Listening to their conversation, Saga fell silent for a moment before raising an eyebrow at the Amethyst Dragon.

“Well played, Tixil, trying to whisk a dragon away from me.”

His voice echoed in Tixil’s mind.

The Amethyst Dragoness gave him a slight glare and retorted, “Whisk away? I’m inviting you to join us.”

Saga shook his head and spoke directly to the two Little Dragonesses:

“I’ve had this feeling that I’m due for a long period of growth-induced hibernation, at least several years, especially after the battle with the Tyrant Fiend.”

“Ah? Then you won’t be able to join us on the Yar Continent, but it’s not fun without you,” said the Gemstone Dragon.

Saga glanced at the Amethyst Dragon, then said to the Gemstone Dragon:

“Charlotte, you and Tixil go ahead. By the time I wake from my slumber, you might have already made a name for yourselves on the Yar Continent.”

With a slight smile, Saga added, “By then, I might even come to you seeking refuge.”

Knowing the Amethyst Dragon’s ambitions, Saga wasn’t surprised by her desire to leave. She had mentioned before that she would depart his territory once she decided where she wanted to go.

As for Charlotte the Gemstone Dragon, with her array of unique magical artifacts, leaving with the Amethyst Dragon meant they could look out for each other. Saga couldn’t expect Charlotte to wait at Moon Bay for him to awaken from his slumber. The Little Dragoness wasn’t content with staying in one place for too long; she sought the admiration of her beauty from more creatures.

Hearing Saga’s words, the Gemstone Dragon bubbled with excitement:

“Alright, we’ll impress you.”

Dragons are known for their decisiveness. Having decided to go to the Yar Continent and knowing Saga wouldn’t join them for now, Tixil the Amethyst Dragon and Charlotte the Gemstone Dragon bid a brief farewell to Saga and the Golden Dragonfather before leaving Moon Bay.

Amidst the light snowfall, Saga watched the fading figures of the Gemstone Dragon and the Amethyst Dragon, then slowly withdrew his gaze.

“Saga, it’s just us left here now,” the Golden Dragonfather said with a radiant smile.

“But I won’t be here much longer either; I’m about to leave for the Stellar Realm.”

“You’ll miss me, your dear friend, won’t you?”

Saga shook his head resolutely: “You could leave right now.”

“How heartless,” the Golden Dragonfather sighed, shaking his head, though his smile remained undiminished.

“But that’s what I like about you.”

With a flap of his wings, the Golden Dragonfather rose into the sky, roaring softly, “Come on, heartless one, bring me pain. Before I leave, give me a fierce battle!”

Saga was initially reluctant, but the Golden Dragonfather’s persistence and his own fondness for sparring won out, and they fought.

Following that, Saga spent simple yet fulfilling days in Moon Bay.

He trained his body, studied the basic forces, explored his mind, and occasionally sparred with the Golden Dragonfather until, three months later, the Golden Dragonfather left the prime material world for the Stellar Realm.

Saga’s drowsiness peaked.

After the Golden Dragonfather’s departure, overwhelmed by an intense urge to sleep, Saga chose to enter the Dragon’s Nest within the Gemstone Mountain. He curled up, hugging his tail, and fell into a deep slumber.

However, this hibernation was different.

With the presence of a Psychic Guard, Saga could still extend a sliver of his spirit to maintain a certain level of awareness and influence over the outside world while he slept.

Time passed methodically.

The aura within the Gemstone Peak Dragon’s Nest grew stronger, more profound, and reserved.

In the New Era year 2088, during the second year of Saga’s slumber, the tensions between the Beasthaven Empire and the Naturia Empire grew thicker. Yet due to the suppression of the High Council of Nations, the two empires never engaged in direct warfare. Instead, under the empires’ covert manipulations, the conflicts and wars among their subordinate kingdoms, city-states, and duchies intensified. Many small nations fragmented and perished in the flames of war due to the rivalry between the two empires.

In the New Era year 2089, during the third year of Saga’s slumber, a significant event occurred.

In the Whirlpool Sea, Moon Bay, First Quarter Island.

A black shark with silver-white stripes and eyes gleaming with psychic light managed the territory in Saga’s absence. It kept the affairs in order with such efficiency that it earned the respect of other monsters and lieutenants, increasingly taking on the role of a grand steward.

Meanwhile, an unmasked colossal figure streaked across the sky, rapidly approaching Moon Bay.

Minutes later, under the wary gaze of the black shark, a sixteen-meter-long behemoth arrived above Moon Bay, circled briefly, and descended towards the black shark’s location. Upon recognizing the creature, the black shark’s guarded expression softened.

It was an adult dragon covered in translucent, yellow-jade-like scales, with wings like gossamer and a row of psychic spines along its back that shimmered like crystals in the air.

The Topaz Dragon Lord.

Compared to their last meeting years ago, the Topaz Dragon Lord hadn’t changed much. While Saga’s power surged, the Topaz Dragon Lord’s life level remained at the seventh tier, unable to break through to the eighth.

After all, the Topaz Dragon Lord didn’t possess any extraordinary talents, just slightly stronger than the average Topaz Dragon, and like most long-lived species, its growth wasn’t particularly rapid.

Landing near a maple forest, its claws crunching on a layer of fallen leaves and branches, the Topaz Dragon Lord looked down at the black shark and asked in a deep voice:

“Tiger Shark, where is your master?”

“I’ve tried contacting him several times recently with the communication crystal, but I’ve been unable to reach him for some time.”

The black shark showed the proper respect to the Topaz Dragon Lord, without excessive fear.

It nodded slightly, its fierce shark head dipping before raising again to speak:

“Do you have urgent business?”

Sensing the Dragon Vein aura and the strong psychic power emanating from the black shark, the Topaz Dragon Lord sized it up before saying, “Yes, but it’s not for you.”

After a pause, the Topaz Dragon Lord continued gravely, “Where is Saga? If he’s not in Moon Bay, then there’s no need for me to stay here.”

Hearing the Topaz Dragon Lord’s words, the black shark didn’t immediately respond. Instead, it took a few steps back and closed its eyes.

Watching the black shark’s actions, the Topaz Dragon Lord’s gaze turned curious, and as seconds passed without a reply, impatience crept onto his draconic face.

Just as the Topaz Dragon Lord was about to scold the creature before him:

“Tiger Shark, you…”

Suddenly, the black shark’s eyes snapped open, its pupils now a forged golden color, mirroring the familiar gaze of the Topaz Dragon Lord.

The Topaz Dragon Lord was taken aback, then realized what was happening and asked with a hint of inquiry:

“Psychic Guard?”

With its pupils turned gold and its entire demeanor altered, the black shark, now dominated by Saga’s will—more accurately, Saga—faced the somewhat anxious Topaz Dragon Lord and asked, “It seems you’re in quite a hurry. Is there something that needs to be dealt with?”

The Topaz Dragon Lord nodded emphatically.

After a few seconds of careful consideration, he spoke to Saga, whose pupils vibrated slightly, “I heard from the Brass Dragon that something has happened at Deep Sea Dragon City.”

Saga’s gaze sharpened, “Happened? What could possibly happen at Deep Sea Dragon City?”

The Topaz Dragon Lord’s expression was grave as he said, “It’s said to be related to the outer planar Abyss of Exile. Somehow, a planar rift connected to the Abyss of Exile appeared within the realm of Deep Sea Dragon City.”

“An escaped prisoner from the Abyss discovered the rift and broke through the city’s seals, arriving in the prime material world, causing havoc in Deep Sea Dragon City.”

“Although the intruder was eventually killed by the city’s defenders, the rift widened, attracting more attention from the Abyss’s prisoners… You can imagine the frenzy of a group of prisoners, struggling to survive in a dark, hopeless plane, upon finding a way out.”

The Topaz Dragon Lord’s voice was heavy:

“Even for Deep Sea Dragon City, this is a significant problem.”

“Prisoners from the Abyss keep arriving at Deep Sea Dragon City. Most are chaotic, evil, and beyond reason, slain on the spot by the city’s defenders, but certainly, some have escaped amid the chaos.”

The growing friction between empires.

The encroaching deities from outer space.

And the escaped prisoners from the Abyss.

…A silent storm was brewing, and the surface peace and stability of the world were uncertain.

Listening to the Topaz Dragon Lord’s grave words, Saga frowned.

“Didn’t Father say it was just a minor trouble? And that they were reinforcing the seals on the rift?”

“…Now that the seal is broken, there must have been an accident, or a particularly powerful prisoner discovered the rift and broke the seal,” Saga thought.

Looking up at the Topaz Dragon Lord, Saga composed himself and asked, “While it’s a big deal, it’s mainly a concern for the Metal Dragon Kind. Did you come here just to tell me this? I doubt it.”

The Topaz Dragon Lord shook his head, “I plan to go to Deep Sea Dragon City to aid the Metal Dragon Kind. Since I don’t know how long I’ll be gone, I came to inform you.”

“The high-ranking Storm Giant you wanted is still imprisoned on my territory. If you wake from your slumber and I haven’t returned, if it’s not too much trouble, I’d like you to take care of Goldsand Isle for me. As for the Storm Giant, do with it as you see fit; it’s half-dead after being imprisoned for so long.”

From Tixil’s presence, it was known that Deep Sea Dragon City welcomed the Gemstone Dragons, and the treatment of Gemstone Dragon hatchlings was no less favorable than that of Metal Dragon hatchlings. The Metal Dragons treated these young ones without discrimination.

Therefore, many neutral Gemstone Dragons held a friendly attitude towards Deep Sea Dragon City. Now that the city faced great trouble, as many Metal Dragons returned to the city, several Gemstone Dragons chose to support, including the Topaz Dragon Lord.

Saga nodded:

“I see.”

After a pause, Saga said gravely, “I’m afraid you’ll have to find someone else to look after Goldsand Isle. If the trouble at Dragon City isn’t resolved by the time I awaken, I plan to go to Deep Sea Dragon City too.”

After this hibernation, Saga’s breakthrough to a high-ranking seventh tier was a certainty, reaching the life level of many adult dragons, and his combat power far exceeded that of an ordinary adult dragon. He was qualified to participate in the troubles and crises faced by Deep Sea Dragon City and could contribute, however small.

The Red Dragoness had ventured into another dimension, and Saga couldn’t help her.

But with the Golden Dragonfather, Saga felt he could offer some modest assistance.

The prisoners from the outer planes were not to be underestimated, but not all were overwhelmingly powerful. There were deity-like beings in the outer planes, but also weak creatures like Gnolls, with both high and low limits.

“Hmm… Saga, I know you’re exceptionally talented. You may be young, but you already possess great strength.”

“But no matter how strong you are, you’re still far from being an adult,” the Topaz Dragon Lord continued after a pause. “Dragons like you are the future of Dragon Kind. As long as you grow, you’re bound to become a pillar of Dragon Kind, a part of its foundation. I believe Deep Sea Dragon City wouldn’t be shortsighted enough to ask underage dragons to participate in dangerous wars, even if you volunteered, you’d be refused.”

The Topaz Dragon Lord spoke calmly and firmly:

“Unless all adult dragons are extinct, it’s not your turn, you youngsters, to shed blood.”

Saga was silent for a moment, then looked up at the Topaz Dragon Lord and said:

“Safe travels, and I hope to hear that Deep Sea Dragon City has resolved its troubles by the time I wake.”

The Topaz Dragon Lord nodded, “I hope so too.”

Minutes later, under the watchful golden eyes of the black shark, the Topaz Dragon Lord spread his wings and ascended into the sky, gradually disappearing into the distant horizon.

Then the black shark closed its eyes.

When they opened again, the pupils had returned to their original color, the gold gone.

Turning its head towards Gemstone Mountain, the black shark lowered its head in respect, then continued its duties, managing the affairs of Moon Bay.

Time continued to pass.

Following the New Era year 2089, during the war between Deep Sea Dragon City and the Casserly prisoners, the contradictions between the three marine empires intensified due to the absence of Deep Sea Dragon City, a sacred site for sea creatures, and none of the marine empires had signed a non-aggression pact or were part of the High Council of Nations.

In the New Era year 2090, a mermaid princess who went to the Glowing Ocean for diplomatic activities with the Shark Empire disappeared, and her relics were eventually found in the belly of a wolf shark.

In the New Era year 2091, the Mermaid Empire formally declared war on the Shark Empire.

Regarding the war between the marine empires, the other empires located on several continents remained neutral, providing no overt support to either side. However, they covertly provided considerable war support, such as Mechanar Empire’s magical weapons appearing in both the Shark Empire and Mermaid Empire camps. The Mechanar Empire claimed that their armory had been burglarized and the weapons stolen by unidentified individuals.

As for the third marine empire, the Magic Fish Empire remained neutral, silent in the abyss, and did not move.

Now, the time had come to the New Era year 2092, the sixth year of Saga’s slumber.

His sleep this time was long.

At this point, the waters where the Shark Empire had occupied the Glowing Ocean and the Mermaid Empire’s Endless Ocean met had become a war zone, with countless sharks and mermaids stirring the seas.

However.

The Whirlpool Sea, on the edge of the Stormy Ocean, was far from the war vortex, and thus relatively calm. It just had more creatures seeking refuge from the war, including a few citizens from the Shark Empire and Mermaid Empire.

Now, a shark-eagle had arrived at Moon Bay from the distant Glowing Ocean to avoid the war, only to be captured by Saga’s followers.

Meanwhile.

In the month of rebirth and sprouting, when vegetation thrived, buds burst forth, and streams flowed pure.

On a small island in the Whirlpool Sea, a giant beast that had been sleeping for a long time trembled slightly, then slowly opened its golden eyes.

I’m experiencing back pain, making it difficult to sit or stand, so I can only maintain basic updates. Please forgive me.