"Garon, have we succeeded?" Yuna asked curiously, looking at Garon's excited and joyous expression after the end of the energy transfer.
Garon smiled slightly. "Look what I have here."
He lifted the ring-shaped space-time portal that he was holding in his dragon claw to show Yuna.
"This..."
In the now stable space-time portal, Yuna felt an immense fusion of energy and the power of time. It appeared small in size, but contained a terrifying, heart-palpitating energy.
About eighty percent of Yuna and Garon's combined energy was firmly bound and shaped by Garon's runes and the Imaskar magic ring, existing within the space-time portal.
"You're amazing. I didn't expect you to successfully craft it so quickly."
Cross-dimensional teleportation, as energy dragons of sufficient age can influence time to a certain extent, was known to them. For example, the ancient energy dragon Nataly who came to the continent of Noah.
But for an energy dragon like Yuna, who was still far from adulthood, such an ability was unthinkable.
She felt that, even for Garon, a time dragon, mastering such an ability as space-time teleportation wouldn't be easy.
But Yuna didn't expect that Garon, now only ten years old, had already researched the space-time portal.
"He studies day in and day out, seemingly never resting. But it seems quite useful," Yuna thought as she watched Garon, who rarely showed such elation.
She wondered whether she should actively study energy like Garon, instead of just waiting for the automatic awakening that comes with age in the dragon's inheritance.
However, after a brief thought, Yuna shook her head, casting aside the idea.
Sleeping seemed a better option.
"So, now that the space-time portal is successfully crafted, are you going to use it?" she asked curiously. "What exactly does it do?"
Garon extended his dragon claw, and the Imaskar magic ring held the space-time portal aloft, gently floating above his palm.
"Similar to plane-shifting spells, the space-time portal allows us to reach other dimensions," Garon explained. While crafting the portal, he used numerous basic runes from plane and space teleportation spells. It wasn't called the Time Portal but the Space-Time Portal, partly for this reason.
"However, unlike plane-shifting spells, it can also take us to different times, back to different places at different times."
In theory.
Whether it's the past or the future, Garon can now reach them through the space-time portal.
But going to the past, he had certain anchor points, like the Imaskar magic ring, the Alpha Tia Empire's transport stone gates, and other historically significant items. The future, however, was unknown; he had no items from the future for positioning.
Unknown time also posed great danger to the current Garon, so until he had some certainty, he would only use the space-time portal to return to the past.
"Hmm?"
"What if you go back ten years? Could you see your younger self in the far northern ice plains?"
"In the same world, can two of you exist at the same time?"
Yuna suddenly asked a complex question, blinking curiously.
Garon paused at her question.
He didn't directly answer Yuna, but instead frowned slightly, lost in thought.
He had considered Yuna's question before.
In his past life, he had heard theories about time contradictions, suggesting disastrous consequences if versions of oneself from different times touched each other. Garon had once met his future self during a Time Dragon Backflow, but nothing had happened.
Whether the theory of time contradictions actually existed, he wasn't sure.
And whether that future Garon was indeed from his own timeline remained to be verified.
When Garon activated the Time Dragon Backflow, it might have opened a new timeline.
"What if I go back ten years and smash my dragon egg? Would I vanish immediately?"
Garon thought of a dangerous idea.
"If I go back to the prime of the Alpha Tia Empire and, by chance, change its fate of destruction..."
"Then the question is,"
"Would the Alpha people, as my followers, still exist?"
"If they don't, would they just vanish, or would the time I'm in undergo drastic changes?"
With the completion of the space-time portal, returning to the past was now a real possibility, and Garon's mind was filled with various time-related queries.
"If I save the ancient Imaskar Empire from destruction..."
"Then I wouldn't encounter the second Imaskar Empire."
"Without encountering the second Imaskar Empire, I wouldn't get the Imaskar magic ring and the mechanist inheritance."
"Without the Imaskar magic ring and mechanist inheritance, I couldn't craft the space-time portal."
"If I can't craft the space-time portal, I can't save the ancient Imaskar Empire, and it would still be destroyed."
"After its destruction, I would still meet the second Imaskar..."
Stop, stop, stop. Garon forcefully shook his head, pausing the infinitely looping event.
Taking a deep breath, he calmed his restless mind and regained his composure.
He carefully thought about everything he had encountered.
He had seen Red Garon, Brass Garon, Gold Garon, and Blue Garon. These different Garons had slight differences in appearance, but they all had the same, complete soul.
"If I go back to the past and change it, then return to my time, probably nothing will have happened, and everything will remain unchanged."
"The moment I change the past, a new timeline is likely to be created, and the timeline I'm in, with its past events, won't be changed."
Garon pondered seriously.
"What if I don't want to create a new timeline and want to change the past of my timeline?"
With one question partially answered, Garon's mind was filled with new doubts.
The silver dragon gazed at the space-time portal, floating in the air, silent, his thoughts swirling like a storm.
Yuna, witnessing Garon's strange state, was a bit confused.
"I just asked casually. Why does he look like his brain is about to stop thinking?"
Her thoughts were much simpler.
Sometimes, simplicity is a blessing.
Garon suffered from his own complex thoughts, always seeking to understand the unknown and see through it. But this world is full of unknowns, and the more mysteries solved, the more and newer queries surface.
After seemingly crashing for an hour, Garon's gaze gradually brightened.
Yuna was right in front of him. She stretched her neck left and right, drawing Garon's attention.
"If you can't think of an answer, then don't."
Garon let out a long breath and then nodded at Yuna, saying, "I don't have an answer to your question yet."
"But there will definitely be a chance to figure it out in the future."
Practice is the only criterion for testing truth.
Garon extended his dragon claw, gripping the Imaskar magic ring tightly, already contemplating going to the past to explore the answers himself.
Yuna blinked.
She wanted to say she wasn't that curious, that knowing or not knowing made no difference to her. She was just a laid-back dragon, but seeing Garon's determination, Yuna knew he was no longer doing this just to answer her question.
"The most curious dragon in the clan, undoubtedly you," Yuna silently teased Garon in her mind.
After that, considering Garon's extensive knowledge and the possibility of him mastering mind-reading spells, she quickly pretended to be nonchalant, sneaking a glance at Garon.
Seeing no unusual reaction from Garon, Yuna sighed in relief.
"What's with the guilty look?" Garon asked, watching Yuna's bizarre behavior.
He wasn't adept in mind-reading spells, but due to their numerous instances of mind-melding, he had a high understanding of Yuna. Seeing her current demeanor, he guessed she was thinking something strange.
"Nothing, nothing at all," Yuna quickly denied, shaking her head.
Garon didn't press further.
At that moment, he felt a deep sense of fatigue.
The space-time portal contained energy equivalent to more than eighty percent of Garon's total power of time. Yuna's energy was nearly depleted too, resulting in a feeling of weakness from energy depletion in Garon's body.
Being the main controller in handling the time vortex, Garon's mental strength was also significantly drained.
Exhausted both mentally and physically, Garon felt a sense of emptiness.
Yuna, having only provided energy and not having to face the wild time vortex, was in a better state than Garon but was equally tired.
The two dragons did not resist their bodies' signals.
When fatigue swept over them, Garon safely placed the Imaskar magic ring, then, like Yuna, closed his eyes and fell asleep. For dragons, nothing beats sleep for recovery.
The spacious dragon nest gradually returned to quietness.
Only the sound of the two dragons' breathing echoed back and forth.
One month later, under the eternal night of the far northern ice plains.
The silver dragon stood steadily at the peak of the ice cliff fortress. The surrounding cold wind and snow roared ceaselessly but calmed naturally upon brushing against his body, unable to move Garon in the slightest.
From the heights, he surveyed every inch of land locked in the mystic realm with a sweeping gaze.
A slender, petite white figure, flapping her wings, followed by a few little dragons, appeared in Garon's sight.
He watched as the White Dragon Mother flew through the mystic boundary toward the ice cliff.
Quickly, the White Dragon Mother also spotted the silver dragon standing in the snowstorm.
Her eyes brightened, then she turned to the little dragons impatiently and said, "Go away, hunt somewhere else. Don't stick with me."
"Mother, we want to greet Brother Garon," the three visibly grown little white dragons replied.
"Hmm? Have your wings grown hard? Do you no longer listen to my words?"
The White Dragon Mother didn't bother arguing with the little dragons. With a fierce look, she fiercely stared at them.
Under her pressure, the little dragons dared not speak further. They quickly scattered, no longer foolishly following the White Dragon Mother.
"Once they're ten years old, five more years and I won't have to see these annoying dragon cubs."
"When they turn fifteen, I'll drive them out of the far northern ice plains."
"Dreaming of clinging to Garon's coattails? Wishful thinking."
The White Dragon Mother snorted coldly.
After fifteen, dragons enter the young dragon stage, needing to leave their mother's protection to survive independently. Until then, during the juvenile period, most evil dragons continue to nurture their offspring.
Watching the little dragons disperse, the White Dragon Mother wore an unhappy face.
These dragon cubs acted obedient and respectful before her, but their eyes revealed covetous desires when looking at her treasures. The White Dragon Mother knew their thoughts all too well.
Immediately after, the White Dragon Mother, seeing Garon, who had grown a bit larger, flew over quickly.
"Garon, I have something to tell you. You'll definitely want to know," she said the moment she landed next to Garon, looking up excitedly at the much larger silver dragon.
Garon's gaze moved slightly, lowering his head to meet the White Dragon Mother's eyes.
"What is it?"
The White Dragon Mother's face showed a sly smile, her tail swaying unconsciously. "Give me ten magic gems, and I'll tell you."
"Oh, then I don't want to know."
Garon replied without hesitation.
What could the White Dragon Mother know in the far northern ice plains that he didn't?
Although Garon rarely personally paid attention to the ice plains' affairs, he occasionally met with clan leaders like Wolf Evil, spending some time hearing their reports, usually trivial matters not requiring his intervention.
"Five, just five. You have so many magic gems, give me just five."
Unmoved, Garon ignored the White Dragon Mother.
After setting up the Gem Seal Spell, magic gems no longer filled several layers of the dragon nest. He certainly didn't want to waste them on something useless.
"One, just one should be fine, right?"
The White Dragon Mother pinched her claw tip, gesturing one gem's insignificance, while putting on a pitiful look.
Garon barely shook his head.
"Forget it, not even gem fragments."
The White Dragon Mother looked disappointed, but she recovered quickly.
Waving her dragon claw, she said, "I, Salya, have always been generous. I'm in a good mood right now, and since you're my offspring, I'll tell you the news for free."
Garon's gaze fell on the White Dragon Mother.
He was curious about what news she had.
The White Dragon Mother looked around, then moved closer to Garon, lowering her voice, conspiratorially saying, "Garon, I've found many abandoned magical artifacts scattered across the far northern ice plains. I've already picked up quite a few."
"At the peaks of high mountains, or crevices between rugged boulders, in the mud and sand at the bottom of ice rivers. As long as you're willing to search, you'll definitely find something."
Garon: ...
Boasting to him about collecting his magical artifacts.
Next time, he won't throw magical artifacts in the far northern ice plains to prevent the White Dragon Mother from picking them up, Garon thought.
"This secret, I've only told you. Don't spread it."
The White Dragon Mother didn't notice Garon's peculiar gaze.
She continued excitedly, "You can send your followers to find these magical artifacts, then share a few with me. Since I told you this news, you can't leave me without any spoils."
"If you don't believe me, I can take you there first."
Garon interrupted her.
"That's fine, I understand."
"I have other things to do; you can go search on your own."
Without waiting for the White Dragon Mother's response, the silver dragon's wings stirred.
A fierce windstorm erupted, pushing all the surrounding snow away with its pressure. The wind also made the White Dragon Mother unstable, filling her opened mouth with howling wind, silencing her next words.
When the wind ceased, Garon's figure had vanished.
The White Dragon Mother turned her head, finding no trace of Garon.
She glanced at the little dragons hunting weak prey in the mystic realm, then left the area, devoting herself to her treasure hunting in the far northern ice plains, as Garon suggested.
Meanwhile.
The silver dragon landed on the side peak of a tall snow mountain. His legendary dragon aura caused several birds of the far northern ice plains to faint.
Garon looked at the snow-white world before him, then withdrew his gaze after a few seconds.
Immediately, he took out the space-time portal.
The Imaskar magic ring adjusted to just the right size for Garon to hold in his palm.
Garon raised the Imaskar magic ring, silently staring at the constrained space-time energy within.
"The space-time portal. To return to the past, to go to the future."
Garon murmured.
According to his designed magic runes, if nothing unexpected happened, the time portal would have his desired effect.
But it still required his verification.
Garon took out a magic gem.
He had previously engraved a Gem Transport Spell on this gem, a variant of the Plane Transport Spell, also usable for crossing crystal walls.
Besides the Gem Transport Spell, it also bore Garon's time mark.
After taking out the magic gem, Garon opened the space-time portal.
Next.
Under his will, the Imaskar magic ring and the rune circle lit up slightly, and in a blink, a ring-shaped light screen, fused with time power, energy, and magical energy, slowly unfolded, firmly constrained by the Imaskar magic ring and the rune circle.
Garon closed his eyes slightly, choosing himself as the anchor point, and activated the space-time portal.
The stable space-time portal activated quietly.
Just ripples spreading out like water waves.
The next second, Garon threw the gem engraved with the Gem Transport Spell into it.
Like a small stone in a lake, causing only faint ripples, then no other movement. The magic gem, after passing through the space-time portal, vanished like evaporating into thin air, disappearing from Garon's view.
Garon concentrated, sensing his spell and time mark.
He activated the Gem Transport Spell but got no response.
Then he looked around. Platinum dragon eyes reflected the illusory River of Time.
The River of Time flowed quietly, seemingly forever unruffled, unchanging.
"My time mark."
Garon frowned slightly.
He couldn't sense the Gem Transport Spell.
But the time mark on the magic gem was still vaguely perceptible to him, a hazy sensation as if separated by a thin veil, making Garon feel both close and incredibly distant from it.
Garon emptied his mind, focusing entirely on sensing the time mark.
Several minutes later, his gaze sharpened.
Garon looked at the ground below the Imaskar magic ring.
This was a snow-covered slope with a slight angle. Due to recent heavy snow, it was covered in thick snow, shining faintly under the moonlight, pristine.
Pristine. Garon vaguely sensed the time mark here.
But he saw no magic gem.
"Did this magic gem fall to this location in the past?"
"The barrier of time prevents me from seeing it, but my time mark lets me vaguely sense it."
Garon wasn't sure about his hypothesis.
The sensation was very weak.
Even a little further from Garon, the time mark was completely undetectable. Even at this close distance, he needed to concentrate fully to ascertain its location.
Looking at the space-time portal floating in the air, Garon noticed a decrease in the contained time power.
But the energy remained unchanged.
Whether energy or Garon's runes and Imaskar magic ring, they were just the framework of the space-time portal. Its core was the power of time, and once formed, its use also consumed time power.
Garon narrowed his eyes and enlarged the space-time portal.
"It seems I'll have to try it myself."
For today's action, Garon had used Future Foresight multiple times, and the future images showed no extreme danger.
Without hesitation, he extended his dragon claw.
Under Garon's slightly nervous gaze, the silver-scaled dragon claw inch by inch entered the light screen of the space-time portal.
___________________
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