novellaaa Chapter 186 Now we're all dragon knights!
Chapter 186 Now we're all dragon knights!
Chapter 186 Now we're all dragon knights!
Yes, reality is not a fairy tale, especially when it involves betrayal, war, and changes of power.
Obsessing over unrealistic perfection may only harm more people, including Li Ang himself.
He must make a choice, finding the relatively best path under limited conditions, rather than seeking an absolutely perfect path.
He took a deep breath, downed the rest of his ale, patted Nelson on the shoulder, and said with a sense of relief and determination, "Nelson, this story was very inspiring to me. Thank you."
The next morning, the two teams merged back into one.
Bronzebeard, dressed in brand-new leather armor, looked exceptionally smart. He had joined the team heading to the final trial grounds as a guide.
The unicorn wagons provided by the Ironhammer Merchant Guild carried them out of the massive gates of Ironforge and along the winding mountain road, heading once again toward the Thunder Mountains.
This time, their destination was the highest peak of the mountain range, Birsirnil, which in the dwarven language means "Mountain of Lightning," and is also known as Lightning Mountain.
Driven by Bronzebeard, they quickly arrived at the foot of Lightning Mountain.
However, as Bronzebeard had previously stated, the unicorn chariot could only reach the foot of the mountain, not ascend it.
Looking up, Lightning Mountain soared into the clouds, its peak completely shrouded in raging thunderclouds, thick silver snakes weaving through them, and the deafening thunder seemed to be the roar of the mountain itself.
"Next, we'll have to make our own way up." Copperbeard frowned as he looked at the treacherous mountain path and the grim weather.
Then he turned to face Li Ang and the others, and began to perform his duties as a guide with a serious expression.
"Listen up, everyone," Bronzebeard's voice boomed.
"Lightning Mountain is no ordinary mountain. Legend has it that this is where Thor's palace is located, so the lightning on the mountain will be more frequent and violent than here. You must master the skills to get up there."
He pointed to several prominent, smooth, mirror-like black boulders on the mountainside.
"See those lightning-struck rocks?" Lightning loves to strike those kinds of things, so stay away from similar terrain on the mountain path. Also, remember that you can't bring any metal weapons up the mountain.
After he finished speaking, he glanced at Li Ang's expression, as if afraid that the chief knight would not be willing to put down his weapon.
After all, every year there are proud knights who, on the grounds that their weapons are their life and honor, are all struck down into charred remains by lightning here.
What he didn't know was that Li Ang was not a proper knight at all, so he simply took off his sword and put it in the carriage. The other team members naturally had no objections and also took off their swords and put them in the carriage.
After seeing that everyone had done as instructed, Copperbeard breathed a sigh of relief and continued, "When going up the mountain, if you feel a sharp increase in the electrical charge in the air and your hair stands on end, immediately find a low-lying area, curl up your body, and minimize your contact area with the ground."
Then, he patted his heavy wooden shield, as if he wanted to say something more, but Olivia yawned, ruthlessly interrupting him.
Her red, vertical pupils glanced at the mountaintop, and she asked in confusion, "Why do we have to climb? It's too much trouble."
After she finished speaking, she walked to a relatively open area, and then flames surged around Olivia.
Her petite body rapidly swelled and deformed before everyone's eyes, and in the blink of an eye, the dark red dragon, which was over twenty-five meters long, reappeared.
"Come on up, all of you," Olivia said in a low voice, then lowered her body.
Although Bronzebeard already knew Olivia's true form, he still couldn't help but gasp in shock and his eyes were filled with awe when he saw her again.
Li Ang was also somewhat surprised. In his mind, dragons were proud creatures and usually did not like to carry people in flight, so he had not made this request. He did not expect her to bring it up herself.
The members of the enforcement team probably shared the same understanding as Li Ang, so even though Olivia offered to take everyone up, for a moment no one dared to be the first to climb onto the dragon's back.
"What are you waiting for?" Olivia urged, her tail sweeping the ground impatiently, kicking up a small cloud of dust.
Seeing this, Li Ang did not hesitate any longer, and took the lead in climbing onto the dragon's back, then said softly, "Thank you for your hard work, Olivia."
Seeing Li Ang climb onto the dragon's back, the crowd no longer hesitated and climbed onto the dragon's broad spine.
"Hold on tight!" Olivia warned, flapping her wings violently and kicking up a cloud of dust. Her massive body shot into the sky like an arrow, heading straight for the mountain peak shrouded in thunderstorms.
The dragon was incredibly fast, and in the blink of an eye it reached the mountainside. But the higher it went, the denser and more violent the lightning became.
Blinding bolts of lightning, like silver dragons, struck the uninvited guest, as if the entire sky was enraged and determined to tear the intruder apart.
Copperbeard gripped the edge of the dragon scales tightly, feeling the destructive energy rushing towards him.
Even though he was once the commander of the Imperial Guard Division and possessed an incredibly resilient heart, he couldn't help but feel a chill at this moment.
Olivia, being a dragon, was not afraid of the lightning, but those on her back were.
He glanced at Li Ang instinctively, wondering how this powerful chief knight would deal with the might of heaven and earth.
However, what happened next caused the experienced former commander of the Imperial Guard Division to have his pupils shrink and his mind to go almost blank.
Li Ang stood behind the dragon's neck, his expression calm, as if the devastating thunderstorm around him was just ordinary wind and rain.
Then, with practiced ease, he pulled out an antique-looking wooden stick from a hidden pocket at his waist. Wait—what's that?
"A magic wand?!" Bronzebeard's mind went blank, and his brass beard stood on end in surprise.
He—wasn't he a knight? That human knight who, with his superb martial skills and unbelievable foresight, defeated the dwarf's chief knight, Gimli, head-on—how come he also has a wand? Could it be—?
An unbelievable thought struck him like lightning: "Could he—he's also a wizard?!"
In the traditional understanding of dwarves, powerful warriors and mysterious wizards are almost two completely different paths, and Leon's words completely overturned Bronzebeard's common sense.
To his astonishment, the tip of Li Ang's wand flashed, and an invisible [Gentle Breeze Barrier] instantly opened. The six stars within his mental world spun at full speed, expanding the domain to protect everyone on the dragon's back.
The violent lightning struck the invisible barrier, exploding into blinding sparks and crackling sounds, yet it could not penetrate even a fraction of the barrier.
The power of a knight and a wizard combined in one—no wonder this young man can hold multiple positions, no wonder His Majesty trusts him so much.” Bronzebeard suddenly understood many things.
He swallowed hard, and the last trace of doubt in his heart vanished completely. With such a person standing behind His Majesty, how could His Majesty not have any worries about winning the throne?