The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

Chapter 832: Chapter 0829: Dragon of the Magic Web (Third Update, Alliance Hierarch Extra 4/150)

When the power of the Formless Dragon Bard began to wane, unable to resist the repulsive force of the Wormhole Space, he was forced out of the Magic Teleportation Array, returning to the Whirlpool Entrance of the real space.

Li Si Te was still gasping for breath with residual fear.

The Formless Dragon Bard under him was trembling even more, and it took a while for him to recover.

“Brother.”

Ach had been waiting at the Whirlpool Entrance. When the Formless Dragon emerged, she immediately approached, “Was the observation journey successful?”

Li Si Te wiped the sweat off his forehead and gestured for Ach to go back first before speaking. He remained silent on the way until they reached a secluded laboratory that had been constructed. Only then did he organize the sights he had seen in the Wormhole Space, “Ach, what do you think is the essence of the Magic Web?”

...

“It’s probably a kind of manifestation of the rules of magic power.”

“No.” Li Si Te shook his head gravely and said slowly to Ach, “You might not believe what the essence of the Magic Web is… It’s a dragon!”

“A dragon?” Ach’s eyes widened.

“Yes, an incredible dragon. I can’t describe what it looks like, in fact, I didn’t see its entire body at all.” Li Si Te tried hard to recall the deep scenes of the Magic Web that he had witnessed through the Crystal White Trajectory of an adult Formless Dragon in the Space Passage.

It was an indescribable scene, appearing both like a web and also like a field, slowly extending into the void.

Within the Crystal White Trajectory, it was a presence that transcended the crystal structure and existed somewhere outside of matter. But this “outside of matter” was not the same as the “outside of matter” the Formless Dragon traversed, which was likely a certain special dimension. The Magic Web, however, permeated the entire dimension, existing in a way that transcended understanding.

Source: , updated on Ɲ0νǤ0.сο

But it wasn’t this that elicited Li Si Te’s terrified admiration. Rather, it was in the deeper reaches of the Magic Web, where its existence once again surpassed all conceivable states.

It ultimately took the form that represents “Dragon.”

“Brother, what kind of dragon is it?” Even the usually composed Ach couldn’t help but become anxious.

“I can’t find a specific description to depict it, but the feeling it gave me was that of a dragon… Or if a dragon is the ultimate existence of a magic attribute, such as the Fire Dragon representing the ultimate of flame, the Formless Dragon representing the ultimate of space, then this dragon embodying the Magic Web represents…”

Li Si Te pondered for a long time, unable to find the most accurate word to define it. In the end, he used a tentative word to explain, “Order.”

“Order?”

“Yes, order, or perhaps the rules by which the world operates, or maybe the combination of magic power, matter, and soul… No, that’s not right, I can’t feel its soul, it seems to be the source of both matter and magic… No, that’s not quite right either, it should be said that it separates matter from magic.”

Li Si Te followed his intuition, gradually verbalizing the impact the Magic Web had on him, one revelation at a time.

It was a dragon, formless and without substance; one couldn’t even be certain if it existed, but it indubitably revealed itself within the Crystal White Trajectory. The Magic Web was the extension of its Dragon Magic Power, enveloping the whole world, a structure that reigned above both matter and magic.

“Is this dragon alive?” Ach inquired quickly.

“I don’t know. I can only sense that it’s a dragon, an abstract aggregate of the fusion of matter and magic power, without sensing any life force or soul fluctuation,” Li Si Te shook his head, struggling to accurately describe the Magic Web, “but it’s also hard to say that it’s dead, as if life or soul never existed in it.”

He paused.

Li Si Te added, “Just like humans don’t have tails, this dragon embodied as the Magic Web doesn’t ‘have’ life or soul attributes. It’s simply a pure collection of some sort of order or rules.”

At that moment, he transformed into the Dragon of the Magic Web and discussed with Ach for a long time.

However, apart from temporarily naming this dragon “Dragon of the Magic Web,” shortened to Magic Dragon, they were unable to derive much more content regarding the Magic Dragon. Thus, the conversation swiftly moved to the experiment itself, utilizing the Formless Dragon to observe the nodes between matter and magic power—there was much to discuss in this area.

All night long, Liszt expounded on the content observed during the experiment.

It wasn’t until the dawn’s early light began to show that the discussion concluded. Ach, unable to wait, clutched his notebook covered in dense Serpent Script and returned to the Mage Tower of Flame Town to organize magicians for the next step in their research. Liszt leisurely left the secret laboratory and went back to his temporary residence in Flame Town to rest.

Before going to sleep, he called forth Smoke Mission.

“Complete the mission, reward: profound understanding of the Magic Web.”

“Mission: Development of the Flame Islands starts with the Whirlpool River Residential Area—Durt Red Apricot is leading the team north to establish a settlement. However, hidden within the forest are numerous prying eyes. Why not delve into an investigation? Reward: a large number of unknown species.”

“So the mission concerning the Dragon of the Magic Web just ends like this?” He felt somewhat reluctant as he looked at the new mission. He was in a phase of intense curiosity regarding the indescribable Dragon of the Magic Web, and had thought that Smoke Mission would elaborate on this Magic Dragon. But it barely skimmed the surface.

He merely glanced at the spots on the Magic Dragon’s body before immediately shifting his gaze.

Regarding the content of the new mission and the reward of unknown species, he lacked interest in contemplating them. His thoughts remained fixated on the Magic Dragon.

What did the Magic Dragon represent, and what was its relationship to this world? What was the connection between the Gemstone Dragon, Metal Dragon, Sacred Dragon, and the Magic Dragon?

Since the Magic Web took the form of the Magic Dragon, how was it connected to the era of the Moon Empire?

What was the relationship between magicians and the Magic Dragon?

Besides himself, had anyone else seen the Magic Dragon, studied it, or even communicated with it?

He even entertained a wildly bold fantasy with his heart pounding: “Since Smoke Mission has taken notice of the Magic Dragon, could it start issuing a chain of missions about the Magic Dragon, leading me to one day simply ride atop the Magic Dragon?” This idea was too unrestrained, as the very existence of the Magic Dragon was still unknown.

“This world is stranger than imagined.” Tossing and turning in bed, it wasn’t until the sun was high outside that he finally drifted into a shallow sleep.

In a groggy haze, he dreamed.

He dreamed he had become a transparent person, walking within a transparent river, aimlessly drifting with the current, surrounded by darkness yet with countless transparent people walking alongside him. At that moment, a bizarrely shaped dragon’s claw tore through the darkness, reaching towards the transparent river where he was.

The darkness receded little by little under the grip of the dragon’s claw, as if it sought to seize him.

He felt a sense of urgent helplessness, but just then, a layer of mist rose across the transparent river, enshrouding all the transparent people.

Yet that indescribable dragon claw tore through the darkness and the mist, crushing him directly.

However, when the dragon’s claw rapidly withdrew from the mist and the darkness, a wave suddenly surged on the transparent river, and he who had been crushed was found walking unharmed upon the transparent river once more.

Dazed and befuddled, he continued towards an unknown destination, with no rest and no retreat, simply vanishing into the obscure darkness.

“Huh!”

Waking up from the dream as the sun set, Liszt could hardly remember what he had dreamed. He didn’t pay much attention to it; it was vaguely about a river and a dragon’s claw—perhaps it was a case of the daytime’s thoughts leading to the night’s dreams, and the dragon claw might just be the Magic Dragon’s claw he had envisioned.

Rubbing his eyes, he began to get up and wash himself.