The intense heat that permeated the air was a more direct and explicit threat than any invisible pressure.
The Duke of Thorns, merely a human, started to sweat profusely on his forehead as he stood close to Garon, his eyes reflecting the blazing fire.
In the next moment, Garon's expression remained unchanged, and the fireballs beside him suddenly shot up into the sky, exploding into rolling flames that brightened the area like daylight, casting a red glow on the ground and the surrounding buildings.
This was an unmistakable threat.
The Duke of Thorns' face contorted with struggle, his gaze shifting rapidly, and after about ten seconds, he settled his eyes and sighed deeply.
"The Mosha Duchy respects every high-ranking wizard, even our enemies.
"Morton's relics are here merely for safekeeping."
"Since you, Silver Dragon, are a friend of Morton, transferring them to you today would also settle this matter."
Immediately after, the Duke of Thorns waved over a trusted subordinate, who slowly approached under the watchful eyes of everyone and said, "Bring that stone door here, and give it to the Silver Dragon."
Turning back to Garon, the Duke of Thorns said, "Please wait a moment."
Garon nodded, his platinum dragon eyes deep and indifferent, giving no hint of his current mood.
Time slowly passed, and after a few minutes, Garon heard a series of heavy, uniform footsteps. The ground trembled slightly with these steps, causing the dust to quiver and jump.
He glanced towards the source of the sound.
A troop of armored soldiers, led by an extraordinary warrior, was marching towards the towering inner city. From his high vantage point, Garon could see the entire army clearly.
After a brief look, Garon shifted his gaze back to the Duke of Thorns.
The Duke of Thorns, appearing apologetic, explained, "With a dragon appearing in the city, they are concerned about the safety of the nation."
He then turned to someone behind him and ordered in a stern voice, "Tell General Aeric to stand by and not come any closer."
"Inform them that the Silver Dragon comes with goodwill and is not an enemy of the Mosha Duchy."
Garon nodded slightly, maintaining his silence.
The atmosphere was somewhat tense, at least for the humans around him.
They were on high alert, while Garon felt no pressure at all, even finding the situation rather amusing as he observed the tense and serious faces of the people.
This was the plight of the weak.
Unable to ensure their own safety, they could only try to fulfill the demands of the powerful to avoid a tragic fate. Defensive or threatening actions, in the eyes of the powerful, were nothing more than a joke, ineffective at achieving any result.
However, if Garon were a truly evil dragon, without any room for negotiation, the warriors and spellcasters of Mosha would have no choice but to fight to the death.
After waiting for about half an hour, six burly warriors, their bodies coursing with magical energy, slowly approached Garon and the Duke of Thorns carrying a large, square object.
They moved slowly, each step cracking the exquisite tiles beneath their feet, leaving cracks and shallow footprints.
With a series of heavy footsteps, they drew closer.
Garon fixed his gaze on them.
The six men were arranged in two rows of three, jointly carrying a heavy stone door.
The stone door wasn't very large—three meters high and two meters wide—more like a large stone slab with a tight, straight seam down the middle. The front was engraved with arcane and obscure magical runes, visible only to spellcasters, and simple sketches resembling flames.
Despite its size, the door seemed extremely heavy.
Once they were close, the powerful warriors were panting heavily, their faces flushed red as they struggled to stand the door upright.
Thud!
The stone door landed heavily, stirring up a circle of dust on the ground, causing a slight tremor.
"So, the portal to the lava demi-plane is really just a door."
Garon's expression was odd as he continued to examine the stone door.
On one side of the heavy door was a distinct diamond-shaped recess, which clearly matched the lava crystal on top of the Red Flame Staff, fitting perfectly into it.
Next to this prominent recess were a series of smaller circular
recesses, seemingly designed to hold other items.
At the same moment, as the stone door was placed close in front of Garon, he grasped the Red Flame Staff and felt an attracting force.
It seemed as if with just a thought, the lava crystal at the top of the staff would fly out and embed itself into that recess.
Garon restrained the urge to open the portal to the lava demi-plane right then. He took a few steps forward, under the watchful eyes of the tense onlookers, and reached out with his dragon claw to touch a corner of the stone door.
The three-meter-tall and two-meter-wide stone door felt like a toy block in Garon's grasp.
He felt its weight for a moment, showing a look of surprise, then lifted the door, weighing it in his hand.
This seemingly small stone door was incredibly heavy, made of material that must have weighed at least ten tons.
"This is what you need," the Duke of Thorns said, his voice tinged with reluctance as he glanced at the stone door.
If opened, this door could lead away from the prime material plane to the lava demi-plane.
This information had been obtained from some of the Mosha Duchy's spies in the Walker Duchy.
The lava demi-plane, and other such demi-planes, are also known as para-elemental or quasi-elemental planes.
Water, fire, air, earth—beyond these four pure elemental planes, there are planes that possess only two elements and also give birth to elemental life, forming unique geographical environments. These are known as para-elemental or quasi-elemental planes.
Ice elemental planes, radiation planes, mineral planes, including the lava demi-plane, all fall under this category.
Due to their unique environments, para-elemental planes are often sources of extremely valuable magical materials and are less dangerous than pure elemental planes, making them immensely valuable and opportune for creatures from the prime material plane.
The Walker Duchy was originally just a small neutral town but developed into a duchy in a very short time due to materials obtained from the lava demi-plane.
However, no matter how beneficial the lava demi-plane could be, without the ability to open the portal, it was merely an inert object. The Duke of Thorns consoled himself with this thought.
Previously, the Duke of Thorns might have summoned high-ranking wizards and elite troops to strategize, but now the Mosha Duchy no longer had such capabilities.
On the other hand, after weighing the heavy stone door, Garon gave the Duke of Thorns a glance.
He believed he had been sufficiently patient and amicable.
If the Duke of Thorns tried any tricks, he was truly ready to turn this place into ashes.
Garon did not relish needless slaughter, but his determination to acquire the demi-plane was unwavering.
A demi-plane nearly a billion square kilometers in size held enormous value. The people of the Mosha Duchy simply wanted some of its rare products to enhance their national strength.
But Garon intended to take the entire demi-plane into his possession, crafting it into his own personal realm.