"I arrived on this continent a month ago, but since landing, I've only seen various orc villages, scattered chromatic dragons, and powerful magical beasts occupying the wilderness. I haven't found any trace of intelligent species other than the orcs." Muria expressed his doubts as he looked at the middle-aged man clad in armor. Though this man wore knight's armor and possessed great strength, he gave Muria a strange feeling, as if he had once been a general commanding thousands of soldiers.
Having ruled a kingdom himself, Muria had many generals under his command. Although this man had no soldiers with him, the iron-blooded aura of someone who had led many battles was unmistakable. In short, this was a man with a story.
"Your Highness, this only means that you landed in an unfortunate location. It doesn't mean that there are no humans on this continent," replied the legendary dragonborn named William. He unfurled a map before Muria and pointed to a prominent triangular region. "This is where we are now, a place known on the continent as the Peninsula of Evil Dragons."
"A peninsula?" Muria was curious about the name, though the term "Evil Dragons" was self-explanatory, given the abundance of chromatic dragons active in the area. It was no surprise that this place had earned such a name.
A peninsula is a landform extending into the sea or a lake, with one side connected to the mainland and the other three sides surrounded by water.
"There's also a long mountain range here." As Muria examined the map, he noticed that the irregular triangular region William pointed out was divided by a vast mountain range, separating it from the main continent and forming a relatively isolated area.
"This is the Dragonsever Mountains," William explained as Muria noticed the mountain range connected to the Peninsula of Evil Dragons. "Even the lowest point in this range is over ten thousand meters high, making it difficult for even adult dragons to cross. The name comes from its role in preventing the chromatic dragons of the peninsula from rampaging into the mainland."
"That's true, but the mountains also prevent the greedy humans from entering the peninsula to hunt dragons, which is why so many dragons are active here."
After studying the terrain, Muria realized that he had indeed landed in a remote corner of the Roghagen subcontinent. Although it was considered a corner, the area was vast, covering approximately three million square kilometers.
"Indeed, if it weren't for these mountains, this peninsula would have been occupied by humans long ago." William did not argue. This was the age of human dominance. While dragons were powerful, their divided nature made them vulnerable to being picked off. The Peninsula of Evil Dragons was rich in resources, among the best on the continent. But due to the terrain and the considerable number of ancient dragons, no humans had yet dared to conquer it, allowing it to become a haven for dragons.
"And what about these orcs?" Muria asked.
"They likely fled here from the Boneyard Wasteland." William quickly provided answers to Muria's various questions, giving him a rough understanding of the continent.
Like other subcontinents, this one had humans who occupied nearly a third of its territory, making them a formidable force. However, unlike other continents, this one also had orcs who could rival humans.
The orcs controlled a larger territory, but it was less fertile than the humans'. Due to the scarcity of resources, various orc tribes frequently launched attacks on human kingdoms to plunder resources. War was the main theme of this continent.
As for the Peninsula of Evil Dragons, where Muria currently found himself, it was a paradise, provided one had the strength to survive the dragons and magical beasts. Otherwise, it was a hellish place.
The orcs on this peninsula were thought to be descendants of desperate orcs who had drifted across the sea from the Boneyard Wasteland. Over time, they had multiplied to their current numbers. However, the orcs here seemed to lack advanced traditions, perhaps because the most critical resources had been claimed by powerful magical beasts and dragons, leaving the orcs at the bottom of the hierarchy.
"The orcs here live much better than those on the mainland," William remarked.
"Better?" Muria found this statement puzzling. The harsh environment filtered out the weak, leaving only the strong to survive. Calling this "better living" seemed to misunderstand the concept of happiness.
"Muria, you've seen how the creatures on other continents live in comfort, but let me give you a simple statistic: every year, over ten million orcs die at the walls of human cities just from resource raids. That's only the documented number; there are countless smaller skirmishes that aren't recorded, and their casualties are no less significant."
Hearing this startling statistic, Muria fell silent for a long time before finally saying, "Orcs sure are prolific."
Beyond that, he didn't know what else to say. Such wars happened yearly, meaning the orc population grew faster than they died. He could even guess the reason for the orc leaders' constant warfare: their need for resources had outstripped their land's production, so they needed war to cull their excess population.
"By the way, I wanted to ask if you've seen any unusual chromatic dragons—those proficient in magic, larger than other dragons of the same age." Muria finally remembered his exiled dragons and asked the legendary dragonborn.
"No, I haven't seen any."
"In that case, I'll be on my way." After gathering information about the continent and making a rough copy of the map, Muria prepared to leave.
However, he soon found two golden-haired girls and a little boy blocking his path. "Big brother, are you leaving already? Won't you stay and play with us? We have lots of fun toys here!"
It seemed that this gold dragon family had moved to this location for some unknown reason. But clearly, these three little ones were getting bored out of their minds. When they saw a new gold dragon visiting, they were overjoyed, especially since Muria didn't seem much older than them.
"I have things I need to take care of, so I don't have time to play," Muria said, squatting down and ruffling the hair of the two golden-haired girls. Encountering his kin put him in a good mood, but he really needed to return to Synapse to adjust his strategy for this land.
"Here are the coordinates of my residence." Muria handed a crystal to one of the golden-haired girls. "If your parents return, have them bring you to visit me! My place is quite special; you won't be disappointed."
"Okay!" The little dragons were excited by the invitation. They were thrilled at the prospect of a new place to explore.
"I'll be leaving now, but I look forward to your visit. I'll treat you to the best of everything in my castle," Muria said with a smile.
In his view, knowledge was the most valuable thing in the world. If this gold dragon family visited Synapse, Muria planned to show their parents the newly established Dragon Academy and invite the young dragons to become the academy's first students. He imagined they would be deeply grateful, as he was prepared to immerse them in a sea of knowledge, giving them the opportunity to explore to their heart's content.
...
The great bell tolled across the floating islands of Synapse, and upon hearing it, all the legends and many soul-intents flew towards the Wind King's Castle. This was Muria summoning them, signaling that something important was about to happen.
"Everyone, I've gathered intelligence on this continent. We are currently in an area known as the Peninsula of Evil Dragons," announced Muria, who had just returned to the Wind King's Castle, eager to share his findings with his subordinates.
"The Peninsula of Evil Dragons has no real ruler. The chromatic dragons here simply exploit the land's resources crudely, which is a complete waste."
Muria spoke with a pained expression, while some of the legends below watched their lord's performance without a word, waiting for him to finish before it was their turn to speak.
"Your Highness, I believe these wild chromatic dragons aren't capable of controlling this fertile land. This land was destined for your arrival. We should deploy our forces to conquer it and bring it under Synapse's rule, allowing it to nurture more dragons," suggested Fiona, the ancient green dragon who was always eager to expand. As a chromatic dragon, she had a strong desire for expansion. The more territory Synapse controlled, the more power she, as part of the upper echelon, could enjoy.
"Indeed, this place was meant for me!"
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