Even after several centuries, the Brightness Dragon Lord still remembered it as if it were yesterday.
As he spoke slowly, the hidden truth of history, about the Players and World-Class Items, gradually took shape before the three of them.
Momonga and Herohero were stunned. Even Naohara could not hide his shock.
"So... the Dragon Race basically played themselves into extinction?"
Momonga sounded unsure.
If the Dragon Emperor had not coveted power from beyond the world, he would not have summoned a World-Class Item.
If he had not summoned one, the Players would never have descended, and everything that followed would never have happened.
Look at it that way, and no matter how you counted it, the fault still lay with the Dragon Race.
"At least we get to transmigrate thanks to the Dragon Race's greed."
Herohero let out a long sigh.
Thinking back on his old, suffocating life, the version of himself who worked overtime every day and lived on the edge of collapsing at any moment, he felt a sincere sense of gratitude toward the Dragon Race.
"To rewrite the World Laws of the New World, the Eight Greed Kings probably used [The Twenty]."
"No wonder they dared to go head-on against the Dragon Race even knowing Wild Magic existed."
Naohara's eyes flickered as he spoke.
Ordinary World-Class Items would not work on a Dragon Race that commanded Wild Magic, but [The Twenty] was different.
In YGGDRASIL, there were 200 World-Class Items. Among them, the strongest twenty were specially designated as [The Twenty].
Each of [The Twenty] possessed power that could severely break the game's balance.
"What is [The Twenty]? Is it also a World-Class Item?"
The Brightness Dragon Lord frowned in confusion.
The Heavenly Dragon Lord also looked over. They knew what World-Class Items were, but what was [The Twenty] supposed to mean?
"It's still a World-Class Item, but [The Twenty] isn't like the others. Every one of them has the power to affect the world itself."
Momonga explained it to the two True Dragon Lords, then glanced sideways at the ring in Naohara's hand.
[Ring of Ouroboros]
That World-Class Item was essentially an all-purpose wish engine. In theory, it could rewrite the World Laws again and remove the restrictions on Wild Magic.
Of course, unless the Great Tomb of Nazarick faced a life-or-death crisis, they would never use it.
Then Naohara pressed on.
"Brightness, when the Six Great Gods signed their pact with the Dragon Race back then, what price did they pay?"
"Why did the Dragon Race choose to withdraw from the world, and what exactly were they researching?"
"And the Dragon Emperor holding off the Eight Greed Kings and all those NPCs alone at the end... was that connected to it?"
There were too many gaps in the record. Naohara urgently wanted the truth.
And for some reason, hearing that the Dragon Emperor's remains were missing left him with an ominous feeling.
The Brightness Dragon Lord, who had still been marveling at the might of [The Twenty] while discussing it with the Heavenly Dragon Lord, paused, then spoke with a troubled look.
"I don't know. I didn't take part in that research back then, but it was probably a World-Class Item."
"After all, the Dragon Emperor summoned a World-Class Item because he wanted to go further, to step into a new realm."
Back then, not every Dragon Lord agreed with the Dragon Emperor's plan. Some openly opposed it.
The Brightness Dragon Lord and the Heavenly Dragon Lord were among them.
The Brightness Dragon Lord believed the status quo was enough. With a lifespan that was practically endless, the Dragon Emperor could have found other ways to grow stronger.
Calling down power from beyond the world was not necessarily a good thing for the Dragon Race.
And the outcome proved it.
The Dragon Emperor's stubborn insistence ultimately led to the Dragon Race's ruin.
"As for the Dragon Emperor's final burst of power…"
The Brightness Dragon Lord paused, a thoughtful look crossing his face.
At that moment, the Heavenly Dragon Lord spoke.
"The aura of the world."
The words instantly drew Naohara and the other two's attention.
"I can't explain it clearly, but that was the feeling the Dragon Emperor gave me back then."
The Heavenly Dragon Lord shook his head and described what he had sensed.
It was similar to the fluctuations of a World-Class Item, yet not quite the same. Mixed within it was also the aura of Wild Magic.
It felt almost like… a small world in the midst of being born.
Naohara frowned. After exchanging a brief look with Momonga and Herohero, he continued.
"And the one who ultimately slew the Eight Greed Kings. Do you have any impression of that powerhouse?"
This was the last question, and the one the three of them cared about most.
To forcibly kill the Eight Greed Kings inside their Guild Base, under the protection of numerous NPCs.
And afterward, the Eight Greed Kings did not resurrect.
That alone was enough to put them on guard.
The Brightness Dragon Lord's next words eased their concerns.
"Though it was faint, I can confirm that a trace of a dragon's pressure was mixed into that aura."
"There is no need to worry, my king. That individual seems to have some physical issue. They have not appeared for several centuries."
The Brightness Dragon Lord still held some goodwill toward that unknown powerhouse. After all, if not for them, the world might have already ended.
He himself certainly would not be living such a leisurely life now, indulging when there was something to indulge in, sleeping when there was nothing to do.
"Let's leave it at that for now. Hopefully nothing unexpected happens."
Naohara let out a quiet sigh. For the moment, they could only deal with whatever came their way.
If it truly came to the worst, they could always activate one of [The Twenty] and destroy the world outright. With the Serpent Ring in hand, Nazarick had no real worries.
"So the Eight Greed Kings' Guild Base was in the desert? No wonder we couldn't find it."
Momonga thought to himself.
Back when they had obtained information from the Black Scripture, they learned that the Eight Greed Kings possessed a floating fortress in the sky.
Momonga had even dispatched a large number of NPCs to search for it.
"Should we destroy the Eight Greed Kings' Guild?"
Herohero suggested. In his view, anything that posed a potential threat was best eliminated completely.
"We already have too much to deal with. Learning Wild Magic, attacking the Argland Council State, and then there's…"
Naohara rubbed his temples. He had only intended to take it easy, so why did it feel like the list of problems kept growing?
"But if there are Heteromorphs among the Eight Greed Kings' NPCs, there's a high chance they're still alive. We can't just ignore that."
Herohero felt just as troubled. Like Naohara, he could not understand why the number of things they had to worry about kept increasing.
For someone who just wanted a lazy life, sometimes knowing too much really was not a good thing.
"About that, there's no need to worry. The Eight Greed Kings' NPCs cannot leave the Guild Base."
The Brightness Dragon Lord coughed lightly and explained in a low voice.
"What do you mean?" Herohero asked.
"You would have to ask the Platinum Dragon Lord. I don't know the specifics."
The Brightness Dragon Lord answered awkwardly. He had lost count of how many times he had said "I don't know."
Why did he suddenly feel so useless?
"The Platinum Dragon Lord? That one's mouth is sealed tight. I doubt we'll get any useful information."
Momonga shook his head. He had long tried to pry information out of the Platinum Dragon Lord, but had never succeeded.
The Platinum Dragon Lord simply played dead on a daily basis, leaving Momonga with no options.
At this point, even if Demiurge went as far as cutting off his balls [extract his essence], the Platinum Dragon Lord would probably remain unmoved, as if to say do whatever you want.
There was no attempt to hide anything in Momonga's words. He directly acknowledged that the Platinum Dragon Lord had been captured.
The Brightness Dragon Lord and the Heavenly Dragon Lord exchanged glances.
Was this complete trust?
At that moment, Naohara and the other two looked toward the empty space beside them and spoke in an unreadable tone.
"They've finally arrived."
Spatial ripples spread outward. A pitch-black Gate materialized, and three figures stepped out. One of them appeared to be holding a staff.
"My apologies, my lords. I am late."
The figure carrying the staff spoke, her gentle female voice ringing clearly through the air.
...
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