Chapter 40: Chapter 39: State of the continent

{Darganth}

Sitting on the throne I created atop the ruined remains of the kings palace, I watched Vagha's group nervously eying me. Ever since I teleported to them and sat down with Jennia on my lap and Allaire next to me, I left them to their nervousness. Having decided to let them suffer for a few minutes, I had focused my attention on my two wives.

“I think you should deal with them, their nervous stares are getting annoying.” Allaire said to me after some time.

Her words caused them to suddenly developing a strong interest for random objects around them. Chuckling at this reaction, I thought for a moment.

“Alright.” I said, causing their attention to return to me.

“Two things. First, your punishment will be five years imprisonment in the Steel mountains. Be happy that nothing happened and that I am in a good mood.” My words made them exhale a breath of relieve. Five years are nothing for a dragon, some dragons would even spend more time continuously sleeping.

“Second, I want to know everything about the continents current situation. While I have a general idea, I don't know any details. I don't want to land in an unforeseen situation on the way to the dragon peaks so focus on such things.” I said.

Seeing all ten of them look at each other slightly helpless, I sigh. I expected them to not know too much, but from the looks of it they don't know anything about the current situation. While dragons had always kept their distance from other races, I and most others always kept an eye one them.

“Orynth is probably the better person to ask for this, we never really bothered with the affairs of the other species.” Vagha said after noticing my displeasure.

“It seems that I will have to. But you will at least know somewhat, or?” I asked, to which they nodded.

“Then at tell me that. Orynth may have something to do, so the less time I he needs to help me the better.”

After I finished my words, they started discussing amongst them who knows the most and would thus be the best to answer my questions. Watching their discussion going nowhere for over two minutes, I decided to interrupt them.

“Just start, you can always add things at the end.” I told them impatiently.

“Alright, I will start.” Siuring said after a short moment.

Listening to him describing the state of the continent made me realize once more how weak this world is compared to others. But this weakness has the benefit of allowing a situation to develop that would have been near impossible in most other worlds. Of course the presence of the Void clan helped greatly, but it isn't the only cause.

As I already knew, the central continent is currently divided between five large factions, mostly separated between the different species. In the north it was mainly the beastmen that were in control, with the current beastmen emperor ruling from a city nearly straight south from here. Apparently there were even some other exclaves where one of the other species ruled at the coast of the beastmen territory, most being similar to this peninsula.

This was despite the beastmen emperor being the second most powerful one among the five of them, a being that could easily conquer these small territories. The reason why he didn't was that despite his strength, he had little actual authority over his supposed subjects. His rule over the different beastmen kingdoms in the north existed only in name, with them listening to his orders only rarely and him not bothering to defend them. Only when one of the other powers launches a large scale attack against them does he defend them.

This stood in stark contrast to the other species, especially the elves and dwarfs. Even the human and beast rulers held more sway amongst their subjects despite the two groups being those with the most infighting.

In the case of beasts it came down to the fact that they respected the strong and as the beast empress was not just the strongest beast living on the continent but also the strongest of the five emperors. She is even rumored to have lived for nearly a hundred thousand years, something that is rare even among beasts with their rather long lifespan.

The human king meanwhile had most of his authority despite the infighting from the same source as the latter. This source is the support of both empires back on the human continent. Compared to the beast continent where the two groups have a vastly different strength and the elf and dwarf continent where both groups live in relative harmony, both empires were similarly strong and bitter enemies.

This leads both to try and expand their influence as much as possible, with the central continent being the prime target. Nearly all human countries are under the control of either of the two, with both supporting the emperor as a defense against the other races. In return he only intervenes in this fight when he deems it necessary, meaning that if he gives out orders they are being followed.

And even with these conflicts limiting the potential of humans of the continent, this relative unity against outside threads allows them to compete for the spot of most powerful race. Their emperor may only be the fourth strongest, but they have far more mythical ranks that every other race due to their higher population.

The only race that could rival them are the beasts, mainly due to their higher individual strength and longer lifespan, allowing more mythical ranks compared to the others due to them living longer.

The elves were meanwhile the polar opposite from the humans, having nearly no infighting but also nearly no unity. This wasn't even due to a lack of respect towards their empress, quite the contrary. Of all races the elves probably follow their empress with the most loyalty, but their territory is extremely scattered.

This was due to nearly all of them being wood elves, something that surprised me. Compared to high or dark elves, the two most common ones, it is rare to find wood elves being the dominant ones. The former two commonly build kingdoms and cities not too different from those of the other humanoid races, granting them an advantage, especially on worlds with other kingdoms.

Wood elves on the other hand prefer smaller and more dispersed settlements deep in the woods, cutting them off from the outside world. They were often similarly powerful as the other two groups, but they rarely showed it.

But after a bit of thought, this started to make sense to me. Wood elves had an intrinsic connection to nature, especially with mana trees. While their growth would be slow in an environment like this, once a group of wood elves managed to protect one for long enough they would be safe nearly indefinitely.

Even I preferred to keep from causing trouble with a mana tree that developed sentience, though only after it also reached godhood. While it was a fight that I was nearly always guaranteed to win, their power draws from the very world they stand on. While this would only show its true worth once the tree becomes a world tree, it was already enough.

According to Siurin, there is only one known mana tree that gained sentience on this continent and it stands at the center of the elven capital. Even though she isn't a wood elf, the empress had apparently gained it recognition and a part of its power.

This coupled with the other elven cities spread over the continent being protected by at least one mythical rank elf that could wield at least some power from that cities mana tree gave them a unique position. Offensively, the elves are undoubtedly the weakest of the races. Even as a whole, they would probably struggle against even half of the military might of any of the others.

But taking even one of these cities was a near impossible task. The deep woods that disrupt any coordination, powerful enchantments powered by a mana tree, a mythical rank with near limitless mana and lastly the tree itself. I don't even see all fire dragons on this continent together getting past that, so these empires would probably need to combine all their power to do so.

Of course this would be virtually impossible, least of which due to the dwarfs. While they are only barely more powerful than the elves would be without the mana trees and their emperor is the weakest, they still hold a sizable amount of influence despite not having something similar. Partially this was due to their location.

While the beastmen hold the norther fourth of the continent and the humans the southern two thirds, the dwarfs exist mostly at these edges. While they apparently tried to build their territory centered around the central mountains, the region dragons call dragon peaks, they quickly gave up. Instead they chose the uninhabitable mountain ranges that often mark the edges of kingdoms, mainly those around the equally uninhabitable strip between the beastmen and human territory.

There they only have to compete with beasts as neither of the two groups deemed the mineral rich region worth its effort. But beast were present all over the continent, with only the elves being spared the constant danger of a particularly powerful one emerging from right next to a city. Or rather they don't care whether this happens, after all they are protected.

The other part of the dwarfs safety despite their weakness is their good relation with all powers. Their products are something that no group want's to loose, making them effectively protected by all. At most some lone beasts attack them, with the occasional angered dragon due to them intruding on its territory. But nobody want's to loose access to high quality magic items and artifacts, making the dwarfs a group with no real enemies.

On the other hand are the beasts who constantly fight against both humans and beastmen. Due to new beasts regularly emerging somewhere in their territories, the two groups are in a near constant state of war against the beasts. Even the dwarfs get annoyed by this, though they largely overlook it. Only the elves don't care about this, even having a rather friendly relationship with them, though this is mainly due to the two empresses being close.

Beastmen additionally have a hate for beasts due to the two races relationship on the beast continent, a hate strong enough that they even mended their ties with the humans despite the latter’s frequent enslavement of beastmen. At the same time this alienated them from the elves due to the popularity of elven slaves among humans.

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While there are still countless smaller factions, very few are really worth mentioning as most only exist due to others not being able to spare the resources to deal with them.

With Siuring having finished this summary, I fell into thought. The likely ones I will come into contact with on my way to the dragon peaks will be beastmen and dwarfs as I can easily avoid the elves and the beast don't really pose a danger. While not perfect, dragons fear is good enough of a deterrent against them.

“What are you planning?” Allarie asked when she noticed by expression.

“Whether or not to take a small detour.” I answered with a smile.

“I hope not because you learned that two of the rulers of the continent are women.” Jennia joked. Shaking my head with a smile, I noticed Allaire keeping in her laughter.

“No, I think about visiting the dwarfs. A large part as to why they are often seen as the best craftsmen are their forges and while I doubt they will come close to those I used in the past, they should still be enough for what I want to do.”

At my words Jennia and Allaire grew curious while Vagha's group directly understood my plan. Chuckling at their downcast expression when they remembered that they will have to spend the next five years in the steel mountains, I chuckled.

“You want to create a true draconic weapon or?” Siurin asked, to which I nodded in confirmation.

“Wouldn't they be far inferior to those you created in your prime? Besides, I would have expected you to have already created every kind of weapon.” Allarie asked.

“Yes, they would definitely be weaker. But apart from the fact that I can barely use a fraction of their power in my current state, creating one for me is only secondary. For one that I will only use for a few years I wouldn't make this much expense. I don't even need a forge, though without one it would be weaker. No, what I want to do is create some for the two of you.” I said.

This made both turn to me in surprise, though this soon changed to a bright smile. Without any words they threw their arms around me, pulling me into a hug which I reciprocated with a smile. At the same time I let my thoughts wander for a bit.

Having mortal wives or even lovers was something new for me, forcing me to think about how much and in which way to support them. In the past this was never a problem as they already archived a great deal before even knowing me.

But Allarie and Jennia hadn't and I wanted them to not be wholly dependent on me. While I would always support them and help them when they need it, they should be able to be independent. Giving them a true draconic weapon was something that may even hinder their growth somewhat as it could lead them to become overly reliant on this weapon.

While following these thoughts for a few moments longer, I soon notice myself drifting back into my past patterns. Internally sighing at this, I stop myself and started looking at it while having the experiences of my soul shards in mind.

Quickly coming to a realization on what best to do, I internally curse myself for overlooking the obvious. Turning my full attention back to the present, I soon after noticed Jennia to be somewhat confused.

“What is?” I ask her.

“I am just wondering, is it really worthwhile taking this detour for a weapon that can only be used by us for a few years before our power outgrows it?” She asks.

“Even then it would be worth it for my wives, but your power won't outgrow it. Once created the dragon whose body was used in its creation can easily enhance a true draconic weapon. And while you won't be able to use all of its features, this is still possible.” I told her.

This surprised her and Allaire greatly, though understandably. A material that can be upgraded to the current state of its source even after separating from it is far from logical.

“Wait, a true draconic weapon offers some of its abilities even when others wield it?” Vagha asked, surprising me somewhat.

“You didn't know?”

“Yes, after all why would it. Its power stems from being perfectly fitting with its wielder, I didn't expect others to be capable of using it.” This surprised me even more.

“It seems that you misunderstood where a true draconic weapons power comes from. As you never created one you may not know, but they hold small anchors for the dragons soul. That's why one can theoretically use it to resurrect oneself as long as ones soul is still intact.” I said. This time he grew surprised.

“How come I didn't know?”

“Because it doesn't matter in its creation. A dragons innate knowledge about some things is the bare minimum and this is one such.” Hearing my explanation, he nodded after a moment of thought.

Even with the variations among dragons what is part of the innate knowledge, the fact that it has to focus on the important aspects is universal. While that definition varies, with each species having a base of knowledge with a dragons parents deciding the rest, true draconic weapons are mostly only covered with how to create one.

“Wait, so everyone could theoretically use one?” Allaire suddenly asked.

“No, far from it. This soul anchor has to acknowledge the person, otherwise its just another powerful weapon made from dragon materials.” I explained.

“Which of its abilities can they use?” Vagha asked.

“Mainly those that are just enhanced forms of the advantages of any weapon made from dragon materials. Without the soul anchor blocking it they can use them to channel mana with the same efficiency as the dragon the weapon comes from. In addition to those, they can summon the soul shadow and by extension, use the changed aura avatar.”

“Changed aura avatar?” Allaire asked in confusion.

“Yes. The aura avatar can take on a true dragon form. This is one of the very few ways it to change it without changing the users body.” I explained.

“And what are its other abilities?” Jennia asked.

“Mainly that while wielding it it, it bridges the difference between our polymorphed state and our true form. While our body remains affected by having its attributes halved, our mana heart no longer does. Apart from that its mainly a general enhancement to our power.” I said.

Seeing both looking at me, surprised by its comparatively underwhelming abilities, I smile. While it may sound unassuming, such a weapon can more than double our power while polymorphed. While this still not closing the gab to our true form fully, it allows a dragon to come close.

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