The First Legendary Beast Master

Calling the creatures that Lotus was petting mere rabbits would be a disservice to the less powerful creatures who had to face them. They were actually a nest of Commander Rank Assassin Rabbits, what would have been considered a deadly species at home.

But with [If Not Friend, Why Friend Shaped], Lotus had no fear of rejection, and the Bunny God’s offer had been gleefully accepted.

The creatures naturally wouldn’t attack Nachtia, as their instincts screamed that if they approached, the Dragon would eat them. And that wariness spread to the rest of the group when they entered.

But they only stayed around for a few more minutes, and after that, they returned to their den near the temple, leaving Lotus satisfied with her day’s accomplishments.

“Everyone, take a moment to find a shrine for a prayer of your own, and then we can make plans for the rest of the day,

It wouldn’t be right to stop at a way station with a shrine to all the gods and not at least offer a few prayers.” Karl suggested.

He made a good point, and they had seen the shrine for the Red Dragon as they passed, though they hadn’t stopped there on the tour. If that was the case, Tessa assumed that all the Dragon Gods were likely represented.

Karl had already done one of his own, at the System Stones, and he had even gotten a proper response from the World Dragon, or a System affiliated Deity.

An insult to his intelligence, but a direct response from the Gods.

The others spread out, and Karl smiled to himself as Dana stopped at the altar to Karl, the Ancient God of Magic.

Karl waved at the statue, then continued down the hall, checking the last few altars that they hadn’t seen yet. They were more obscure and less followed Gods. But there were a few familiar faces.

Karl saw the Shaman God whose statue Remi had, and the shrine to another God of Rebirth that he had seen engraved on some of the ancient temples in the Golden Dragon Nation.

It had been an incredible history lesson for him today. Not only had he learned about a lot of new gods, but that revelation of how the first System was formed, and confirmation that Hawk really did have the actual World Dragon scale that was used to form the core of the System, was huge.

It also explained why the scale was so small, not like one from an adult dragon. The World Dragon had reduced his size to more easily interact with his human sized wife.

Karl inspected the scale in Hawk’s space, which now had a small shrine beside his nest, resting on a bed of branches, on a pile of fire element stones.

Hawk’s favourite, naturally.

Eventually, he would have to make a plan to either reveal the scale to the world or find a proper caretaker for it. Keeping it locked away in a separate space while they awakened it was one thing, but the scale was the core of the system, and he could only imagine the benefits for humanity if he were to bring it back fully restored.

Well, not just the benefits. Having it back at full strength could well touch off another interspecies war across the planet.

And there were already plenty of those going on, but on a smaller scale than the one that was likely to result from that particular decision.

Karl absently sat down in a shrine to think, and then looked up and realized that it was the shrine dedicated to the World Dragon. He had expected it to be somewhat grander than the others, given the importance of the World Dragon to the System and the Darklight Host in particular.

But this altar was different.

It had the feeling of ancient power, as if it had always been here, and wasn’t part of the reconstructed temple that was turned into the way station by the Guild.

“You wouldn’t believe how strange things have gotten on this world since you were first here. Or perhaps you would, and you knew all along that a smooth ride wasn’t ever going to be part of the experience.

How does that old saying go? Strong stone does not make a skilled miner?

But I really could use a bit of advice on how to deal with the scale you left behind. It has recovered enough now that I couldn’t just put it back where I found it. The power that it leaks would draw enemies far too powerful for the Golden Dragon Nation to survive.

But it doesn’t feel right to just keep it to myself when it’s the core of the System.”

Karl felt a rumbling of amusement in his mind.

{Who said that it is the core of the System? My scale was just a power source for the trial tower.}

Karl froze in shock, but the voice was gone.

“So, the scale is only the core for a trial tower? Did you want me to make another? I think I know the method.” Karl asked.

Nothing answered.

But if the scale wasn’t the core for the System, what did they mean in the vision that he had?

Was the System here the whole time, and the issue was just accessing it?

Karl sat lost in thought for a while, then an idea occurred to him. The key was in the name. The creator of the System was the World Dragon. The System must be part of the world that he made.

Why would he make an incomplete world?

No, the System itself hadn’t been affected when the tower was damaged. That was simply an access point. The System was innate to the world, and the tower was made to show people how to access it for the first time.

But then why the fading and resurgence?

A flicker of knowledge came to Karl’s mind from Remi. The ley lines, the underground lines of mana that ran all over the world, pulsed slowly, moving up and down. They were currently on an upward trend, and her Shamanistic training books had told the Naga Queen where to look for the places that they were most accessible.

So, they should be the reason.

When the Ley Lines were near the surface, or even above it, the touch of the world’s mana could awaken all sorts of powers naturally. But when they were deep, accessing the System took special tools or knowledge.

Both had long since been lost, so when the world’s power retreated into the depths, the System became harder to access, or nearly impossible.

That also explained why the Dwarves had managed to keep so much of their power, even when they lost the vast majority of their knowledge over the ages. They buried themselves a kilometre beneath the surface of the world. They were closer to the source of the world’s power.

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