“Adult Topaz Dragon, Greyrock Archipelago.”

After listening to Gulitia’s account, Saga pondered deeply.

Compared to the Chromatic Dragons and the Metal Dragons, Gemstone Dragons like the Topaz Dragon are noticeably weaker at the same age. The leader of the Gemstone Dragons is the Amethyst Dragon, but under normal circumstances, an Amethyst Dragon of the same age cannot compare to a Red Dragon and is even weaker than a Silver Dragon, let alone a Golden Dragon.

Among the five types of Gemstone Dragons, the Topaz Dragon ranks fourth.

Amethyst Dragon, Jade Dragon, Crystal Dragon, Topaz Dragon, Sapphire Dragon.

The above is the strength ranking of Gemstone Dragons at the same age under average conditions.

An adult Topaz Dragon is generally a tier-six creature, with a biological level of around 13.

A Topaz Dragon with slightly better talent can reach a higher tier after adulthood.

Dragons are naturally powerful and long-lived, able to grow stronger over time, but like many long-lived species, their growth rate is not particularly fast. Even Red Dragons or Golden Dragons mostly reach high tiers eight or nine during adulthood or their prime, and only old Red Dragons and Golden Dragons over four hundred years old commonly step into the realm of legends.

However.

The strength of Dragonkind lies not in their growth rate, but in their terrifying racial talent to grow continuously with age as long as they do not die.

Even the most common dragon can become legendary, while the vast majority of other species exhaust all their efforts in a lifetime without ever touching the threshold of legend.

Moreover, there are many excellent and powerful individuals among Dragonkind.

Saga’s growth rate is very fast.

He is not inferior even when compared to the monstrous figures of short-lived species.

“Compared to Blackscale, an adult Topaz Dragon of the same age is a bit weaker, but let’s assume its talent is slightly better. Estimating on the high side, its life tier is likely high-tier seven.”

“I hope it has a method to create psionic guards. Once things settle down here in Moon Bay, I’ll send my kin to explore the Greyrock Archipelago.”

A high-tier seven dragon is not something a high-tier seven Tremorboar can compare to.

Saga felt he could trade with it to obtain the mind-related abilities he wanted. There should be many such abilities recorded in its heritage.

If the other party is unwilling to trade, or if the price they ask is too exorbitant.

Saga would consider other methods.

Although he currently cannot match the other party in terms of strength, this is only temporary, and a rather short temporary at that. Saga’s growth rate is swift, and he is not in a hurry.

“I’ve dealt with this Topaz Dragon before; it’s a troublesome fellow that’s not easy to approach,” Gulitia added.

She muttered softly, “I just wanted to stay near its territory for a few more days to rest and recuperate, but it demanded a fee. I refused to pay, and it coldly chased me away.”

“Really, as an adult dragon, it didn’t show the slightest bit of kindness to me, a juvenile dragon.”

Saga glanced at the Blue Dragon girl and made no comment.

From this incident, he didn’t think the Topaz Dragon had done anything wrong.

Gemstone Dragons are neutral Dragon Kind, but neutrality does not imply goodness; at most, it means if you don’t provoke me, I won’t provoke you. Faced with intruders into their territory, Gemstone Dragons may not attack directly like Chromatic Dragons, but after ineffective warnings, they will decisively kill the intruder without mercy.

Moreover, it is clearly mentioned in the heritage—

Topaz Dragons are the most irritable by nature among Gemstone Dragons. They are born with the ability to manipulate negative energy related to withering and decay, have a particular interest in Undead, often feed on them, and believe that destruction is a necessary condition for clearing the way for new creations and life, just like forest fires burn deadwood and fertilize the soil, allowing the forest to be reborn healthier than before.

“Somewhat similar to Black Dragons, but completely different in nature and habits.”

Saga pondered in his heart, then asked the Blue Dragon, “Since you’ve had contact with it, you should know more information. Tell me everything you know first.”

Gulitia didn’t understand why Saga was interested in a Gemstone Topaz Dragon.

However, she didn’t care much about that.

As a ‘Legendary Primordial Dragon,’ whatever he wanted to know, she would obediently answer, as asking for reasons might displease him.

Hoping to gain his favor and thereby some benefits, Gulitia obediently replied, “Its name is Matthias, an adult male Topaz Dragon. Although I haven’t seen it in action, judging by the dragon’s might I felt when I contacted it, its life tier is between six and high-tier seven. Considering the Topaz Dragon is not an outstanding Dragon Kind, I guess it’s more likely to be tier six.”

This was almost the same as Saga’s judgment.

“Also, it has quite a few kin, some tier-four and tier-five monster leaders, and a tier-six Sea Dragon following it.”

Sea Dragon, a type of Subdragon.

Through Gulitia’s description, Saga slowly gained an understanding of the Topaz Dragon’s power situation.

In any case, if he were to contact it, the main approach for now would be trade, as the other party is a neutral Dragon Kind, and trade is an effective means.

If that doesn’t work, then it’s another matter.

“Alright, I understand,” Saga mused, then scratched his chin and said to the juvenile Blue Dragon:

“Gulitia, go to the Greyrock Archipelago and negotiate with the Topaz Dragon. Make it clear that if you want to trade for the knowledge related to the Mind Warlock abilities in its heritage, what price must be paid.”

“When you return from your mission, I will give you a gold coin as a reward.”

When a dragon commands another dragon, it must offer benefits, as the other party is not one’s own kin.

This is a customary rule within Dragon Kind.

For True Dragons who follow and serve him, when issuing specific tasks, appropriate rewards must be given. Well, a gold coin to command a juvenile dragon to run errands over eight thousand kilometers is unlikely under normal circumstances. However, Saga, through his psychic abilities, already knew Gulitia’s inner fantasies and guesses about him.

He was certain that the Blue Dragon, in order to win the favor of himself, the ‘Legendary Primordial Dragon,’ would accept this task.

Even if the reward was pitifully low.

“Good! Then I’ll go now.”

As Saga expected, Gulitia energetically agreed.

This must be a test for me! She thought.

“Go, and may the winds be in your favor.”

Saga said with a smile.

He smiled at me; his fondness for me must have increased!

Phew!

The Blue Dragon’s mood soared, and then she spread her dragon wings and took to the sky, leaving Moon Bay and heading towards the Greyrock Archipelago in the morning light. She soared into the blue sky, her azure scales blending with the heavens, her silhouette gradually fading from Saga’s view.

Saga withdrew his gaze.

Standing atop the Gemstone Peak, Saga turned his head, looking towards the direction of Waning Crescent Island.

Across the vast distance, among the hills and forests of Waning Crescent Island, Saga could see many slimes and lamprey fishmen moving about, bustling like tiny ants.

“I need more kin to mine gemstone ores for me.”

The Golden Hatchling Dragon narrowed his eyes, setting his sights on the fishmen of Waning Crescent Island.

The three islands of Moon Bay are not far apart, and since Saga has already taken Waxing Crescent Island and First Quarter Island, he certainly won’t let go of the last one, Waning Crescent Island.

“The fishmen have a vast empire in the Frozen Ocean, but here in the Stormy Ocean, the fishmen are scattered and their power cannot compare to the empire in the Frozen Ocean. It should be simple to deal with them.”

“However, this species doesn’t seem easy to subdue.”

On this magical planet, royal power prevails, even above divine authority, and under the covert influence of the empire’s high-level rulers, the citizens of the empire have a high sense of belonging to their empire.

The lamprey fishmen of Waning Crescent Island may not have direct contact with the fishmen empire of the Frozen Ocean.

But as a part of the fishmen species, even if the lamprey fishmen of Waning Crescent Island have never witnessed the grandeur of the distant empire, even if they live in seclusion, they will inexplicably feel proud, and just the thought of the existence of the fishmen empire in another ocean will make them proudly puff out their chests.

In Saga’s eyes.

The demeanor of the lamprey fishmen here is indeed very different from that of the Gnolls or the Shark Tigers. They occupy the entire Waning Crescent Island, with uniformly styled buildings, clear division of labor in their actions, and mature cultural habits.

“Lamprey fishmen are amphibious Sapient Beings who prefer to live on islands, but they can also live in the deep sea.”

“If all the lamprey fishmen here were to flee into the vast and boundless ocean, unless I give up everything else, there would be no good way to deal with them. Let me think, how can I better subdue the lamprey fishmen of Waning Crescent Island.”

Saga continued to ponder.

The consumption of psychic energy in exchange for efficient thinking, a wealth of information about the lamprey fishmen, and possible measures to take floated in his mind.

“The spawning pools of the lamprey fishmen are managed by a few of their people and are built in relatively hidden places within their territory. If I could control the fishmen’s spawning pools…”

A viable idea flashed in Saga’s mind.

Suddenly.

Saga’s gaze sharpened, and he stopped thinking.

He looked towards the coastline facing each other across the sea between First Quarter Island and Waning Crescent Island.

The sound of the wind and waves was incessant. The undulating white waves washed over the sandy beach, wetting the soft sand, occasionally bringing ashore pretty colored shells, corals, small fish, and shrimp.

Silently, with the most recent wave sweeping onto the beach of First Quarter Island.

The blue waves with white foam rolled, and from within, ten round ‘water balls’ emerged one after another. The translucent pale blue ‘water balls’ bounced as if frozen, hopping onto the shore.

These were Water Slimes.

Accompanying the Water Slimes ashore were ten lamprey fishmen.

This group of lamprey fishmen had inconspicuous dark scales, their scales smooth and moist, with fish eyes embedded on either side of their heads that looked somewhat eerie and lifeless. They wore metal daggers, small knives, small shields, and other light weapons or armor around their waists.

Gurgle.

The lamprey fishmen gestured to the Water Slimes and made unintelligible sounds. Then, the Water Slimes approached the lamprey fishmen and enveloped them within their jelly-like bodies composed entirely of water.

The Water Slimes’ bodies shook, splashing out a lot of seawater.

Their round bodies shrank, turning into a layer of slime coating that covered the lamprey fishmen.

Amidst the shimmering waves on the Water Slime coating, the ten lamprey fishmen disappeared from sight.

More precisely, they vanished from the naked eye’s view.

“I haven’t gone looking for you yet, but you’ve come to me. This is a scouting party sent to investigate the situation on First Quarter Island.”

Force Field arcs intersected in Saga’s perceptive vision, forming the outline of the other party’s shape.

He could clearly ‘see’ that the lamprey fishmen, cloaked in Water Slime invisibility, spread out and slowly stepped onto the beach, moving in different directions to penetrate deeper into First Quarter Island.

“Why now?”

Saga’s thoughts whirred, and he quickly understood the reason.

“The hunt for the Tremorboar on First Quarter Island yesterday caused quite a stir, and the Tremorboar’s use of Earth Light Waves, which I occasionally harassed, could also be noticed by the fishmen of Waning Crescent Island.”

“Due to the commotion on First Quarter Island, the lamprey fishmen sent a stealthy squad to confirm the situation.”

The Tremorboar dominated First Quarter Island, and in the past, whether it was the Shark Tiger clan, the Thin Tail clan, or the fishmen of Waning Crescent Island, anyone reaching First Quarter Island would face the Tremorboar’s attack. This creature could distinguish which beings posed a threat to it.

But recently, the situation has clearly changed.

Since they live in Moon Bay, they cannot ignore the situations on the other nearby islands, so the lamprey fishmen sent this scouting team.

Unfortunately.

The gaze of a dragon is truly sharp, and Saga, just so happened to be overlooking his territory from Gemstone Peak.

The lamprey fishmen had just landed and were spotted by Saga at a glance.As for the water slime coats that granted invisibility, their wearers could not hide from Saga’s force field perception. He saw through them as if they were ablaze, capturing every trace of the magic lantern fishmen within his sight.

“You’d better know where your spawning pools are,” Saga said with a grin.

A gust of wind arose, and the golden Hatchling Dragon soared into the sky, its wings beating powerfully as it flew at high speed, the pressure of the wind causing the tree crowns below to rustle and shake, creating quite a commotion.

Whoosh!

The invisible magic lantern fishmen paused in their movements.

They had just come ashore and had not yet dispersed when they simultaneously felt an overwhelming pressure.

Before they could comprehend what was happening.

Crash!

The golden dragon’s shadow flashed by.

A ring of shockwaves burst forth, lifting high waves of sand. Under the assault of the sand waves, the bodies of the magic lantern fishmen were uncontrollably flung about, their water slime coats embedded with grit and torn to shreds, no longer able to maintain their state of invisibility.

An invisible repulsion swept through, clearing away the dust and sand.

The full figure of the golden Hatchling Dragon emerged from a deep crater.

Saga narrowed his eyes, surveying his surroundings.

One by one, the magic lantern fishmen lay scattered across the sand, their scales pierced by grit and covered in blood spots, weakly struggling in place, while showing fearful expressions at the sight of the little golden dragon that had descended from the sky.

The water slimes detached from the magic lantern fishmen, shrinking into small, fist-sized blobs, emitting a series of murmuring sounds.

The golden Hatchling Dragon activated a momentary deflection force field, flinging all the sand grains clinging to its body.

Once its scales were clean and comfortable, Saga walked unhurriedly towards one of the magic lantern fishmen, preparing to employ a bit of Mind Warlock technique on the creature to extract the information he desired.

However, before Saga could begin, his expression suddenly changed dramatically, and he looked up towards the distant east.

—In the direction of Thorn Isle.

As Saga watched in astonishment.

A colossal magic array that could be clearly seen even from Moon Bay unfolded suddenly, imprinting itself upon the sky as if the heavens were a canvas for an infinite array. It was adorned with countless upright and inverted triangles, squares, circles, stars, as well as levers, chains, pipes, and other patterns and textures. Within it, numerous tiny inner rings adorned with magic runes nested and rotated ceaselessly, resembling the gears of machinery, bearing the distinct characteristics of the Mechanar Empire’s arrays, together faintly forming the outline of a clenched giant fist.

The wind howled, and the sea boiled as if it were on fire.

A terrifying oppressive force, as if the sky itself were falling, spread far and wide.

Even Saga, thousands of kilometers away, could feel this immense and invisible pressure, his breathing slightly constricted.

At this moment.

Not just Saga, but many powerful creatures in the sea with keen senses or exceptional vision raised their heads, looking towards the direction of the complex array with either fear or curiosity.