Chapter 23: Purple Fruit, Word Spirit

The sunlight filtered through the clouds, casting mottled shadows on this hot summer day. The city's streets were bustling with people, and various sounds intertwined, creating a lively and busy scene.

Palu, who was once a slave, walked out of the security office with a somewhat dazed expression. Today's weather was no different from yesterday's, yet to Palu, everything felt completely different.

The sky was so blue and vast, the sun so brilliant and sacred, and this city he helped build was so prosperous. Even those merchants, who used to look down on others, seemed much more agreeable now.

As a former slave, Palu had no expectations for life or the future, but after being sold to Elisium City, his perspective changed dramatically. For the first time, he yearned for freedom.

Because here, the Lord allowed slaves to gain freedom through labor. So, for two years, Palu worked diligently without a moment of slack, until today, he finally accumulated enough labor points to redeem his freedom.

This day would be the most important in his life—he was no longer a slave, but a free man.

At this moment, Palu was filled with indescribable emotions. He turned around, facing the place that witnessed his rebirth, his gaze swept upward past the management office and to the mountain that no city building could compare to, and which couldn't be hidden.

Palu took a deep breath, then slowly knelt on the ground, clasping his hands together, his body gently bowing down. He sincerely worshiped the noble existence residing on the mountain.

"Praise the benevolent Noah! Praise the wise Lord!"

Legend has it, on Mount Elisium resides a benevolent Golden Dragon named Noah, who advised the wise Lord ruling these lands. The Lord took the dragon's advice, allowing freedom to bloom.

All slaves believe in the truth of this legend because they can gain freedom through hard work, a grace impossible to obtain in other noble territories.

Therefore, every slave reborn and freed would worship and bow to Mount Elisium to express their gratitude, and also to bid farewell to all past sufferings, ready to embrace a hopeful and bright future.

This was not a strict requirement, but a ritual formed by the first slave who gained freedom, spontaneously followed by everyone who shed their slave identity.

Even if no slave had ever seen the dragon dwelling on the mountain.

The surrounding crowd was attracted by this scene, many stopped to watch, but just as many ignored it, because for the residents of this city, such sights were commonplace; after all, every day, slaves gained freedom.

"Praise Noah!"

Some also heard Palu's heartfelt words of praise and murmured the phrase softly.

A substantial portion of the freemen in this city were initially slaves involved in its construction, so this phrase of praise had become a daily expression among this group.

"It has finally matured!"

Noah looked at the fist-sized, purple energy-filled crystal fruit on the branch of the Golden Tree, inhaling the fruit's enchanting aroma that could captivate even dragons, and couldn't help but sigh.

The Golden Dragon lowered its head, its gaze tracing downwards, finding among the vast and intricate roots, a small ripple on one of them, where a bowing human was, with an indistinct wisp of purple energy rising with his actions.

Ever since he advised his adoptive parents, who adopted and implemented his suggestions, the purple bud had bloomed, and the nutrients that fueled this bloom came from the gratitude of slaves.

A single slave is insignificant, but over two years, more than thirty thousand slaves followed his advice to become freemen. Their gratitude accumulated, eventually forming the Purple Spirit Fruit hanging on the Golden Tree's branch.

This is a complete fruit!

Noah could clearly sense all of this. The previous two Blood Origin Fruits he consumed were incomplete because they lacked sufficient nourishment.

For this reason, Noah eagerly anticipated the miraculous effects of the first complete fruit from the Golden Tree, for which he had waited two long years.

Snap!

The Golden Dragon bit off the fruit from the branch in one go, its texture crisp, taste sweet, and with the fragrance permeating, the purple mist transformed into a dragon form, merging into its Dragon Soul, imprinting a new power.

"It was worth the wait!"

The brilliant nebula dissipated, the Golden Tree concealed itself, and familiar chambers came into view. The "awakened" Noah lay coiled on his pearl and gemstone bed, dark golden dragon eyes opened, with a purple hue swirling in their depths.

He already understood what the purple fruit represented—it was a new kind of power!

"Truly impressive!"

The juvenile dragon stretched its now more than seven meters, nearly eight meters sleek dragon body. Such a size already surpassed the standard of a young golden dragon, comparable to that of a young dragon.

However, even though Noah, based on age, was nearing five and a half years and should be a young dragon, he was still a juvenile dragon.

The growth stages of the Dragon Species are divided into clearly defined twelve age stages, and these stages are distinguished not by age but by the deep sleep period.

After each deep sleep period, the Dragon Species undergoes a comprehensive transformation, akin to a rebirth. Only after such a deep sleep has it entered the next age stage.

Therefore, even though Noah was already past the age, he remained a juvenile dragon.

But despite the unique situation he experienced, quite unlike most of his kind, Noah was not anxious, as such cases weren't rare.

Typically, the juvenile stage for True Dragon Species continues for five years, the young dragon stage and juvenile dragon stage for ten years each, but this was only a reference, not a standard.

Occasionally, a dragon might reach the appropriate age without entering deep sleep. If it were an old dragon, perhaps it had exhausted its potential, unqualified to become an Ancient Dragon.

If it happened to a juvenile, it only indicated one thing—the dragon's potential surpassed its peers.

This was an exciting circumstance, so Noah was in no hurry at all.

With the newfound power, Noah felt elated. As he exited the Dragon Nest, he saw his little elf steward, Sifreya, trying to block a brutish man in blood-stained armor.

Thus, purple energy surged, forming a mysterious rune in the depths of the golden dragon's pupils. In the void, countless light particles gathered, transforming into six chains, like dragon snakes, entwining the menacing knight.

Word Spirit·Six Paths Light Binding