"You just crushed them underfoot?" The snow-white big cat looked at the screen, at the city shrouded in the shadow of the cloud island, plunged into darkness, and at the dozen or so humans whose bodies glowed faintly like sparks of fighting energy above the city.
"What else should I do? Command 132 cloud islands to go around them?" Muria's lips curled into an extremely disdainful expression. "These guys aren't worth that much."
"Muria, you seem to really dislike human nobles. Is it because of the nobles on the Osnillo continent who trade in slaves that you've developed such a big bias?"
"It's not bias," Muria said, stroking Troy's large, fluffy head. "Let me put it this way about human nobles: according to the Gold Dragon's standards of good and evil, if you line them up and kill them one by one, there might be some innocent ones, but if you skip one and kill the next, some will definitely slip through the cracks."
"Is it that bad?" Troy's face showed doubt. "If humans are so hopeless, why do you bother with them?"
"Those are nobles whose hearts have been blackened by power, not all humans." Muria rolled his eyes. "There are also many humans who amaze me, like those paladins who charge into certain death to save people, and knights who dare to charge at legendary demons."
After saying this, a hint of nostalgia appeared on Muria's face. Compared to long-lived species, human life is short, but there are still many extraordinary individuals whose brief but brilliant lives leave a lasting impression.
During the Demon Scourge, many human actions disgusted Muria, but there were also many humans whose admirable qualities in life and death situations amazed him and remain unforgettable to this day.
...
"Who is the lord of your city?" In the sky above the city covered by the shadow of the cloud island, a squad of dragons flew up to the strong humans hovering there. The leading red dragon, Crest, looked at them arrogantly.
Red dragons are already at the top of the chromatic dragons, and after learning magic under Muria's "diligent" tutelage, they became even more arrogant. Among Muria's followers, the mage-trained chromatic dragons were the most flamboyant.
"The Flame Guardian Crest?" Such an arrogant red dragon, combined with the diverse types of chromatic dragons behind it, made Muria's dragons highly recognizable and easy to identify.
"You know me?" Hearing this somewhat embarrassing title, Crest, who had been aggressive, paused in the air and bared his teeth in a grin.
"Of course I know you. My name is Declan. I once fought alongside you to kill a gold-rank demon. Do you remember?" A heavily armored warrior looked eagerly at the red dragon Crest.
During the Demon Scourge, all of Muria's dragons and giants were kept busy fighting demons, with Muria himself often sending avatars to assist. After a decade-long war against demons, some stood out for their remarkable achievements. Crest was one of them, though he was quite unhappy with the "Guardian" part of his title.
As a red dragon, Crest didn't receive titles like "Destroyer" or "Annihilator" for killing and looting human cities but instead got a "Guardian" title usually reserved for metallic dragons. Crest found this extremely shameful. However, since it was his first title and because dragons were so numerous during the Demon Scourge, he reluctantly accepted it.
"I vaguely remember..." The red-scaled, fierce-looking red dragon scratched his chin awkwardly. In truth, he didn't remember this guy at all, but since they had fought together, he felt obliged to show some courtesy.
"Lord Crest, is Duke Muria up there?" Declan, the gold-rank warrior, glanced reverently at the cloud island slowly floating above.
"What do you think?" The once aggressive red dragon's tone softened. "Since you've guessed it, why are you still standing there? Go notify your lord to come up and pay his respects. Or do you think my prince has abdicated and is no longer worthy of reverence?"
"How could that be? To me, Duke Muria will always be the regent of the Kingdom of Rockman." Declan looked at his companions with a look of admiration.
"Don't say such things lightly. The current ruler of the Kingdom of Rockman is Queen Remilia," Crest reminded sternly. This was something Muria had repeatedly emphasized, and the once-flayed red dragon dared not neglect it.
...
Muria's nationwide tour route connected the territories of the seven legendary dukes of the Kingdom of Rockman, forming a line that circled the entire nation. After touring the kingdom, they would head overseas to the next continent.
Even if he was showing off, Muria chose to do so to the most powerful and potentially rebellious individuals to intimidate them and spread some false information.
Accompanied by over a hundred cloud islands, Muria's journey was filled with dramatic weather changes and grand displays, shocking countless forces. A moving behemoth is always more visually impactful than a stationary one.
At every city, local nobles would request to see the retired Duke Muria. Even when flying over the territories of the legendary dukes, Muria would have his dragons send word for them to "voluntarily" ascend the cloud island to pay their respects.
Muria had no regard for these people's feelings. After all, those who had reached the legendary level should have a clear understanding of their place in this realm.
As he said, no one had enough face to make Muria detour... Following the plan, after two months of circling the Kingdom of Rockman, Muria took the cloud islands, loaded with dragons, giants, drow elves, dwarves, and various monster clans, and left the northern border of the kingdom, disappearing without a trace.
As Muria departed, the Kingdom of Rockman fell into an eerie silence, seemingly as peaceful and beautiful as it had been during Muria's rule.
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