On the way back to the temporary Dragon Lair, snow flurried.
Obsidian spread his wings, flying through the clouds against the howling cold currents.
Clutched in his talons, Frost Fang was like a puppy held by the scruff of its neck, its four paws curled up, its tail stiff, even its ice-blue scales turning pale with fright.
"Move again and I'll drop you," Obsidian glanced down.
Frost Fang immediately tensed its body, even holding its breath.
The wind shrieked in his ears, but Obsidian's thoughts were exceptionally clear.
The aftermath of defeating Saritus, how to persuade the Proto-Dragons to convert, the expansion of faith among the Ice Trolls—it felt like he had too many irons in the fire, and he didn't have any reliable helpers right now.
He really wanted to go back and lie flat... He had been doing daily quests for over five thousand years, couldn't he just get some proper rest?
He subconsciously tightened his Dragon claws, and Frost Fang immediately let out a whimper.
"Shut up," Obsidian loosened his grip slightly, his Dragon eyes sweeping over the vast snowfield below. "I'm thinking."
Frost Fang: (´;ω;｀)
The clouds thinned, and the outline of South Peak, plunging downwards, appeared in the twilight.
Obsidian's temporary Dragon Lair was embedded in the middle of the cliff, its entrance glowing with a faint blue shadow barrier.
That was the warning spell he had casually cast when he left last time.
He didn't turn his head, but from the sound of the wind, he could tell that fellow had already flown to his left.
Shadow Wing had indeed followed all the way, never falling a step behind.
Unlike Frost Fang, who was scared stiff like a salted fish hanging from his talons, this blue-scaled Proto-Dragon, the first to submit to him, maintained an almost perfect flying posture, occasionally even using the air currents Obsidian created to save stamina.
He looked more and more comfortable; given time to grow, achieving something substantial was almost a certainty.
Obsidian didn't speak, but he made a mental note.
He glanced at Frost Fang, who was still acting as a pendant. "At least he's much stronger than this guy."
He led the descent, passing through the wind gap between the South Peaks, abruptly flipping over in the wind-straightened snowline, retracting his wings, and landing.
Shadow Wing followed closely, leaping onto the stone platform below the cliff, his wings folded, standing like a sculpture.
Frost Fang, on the other hand, was casually tossed aside by Obsidian, landing with a splat into a snowdrift, where he lay on his back with all four paws in the air for a long time before pitifully crawling up and whimpering all the way to the cave entrance.
Obsidian stepped into the lair, and Shadow Wing silently stopped at the entrance, as if implicitly accepting the "night guard" duty.
"You two will guard the entrance tonight."
Frost Fang shivered and nodded while shaking off snow.
Actually, Obsidian didn't need them to guard the entrance, but he needed some private Dragon space.
The cave was not large; Obsidian had temporarily modified it with shadow energy before, the stone walls had a molten luster, and faint shadow patterns floated between the rock layers.
He lay down casually, in a comfortable but unapproachable posture, and opened his divinity panel.
Divine Name: Obsidian Nexus Lin (Obsidian Nexus Lin)
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Domain: Dragon / Shadow
Divine Portfolio: To be chosen (① [Lord of the End] ② [Whisperer of the Abyss] ③ [Flame Keeper]...)
Divinity Level: 0 (Demigod)
Challenge Rating: 30
Divine Emblem: Obsidian Dragon Eye
Followers: 62 (Ice Troll 56, Proto-Dragon 6)
Faith Strength: Weak
Divine Realm: Not established
Blessing Authority: Tier 1 Open
Path of Enhancement: ① Divine Power Ascension ② Ancient Dragon Path ③????
Obsidian paused on "Follower Count."
"Fifty-six?" He was slightly surprised. "Skala moves fast, it seems."
His divine sense swept along the lines of faith to Tok-Aak, and sure enough, he found that the shrine was nearing completion.
Gulen, the unbeliever, was systematically balancing hunting and construction, proving Skala's foresight.
He continued to browse the divinity panel, his gaze quickly falling on a still-blinking category:
Divine Portfolio: To be chosen (① [Lord of the End] ② [Whisperer of the Abyss] ③ [Flame Keeper]...)
Three options were listed there, each representing a different path.
Obsidian didn't click. He knew the time wasn't right yet.
Now he had another problem to solve:
The faith of the Proto-Dragons.
The Ice Trolls didn't need anyone to teach them what faith was.
They already had a well-established loa belief system that could be easily adapted for Obsidian's use.
But the Proto-Dragons were different.
As juveniles, they were like beasts, with only rudimentary intelligence;
As they grew, they were natural overlords, at the top of the food chain, their gaze overlooking the world, needing to look up to nothing.
They did not prostrate themselves, nor did they pray.
They conquered land and sky; they were born free, beyond indoctrination.
Obsidian lay back on his throne, silently staring at the divinity interface, his talons gently tapping the rock, beating a rhythm from deep within his heart.
He had to give these Dragons a reason, a reason they could accept, a reason they could understand, to believe in him.
It could never be a saying like "I grant you protection," which was effective for mortals.
They didn't need protection, at least not now.
The answer had always been in Obsidian's heart.
Power.
Having lived as a Black Dragon for over five thousand years, Obsidian knew well the desire that flowed in Dragon blood.
To fly further, live longer, become stronger.
This was the desire inscribed in all Dragon bones.
Obsidian closed his eyes, his thoughts surging like a tide.
A moment later, his golden Dragon eyes slowly opened, a plan already forming in his mind.
Next was how to fulfill this promise.
First, Obsidian possessed divinity, and divinity was the most suitable tool.
Even this un-ascended Level 0 divinity was enough to provide a path to sacred office for his followers—whether mortals or great beasts.
He didn't need to rely on the protective power left by the Titans, nor did he need to adopt the life-and-death power driven by sacrifices, like the loa.
Instead, it would be DnD-style Clerics and Paladins.
That was a covenant established from the depths of the soul, a power infused by faith.
Speaking of which, the power system of Azeroth itself also had Clerics and Paladins, but they were all spokespersons for the Holy Light... or the Shadow.
And his Clerics and Paladins would also be his spokespersons.
Ultimately, there was no essential difference between them.
But this was not enough.
The paths of Clerics and Paladins dictated that they needed fervent faith, and the faith of the Proto-Dragons... most of them probably couldn't be very deep.
Just like the Dragons in the DnD world, who claim to be followers of Bahamut or Tiamat, but besides faith, they couldn't offer anything else, let alone gold coins.
A thought vaguely emerged in Obsidian's mind: he might, probably, need a... Trial Ground?
This idea was still unclear, but he vaguely felt that this might be a good direction.
However, how to specifically realize this idea, and what characteristics and functions this Trial Ground should ultimately possess, Obsidian currently had no clear plan or Ideas.
His mind was filled with various vague ideas, but he was always unable to form a complete blueprint.
"Forget it, don't think so much for now!" Obsidian muttered to himself. "Anyway, there's still plenty of time."
So, Obsidian rolled over, adjusted his'salted fish' posture, and made himself more comfortable.
He decided to temporarily put aside these troubling thoughts and get some good rest, enjoying the tranquil time as a long-lived being.