Volume 2: The Road to Dragon Feast Chapter 118: The Legend of the Dragon Eater and the Origin of the Snake Man
Ogad (Scholar): "Ah, yes, that's right. According to my research, the dragon feast ceremony has a very meticulous ritual process. If the dragon feast is not performed according to the specific process, it is just a barbaric act of devouring flesh and blood. It has no meaning and may even lead to poisoning due to improper operation. As far as I know, the flesh and blood of most dragons contain toxins.
The dragon feasting ceremony is solemn and sacred, with the solemnity and grandeur of martyrs. It is the heroic fighting of the ancient dragon feasters that allowed the human race to survive and gradually grow stronger. "
Tianxiu Menethil (Palace Swordsman): "Oh, scholar Orgad, I have heard a story that when Emperor Thoradin was young, he set out on a journey in pursuit of power. On the way, he met a mysterious wizard who told him how to gain power by devouring a dragon. As a result, Emperor Thoradin became the first Dragon Eater. Is this story true?"
Ogad (Scholar): "This story is widely circulated, but I'm afraid it's not true. As far as I know, there were records of Dragon Eaters a thousand years before Emperor Thoradin. Emperor Thoradin is probably just a more famous one among them. People always like to put different stories and legends on the same hero to increase his legendary nature. As an archaeologist, you must have the ability to analyze and distinguish, and you can't just follow the crowd."
Humph! The young scholar named Hopps suddenly snorted in disdain, which made Ogard look over with dissatisfaction.
Ogad (Scholar): "Hopes, do you have a different opinion?"
Hopps (noble scholar): "In my opinion, those dragon eaters are not heroes at all, but a group of beasts. Dragons are intelligent just like humans. Since they are intelligent beings, how can you eat their hearts? How is this different from cannibalism? It is so barbaric and cruel. It is simply outrageous."
Murphy was speechless after hearing this. What kind of logic is this guy?
Ogard (Loremaster): "So you're saying that dragons can devour humans, but it's wrong for humans to eat a dragon's heart?"
Hopps (noble scholar): "Those dragons are just savage monsters. How can humans, as a civilized race, be like wild beasts?"
As soon as these words came out, several people were stunned. Mo Fei thought that this person must be mentally ill. "But you just said that dragons are also intelligent life forms."
Hopps (noble scholar): "Wisdom and barbarism are not in conflict. A group can be both extremely intelligent and barbaric and violent, but this should never be the behavior of human beings. We humans are civilized and should have our own bottom line and principles.
The Dragon Eaters have helped human civilization survive, but at what cost? Is it really worth it?
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone didn't know what to say.
Ogard looked at Murphy with a smile, "Prince Aidan, what do you think about this?"
Aidan (Prince of Alterac): "Your argument reminds me of a saying. If you lose your humanity, you lose a lot. If you lose your animality, you lose everything. If Scholar Hopps is really ashamed of humans devouring dragon hearts to continue civilization, then why not find a dragon and let it eat you? That way you can get spiritual comfort, wouldn't that be good?"
Hopes was furious after hearing this , but he couldn't lose his temper due to Prince Aidan's identity, so he could only concentrate on eating his bread.
Ogard (Scholar): "Ah, that is indeed a brilliant remark, as expected of His Royal Highness the Prince."
Aidan (Prince of Alterac): "This is just my personal opinion. By the way, Scholar Ogad, if the Dragon Eater is so powerful, why did it disappear?"
Ogad (Loremaster) : "Because performing a dragon feast can certainly gain the power of a dragon, but this power will also affect the mind of the dragon feaster. The more they devour, the more they become like a dragon, and eventually they will completely transform into a dragon. Those dragon feasters are obsessed with the power of dragons, but in the end they cannot avoid becoming the existence they hate, becoming the dragons they once hunted, and becoming the prey of other dragon feasters. This is the cursed fate of dragon feasters."
Aidan (Prince of Alterac): "Can't the Dragon Eater retain the mind of a human?"
Ogad (court scholar): "I'm afraid not. Humans are human because of the body we live in. If your soul is in the body of an elf or a dwarf, would you still consider yourself human? Elves are an immortal race, so their concept of time is completely different from that of humans. Dwarves are strong and can dig through mountains with brute force, which makes them rough and stubborn. These are characteristics that humans do not have.
We often think that everything is determined by our own will, but in fact, it is just the opposite. It is everything around us that determines our will.
No matter how hard those Dragon Eaters persist, they cannot change the reality that they have transformed into dragons. They become immortal like the dragons, soaring in the sky, and are hated by humans. Even if they can still maintain human consciousness at first, as time goes by, they are destined to transform into evil dragons, viewing humans as an inferior race, as prey and food.
So the Dragon Eaters became the prey of the Dragon Eaters, devouring each other and fighting each other. The old Dragon Eaters died and new Dragon Eaters were born. The dragons were beautiful and terrifying creatures, and so was the power. Therefore, there will always be people pursuing that power.
After thousands of years of war, the Dragon Eaters' struggle finally won the respect of the dragons. The dragons gradually realized that humans were a race as powerful as them, so the two sides signed a contract. The dragons withdrew from the human territory, and humans no longer went deep into the mountains and dense forests to hunt dragons.
The Dragon Eaters also began to decline from then on. They lost their enemies and their prey, and became the last evil dragons. Tempted by the power of dragons, they left human society one after another and went to the mountains and wilderness to live with dragons, to devour or be devoured by them. That was the final destination of the Dragon Eaters.
Perhaps among the living dragons today there are some former Dragon Eaters, but they must have long forgotten their past as humans."
Murphy listened to Ogard's story about the Dragon Eater and couldn't help but feel touched, and even forgot that it was just a game.
The whole audience was silent, even the Hopps scholar became silent.
Finally, it was Tianxiu who broke the silence.
Tianxiu Menethil (Palace Swordsman): "I heard that some people can obtain the power of dragons and still maintain human will, and can even switch between dragon and human forms. It is said that Emperor Thoradin is such a person. The legend of Emperor Thoradin is well known to everyone. He founded the Arathor Empire. If he eventually turned into a dragon, there would definitely be a lot of records. But since he is a dragon feaster, he did not turn into a dragon or any other monster. It shows that he may have mastered the method of maintaining human will."
Ogad nodded and said, "There is indeed such a saying, but I personally tend to think that it is impossible.
The power of a dragon is so strong that the will of mortals cannot reverse it. Of course, even if such a person really exists, they will definitely try their best to hide such a thing. Otherwise, once discovered, they are likely to become the target of hunting. Whether it is the dragon race or the human race, I am afraid that such a person cannot be tolerated. "
Mo Fei was shocked. Damn, it seems to be true. As the saying goes, those who are not of my race must have different hearts. This kind of Dragon Eater is both a dragon and a human, but conversely, it is neither a dragon nor a human. I'm afraid that neither dragons nor humans can trust such an existence.
But on second thought, he felt relieved again. Times have changed, and the Sky World will soon face a series of disasters, including the invasion of the orc army, the coming of natural disasters, the Burning Legion... I'm afraid no one will care about the existence of a Dragon Eater.
Aidan (Prince of Alterac): "And what about your statement that the Serpent-men are descendants of the Dragon Feasters?"
Ogard (Loremaster): "Not all Dragon Eaters will eventually transform into dragons. Some Dragon Eaters cannot get rid of their human identities, nor can they stop pursuing the power of dragons. They eventually become half-human, half-dragon monsters. These monsters have lost their human wisdom and are left with only the instincts of wild beasts, killing, devouring, and - mating.
For example, the lava earth dragon killed by Mr. Muradin and Prince Aidan was most likely an ancient dragon feaster.
As we all know, the dragon race has a very strong reproductive ability and can mate and reproduce with almost any race and give birth to offspring. So according to my speculation, the snake people are very likely the descendants of the lava earth dragon and other dragon-eating monsters. Of course, they may also be the descendants of the lava earth dragon and some local snake creature.
The snake people fear the lava earth dragon, but they also worship it because they respect their ancestors. Therefore, the snake people seal the entrance of the lava earth dragon's cave and hold sacrificial ceremonies regularly to feed their ancestors with flesh and blood. The lava earth dragon survives to this day by devouring its own offspring. This is the result of my research. What do you think, Prince Aidan? Are you satisfied with this answer?"
