https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-640-The-Inquisitors-and-the-Tremor/13677484/
Chapter 641: Fungi and the Dwarf Prince
Kai Xiusu curled up within the cavern, his true form—mountain-sized—rising and falling with each breath, belching scorching white smoke. At this moment, the Red Dragon resembled a living volcano in motion, his body brimming with terrifying heat. Yet this was merely the raw power born of his Ancestral Dragon lineage. Kai Xiusu’s strength ran far deeper.
Divine power from the Sun God, the Orderly Force, chaotic fire, the primordial essence of the Elemental Planes, even the primal source of Heaven itself—all mingled within that vast, pulsing frame. Had a mortal been granted such a jumbled, fractured array of power, they would have torn themselves apart instantly. But within the Ancestral Dragon’s body, these forces balanced one another, maintaining a delicate equilibrium—like a self-sustaining microcosm.
"Roar—!" The Red Dragon let out a low growl, exhaling a wind so hot it warped the air, before slowly opening his eyes and emerging once more from deep slumber.
For months, the Empire of Ashen had ruled Northern Aether. During that time, Kai Xiusu’s true form had rested in the most magically vibrant regions—places where the Weave of Magic thrummed with life. Feanso, with its dense, active magical currents, far surpassed Anzeta, that remote, desolate wasteland.
Yet in the past few days, Kai Xiusu had not been idle. Beyond commanding his Golden Dragon avatar on endless wanderings—seeking allies to counter the brutal Dragon Emperor, himself—he had also created a half-dragon avatar, styling himself Lord Hans, and was playing a game within Dragonhead City: solving crimes, enforcing order, maintaining governance.
Yes, a game.
Now that Kai Xiusu stood at the peak of the Material Realm, his strength was too overwhelming. Every move he made sent tremors through the world. Few tasks truly required his personal intervention anymore. But he refused to sink into the endless, dreamless slumber of a typical dragon—losing all sense of time, of life force.
So he needed to do something extra, to preserve his innate nature. To prevent himself from being swallowed whole by the overwhelming, primal "dragonhood" of his Ancestral blood, and becoming nothing more than a mindless beast.
“This sleep wasn’t too long—just three months. The Empire has already fully secured Northern Aether,” he mused, observing the situation through the eyes of Lord Hans.
Only the Chief Minister, Lanpu, knew the truth. Though the people of Northern Aether still hadn’t fully embraced the new order—still harboring the stubborn resistance of those unaccustomed to royal rule—their resistance had faded significantly. Under the Empire’s leadership, a new society was slowly beginning to function.
But for now, Northern Aether remained largely untouched by change. The Empire’s governance focused on stability, not on dismantling the privileges of old powers.
Soon, however, merchants and factory owners would swarm into this untouched frontier, flooding the land with towering chimneys, massive machines, eternal electric lamps, and—most importantly—a new way of life.
“My true form has grown stronger again. This cave is starting to feel cramped,” Kai Xiusu murmured, shifting his neck and glancing down at himself. He’d grown once more—his body now stretching nearly sixty meters from snout to tail. And as he absorbed more of the Sun God’s divine power, a faint golden light began to shimmer across his scales. Even his pupils and the corners of his mouth flickered with golden-red flames, lending him an almost sacred aura.
“This power… it fits me perfectly,” he purred, licking his lips, his eyes glowing with the unmistakable greed of a dragon.
“Just the divine essence within these dozen Angelic divine offspring has granted me such power. If I were to truly ascend to the throne of the Sun God…”
Gazing up at the sky, where the sun hung high, radiating light that stretched ten thousand zhang across the heavens, Kai Xiusu finally understood Aragon I’s choice.
Who, faced with such supreme glory, could remain rational?
He turned to the magic communication device in the cave’s corner. It was already filled with messages—several from Lanpu.
“He must have completed my mission,” Kai Xiusu thought, a faint smirk playing on his lips. Years of partnership had made him comfortable—shoving all the burdens onto the cannibal magician, then collapsing into sleep, only to wake and claim the results as if they were his due. Lanpu, the ultimate tool, had become perfectly attuned to serving his master’s grand design.
And Lanpu, too, took pride in helping his master. He poured himself into every task, striving to deliver flawless results.
"Beep—!"
The device glowed, projecting a magical image—Lanpu’s grotesque, fearsome face, though now pale and exhausted. Even his dragon-scale skin couldn’t hide the dark circles beneath his eyes.
“My most noble Master,” the image began, “by the time you see this, you’ve surely awakened. Congratulations—you’ve grown even stronger.”
A few empty flatteries, then straight to business.
“You gave me those Ogre remnants. They were incredibly dangerous—carrying power capable of threatening the Material Plane. Our researchers placed the fungal-like remains in cultivation chambers across various environments. In just days, they multiplied through mycelium fragmentation and spore germination. We now call them Ogre Spores.”
“The spores reproduce at an unprecedented rate. In dark, damp conditions, their numbers can increase dozens—or even hundreds—of times in a single day. Once they reach a critical mass, they form mushroom-like structures. Beneath each mushroom, a guild leader emerges, and within its egg… a newborn Ogre.”
Lanpu raised his staff. Images of Imperial Breeding Gardens flooded the projection—vast fields and wetlands teeming with colossal green mushrooms, dense and oppressive, sending shivers down the spine.
“Within a month,” Lanpu continued, “we’ve bred twelve hundred green-skinned Ogres from your original remains. Biologically, they’re a fusion of animal and fungus—similar to the fungus people of the Underdark, but far more powerful.”
He waved his staff again. A video clip played—a hundred green-skinned Ogres trapped in a prison, roaring and smashing against the fence, desperate to break free and fight. Outside, researchers in hazard suits carefully cleaned up the shredded remnants of Wyvern-torn bodies, preventing spore dispersal.
In a glass-enclosed lab, mutilated Ogres writhed on operating tables—arms and legs severed, chests split open, some even vertically cleaved—transformed into biological specimens. The researchers, eyes alight with euphoria, studied the tissues under microscopes, utterly unbothered by the green blood staining their suits, marveling at the strange, wondrous life force.
Kai Xiusu stared at the bloody, horrifying scene. His lips twitched. Compared to the screaming Ogres, the researchers looked far more like true villains.
“Not bad for a Player,” he muttered.
Ailezegai’s native biology was never advanced. These researchers were mostly from Earth—experts in the biological realm. They were obsessed with this world’s ecosystem—so vivid, so real it felt like the real world. They spent days on end locked in game chambers, some even writing a full Bestiary of Alerzage.
Lanpu continued: “These green-skinned Ogres are incredibly strong—far beyond ordinary humans, nearly matching common Ogres. Aggressive, mindless, utterly insensitive to pain. They emit a force field that disrupts spells. A perfect war tool. This wasn’t natural.”
“Of course,” Kai Xiusu murmured, stroking his jaw with a claw. His eyes narrowed. “This method… so familiar. It’s clearly the work of Abyssal Will.”
He hadn’t finished speaking when Lanpu replied: “Our investigation confirms it. The source of their power… likely a Lord of the Abyss.”
He flipped another page.
Before Kai Xiusu appeared a figure—filthy, malformed, resembling an unfinished human sculpture. Its torso was made of flat, curled fungal growths, shaped into a vaguely feminine form. Four fibrous, unnatural horns sprouted from its brow. Its lower body was a thick, whip-like bundle of pseudopods, covered in mushrooms. Its skin was a sickly tapestry of gray, blue, purple, and black, swirling with grotesque, oozing sores.
Its eyes—pitch black—kept shifting, twitching, as if something inside was trying to burst out. A wave of pure chaos and filth radiated from it.
“What the hell is that—”
Kai Xiusu nearly roared, instinctively covering his eyes with a claw.
This wasn’t merely ugly. It was perverse. Even a dragon, with his broad aesthetic tolerance, couldn’t bear to look. A burning urge surged through him—to fly straight into the Bottomless Abyss and burn this abomination to ash.
Lanpu’s voice was grim, heavy with dread: “This is the 222nd Lord of the Bottomless Abyss. The entity we suspect behind the Ogres—Lady Zuggmoi, the Fungal Lady. She commands fungi. Often establishes disguised religions, though the true followers are all her flesh-and-mold disciples. Thousands of years ago, she built the Elemental Temple—worshipping the essences born of the four elemental energies. Yet the worshippers inside were all fungal creatures wearing human skins.”
Though he ached to look away, Kai Xiusu forced himself to watch the image. His pale golden eyes burned with pure disgust.
“Damned Bottomless Abyss… creating this… revolting thing. But we can’t wait anymore. In my memories, those Ogres—this very kind—once festered in secret for years, eventually spawning a tide of beasts that swallowed the Earth. A catastrophe of unimaginable scale.”
“Now that we know their origin, the Empire of Ashen must seize the initiative. We must control their numbers before they spread.”
His face hardened. “Northern Aether is stable. Then it’s time—advance northeast into the Ugo Grasslands. Annihilate the Crimson Blood Tribe. As for conquering the High Mountain Dwarf Kingdom? For us now, it’s merely a matter of convenience.”
The communication device flared again. Lanpu’s face reappeared—more exhausted than ever, his expression even more drained than in the video.
But after seeing the horror of Lady Zuggmoi, Kai Xiusu found himself oddly thinking: This Ogre isn’t so bad after all.
Lanpu’s face lit up with rare excitement, joy sparkling in his tired eyes: “Master! You’ve finally awakened!”
Kai Xiusu nodded. “Lanpu. Inform the Imperial Senate. Launch an offensive—eastward, northward. The Empire has rested long enough.”
“Yes, Master,” Lanpu bowed deeply, accepting the command with solemn resolve.
Kai Xiusu’s orders didn’t need Senate debate. They didn’t require approval from the Imperial Parliament. Because the will of the Emperor of the Ashen Flame was the Empire’s absolute will—unquestioned, unchallenged.
---
Blackstone Mountains, Capital of the High Mountain Dwarf Kingdom—Aivendeldan.
Within the majestic, mountain-embedded Dwarven Royal Palace, a secret conversation unfolded in hushed tones.
“Remember,” Aid said gravely, “you must obey Lord Titus’s commands. Live under the protection of his Dragon Wing.”
Before him stood a sturdy Dwarf—similar in build, but with a thinner beard, barely covering half his face. This was Zhen Klein, Aid’s son, Prince of the High Mountain Dynasty, and a warrior of great strength and spirit.
Now only fifty, by Dwarf standards, he was still a young man, full of fire.
Zhen looked up at his father, his face twisted with anger and confusion. “Father… why must I leave? I am your son. But I am also a warrior of the High Mountain Kingdom! I have courage. I have will. I will stand with Aivendeldan, to the end. Let every invader—Ogre or evil dragon—witness the weight of our Dwarf hammers!”
Aid sighed, his face etched with sorrow. “Zhen… I don’t have much time left. I can no longer protect you.”
“Father… that’s impossible! You’re still strong—stronger than me!”
Zhen’s voice trembled. His entire body shook with disbelief.
Aid said nothing more. He simply shook his head, then gently placed a hand on the prince’s shoulder.
“Zhen… go with the Wings of Dawn. Only that path can save our civilization.”
(End of Chapter)
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