Chapter 449 Dragon Bone Magic Array

Fast-paced narrative

Read on the go

While waiting for the ropes, Liszt carefully questioned the serf Sean about the situation at the bottom of the collapsed sinkhole.

Sean had grown accustomed to the darkness, mentioning only that the bottom of the sinkhole was very spacious, with no underground rivers, and that there seemed to be thick stone pillars around.

There were no beasts or toxic fumes.

Liszt estimated the sinkhole to be about thirty meters deep. Since the sun couldn’t shine directly, the light was very dim. Soon, someone brought ropes, which were pieced together and lowered to the bottom of the pit. Two squire knights were sent down first, equipped with crystal lamps.

When Sean was tied up and hoisted out, the two squire knights had already reported the situation at the bottom of the sinkhole: "My lord, the sinkhole is unusual, with numerous passages branching out in all directions. At the bottom of this cave, it seems to be the lower half of the five large bones above, embedded in the cave."

After ensuring there was no danger, Liszt personally went down to investigate.

Upon reaching the bottom, Liszt used the light from the crystal lamps to finally see the sinkhole's structure—a typical structure of a lava cave and tunnels, with a huge cavern at the bottom, surrounded by countless tunnels extending deep underground. Embedded at the top of the cavern were five Fire Dragon bones.

These five Fire Dragon bones, scattered across the surface, formed an irregular blade-like pattern.

Initially, Liszt thought the dragon bones were straight, but those embedded in the cavern revealed their true form—a curved rib structure.

"These five dragon bones must be the ribs of a Fire Dragon, and it seems the tips of the ribs all point to a central point, with a similar distribution distance of about ten meters."

He moved through the cavern, heading to the center where the five dragon bone tips converged.

He cast Magic Eye but detected no traces of magic power: "Where did the Fire Dragon magic power I previously infused go? Could it be stored in the dragon bones?"

He reached out and touched the dragon bones.

The dragon bones in the cavern appeared 'fresher' than those on the surface, resembling bones more than stone. Finding no leads, he began exploring the surrounding lava tunnels. However, the lava tunnels were impassable, narrowing until they ended.

"It seems the original volcano on Black Horse Island, during its eruption, specifically formed this cavern."

He returned to the center of the cavern and instructed the two squire knights: "Return to the surface, disperse the onlookers, and secure the burial site. I will continue to study here for a while."

"Yes, my lord!"

The squire knights left.

Liszt swiftly retrieved the soul storage jar and released Virginia Truth's soul.

"Ah, I've been asleep for so long... Hello, Viscount Liszt, it's good to see you again." Virginia stretched and greeted, then realized she wasn’t in the study. "Huh, where are we? Some kind of underground cave? And what are these five pillars?"

Liszt pondered silently. According to the smoke mission's instructions, Virginia might have clues about the dragon. He wasn’t sure if he should reveal the secret of the Fire Dragon bones to her.

After a moment's hesitation, he decided to share it.

"Virginia, the five pillars you see are not ordinary rock pillars, but the remains of a Fire Dragon's bones."

"Ah!" Virginia exclaimed. "The remains of a Fire Dragon's bones?"

"Yes, this is the secret I uncovered. Ages ago, a Fire Dragon fell here, its body decayed, leaving only these five bones. They form a pattern, seemingly imbued with special powers. Do you have any insights or thoughts on this?"

"I don’t have enough information, Viscount Liszt. Could you help me take a closer look at these dragon bones?"

"What do you want to observe?"

Virginia, appearing as a wisp of smoky light, slowly wrapped around one of the dragon bones, trying but failing to touch it. "I want to know if these dragon bones still retain the magic of the Fire Dragon. For generations, my family of magicians has been fascinated with studying dragons and dragon beasts. They believe dragons are immune to decay."

"But this Fire Dragon has clearly succumbed to decay, leaving behind only five bones, likely ribs."

"I don’t know. Perhaps the dragon has orchestrated a secret cycle of reincarnation?" Virginia shook her head. "Some believe Dragon Valley is both the birthplace and the final resting place of dragons, where dragons undergo a cycle of rebirth. But I’m unsure what happens to dragons that die outside Dragon Valley."

Reincarnation...

Liszt was skeptical but couldn’t help feeling a spark of hope—imagine if the Fire Dragon reincarnated into a young one. Wouldn’t that be amazing?

"So, you think these bones are the Fire Dragon’s tools for rebirth?"

"I don’t know. It’s just a guess."

"Hold on a second."

Liszt turned and walked to the bottom of the cave entrance, shouting, "Philip, is the burial ground clear of onlookers?"

"All have been cleared, my lord."

"Don’t be alarmed by any noise you hear."

"Yes, my lord."

After giving orders to his squire knights, he pulled out a bone hammer and started tapping the dragon bones. Through the Magic Eye, crimson magic patterns flickered across the bones. To the naked eye, the bones showed little change, but any knight or magician would sense the magic pulsing within.

Even as a soul, Virginia could feel the magic’s presence. She studied the bones in surprise, noting their arrangement. A glimmer of understanding flickered in her eyes.

"What do you make of this, Virginia?" Liszt had been observing her expression and asked immediately.

"Viscount Liszt, I’m not sure, but it feels like these bones form a magic array."

"A magic array?"

"Magicians require exceptional talent to master their craft. Our Magic Goat family doesn’t produce outstanding talents in every generation. But our ability to pass magic down stems from a magic-gathering array, which helps mediocre apprentices learn magic. I became a magician thanks to magic gathering."

Virginia had been just an ordinary magician in her lifetime—average talent, understandable.

Liszt asked, "So what kind of magic array do these bones form?"

"It’s the magic-gathering array I mentioned. The principle is similar, but I don’t know the specifics. I can no longer observe the runes inside the array. I suspect the exposed parts of the bones absorb free magic power, which is then gathered through the bones in the cave."

"Can it be restarted?"

"Based on what you’ve told me, the bones have existed for thousands, if not tens of thousands, of years. It’s likely lost the ability to restart. But the magic that just rose from their surface proves they still have a trace of vitality. Perhaps one day, they could gather enough magic to recondense into a Fire Dragon."

Can dragons reincarnate? Hard to say.

Are dragons made of magic? Difficult to say.

Can the dragon bone array still be used? No guarantee.

But Liszt, trusting the smoke mission, felt he should try again. "I’ve collected a large amount of Fire Dragon magic. Perhaps I should pour it all into the bones, let it gather and nurture... If it fails, I’ll find a way to smash the bones and retrieve the magic!"