For wiser dragons, it is far more sensible to make a non-aggression pact with a strong, friendly neighbor than to make enemies everywhere.
Originally, Karl had only wanted to move his muscles and find an opponent, but he hadn't expected to gain a pile of magical items,
and the pursuit of two adult dragons, a young dragon, and the unhatched Saqqiya.
Dorregaray's gaze was fixed on Myrgtabrakke, Villentretenmerth, and the lively Mydak.
As a sorcerer dedicated to protecting and researching rare magical creatures, the chance to see and perhaps even get close to two intelligent dragons up close was rare.
He struggled internally, wanting to boldly follow Myrgtabrakke and the others to Arn Vati's territory together.
But reality forced him to calm down; Arn Vati had not invited him.
They had only just met, and had no friendship.
Rashly proposing to follow would not only be abrupt but would also touch on the privacy and confidentiality of the territory, arousing the other party's disgust and suspicion.
In the end, reason prevailed. He walked over to Yennefer with great regret,
exchanged contact information for future correspondence, hoping to learn some information about the dragons from her.
Finally, he gave the three dragons a deep, reluctant look, as if wanting to imprint this rare scene in his memory.
Then he silently stepped aside, waved his hands, opened an orange portal, stepped inside, and disappeared from the cave.
Seeing Dorregaray leave, Geralt looked at Karl and gestured with his eyes towards the two Tia sisters nearby, who had been silent ever since Karl had shown his power.
He approached Karl, lowered his voice, and asked: "Now... can we call you by your real name?"
Karl nodded indifferently, pretending to deal with the unrelated dragon hunters.
In front of friends like Geralt and Yennefer, there was no need for that.
Geralt looked up at Villentretenmerth, who was much larger than Myrgtabrakke and looked like a golden hill, even lying on the ground.
He then turned to Yennefer and asked a very practical question: "Yen, a portal... can they fit through one?"
Yennefer was immediately silenced by Geralt's question.
She crossed her arms, her face reflecting a helpless expression, "Have you misunderstood something about sorcerers?"
"Please, Geralt, I am still young among sorcerers, less than a hundred years old, and my spellcasting abilities are average." She sighed.
"Perhaps those sorcerers who have lived for hundreds of years and are highly skilled can open a stable portal that a dragon can pass through."
"But my portal has a limit; it can only support the passage of small to medium-sized creatures, like your Roach, and there is a limit to the number of safe passages at one time."
She paused and added, half warning, half teasing: "Forcibly passing them through a portal? Only if they want to experience what it's like to get stuck in the stone."
At that moment, Yennefer's eyes noticed Karl, who was levitating the remaining gemstones and ore from Myrgtabrakke's collection in the cave.
Her eyes lit up slightly, as if she had an idea, and she gently nudged Geralt with her elbow, signaling him to look at Karl.
Yennefer lowered her voice, with slight anticipation and encouragement: "Geralt, perhaps... His Excellency Karl possesses such magical attainments. Why don't you ask him?"
She was curious whether this being, who had repeatedly defied common sense, was equally powerful in spellcasting.
In fact, thanks to Karl's superhuman hearing, he had already clearly heard their conversation.
Just as Geralt had cast a questioning glance, his lips slightly parted, not having time to say anything,
Karl had already spoken first, his gaze sweeping over the two massive dragons: "I'm not sure. I've never tried to include... such a large scale portal."
"But I can give it a try."
His answer piqued the interest of Geralt and Yennefer, and even the two dragons quietly communicating nearby fell silent, their dragon pupils curiously watching them, while the Tia sisters held their breath.
Under everyone's gaze, Karl stood calmly, not raising his hand, but his mind moved.
BOOM!! The next moment, lightning suddenly exploded.
A portal with unstable orange energy pulsating outside and a deep black whirlpool in the center appeared from the void.
Geralt subconsciously lowered his head and glanced at the wolf-head medallion on his chest.
The medallion, extremely sensitive to the source of magical power, was silent, without the slightest tremor.
He couldn't help but look up at Yennefer beside him.
He found that she, a sorceress, was now slightly open-mouthed, her eyes full of shock, as if she had seen something that defied her reasoning.
Geralt couldn't help but whisper, his voice full of doubt: "Yen, Karl is casting spells... what's happening?"
He was not a sorcerer and had limited knowledge of spellcasting details.
He only felt that Karl's spellcasting method was fast and fierce, but didn't know what was so special about it.
Yennefer snapped out of her shock at Geralt's voice and slowly turned her head to look at him, her words still full of uncontrollable surprise.
"Geralt, you don't understand... it's not just the speed."
She took a deep breath, trying to explain in a way Geralt could understand: "Sorcerers often need to accompany their spells with specific gestures or corresponding incantations."
"This is not just a formality; it is for focusing, guiding, and controlling the magic within and around oneself, ensuring the successful formation and safe release of the spell."
"When a sorcerer can omit the gestures and successfully cast spells using only their mind, it means they have achieved a high level of mastery in that spell."
"And when they can complete the spell in an instant, without even thinking it in their heart,"
"it means their understanding and control of that spell have reached an extremely high level, that is, instant casting."
She pointed to herself: "Like earlier in Terra when I struck you with lightning, that was one of the few common spells I could cast instantly."
"But the vast majority of deep, complex spells, such as opening portals, even I have to rely on gestures for assistance, requiring time for preparation and guidance."
Her gaze fell again on the portal and on Karl, with his calm face by the door, her words full of awe: "And His Excellency Karl..."
"He not only performs instantly without gestures or incantations, he even... gives no warning at all!"