"The current progress is too slow," Muria said, sitting on his throne with a frown as he looked at a map. He had drawn a relatively simplified map of the Dragon Peninsula based on a copy of an original.
On this map, most of the areas were gray. Near the coast, there was a dazzling golden dot, emitting light that covered the gray areas. Only about one-tenth of the area was covered by the golden light, representing the regions actually controlled by Muria's forces after the three waves of sweeps by the giants.
This was one of the downsides of unclaimed land—without a true ruler, Muria had to deploy his army to conquer it inch by inch to truly bring it under his control.
Otherwise, his so-called rule would be nothing but a joke. According to his plan, every entity with power beyond the gold level in this area had to submit to his authority, or at the very least, be registered and monitored. Only then could Muria confidently claim that he had brought the region under his control.
Because of this, the progress of the cloud giants had been very slow. Moreover, the giant army's aggressive actions had provoked resistance from the local creatures. Some powerful extraordinary beasts were beginning to unite, and even some chromatic dragons had joined them.
However, Muria was unaware of this, and even if he knew, he wouldn't care. The number of legends he could command was beyond imagination, and sweeping through the Dragon Peninsula was not an issue for him.
...
"Mom, why are there so many cloud giants here? And why do they look different from the giants we know?" The young golden dragon, flying through the sky with the help of his mother's magic, looked down at the cloud giants besieging a gold-level beast, speaking with some timidity. The cloud giants below were not like the refined cloud dwellers in the castle; they were taller and exuded a menacing aura.
"The presence of cloud giants means we're headed in the right direction. The coordinates he gave us are correct." Seeing these cloud giants, the two adult dragons breathed a sigh of relief. After all, cloud giants were often found near golden dragon lairs.
However, the differences in these giants made them reconsider. Everything suggested that the golden dragon they were visiting was not the one they had known.
"A legend, plus two soul-bound metal dragons." Suddenly, a voice carried on the wind as it stirred the clouds, revealing the dragons, who had been hidden. They were now exposed under the blue sky.
A roc screeched as three storm giants riding giant rocs surrounded the group of dragons. Seven other storm giants, without mounts, accompanied them. Meanwhile, the cloud giants below, noticing the commotion, flew into the sky. Due to their extensive training, they unconsciously formed a battle formation, exerting immense pressure on the young dragons.
"Metal dragons, where are you headed?" Although the giants had surrounded them, they didn't attack. Instead, they questioned the dragons, recognizing the aura of the metal dragons—Muria's kin—and thus avoided hostility.
...
"A golden dragon coming to visit me?" Muria quickly received the news at Synapse and immediately thought of the crystal he had left a few days ago. He slapped his forehead.
If nothing unexpected had occurred, it must be the two golden dragon lolis and the young dragon bringing their parents to visit him. However, he hadn't expected them to arrive so soon.
Synapse was now in a state of war, with strict security measures in place along the way. These guests were currently being inspected by his giant subordinates. "They're faster than I expected. It's only been a few days."
"Let's see what these visitors look like." Soon, an image formed before Muria, and just as he suspected, it was the three young golden dragons who had wanted to play with him earlier, accompanied by a golden-haired woman and a silver-haired, cold-looking lady, along with a stern-faced middle-aged man.
"As expected." Muria sighed, somewhat helplessly. He had been careless. "Let them through. They are guests I invited. Send a storm knight to escort them and lead them to the Wind King Castle."
...
"This doesn't look good. Do you think you can beat these giants?" Silva, one of the adult golden dragons surrounded by giants, asked her sister through a mental link. William, behind her, was sweating profusely, feeling the pressure of being locked onto by three legends, making him too scared to move.
"These cloud giants, although heavily mutated, shouldn't be a problem one-on-one. I might be able to take down the storm giants without mounts, but those with mounts are another story."
Gwyn, the silver dragon, maintained a cold expression. With her naturally expressionless face, no one could tell that she was trembling in fear. As her elders had advised, it was best not to wander around before reaching legend level.
"One-on-one?" Silva gave a wry smile. "Do you really think these giants will challenge you to single combat?"
"Relax a bit. Didn't you notice? They surrounded us but didn't show any hostility. Maybe they're the subordinates of the golden dragon we're visiting."
"That's not funny."
"Then how do you explain these giants? There weren't such heavily mutated giants on the Dragon Peninsula before."
"But if these giants have mutated to this extent, who knows how strong their master must be? Could it really be the golden dragon we're visiting?"
"It might be, and it's not unlikely."
As the two adult metal dragons debated, a storm giant suddenly spoke to them, "Come with me. Lord Muria has agreed to meet you."
...
"Welcome to Synapse!" As the escorting storm giant brought the dragons to the outskirts of Synapse, Muria, having already observed their arrival, immediately lifted the enchantment concealing Synapse.
Then, one hundred and thirty-two floating cloud islands, varying in size, appeared before the dragons. Each cloud island bore evident signs of artificial construction, with multicolored lights glowing on them. Some islands had massive magic cannons being installed at their bases, part of ongoing defensive upgrades. The fully installed magic cannons were indistinguishable from the outside unless in use.
"Is this where the little brother lives? It's so beautiful!" The two golden dragon lolis and the young golden dragon stared in awe at Synapse, their mouths forming O-shapes, eyes filled with amazement, followed by excitement.
"He didn't lie to us. His home is indeed a fun place."
"These coordinates are correct." Silva, slightly overwhelmed, took out the crystal with the recorded spatial coordinates and checked it again, confirming it matched their current location.
"What's the background of this golden dragon you're visiting? We were speculating it might be a floating city, but even a floating city pales in comparison to these cloud islands." Gwyn's mouth twitched as she watched the hill giants installing magic cannons at the base of the islands.
You can see the whole from a part. Judging by these giants, who appeared harmless, no one knew how much the islands had been transformed internally. The outer layers of rock and soil seemed to be a special metal camouflage.
"Please go up. Lord Muria is waiting for you." The storm giant knight noticed a group of cloud giants descending from the central cloud island, bowed to the dragons, and then left to continue his duties.
"Little brother!" As they were escorted by the cloud giants onto the central cloud island, the dragon family, along with the dragonborn William, saw a black-haired, golden-eyed youth smiling at them.
The young golden dragon cheered and ran toward Muria, while the two golden dragon lolis were also eager to join but tried to maintain some decorum. However, they soon followed, instinctively drawn to Muria.
"Welcome to Synapse. This is my domain, a paradise for dragons," Muria said with a smile.
Looking at her three children already chatting with Muria, the golden-haired woman, Silva, glanced at the majestic Wind King Castle in the distance, the massive metal warships surrounding it, and the star gate distorting space in the distance. She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but nothing came out. The sight before her had exceeded her imagination. Before coming to visit Muria, she never would have thought that a golden dragon who had taken the initiative to visit her home lived in such a place.
"So many strong ones!" Unlike the two adult dragons, who were merely admiring the surroundings, the legendary William wasn't interested in appearances. He was carefully sensing the powerful auras he had felt throughout his journey. At the lower cloud islands, the presence wasn't strong, but as he flew higher, the number of powerful auras rapidly increased.
When he reached the central cloud island, he clearly sensed the presence of at least a dozen legends. This level of power left him in awe. Ten legends—a force that could easily constitute a kingdom-level power by human standards. And here, it was a kingdom floating in the sky!
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