Chapter 33: Borrowing Books and the Giant Roc

Muria rode atop a giant roc, its feathers shimmering with a light like that of a rainbow, streaking across the skies above the Titan Islands. The howling wind whipped through Muria's black hair as it fluttered freely.

Under the swift flight of the roc, the scenery Muria saw rapidly receded, but even with a speed approaching that of sound, Muria could still make out the surroundings clearly, his dynamic vision now monstrous in capability.

Soon, Muria arrived at the edge of the Titan Islands on the giant roc. Although still far away, he could see the extravagantly luxurious crystal castle shimmering under the sunlight.

As Muria approached, a group of golden bipedal dragons from all directions surrounded him, seemingly intending to attack and expel him from the airspace of the crystal castle.

With an angry cry, the roc's eyes blazed with fury. Despite being powerful mutants infected with the power of the Gold Dragon Mother and measuring eighteen meters in length, these bipedal dragons were still considered mere food in the eyes of the roc.

The roc, a golden-tier monster with a wingspan of eighty meters, regarded these golden-tiered bipedal dragons, which had merely touched the threshold of gold through mutation and evolution, as nothing more than sustenance.

"Do not attack; this is a relative of my mother," Muria gently stroked the feathers on the neck of the roc, calming its emotions. He knew the roc could understand him. Golden-tier monsters, save for their inability to speak, had an intelligence level comparable to that of humans.

This was why Muria could ride atop this proud bird. The roc had once felt the strength of the legendary Titan that could easily tear it apart, a fear of Ansol. Hence, Muria, who shared the same aura, could easily mount it.

"Back off!" After calming the roc, Muria released his own aura and scolded the surrounding golden dragons, mere subspecies dragons corrupted by the power of the Gold Dragon Mother, Atelis.

With roars echoing, Muria's mixed bloodline power of the Titan spread, though faint and insufficient to exert any oppressive effect, the golden dragons, as the kin of the Gold Dragon Mother, still felt the innate suppression from the bloodline.

The dragon group emitted successive fearful roars, their eyes filled with awe as they quickly dispersed, changing from a surrounding formation to a guarding one.

"Get out of my way!" At the periphery of the dragon group, an exasperated voice sounded. A stout dragon, twenty meters long and significantly larger than the typical dragons, appeared. It used its wings and claws in a wildly aggressive manner to push through the dragons blocking its path.

Then, the Golden Dragon Leader Barton, who had taught Muria to fly and left a deep impression on him, arrived: "Lord Muria, welcome back!"

"Ha ha!" Muria laughed, pointing at the surrounding dragons and teasing Barton, "This doesn't look like a welcome back to me."

"Uh, Lord Muria, please forgive us." Dragon Leader Barton grinned awkwardly. "These dragons aren't the ones I used to command. They've grown up in the half-plane opened by Lady Atelis and haven't seen you or remembered your scent."

"Oh!" Hearing this, Muria nodded in understanding. Then, accompanied by the Dragon Leader, he landed on the platform of the crystal castle.

"Hasn't been here for a while, and the island has completely changed. If not for the castle still standing, I would hardly recognize it," Muria said, looking down at the completely transformed island below with a sense of emotion.

In just a few months, the buildings left by the giants had become desolate and ruined, with most turning into rubble, including the arena built specifically for Muria, which was now full of pits and bumps.

The dragon beasts that burst out of the half-plane of the Gold Dragon Mother Atelis, many of which had taken residence in the buildings left by the giants. Many large dragon beasts, out of mere curiosity, wandered in. With their strong physiques, they bulldozed through, creating paths through the giants' architectural complexes.

Thus, the buildings constructed by the giants who came to live on the island because of Muria's birth were nearly destroyed by these golden dragon beasts, leaving no trace of civilization. Aside from the Gold Dragon Mother's crystal castle, the island had turned into a wilderness.

"Lord Muria, welcome back." As Muria and the roc landed on the castle's platform, he saw two red dragons in armor sleeping atop a tower of the castle.

Not far away, the blond head maid, Sophia, approached him with a team of maids, bowing respectfully to greet him.

"Sophia, you're still the same after all these years. It's good," Muria said, seeing the familiar blond girl, a smile on his face. "Is my mother in the castle now?"

"Lady Atelis has gone out, Lord Muria."

"Off to do good deeds again?" Muria mused, rubbing his chin. He always felt that the Gold Dragon Mother's enthusiasm for righteousness wasn't just due to the nature of gold dragons but also because of the dragons' greed. After all, powerful evil is never associated with poverty. In Erathia, doing good deeds is also a way to wealth.

"I'll try doing good deeds myself in the future!" Muria muttered, then turned to Sophia, "This time, I came to borrow some books from the library. I'll leave soon."

"Of course, Lord Muria. You can take any books you wish to read. Lady Atelis has already instructed us," replied Head Maid Sophia. "Please follow me."

Looking at Sophia leading the way, Muria tugged at the corner of his mouth, "Sophia, I remember the way to the library. You can go do your thing. I know you're busy."

"Then, please allow me to take my leave first. Let this team of maids follow you," Sophia said upon hearing Muria's words, promptly excusing herself. She truly was busy, managing over a thousand maids in the castle.

Then, Muria left the roc on the castle platform and entered the castle with a team of maids, heading to the library to look for books related to magic circles.

"How come there are so many?" Muria looked at the fifteen-meter-tall bookshelf in front of him, filled with books written in various languages, feeling a bit dizzy.

"Lord Muria, if you need books related to magic circles, all the books on this section of bookshelves are what you need. The bookshelf in front of you is just one of them," a dragon maid behind Muria explained, pointing out a series of bookshelves to him.

"This... is way too much," Muria said, speechless at the sight of the bookshelves in this section. The bookshelves in the Gold Dragon Mother's library held at least eight thousand to ten thousand books each, with some even more. The dragon maid's gesture suggested there were millions of books.

"I've been meaning to ask, where did my mother get all these books from?" Muria turned to the dragon maid. The volume of books in the Gold Dragon Mother Atelis's collection could aptly be described as vast as the sea, an incredible amount.

"Uh, Lord Muria, I'm just a maid, so I'm not quite sure," the dragon maid in front of him said apologetically, then she sneakily glanced around, noticing the other dragon maids were busy counting books for Muria and not paying attention to them.

Then, the maid lowered her voice, "However, I've heard some rumors that most of Lady Atelis's collection was amassed rapidly after she became legendary. It's said that she acquired them through conquest. Whether it's true or not, I can't say."

"I see." Muria nodded, believing the dragon maid's rumor to be mostly true. It seemed like the real story, at least partly.

In his previous life, the phrase "knowledge is power" was equally applicable in Erathia. At least in the eyes of the gold dragons, rare knowledge was a valuable treasure.

...Finally, Muria left the crystal castle with a space ring filled with books, totaling over thirteen thousand. These books covered the basics of magic circles and did not delve into too profound content, suitable for a beginner like him, despite the overwhelming quantity.

"Hmm, how did you guys follow me here?" Muria, with the space ring, arrived at the castle platform, somewhat surprised to see the five storm giants and their mount, the roc.

"Your Highness," the five storm giants saluted, then one of them spoke, "We are your followers. It is our duty to guard you, so please make sure to notify us the next time you leave."

"Alright then!" Muria smacked his lips and nodded in agreement. He saw no reason to refuse; having a procession of giants every time he went out did have its appeal.

The six rocs took to the skies, and Muria, along with the five storm giants, returned to the Wudang Island's Five-colored Dragon Castle within minutes. When Muria dismounted the roc, one of the storm giants with a slightly embarrassed expression approached him.

"Your Highness!" The pale giant first saluted Muria, then hesitated, looking at the roc behind Muria.

"Coo!" At that moment, the roc behind Muria lowered its head, nuzzling the eighteen-meter-tall storm giant affectionately.

"This is your partner, huh." Muria realized what was happening and praised, "Your roc is quite fast."

"Your Highness!" Hearing Muria's praise, the storm giant's expression became even more conflicted, looking pained, "If you wish, I could..."

"No, I don't want it," Muria interrupted before the giant could finish, "I just borrowed it for a ride to save time. In a while, my flying speed won't be much different from the roc's."

Saying this, Muria fluttered the dragon wings on his back; he was a creature born with wings, after all.

"Take good care of your partner. Support each other," Muria said before leaving, smiling at the storm giant who was excitedly caressing the roc.

"Rocs, reaching golden fifth tier upon maturity." Muria recalled the relevant information, "Riding one for now is not bad, but in the future, it won't be able to keep up with me. If I'm to choose a mount, it must at least be capable of reaching legendary strength in the future. Otherwise, it won't catch my eye!"

This week, my state has been unstable, so I feel the quality of the updates has been poor. However, these chapters are transitional and necessary.

As for why my state is unstable, it's because this book's performance this week has been disappointing. To describe this week's performance: it started high, then higher, followed by a drop, and finally, it crashed to the ground, causing friction.

So, I'm feeling quite frustrated... Constant mediocre or poor performance is better than such drastic fluctuations.

By the way, in a few chapters, one of the main character's real "golden thighs" will make an appearance...