[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-mystic-calling-stone-of-glory":3,"chapter-mystic-calling-stone-of-glory-mystic-calling-stone-of-glory-chapter-960":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Mystic Calling：Stone of Glory",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1242504,1669,"Chapter 960 960: Drake Isn’t a Name","mystic-calling-stone-of-glory-chapter-960",960,"\u003Cp>Ethan didn't put his power away right away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead, he took a step back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The newly fused force inside him started turning again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The air vibrated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the deep-sea currents seemed tugged by something invisible, slowly spiraling around him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn't attack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But his presence alone was pressure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eyes locked onto the draconic elder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That aura—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>he wouldn't mistake it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dragon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And not just any dragon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A dragonline tied to the Phoenix Empire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The power on you,\" Ethan said slowly, voice low and even, \"comes from the Phoenix Empire's dragon bloodline.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sea went silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Thalaryn didn't dare make a sound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Who are you?\" Ethan pressed, his gaze sharpening. \"And what's your relationship with Drake?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The instant the name left his mouth—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>the draconic elder's body stiffened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His pupils tightened slightly, like Ethan had brushed a past he didn't want to touch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan didn't miss it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His voice went colder. \"You're a remnant of the Phoenix Empire?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The energy in the water turned unstable, like it could erupt at any second.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The draconic elder's breathing grew heavier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he slowly raised a hand and drew a gemstone from his robes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A blue-green stone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn't flashy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the energy inside it was unnaturally steady.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It didn't feel like a weapon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It felt more like—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>a vessel for inheritance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment it appeared, the dragon power inside Ethan resonated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not hostility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something older than that. A connection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan's expression shifted slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The draconic elder took a step back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still no attack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He only gripped the gem tighter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I don't know the Phoenix Empire,\" he said, voice hoarse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no fear in it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only exhaustion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But I know Drake.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He paused, and his eyes went distant—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>like he was looking across an age that never really ended.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Because I once belonged to the Drakar Empire.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sea seemed to freeze over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan's brow furrowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Drakar Empire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He'd heard the name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But that part of history had always been blurry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I am an ancient dragonkin of the Drakar Empire,\" the elder continued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And Drake—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His voice dropped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"—isn't a name.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It's a title.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan's pupils narrowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The draconic elder spoke slowly. \"Every generation's ruler of the empire is called Drake.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They inherit power.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They inherit authority.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And they inherit war.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His hand trembled faintly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"For a power they could never truly control, they kept starting wars.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The empire expanded.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"People died.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And they—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He closed his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Never stopped.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The silence was terrifying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan didn't interrupt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because he could feel it—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>this wasn't a lie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was memory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So,\" the draconic elder said, opening his eyes again, \"I left the empire.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I took some of my people with me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And I destroyed the empire's final energy core.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan's breath caught.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He understood what that meant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That wasn't betrayal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was an ending.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"After it lost its energy core,\" the elder went on, \"the Drakar Empire began to collapse.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And in the end, it was swallowed by the Phoenix Empire.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan finally understood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The \"Drake\" the Phoenix Empire's Phoenix Queen Ignara had killed before… wasn't just some traitor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He'd been the last ruler.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The one who ended an empire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The draconic elder stepped forward slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>he offered the gemstone to Ethan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, there was no guard in his posture at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan didn't take it immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he could feel it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The gem was calling him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He reached out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment his fingertips touched it—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>a stream of energy slipped into his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Information.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A complete energy-circuit blueprint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A map.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A route leading to an empire that was supposed to have vanished long ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan's pupils tightened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Drakar Empire…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>hadn't truly disappeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had only—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>fallen asleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan didn't speak right away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All his attention was on the blue-green gem resting in his palm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It didn't radiate violent energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead, it gave off an incredibly stable pulse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like it wasn't made to fight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was made to guide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan closed his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The system automatically began to parse it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Invisible streams of data poured into his consciousness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, a full energy-path diagram unfolded in his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn't an ordinary map.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a route hidden in the deepest part of the sea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the end of that route—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>a name was marked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Drakar Empire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan's breathing stalled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not because of the power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because of the location.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That empire's position—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>was at the end of the Nether Sea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the edge of the world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The system rapidly generated projections:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the Drakar Empire's energy core were restored, that region could be reactivated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If that region could be brought under control—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Emerald Castle's sphere of influence would expand exponentially.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan opened his eyes slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deep in his pupils, something shifted—subtle, but real.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He understood what it meant now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Drakar Empire wasn't a ruin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a key.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A key to a much larger world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the residual information inside the gem…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>the world's edge wasn't empty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A special group lived out there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beings with a natural affinity for the ocean—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>able to manipulate the sea itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They didn't belong to any empire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Any faction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They belonged only to the ocean.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They sailed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They drifted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were free.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No kings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No rulers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And yet even so—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>some existences still chose to build territory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They gathered their own kind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Built fleets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Drew borders across sea-regions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Becoming \"kings\" of the ocean in their own right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan's fingers tightened slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the Drakar Empire was reactivated,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>it would become a stepping stone into that area.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And that meant—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>the world's power structure would be rewritten.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Emerald Castle would no longer be just a land power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It would become—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>an empire that spanned the seas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thought had barely finished forming when—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>RUMBLE—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>the entire sea-region began to shake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not a normal tremor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A deeper energy disturbance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Far-off water churned violently, like something was closing in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thalorien's face changed instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Everyone—\" For the first time, his voice carried fear. \"Level-one alert!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Thalaryn moved at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The energy barrier began to reassemble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guardians snapped into battle positions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pressure in the water thickened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next second—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>space tore open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A figure stepped out through twisted lightning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A towering man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His body was wrapped in thunder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it wasn't ordinary thunder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was three different forms at once—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>gold lightning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>blue lightning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>and—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>ghost-blue lightning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That ghost-blue current carried an ancient, dangerous aura.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan's system screamed a warning immediately:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Nethora Power detected.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[High-tier existence detected.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Assessment result: Tier 32 (Early Stage)]\u003C\u002Fp>",1089,"2026-06-05T15:15:58.682Z",1,"novelbin.me","32804a6b038e86bbe6f8327ba119d6af3dd8c43f4c2cd439786df8304f28f8e3","mystic-calling-stone-of-glory-chapter-961","mystic-calling-stone-of-glory-chapter-959",1138,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fmystic-calling-stone-of-glory-cover.jpg"]