In the history of the Roland Empire, there was once an outstanding emperor who said a famous quote:
"The Imperial Code is sacred and inviolable! Within the borders of the empire, everyone must strictly adhere to the constraints of the Imperial Code."
That emperor later ushered in the most glorious era in the history of the Roland Empire, an era renowned for its strict adherence to the law and stable imperial rule.
However, it was also that same emperor... It is said that while leaving behind that memorable quote, he privately added another sentence. Of course, this private remark was not recorded in any official documents, but it was disclosed through various channels and widely circulated.
"... Everyone must adhere to the Imperial Code, but there are two exceptions. The first exception is the emperor himself. Imperial authority can sometimes override the Code! And... the other exception is... the mage!"
Powerful mages often possess abilities far beyond those of ordinary people. When this power reaches an extreme, they can move mountains and seas, even change the fate of a country. According to existing records, those who have reached such immense power are almost akin to gods in the eyes of mortals!
These powerful individuals can flatten mountains and fill oceans with a wave of their hand. They can summon storms and ice, or scorch plains into arid deserts with blazing sun. They can destroy armies with ease and create disasters capable of annihilating a small country!
For such individuals, the mundane "Code" is clearly insufficient to constrain them. It is also unrealistic to expect these individuals, capable of world-altering feats, to abide by secular laws.
Even if we exclude those legendary figures with power close to that of gods... even the battles between ordinary mages are enough to cause a small-scale disaster, one capable of destroying a city.
Historical records indicate that in the time before this continent was unified, it was an era of war and darkness, where battles between two mages could directly annihilate a city-state!
After this continent unified into the powerful and intact Roland Empire, large-scale wars disappeared. Battles among mages also decreased gradually. Nevertheless, in the history of the Roland Empire, there were still instances where mages "accidentally" destroyed one or two small towns during their private duels.
Yet, even so, there has never been any law in the Imperial Code similar to "no public duels allowed" for mages. There are rules prohibiting ordinary people from fighting in public places, but mages are not included in this.
Even the Mage Guild only requires mages to minimize settling personal disputes in crowded places. It is merely a request and not a rigid regulation.
Even the Mage Guild and the Empire reached an agreement that any mage of intermediate level or higher, even if they were guilty of heinous crimes, unless they committed treason, must be jointly tried by the Empire's authorities, the Mage Guild, and the Temple of Light for conviction or punishment to be carried out! Otherwise, the Imperial authorities have no right to arrest or convict any mage of intermediate level or higher.
In the several hundred years of the empire's history, there has never been a record of a mage of intermediate level or higher being punished by the empire for breaking the law. This undoubtedly indicates the special status of mages, who surpass ordinary people.
An individual with extraordinary abilities, who can also override the law, and whose actions are mostly based on personal preferences and are almost unconstrained... In the eyes of ordinary people, mages are such beings, so whenever mages are mentioned, people always do so with an attitude of awe, with fear making up a significant portion of it.
Almost half of the residents of Banjiao City were awakened from their sleep by the tremendous commotion on this night.
The violent shaking caused many to wake up from their dreams, some even falling out of bed. The lamps overhead swung, and the wooden doors of the houses creaked. Countless people woke up in terror, finding themselves unable to even stand steady amidst the intense tremors.
People panicked as they rushed out of their homes, only to find that the night, which should have been pitch black, was now illuminated by dazzling lights on the horizon. The enormous orbs of light flickered, and in the distance, one could even hear some sort of roar, emanating from within, causing an inexplicable fear deep within.
Wave after wave of tremors came from outside the city, as if some terrible disaster was unfolding. Earthquakes, coupled with the fiery lights on the horizon and the chilling roar, threw the residents of Banjiao City into panic.
The most frightening part came after one wave of oscillation... The violent earthquake even caused a segment of the northern city wall to collapse! The sound of the wall collapsing made people begin to panic blindly in the city!
And in the distance, as if in the direction of Banjiao Mountain outside the city, everyone could even see with the naked eye two enormously bright orbs, one silver and one fiery red! These two orbs clashed violently, their collisions becoming more frequent, and with each collision, the light they emitted illuminated the night almost entirely! Even the moon in the sky had long lost its radiance!
Accompanying the intense light were dull rumbling sounds! These sounds made people's hearts pound with fear! Each one felt like a heavy hammer striking deep into their hearts.
Also caught up in the turmoil were the few remaining light infantry of the city garrison. These soldiers, responsible for patrolling the city walls, were unable to maintain order in the face of the panicked residents of Banjiao City... Their manpower was too weak, and they were also afraid.
The most terrifying part was... the news finally came! Someone ran to the garrison outside the city to seek help, only to find in horror that the dozens of cavalrymen guarding the garrison were all injured and unconscious on the ground, even the locally renowned Knight of Spahn was severely injured. The barracks were in chaos, with fires still burning, as if they had just been attacked by someone!
Panic-stricken people began to crowd outside the city, and some even climbed up high in confusion...
At that moment, a sound like thunder came from the direction of Banjiao Mountain... followed by a series of sounds resembling thunder in a summer storm...
"The mountain collapsed! Banjiao Mountain collapsed!!"
No one knew who was the first to exclaim from the heights! Immediately, this alarming news spread rapidly among the crowd.
Indeed, Banjiao Mountain had collapsed!!
From afar, the peak of Banjiao Mountain, once visible from the city wall, the renowned local landmark, collapsed before the horrified eyes of the people! The entire mountain seemed to have been directly shattered, as if it were not a mountain, but a heap of sand... and it collapsed in an instant!
From a distance, the intense light was even visible to people dozens of miles away! And those with better eyesight seemed to see within that intense light, two strange and enormous shadows dancing...
For the residents of Banjiao City, this was undoubtedly a night they would never forget. Amidst the unknown panic, they awaited dawn with almost desperate hope!
When the first rays of sunlight finally bloomed on the horizon, the terrifying rumbling and the fierce light that had flashed throughout the night finally disappeared!
After waiting for more than an hour, when it seemed that the unknown disaster might have really ended, the fearful hearts of the people gradually calmed down.
The soldiers who had been rescued from the garrison to the city last night, such as Knight Spahn, finally woke up, as did Robert and others.
Faced with the overwhelming power of the mages, they were almost powerless to resist and were knocked unconscious. Subsequently, under the magic of the ice and snow maiden, the entire hall collapsed. Those who were knocked down by the ice and snow maiden, along with several others, were also injured by the collapsed buildings.
The first to wake up from the rescue was the female knight Rolin.
Rolin, who had been injured during the daytime battle and had lost a lot of blood, had been resting throughout the night, and Solscia had even given her some sleep-inducing medicine. As a result, Rolin, who had not been injured in the attack at night, was the first to wake up. She was still weak from the loss of blood, as it was not something that could be replenished in a short time.
Following her awakening was Knight Robert, followed by Knight Spahn, and then the guards of the Rolin family. When they discovered that their young master and the terrifying female attacker were both missing, everyone panicked.
After learning about the situation from the surrounding people, the injured Robert, ignoring the burns on his body, immediately forced himself up and, with a few of his less seriously injured subordinates, rushed to Banjiao Mountain. Knight Spahn, upon learning that the young master of the Rolin family was missing, was also suddenly plunged into despair! He was severely injured and unable to move, only able to order the remaining soldiers of the garrison who were still able to move to immediately follow Robert to Banjiao Mountain! Because according to the residents, it was very likely that the terrifying female attacker had fled to Banjiao Mountain last night.
At the same time, Knight Spahn immediately dispatched messengers to leave Banjiao City in haste and go to the location of the garrison's spring exercises to request assistance, while also immediately reporting everything that had happened in Banjiao City to the Governor's Office of Lier Province.
Without discussing how Knight Spahn worried about his own future and career, let alone how Knight Robert endured his injuries and rode in a carriage with people to the ruins of Banjiao Mountain, accompanied by the female knight Rolin.
And the scene before them was enough to leave even the most composed person speechless!!!
These people had all been to Banjiao Mountain before! Just a day ago, they had even come here in groups to search for magical beasts, their footprints covering the entire Banjiao Mountain.
Yesterday, when they arrived, this was a typical hilly peak in the southern region of the empire, stretching for three or four miles, covered with lush and dense forests. The entire mountain formed a "U" shape, with the highest peak in the middle, providing a panoramic view of the distant outline of Banjiao City.
But now...
Robert and Rolin, who had been lifted from the carriage, both stared wide-eyed and open-mouthed, almost unable to believe what was before them!!
Heavens! If this were a nightmare, please let it end!!!
Despite the local garrison soldier accompanying them swearing oaths, this was undoubtedly Banjiao Mountain... or rather, where Banjiao Mountain used to be.
But even this soldier, who swore the oath, looked bewildered, his eyes filled with fear!
Before them...
Banjiao Mountain...
No, it should be said, there was no longer any "mountain" here!
Before them lay a gigantic circular pit that appeared to be three miles in diameter!!!
Where was Banjiao Mountain? Where did the mountain go?
This question echoed in everyone's mind!
The carriage happened to stop at the edge of this circular pit, and Robert felt a chill run down his spine, gazing at the shocking and bizarre sight before him...
This circular pit seemed to have been left behind after some kind of violent explosion! It's likely that, as the knight guessed, the entire mountain was blown away in the explosion! The edge of the circular pit was scattered with various strange and unevenly sized rocks, the ground covered with thick sand, and the original soil surface long gone.
And this huge circular pit, the surrounding areas were slightly shallower, but the further towards the center, the deeper it became!
Even more terrifying was the appearance inside this circular pit.
Such a huge circular pit seemed to have been divided into two completely different halves by some invisible hand!
With the center of the pit as the boundary, the left half of the pit was covered in thick ice! The hard ice on the ground seemed to have accumulated over thousands of years! The thick and solid ice, along with the frost covering the ground, turned everything on this side of the pit into a silver world! Even the surface of the rocks was covered with a layer of ice crystals!
And the right half of the pit was completely opposite in appearance!
If the left half was an icy wilderness, then the right half was like a desert!
It seemed like every drop of moisture on the ground had been evaporated! The ground was covered with fine, dry, and hard gravel, and even the areas without sand were noticeably cracked due to excessive dryness! Here, it seemed like not a drop of water could be found... even the rocks appeared cracked as if scorched!
Such a huge circular pit, one side icy and the other side a desert, completely opposite in appearance. This added a few more inexplicable shocks to people's already frightened hearts.
As a knight with a strong personality, Robert was the first to come to his senses amidst the shock.
"I guess... there must have been a fierce battle here last night. The level of this battle is beyond our imagination... that woman named Vivian, the female mage, is also missing. It must have been her and the female assailant who fought a great battle here last night." The knight analyzed with a serious expression. "We don't need to worry about these things... Our problem is, where is the young master now! He wasn't in the camp when we were rescued! He must have been kidnapped by the other party... or even worse..."
Robert didn't finish the rest of his words. After all, even a mountain could be turned into a pit out of thin air! The power of the mages in battle was so formidable... so making a couple of people disappear wasn't a big deal.
Robert's face turned extremely ugly, but he still realized his responsibility. After all, he was the highest-ranking leader among them now. He couldn't let his subordinates lose heart. He gritted his teeth and said, "The situation might not be so bad after all. Maybe the master escaped on his own, or maybe he was kidnapped by the mage. Whatever the case, the most important thing now is to find the master!"
The knight immediately issued two orders: First, anyone who could still move should search everywhere. Second, send someone back to the Rohan Plains Castle in the Kote Province to deliver a message!
Things had already gone beyond what Robert and his men could control.
Where could this young master be now?
This was the question everyone was pondering.
So, what was Duwei doing right now?
...
Duwei was doing something he had never even dreamed of doing before.
He was... riding a dragon!
Flying in the sky on the back of a dragon! The wind around him blew so strongly that he could barely keep his eyes open, so he had to wrap his head in his clothes. His hands gripped the protruding scales on the dragon's back tightly as he watched the massive creature beneath him swiftly navigating through the clouds, with the vast sea of clouds below... This feeling made Duwei's heart unable to contain his excitement, as if he wanted to shout out loud!
"Please, please, please don't grab its scales!" Vivian's pitiful voice came from beside him. The female mage was lying weakly on the dragon's back, her body tightly pressed against its scales. Her delicate face was already pale as paper, appearing extremely weak. Seeing Duwei gripping the dragon's scales tightly, Vivian couldn't help but feel sorry. "It... it... it won't like it. Dragons are proud creatures. My Liriel... she's still a child. It... it... it doesn't like others touching its scales..."
"Not grab its scales? Then where else can I hold on?" Duwei frowned. He just opened his mouth when the wind blew into it, choking him and causing him to cough repeatedly. He quickly lowered his head and turned to look at the female mage. "With such strong winds, if I don't hold on tight, what if we fall off!"
Duwei grumbled, "Fine, I won't grab its scales. Let's get rid of your terrifying sister's pursuit first. When we reach a safe place, I'll make a harness for it."
A harness?
Oh, Almighty God! Please forgive poor little Vivian... and forgive this terrifying guy too.
Putting a harness on a dragon... Did he think dragons were rideable creatures?
At that moment, the crimson dragon beneath them suddenly let out a mournful cry...
Duwei's heart jumped, shouting, "Something's wrong with your dragon!"
Vivian also felt distressed, "Liriel is still a young dragon. It... it... it was injured just now, and now it has to carry two people... it..."
The crimson dragon had a terrifying wound on its left wing, causing it to flap awkwardly during flight. Its body tilted slightly to one side as it flew.
"Think of something quickly!" Duwei shouted, "Otherwise, we'll both fall to our deaths!"
"All my belongings were extorted by you! I... I... I can't do anything..." Vivian couldn't find words to express her fear. Tears welled up in her big eyes, and suddenly she burst into loud sobs:
"Wow!!! The outside world is so scary! Teacher! Teacher, please come and save me! I want my mom, I want my dad! Come and save poor little Vivian!!"
Huh? She's not stuttering while crying this time?!
Duwei was almost thrown off the dragon's back by this foolish girl! At this moment, she was crying and calling out for her parents like a little child!
He scolded her angrily several times with a stern face. But just then, the dragon beneath them finally couldn't bear it anymore.
It had fought fiercely throughout the entire night, almost exhausting all of its magical power. In the end, it was severely injured, carrying its master for so long with two people on its back, and its wings were also badly damaged. Now it had reached its limit.
With a mournful cry, Duwei felt his body suddenly sink! The giant dragon had plummeted from the sky...
"Damn it! Think of something quickly! Your dragon can't hold on anymore!!"
"Waa... Dad! Mom!! Mom..."
"Stop crying! If you keep crying, we'll both die!!"
"Waa... Mom... Please come and save poor little Vivian..."