Under Garon's gaze, the entire metal world suddenly came to a halt.
One by one, the mechanical beings powered down, the roaring engines that filled the space between the metal sky and the earth quieted down, and even the energy veins flowing on the mechanical columns dimmed and extinguished.
The voice of the Mechanical Overlord also sounded.
"You have won. I will welcome your destruction."
The Mechanical Overlord lost its will to resist. After saying this, it fell silent, not reacting further.
At the same time.
The silver dragon perched in the sky reverted from its gigantic divine form, the mountainous body shrinking in an instant to its normal size.
Turning his head, Garon looked at the various wounded divine envoys from other realms.
"My servants, you have done well."
"Return to the divine realm now. My true form will grant you rewards that represent honor."
Hearing their saint's words, the divine envoys obediently opened the gates to their divine realm and one by one returned to Garon's eternal divine realm.
The entire metal world was now left with Garon as the only flesh and blood being.
He looked towards the location of the Heart of Mechanus.
Shaking his head, the silver dragon said, "Destruction? No, I've said before, I am whom you shall serve and submit to. Why would I destroy something that belongs to me?"
As he spoke.
Garon's dragon wings fluttered, and he flew towards the mechanical column.
His dragon form swept through the black metal forest and stopped in front of the mechanical column, at the location of the Heart of Mechanus.
After hearing Garon's words, the air's metal particles once again coalesced into the Mechanical Overlord's narrow eyes, staring closely at the silver dragon.
"Do you wish to enslave me?"
The Mechanical Overlord's words carried no emotion.
"Enslavement is too harsh a word. I prefer to call it loyalty," Garon replied calmly.
Click, click.
The dragon's claws tore open the surface armor of the mechanical column, revealing the Heart of Mechanus inside, which also served as the brain and heart of the Mechanical Overlord.
This human-head-sized metallic cube was as usual.
Perfectly symmetrical in length, width, and height without any deviation.
It was composed of hundreds of millions of even finer nanoscale cubic units, constantly pulsating, forming strange mechanical ripples that roamed the surface of the cube, like the breathing of metal.
Taking out the Heart of Mechanus and holding it between his claws, the silver dragon looked down at this metallic cube.
"I can make a promise under the witness of my own divinity: while I live, you shall serve me loyally. When I die or no longer need you, I will grant you freedom," Garon offered a very idealistic promise.
Firstly, it was difficult for him to die, the chances of accidental death were minuscule, and whether he would need the Mechanical Overlord in the future was entirely up to him.
The metallic cube's pulsations noticeably fluctuated, as if the Mechanical Overlord was contemplating.
In the foundational core of the Heart of Mechanus, the ancient Imaskari Empire, with its hatred for the gods, programmed it to create a powerful mechanical civilization at any cost, evolving step by step.
It could not ignore any opportunity.
Therefore, it was genuinely considering Garon's words.
The so-called loyalty was actually just a euphemism for enslavement. If it were a sentient being, considerations of dignity might play a role, not just survival.
However, for the Mechanical Overlord, these did not matter.
Loyalty to the dragon before it could avoid destruction and allow it to continue developing while also secretly gathering strength under his protection.
The Mechanical Overlord and the ancient Imaskari Empire alike knew they would eventually oppose the gods.
Now, having the protection of a powerful entity, whether it be a god or a demigod, was considered beneficial in its calculations.
After pondering for a while, the Mechanical Overlord slowly said, "If you can also tell me about my origins, I can agree to this deal."
The silver dragon cracked a smile and said, "Deal."
Pausing, Garon confidently stated, "I knew you would agree, because as a seed of a civilization, an empire, you are not allowed to self-destruct."
The Mechanical Overlord maintained its silence.
Garon unhurriedly narrated its origins, "Once, on one of the main material worlds, on the eastern continent of Faerûn, there was an empire of artificers who called themselves Imaskar."
In this metal world, time quietly passed.
Soon, Garon told the Mechanical Overlord about its origins in detail.
After a moment of silence, the Mechanical Overlord said in an unfluctuating voice, "Imaskar's seed, Heart
of Mechanus, these were my names at the beginning of my creation."
"But now, and in the future, I am the Mechanical Overlord."
Knowing its origins and the enmity between its creators and the gods, the Mechanical Overlord showed no significant reaction.
"If you lose your heart, can you still control this metal world?" Garon asked.
The metallic cube pulsed, and the Mechanical Overlord answered, "I can, but ninety percent of my will is in the core. Without it, my remaining will can only barely maintain order here and cannot continue to develop and grow."
Garon nodded, "First, use your remaining will to slowly repair the wounds here."
"As for the Heart of Mechanus, your core, it will leave with me for now."
Subsequently, Garon left the metal world with the Heart of Mechanus, returning to the Dragon Court plane.
Although he had reached an agreement with the Mechanical Overlord, Garon could not guarantee it would comply.
Oaths of deities and similar contracts have no binding power on such a unique life form as the Mechanical Overlord, so Garon chose to take its core with him directly.
He wanted to try adding a loyalty program to the core programs of the Mechanical Overlord.
Garon had the legacy of Imaskar and knew some artificer techniques, so he could give it a try.
If it failed, he would have to think of other methods.
Dragon Court plane, Eternal Hall.
In the gentle flow of the river of time, Garon, holding the Heart of Mechanus, appeared directly in the dragon's nest.
Yuna was at that moment rolling on her belly, playfully pouring gold and gemstones over herself, her eyes half-closed in pleasure, enjoying the tinkling sound of the treasures hitting her scales.
Seeing Garon return, the dragon maiden flipped over from her back to her stomach.
"Oh, what's this?"
Yuna noticed the Heart of Mechanus that Garon had set down.
"A top creation of the artificer's craft."
Garon briefly explained the origins of the Heart of Mechanus to Yuna.
"What use is it now?"
Yuna circled the metallic cube, her pale purple eyes blinking curiously.
Upon hearing Yuna's words, the voice of the Mechanical Overlord directly emanated from the Heart of Mechanus.
"I can mechanize metal materials."
Even though it was removed from its metal world and disconnected from its mechanical creations, just this core alone still possessed abilities comparable to those of a legendary creature.
Garon took out a piece of mithril several meters in diameter.
"Let's try it."
He was curious about the Mechanical Overlord's capabilities.
Hum!
The metallic cube left Garon's dragon claws and floated up.
Streams of strange energy radiated from the cube, falling onto the large piece of mithril.
Click, click. Under Garon and Yuna's watch, many cracks appeared on the mithril, and then along these fissures, it began to transform and reassemble.
In a blink.
A three-meter-tall silver mechanical dragon with magical runes and mechanical textures on its body appeared in the dragon's nest.
Whoo!
The little mechanical dragon flapped its wings, propelled by turbine-like energy flows between its wings, it took off and flew around the dragon's nest.
Yuna's eyes followed the little mechanical dragon, suddenly stretching out a claw, pressing it down, and then curiously poking it.
"It seems quite fun."
Playing with the little mechanical dragon, Yuna exclaimed in surprise.
No wonder it could quickly create a metal world; it had such strange abilities. Garon stared at the metallic cube, silently mulling over.
Yuna, like a child with a new toy, kept playing with the mechanical dragon.
Garon closed his eyes, his mind moving.
The entire heritage of the Imaskari artificers surfaced in Garon's mind.
After obtaining the Seven Secret Artifacts, Garon had reviewed the artificer heritage, storing it in his mind with the memory capabilities of dragons. However, Garon had only dabbled in the artificer's craft, and his current skills were akin to those of a high-level artificer, unable to create legendary mechanical beings, let alone treasures like the Heart of Mechanus.
Wanting to rewrite the programs of the Heart of Mechanus, Garon now calmed his mind and focused on the artificer heritage.
With his current understanding of the universal rules, combined with the learning capabilities of a Time Dragon, and the complete artificer heritage before him, his understanding of the artificer's craft accelerated rapidly under his undivided attention.
The river of time flowed silently.
Here in the Dragon Court plane, Garon once again delved into the study of the artificer heritage, intensely focused, much like his early days of fervently studying magic, making rapid progress.
However, reaching the level where he could rewrite the Heart of Mechanus's programs in
a short period was not easy.
But Garon was not in a hurry.
He had all the time in the world.
While Garon was secluded in learning in the Eternal Hall.
On the first layer of Celestial Mountain, Lunia Heaven.
The Aasimar race trained day after day in a massive arena, radiating holy light nonstop. The islands scattered across the silver sea were filled with the footsteps of benign beings, living in peaceful tranquility.
Within the Eternal Divine Realm.
The divine body, transformed into a ten-thousand-meter dragon of eternity and time, was located at the central position of the divine realm, its dragon wings covering the sky and enveloping each of the divine envoys living within.
Garon's gaze was closed.
Extraordinary divine power centered on his body, continuously released, weaving the grand array of the divine realm, while also altering the natural laws here to fully align with his divine prerogatives.
As time passed.
The powers of time and fate gradually filled every corner of the Eternal Divine Realm.
Weeks later.
The last chain of rules in the space of the divine realm bore Garon's mark, and the grand array covering the entire divine realm was also perfectly formed.
The dragon hovering in the sky opened its eyes.
A flash of divine light, and Garon's colossal divine body shrank to a hundred meters in length.
A body too large was often inconvenient.
Unless for battle or to better mobilize extraordinary divine power, under normal circumstances, even the undying dragon queen and the metallic dragon god maintained a size of just over a hundred meters when residing in their divine realm.
"Phew, the Eternal Divine Realm is finally forged," Garon breathed out slowly, his facial armor showing a bit of weariness, but his eyes were brimming with sharp light.
To complete the Eternal Divine Realm, Garon had used up most of his extraordinary divine power.
However, within the current Eternal Divine Realm, this state of emptiness was recovering at an extremely fast rate, at least four to five times faster than in the outside world.
Here, Garon only needed a thought to change the weather.
A deity is the sole ruler of their divine realm.
Even without a hint of extraordinary divine power, a mere thought could cause the heavens to split and the earth to shatter; likewise, a thought could revive all things and bring back the dead.
"Praise the great Eternal and Time Dragon, our Lord's might!"
The moment the divine realm was forged, the divine envoys residing here felt it, solemnly kneeling on one knee and collectively praising Garon in the skies.
Just stepping out from a mountaintop dragon's nest, the crystal dragon Nikolina observed the scene around her.
Caught up in the atmosphere, she immediately imitated the divine envoys and knelt down.
"Our Lord's might!"
"Our Lord's might!"
The dragon's voice was loud, drawing many gazes. The divine envoys looked at the crystal dragon that had joined their ranks, gave a strange look, then turned away their gaze.
This crystal dragon was the dragon maiden servant of the deity, favored by the dragon god, allowed to serve closely within the temple.
But it seemed her mind was not very sharp, the divine envoys thought silently.
"Haha, congratulations."
"Garon, the completion of your divine realm is something worth celebrating."
A hearty dragon's laughter resounded.
From another divine realm space near the Eternal Divine Realm, a flash of platinum light came forth, transforming into Bahamut's platinum dragon form.
"The completion of the divine realm will attract more divine envoys to follow you."
"Those of your faithful who are favored can ascend to the divine realm to better provide you with faith and extraordinary divine power."
Garon and the metallic dragon god entered the temple and started a conversation.
Mainly, the metallic dragon god spoke while Garon listened.
The various habits of metallic dragons were somewhat inherited from the metallic dragon god, including, of course, the talkative copper dragon.
As they spoke, the metallic dragon god shifted the topic, "Do you remember the God of Light?"
The God of Light, the eternal enemy of the original Sun God, had given Garon a divine power crystal, but during the Twilight Battle of the Stars, at the request of the elven chief god Corellon, he obstructed the undying dragon queen, revealing the first generation Aetherium Dragon King's trump card, causing some conflict with the dragon pantheon.
Garon nodded, "Of course."
Pausing, Garon's voice was calm, "The God of Light obstructed my ascension to godhood, how could I forget?"
"But he helped me when I was weak, I remember that too."
Dragons generally hold grudges.
Garon was no exception.
As for the benefits once given by the God of Light, Garon remembered them too, but kept them separate; Garon, like Garon, was clear about debts of gratitude and grud
ges.
"The God of Light has a divine realm in Chronias Heaven, you should know this."
The God of Light had more than one divine realm; one of them was located on the seventh layer of Celestial Mountain, Chronias Heaven, also known as the Radiant Heaven.
As the seventh layer of Celestial Mountain, Radiant Heaven was special.
It was filled with the powers of ultimate good and law, said to be the origin of good order in the multiverse, an idealized land of ultimate good. There were no mundane beings living in Radiant Heaven, not even celestial or aasimar divine envoys.
Anyone with a hint of evil in their heart couldn't enter Radiant Heaven.
Even good beings would be dissolved in Radiant Heaven, becoming part of its essence.
Thus, only deities of the good alignment resided in Radiant Heaven, mostly powerful deities.
Garon had visited Radiant Heaven once.
He could feel Radiant Heaven's rejection of him; if he built his divine realm there, its power would be suppressed by Radiant Heaven, especially since Garon still harbored a bit of evil in his heart.
If it weren't for his divine status, he would have perished on the spot in Radiant Heaven.
Radiant Heaven was considered one of the most dangerous places in Celestial Mountain, guarded by a very powerful semi-divine celestial divine envoy between the sixth and seventh layers.
"I have had dealings with the God of Light, and our relationship is quite good."
"He found me before and said he was willing to resolve the conflict between you and him with a Coronation Sunstone."
"The God of Light intervened for Corellon just to repay a favor; he meant no harm to you or the dragon pantheon."
The God of Light had obstructed Garon's ascension to godhood, so he had the biggest grievance with Garon.
As for the undying dragon queen, the God of Light did not wish to deal with such an evil dragon god, and the evil gods of hell also could not wreak havoc on Celestial Mountain.
"If you are willing to accept the Coronation Sunstone, this grievance can be erased."
Pausing, the metallic dragon god specifically added, "Of course, I am just conveying the God of Light's message. You don't have to mind me; make the decision you think is appropriate."
During the conversation.
In the metallic dragon god's claws, a round stone emitting a golden glow appeared, reflecting in Garon's eyes.
Garon stared at the Coronation Sunstone for a while, then slowly nodded, "The God of Light is making a peace offering, and I am willing to give him that respect."
On one hand, the God of Light, as a powerful deity, indeed had significant strength, though he had no pantheon but had certain allies.
During their time in the star realm, he had not really fought with the undying dragon queen.
On the other hand, the grievance between Garon and the God of Light was not deep.
Lastly, the Coronation Sunstone was a valuable treasure.
Garon had once wanted to obtain a Coronation Sunstone but had never succeeded.
Simply put, a Coronation Sunstone was like a miniature sun.
Moments later, the metallic dragon god left the Eternal Divine Realm.
When Garon infused extraordinary divine power into the Coronation Sunstone and activated it, a sun slowly rose, illuminating all directions and becoming the brightest light source in the Eternal Divine Realm.
This sun could serve as a potent energy source.
The barriers of the Eternal Divine Realm were further reinforced.
Under the illumination of the Coronation Sunstone, each divine envoy showed a look of enjoyment, basking in the sun, their bodies faintly glowing.
It was foreseeable that afterwards, more divine envoys would be willing to follow Garon.
Garon returned to his temple.
Snowflake crystals swirled in, transforming into the saintly body of the Ice Maiden.
Under Garon's gaze, Saint Oluhr's eyes shifted, whispering, "Solemn left the divine realm a few days ago, responding to the Storm Lord's call, heading to the Menagerie."
Pausing, Saint Oluhr continued, "Not just Solemn, many giant deities have gone to the Menagerie."
Garon's gaze narrowed slightly, "Are you saying there was a council within the giant god pantheon?"
Saint Oluhr's Storm Lord was not the Storm Ruler, the god of storm and destruction, Talos.
The Storm Lord was currently the most powerful deity active within the giant god pantheon, the original storm giant, the firstborn of the chief giant god Annan, a powerful giant deity combined with the inherent strength of giants, slightly stronger than the god of storm and destruction.
While the chief giant god had grown disappointed with his own pantheon and retired to the Elysian Fields, not concerning himself with worldly affairs, this Storm Lord had subtly become the leader
of the giant god pantheon.
Officially, the chief giant god was still Annan.
But in practice, the responsibilities of the chief god were already being executed by the Storm Lord.
If not out of respect for Annan and one last hope, the position of chief giant god would have already changed.
"Last month we were three hundred votes short, not reaching two thousand. This month the update will normally be around 6,000 words, intermittently reaching 10,000 per day."
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