260 The Beginning of Destruction (seeking Monthly Pass)
Anyone who knows the dragon clan of Faerûn about the Imasca Empire will not think of provoking them for no reason.
At this time, the Imasca Empire was at its peak, and its national power was at its peak. Countless magical artifacts were enough to level one side. The magical weapon lords were astonishingly powerful. The continent of Faerûn was huge, but the Imasca Empire occupied the entire continent.
East.
Judging from the historical information learned in Gallon.
When the Imaskar Empire fell into a war of annihilation, it was a period of prosperity and development for Netheril, which was enough to compete with the Imaskar Empire when it was at its most powerful.
But Netheril is not good at this time. If it confronts the Imaskar Empire, and without outside intervention, Netheril will be destroyed in a few days.
The Imasca Empire was so powerful at this time.
Moreover, Thorin owns a city and is considered a newly promoted lord of gadgets. Naturally, he will not show fear of Garen. Even if he knows that he is not the opponent of the silver dragon in his field of vision, the power of the empire gives him
gave him endless confidence.
"Well...I haven't seen such an arrogant person in a long time."
Garen shook his head slightly.
This guy is filled with the confidence of a citizen of the empire.
If it were an ordinary legendary true dragon, he might have left in order to avoid trouble from the Imasca Empire. After all, he was just passing through here and had no grudge against Thorin.
But what Thorin didn't know was that the target of the legendary dragon in front of him was the Imasca Empire he relied on.
"A city lord, the Duke of the Empire."
"From him, I can get a lot of information about the Imasca Empire."
After Thorin revealed his identity, Garen had no intention of letting him go.
Since this place is not far from the Imasca Empire, the battle with the legendary artifacts will cause a lot of noise and may attract the attention of the Imasca Empire, so Garen plans to fight quickly and spend some time for this.
Strength is also something that is acceptable.
The silver dragon looked at the Mechanical Titan, his eyes gradually becoming deep and dangerous.
At the same time, a power as thick as the abyss or purgatory emanated from Garen's body.
boom!
The ring-shaped dragon power condensed into substance, spreading rapidly like a Category 10 hurricane. Towering ancient trees with Gallon as the center were uprooted. Dust scattered on the ground, and cracks climbed. Such a powerful dragon power fell on it.
The Mechanical Titan's body made the behemoth made of metal machinery tremble slightly, activating the protective shield.
Looking at the mighty silver dragon in his field of vision, Thorin's heart skipped a beat and his pressure doubled.
He seemed to have offended someone he shouldn't have.
The name of the Imasca Empire did not scare the other party, but for some reason it aroused stronger hostility from the other party.
If the opponent is not afraid of the power of the empire, his mechanical titan seems insufficient to face the wrath of the legendary dragon.
"Warning, warning, large energy accumulation detected."
Under the pressure of the rising momentum of the silver dragon, the intelligence of the Mechanical Titan issued a warning frantically.
Thorin's expression darkened, and then a smile appeared on his face.
"wait........."
He planned to correct his attitude and avoid a head-on fight with the silver dragon, and then assemble an army of strange weapons to strangle it. However, before Thorin finished speaking, the intelligent warning sound of the Mechanical Titan sounded crazily again, reminding Thorin.
Lin was prepared for the opponent's attack.
"Then, come and face me."
In the deep dragon voice, the silver dragon's wings shook violently, pulling out a silver stream of light in the air, and rushed towards the Mechanical Titan with a breathtaking momentum.
Garen either doesn't do anything.
Once he decided to take down the Mechanical Titan, he used all his strength the moment he moved.
Long Might burst out with all his strength and pressed down hard, causing ripples to erupt from the energy shield around the Mechanical Titan's body, shaking in the air. If it weren't for the shield's psychic protection effect, with Thorin's senior weapon master
His mental strength will instantly lose his ability to resist under the pressure of Garen's dragon power.
at the same time.
The silver dragon, accelerated to the limit, moves so fast that it completely exceeds the target locking system of the Mechanical Titan.
When the Mechanical Titan reacted, the silver dragon, which was more than twice the size of this imperial weapon, was already close at hand, and both sides entered the other's attack range.
Boom boom boom!
At this moment, the Titan engine was overloaded and made a deafening roar, like rolling thunder in the dark clouds. A large number of creatures living in the Dragon Jaw Mountains were frightened by the sudden burst of movement, and their limbs were paralyzed.
The Mechanical Titan's chest armor opens.
Inside is a dazzling ball of light, brewing destructive power. The dazzling light it emits suppresses all the bright sunlight. A large number of energy particles emerge in the surrounding space, and are sucked into the chest of the mechanical titan, increasing the energy at an extremely rapid rate.
grade.
It aimed at the astonishingly fast silver dragon and was ready to go.
However, something unexpected happened.
The silver dragon that had just managed to catch traces of its figure suddenly disappeared. At the same time, the world in the eyes of the Mechanical Titan was spinning. The clear sky appeared directly above the Mechanical Titan, and the solid earth was beneath it.
The Mechanical Titan fell to the ground, with a large hole in its chest.
The energy source inside was taken out.
"Warning, warning, the Mechanical Titan is under unknown attack, the Titan engine cannot be detected, and has lost the ability to move."
Without the energy core of the Titan Engine, the Mechanical Titan has no energy to drive, and the warning sounds issued by the intelligence are getting weaker and weaker.
Thorin, who had been observing the situation nervously, was stunned.
In his opinion, the Mechanical Titan had not yet come into contact with the enemy. It was as if his eyes were dazzled. The Mechanical Titan, which was intact just a moment ago, fell to the ground in the next moment. Many things seemed to have happened in the middle that Thorin was completely unaware of.
.
"What...what's going on?"
The legendary level mechanical titan was defeated instantly. Such a strange situation, what happened in Thorin's eyes made him shudder.
He is a high-level artificer, not an ordinary person, and he also controls the Mechanical Titan, a masterpiece of the empire.
The Mechanical Titan could easily defeat ordinary legendary creatures, but it had no ability to resist as its armor was broken open and its engine was pulled out.
It was precisely because of this that Thorin knew how terrifying the other party really was.
Immediately, the sun suddenly dimmed, and a huge and majestic dragon head covered the sky, appearing in his field of vision at close range.
The powerful dragon claws reached out and grabbed the mechanical titan's head.
The gaze of the platinum dragon pupil seemed to penetrate the armor and fell indifferently on Duke Thorin, putting tremendous pressure on him. The temperature in the cabin was obviously suitable, but Duke Thorin's back was already wet with sweat.
Garen began to exert force.
Click, click, click... Clusters of crack marks appeared on the head of the Mechanical Titan, and the surrounding armor gradually dented under Garen's power.
Amidst the harsh sound of twisted metal, several children were frightened awake.
The countess hugged her child tightly and looked at her backbone, Duke Thorin.
"Please forgive me, I will give you enough treasure to redeem my life!"
Duke Thorin shouted.
He had just become a Duke, he was still young, and he didn't want to die inexplicably at the claws of the dragon.
Galleon made a move.
"Do you want to come out on your own, or do you want to be caught by me?"
He said without emotion.
laugh!
With a faint sound, the armor on the forehead of the Mechanical Titan opened again.
Duke Thorin's frail body was exposed to Garen's claws.
Garen grinned.
Under Thorin's nervous gaze, the silver dragon grabbed it with one claw and held it between his fingers.
After breaking away from the protection of the mechanical titan and facing the super giant legendary dragon at close range, Thorin truly realized his own insignificance. In the dragon's claws, he tried to struggle, but the huge dragon claws did not move at all.
Like mountains.
At this time, Duke Thorin saw another claw of the silver dragon.
Stab, sting... In the flickering electric sparks, the heart of the mechanical Titan, the Titan engine that had been pulled out was in another dragon's claw, and the runes of strange weapons were looming.
"I am the Duke of Imasca Empire and the Lord of Maple Leaf City."
"I have tremendous wealth."
Duke Thorin took a few deep breaths and bit his lip to calm down.
As long as there is a dragon, there is no one who does not love treasures. He plans to use the dragon's greed for treasures to stabilize it first, and then find an opportunity to report this dangerous and huge creature to the empire and request troops to encircle and suppress it.
"As long as you spare my life, I swear to you with the honor of the Duke of the Empire, Maple Leaf City's hundred years of accumulation will become your wealth."
"And, I will assure you that the Imasca Empire will not cause you any trouble afterwards."
"On the contrary, I hope to gain the friendship of the legendary dragon, and I will be given treasures every year from now on."
In the claws of the dragon, Thorin calmed down and talked.
However, Garen just stared at him with calm eyes and showed no reaction or expression to his words.
The gaze that looked like a giant dragon doubled Thorin's pressure.
Without saying a word, the silent silver dragon also gave him a bad premonition.
Thorin paused for a few seconds, then cheered up and continued: "If you kill me, it will not do you any good."
"The empire will not ignore the death of a duke. In order to maintain the inviolable majesty of the empire, you will face pursuit from the imperial army."
"I believe that the wise dragon will make the right choice."
Thorin once again put forward the support of the Imasca Empire.
What he said is actually correct.
After all, he is a duke, the lord of a city, and already a member of the Imasca Empire's great aristocracy. If Thorin suddenly disappears, the Imasca Empire will definitely send someone to investigate.
Unfortunately, Thorin met Garen.
"I think there is a third option."
Garen's voice was low and he said calmly.
Thorin was slightly startled.
"Please tell me."
Thorin was no longer as nervous as he was at the beginning, because he discovered that this legendary dragon didn't seem to want to kill him. Otherwise, under the dragon's claws, the other party could kill him with just a little force. If he wanted to kill him, he would have done it long ago.
.
"Betray your empire and serve me."
Garen got straight to the point and said directly.
Thorin's expression stiffened.
Betrayal of the Empire... The Imasca Empire punishes betrayers very harshly.
Once his treachery is discovered, his entire clan will be immediately demoted as slaves.
There are slaves in Maple Leaf City. Thorin knows very well how the Imasca Empire treats slaves. The slaves in the empire do not have any human rights. They are worse than pigs and dogs. They can kill and abuse them at will.
The Masca Empire is a paradise for the artificer nobles and a hell for slaves.
As for himself, he will enjoy the most severe punishment methods in the empire.
After death, the soul will be extracted and tortured for eternity.
You can't live, you can't die.
Thorin opened his mouth, wanting to discuss other possibilities with Garen.
"Your Majesty Dragon, I..."
Garon interrupted the Duke's words.
"You have no choice."
"Betray the empire and be loyal to me, you can still go back and be your city lord."
"Be loyal to the empire and disobey my will, then only eternal death awaits you."
Garen's words were clear and clear.
His words were calm and dangerous.
In the dragon's claw, Thorin's face showed a look of struggle under the silver dragon's irrefutable voice.
The glory of the empire, personal life and death, the dignity of the family... Thorin's brain was so confused that he couldn't make a choice for a while.
It was as if two little people were noisy in his mind.
"Thorin, you enjoy all the privileges of the empire. You should not betray the empire. Only cowards betray their own empire."
"Betrayal? People should only be loyal to themselves. Nothing is more important than themselves. Face your heart. You don't want to die for the empire."
"Think about the empire's training in you and its trust in you."
"Are you willing to give up your privileged life? You have just become a duke and your future is bright."
"And there is always someone who wants to betray the empire, why can't it be you?"
"............"
A few minutes later, Thorin was still having a fierce inner struggle.
However, from the moment he hesitated, Garen knew Thorin's decision deep in his heart.
People who are truly loyal to the empire will decisively refuse, hesitate, hesitate, and think the moment they hear his request... These all show Thorin's attitude. He is not someone who puts the safety of the empire at risk.
People who are above their own lives.
Garen planned to add fuel to Thorin's wavering heart.
The dragon claw holding Thorin slowly tightened.
The squeezing force coming from all directions caused Thorin's complexion to change drastically.
"Those who are loyal to the empire, I respect your choice."
"Now, I grant you death."
Death's scythe has reached Thorin's neck and is slowly approaching.
In the danger of death, Thorin's wavering heart instantly made the final choice.
He chose to be true to himself.
"Wait a minute, Lord Dragon."
Thorin hesitated for a moment, then lowered his head under the calm gaze of the silver dragon, and changed his words: "Master... Master, I am willing to be loyal to you."
"Very good, you made the right choice."
Gallon said.
In the Dragon's Claw, Thorin was relieved after making the decision, and his demeanor suddenly relaxed a lot.
"Swear under the witness of the Dragon of Eternity and Time, you will be loyal to me and become my loyal minion."
Thorin made a vow.
After he finished speaking, he felt something in his heart and knew the miserable consequences of breaking his oath. This meant that the witness of his oath was a god-like existence.
Immediately, Garen planted a time mark on Thorin.
Under Galen's deliberate methods, a feeling of being watched permeated Thorin's heart, lingering like a shadow.
Thorin himself is a high-level weapon master, not a weakling.
But even though he knew that some kind of mark had been left on him, he couldn't even detect any trace of the time mark. Thinking about the mysterious fall of the Mechanical Titan, he couldn't understand Garen's unfathomable methods.
I couldn't help but feel even more afraid.
Garen let go of the dragon's claw.
Looking down at Duke Thorin who surrendered to him, Garen said solemnly: "Tell me what you know about the Seven Secret Weapons of Imasca."
Thorin was slightly startled.
It turns out that I came here for the Imasca Empire, and I also hoped that the empire's prestige could repel the enemy... Duke Thorin smiled bitterly.
He is not stupid.
The giant silver dragon showed its fangs, and its target was clear.
"The seven secret weapons of the empire, four of which are controlled by the imperial royal family."
"The remaining three secret weapons are under the control of the three great weapon lords. We are both dukes, but our status in the empire is incomparable."
"The first secret weapon of Imaskar is a crown, held by the emperor of the empire."
"The Crown of Imaskar can forcibly control all the artifacts in the empire. It is a symbol of supreme power and is enough to suppress the rebellion of any artificer."
"The Second Secret Weapon of Imaska............"
Since you want to sell, sell it thoroughly.
The Imaskar Empire will not forgive betrayers, so Thorin has no choice but to try to believe that the silver dragon in front of him has the strength to compete with the Empire.
Gradually, Thorin told Garen everything he knew about the secret weapon.
Garen then asked a lot about other information about the Imasca Empire, such as the powerful weapon creations, how many legendary level weapon masters there are, etc.
As the Duke of the Empire, Thorin knows quite a lot.
As he told it, the image of the Imasca Empire gradually took shape in Garen's mind.
After listening, Garen narrowed his eyes slightly, thinking about how to get the secret weapon of Imask.
Especially the Imaskar Crown.
"The Imasca Empire is at its peak at this time. There are thousands of weapon lords, most of whom are legendary weapon masters, and there are also a large number of weapons such as mechanical titans to guard the city...
.. If you want to get the secret weapon by robbing it, it will be as difficult as reaching the sky."
Thorin's Maple Leaf City alone has twelve mechanical titans.
If he hadn't left the city alone to control a mechanical Titan in order to kill his brother, Garen wouldn't have captured an Imperial Duke so easily, and Maple Leaf City was not considered a big city in the Imasca Empire.
The Ordnance Corps in the capital of the Imasca Empire described by Thorin made Garondo fearful.
Garen's eyes swept across the Mechanical Titan, sizing up this strange mechanical creation.
"The Mechanical Titan is only in the middle and lower reaches of the legendary level of magical creations... The military strength of the Imasca Empire is worthy of the name of the empire."
"If I want to get the secret weapon of the empire, I may have to wait until the Imasca Empire encounters a strong enemy and fish in troubled waters."
Garen didn't know when the Imasca Empire would decline.
The current Imasca Empire shows no sign of decline at all. It is the largest power in eastern Faerûn. And according to Thorin, the Imasca Empire royal family is no longer satisfied with the existing territory and plans to expand its influence to Faerûn.
March in other directions on the continent to unify the continent.
"The Imasca Empire has this strength."
"However, when it was destroyed, it was still not the only overlord of Faerûn."
Garen thought silently relying on the information he had.
"The Imasca Empire has the strength to become a continental hegemon. They also have this idea now, but they failed."
A breeze blew past the fallen leaves.
"This means that when they were planning to conquer Faerun, they encountered some kind of change."
"Perhaps, this is the opportunity that leads to the destruction of the empire."
Garen combed through the details.
He wasn't sure if his idea was right, but judging from the information he had now, he felt it was very possible.
If some changes had not occurred and the Imaskar Empire was now expanding, Netheril would have no chance to develop, and the future Floating City Empire would cease to exist.
With the strength of this strange weapon empire, there is no force in Faerûn that can resist them at this time.
So the question is, what happened that caused the Imaskar Empire to fail in its expansion and become stranded in the eastern part of Faerûn?
Garen thought silently.
"Thorin, when will the Imasca Empire begin to expand?"
Thorin thought for a while and said: "The empire is getting stronger and stronger. The lords of miraculous weapons are hoarding countless miraculous weapons. The existing territory of the empire can no longer satisfy the royal family and lords. There are conflicts among the lords of miraculous weapons.
It’s getting worse and worse, and the friction is constant.”
"In order to alleviate the conflicts within the empire, the war of conquest is about to begin."
"The royal family has not issued specific instructions."
"But according to my estimation, the empire will launch a war and expand to other places within one year at the earliest and three years at the latest."
As an Ordnance Lord, he has just taken office, so although he is among the weakest among them, Thorin still understands the situation in the empire relatively well.
Listening to Thorin's words, Garen was thoughtful.
"Repair the Mechanical Titan and return to your territory."
"When I need you, I will naturally notify you."
"Your mission is to keep your position as Duke, while increasing your influence within the empire and gaining more trust and intelligence from the imperial royal family. If necessary, I will provide you with support."
Garen said in a deep voice.
As night fell, the newly minted Lord of Artifacts returned to his territory.
"The next step is to wait."
Garen knew that he could not shake the Imasca Empire.
But its decline and destruction are destined, and Garen only needs to wait, waiting for the Imasca Empire to provoke their real enemy.
With Thorin as a chess piece, he can know the trends of the Imasca Empire in advance, and then choose the most appropriate time to take action based on what he knows about the future.
This may take a long time.
However, what Galleon lacks most is time, especially within this timeline.
The patient hunter crouched down, waiting in the darkness for his prey to weaken.