plane, govern various divine realms, and have clearly defined divine duties today, have their divine status and authority largely derived from, differentiated from, or inherited from them.
They are the gods above gods, the chaotic and powerful primordial forces before the establishment of the divine realm.
Even as he spoke, a fleeting thought flashed through his mind—he remembered accompanying Nephthys on her quest to find the lost treasure of the Night Rose family.
During that exploration, the clues they found concerned an early deity who had long since faded into the dust of time.
The Robben family, to which Nephthys belongs, possesses a unique sorcerer's talent flowing in their bloodline, the origin of which can be traced back to the first God of All Thoughts named Auracis Heart. (See "Chapter 269 The Astonishing History of the Nephthys Family—The First God, the God of All Thoughts!")
After listening to Cohen's account, Bahamut immediately asked:
"So, what do you know about the whereabouts of the first gods?"
This time, Cohen answered even faster, as if the question touched upon a more certain part of his memory, or rather, a kind of near-common sense:
"According to the currently widely accepted view, they should all have perished before the change of era."
There has been no concrete indication of their activity since the existing order was established.
Otherwise, their divine status and divine office would not have been inherited by later deities.
The turnover of clergy and the change of divine status are themselves the most direct proof of their departure.
After listening, Bahamut nodded slowly again:
"Very close, but not all."
Our progenitor, the first god, was...
He is the first Dragon God who wielded the original concept of 'Dragon'.
Before the change of eras, the progenitor should have, like other first-generation deities, entered into final silence, scattering the divine office and authority of the 'dragon' into countless planes, awaiting the emergence of new successors.
Fortunately, our ancestor encountered the Mother Tree of Life before his own existence reached the brink of final annihilation.
The three were startled when Bahamut mentioned the Mother Tree of Life.
The "Mother Tree of Life" is one of the four primordial mythical creatures that symbolize the origin of life, the interconnectedness of all things, and the eternal cycle of existence.
Not long ago, when Cohen broke through to the legendary rank and condensed his own domain, the phantom of the "Mother Tree of Life" appeared in the strange phenomena of heaven and earth that he triggered.
That is a supreme existence that even the gods cannot easily reach, representing the underlying rules of the world and the source of life.
After the three had finished processing his words, Bahamut continued:
"At the beginning of everything, we dragons were born powerful, and our individual strength was enough to shake mountains and awe all other races."
However, our race has faced difficulties in reproduction and has few offspring, far less prosperous than the human race, elves, and other races.
Moreover, dragons are inherently arrogant, each believing in their own superiority, and their constant internal strife results in enormous losses.
Over time, even with immense power, the overall strength of the race will inevitably decline.
Our ancestor foresaw the flow of time and realized that if we followed this old path, one day our race would lose its foundation among the myriad planes, either becoming a vassal of other races or being annihilated in endless strife.
Therefore, as its existence irrevocably teetered on the edge of final annihilation, the progenitor made a choice—
He sacrificed all the immeasurable wealth He had accumulated since the beginning of time, as well as His own soul, to the supreme being that represents the origin of life, the interconnectedness of all things, and the eternal cycle—the Mother Tree of Life.
In exchange for this, the progenitor made a pact with the Mother Tree of Life.
The Dragon God's gaze fell upon Asuna once more:
"The contract stipulates: From that time onward, across endless ages, the Mother Tree of Life will protect this power originating from the progenitor."
Every epoch, it chooses a dragonborn to inherit its power.
That is, in each new era, our race will welcome a new ancestral dragon... a newborn ancestral dragon that carries the power of the progenitor and guides the race forward.
"Now, the time for the next cycle of our era is already approaching."
I have searched, waited, and deduced for countless years, traversed numerous planes, and investigated countless bloodlines, yet I have never been able to find that chosen member of my race, until today…
His gaze shifted from Asuna's face to Cohen, who stood beside her with a furrowed brow, before slowly returning to Asuna's eyes, which were filled with shock, confusion, and disbelief.
"To this day, I have witnessed with my own eyes the appearance of the phantom originating from the primordial source within His Majesty Corleone's legendary domain."
Now I can confirm, Your Majesty Corleone, that your Red Dragon Princess, Asuna Iliad, is the progenitor dragon chosen by the Mother Tree of Life for this era of our dragon race.
Although it sounded shocking, Cohen inexplicably felt that Bahamut was probably not lying.
He looked at Asuna beside him, as if he were meeting her for the first time.
His lips parted slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but no sound came out.
His lover, his bedmate, his commander who fought alongside him... was the progenitor that the dragon race had waited for for countless eons?
Asuna's reaction was more direct. She subconsciously raised her hand to touch the top of her head, her fingers clumsily groping through her hair, as if afraid that some non-human protrusion would emerge from there at any moment.
They did not doubt Bahamut's words.
Standing before them was Bahamut King, the King of Wealth, Guardian, and Dragons, the chief god of the Dragon Pantheon, a truly ancient and powerful deity.
His majesty, His power, His status all determined that it was neither possible nor necessary for Him to fabricate such a detailed and shocking lie to deceive them on such a matter concerning the origins of their race.
So, all that's left is to accept this chilling "fact".
After a long period of contemplation, Cohen suddenly realized a serious problem. His gaze returned to Bahamut, and his voice calmed down:
“Your Majesty, I understand your meaning and I also understand the weight of this contract.”
However, there is one problem that cannot be avoided.
Asuna has not yet revealed the authority and power befitting a 'Primordial Dragon'.
She is very strong, possessing exceptional dragon-born talent and leadership abilities, but this is far from the power that the 'Progenitor Dragon' should represent—enough to lead the entire dragon race and rival or even surpass the power of the first generation of gods.
She is still herself, Asuna Iliad, my love, my commander, and not... a primordial deity walking among the earth.
He turned his head slightly, glancing at Asuna beside him, whose face was still pale from the immense shock. A hint of heartache flashed in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by a deeper worry:
"If your speculations about the progenitor contract and Asuna's identity are true."
So, once this news gets out to other forces, or to certain individuals within the Dragon Clan with ulterior motives, how will they view Asuna?
How should we view someone who possesses such a prestigious status but lacks corresponding power?
What will a child who possesses a great treasure but is powerless to protect it face in a dog-eat-dog world?
They would see her as the hope for the rise of the dragon race and protect and nurture her at all costs.
Or will they see her as a walking, enormous treasure trove, an opportunity to seize, study, control, and even potentially devour, to glimpse the secrets of the progenitor or even to attempt to replace her?
Cohen's cold and sharp questioning instantly dissected the bloody reality beneath the warm legend, and the air in the sealed room seemed to freeze.
Bahamut smiled slightly, a hint of appreciation flashing in his eyes:
"His Majesty Corleone's considerations are always so thorough. I am now more certain that Miss Asuna Iliad growing up by your side is absolutely the best choice."
However, you don't need to inform Lady Dawn in secret. I have no ill intentions towards you, otherwise I wouldn't have told you so many secrets of our dragon race.
Furthermore, you may not have realized it, but before leaving, Lady Dawn left a spell of light on you.
Once you exhibit unusual divine power fluctuations, especially those with a clear direction or malice, no matter how subtle the fluctuations may be, they will be difficult to escape her perception.
"If I harbor ill will towards you, the Goddess of Light might appear before you in the next second."
After a pause, Bahamut continued:
"In fact, the question you just asked is precisely why I chose to meet with you here and in this way today."
What you are worried about was foreseen by our ancestors when they first made the contract.
Sir, do not underestimate the wisdom of our ancestors. When our forefathers offered everything to the Mother Tree of Life, they were considering far more than just the transmission of power.
How to ensure that this power can be safely nurtured, grow smoothly, and eventually blossom and lead the tribe is the core and most difficult part of the contract.
And this is precisely one of the original and fundamental sources of my divine office—Bahamut Kinglight, the Guardian of Wealth, Protector, and Dragon King. (End of Chapter)