Golden Dragon: Six Thousand Years of Empire

"Thank you, uncle, for forgiving my recklessness, and I entrust the Augustus family to your care in the coming years!"

"This isn't something you can simply entrust, young man. Go ahead and do what you want. After a hundred years as Monarch, it's indeed time for you to make way for your successor."

The dialogue between the second King Atlas and Holy Dragon Noah ended there, and after resolving all his concerns and worries, the king went off to prepare for his abdication.

Not long after Uranos left, Alexander, who had just made a legendary breakthrough, came riding his brother Theodore to pay a visit to Noah.

"Great-Uncle, I have become a legend!"

Alexander appeared as a humanoid Golden Dragon, leading a Golden Giant Dragon that was looking around curiously as he entered Noah's chamber with a respectful demeanor.

"Hmm, not bad."

Noah looked up and down at the massive dragon-man before him, whose true form stood sixteen meters tall, and then turned his gaze to the Golden Giant Dragon beside him that had almost lost its humanoid traits,

"Theodore? Do you still recognize me?"

"Great-Uncle, of course, I recognize you. It was you who bestowed upon me my bloodline and new life."

The Golden Giant Dragon lowered its head under Noah's gaze, maintaining the utmost respectful posture of crouching low.

"It seems you're still missing your old memories."

"Indeed, I couldn't restore Theodore's previous memories; he only has memories from after the fusion with the True Blood."

Alexander glanced at his brother beside him, his eyes showing a hint of disappointment.

From a philosophical viewpoint, whether Theodore without his previous memories could still be considered his brother was open to debate.

Yet from a supernatural angle, Theodore, who survived the True Blood fusion with only some memory loss, was undoubtedly his true brother, and even closer than typical siblings.

This is because they shared the same True Blood inheritance. Moreover, neither Theodore's body nor soul had undergone any distortive transformation.

The person remained as before, only his life's form had changed under the influence of the True Blood, and his self-perception had slightly deviated, but these were minor issues.

Even Alexander had to admit that this blood-bonded brother, after losing his memory, offered him much more support than before.

Because Theodore was so obedient, on the battlefield, Alexander could rely on him to guard critical areas without worrying about his back.

"But this isn't bad either."

Noah extended his dragon claw once more, two brilliant orb of golden radiance appeared in his claw, just like before,

"I am aware of your efforts over these years, and now you both qualify to receive the second True Blood."

"True Blood!"

Seeing the powerful True Blood in his great-uncle's claw at the head of the table, even Alexander, who had ascended to legend, felt a surfacing sense of yearning throughout his body.

"What? Don't want it? This droplet of True Blood is not the same as what you received back then."

Even though Noah had already become an Ancestor Dragon when he granted the blood before, at that time, Noah had just successfully transformed, and wasn't even a legend.

Through multiple rounds of slumber, ascension, and transformation, along with the passage of time, Noah's bloodline had grown immeasurably stronger than it was back then.

Within the ranks of Ancestor Dragons, Noah now would no longer be at the bottom, at least, he was mid-rank, though assessing precisely was challenging for Noah.

After all, the predecessors among the Ancestor Dragons he met in his early days presented themselves in ways so exaggerated that even present Noah couldn't match up; not surprising, given he wasn't yet mature.

"I want it."

Theodore, who had lost his memory and reconstituted his self-awareness, showed a longing from deep within his soul at the True Blood in Noah's dragon claw.

"Great-Uncle, it's not that I'm unwilling, but I ponder on how the overwhelming power of True Blood challenges the significance of personal effort and perseverance."

Alexander explained, feeling that the growth power from the dragon bloodline itself seemed trivial compared to the day-by-day honing of oneself and honing of skills.

Although not of pure-blood Dragon Clan, Alexander fully understood why most dragon species did not focus on learning and improving skills, as it seemed unnecessary; simply sleeping sufficed.

"Amid a life-and-death struggle against a foe just slightly stronger or more skillful than you, you'll realize the meaning behind these efforts."

Noah didn't want to entertain such a foolish question, comparing it to the uselessness argument about learning.

Even among Metallic Dragon Race, and even more so within the Colorful Dragon Clan, elderly dragons would voluntarily learn. The strength from bloodlines eventually had limits, but knowledge did not.

"Just accept it!"

Severing two droplets of True Blood wasn't a big deal for the current Noah, but for Alexander, who had already become a legend, although fusing Noah's True Blood slightly increased his power, the increase wasn't drastic. The significance lied more in elevating his power ceiling and enhancing his potential.

For Theodore, who hadn't yet reached legend and fused with the True Blood, the reaction was much more intense; his body expanded visibly, with his bones growing rapidly, tearing his flesh and bursting through his scales.

Amidst this agonizing transformation and evolution, Noah posed a question to Alexander,

"Do you wish to replace your father as the third King of Atlas?"

"No."

"Hmm?"

Noah looked with interest at his grandnephew, who answered without hesitation, feeling a curious intrigue,

"Why?"

"If I were to become a king, it should be through my own strength, to chart new lands and establish a kingdom of my own, not by contending over power with my father, which would be a sign of weakness."

Alexander spoke with righteous conviction.

"Do you realize how difficult a process it is to establish a kingdom through your own strength? In comparison, replacing your father to claim the family achievements of centuries would be much easier, wouldn't it?"

"That's not what I should do as an offspring, nor do I think I could do better than my father if I replaced him."

Alexander cast a puzzled look at his great-uncle, but he answered firmly, steadfastly against usurping his father's throne.

"So, you believe your father is the best ruler for the current Atlas Kingdom?"

"Yes."

"Then if the kingdom were handed over to you, do you have the confidence to match your father's achievements?"

"I don't have that confidence."

"That won't do, Alexander. A great Monarch must possess unwavering determination, believing they can accomplish any task or goal."

"I am not a Monarch at present."

"But soon, you must prepare yourself."

"Great-Uncle, are you saying my father...?"

A look of shock appeared on Alexander's face.

"Don't worry, it's just that your father is somewhat weary and wants to go on a journey, so he plans to abdicate. You're his sole designated successor. What I've told you can be seen as a test."

"My father plans to abdicate? That's impossible!"

For Alexander, this news was truly earth-shattering.

"He should have his own pursuits, don't you think?"

Noah chuckled.

"Then I..."

At that moment, Alexander seemed a bit at a loss.

"You shall be the third King of Atlas, with the entire kingdom entrusted to you. I will support you in becoming a competent Golden Dragon Lord."

Noah gave Alexander some assurance,

"Prepare yourself. I don't expect you to surpass Uranos, but at least you mustn't fall short."