[Subjugated the "Water Dragon God" Mercphobia, gained 1,230,000 experience points.]
At the same time, in Aegon's subordinate list, besides Heine and the other three, a new name appeared.
Mercphobia: [Loyalty: 65]
Mercphobia's loyalty surprised Aegon. He hadn't expected Mercphobia's loyalty to be at 65 just after submitting, which was quite decent. Aegon didn't expect absolute loyalty, as he wasn't like Irene and her companions with pre-set conditions.
A loyalty of 65 was sufficient for now; Aegon remembered that there was a risk of betrayal if loyalty fell below 50.
Choosing to recruit the Water Dragon God had several reasons:
Firstly, Mercphobia had decent combat capabilities, serving as a good fighter.
Secondly, Aegon was lazy and preferred delegating tasks; Mercphobia could handle some matters.
Thirdly, Mercphobia's temperament suited Aegon; he was more flexible compared to arrogant dragons.
Most importantly, Mercphobia's bond with humans now meant he had a vulnerability. Like the Achilles' heel, once a man had a vulnerability, he was easy to manipulate, and Aegon wasn't worried about betrayal.
Seeing Mercphobia suddenly kneel, Karameel turned her head in confusion. Mercphobia subtly smiled at her.
Aegon returned to his human form. "Alright, get up."
Mercphobia bowed his head further. "Thank you, Lord Aegon."
Then he stood up.
At this point, Mercphobia had some speculations about Aegon's identity; he must be the Black Dragon. Finding such a imposing Black Dragon in Earthland, the probability of another one was extremely low.
Regarding Aegon's change in appearance, Mercphobia speculated that he might have evolved again in the past four hundred years. And perhaps something had happened during those four hundred years that changed Aegon's temperament, no longer killing dragons on sight.
Comparing himself, Mercphobia felt Aegon's change was even greater.
Though curious about Aegon's transformation, Mercphobia dared not inquire, given the circumstances.
A flash of red light, and Irene appeared beside Aegon. "I've instructed Mera and the others to find a place to dock the ship."
She looked Aegon up and down, somewhat reproachful. "Are you injured? Even if you're strong, you shouldn't dive into water columns like that..."
Seeming to reprimand me? Aegon was briefly stunned before blinking. "I'm fine, what about you?"
She shook her head. "I'm fine."
"Lord Aegon!!!" Juliet and her companions waved as they ran towards them.
Heine and Mera immediately glanced at Karameel, who timidly grasped Mercphobia's trousers, only showing half of her head to sneak a peek at Aegon and Irene.
Seeing more and more onlookers gathering, Aegon looked at Mercphobia. "Let's talk somewhere else."
Mercphobia nodded and gestured for Aegon to follow. "Please come with me."
...
Mercphobia's palace was interesting; it was an underwater palace. On the way to the main hall, there were underwater farms and medical facilities on both sides.
Curious, Juliet immediately asked, "No wonder the residents here consider you the Water God, right?"
Seeing Aegon and Irene's unchanged expressions, Mercphobia was somewhat surprised. He thought Aegon wouldn't mind his subordinates' casual questions.
But he quickly adjusted, "Indeed, but besides that, there is another reason. Once, I destroyed a human city, so I was called the 'Catastrophe' and later evolved into the Water Dragon."
Arriving at the main hall, Mercphobia gestured for Aegon to sit in the main seat. Irene was about to sit at the bottom, but Aegon pulled her. "Sit beside me."
As Irene sat down, he turned to Heine and Mera. "You guys sit wherever, don't just stand there."
Seeing the peculiar way Aegon interacted with his subordinates, Mercphobia gained some courage to ask, "Is there anything I can do for you?"
He had been pondering this question for a while, unable to think of any use besides combat.
"Not for now, you continue to stay in Ermina. If I need you, I will inform you. However, I do have something to ask you."
Hearing this, Mercphobia breathed a sigh of relief. "Please go ahead."
"Where are the other four Dragon Gods?"
Mercphobia looked embarrassed and fell silent for a moment. "Well..."
Aegon remained composed. "Don't know?"
Taking a deep breath, Mercphobia nodded. "Yes, although humans refer to us as the Five Dragon Gods, we don't actually know each other. I also don't know where they are."
He feared Aegon would think he was hiding something and added, "As you may know, the damage caused by battles between dragons is irreversible. Therefore, we avoid meeting to prevent conflicts. So, I really don't know where they are."
Aegon was indeed aware of this, as Irene had told him before. That's why, he had stopped the battle between Irene and Mercphobia.
To avoid appearing ignorant, Mercphobia showed some value. "However, I think there might be someone who knows."
Irene seemed to recall something. "You mean the Law Dragon Elefseria?"
Mercphobia nodded slightly. "Yes, he seems to have issued a commission related to the Five Dragon Gods. Over the past century, many wizards have accepted his commission and come to assassinate me."
Irene's mind raced. "A commission related to the Five Dragon Gods... Where is he?"
"He belongs to the same Valeria region as Ermina, to the east of Ermina."
Thinking quickly, Irene said, "East from here..."
She soon remembered the building with the dragon statue.
Seeing Irene's thoughtful expression, Aegon raised an eyebrow. "You know?"
Irene whispered, "It might be someone I saw with the Eye of Inquiry before, but I can't be sure."
"In that case, let's go take a look."
Aegon quickly led Irene away. After all, there was no reason for him to linger in Ermina.
Watching Aegon and Irene leave, Mercphobia sat quietly in the main hall, , rubbing his chin in thought. Two questions lingered in his mind:
"Why did the Black Dragon undergo such a transformation, and what is his ultimate goal?"
"I still know too little about him, but regardless... Even if he truly intends something, it's not something I can prevent..."
After this encounter, Mercphobia had made his decision. He wanted to protect the city of Ermina and Karameel with all his might.
...
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