Chapter 910: Dragon Breath Ends

No one knew that the Hengduan Mountains were currently home to four dragons: the Lightgreen Gem Dragon Ethan, the Fire Dragon Leo, the Invisible Dragon Bard, and the Orichalcum Dragon Mata.

Mata—this was the name Liszt had prepared for the orichalcum dragon.

It originated from a game he had played before, *Monster Hunter*, which featured a dragon nicknamed "Zha Zha Hui"—the *Kulve Taroth*, Mamu-Talot, who dwelled in the golden land of the earth's veins and was hailed as the Golden Earth Mother. Although the orichalcum dragon looked nothing like Zha Zha Hui and had no connection to gold, their colors were somewhat similar.

But Liszt's extraordinary logic still linked them together.

At dawn the next day, the orichalcum dragon Mata finally awoke, its massive body coiled on the ground, its thoughts still in disarray. To it, the previous night had felt like a terrifying nightmare—yet the more horrifying truth was that the nightmare was real... It stared at Liszt, its dark, narrow pupils flickering.

"Mata, this is the new name I've given you. What do you think? Will you accept it?" Liszt met the orichalcum dragon's gaze with a gentle smile.

After a long pause, the dragon slowly turned its head away and let out a huff from its nostrils, accepting it by default. No matter how convoluted the process had been, the fact remained that Liszt had outmatched it in the battle of wills—enough to humble the dragon's pride and dignity, earning its recognition.

"In that case, Acheronides, contact Yevich with the magic platform and have him confirm the sextant's coordinates. On our way back, we might as well take in the scenery of the WindSnow Mountain Duchy."

With a leap, Liszt mounted the orichalcum dragon Mata's dragon's tooth platform, instantly completing the mental synchronization between man and dragon. He then guided Mata into dragon-rider synchronization, swiftly entering dragon-riding mode. For a skilled dragon knight, this process was effortless.

Acheronides, seated on the back of the invisible dragon, took out the magic platform and contacted Yevich.

While waiting for a reply, Liszt and Mata flew to the site of yesterday's blazing supply camp, leaving behind a few orichalcum dragon footprints to roughly stage the scene. The goal was to create the illusion that Andre had mounted the orichalcum dragon, then violently destroyed the camp before defecting from the Kingdom of the Eagle.

By the time they returned, the magic platform had already received a response.

Acheronides obtained the precise coordinates and analyzed their location: "Brother, from here, head fifteen degrees south of west for about a thousand kilometers, and we'll reach Yevich's position."

"A thousand kilometers—that'll take a full day and night of flying. Let's move out!" With a mental command, Mata flapped its wings and soared into the sky with a thundering roar.

Bard, carrying Acheronides, followed closely behind.

Then came Leo and Ethan, the latter's claws gripping the trussed up, blindfolded, and gagged Andre—the young Domain Knight, a hated figure of the Sapphire Duchy. Though his value was minimal, if they could exchange him for information about Domain Knights or liches, it would still be a worthwhile gain.

Every little bit counted.

Even someone like Liszt, who now owned five dragons, had to live frugally.

The journey was intermittent, and the mood upon departure was entirely different from when they had arrived—now, the sunlight felt brighter, the moonlight clearer. Along the way, Liszt took the opportunity to bond with Mata, studying its abilities in depth to devise a training plan and begin drafting *The Orichalcum Dragon Knight—Dragon Aura Manual*.

"Mata, do you have a Copper-Plating State?"

The Copper-Plating State was an innate ability of some metal dragons—though not all possessed it. The grey cast iron dragon Ornn, for instance, lacked this instinct.

Strictly speaking, it should be called a "Gold-Plating State," a protective mechanism where metal dragons extended their innate magic to generate an outer shell of their own metal type, reinforcing their defenses. For the orichalcum dragon, this might—perhaps—also be referred to as a Copper-Plating State.

"Roar!"

Mata's response was proud—it neither possessed nor needed such an ability, as its natural defenses were already formidable enough without relying on frilly instincts.

"A shame. You may not need protection, but your rider does. In critical moments, a Copper-Plating State would turbocharge the orichalcum dragon knight's combat power." Liszt flicked one of Mata's golden scales, wondering what it would take to pierce them.

Perhaps only a full-powered strike from the *Dragon Aura Manual* could barely break through.

"Roar!" Mata was immensely proud of its impenetrable scales—and it firmly believed its golden hue was the most beautiful color, the height of draconic beauty.

Beautiful it was, but compared to Bard, whose form resembled flowing crystal, Mata was akin to new money dripping in gaudy gold.

Liszt sidestepped the comment and swiftly changed the subject: "What form does your dragon breath take? Is it a molten metal surge?"

The copper dragon's metallic torrent breath can transform into countless bullet-like metal pellets, while the grey cast iron dragon's metallic torrent breath can turn into countless blade-like iron fragments.

"Hroooar!"

Marta shook its head—its breath was a special form of magic power with incredible versatility. It could morph into a shield to block attacks, a spear to pierce enemies, or even a thin film to wrap around objects. Moreover, it could reabsorb the orichalcum transformed from its breath back into its magic power form.

Under Liszt's insistent request, Marta decided to demonstrate its breath.

Opening its maw, a golden stream of air shot forth, swiftly morphing into a massive javelin mid-flight before hurtling toward a distant mountaintop.

*Thud!*

The orichalcum javelin embedded itself deep into the mountainside, the sheer force was devastating. Then, flying low, Marta passed by the mountain, opened its mouth, and inhaled the golden stream back from the javelin's entry point, drawing it back into its body.

Though reclaimable, the process still consumed a trace amount of hyper-magic.

Of course, this amount was negligible for an adult orichalcum dragon like Marta, who had lived for two centuries and accumulated enough hyper-magic reserves to last a long time.

"An impressive technique. I've decided—this move shall be called 'Dragonbreath Terminus'!" Liszt instantly recalled *Terminator*'s T-1000, a liquid-metal shapeshifter controlled by thought.

His thoughts raced ahead: "So, Marta, can you reclaim all orichalcum, even those not originally produced by you?"

Marta shook its massive head—the orichalcum expelled through Dragonbreath Terminus retained its hyper-magic properties only briefly. After an hour, the hyper-magic would dissipate, reducing the orichalcum to mere ore and irreclaimable.

"In that case, let's make a deal? Marta, I will devote all my resources to provide for you—food, magic potions, whatever you desire. In return, could you forge me a ten-meter-long orichalcum Dragonlance now?"

He already possessed a five-meter-long alloy Dragonlance—Thunder's Rage.

While sufficient when coordinating with Bard and Ethan, Marta's eighty-meter body and seventy-five-meter wingspan made the five-meter lance laughably short. A ten-meter lance would be essential for effectively executing the Dragon Aura Manual. Since Marta had this ability, it was the perfect opportunity to craft one.

A pure orichalcum Dragonlance required no blacksmithing techniques—it was already a formidable weapon by its very composition.

Feeling Liszt's unrelenting will, Marta turned its head and stared at him.

Liszt smiled back.

Man and dragon maintained this unblinking stare for fifty kilometers, their synchronized minds locked in a stalemate. Ultimately, Marta grudgingly accepted—in the battle of wills between dragon and rider, persistence was victory, and Liszt excelled in tenacity.

With grudging acceptance, Marta opened its maw toward Liszt and exhaled a gentle golden stream of magic power. The wind shaped it into a ten-meter-long, as thick as a man's wrist Dragonlance. Its tip was a sharp cone, the shaft adorned with spiral, twisted grooves, and the tail tapered into another potential piercing point.

This ten-meter orichalcum Dragonlance was crafted precisely to Liszt's will.

Grasping it, he felt as though it might as well have weighed tons—only his formidable physique and mana support kept him upright.

He gave it an experimental swing, finding it heavy yet stable. Though unfamiliar, the grip felt perfect.

"This is the Dragonlance I've always wanted!"

Flooding it with Dragon Aura, the lance erupted in roaring crimson flames instantly, conducting mana as seamlessly as a "superconductor," without the slightest resistance.

"Marta, charge with me!"

Guided by intent, man and dragon launched into their first, somewhat uncoordinated charge, diving toward a nearby steep peak. Golden wings tucked in, they razored past the mountainside as Liszt swung the orichalcum Dragonlance, unleashing a blazing arc of energy blending draconic magic power and Dragon Aura.

The strike sheared clean through half the mountaintop in a thunderous explosion, sending boulders tumbling into the valley below and crushing countless trees.

"Now that's power!"