Chapter 739: Spire Ascension (IX)
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"Ladies and gentlemen, what you’re seeing right now are true dragons; they’re unlike the ones you’ve known and seen recently."
"Some of you are probably confused because at the present, and at some places, dragons are still around. What makes them different from the ones you’re seeing on the screen?"
"The answer is simple. Most of the dragons that are still alive right now lost their primordial beast bloodline. They’re simply higher and stronger creatures of the beast lineage. They have deteriorated from their ancestors."
"The ones you’re seeing on the screen, the ones Dawnbringer was currently fighting, are True Dragons, ones that still had rich primordial bloodlines flowing in them."
"The difference between having that bloodline and not having it is comparable to the distance between heaven and earth."
"Those with the bloodline of Primordial Beasts are loved by the Primitive Universe, more so than others. You can even say that the universe is biased towards them."
"These beasts are born with immense luck, which almost guarantees that they’d reach maturity and get to live long lives. Furthermore, it’s almost effortless for them to get the recognition of concept laws."
"Primordial Beasts could sleep and wake up a couple of years later having the ability to wield concept laws like it’s one of their limbs. They don’t need long periods of seclusion just to comprehend the profundity of laws; it comes naturally to them."
"True Dragons are even more unfair because all they need to do is to live and follow their instincts, and their future is practically guaranteed to be bright."
"I can confidently tell you right now that the dragons you’re seeing on the big screen right now? Neither of them had to run around the Primitive Universe to search for opportunities to become this strong."
"They also didn’t lock themselves up, trying to comprehend the immensity of concept laws."
"They were born gifted with these. All they need to do is to follow their instincts, and they will naturally attain all of this."
"This is what it meant to be loved by the Primitive Universe."
"And remember, they’re dragons. They are predators, sitting on top of the food chain. They’re not just gifted spiritually; they’re physically talented too!"
"Every single part of a True Dragon is valuable. Yes, down to its tiniest scale and to its manure. Everything they had could be considered as a precious treasure in modern times."
Paul and Lisa’s exposition of the True Dragons shocked the masses.
Many have heard of dragons before; some have even seen one with their own eyes; others might’ve even slain or tamed one themselves. But none of them expected that these troublesome lizards had such a rich history.
Because while it’s true that the dragons of modern times were no longer as talented or as gifted as their ancestors, they’re still pretty ridiculous. They are one of the stronger creatures out there; some even built tribes in some corners of the chaos realm.
If they’re this strong in their deteriorated form, just how strong are they had they not experienced this deterioration?
Well, nobody had to guess. They’re seeing it right before their very eyes. Two True Dragons are fighting against one Dawnbringer, and what they’re witnessing is just mind-boggling.
"You mean to tell me that these dragons were born knowing how to wield the power of purity and darkness? That sounds unfair."
"Agreed. And they practically don’t have to risk their lives to comprehend them at higher levels since it will come naturally to them."
"Imagine just sleeping for a bit and then waking up knowing how to wield the power of Great Laws. Yeah, I’m jealous, alright!"
"I feel you, bro."
Even those who had faced and/or slain dragons before could instantly tell the difference. They will freely admit that they won’t be a match for true dragons like these.
"Now, before all of you wallow in your sorrows at the fact that you weren’t born as a True Dragon, let me just remind you that True Dragons are a thing of the past," Lisa reminded.
"As far as I’m aware, there are no more True Dragons in our current era. There isn’t one in Heavenly Star, and probably not in other chaos realms either."
"Their fate followed the decline of the Primordial Beast. It’s due to this decline that we, humans, had a chance to rise and compete for hegemony over the chaos realms."
"If by some miracle, one still exists in these times, I’m sure that they won’t dare to expose themselves."
"The era of the Primordial Beast has ended, and for a very good reason. Coming out now is no different from inviting disaster. It doesn’t matter how strong that True Dragon could be; we have many people that could handle it."
"Besides, like the Mechanoid Race, being a True Dragon also has its downsides."
Paul and Lisa then listed the cons of being a True Dragon.
The first one was obvious. Being a creature rich with such a valuable bloodline was a sin in itself. There are tons of creatures, in both the past and modern times, that will stop at nothing to hunt them down. It’s for these reasons that Primordial Beasts are always on the move. They can never stop at one place because they’d be tracked down.
Two, True Dragons are long-lived creatures. They can’t die of natural causes or by growing too old; they can be killed, though, but other than that they’re essentially immortal.
The concept of immortality has always been a double-edged sword. Those who possess it tend to become complacent because it allows them to ignore the urgency of time, and it’s this urgency that oftentimes allows one to break past their limit or, at the very least, pushes them to progress.
Simply put, True Dragons can afford to be lazy. They can live forever, so why be in a hurry?
True dragons can slumber for thousands of years and wake up as if it was just yesterday. In fact, it’s because of this that they could sometimes wake up being able to use new abilities or reach the next level of conceptual laws.
They’re talented, yes. Gifted, incredibly so. But talents and gifts still need time to bloom, and the dragons certainly don’t mind waiting for it since they could potentially live forever.
Last but not least, it’s very difficult for primordial beasts to reproduce, and this problem obviously applies to true dragons as well.
Paul then proceeded to explain how the white and black dragons were a couple, and the fight they saw happening before the two were alarmed of Cedric’s presence was, in fact, a mating ritual, which practically confirmed Cedric’s guess.
It is very difficult for dragons to conceive, and because of their nature, they had to be consistently wary that their young wouldn’t be killed by their hunters.
All of these cons were the balancing act of nature. No creature can have them all, not even the favored ones.
With this exposition, many from the audience calmed down. And with those introductions out of the way, they all returned to watching the escalating fight between the dragons and Dawnbringer.
**
"Hey, Nick. Is there a way to take out things from the Spire?"
The question surprised Nicholas for a bit, but then, he immediately realized why his fellow councillor was asking this.
"It’s not going to work, Berk." Nicholas shook his head. "Those dragons aren’t real. They’re just simulated by the spire."
"Aw, man!"
Berk, one of his fellow councillors, was a well-known tamer of exotic beasts. He had an exclusive solar system just for them and had always been in the hunt for some more. He even goes out of his way to visit other Chaos Realms in search of them.
Alas, the True Dragons had been extinct before he was born, making it impossible for him to get one for himself. His hopes were reignited when he saw one in the spire, but Nicholas just had to remind him that they’re not real. No creature in the spire, other than the ascenders themselves, was real unless stated otherwise.
"Don’t you already have tons of dragons in your secret realm? Why not try to breed one yourself?" One of the councillors suggested.
"That’s a good idea. Unfortunately, I’ve already tried it before, multiple times, actually, and it didn’t work."
"True Dragons, and by extension the Primordial Beast bloodline, no longer have a place in this current era," Berk stated, sighing in regret.
"What made you think that you can even raise one, anyway?" Another one of their fellow councillors asked. "From what I can see, those old lizards are extremely troublesome to deal with."
"That’s what makes taming them even more fun!" Berk exclaimed. He looked like he wanted to say more, but he just deflated and said, "Forget it, none of you will understand. You’re not as passionate about taming as I am, after all."
Nobody could disagree with that. They’re not like Berk, who created a zoo the size of a very large solar system just to keep his precious tamed creatures.
And no. Berk didn’t become a councillor because he’s a tamer; that’s just his passion. He was elected for an entirely different reason.