"I am a descendant of the War Saint; you may call me Dragon Grand," the imposing figure said, his wide eyes glaring at Orson and the others.
Within the stronghold, there were many functional NPCs, but these NPCs were typically indifferent to players and wouldn't get involved in their battles. However, the man who claimed to be the War Saint's descendant was an exception. If the guild leader personally asked, he'd provide answers that were somewhat different.
"Take us on a tour of the stronghold," Orson said.
Dragon Grand grunted in acknowledgment and began to lead them around the stronghold.
"This is the stronghold's warehouse. It has been abandoned. It will require reputation points and materials to restore."
"This is the foundation of the magic tower. It has also been abandoned..."
After taking them to six different locations, Orson shook his head, not having found what he was looking for. He decided to ask directly: "Take me to the cave of the legendary dragon."
"Is it really there?"
As soon as the words were spoken, Bradley and Madman nearly lost their minds with excitement, barely managing to hold their tongues.
"Do you need to show the Bone Dragon Stronghold scroll?" Dragon Grand asked.
"Yes," Orson responded, pulling out the invaluable stronghold certificate.
It wasn't just a certificate; it was more like a special stone, similar to the key in his inventory.
Dragon Grand led them through the stronghold's buildings and stopped by a rock wall, where he used magic to deactivate a protective barrier. A huge cave appeared before them.
"The dragon's lair! Could it contain a dragon's treasure?" Madman exclaimed, saliva nearly dripping from his mouth. If there was indeed treasure here, its value would surpass that of any regular stronghold.
"Even more astonishing than a dragon's treasure," Orson said with a small smile.
In his previous life, the Dragon's Kiss Guild had occupied this area, and Usher had nearly become a legend in the US region, starting from the discovery of the dragon's lair.
They entered the cave, which was pitch dark. Dragon Grand lit a magical crystal, casting light that illuminated the area for several meters.
"Wow, it's so big, so massive!" Bradley exclaimed in awe.
"It really is huge..." Orson said, laughing helplessly. Bradley always had a way of making things sound strange.
"Dragon skeleton?" Madman gasped in surprise. A complete dragon skeleton appeared deep within the cave. It was over 200 meters long, with a single tooth as large as a person.
But to Orson, this was nothing extraordinary. He had seen much more terrifying dragons in his previous life, including the Dragon King with a size so massive that it could block the sky.
The dragon before them had nearly all its teeth fallen out. It likely died of natural causes here.
In terms of size, it was no more than a low-tier dragon, far from being comparable to the higher-tier giant dragons.
Madman, driven by greed, rushed over, unsheathing his short sword to try and chop off a dragon's tooth.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Bradley, horrified, yelled, "Are you crazy? You're destroying a relic!"
"Ugh, why can't I pick it up? If I could use this for crafting gear, I'd be rich!" Madman said, his arm numb from the force. Even striking the tooth couldn't leave a scratch.
"Stop trying. It's invincible. Even if you chop it, it will instantly regenerate," Orson shrugged. If it were that easy to obtain, he would have already done so. This was just a corpse, after all.
"Is there a mechanism to trigger the hidden stronghold?" Orson asked, walking around the dragon's lair. He didn't see any treasures or triggering mechanisms for the hidden stronghold.
Bradley pointed at the dragon's bones and said, "It's strange. The position the dragon died in looks odd. It's almost as if it was lying down like a pup."
Madman replied, "You're right. There are scratch marks all over the ground. What was it doing? Digging a hole to bury itself?"
"Haha, you're hilarious!" Bradley laughed loudly. Madman, with a dismissive sneer, retorted, "Silver-haired fool."
As the two continued to bicker, Orson's attention was drawn to something. On the ground, amidst the scratches, he noticed some strange symbols.
Quickly, he called for Dragon Grand to bring the magical crystal closer for a better look.
"You've found the clue to trigger the hidden stronghold," the system prompt sounded.
"You need to obtain five certificates from the Celestial Legion."
"Bone Dragon Certificate 1/1"
"Xuanwu Certificate 1/1"
...
"Black Wolf Certificate 1/1"
"All certificates collected. Please insert them into the groove."
The system sounded off one by one. Orson suppressed his excitement and, following the glowing grooves' directions, carefully inserted the five different-shaped certificates.
"Damn, the place seems like it's about to collapse!" Bradley shouted, panicking.
The entire cave began to shake violently. Madman, terrified, collapsed onto the ground.
Seeing this, Dragon Grand's eyes briefly flashed with excitement. Taking advantage of the moment when everyone was distracted, he swiftly dashed out of the cave.
Orson received the evacuation prompt and quickly said, "Let's get out of here."
"Who do you think you are, Master Thief? Can you at least have some common sense?" Bradley said with disdain, lifting Madman to his feet.
The group sprinted towards the exit with all their strength.
As soon as they stepped out of the dragon's lair, the entire mountain collapsed with a mighty crash.
A deafening rumble echoed from deep underground. Even though players weren't afraid of death, the massive tremor still sent a chill down their spines.
"My dragon tooth! My treasure... it's all gone! What the hell did you do?" Madman cursed in regret, still pondering if he could use his class skills to steal the dragon's bones for crafting legendary weapons.
"Just wait and see," Orson said with burning determination in his eyes, casually summoning the Crimson Lizard King. It soared into the sky, scanning the horizon.
Suddenly, a dazzling beam of light shot into the sky, followed by thunder and lightning.
The mountain was connected to a flat plain, and with the deafening boom, all the magical beasts in the area went into a frenzy, running for their lives.
Players in every stronghold were stunned. The tremors coming from deep underground hinted at the birth of a terrifying monster.
The plain cracked open, and a massive hollow, 100 kilometers in diameter, appeared in the ground. A floating island rose into the sky, revealing a grand silver palace at its core.
The light broke into several beams, cascading downward like ethereal curtains, mist swirling around them.
"What... what the hell is that?!" Madman's jaw nearly hit the floor. Bradley stared at the sight, speechless in disbelief.
"Could that be the final hidden stronghold?" he asked, stunned.
"You've unlocked the Celestial Fortress!"
"Bone Dragon Stronghold has now unlocked the portal to the Celestial Fortress."
"By conquering this city, you will become the Sky Lord!"
Orson's face lit up with excitement. This was the biggest secret of the guild's stronghold war!
"The First Battlefield seems to have a new dungeon. Should we go for it?"
"How do you expect us to? Can't you see it's floating in the sky? How are we supposed to get up there?"
"This is insane! Why didn't we see this before? Who made this?"
"Is this part of the game's new expansion?"
Rumors of the Celestial Fortress quickly spread across the world channel. Everyone was speculating about the origins of this sky city.
As the five stronghold certificates flew back into his hands, Orson couldn't hide his excitement. Looking at the ancient giant city, he whispered to himself, "This is truly a huge win."
The city had once been struck down by the Dark Dragon Empire, but now, it had descended back into the world.
And he had a chance to become the Sky Lord!