"If you insist on taking it by force, feel free to try!"
Garon's stance was incredibly firm, leaving little room for negotiation.
In the tense atmosphere, with both sides ready for battle, Caines furrowed his brows deeply, staring intently at Garon, unable to gauge the true strength of the silver dragon before him.
After about a dozen seconds, Caines waved his hand, and the members of the Temple Knights simultaneously dispelled their power fluctuations, calming down but still focusing their attention on Garon.
Looking up at Garon, Caines slowly said, "I have a sacred ring imbued with the seventh-ring divine spell [Greater Restoration], and an eighth-ring divine spell scroll [Resurrection]."
"The sacred ring can automatically absorb healing energy from the world, storing it once a week, up to three times."
Greater Restoration. Garon, despite his dragon heritage, was unfamiliar with this powerful spell.
He turned his gaze to the two high-ranking casters.
Fred noticed Garon's look and replied, "Greater Restoration can heal nearly all types of injuries. As long as the target hasn't died, it can restore them to near-perfect health, almost like a second life."
"As for the eighth-ring Resurrection, it should be able to revive someone who has been dead for no more than a week."
Caines nodded, calmly saying, "He's right, that's roughly the effect."
On the other hand, Krichens shook his head, saying, "However, for dragons with strong vitality, the effects of Greater Restoration and Resurrection might not be as potent, since the efficacy of any magical ability is limited. The stronger the target, the weaker the effect of such spells."
After hearing both opinions, Garon pondered briefly and, within just three seconds, rejected the offer: "Whether it's your sacred ring or the divine spell scroll, I believe they are valuable, but still not enough."
Divine spells, though rare, didn't seem to hold equivalent value to a legendary lich's phylactery for Garon.
Creating a phylactery requires countless gold and precious materials, making it inherently valuable.
Even the broken shell of a phylactery could be traded for significant items among beings wishing to transform into liches.
Moreover, it likely contained items Harris kept close to himself.
"Do you know that a lich's phylactery will only bring misfortune and despair?"
"Handing it over to the church is the right choice, or you will regret it later."
In Caines's eyes, a lich's phylactery was an evil object to be destroyed, holding no value.
Garon smiled, his voice calm as water, "What I do with my belongings is none of your concern."
"If you can't offer something of equal value, then forget about obtaining the phylactery."
Caines's brows were tightly knotted, his gaze shifting between the stone tomb serpent dragon that had swallowed the phylactery and Garon.
Finally, he stared firmly at Garon, saying word by word, "You may take the lich's phylactery."
"But, if future disasters arise because of you, the Church of Light will not stand idly by."
Taking someone else's spoils of war is not a paladin's deed.
Garon no longer looked at Caines, ignoring him.
He didn't have a dislike for paladins. The conflict here was merely due to differing stances, with both parties acting in their interests.
"Control your evil dragons, and ensure they don't harm the innocent."
After another statement from Caines, he instructed the other paladins to take the ashes of the evil undead, cast protective and fear-resisting spells on the frightened members of the Demor royal family, and then led the Temple Knights away from the royal court.
Meanwhile, as Garon and the Temple Knights faced off, Demor brought over many treasure chests.
The chests mostly contained the most widely circulated currency in the Noah continent, decorated with the emblem of a soaring eagle.
In most of the primary material world, precious metals serve as currency.
The value of copper, silver, gold, and platinum coins increases in that order.
The currency in the chests was silver and higher, as dragons, at least, favor silver coins. However, penniless young or hatchling dragons would be pleased to hoard copper coins.
Besides boxes of currency, there were also magical materials, gems, equipment, and spell scrolls.
Although many items were unusable, true dragons sought treasures not for practical value but for collection, satisfying their greed for wealth.
The millennia-old Kingdom of Demor, despite its decline, still had substantial reserves.
Facing the dragons' extravagant demands, Demor emptied its treasury to fulfill a compensation ten times the initial agreement.
This made several dragons wealthy compared to their peers.
Although only the red dragon Gresha, the black dragon, and the green dragon participated in the battle, the King of Demor wisely prepared six shares, with Garon receiving the largest portion, identifying him as the leader.
The vast amount of gold and magical gems dazzled Garon.
Demor's perceptiveness somewhat cooled Garon's anger.
"Esteemed dragons, this should sufficiently compensate for your losses."
"Any more, and you would have to search for treasures in the ashes of a burnt royal court," Russell said, now appearing older and more worn out despite being in his prime.
Garon thought the King of Demor had given up.
He wasn't a malevolent dragon. After obtaining what he wanted, he had no intention of further punishing them.
Moreover, as a serpent dragon, not obsessed with treasures like true dragons, it gifted its share of the treasure to Garon, surprising him.
Serpent dragons, though powerful, are not considered part of true dragonkind for many reasons.
"Well done, your sincerity is appreciated."
"Should you need true dragons' assistance in future wars, contact us again. Let bygones be bygones for this incident," Roel said, magnanimously waving a dragon claw.
Now, after losing so much military strength and resources, Demor lacked the power to uphold its kingdom's name.
With the Golden Alliance army destroyed and other duchies weakened, Demor stood on equal footing with them, unlikely to initiate wars for a long time.
Neither the duchies nor the current state of Demor had the strength to wage war.
This mutually detrimental situation wasn't too bad for Demor, avoiding the worst-case scenario of being divided and conquered by the Golden Alliance.
A war with no victors, both sides losing. Garon subtly shook his head.
Humans, though widespread across Noah continent, only occupy the southern territories, with other areas inhabited by dwarves, orcs, merfolk, elves, and other intelligent species.
In the primary material world, human forces on Noah continent are relatively weaker.
After this war, their weakness became even more evident.
"Who knows, perhaps in the future, other intelligent species might covet the fertile lands of the south and invade," Garon pondered.
Russell managed a weak smile, looking up at the commanding Garon, "If there's nothing else, you may leave."
"Demor is in turmoil, and the presence of dragons only unsettles our people further."
Garon collected his thoughts, looking at Russell, calmly stating, "I intended to turn the royal court into ruins to quell my anger."
"But your sincerity has persuaded me to spare you this time."
"Compile all the spellbooks within the Demor Kingdom and hand them over to me, and we'll consider this matter resolved."
A kingdom with a thousand years of heritage undoubtedly possesses more spellbooks than Mosha.
Russell paused, looking at the silver dragon in the sky, his expression numb, "Yes, the Kingdom of Demor is happy to serve you."
Confronting a legendary figure like Caines, he believed Garon was a legendary dragon, and Demor couldn't afford to provoke him.
After receiving the spellbooks from Demor, Garon visited Mosha again, collecting the spellbooks prepared by the Duke of Thorns, filling many spatial containers.
As time passed, the outcome of the war on the Baki Plains spread.
Many duchies struggled to accept the result.
Some sent scouts to the Baki Plains, but unfortunately, due to various factors, the area quickly became infested with undead, with almost all scouts dying, except for a few lucky survivors escaping the undead's clutches.
The once lush and scenic Baki Plains now had a new name.
The Bone Wasteland.
Besides numerous low-level skeletons, high-ranking casters who died rose again as evil bone mages. Though their strength diminished compared to their living selves, they far surpassed mid-level casters. Given the current human forces, it's challenging to clear the undead from the Bone Wasteland.
Moreover, the death aura of the Bone Wasteland didn't stay put, slowly spreading outward, turning more lands into desolate, gray wastelands, a paradise for the dead.
In this situation, the Church of Light stepped forward.
The Pope personally cast legendary divine spells, attempting to disperse the death aura of the Bone Wasteland and purify it completely.
Unfortunately, the resentment of eighty thousand dead souls, mixed with the legendary death magic released by the demi-lich at death, created a maelstrom of negative energy—resentment, anger, despair, fear—continuously generating death aura, obscuring the sun's light.
Even the Pope nearly exhausted his strength without fully eradicating it.
Reluctantly, the Church of Light redirected some of its forces searching for evil god statues to send knight orders from various temples in turns to fight the undead in the Bone Wasteland, containing the spread of death aura and preventing the emergence of interdimensional energy vortexes that could lead to catastrophes like the undead plague.
Most avoided the undead-infested Bone Wasteland like the plague, but there were exceptions.
Necromancers.
On Noah continent, or in ninety percent of the primary material world, necromancy is considered evil because studying corpses and souls is essential, which many intelligent species find unacceptable, not wanting their bodies desecrated or controlled post-mortem.
Necromancers flocked to the Bone Wasteland, using its environment to study spells.
From the memories lingering in some bones, necromancers witnessed incredible scenes.
A piece of gossip thus began to spread and ferment.
Atop a high mountain, the silver dragon spread its wings, lying on the rugged peak, enjoying the warmth of sunlight on its scales.
In the dragon's claw was a book with a pitch-black cover, slowly being flipped through.
"Blood Sacrifice Ascension Ritual. Sacrifice a million lives, absorbing and digesting the essence of life and souls of the dead... Legendary destinies can use this to step into the demi-god realm, obtaining extraordinary divine power."
Garon murmured softly.
"A demi-god is not a quasi-god or pseudo-god without divine status, but a truly transcendent, otherworldly deity."
The lich's phylactery had been opened, containing many precious and evil magical materials, several legendary items, books on powerful legendary spells, and the materialized soul crystals of legendary casters after death.
Harris's soul crystal was impure, mixed with strands of black lines, remnants of his evil spirit and magic.
If the impurities could be removed, such high-quality soul crystals could significantly enhance the user's mental strength.
As for the legendary spellbook, it mainly contained necromancy spells and a few enchantment spells, as Harris had focused on studying necromancy in secret.
Garon held no prejudice against necromancy.
The book he was reading, also taken from the lich's phylactery, had obviously been closely guarded by Harris.
Although it was noon, the bloody ruthlessness emanating from the pages seemed to dispel the sunlight, giving the area a colder hue.
It detailed a complete blood sacrifice ritual, a powerful ceremony for ascension to godhood.
Killing a million people, using their blood mixed with despair and fear as ink, and death aura as the brush, to draw a giant blood sacrifice magic circle. Every rune on the circle exuded evil death power.
Beneath the Bone Wasteland, the blood sacrifice circle had been laid before the war began, contributing to its formation.
The items in the phylactery were numerous, with the blood sacrifice ritual being one of the most valuable.
If Garon were ruthless, he could use this ritual to condense a demi-god divine status with a partial attribute of death.
However, he was unwilling to ascend.
Gods are undoubtedly the most powerful beings, transcendent and supreme.
But gods face significant rejection from the primary material world, making it difficult to enter. All gods reside in outer planes, affecting the primary material world through avatars. Against some formidable opponents, avatars might not be enough.
As a time dragon, Garon doesn't need to ascend to acquire god-like power over time.
Ascension for a time dragon is more of a restriction, a bondage.
Moreover, becoming only a demi-god was somewhat beneath Garon.
"While I can't use this blood sacrifice ascension ritual, and it's too evil, it's worth collecting as valuable knowledge."
If leaked, this book could cause evil creatures on Noah continent to fight bloodily over it, as not all beings scorn the power of a demi-god.
With a flash of light, the book disappeared from the silver dragon's hand.
Then, Garon closed his eyes, resting comfortably in the warm sunlight.
The pale and rugged stone tomb serpent dragon hid in the forest mid-mountain, avoiding the sunlight, with Krichens and Fred nearby.
About two hours later, the sound of powerful dragon wings stirring the wind, mixed with a hint of sulfuric heat, approached.
Opening his eyes, Roel and Gresha's figures appeared in Garon's vision, gradually approaching.
"We've sorted our dragon lairs. It's time to leave."
The two red dragons flew in, speaking softly.
Garon nodded, his wings unfolding, his body rising into the air.
"Then, it's time to depart from here."
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