Chapter 144 -137:The Preparation and the royal messenger

It has been a week since meeting about "The five pillar plan" concluded but the excitement about the plan can still be felt especially after it was revealed to the general populace.

But inside one of the estate’s largest halls the atmosphere was still grim.Here a private meeting about the supreme mage council was ongoing including only handfull of people but despite this the hall still felt small due to the attendees involved.

Aurethar alone occupied a third of the hall while enjoying the sunlight reflecting on his golden scales.

Around the table sat Lucien, Gandalf, Malen, Lucas and Ironbreaker the dwarf.

The dwarf was already halfway through a mug of ale though the question remained from where did he kept refilling the mug.

Nobody knew but none asked about it either.

Lucien started"So the Royal guardian expects me to go to supreme mage council to show weapons"

Lucas adjusted his glasses and spoke"Our concern isn’t whether you attend the meeting but it’s what happens after you do attend it"

"The council consists of the strongest people around the world,Aurethar can fight one or two of them but if they all decided to be hostile and act we would have nowhere to run"

"Too many unknowns,too many powerful people and too many places where things can go wrong"Malen muttered.

A fair assesment.

Gandalf finally spoke"The summit itself isn’t what’s dangerous, the people attending it may not be the same"

"The council consists of some of the most powerful mages alive some have lived for centuries,while other commands forces and enormous influence and all of the will be interested in elarion"

Ironbreaker the dwarf finally broke his silence"I guess you are all focussing in the wrong direction

Everyone suddenly looked at the dwarf.

Lucas raised his eyes"and what does that exactly meant"

"The same what I said, everyone keeps talking about weapons but I don’t think the royal guardian wants lucien go with him for it"

Everyone gave Ironbreaker the same look to keep continuing

"If all the guardian wanted was to showcase weapons then he could have simply invited the council members to some hidden testing grounds but he didn’t do it"

"He specifically invited Lucien to go with him"

Aurethar slowly lifted his head and turn towards lucien

"I agree with this miniature"

This dwarf looked proud for a moment for a moment after being praised before his brain finally worked and he started cursing Aurethar.

Aurethar ignored him entirely

"The royal guardian is not interested in machines but in the person who created them and so will be the council."

That possibility felt more dangerous.

The dragon’s voice remained calm.

"A young noble suddenly appears,starts transforming a struggling territory and within less than a decade transforms it into something that none understands and he somehow convinces a golden dragon to remain in his territory"

Lucien blinked

"So that’s suspicious"

Aurethar looked offended at this

"Extremely suspicious and I assure you from a outsider perspective,the situation itself is absurd"

"If i sat among the council, I would also have questions"

"Where does this knowledge comes from?"

"How does elarion develops this quickly and lastly and most important whether elarion represents an opportunity or a threat"

Then Aurethar suddenly added

"Ofcourse mages are not that big problem"

"What do you mean by that"Malen asked

The dragon chuckled at this"There will also be dragons"

"At this summit?"Lucas asked

"Naturally"

Aurethar sounded mildly offended.

"Did you imagine dragons spend all their time sleeping on mountains?"

Ironbreaker immediately raised a hand.

"Yes."

The dragon stared.

The dwarf stared back.

Several seconds passed.

Then Aurethar sighed.

"You continue to disappoint me."

The dragon continued.

"Several dragon clans maintain relations with the Council."

"Others attend because they enjoy knowing what everyone else is doing."

"And some attend because they enjoy interfering in everyone’s business."

Ironbreaker nodded.

"Now that sounds like dragons."

"That sounds like everyone."

Aurethar replied.

The dwarf could not argue with that.

The dragon started speaking again.

"The important point is that word has already spread."

Lucien frowned.

"What word?"

Aurethar’s golden eyes gleamed.

"About Elarion, Warhound, artillery, factories and it’s young lord building impossible things."

The dragon continued.

"Several dragons will arrive already knowing your name."

That attracted immediate attention.

Malen frowned.

Can that become a problem?"

Aurethar considered the question.

Then laughed.

"A dragon becoming a problem is hardly unusual."

Then everyone waited and the dragon eventually continued.

"Most will simply be curious."

"Some will be interested."

"While others will want introductions."

"And a few will undoubtedly behave like idiots."

Gandalf smiled.

"Dragons have idiots too?"

Aurethar looked deeply offended.

"We invented idiots."

Even Lucien laughed at that.

The dragon waited patiently for the amusement to pass.

Then his tone became more serious.

"I will send messages."

"Messages?"

Aurethar nodded.

"I know several dragons likely to attend."

The dragon’s golden eyes narrowed slightly.

"If they hear about you from me first, the situation becomes much easier."

Lucas immediately approved of it.

That sounded useful.

Aurethar continued.

"I cannot guarantee outcomes."

"Dragons rarely agree on anything."

The dragon paused and said with some difficulty.

"Except that red dragons are insufferable."

And with almost a murmur and if you see a women with dark red hair and horns as t the council pretend that I never existed.

"Anyway the main point is you will go to council as lord of elarion and when you return you will come to know that the world knows about you one way or another"

That brought a moment of seriousness to the meeting.

The meeting regarding the Supreme Mage Council ended shortly afterward.

Yet Aurethar’s final words lingered.

For the first time, Elarion would be introduced to the wider world and it was a unsettling thought.

Over the following days, preparations continued.

Engineers left for survey missions.

Administrators buried themselves beneath mountains of paperwork.

The Five Pillars Project consumed enormous amounts of attention and resources.

Lucien spent most of his time between planning sessions and reviewing reports.

For a brief period, life almost felt normal.

Then a rider arrived to elarion with a banner attached to his horse displayed the personal crest of the Royal Guardian.

That detail alone sent guards scrambling.

Within minutes the entire estate knew an important messenger had arrived.

Both the Rider and the horse looked exhausted,dust covered the once pristine cloak.

The man had clearly ridden very hard.

Lucien received him in the main hall.

The messenger immediately knelt.

"My Lord."

Lucien nodded.

"Rise."

The man stood and presented a sealed document with Heavy wax and seal of the Royal Guardian.

Lucien accepted the letter and then began reading.

The adminstrator frowned"Bad news?"

"No the summit preparations have begun and the royal guardian wants me to reach capital"

"When"Lucas asked

The messenger replied to this

"In 10 days a royal convoy will depart from the capital and the Guardian requests Lord Lucien’s presence before departure."

"The journey to the summit location will be conducted under royal escort."

Lucien started reading about other arrangement and one particular line got his attention.

"Anything the issue"The adminstrator asked.

"No it’s just the crown prince will be attending it too"

"Well that’s not surprising"Lucas continued

"So is princess elena"

Just then another deep voice entered the conversation.

Aurethar head appeared outside one of the massive windows.

Golden eyes fixed upon the messenger.

The royal courier immediately froze.

The dragon looked toward Lucien.

"The invitation has arrived?"

"Yes."

Aurethar nodded.

The dragon’s gaze settled upon the letter.

"Who else is attending?"

Lucien listed several names.

Several archmages,Several noble houses.

Representatives of magical institutions.

Aurethar listened patiently.

Then nodded.

"As expected."

The dragon appeared thoughtful.

"Three dragons have already confirmed attendance."

That immediately drew attention.

Lucien looked up.

"You’ve already received replies?"

"Naturally."

Aurethar sounded mildly offended at being asked.

"Dragons communicate,Occasionally."

"When sufficiently motivated."

Aurethar continued.

"The silver dragon Valeris will attend.

The golden dragon immediately looked annoyed and gave lucien a pitiful look.

"She asks too many questions."

"How many exactly is too many?" Lucien asked.

Aurethar stared at him for several seconds then dropped the bomb.

"All of them."

"Bronze Dragon Tharok will also attend."

This time his expression improved noticeably.

"A sensible dragon unlike certain others."

Lucas adjusted his glasses.

"Only those two?"

The question seemed innocent.

Unfortunately for Aurethar, Ironbreaker was present.

The dwarf suddenly grinned.

"Wasn’t there another one?"

Aurethar immediately entered denial mode.

"No."

"And aren’t you being too investigative little miniature for the size of someone smaller than my nail"

Ironbreaker’s turned a deaf ear and suddenly his grin widened.

"Oh, I’m pretty sure there was."

"There wasn’t."

"There absolutely was."

"There wasn’t."

"There was."

Everyone in the room gradually became interested.

Lucien leaned back while Malen smirked even gandalf looked amused.

Aurethar slowly narrowed his eyes and looked at the dwarf who looked entirely too happy.

What as her name again The dwarf pretended to think.

"Something red"

The dragon chose silence.

Ironbreaker spoke again"something very red"

Aurethar suddenly appeared interested in distant mountain.

At this point everyone understood the dragon ironbreaker was talking about.

Finally aurethar sighed knowing the disaster was unavoidable and spoke the name

"Lady Pyraxis"

The golden dragon slowly closed his eyes.

As though hoping reality would disappear.

Lucien looked toward the dragon.

"You never mentioned this."

"There was nothing to mention."

Aurethar answered immediately.

Suddenly the dwarf also chimed in"yes nothing to mention except they flattened several mountain ranges last time they met. Ah people in love my small heart can’t take this much excitement"

"That was a small misunderstanding" Aurethar still wanting to avoid this conversation.

The dwarf grinned at this"you know the summit just became much more interesting"