Chapter 544: Plotting Against My Sister? Castrate Him, Castrate Him

"You want me to pledge allegiance to a young girl who hasn't even come of age?" Orsopp's dragon eyes widened as he stared at his offspring, who were attempting to use him. His patience was wearing thin. "Where is my dignity as an ancient dragon?"

"Ancestor, joining the Frost Queen's ranks offers you significant benefits as well," the white dragon, who was many generations removed from Orsopp, said respectfully.

"You could leverage the Frost Queen to join an even more powerful faction. The Queen's rise isn't just due to her own efforts; there's a strong force supporting her. You could potentially become stronger through this alliance."

"Hmm!" This suggestion hit a chord with Orsopp. His most pressing issue was his strength, which had grown increasingly stagnant, to the point of near halt.

For Orsopp, this was intolerable. As a cunning white dragon, he always felt that his current Legendary Tier 1 strength wasn't sufficient to act recklessly. He needed at least to reach a higher Legendary tier to truly roam freely without fear of any life-threatening danger.

But his bloodline seemed to have hit its limit. Without finding a way to break through, his strength wouldn't increase any further. This notion tempted the ancient white dragon.

...

"Are you sure the Frost Queen is genuinely recruiting white dragons?" Once Orsopp made up his mind, he acted swiftly, leading his hundreds of white dragon descendants to the former Vinia Duchy, now the Frost Territory.

Upon entering the territory, they were immediately questioned by other white dragons about their purpose. When Orsopp expressed his desire to pledge allegiance, ten white dragons eagerly offered to guide them.

With guides leading the way, after more than ten days of arduous travel, Orsopp finally arrived at Frost City, the heart of Queen Claudia's dominion. However, the sight before him deeply shocked the ancient white dragon.

What did he see? An ancient white dragon, more powerful than him, had its heart pierced by a spear, nailed to a hundred-meter-high ice tower on the city wall. Its scales had been stripped clean, even its horns severed, leaving it in an utterly miserable state.

"Lord Orsopp, please don't be alarmed. Our Queen genuinely wishes to recruit white dragons," the guiding white dragon hurriedly explained, seeing Orsopp was on the verge of fleeing in fear.

"This is your Queen's sincerity?" Orsopp pointed a trembling claw at the ancient white dragon whose muscles were exposed to the biting wind after its scales had been stripped. He suddenly felt he had been too rash. Upon hearing that Claudia was a white dragon and spurred by his descendants, he had rushed over without much thought. Now, he regretted his decision.

A pained howl interrupted the guiding white dragon, who was struggling to find words to explain. The juvenile white dragon turned back and witnessed a horrific scene.

Near the ancient white dragon nailed to the ice tower, twelve cloud giants were stationed. Their task was straightforward: to skin and peel. Due to the ancient dragon's formidable vitality, any wounds it suffered would regenerate rapidly. The cloud giants had to repeatedly strip away the newly grown dragon skin and scales. Once accumulated sufficiently, these were sent to Synapse via a teleportation array.

At that moment, the white dragons seeking to join Claudia witnessed this gruesome torture inflicted on the "unfortunate" ancient white dragon. The sheer terror caused some of them to wet themselves.

"This dragon got what it deserved. If you knew the whole story, you wouldn't think our Queen is cruel," the guiding white dragon quickly recounted what he knew to clear up the misunderstanding.

"This ancient white dragon came to pledge allegiance to the Queen fifteen days ago. No, 'pledge allegiance' isn't accurate. This ancient dragon came to usurp power.

When it first arrived at Frost City, it went around proclaiming that Queen Claudia was too young to manage this vast territory effectively and that it needed an elder to assist.

Within one day, it demanded authority from the Queen thirteen times, claiming it would govern the land better than her. The Queen rejected it outright, but this shameless old dragon's mind concocted another absurd idea.

It had the audacity to court our Queen, proposing that she become its mate. This enraged another powerful figure, leading to its current predicament."

The guiding white dragon summarized the cause of the ancient white dragon's wretched state. After finishing, the juvenile dragon shook its head in disdain. "I can't fathom where this ancient dragon got its confidence. How dare it court Queen Claudia without considering its own status? A dragon that took over a thousand years to break through to Legendary, a waste who relied solely on its bloodline. And our Queen isn't even a hundred years old. To dare covet her is just ridiculous. It got what it deserved."

Hearing the guiding white dragon's account, many of Orsopp's followers nodded in agreement, recognizing the young dragon's words as wise.

However, a few white dragons glanced nervously at their ancestor, realizing that the guiding dragon's broad criticism inadvertently included him as well. Whether this was intentional or not was unclear.

Orsopp's claws twitched as he restrained the urge to swipe at the young dragon before him. This wasn't his territory; he had to remain low-key and avoid ending up like the foolish ancient white dragon.

"By the way, how did this kind of fool survive to become an ancient white dragon? Shouldn't it have been killed off long ago? This behavior seems somewhat familiar. I think I know this dragon."

Orsopp pondered, and soon matched the bloodied ancient white dragon before him to a reckless one he remembered. It was a white dragon that had experienced a stroke of luck, showing signs of atavism in its bloodline, granting it greater potential. At the same age, it could easily overpower its peers, which made it exceedingly arrogant, especially towards other white dragons. It even self-proclaimed as the White Dragon King, considering itself the strongest white dragon on the Depreson subcontinent.

If this self-proclaimed White Dragon King were the one who acted so brainlessly, Orsopp fully understood and even took pleasure in its plight. It was a dragon that was bold only within its own kind.

...

"Muria, isn't it time you took that old fool down from my city wall?"

"What? You feel sorry for that ancient white dragon? That old and foolish, utterly useless dragon?" Muria attached every derogatory term he could think of to the self-proclaimed White Dragon King.

"Are you kidding? I would never pity such an overambitious idiot," Claudia rolled her eyes, lying sprawled across Muria. "Don't you think keeping that dragon nailed to the wall might scare off many white dragons who originally wanted to join me? They might think I'm a tyrant."

"Not at all. Hanging that fool on the wall can deter many with ill intentions," Muria sat on the Ice Throne, holding Claudia with a severe expression, even bordering on anger. "Besides, if some misunderstandings arise due to ignorance, they should be made aware of the situation. And while they're at it, they should learn about my presence to dispel any inappropriate fantasies."

"What inappropriate fantasies?" Claudia snorted softly, used human transformation magic, and turned into a cold, elegant human girl, perching on Muria's shoulder. "Pursuing me out of attraction isn't something you should concern yourself with, is it?"

"Of course, I should. I raised you. Not just any riffraff can pursue you," Muria snorted angrily. "Take that idiot nailed to the ice tower for example. Nearly a thousand years old, yet only at Legendary Tier 3, and he dares to chase after you?"

"Breaking through to Legendary in under a thousand years is considered a genius among white dragons."

"You need to broaden your perspective beyond the white dragon clan. Look at the entire dragon species, even the whole world. That way, you'll find a worthy mate," Muria said earnestly, as if fully embracing his role as the overprotective older brother.

"Mm!"

"Also, if you encounter another fool like the one outside, let me handle it," Muria recalled the incident from fifteen days ago, his veins throbbing with anger. "Failing to court you, then attempting to use force. Such a despicable creature has no right to be near you."

"Relax, Muria. Even if you weren't around, I could handle ten of those pathetic beings who rely solely on their bloodline." Claudia reassured him, settling comfortably on his shoulder. "Besides, haven't you vented enough? You shattered every bone in that dragon's body."

"But they've surely healed by now," Muria said flatly, never doubting a Legendary dragon's regenerative capabilities.

The Ice Palace fell silent for a moment before Muria broke the quiet again. "It's not enough. Compared to his crime, his current punishment is too light. It doesn't quell my anger at all."

"Tearing his scales, skinning him every day, and you think it's not enough?" Claudia asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise. Hidden from Muria's view, she smiled, her eyes narrowing in a display of captivating beauty.

"Not nearly enough. Daring to make a move on my sister, I'll castrate him. Every time he regenerates, I'll castrate him again, until he's too scared to regrow."

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