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Messer exchanged glances with the other Silvermoon City representatives, clearly communicating silently in a manner unique to elves. After a moment, he spoke: "This proposal is very constructive. I personally think it's feasible, but the specific details need further discussion."
"Of course." The talks continued in a relatively relaxed atmosphere. The two sides exchanged views on some specific issues, such as the command of the joint force, the detailed planning of the operation route, and the arrangement of logistical supplies. Every detail needed to be carefully considered, after all, this concerned the first formal military cooperation between two powerful forces.
"There's something I must address beforehand," Brandon interjected during the discussion of command. "The Silvermoon army is accustomed to the elven command style and may need time to adapt to... other command styles."
Casalos understood his unspoken meaning—elves always harbored a certain distrust towards non-elf commanders. This racial prejudice and arrogance, perhaps stemming from the Creator, was almost impossible to change, but not insurmountable.
"That's precisely the point of joint operations," Casalos responded calmly. "Only through practical cooperation can both sides truly understand each other and build trust. I suggest adopting a rotational command system, for example, the Silvermoon City commander in charge the first week, the Deepwater Territory commander in charge the second week, and so on."
"This is a good plan," Meisel agreed. "It ensures fairness and allows both sides to learn." (The rest of the text appears to be gibberish and unrelated to the initial statement.)
Toland then raised his glass: "Gentlemen, although many details still need to be finalized, I believe today's talks have been fruitful. Cheers to the future of the North!"
"For the future of the North!" the crowd responded in unison.
Amidst the clinking of glasses, time flew by during the intense and productive discussions. As the sun set and the meeting drew to a close, both sides had reached a preliminary consensus on most issues.
64. Changes in the patient's condition
Three days after the Silvermoon City delegation left, Casalos lay deep within the dragon's lair, using his mage hand to twirl the parchment scroll left behind by Messer. It was densely covered with preliminary agreements, but it would likely take several more weeks to solidify them into a formal agreement.
"The Silvermoon City Council's efficiency..." Casalos clicked his iron beak, "Slower than those old men in Waterdeep. But that's fine, it gives me time to deal with other troubles."
Svent entered the dragon's lair respectfully: "My lord, regarding the potential threats you mentioned earlier, is there anything we should prepare?"
"Oh, you mean that old bastard in Clyptt Gardens?" Casalos slapped his tail lightly on the ground, his tone as casual as if discussing the weather. "That coward doesn't dare show his face now, he just hides and recruits some oddballs to cause us trouble. With the current organizational structure of Deepwater Territory, he's not a threat at all. Let that old green dragon stay in the forest and gnaw on the moss for a while, and count the gold coins that slip away with time."
Sven nodded. As a core member of Casalos's family who had followed him for many years, he gradually understood the Dragon Lord's strategy in the negotiations: "What about the drow dragon Naphlim?"
"She's now a crucial part of Charleson's intelligence network," Casalos said with satisfaction. "A drow dragon who's been hiding on the surface from her own family for a century has a wider network of connections than you can imagine. With plenty of gems and security guarantees, she's more cooperative than anyone else."
"As for the old blue dragon Orosent..." Casalos's expression turned somewhat strange at this point, "That guy's behavior has been getting increasingly outrageous lately."
"Oh?" Sven asked curiously, perking up his ears.
"This thing must have gone mad a long time ago, somehow becoming obsessed with music and art." Casalos shook his head. "After a while, it found a blue dragon mate, and then it went even further, believing that only musicians chosen by the continent of Faerûn could be its match. So it kicked its mother blue dragon away and wandered around, just to find a mother blue dragon who was as immersed in art as it was—do you think it can find one?"
"Blue Dragon...music?" Sven shook his head, somewhat stunned. "Isn't that unlikely?"
“It’s impossible. There’s only been one such oddity in tens of thousands of years, and that was when Asgras appeared. Where would you find a second one to pair with?” Iron Dragon sneered. “After wandering around for hundreds of years, this guy finally realized reality and then shifted his target to Golong.”
"Ah, Ge Long, isn't that..."
"All the female dragons on the continent are in Deepwater Territory, and they're all legal residents now!" Casaroz continued, blowing a wisp of ionized air from his nostrils. "Speaking of which, I'm quite familiar with this old guy... He's tried to build a relationship with me more than once by bringing up our shared experiences fighting in the demiplane, just to get me to act as a go-between. Just last month, he specially composed a dragon-language opera, saying it was dedicated to his muse—an elderly female dragon. It scared her so much that she moved away overnight and is now hiding in the Adip Forest."
Sven tried to maintain a serious expression, but the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily.
"So I mentioned them in the talks purely to add some cheap but useful leverage to the Deepwater Territory," Casalos instructed. "Remember, Svent, in political negotiations, deception is the norm. Mersell and his ilk are old foxes; they know exactly what's going on, but the act still has to be played out."
"Understood, sir." Sven took note of this lesson.
"But Dragonspear Fortress is a real problem," Casalos said, his tone turning serious. "The demons have been getting increasingly aggressive lately."
"Didn't you let Bellamy and Shakales go?"
"Those two idiots are fine dealing with minor demons, but I've heard there's an ancient black dragon there," Casalos analyzed. "Hiding in the swamp and launching sneak attacks, they've even caused the paladins of Waterdeep to suffer quite a few losses. It seems I'll have to handle this personally, but before that..."
It glanced at the specially made magical timer on the wall; the flow of time, which didn't belong to Faerûn or even the entire material plane, had already completed a cycle: "Take care of the more urgent matters first. Prepare the astral portal; I need to see my mother."
"Yes, ma'am." Sven immediately went to make the arrangements.
Half an hour later, Casalos passed through the portal and arrived at the Astral Outpost. It dismissed everyone and headed alone towards the healing room.
Pushing aside layers of psionic barriers, the Dragon Mother, Kuitamiz, lay quietly on her specially made gold coin dragon bed. Her silvery-white scales had lost their former luster, and her breathing was weak and irregular.
"Mother," Casalos whispered.
Kuitamiz slowly opened her eyes, a glimmer of clarity flashing in her cloudy pupils: "Kasa...you've come."
"I'm here to give you another round of treatment." Casalos carefully nestled his head against his mother's neck and began to probe with his pseudo-Laplace's demon.
"I heard... those old geezers came looking for you?"
When Casalos's senses reached the Dragon Mother's body, he immediately noticed something amiss. The infernal power that should have been concentrated in a few large lesions was now extremely dispersed.
"It's alright, I can handle it. They're just a bunch of old fogies outdated by the times." Casalos chatted with Daenerys about trivial matters while urging her to start analyzing.
No, not dispersed, but...lurking.
Through the pseudo-Laplace's Demon's precise calculations, Casalos "saw" a scene that shocked it. Countless tiny seeds of purgatory were quietly parasitizing deep within the core of the Dragon Mother's life: the fire element node in her heart, the water element convergence point in her liver, and even the earth element matrix deep within her bone marrow. Iron Dragons are indeed a fire-type subspecies, but that is their manifested elemental "property." All matter in the world of Toril is based on the four elements; it's just that once it manifests as matter, its elemental nature is concealed. This is the fundamental basis for the interconversion of matter and elements.
The Infernal Seeds lurking within the Dragon Mother's body were extremely small, each one barely larger than an elemental particle. Unlike before, they no longer violently destroyed and eroded, but silently absorbed the energy of the four elements. The life force of the fire element was gradually drained, the essence of the water element's blood slowly leaked away, and even the sturdy bones of the earth element were slowly softening.
"Cunning..." Casalos thought to himself with a start.
What alarmed her even more was that these Seeds of Purgatory were perfectly integrated into the natural cycle of the four elements. When Daenerys breathed, the air element carried oxygen into her lungs, and the Seeds of Purgatory circulated among them; when her heart beat, the fire element propelled her blood circulation, and the Seeds of Purgatory flowed downstream; when Daenerys ate, the earth element built new tissues, and the Seeds of Purgatory took the opportunity to take root.
They enter a deeper cycle, like shadows in the flow of matter based on the four elements, which cannot be detected without careful observation.
Upon further investigation, Casalos discovered that some of the Seeds of Purgatory had grown and matured, forming "malignant cores." These cores emitted a strange fluctuation, like phantoms from Purgatory.
These phantoms' effects were an eye-opener for Casalos. He witnessed firsthand how a malignant core located in the Dragon Mother's liver, once encased in them, was disguised as normal liver tissue. Not only were the exposed cellular hierarchical structures similar, but even the emanating dragon magic fluctuations were exactly the same.
When Casalos attempted to pinpoint the malignant core using conventional perception, the Phantom Layer reacted immediately. It distorted the surrounding four elemental signals, causing the malignant core to "disappear" from perception. Had Casalos not witnessed this disguise firsthand, and given the unalterable record of the pseudo-Laplace's Demon, he would have almost thought he was mistaken.
Even more intriguing is that these phantom-like camouflage layers can create a "false vitality." Certain areas within Daenerys's body, severely corroded by the malignant core, appear remarkably "healthy" on the surface. Blood flows faster, elemental activity is stronger, and there's even a faint glow of life.
"An illusion, all an illusion." Casalos saw through the truth. This false vitality came at the cost of burning away the surrounding healthy tissue, like a final burst of energy before death.
The investigation continued, and the new discoveries made Casalos's expression increasingly grave.
It saw the power of purgatory forming a flowing flame, splitting out aggressive "tissue fluid" from the malignant core, purposefully seeking a new foothold.
A wisp of flame separated from the malignant core near the heart, traveling along lymphatic vessels, blood vessels, and basal vessels. It skillfully bypassed the Dragon Mother's natural defense mechanisms based on her immune system and the magical power of her basal vessels, passing through what should have been an impenetrable elemental barrier. Casalos watched helplessly as this wisp of flame reached the lungs, taking root in an alveolus rich in air, forming a new node of corruption. [The remaining text appears to be unrelated and possibly machine-generated gibberish.]
This process is extremely rapid, taking only a few breaths from separation to establishment. Moreover, the newly formed corruption nodes immediately begin to adapt to the local elemental environment—since it is in the lungs, it absorbs gaseous elements, affecting respiratory function.
"Different organs, different strategies," Casalos analyzed.
Corruption nodes in bones erode earth elements, making bones brittle; corruption nodes in blood vessels contaminate water elements, thickening the blood; corruption nodes in nerves interfere with air element conduction, causing sluggish reactions. Each node damages the specific characteristics of the organ it belongs to.
What impressed Casalos the most was the indestructible nature of Purgatory.
It decided to conduct an experiment. Selecting a smaller, malignant core, Casalos used its disintegrating power to utterly destroy it. The core turned to ashes, seemingly completely eradicated.
But just moments later, something strange happened.
The remaining infernal energy began to gather, frantically burning the surrounding fire elemental life force in an attempt to rebuild the core. Although it ultimately failed due to insufficient energy, the process showed Casalos the terrifying nature of the indestructible purgatory.
"If there is enough energy, they can be brought back to life," Casalos concluded.
Worse still, the burning of fire elementals severely depleted the Dragon Mother's life force. The tissues in that area rapidly decayed, as if their essence had been drained.
After a two-hour investigation, Casalos gained a completely new understanding of Daenerys's condition.
The power of Purgatory has evolved from a simple curse into a complex system of corruption. The Seed of Purgatory is responsible for incubation and initial infection, the Malignant Core is responsible for deep destruction, the Purgatory Flames are responsible for spread and transfer, and the Immortality of Purgatory ensures the continuation of the entire system.
The four characteristics work together to form a near-perfect erosion system.
"This is beyond what treatment can solve," Casalos mused. "This is a war, a war waged within the Mother of Dragons."
It began to reassess the situation. At the current rate of erosion, the Dragon Mother could hold out for at most another year. But if the infernal forces suddenly accelerated their spread, that time could be drastically shortened.
"Mother, how are you feeling?" Casalos asked softly.
"It's strange," Quitamiz's voice was weak. "Sometimes I feel full of energy, and other times I'm too weak to move. And... lately I'm always hungry, no matter how much I eat, I'm never full."
Casalos understood. The false vitality had misled Daenerys, while the Seed of Purgatory's constant draining of energy created an insatiable hunger.
"These infernal forces are more complex than I imagined," it truthfully reported. "Time will be needed to develop a new treatment plan."
"I believe in you, child." Kuitamiz struggled to raise his claw and gently stroked Casaloz's head. "You are the smartest dragon I have ever seen; you will surely find a way."
Chassa enhanced the purgatory powers with Tiamat's holy blood, giving them unprecedented complexity. This was no longer a problem that could be solved simply by dismantling divine power.
"Lurking, disguise, transfer, immortality..." Casalos repeatedly pondered these four characteristics, "Each one is designed to ensure that the power of purgatory can persist within the host's body for a long time and eventually completely dominate it."
It recalled some knowledge from its past life. This pattern of erosion was strikingly similar to a certain human disease. Only one was on a biological level, and the other on a magical level.
"Interesting." Casalos said thoughtfully. "Since the problem has become more complex, the solution must be adjusted accordingly."
But now is not the time for in-depth research. Daenerys needs rest, and she needs time to process today's discoveries—the world of magic has its own rules, and no matter how much Chassar's infernal power is strengthened, it is still subject to her demigod status. If it really comes to a head, by paying a small price and utilizing a specific mechanism left behind in Faerûn by some powerful deity, the curse can be resolved once and for all.
As for now, the Dragon Queen is out of danger, so if I can find a way, it's best to avoid getting involved with those gods. More importantly, Chassar is an obstacle that Casalos and even the entire Dragon Realm must overcome. If I can't even deal with the remnants of His power, then Casalos has no point in developing or planning anything; I should just run away and hide in another Prime Material Plane.
65. The second thing
Casalos emerged from the portal at the Astral Outpost, followed by a worried Svent. Having just finished investigating Daenerys, the infernal forces lurking within Quetamiz made it clear that conventional treatments were ineffective.
"My lord, you look very unwell," Sven said cautiously. "What is the condition of Madam Quetamiz...?"
"It's more serious than I imagined." Casalos didn't hide anything, explaining as he walked deeper into the dragon's lair, "Chassa's enhanced infernal power has evolved into a complete system of corruption. Simple healing spells only treat the symptoms, not the root cause... I need some time to protect the Dragon Mother."
Casalos's first choice for resolving the corruption of the Dragon Mother by the power of Purgatory was naturally to seek it through the Dragon Treasury.
It mentally calculated its existing resources. With the Aiur World strategic map unlocked, Casalos could reliably defeat the Old Dogs twice more, enough to specifically enhance its Disintegration ability in the Primal Power talent tree. Simultaneously, with the massive gold support from the Zerg Swarm, there was ample room for improvement in both the Pseudo-Laplace Fairy and Divine Gifted classes' talent trees.
Conservative estimates suggest that the gains from the two trials will grant it the ability to control the spread of purgatory power, stabilizing the Dragon Queen's condition within a manageable range. This will only take three months, as a new round of trials has begun in the Dragon Treasury, which is the second matter Casalos urgently needs to address.
However, the circumstances of this trial may be somewhat special.
Because the ancient red dragon clone created by Casalozs, which is the old man who ran to the world of Ares, did something earth-shattering—literally earth-shattering. It used the a priori properties of prophetic spells to tease the Witch King for a long time, causing them to frequently open the Path of Elements. In doing so, it conducted in-depth research on the connection between Ares and the Inner Realm and found a way to break the barrier of that almost closed world.
Perhaps due to its impending demise, the passage between Ares and the Inner Realm, both enveloped by the Inner Realm, had "withered." However, the psychic energy that leans towards the mind granted Ares a new possibility: by leveraging the inseparable nature of psychic energy and the Astral Plane, it was able to re-establish a connection with the Inner Realm by transferring to the Outer Realm. This is the fundamental reason why the Witch Kings, though unable to invoke the elemental power of the Inner Realm themselves, could grant their followers a form of divine magic to use elemental power, much like gods.
In this system of elemental applications known as shamanism or the Templars, the Witch King serves as a mental coordinate and conduit for communication between the astral plane and the inner realm, and therefore cannot be a user.
After unraveling this secret, Roar used this mind-based connection to open a passage to leave the world of Ares. With this mental connection as its wedge, this passage can only lead to one place: the demiplane that Casalos possesses, the demiplane that the Dragon Vault stole from Karthus's apprentice!
Old Roar, leading the group of refugees and slaves Ares had gathered from all over the desert, landed on the floating city of Elena and settled down in this destroyed city of the dead.
Through consciousness sharing with Grommash's clone, Casalos was able to clearly perceive all the changes occurring within the demiplane. The refugees brought back from the world of Atas had already established a rudimentary society on the floating city of Elena.
For these people struggling to survive in the Atas desert, Elena was a paradise. This super-floating city from the Netheril era possessed vast wealth accumulated by the archmages a thousand years ago, and because all the city's inhabitants had been turned into undead by liches, these resources had remained unused for millennia.
Supplies sufficient to sustain 100,000 people for hundreds of years were virtually inexhaustible for the few thousand Atas refugees. Exquisite Netherian-style clothing, well-preserved food supplies, and luxuries unimaginable in the world of Atas were now everyday necessities for these refugees.
More importantly, there's the weaponry. Elena's armory stores a vast quantity of high-quality magical weapons and armor—items that were merely standard issue in Netheril's time, but in the world of Atas, they were legendary artifacts. Each piece has undergone meticulous magical enhancement, making them not only sturdy and durable but also imbued with various practical magical effects.
Howling provided each half-dragon warrior with a complete set of magical armor. The full-body armor, crafted from fine steel and heavily enchanted, not only resisted physical attacks but also provided resistance to magic and elements. The weapons were the finest of the finest; each sword and axe shimmered with magical light, and in the strong hands of the Ares warriors, they were capable of cutting through anything with ease.
Ordinary soldiers were also well-equipped. Although they couldn't access the highest-level gear, the quality of their weapons and armor far surpassed anything from the world of Atas. This absolute advantage in equipment significantly boosted the entire army's combat effectiveness.
However, Grommash's focus was not on material management, but rather on how to integrate these Atas refugees from diverse backgrounds into a highly effective military force. To this end, he drew upon the extensive experience Casalos had gained in rebuilding Waterdeep and the Astral City.
First, there was the establishment of a management system. Old Roar adopted a hierarchical management model similar to Waterdeep, dividing the entire society into four main departments: military, production, research, and administration. Each department had clearly defined responsibilities and authority, and a comprehensive reporting and coordination mechanism was established.
The military unit, composed of the half-dragon warriors, is divided into four divisions: air combat, ground assault, engineering support, and logistics support. Each division has a dedicated commander and training program to ensure it can handle various types of combat missions.
The production sector is primarily responsible for maintaining the city's infrastructure and producing essential goods. Although reserves are plentiful, self-sufficiency in production capacity is still necessary for long-term development. This sector integrates various skilled workers and artisans, and is gradually building a complete production chain.
The research department is the part that Roar places the most importance on, mainly composed of bio-engineering experts led by Zoka and shamans collected from various tribes. Their mission is to combine the traditional technologies of Atas with Elena's magical environment to develop technologies and tactics adapted to the new world.
The administrative department is responsible for the daily operation of the entire society, including personnel allocation, resource allocation, dispute mediation, and other affairs. Lao Hou specifically selected some people with management experience from various tribes and equipped them with assistants from different backgrounds to ensure that decisions could take into account the interests of all parties.
Combat training is another key focus of Lao Hou's work. No matter how sophisticated the equipment, without solid technical and tactical skills, the army cannot survive on the brutal battlefield.
The half-dragon warriors' flight training employs a progressive training model. Starting with the most basic hovering and straight-line flight, it gradually transitions to complex maneuvers and tactical coordination. Old Roar personally designed a complete training curriculum, encompassing individual skills, formation flying, air-to-ground coordination, and many other aspects.
Ground troops undergo equally rigorous training. In addition to traditional weapons combat and physical conditioning, Old Howl places particular emphasis on teamwork and tactical execution. It incorporates modern military concepts learned during the rebuilding of the Waterdeep army into its training, teaching these previously individual tribal warriors a true model of military warfare.
The training of engineering corps places greater emphasis on practicality. The city of Elena contains numerous complex magical facilities, and mastering the operation and maintenance of these devices is crucial to the combat effectiveness of the entire army. Old Howl organized specialized technical training courses to teach magical engineering knowledge to warriors with relevant talent.
The most innovative project is the psionic and magical biology research project. Under Grommash Hellscream's guidance, Zokka is attempting to combine the unique psionic technology of the world of Atars with Elena's magical environment.
The core concept of this research project stems from Casalos's profound understanding of various power systems. In Faerûn, magic, divine arts, and psychic powers are often regarded as three distinct forces, but at a higher level, they actually share a common origin.
Zoka's team is exploring how magic and psychic energy can create a synergistic effect. Preliminary experiments show that, under certain conditions, magical energy can amplify the effects of psychic energy, while psychic energy, in turn, can stabilize and guide the flow of magic.
If this technology matures, it will revolutionize the military. Soldiers will no longer need to choose between magic and psychic powers, but can master both simultaneously, gaining more comprehensive and powerful combat capabilities.
Biomodification research is also progressing smoothly. The city of Elena stores a large number of biological samples from various dimensions, providing Zoka with abundant material for her research. By integrating the characteristics of these otherworldly creatures into Atas modification technology, she has successfully developed several new enhancement schemes.
Environmental modification is the most mature technology among them. By implanting gene fragments from certain polar organisms, soldiers can gain the ability to fight normally in extreme temperatures. This is extremely important for various harsh environments that may be faced in the future.
Sensory enhancement technology draws on the biological characteristics of certain predators, granting soldiers special abilities such as night vision, thermal sensing, and vibration perception. In complex battlefield environments, these abilities can often determine the outcome of a battle.
The most forward-looking aspect is the modification of regenerative abilities. Although still in the experimental stage, preliminary results show that, using "idealistic" psychic energy and irrational magic as a bridge, the regenerative tissues of certain lower organisms can be functionally transplanted into the complex systems of higher organisms without damage. The self-repairing properties of the lower-complexity system can significantly improve the recovery speed of injuries in the warrior's high-complexity system, and even regenerate lost limbs to a certain extent.
Casalosz was pleased with the progress of these studies. Although they are still some distance from practical application, the potential of these technologies is enormous.
It's just psionic energy; Faerûn can use it without any loss. Once Groudon's research on these familiars matures, it will give his army an overwhelming advantage on any battlefield—Growl is already establishing a complete knowledge transmission system in the wings. The value of technology and tactics lies not only in their current application but also in their continuous inheritance and development. By establishing specialized training institutions and standardized teaching processes, this valuable knowledge will become the cornerstone of the army's long-term development.
The development of tactical theory is equally remarkable. Garrosh's dragon soul influences the psychic mind of Casalos, who in turn corrects and instills extraordinary knowledge and understanding in Garrosh. Combining Garrosh's extensive combat experience in Faerûn and Atarth with his semi-God-like theoretical knowledge, Garrosh is developing a comprehensive tactical system applicable to various environments and enemies.