Chapter 403

Chapter 26 The Legend of the Great Dragon Part 2

“The painting you see depicts the red dragon recorded most in detail in the Book of Revelation. In later generations, we refer to it as the ‘Red Dragon of Revelation.’ According to records, this dragon was once the king among dragons, nearly causing the extinction of humanity. It led countless powerful dragons to provoke conflicts, plunder human cities and villages on a large scale, burning countless homes, and justified these actions as ‘righteousness.’ If not for the great favor of our deities, perhaps after the age of divine presence, there would be no humans left in this world.”

“Oh, here we go again… This old man clearly isn’t part of the church.” Beaudry whispered beside me.

I frowned but didn’t respond.

“Now, let us set aside the hatred between races and view this ferocious giant beast from a biological perspective… Yes, you have noticed; it does not have four claws and two wings like those legends say. This dragon’s body is as red as flames, with seven heads and ten horns, each adorned with crowns. Calling it a dragon, it resembles more of a savage giant serpent. However, in many paintings from later generations, the Red Dragon of Revelation is often depicted with bat-like wings…”

“Somewhere along the way, in people’s imaginations, the image of dragons gradually became uniform, with all having four legs, huge horns on their heads, long thick necks, sharp teeth, long tails, and enormous bat-like wings, covered in scales, capable of spewing fire or poison… Although there are slight differences in appearance across various works, generally speaking, in people’s hearts, the legendary dragons are mostly a fixed image.”

“People living in the Holy City wouldn’t think so…”

Beaudry was mumbling again, and even Puff couldn’t stop him.

I looked straight ahead, but under the table, I stretched my hand out, palm up. After a moment, a puff was placed in my hand.

The old man had just walked past us.

He continued calmly, “The reason for this is largely due to the creators of those works, who lack imagination and enjoy borrowing from each other, thus solidifying people’s perceptions. Of course, they do this because there are very few books remaining that provide detailed descriptions of dragons, leading most people to have very limited understanding of them.”

“In fact, not all dragons look like that. So-called four-legged, bat-winged dragons are actually lower-ranking dragons within the dragon race, the easiest for humans to kill on the battlefield. The true powerhouses among the dragons usually have much larger bodies, more terrifying appearances, often with more than one head, capable of spewing fire, frost, lightning, poison, or even powers beyond our comprehension. They may not have wings but can still soar through the sky…”

“Teacher! How big are such dragons?”

A student raised their hand, and the old man answered immediately.

“This is precisely what I will discuss next. The lower-ranking dragons, such as fire dragons, red dragons, and white dragons, when fully grown, are typically between fifteen and forty meters in length. These dragons’ forms do not differ much from those described in stories. However, some more powerful beings, based on their size, are often only in their juvenile stage at twenty or thirty meters. As adults, they usually grow over a hundred meters long, and some even exceed five hundred meters in length…”

Five hundred meters…

Juvenile stage…

I thought of Big White again.

If the old man is correct, it’s clear that Big White doesn’t resemble those ‘lower-ranking dragons.’ But if it is the king among dragons, why did I see it… If I remember correctly, even standing up, Big White was probably only around twenty to thirty meters tall.

Juvenile stage…

Could Big White actually be a young dragon?

Thinking this, I gently patted Beaudry sitting beside me, “Hey, have you ever been to the Holy City?”

Beaudry was secretly eating under the table, hurriedly swallowing his food when he heard me speak.

“The Holy City? I’ve lived there since I was a child… The Williams family was very strict with children. When I was young, I always wanted to go outside, but Cardinal Saint George… Oh, my grandfather wouldn’t allow it. My mother’s words were useless, and the monks watched me like prisoners, making me memorize boring things like doctrines and dogmas, which is why I—”

“Stop,” I interrupted him rather impatiently.

This person talks too much… Who asked you all that?

“Have you seen the corpse of the Saint George Dragon?”

I frowned and asked, and Beaudry nodded.

“Yes.”

“How big was it?”

“Very big.”

My frown deepened, “Very big, how big?”

“Half the size of a church. When I first saw it as a child, I was so scared I cried. At that time—”

“How many meters?”

“…As far as I remember, three hundred and fifty-two meters.”

“Oh.”

Three hundred and fifty-two meters…

How big could Big White grow when it reaches adulthood…

It might be the real white Godzilla.

“…Not all dragons have a layer of tough scales covering their bodies. Although most of the great dragons indeed do, there are exceptions. For instance, over a hundred years ago, the church found an ancient fragment in some ruins near the Holy Wall. According to the contents of the scroll, one could roughly piece together a description of a tremendously powerful dragon that appeared during the age of divine presence.”

“Before the Abyss appeared, it was once the most prosperous gathering place for humans, the fertile land of Cartelgarin, with countless wealthy cities. However, one day, a disaster struck. They encountered an extremely rare and powerful dragon. According to the fragment’s record, its body was as tall as a mountain, its head blocking out the sun,

Each step brought about earth-shattering tremors, its forelimbs were short and slender, with goat horns entwined atop its head, capable of bipedal walking, moving through clouds and mist as if playing in water. Its entire body was covered in white fur that could store lightning, and from its mouth emerged a blinding white light that could destroy cities…

…

My heart was shocked, unable to hold back the widening of my eyes.

The image the old man described might not be vivid, but I knew it very well.

That was Dabai! There was no mistake, it was definitely Dabai!

A sudden thought surged through me, but I immediately rejected it.

No, it wasn’t…

This happened a thousand years ago… If Dabai was a juvenile… then that dragon, at the very least, had to be a relative of Dabai!

Maybe even its father!

But why would it destroy cities…

“What’s wrong?”

Beaumont seemed to sense something and turned to ask me.

I shook my head, not speaking, suppressing the emotions churning inside me, and continued listening to the old man.

“… Such existences beyond imagination, we do not know how many there are. It’s hard to imagine what kind of harsh environment humans lived in back then, to survive in such conditions. Before the era of divine miracles and order, our people must have had immense courage to face such terrifying beings and engage in fierce battles… Fortunately, no matter how powerful the dragons were initially, or how invincible they seemed, they are all gone from this world now…”

“Teacher.”

A student interrupted him: “Is the homeland of the dragons really real?”

The old man hesitated for a moment after hearing this.

“… Regarding the homeland of the dragons, it is not the content I intended to discuss in this class, nor does it belong to the field of biology. But since someone has asked, I will briefly talk about it, just as a personal opinion… Actually, I don’t know much either, so you can take it as a story…”

The old man slowly walked around the classroom, then stood on the podium, thought for a moment, as if considering his words, and then said: “It is rumored… just a rumor. Last year, in Woodville Forest of Silgay, someone claimed to have seen a dragon… yes, a white dragon. And many villagers there reportedly worshiped it as a dragon deity… which is why some say that the homeland of the dragons is actually in Silgay. This may be the only clue we currently have about the homeland of the dragons. Of course, such clues are not reliable.”

Ah…

He actually heard about these things…

“哗——”

As soon as the old man finished speaking, the classroom erupted in a commotion.

“Really? Does the homeland of the dragons really exist?”

“Teacher, aren’t dragons evil? Why would they be worshipped as gods?”

“Wouldn’t that be disrespectful to the gods?”

“I’ve seen some books referring to those evil dragons as ‘sacred dragons’…”

The students spoke in a flurry, full of questions, with countless hands raised. Seeing this, the old man smiled and lowered his hand to signal everyone to quiet down.

“Although it’s not appropriate to say this, whether they are evil or not… our definition is only for humans. However, I am a biologist, and today I will teach you about biological knowledge. Life… doesn’t really have a concept of good or evil, it’s just natural selection…”

When he said these words, the students below began to discuss more and more loudly, many whispering to each other. Clearly, not everyone could accept his viewpoint, but the old man did not force them.

He continued: “As for ‘sacred dragons,’ according to the Book of Revelation, that term was actually used by ancient alien races. In some ancient documents, it mentions disputes during the age of the gods, when humans once captured many aliens. Some… inappropriate content was also learned from those captured aliens, and recorded by someone…”

The old man’s expression gradually showed hesitation.

But he still went on to speak.

“Many years ago, it is said that dragons were once known as ‘the guardians of the world.’ They were also messengers of the gods, children of the earth, with their own tribes, and even a language… Those were times long before humans existed, so we cannot verify their truth. I shouldn’t really be saying these things; you can just take them as idle talk… Most of those records I’ve only seen a small part of, most are just baseless rumors and should not be taken seriously… Academic research requires rigor…”

“Like when I heard that Miss Silvija fought against the endless abyss, that white dragon, which was worshiped by the villagers as a dragon god, even came out to help… Such absurd rumors, when you go out, you must learn to distinguish them. Remember, as scholars, you should believe in what is credible and not blindly believe others… Alright, let’s stop here. Next, let’s turn to page…”

“Paillot,” Beaumont gently nudged my arm, “Is what he said true?”

I turned my head: “What are you talking about?”

“You fought dragons in Silgay?”

“… No.”

“But your eyes tell me you’re lying.”

“No.”

“Then what did the dragon look like?”

“I don’t know.”

“Tsk…”

Beaumont clicked his tongue slightly and stopped asking.

Yes, this guy knows my identity.

A few days ago, at dusk, after class, Beaumont and I were walking along the narrow path to the cafeteria. He mentioned the battle in front of the royal city, and I wasn’t interested in replying. Unexpectedly, he suddenly asked, “Didn’t you fight Nero fiercely back then?”

Since then, I understood.

This guy really knows everything.

…………

Not long after, the lesson ended.

It was time for lunch again.