https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-793-The-Dragon-Legion-Descends-on-Sun-City/12826308/
Chapter 792: The Origins of the "Dragonfront" Research Institute
Chapter 792: The Origins of the "Dragonfront" Research Institute
"Over ten thousand? Are you sure there are over ten thousand? What could they possibly want to do?" Manina's face paled.
"Your Majesty, the reports are accurate. There are roughly 11,200 of them," Xion's expression was grim.
"This..." Manina felt as if his mind was about to explode, a blank void where he couldn't think of what to do next.
11,200 dragons!
What could they possibly want to do?
There were only about 20,000 dragons living on Dragon Island, and with the exclusion of the elderly, weak, women, and children, as well as those left to defend the island, this was a full-scale mobilization!
The Dragon Clan's full-scale mobilization, led by the Dragon Emperor and five Dragon Kings, was a force capable of destroying the heavens and the earth!
Now, Sun City's defenses were incredibly weak. The ancestors and Plante were on the Wasteland Continent, and the Legendary Holy Realm-level powerhouses were either stationed on Blue Star or had resolutely headed to the Wasteland Continent after the "Final Secret Realm" opened.
To put it bluntly, this was the most vulnerable moment for Sun City's defenses.
A large-scale invasion by the Dragon Clan could spell the end for Sun City!
...
However, in the face of the crisis, Manina's imperial will allowed him to temporarily maintain his composure.
Manina had been taught from a young age that the more he faced a crisis, the calmer he needed to remain. Only through calm reasoning could he quickly find a way out of the crisis.
He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths, temporarily suppressing the intense emotions that had just surged through him.
After a moment, he opened his eyes and looked at Xion. "Xion, do you know the specific reason the Dragon Clan is coming to Sun City?"
Xion had already prepared his response and immediately answered, "Your Majesty, although I can't be 100% certain, I can make a guess based on some clues.
As you know, our intelligence department has set up 14 informants on Dragon Island... no, they should be called 'line dragons.'
Just now, 13 of these 14 line dragons have declared they will sever all ties with us immediately, even if we reveal their identities to the Dragon Clan, they will never betray us again."
"Hmm, what about the remaining one?"
"The remaining one's message is similar to the others, but it ended with, 'The Red Dragon King's blood debt will not be forgotten. I will make you pay in blood!'"
From this statement, we can deduce with 99% certainty that the 'Dragonfront' Research Institute has had a leak. The information about the Red Dragon King's corpse being studied has been compromised and is now known to the Dragon Clan."
Xion's voice grew quieter and quieter, almost inaudible by the end.
The core research at the 'Dragonfront' Research Institute was a top imperial secret. For such a secret to be leaked in such a mysterious manner, the head of the intelligence department would find it hard to explain and might lose his position.
In the "Sun City One" command center, Manina's arms were trembling slightly, and this trembling gradually spread to his entire body.
The 'Dragonfront' Research Institute has had an incident now! At the worst possible time!
...
Speaking of the history of the 'Dragonfront' Research Institute, it dates back 300 years.
300 years ago, 'Dragonfront' already existed, but it wasn't a research institute then. It was a black market mercenary group.
The 'Dragonfront' mercenary group came from Dragonfront City, named after the city it belonged to.
They had unique information channels, and the mercenary leader inherited Dragon blood, allowing him to sense the presence of dragons from great distances.
Due to this special ability, the mercenary group often traveled to the Wasteland Continent to find the corpses of dragons that had died unexpectedly, then brought them back to sell in the Sun Empire.
A dragon's body is almost entirely treasure! Whether it's the scales, flesh, blood, teeth, liver, or horns, every part can fetch an astronomical price. This has made the mercenary group, "Dragon's Edge," incredibly wealthy, and their ranks have rapidly swelled.
In just a few short decades, "Dragon's Edge" grew from a small band of thirty to a massive organization of nearly ten thousand members, their business expanding alongside their numbers.
However, such rapid growth also drew unwanted attention. About 280 years ago, the mercenary group was crushed by the police force of the Leryang Empire.
At the time, the empire's police chief was shocked to find the bodies of over a dozen dragons at the mercenary group's headquarters. He didn't dare delay, quickly sealing the news and informing Emperor Manina.
Manina was equally astonished by the situation.
Trading large quantities of dragon materials would surely invite the wrath of the dragons. The best course of action would be to hand over the perpetrators to the dragon race for judgment, clear their ties, and offer substantial compensation to the dragons.
However, Manina had other plans.
He was intrigued by the thin dragon blood in the leader of "Dragon's Edge" and decided to recruit him. Furthermore, he saw potential in the "Dragon's Edge" organization.
Thus, under the royal family's influence, the crimes of "Dragon's Edge" were never exposed. They were absorbed into the royal black operations and, 250 years ago, renamed to the "Dragon's Edge Dragon Research Institute."
With royal backing, "Dragon's Edge" shed its restraints, becoming increasingly brazen in their actions and rapidly expanding their operations.
About 200 years ago, they purchased a small mountain on the outskirts of the city, hollowed out its interior, and transferred all their "secret research" on the dragons into the mountain, forming the foundation of the current "Dragon's Edge Research Institute."
Their size also grew from the original ten thousand mercenary members to eighty thousand subordinates and researchers, becoming a crucial part of the Emperor's black industry.
However, the expansion of "Dragon's Edge" faced significant limitations.
The most significant one was the dwindling supply of unexpectedly deceased dragon bodies.
Over the past 300 years, the dragons have become increasingly docile and sedentary, much like wild boars turning into domestic pigs.
The dragons have lost their fierce and combative nature, preferring to laze around on Dragon Island rather than venture into the Wild Continent to train and improve themselves.
This has left "Dragon's Edge" in a difficult position—they can no longer find enough unexpectedly deceased dragon bodies.
With the decreasing number of dragon corpses, the leader of "Dragon's Edge" began to entertain a new idea—why not actively hunt the dragons?
With their capabilities, they could set up lures in the Wild Continent to attract and then hunt the dragons.
Wouldn't this be much faster than waiting for dragons to die accidentally? It would also cut out the middlemen who profit from the trade in the Wild Continent.
The leader of "Dragon's Edge" shared this idea with Manina, who immediately gave his approval.
Not only did Manina agree with the plan, but he also assigned a team of professors from the National Psionic Research Institute to assist with specialized research.
Soon, numerous special "secret realms" appeared in the Wild Continent. Some dragons entered these realms and obtained treasures, while others entered and never came out, falling victim to the traps within.
The number of dragons hunted by the "Dragon's Edge Research Institute" grew, and they even managed to capture a Red Dragon King recently!
This has brought substantial black income to the Leryang Royal Family.
(End of Chapter)
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