A large area in the south belongs to the realm of humans.
Humans have cleared out the ferocious magical creatures and insurmountable monsters, tunneled through massive mountain peaks and dense forests to build cities and villages for human habitation.
Roads that can be traveled smoothly by people and merchant caravans connect these cities and villages.
From high above, Garon saw what seemed like a miniature map.
Each human village was a small node, connected by several roads that weren't fixed, with roads passing through surrounding forests and mountain ranges, and inns and hostels nearby for travelers to rest.
When he first left the Dragonspine Mountains, the population was still sparse.
However, as he continued his unrelenting flight southward, more and more human settlements came into view.
Similarly, the scenes of ruin also became increasingly prevalent.
He saw forests burned to ash, where a cool breeze could only stir up dust and ashes, and rivers with floating pale corpses, where carnivorous fish enjoyed a rare feast.
Garon had not yet seen a place in the south that was intact and unscathed by war.
He also passed over small-scale battlefields, with rivers of blood and cries of battle piercing the skies. In the few seconds that Garon passed by, because he did not conceal his aura, the warriors on the battlefield sensed him, causing a momentary halt in the chaotic fighting.
However, once Garon left, the chaotic battle resumed with a strange order.
It seemed the air in the south was permeated with the smell of gunpowder and blood.
In a peaceful era, Garon might have been interested in entering human society to explore and experience the local customs of this world, but faced with such desolate and dead scenes, he felt no interest.
"War. Humans seem to inherently revere war."
Garon shook his head, withdrawing his gaze from the tragic landscape below.
His thoughts were similar to those of the Silver Dragon Luna; as a true dragon, he preferred not to interfere in human wars unless there was a benefit compelling enough to interest him.
Garon's goal was clear: the portal to the lava demi-plane.
Without wandering through the ravaged human society, he flapped his dragon wings and followed the sensing connection straight forward through the air.
Time trickled by, the stars shifted, and days and nights passed. Four days quietly slipped away.
Under the dim stars and bright moonlight, Garon looked down upon a human city covering about eighty square kilometers below.
The capital city of the Mosha Duchy, Yinke City.
Yinke City was encircled by a ring-shaped high wall on the outer perimeter, some sections of which were underlaid with man-made moats containing bloodthirsty magical creatures.
On the wall, soldiers stood guard in the night, facing the vast world outside the city.
The city was dark due to curfew, with only scattered lights visible. Ninety percent of the area was engulfed in darkness.
Serious soldiers patrolled the streets, no one dared to move around freely, doors were tightly shut, and silence prevailed.
The structure of Yinke City was unique, with the terrain gradually rising from the outside to the inside. In the center of the ring-shaped walls stood a tall and majestic castle, shining brightly like a lighthouse, illuminating the night sky.
Furthermore, several ring-shaped inner walls segmented the unevenly rising houses.
The closer to the center, the more noble and splendid the buildings appeared. The outermost buildings were disasters, just shabby shacks or makeshift constructions of broken wood and cardboard, representing impoverished areas.
"Slums, civilian areas, merchant districts, hmm... official quarters."
Garon's gaze moved from the outer to the inner rings, estimating the structure of the city.
His gaze shifted, and his body hidden within a cloud of mist, he stared at the most splendid central city.
There, he sensed a convergence of elemental energies.
Detection magic.
Detection radiance.
A flash of light crossed his eyes, and Garon immediately noticed the extensive array of magical runes and swirling elemental radiance arranged around the central city.
"Numerous defensive spells have been set up, but they are of a low level."
"Hmm, there are some spellcasters, exceptional warriors, but the quality seems inferior to that army."
"This city's defensive forces are quite sparse."
Garon withdrew his gaze, and after a brief contemplation, the clouds around his body gradually dispersed, revealing his shimmering silver body under the night sky. His platinum dragon eyes stared at the central city, and then, flapping his wings, he lowered his altitude and released his dragon might, calmly flying over.
As his dragon might swept across the city, the affected ordinary people momentarily froze, unable to move.
Nearby patrolling and guarding soldiers trembled, struggling to look up, but the air seemed to solidify, leaving them unable to control their bodies.
They could only see a dragon-shaped shadow flash by
on the ground.
As the dragon might swept past, their tense hearts relaxed, their faces pale, they turned around in horror, looking up at the sky.
In their view, a silver giant dragon that blocked the moonlight and cast large shadows on the ground, adorned with silver radiance as if it came from the heavens, was flying straight toward the Duke of Thorns' stronghold. The city's buildings, in comparison, seemed as feeble as toys built by children.
"Dragon, dragon, dragon... a dragon!"
Nervous stammering erupted from the soldiers.
More than one person saw Garon's figure, and cries of panic, fear, and awe surged intermittently.
The usually tomb-like silent Yinke City suddenly came alive as some bold residents quietly opened their windows, peered out, and looked up at Garon's receding silhouette.
When Garon flew over the inner rings and reached the central city in a very short time, the people there barely had time to react.
Thudding footsteps, dense and somewhat panicked, rang out.
Troops converged like ants, forming defensive formations, archers bent their bows and aimed at the hovering giant dragon, their fingers trembling and sweat dripping from their foreheads, feeling breathless.
Some spellcasters silently chanted spells, ready for action.
Unsure of Garon's intentions and bewildered by his impressive silver dragon scales, they dared not make any rash moves.
Garon looked down at the panicked human guards and spoke in a deep voice in the common tongue, "I come with goodwill."
"The cost of offending a true dragon, I believe you are all well aware."
A murmur rippled through the crowd below.
Seconds later, a grey-bearded wizard in a round hat and fine robe stepped forward, forcibly calm, then looked up at the massive creature before him and respectfully replied, "Greetings to you, Silver Dragon, sir. They are merely fulfilling their duties. Please forgive them."
"May I be so bold as to ask, what brings you to this place?"
The wizard appeared to be around forty, tall and thin, with magic power flowing within him that was neither weak nor exceptionally strong.
Now, in a war-ravaged Mosha Duchy lacking the strength to withstand a mature silver dragon, this wizard did not believe Garon had come with ill intent.