Golden Dragon: Six Thousand Years of Empire

If working hours were to increase any further, it would be a trampling of the wisdom of life. Unless it comes with compensation more than triple.

Bali in fact does not really want triple the salary, because he is already quite embarrassed. His current wages compared to before have increased more than tenfold.

After working continuously for a month, he could actually receive three Golden Dragon Coins as his salary. From birth till now, it was his first time holding real gold coins, he had only seen them before.

Praise the Supreme Holy Dragon Emperor, I am willing to dedicate my everything to You, I wish to use my life to maintain Your glory and majesty!

This was the first thought that came to Bali's mind after receiving the Golden Dragon Coins.

Because what he now held was not last month's salary, but this month's salary. What made Bali feel most absurd was that today was only the first day of the month.

He hadn't done anything yet, and he had received his salary for the month. Such a thing, before the honorable Dragon-men lords came ashore, he could not have imagined, let alone the ridicule from those around him, he would have slapped himself twice to wake up his mind.

But now, such an extremely absurd yet unreasonable thing had truly happened to him, changing not only himself but also the fate of his wife and children.

Their family no longer had to squeeze in that one low, shabby shack made of straw and broken wood, and his wife no longer had to wash clothes for those people all day long, with fingers rotting, not daring to stop.

Their family now owned an incomparably bright future, becoming the envied landlords of the New York Port.

Yes, the once lowly dock laborer who moved into the rented area became an immeasurable figure overnight, and his former coworkers, when seeing him, had to bow low and call him Master Bali.

Though Bali was not the only local from New York to gain employment in the Dragon-men enclave, the locals who could own a residence there were indeed very few.

Thus, in just a very short time, Bali became a star figure at the New York Port. The once lower-tier character known only to coworkers had now become a topic in the lower to mid-tier of New York Port.

After all, what Bali had done seemed too easy for many, just pointing the way. To receive such generous rewards made many fantasize, on the night the Dragon-men came ashore, if they had made the same choice as Bali, would they also gain a life everyone envied.

Unfortunately, too many have forgotten their demeanor on that night facing the descending Dragon-men, moreover, they forgot their awe before the nobles and officials of the Upper City.

However, the same thing indeed could not be replicated, but the job opportunities within the enclave were certainly worth striving for.

As long as one could secure a job within the enclave, not to say becoming a figure like Master Bali, at least ensuring the family's livelihood would be no issue.

It was more than just a single separation, the disparity between wages in and out of the enclave was over tenfold, without mentioning the differences in the working environment and hours.

Such disparity would naturally drive one mad, but the holy land of the Holy Dragon was indeed too far, needing to cross vast oceans to reach; no matter how wonderful it might be, unseen remains unseen, and thus could be deemed false, restraining the inner impulse and desire, repeating the past life in an orderly manner.

But Master Bali was close at hand, right beside, the Dragon-men enclave, even if not allowed entry, was always within sight.

Therefore, the greatest dream of the current residents of the New York Port was to be employed by the Dragon-men, the ultimate life goal, was to become a resident of the enclave like Master Bali.

Once a resident of the enclave, even when facing the original Federation nobles and officials, not only would greetings be unnecessary, but the other party would also have to take the initiative to greet and establish rapport.

It was not only the bottom-level civilians affected by the Dragon-men enclave, from top-tier officials and nobles to mid-tier respectable people couldn't escape its influence.

The entire atmosphere and culture, even the mindset, at New York Port had undergone drastic changes from top to bottom due to the emergence of the Dragon-men enclave.

Officials and nobles, even affluent merchants, began to imitate the attire of the Dragon-men within the enclave, taking pride in wearing clothing of the same style and using the jewelry they used.

Among circles of noblewomen and socialites, mimicry of the Dragon-men's scale pattern makeup appeared, with some bringing dragon horns and tails at private tea parties for amusement.

The mimicry of the Dragon-men's lifestyle, as time passed, reached a near-pathological level within New York and became a fashion trend, spreading as a stylish emblem to the Federation Inland.

But this was not all, once external imitation reached a certain level, for those seeking to stand out, they began turning to internal pursuits like faith.

Some discovered that the Dragon-men residents in the enclave, regardless of age or gender, had a devout belief in Holy Dragon Noah, akin to worshiping the Divine.

Of course, as the Dragon-men claimed that the Holy Dragon they worshipped was merely a powerful Dragon Clan and not a Divine, those who perceived the anomaly did not think the Dragon-men were worshipping a god; they simply found the behavior intriguing, and began to mimic it.

Holy Dragon Worship!

Without any guidance or promotion from the Dragon-men, the rituals for worshiping Holy Dragon Noah began to spread within the Federation.

In the eyes of the earliest worshippers among the Federation people, such behavior was not merely about making a statement or showing off but aligning with an advanced, free, harmonious, and just civilization.

"..."

Noah, projecting a wisp of will using the Word Spirit·Emperor, silently watched the sacrificial ceremony below, pondering whether to offer any feedback.

For it was a bloody blood sacrifice, and those conducting it presented him with a pile of fresh and bleeding heads.

Such sacrificial ceremonies, using wise life forms as sacrifices, would typically face severe crackdowns from the True God Church, but the sacrifice before him was far too unprecedented.

Because these heads, offered as sacrifices, all came from greedy officials and nobles, their twisted dark souls, tainted with sin, were exceptionally clear in Noah's view. None of those slaughtered were innocent.

Yet what puzzled Noah was, while his faith spread in the Other Shore Continent, why someone or an organization would worship him as a Divine, while also hunting corrupt officials and nobles, presenting their heads as sacrifices to please him.

What kind of stories had those propagating his faith crafted about him, and what image had they established for him?

"Judge all the sins of the world, trample on all injustices of the mundane, Holy Dragon!

Please cast your gaze upon us, your followers present these sinners' heads to you, guide us!"

"What injustices have you encountered? That you resort to such violence, seeking guidance from me."

Finally, Noah chose to speak, the Holy Image, unlike his true form, glimmered faintly in golden light amidst an exclamation, the statue transformed into a Golden Giant Dragon with outspread wings, speaking directly like a sanguineous forest, inquiring.

"Most Supreme Holy Dragon, you have finally noticed our humble existence..."