Lux thought that the Floating Island, Karshvar Draconis, was just a single floating island that was as big as a city.
However, after he and Cethus used several teleportation gates in order to reach the Outer Reaches, he realized that he was greatly mistaken.
Karshvar Draconis wasn't just a single island.
It was a group of floating Islands, and when combined together, they were as large as a Kingdom.
The Floating Island, which was located at the center of the formation, was the Main Island where the Dragon King lived.
The name of the Capital City of the Dragon King was called Rex Lapis, and it was where the majority of the DragonBorns, Elder Dragons, as well as a few Ancient Dragons lived.
The floating islands surrounding it were categorized by the type of Dragon that lived in each of them.
Blue Dragons, Red Dragons, Green Dragons, Earth Dragons, Black Dragons, and the other Dragon Species, which some mortals were unable to see due to how rare they were.
If one were to describe Karshvar Draconis as a whole, it was like a Kingdom that stood above the world, overseeing the affairs of those who lived on land.
Finally, after several hours of travel, Lux and Cethus arrived at the Outer Reaches.
To the Half-Elf's surprise, the Outer Reaches was a thriving city filled with people of different races.
Humans, Dwarves, Gnomes, Elves, Beastkins, Demons, as well as other races that Lux hadn't seen before.
The Outer Reaches were composed of three Floating Islands. The middle island, the biggest of the three, was the center of commerce. This was where the people of other races actively traded with the DragonBorns, as well as the Dragons.
Seeing the look of amazement on the Half-Elf's face, Cethus smirked, thinking that Lux was a country bumpkin who was seeing a thriving city for the first time.
"This is the Outer Reaches, and the Dragon King said that you will be staying here for the time being," Cethus explained. "If I heard correctly, you are going to build your Guild Headquarters, right? I was given the deed to the land where you will be building your base of operations. Come and follow me."
Cethus flapped his wings as he flew to the third island, which was the smallest of the three and seemed deserted.
He explained that the Floating Island was simply referred to as "The Pit", which confused the Half-Elf.
Lux thought that he would be able to build his Headquarters in the Main City of the Outer Reaches which was called Pygmalion. However, Cethus was flying in a different direction, which gave him a very bad feeling.
A few minutes later, the black-scaled Dragon Born landed on a desolate mountainside.
There was nothing special about it aside from the fact that there was a mile-wide crater in the center of the mountains, as if they had been punched by the clawed fist of a gigantic dragon.
The thing that made Lux frown was the smell that was coming from the crater.
One glance was enough for him to know that the crater was used as the dump site for the trash, as well as other wastes, of the City of Pygmalion.
He finally understood why the third island was simply referred to as The Pit.
It was literally a pit where garbage was thrown until it piled up like a mountain.
"Here is the deed granted by the Dragon King," Cethus said as he tossed a scroll towards Lux, which the latter caught with both hands. "From now on, this mountain range belongs to you. You are free to do as you wish with it. However, you are not allowed to build anything outside of it."
The black-scaled Dragon Born was laughing inside his heart because Lux's expression was priceless.
When he first heard the Dragon King's orders, he thought that his King was being generous by giving the Half-Elf a piece of land where he could build his Guild Headquarters. However, after finding out the exact location of where that land was located, Cethus roared in laughter because the land that had been awarded to Lux was similar to a cesspool.
Cethus was even looking forward to seeing what the Half-Elf would do to deal with the garbage that had piled up in the crater, which smelled of rotten eggs and manure.
The longer Lux looked at the crater, the deeper the frown on his face became. Finally, after ten minutes, he glanced at the black-scaled DragonBorn to confirm whether this was really the place that was awarded to him by the Dragon King.
"The Dragon King's orders are absolute," Cethus replied. "Even I cannot defy them. Since he has given this land to you, everything in it belongs to you as well. Well, if you ask me, it is a very fitting arrangement. Isn't it only natural for garbage to be thrown into the same place?"
The black-scaled DragonBorn laughed out loud, giving Lux the strong urge to smack him. However, since the latter was stronger than him, he had no choice but to bottle up his anger as he stared at the land that was bestowed upon him by the Dragon King.
As if to make matters worse, a dozen dragons flew past them, dropping more garbage into the crater before flying back to the City of Pygmalion.
They even gave a side-long glance at Lux and Cethus, wondering what the two of them were doing at the garbage dump together.
"Earlier, you said that this Mountain Range now belongs to me, right?" Lux asked.
Cethus nodded. "Yes. Everything in it belongs to you as well."
"That trash also belongs to me, right?" Lux pointed at the crater that almost made him want to puke.
Cethus smirked. "Yes."
"Okay." Lux nodded before flying towards the City of Pygmalion.
Cethus thought that Lux had been heartbroken due to the circumstances he found himself in. As the Half-Elf's supervisor, it was his task to give the Dragon King a regular report on what the Half-Elf was doing, so he wondered if Lux was planning to give up and leave the Outer Reaches and go back to the Lower Realm.
(A/N: starting today, I will refer to the lands below the sky as the Lower Realm for now. This is also the term used by the DragonBorn to refer to the land under their Domain.)
It didn't take long before the Half-Elf landed on the City Wall of the City of Pygmalion.
The first thing he did was summon his Doppelgangers and pressed his hands together. He also asked Eiko to help her, and the baby slime also summoned her two Doppelgangers and coordinated with her Papa.
"Skeleton Make…," Lux said. "Megaphone!"
Cethus' eyes widened when he saw the weird looking thing that appeared in front of him. He had never seen a Megaphone before and wondered what it was for.
However, his question was answered right away as soon as Lux shouted on it, magnifying his voice hundreds of times.
"I came here to announce a Decree from the Dragon King!" Lux shouted.
His voice spread across the entire city, making its citizens pause whatever they were doing. A Decree from the Dragon King was the ultimate Law in Karshvar Draconis, and no one in their right mind would dare to defy it.
"My name is Lux and, starting today, The Pit belongs to me!" Lux announced. "Anyone who throws their garbage in here will be fined one hundred thousand gold coins. It doesn't matter if it's just fish bones, egg shells, or anything else. The moment you throw something, you will be breaking the decree of the Dragon King. Not only will you be paying a fine, you will also be subjected to Capital Punishment!"
The citizens who heard it were shocked silly because this was the first time they were hearing such a decree.
Even Cethus, who was standing beside Lux, was looking at the Half-Elf while the corner of his lips twitched like crazy.
He didn't expect that the Half-Elf would make such a declaration, and even used the name of the Dragon King to send an ultimatum to the City of Pygmalion.
'Mom, just what kind of madman is this?!' Cethus thought as he stared at the Madlad who was threatening the entire City of Pygmalion using the Dragon King's order as a base.
However, although the Half-Elf sounded silly, his words were facts and were irrefutable.
The Dragon King had decreed that from this day onwards, The Pit belonged to the Half-Elf, and he was free to do whatever he wanted with it.
After speaking a bunch of threats and bullsh*t, the Half-Elf packed up and left the City of Pygmalion to return to the mountainside that was now under his name.
After hearing Lux's declaration, the Mayor of Pygmalion hastily went to the Capital City in order to ask the Dragon King for an audience in order to confirm if he really sent out a decree that would punish anyone that threw their garbage in the mountainous region that now belonged to Lux.
—---
Dragon King Royal Palace…
"Your Majesty, is it true?" a red-scaled DragonBorn asked while kneeling before the throne of the Dragon King. "Did you really send out such a decree?"
The corner of the Dragon King's lips twitched after hearing the Mayor's report. At first, he wanted to refute it, but after remembering the exact words that he had given Cethus, he finally understood that the Half-Elf had twisted his declaration in a way that would benefit him.
'How bold of you, Half-Elf,' the Dragon King thought as he contemplated what to do with the current situation. 'But, since you dared to use my name in this manner, I need to make you understand how silly you are into thinking that you can get away with this farce.'
The Dragon King smiled evilly as a plan appeared inside his head. Since Lux dared to use his name lightly, he would make sure that the Half-Elf would pay dearly for his wrongdoing.
