I Ascend to the Divine Throne through Arcane Means

"This ring?"

Lis saw the other party's gaze fall on the Teleportation Ring on his right hand, remained silent for a moment, then raised his hand to gesture at it.

"You mean this one?"

"Yes."

The young man smiled, nodding with golden eyes that conveyed a sense of closeness.

He took off the black silk gloves he was wearing, revealing a brass-colored ring on his hand.
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To Lis's surprise, the style of the ring was very familiar to him, identical to the one on his own hand.

"This is a ring Mister Stephens gave me, so I was curious and sneaked past the barrier to have a look."

"Mister Stephens really has taken a fine disciple."

"Allow me to introduce myself, you can call me Silverster Ludwig, as my full name is a bit long."

Ludwig's lips curved slightly upward, as he methodically put on his gloves again.

"Hello, I am Lis Kain, a disciple of Fran Stephens."

Upon hearing this young person who called himself Ludwig mention the teacher's name and even display a ring like his own, Lis felt reassured.

Anyone who could steal a ring from the hands of the Judgement Flame and still be lively enough to run around certainly wouldn't be Ludwig.

That suggests the ring was given to this young man by the Judgement Flame.

Could this be a senior disciple I haven't met?

That shouldn't be the case, Mr. Stephens had said that his previous disciple who hadn't broken through to legend had already passed away from natural causes.

Then who is this person?

Noticing the puzzled expression on Lis's face, Ludwig smiled and sat down by the campfire.

His eyes watched the reddish-orange flames lick over the lamb leg sizzling with oil, releasing a captivating aroma of rich spices under the high heat, mixing with the smell of fat in the air.

"I knew Mister Stephens before, and although he didn't take me as his disciple in the end, he gave me this ring."

"So when I approached you, I felt this unique fluctuation."

"Unique fluctuation?"

Lis looked down at his ring, but didn't feel the special fluctuation Ludwig mentioned.

"You aren't able to notice it yet."

Ludwig's voice rose beside him, followed by the sound of him cutting the lamb leg.

The perfectly roasted lamb leg's skin was crisp, and Ludwig deftly sliced a small piece of roasted meat using a delicate knife.

He placed it in his mouth and nodded repeatedly.

The crust was tender, the golden skin hiding delicious, richly flavored meat fibers, creating a delicate, savory taste in one's mouth mixed with fat and spices, truly irresistible.

Lis watched this overly familiar stranger with some speechlessness and shook his head as he sat down beside him, serving him a bowl of radish vegetable soup.

Ludwig contentedly sipped the steaming hot vegetable soup, sighing deeply.

"Nothing beats the taste of human food!"

Huh?

Lis also sat down by the fire, and upon hearing this remark, he turned and looked at Ludwig.

Even though he had found it strange before, could it be that this guy isn't human?

Is he currently using a Transformation Technique to alter his appearance?

If so, his Transformation Technique is too perfect; one simply cannot tell any difference from a normal human.

"Haha."

Ludwig unapologetically continued to savor the delicious roasted lamb leg and spoke further.

"I met Mr. Stephens on Dragon Island."

Dragon Island? Could it be...

Lis looked at Ludwig somewhat solemnly. Could this guy be a Metallic Dragon?

The Transformation Skill of the Metallic Dragon Clan was indeed second to none, and they particularly loved to transform into humans and blend into human society.

Especially the Golden Dragons and Silver Dragons.

"That was 50 years ago, when Mr. Stephens came to Dragon Island to visit the Dragon Clan elders."

"Back then, I was still a young dragon, seeing a human set foot on Dragon Island for the first time, and no matter which elder it was, all of them showed great respect to Mr. Stephens."

Dragon Clan elders?

Those were the dragons with at least Legendary strength. Could this be considered the stronghold of the Metallic Dragon Clan?

Unlike the Five-Colored Dragon Clan that belonged to the evil alignment and was warlike, the Metallic Dragon Clan was more united. They worshipped the God of Good Dragons, the Platinum Dragon God Bahamut. Apart from the Five-Colored Dragon Clan, they harbored goodwill towards other races.

Dragon Island was the Holy Land and stronghold of the Metallic Dragon Clan; many strong dragons of the clan had their nests there, which also made Dragon Island one of the safest places in the Gaia World. Many from the Metallic Dragon Clan chose Dragon Island to raise their next generation.

Being a young dragon fifty years ago, he would at most be a young adult dragon now.

"Back then, Mr. Stephens came to learn and study the Dragon Language Magic."

"But the elders didn't refuse the teacher at all. Mr. Stephens stayed on Dragon Island for a long time to study and research the Dragon Language Magic."

"It was also back then that I pestered the teacher to teach me magic, and at that time I couldn't even handle the Transformation Technique."

Listening to Ludwig's words, Lis pictured a golden young dragon following the teacher, frolicking and scampering around on the ground.

Yes, Ludwig's golden pupils confirmed that he was indeed among the strongest, a Golden Dragon from the Metallic Dragon Clan.

"Why did you want to learn magic from Mr. Stephens? I remember that as dragons age, they naturally master the Dragon Language Magic, don't they?"

"It's not the same."

Ludwig shook his head and explained with a smile,

"Magic is fascinating."

"And Dragon Language Magic is merely a Talent etched into our bloodlines. I don't know the principles behind it at all, I just need to chant spells and consume Magic Power to perform it."

Ludwig laughed while twirling a small knife with roasted lamb on it:

"It's too boring, not what I was looking for at all."

"I even asked the elders before, and they all told me I was thinking too far ahead—they just swept me away with a wing."

"And then?"

Lis asked with interest, noticing Ludwig seemed to have a knack for storytelling.

Could one of his parents be a Red Copper Dragon?

"Not long after, Mr. Stephens arrived at Dragon Island."

"The first time I noticed the teacher was when he was experimenting with spells on the eastern sea of Dragon Island."

It seemed to be the first time he encountered someone related to the 'Judgment Flame,' and he was quite enthusiastic about it.

"That was real magic, that was true power!"

Ludwig's eyes reflected his longing and admiration.

"I kept pestering Mr. Stephens, and he had no choice but to occasionally teach me since it wasn't convenient to beat me too harshly on Dragon Island."

"Unfortunately, my Talent wasn't enough to become a true Arcanist."