Listening to Ugga Bonecrusher's words, Garon felt speechless inside.
Based on his expression, the White Dragoness and the Crystal Dragon must have had no shortage of conflicts and friction during this time, to the point where the ogre magi guarding the fortress saw it as nothing unusual and even had come to recognize a pattern.
"That's not right, they're both adult dragons, but how could the White Dragoness possibly win against Nicole Nina?"
Garon shook his head.
Upon further thought, he guessed Nicole Nina wasn't seriously fighting the White Dragoness, merely dealing with her casually. Otherwise, the White Dragoness wouldn't keep seeking trouble like this. Although Nicole Nina had also only recently become an adult, she had mastery over mid-level enchantment spells, enough to easily handle an ordinary adult white dragon like the White Dragoness.
It was just minor skirmishes.
Garon didn't delve deeper into this issue.
After hearing Ugga Bonecrusher's response, he focused on sensing the time mark.
Garon had placed a time mark on the White Dragoness early on, allowing him to track her movements at will.
Upon actively sensing the time mark, he discovered that the White Dragoness's location wasn't too far away, just a few dozen kilometers out, and her movements suggested she was still entangled in a fight.
Likely still battling Nicole Nina.
After shifting his attention away from the time mark's location, Garon turned to the seemingly empty space beside him and said, "Yuna, this fortress has just been built, making you my first guest. Let's go in and take a look."
The ogre magi nearby paused, following the silver dragon's gaze.
They saw nothing.
The slower-witted ogre magi were momentarily unsure whom their master was speaking to.
"Sure."
Yuna nodded, happily agreeing.
The sudden sound of dragon speech startled Ugga Bonecrusher.
However, with Garon right beside him, showing no change in expression, Ugga Bonecrusher calmed down after a brief moment of tension, no longer making a fuss.
With the great Eternal Dragon by his side, what was there to be nervous about?
Ugga Bonecrusher had followed Garon since he was just of medium size, witnessing Garon grow from seven or eight meters to over thirty meters in just three years, and personally witnessing how the name of the Eternal Dragon spread across the northern ice plains.
For Garon, it held boundless admiration and fervent trust.
Immediately, under the operation of the ogre magi, the massive gates over ten meters high slowly opened, revealing the path to the interior of the fortress.
The fortress, constructed to Garon's specifications by Nicole Nina, was magnificent, with vast interior spaces capable of accommodating even super-giant true dragons. The pathway Garon was on could allow three giant dragons to move side by side.
The pathway was constructed from a silver-gray metal, adorned with bright crystals.
These rows of crystals were not magical gems, lacking the preciousness of such stones, but were still rare enough to emit a bright and soft glow in the dark, serving as lighting to dispel the darkness.
In reality, true dragons possess dark vision, making these luminous crystals more decorative.
Simple but exquisite images were carved into the pathway with minimalistic lines.
Northern ice spirits, ogre magi, winter wolves, the giant dragon Garon moving forward—the images depicted events he had experienced. At about one-fifth of the pathway, where the silver dragon went to the lava demi-plane, the depiction abruptly ended, leaving plenty of blank space for future additions.
"Nicole Nina has put thought into this."
Most true dragons would seize every moment to display their glorious deeds to other creatures.
Garon didn't have such a boastful mentality, but seeing his past actions recorded in this manner felt quite satisfying overall. Moreover, Garon hadn't narrated his past to Nicole Nina; she must have spent time and effort asking his followers, piecing together the story bit by bit.
"Is that dragon you?"
In privacy, Yuna's body gradually became visible, intertwined with soft white light.
In the lava demi-plane, her scales were always a fiery red due to the environment. Now, suddenly turning into a diamond-like texture, it gave Garon a different impression.
Yuna pointed at the dragon outlined in lines.
A conspicuous black ring encircled the dragon's neck.
"Yes."
Garon nodded.
"Your experiences are truly rich. Hmm, I've always stayed in my lair, never having such experiences."
Yuna, seventeen years older than Garon, summarized her dragon life as absorbing force energy, sleeping, waking, daydreaming, then sleeping again—without interacting with other creatures, facing no dangers, no ups and downs, peaceful yet dull and boring.
Garon found it dull, but Yuna herself was content with it.
"I've heard time dragons are very proud, only conversing with gods and immortals. You don't seem to be like that."
Yuna observed Garon, her gaze sweeping over his silver scales and majestic dragon horns.
Garon thought for a moment, speaking calmly, "I'm different from the time dragons recorded in the dragon heritage; I wasn't naturally born."
In fact, Garon now somewhat doubted whether the time dragon species consisted only of himself, with no naturally born time dragons existing.
The ugly time dragon recorded in the dragon heritage might just be an earlier version of himself, only a glimpse of his being recorded and then distorted, becoming widespread knowledge.
However, whether this was the case remained uncertain for Garon.
Perhaps one day, he would encounter another time dragon with a different soul.
Yuna paused briefly, then asked curiously, "Not naturally born? A mutation?"
She spoke offhandedly, unaware she had hit the truth.
Garon nodded, resignedly, "I'm a variant dragon; my mother was just an ordinary white dragon."
"So, is it possible your father was a time dragon?"
Yuna blinked.
But in dragonkind, where mothers raise their offspring alone, Garon had no information about his dragon father.
He felt it unlikely.
How could a proper time dragon fancy a White Dragoness? Although she was pretty by dragon standards, it wasn't enough to attract a time dragon. The gap between legendary and ordinary dragon species was like two entirely different beings.
Garon remains undying in this world.
But without opportunities and without talent, a normal true dragon living a thousand years is already reaching its peak, unless it becomes an ancient dragon, otherwise, its lifespan isn't considered long.
The truly feared beings among dragons are always those ancient giants who seldom act in the Prime Material world.
While force dragons and rainbow dragons don't have the notion of being unaffected by time, as long as there are no accidents, they can become ancient dragons and live indefinitely, essentially immortal beings.
"Unlikely."
Garon shook his head.
Yuna didn't press further, sighing, "Mutation seems quite possible. My mother mentioned some special variant dragon individuals more powerful than our force dragons, mainly among the chromatic dragons."
After speaking, she chuckled, "I was thinking, if chromatic dragons were more devoted to the Dragon Queen's faith, just with the chromatic variants, the Dragon Queen could become the most powerful deity."
Garon also chuckled at Yuna's words.
"True dragons faithful to the Dragon Queen, probably not even one percent."
The situation among dragons is quite peculiar.
If it were just the inherently evil and arrogant chromatic dragons, that would be one thing.
But in reality, the situation with the Platinum Dragon God is similar to that with the chromatic Dragon Queen, with not many good dragons worshiping it.
Dragons maintain a respectful attitude towards deities of the dragon pantheon, but inspiring genuine faith from within is extremely difficult.
Not long after, the two dragons, one after the other, passed through the corridor to a more spacious fortress hall. The main hall was circular, with several doors embedded in the surrounding walls leading to different fortress areas. Beyond the hall, an excavated ice cliff cavity could store a vast treasure as Garon's main nest.
"This place could also be filled with magical gems and precious metals."
Garon looked around, quite satisfied.
However, the place was still empty, as the wealth he had accumulated on the northern ice plains had been moved to the white crystal mine due to the fortress's construction, leaving nothing here.
The dragon lair at the white crystal mine was nearly full.
"Now it seems, it can be moved here."
"Garon, can I sleep here for a while?"
Yuna looked around, her face showing reminiscence and peace.
Her birthplace in the Elemental Plane of Air was a similar floating fortress, where she slept through her dragonet phase. Now, being in such a semi-enclosed environment evoked her memories, making Yuna feel sleepy.
Seeing Yuna's tired appearance, Garon nodded, "This main nest is quite spacious; sleep if you wish."
After receiving permission, Yuna moved to a corner against the wall and lay down.
She spread her wings to cover herself, coiling her tail in front, her body quickly becoming transparent, eventually disappearing from Garon's view.
If not for the slight ripples in the flowing Chrono River there, Garon would have difficulty sensing the giant dragon resting beside him.
Meanwhile, observing the unique ripples in the Chrono River, Garon paused, a vague idea forming in his mind.
Vaguely, he seemed to remember something but couldn't fully recall.
This feeling was quite uncomfortable.
Garon stood still, staring intently at the spot where Yuna disappeared, carefully observing the subtle ripples in the surrounding time.
Following that hint of insight, after pondering for a moment, his eyes brightened, and he had a realization.
He looked around at all things existing within the river of time.
With focused observation, he noticed that all tangible objects caused extremely subtle, almost imperceptible ripples in the flow of the river of time when touched by its waters.
Though subtle, they were indeed present.
The ripples caused by Garon and Yuna were more noticeable.
"Is it mass or volume that affects space-time?"
Garon rubbed his dragon horn, deep in thought.
He tried to recall theories he had learned in his previous life.
Those memories, buried deep in his mind, weren't too distant. With his current mental strength, recalling them felt as clear as yesterday.
"Gravity. The mutual attraction between objects with mass."
Garon's gaze narrowed, murmuring softly.
He approached Yuna.
When very close, almost touching her, he noticed the ripples caused by him and the ripples around Yuna began to merge and intertwine.
This tendency was gravity.
If the mass was large enough, to the extent of planetary bodies, this gravity would be overwhelmingly powerful, attracting everything nearby. But even with the mass of a giant dragon, the caused ripples were still minuscule.
There, but insignificant.
Moreover, the fact that gravity could cause ripples in the river of time indicated gravity indeed affects time.
Ideas formed in Garon's mind, stirring excitement.
Because he was too close to Yuna, his slightly heavier breathing brushed against Yuna's dragon wings, making her lift her head, looking at Garon curiously, "What's wrong?"
The two dragons were so close that Yuna almost bumped into Garon's head.
Garon took a few steps back to calm down, then said, "I've discovered something interesting. There is indeed a special connection between force and time."
"Once I figure it out a bit more, we might start trying to warp space-time."
Yuna nodded, then closed her eyes again, settling back to sleep.
On the other side, Garon glanced at Yuna, his eyes filled with a different emotion.
He wondered, what exactly is the force that force dragons wield? Is it merely simple force magic? The kind that can be shaped into balls or swords is quite basic and superficial.
Ancient force dragons can cross time and space, meaning force is related to gravity, not so simple.
What if force is a general term for fundamental forces?
Gravity, electromagnetic force, strong and weak nuclear forces—if so, force dragons, if they fully understand their talent, wouldn't be inferior to the power of time.
"Each legendary dragon wields special and powerful forces."
"Rainbow dragons naturally use prismatic energy, and prismatic energy seems to be a combination of all types of light energy."
Whether prismatic or force, used correctly, both can produce unparalleled effects.
"Force dragons and rainbow dragons aren't as powerful as time dragons, perhaps because the power of time is more direct. But fundamentally, they aren't much weaker than the power of time," Garon thought.
He looked at Yuna, viewing other legendary dragon species differently.
A few minutes later, Garon stepped away from the fortress.
Ogre magi were still stationed nearby. Garon informed Ugga Bonecrusher about Yuna's situation, warning the ogre magi not to stare if Yuna became visible, or they would be the unlucky ones.
Although he had also warned Yuna, Garon wasn't sure she could control her impulses.
She was too young, not a mature and steady old dragon. In a moment of displeasure, a single breath could tear apart an unwitting guard.
In Garon's presence, Yuna showed no odd behavior, quite amiable.
But towards other ordinary creatures, she wouldn't show any kindness.
The silver dragon soared into the sky, gazing down from the cold, howling heights.
Below, an endless expanse of white ice plains, swirling snow, and a majestic fortress stood against the storm.
With Garon's focused observation, he could sense that everything, from the grand fortress to the smallest snowflake, actually caused barely noticeable ripples in the river of time.
It seemed, once fully understood, with Yuna's help, he wouldn't be far from mastering cross-temporal teleportation.
After observing everything from the sky and feeling the river of time for a while, Garon withdrew his gaze, feeling much calmer.
He then looked southward.
Sensing the time mark on the White Dragoness, about thirty kilometers away in that direction, a short distance at Garon's current speed.
Garon had already toured the fortress and spent time in the air, but according to the White Dragoness's movements through the time mark, she seemed to be still fighting energetically.
With the stamina of true dragons, if it's just playful skirmishing without serious intent, adult true dragons can fight for days and nights without fatigue.
"It's been a while since I've seen the White Dragoness."
Garon mused.
The last time he saw the White Dragoness was when she vented her frustrations on the frost giant tribe, only to be captured by them.
After Garon rescued the White Dragoness and explicitly rejected her inappropriate request, some time passed, and he went south. Upon his return, he hadn't seen the White Dragoness before heading to the lava demi-plane.
Now, upon careful reflection, it had been almost a year since he last saw the White Dragoness.
"She's now truly an adult dragon; I wonder if she has grown any larger."
When Garon was born, the White Dragoness was, strictly speaking, still a young dragon, but now she had reached the age of adulthood at a hundred years old.
Garon pondered for a moment, then flapped his wings, dashing through the biting wind and snow towards the location indicated by the time mark.
Three turns of self-discipline, 7!!!
A week of self-discipline, worth commemorating.
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