Ashen Dragon

"Currently, the Seleucis army is led by a Human marshal named Kazuul. He stood out during the Triemperial Battle, almost single-handedly defeating the invading armies. However, this marshal seems to have significant ties to the Dragon Worship Church..."

Upon hearing Mezulash's words, Cassius nodded, which at least confirmed the reliability of Dracalis' information.

Ramp stepped forward, handing over an invitation and added, "Three days ago, the Kingdom of Seleucis sent the Empire an invitation, hoping to form an alliance with us to jointly resist the Kingdom of Cassandra."

Cassius sneered, "Why should we ally with them? What's the reason?"

"They said..." Ramp spoke cautiously, "You are Tiamat's most valued offspring, and should follow the divine oracle, merging the Empire with the Kingdom of Seleucis."

"Ridiculous!"

Cassius, furious, laughed instead.

Ramp quickly said, "Master, rest assured, I have firmly rejected the Kingdom of Seleucis, declaring that the Ashen Empire worships no deities, only venerates the great Emperor."

Dolores also stepped forward, shaking his fists with indignation, "Your Majesty, those Seleucid people dare insult you so! We must show them the might of the Empire!"

Ramp frowned slightly, "But Master, we have yet to fully consolidate the Thrace Region, and the Imperial Army has been greatly expended in continuous wars. I worry..."

"Indeed, it is time to plan an attack on the Kingdom of Seleucis," Cassius calmly said.

"However, this is not because they insulted me, but because... Tiamat's true form is soon to descend on the Prime Material Plane through the Kingdom of Seleucis."

"What?"

For a moment, Ramp, Dolores, and Mezulash all had drastic changes in their expressions, revealing terror.

The descent of a True God—since the Second Era, such an event has not occurred in tens of thousands of years. Once it happens, it will surely stir up a storm across the Multiverse.

"How is this possible? How can a True God step into the Prime Material Plane when they should be blocked by the plane's will..."

As a Mage, Ramp furrowed his brow, his expression heavy, and even his voice trembled slightly.

But soon, he stopped talking.

Ramp knew his master's premonitions were always accurate, and there was no reason for deception.

Cassius briefly informed his retainers of the intelligence he received from Dracalis.

Then, he spoke coldly, "The era of peace has ended, and an age of chaos is about to begin. From now on, such occurrences will only become more frequent."

"Go and prepare. Formulate a complete invasion plan within one month, and complete mobilization within three months. Our time is very limited. Tiamat could descend at any moment."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The three Dukes of the Empire answered in unison, returning to their respective posts. They were about to launch a war, again altering the situation on the Fianso Continent.

"I thought we could have a moment of peace after the Thrace battle, but troubles keep coming one after another..."

Cassius still sat on the throne, unable to stifle a sigh.

Just then, his Gold Dragon incarnation, dormant in the Eternal Order Realm, was also awakened by some force.

"It's really an eventful time..."

Cassius furrowed his brow slightly, then let his immense will descend upon the Gold Dragon incarnation.

Currently, Bod Gate is ruled by a four-person council, all holding the title of Great Duke. One is the leader of the council, and if there's a tie in voting, the decision is made by Grand Duke Elder Ravenclaw. The Upper City's security is maintained by an elite official police force known as the Guard, while other areas are overseen by a mercenary corps called the Flaming Fist. Grand Duke Elder Ravenclaw is also the supreme leader of the mercenary corps. Their headquarters is located in the Bodlan Sea Tower, the strongest fortress defending against sea invasions at Bod Gate, and as a crescent-shaped economy lifeline encircling Bod Gate—Gray Harbor, through which hundreds of merchant ships pass daily, bringing not only gold coins but also greed and sin.

The Upper City is positioned on higher ground, comprised of Castle District, Temple District, Manoburn District, and Wide Alley District, featuring numerous religious architectures like the Miracle Hall and the Supreme Miracle House, which serve as the Church's center of the God of Craft, Gund. The Miracle Hall showcases Gund's grand inventions, while the Supreme Miracle House also functions as a workshop. The Lower City buildings are mostly stone houses and consist of Sea Tower District, Blonrich District, Steep District, Crowded Side District, East Road District, and Branpton District. The middle class generally resides in Blonrich District, which is adjacent to the nobles of the Upper City, whereas the East Road District, near the Stone Lizard Gate connected to the Outer City, is more mixed, with lively bars and cheap inns. Sea Tower District hosts the Flaming Fist Mercenary Corps, and the largest rocky offshore island close to Sea Tower District features the mercenary corps' headquarters, Bodlan Sea Tower. Branpton District and Steep District are relatively dilapidated, home to sailors and manual laborers. The Outer City stretches along the Chongsar River, filled with temporary buildings and slums. A landmark stone bridge—Flying Dragon Crossroad spans the Chongsar River, bustling with vendors, some even extending the bridge with wooden planks to build additional structures. Law and order here are virtually nonexistent, with the Flaming Fist Mercenary Corps' protection range being exceedingly limited. Many impoverished or criminal individuals who cannot find shelter in the city gather here.

The moss on the vaulted ceiling of the sewers glowed a ghostly green under the dim lantern light. Murky sewage sloshed over the boots, each step producing a sticky "gloop" sound. Purple-black mucous seeped from cracks in the walls, converging like veins toward the drainage. This was the distinctive nerve-corroding substance of a Spirit Sucking Monster Nest. Ordinary people inhaling it would experience auditory hallucinations, as if countless tiny tendrils were squirming in their ear canals. Suddenly, a bone-creaking "click" sound emerged from behind a broken cast iron pipe, as if something was twisting and forcing its way through a narrow space. The three patrolling guards just raised their lanterns when the sewage violently erupted! Four Spirit Sucking Monsters leapt out from underwater, their pale humanoid bodies coated with detritus, octopus-shaped heads with tendrils vibrating at high frequency, releasing visible purple mind shock wave ripples. The foremost guard's helmet dented, eyes exploding into a bloody mist under the surge of cranial pressure; the second guard had a tendril penetrate his ear canal before he could scream, his spine pulled out like a puppet-stringed marionette; the only surviving guard staggered back, the roar of his misfired gun drowned out by the collective sub-frequency screech of the Spirit Sucking Monsters. These monsters were evidently trained in tactics. Two decoy individuals thrashed the water with their tendrils, stirring up visibility-obscuring mist laced with corrosive liquid; a third descended from the ceiling, attaching by suckers to the guard's skull, tendril tips precisely piercing the foramen magnum—not killing immediately, but manipulating the captive like a puppet, forcing him to turn, hands trembling as he reloaded ammunition for his comrades' firearms. Meanwhile, the fourth Spirit Sucking Monster used bone blades at its knuckles to open the fallen guard's chest cavity, extracting the still-warm liver to its mouth, pale yellow digestive fluids dripping from its jaws, corroding wisps of smoke from the ground. The parasitized one was not completely dead. The guardian's mangled corpse twitched and rose, a semi-transparent Spirit Sucking Monster larval tendril emerging from the neck wound, pupils dilating into a murky milky white. He grabbed a dagger to stab his former comrade, squeezing out an inhuman synthetic voice from his throat: "Skull... offer to the hive mind...". And the real horror was just beginning to show—distant sewage pools began to boil as more pallid figures rose from the water, dragging dozens of captives wrapped in mucous cocoons. The human faces beneath the cocoon twisted into silent screams. As the last gunshot echoed away, the sewer returned to dead silence. Only floating shredded uniforms and vibrating nerve-corroding biomass mats testified to the massacre's occurrence. The Spirit Sucking Monsters dragged their hostages into the depths of the drainage pipes, their mucous cocoons occasionally twitching, as if the "seeds" within were about to hatch. Meanwhile, in the mental network of the hive mind, the coordinates of these new shells transformed into a series of icy purple lights, converging towards the vast shadow pulsating beneath Bod Gate.