Ashen Dragon

A month later, Stratholme Fortress.

Charlotte stepped forward and reported: "Sir Schroeder, my men have memorized the seventeenth part of the array, and the basic structure of Vagnard's Dragon Binding Magic Circle is complete."

"Good, very good."

Schroeder revealed an expression of unconcealable joy, already imagining the success of his plans.

"Soon, I will kill that Red Dragon, become the hero of the North, and even the Rackman Duchy will fall into my hands..."

Schroeder did not know where the Gold Dragon managed to find so many spellcasters. Although their spellcasting abilities were generally low, their speed of learning and understanding far surpassed that of ordinary people.

—He did not know that players could use experience to learn spells, and Charlotte fretted over this as well, simply attributing it to the exceptional talent of the Golden Dragon Kin.

Charlotte's face immediately turned into a sycophantic grin: "Sir Schroeder, about the spell scroll and gold coin you promised..."

Schroeder's expression turned dark, but since these mages were still very useful to his plan, he impatiently waved his hand: "Of course, go to Teman to retrieve them yourself…"

Charlotte exclaimed joyfully: "Thank you, Sir Schroeder."

"Sky Flying Witch, go to Lord Teman and collect 200 gold coins and a Third Tier Spell scroll."

"Got it, boss."

The Sky Flying Witch skipped towards the chamber's warehouse to ask the overseer for the reward.

Charlotte had originally thought this double-agent task would require a lot of effort to flatter and please, but upon arrival found that they could actually swindle spell scrolls and gold coins from the Northern Kingdom.

Now, they no longer wanted to leave, even considering making the Avenger's Chamber the new base for the [Magic Coin] guild.

Suddenly, a portal of flames opened.

A young noble with black hair and golden eyes stepped out—it was the incarnation of Cassius.

"Lord Grey Hawk, the appointed date has arrived. Are you ready?"

On seeing this, Schroeder hurried to greet him, respectfully saying: "Your subordinates have been learning very quickly. I believe we are well-prepared. However, Lord Remnant Fire, please wait a moment. I have also gathered a group of righteous spellcasters from across the kingdom to join us in this operation."

"Rest assured, they are absolutely loyal."

"They will be the central controllers of the array."

Schroeder crushed the Text Transmission Spell crystal in his hand.

As spatial ripples formed, twelve grey-robed mages appeared one after another in the chamber.

Cassius's gaze swept over them and he discovered that no less than four of them were of the seventh level. In a magical wasteland like Anzeta, this already made them high rank spellcasters. It seemed Schroeder still did not fully trust this "Gold Dragon" and had assigned the most crucial parts of Vagnard's Dragon Binding Magic Circle to his own men.

Nevertheless, this was just to Cassius's liking.

"Gather them all at once so I don't have to waste effort capturing you one by one, how fortuitous," Cassius thought, a playful glint flashing in his golden eyes.

His expression unchanged, Cassius just slightly nodded: "Court mages from the Northern Kingdom, this looks promising."

"Greetings, Lord Remnant Fire."

The twelve grey-robed mages respectfully saluted Cassius. The Gold Dragon was a revered entity in any part of Erezer, even treated as an honored guest by the emperor in southern Fadlan, let alone in a remote area like Anzeta.

The twenty members of the [Magic Coin] guild also gathered around.

By now, over forty spellcasters crowded the narrow chamber. This was a considerable force in all of Anzeta; even the Rackman Duchy, in its heyday, never had so many court spellcasters at its service.

They were all gathered here with one goal—to slay a dragon.

Of course, most of them were undercovers from the Ashen Kingdom, and even Cassius himself had personally arrived, truly outnumbering the actual organization members.

Looking around, Cassius declared passionately: "Everyone, the situation is dire now, and the Northern countries are on the brink of disaster. I will not waste many words." Your adventure continues at My Virtual Library Empire

"Whether we can kill that Red Dragon, success rests on this moment!"

"I believe the evil dragon's reign will end soon, and justice and order will prevail in the North!"

"Clap clap clap…"

The spellcasters rose and applauded as though their great success were already achieved.

Charlotte watched Cassius's earnest expression and clapped while commenting in the guild chat: "I admire him. This faction leader acts even better than we do—"

"These mages are pitiful."

"Haha, everyone but Schroeder is an undercover."

After Cassius's brief speech ended, Schroeder approached, asking somewhat anxiously: "Lord Remnant Fire, can you truly provide a completely secure location near Northwind Castle for us to cast our spells?"

He still had some doubts in his heart.

Northwind Castle was now the center of the Ashen Kingdom, heavily guarded; one wrong move could lead to complete annihilation.

Cassius glanced at him, his golden eyes showing a hint of disdain: "What, human, are you questioning a dragon's capability?"

An invisible pressure emanated from him.

Schroeder became convinced it was indeed a genuine Gold Dragon, as such inherent arrogance could not be faked.

Sweat trickled down his forehead, and he quickly answered: "No, Lord Remnant Fire, I did not mean that. I just wanted to confirm that if you can provide a safe place near Northwind Castle, that would be best."

He continued: "To be honest, I have also contacted the Boske Duchy and the Norton Principality. The dukes have specially dispatched the Lionheart Knights and Double-Headed Eagle Warriors to wait near Northwind Castle. Once we kill that giant dragon, they will immediately come to our succor, helping us escape smoothly."

"After the evil dragon's death, his remaining forces will be of little concern, as the duchies around will dispatch their elite forces to eradicate the dragon's surviving retainers."

"Then, the North's order will return to its usual peace and stability."

Cassius's eyes lit up: "Excellent, you have done well."

"Rest assured, this time our combined forces will definitely kill the evil dragon!"

However, Schroeder thought Cassius was excited because of the additional reinforcements, while Cassius was actually pleased to be able to capture even more of the enemy's elite forces at once.

Never would Schroeder have imagined that the "Gold Dragon" before him was the very target of his plan, his greatest foe, the terrifying Red Dragon known as the King of Ashen and Infernal Calamity.

"Begin your 'dragon slaying' operation quickly, I am already… impatient."