Chapter 126: A Truly Beautiful Thing

Garon glanced at the lava pool and then turned to look at the red dragon. After pretending to ponder for a few seconds, he said, "Indeed, there are few creatures that can withstand the temperature of this lava pool."

The red dragon snorted proudly and said, "As long as you know. Bathing in lava is a privilege of us red dragons. Don't even think about it."

On the other side, Garon smiled faintly and then stared at the proud red dragon, swiftly changing the topic, "However, I think I can withstand bathing in lava just like your kind, without getting hurt."

The red dragon was momentarily taken aback, then burst into uncontrollable laughter, its body shaking wildly.

After laughing under Garon's calm gaze for a good ten seconds, the dragon finally spoke disdainfully, "Really? I don't believe you, unless you prove it right now, in front of me, by stepping into it."

Seeing his chance, Garon grinned.

"Since you're so confident, how about we make a bet? If I can stay in the lava pool for a long time, you will serve me for a hundred years."

"Otherwise, you don't have to surrender the treasures of the Moshia Kingdom to me, and I'll even give you ten thousand gold coins."

Hearing Garon's words, the red dragon paused, then laughed again, lifting its head proudly, "You want my loyalty? You wish."

"I'll take those ten thousand gold coins in advance."

Garon nodded and said, "Then, under the witness of the Eternal Dragon Queen, let's seal the bet."

The red dragon opened its mouth to agree, but suddenly looked cautious and glared at Garon, saying, "I almost fell for your trick."

Garon's brows furrowed slightly, goading the red dragon, "Are you scared?"

The red dragon ground its fangs, puffed up its chest, and said in a deep voice, "The great Ashen Wings fear nothing!"

There was a pause in its voice as it looked at Garon with a grim face, "I'll take the bet, but you must not use any external forces, including magical abilities or spells, and rely solely on your physical body to enter the lava pool."

So it was afraid of being tricked. Garon understood what the red dragon meant by almost being deceived.

The red dragon, although arrogant, was indeed much smarter. If it were a white dragon, she probably wouldn't have thought of this.

But Garon had no intention of using protective spells anyway; his innate elemental resistance was already sufficient.

The temperature at the center of a Fireball spell is well over a thousand degrees—no lower than the natural temperature of lava.

Before using the Dragon Soul Stone, Garon could burn himself with a Fireball spell without feeling any significant pain. After the substantial growth from using the Dragon Soul Stone, he was even less concerned about such temperatures.

"No problem, I will not use spells."

Garon simply agreed to the red dragon's demand.

Immediately, the bet was set.

The red dragon looked at Garon, extended its crimson tongue, and licked its lips, saying, "Get the gold coins ready, they're all mine!"

Garon shook his head slightly, ignoring the overly confident red dragon.

As the strongest of the chromatic true dragons, almost all red dragons exhibit a confidence that borders on arrogance and conceit, and this red dragon was no exception. It was convinced that Garon could not withstand the high temperature of the lava. Although the challenge had not yet begun, it already felt victorious.

This unfounded confidence is ingrained in all red dragons, a major characteristic of theirs.

Garon turned his head towards the lava pool and moved his limbs, slowly approaching it.

After getting closer, he could smell the more intense scent of sulfur, with large amounts of white high-temperature steam swirling above the lava pool, while the bright and dangerous bubbling magma lay below.

If a regular creature accidentally fell into the lava pool, it would ignite into a torch in an instant, then turn to ashes and sink.

"Are you scared?"

"The bet has been made, unless you're not afraid of the Dragon Queen's curse and falling into hell after death, it's too late to regret it now, haha, just hand over the gold coins to me."

The red dragon, seeing Garon approaching and inspecting the lava pool, thought Garon was afraid and couldn't help but taunt him.

Garon chuckled lightly, then stepped forward. As he did, his forelimb dragon claws dipped into the thick, high-temperature magma.

The touch was warm and comfortable, like perfectly heated hot water, with heat continuously radiating from the magma, passing through the dragon scales, and nourishing the muscles underneath, making Garon feel surprisingly good.

But recalling the red dragon's confidence and mockery, a mischievous idea came to Garon's mind

.

He inhaled sharply, his brow furrowed tightly, and the fine dragon scales on his face squeezed together, as if enduring immense pain.

The red dragon continued to laugh loudly, saying, "The lava will show you what it means to overestimate yourself!"

"Just one dragon claw? Go all in."

Meanwhile, Garon's expression shifted, the previous look of pain vanished, and he muttered to himself in confusion, "Strange, I thought it would hurt at least a bit, but why does this feel so comfortable?"

He promptly leaped forward.

Splash!

His massive dragon body plunged into the lava pool, the glowing hot magma splashed around, landing on the ground and emitting thick white smoke, turning the landing area instantly black.

The red dragon's face froze.

Garon moved his dragon wings slightly, scooping up a handful of magma and pouring it over himself.

The bright, eye-catching magma slid off his silver dragon scales, and in the interplay of red and silver colors, Garon squinted his eyes, his platinum dragon pupils filled with a sense of comfort and ease.

In his sensation, the lava pool felt like a hot spring, with just the right temperature.

The heat nourished the muscles beneath his dragon scales, making him feel incredibly relaxed. Although it was not as refreshing as the tidal waves of mana felt when devouring magic stones, Garon had to admit, he did not want to leave this place for the time being.

"As you said, bathing in a lava pool is indeed a beautiful thing."

Garon looked towards the red dragon, raising his voice slightly and smiling, "Having another mature red dragon serve me for a hundred years is even more interesting than bathing in lava."

"What a wonderful day."

Outside the lava pool, the red dragon's eyes widened, incredulous as it watched Garon, unscathed, swimming and backstroking in the lava pool.

Its mouth was still wide open, but the previous arrogant laughter had ceased abruptly.

"No, impossible, there must be something wrong with the lava."

The red dragon hurried over, hopeful, and reached out its dragon claw to touch the high-temperature lava in the pool.

However, the temperature felt the same as always.

Realizing it had lost the bet and would have to give up its freedom for a hundred years, the red dragon's expression immediately fell.

It covered its eyes with its dragon claws, howling, "Ah, ah, great Ashen Wings, lord of the volcanoes, Roel, how could you serve another dragon!"

"Damn it! Damn it! My freedom! My freedom!"

"Ow!"

Red dragon Roel threw back its head and roared, its mouth shooting out hot dragon breath, which hit the ceiling of the dragon nest and burst into a bright flame.

After a round of dragon breath, it started headbutting the wall in regret, creating dents, and finally, its wings shook, stirring up a gust of wind, and it simply flew out of the dragon nest, wreaking havoc on the surroundings to vent its frustration.

Meanwhile, Garon lay back with his eyes half-closed, relaxed, his dragon wings spread to either side, his elbows slightly bent, leaning on the edge of the lava pool, enjoying the nurturing heat of the lava bath.

Listening to the thunderous noise of the red dragon causing destruction outside, he felt extremely content, and simply decided to fall asleep in this position.