After the unpleasant experience in the Heaven Divine Realm, Wayne had assumed Nibelung would be much the same – filled with arrogant, hot-tempered creatures.
Yet the reality was quite the opposite.
The dragon assigned to receive them was exceedingly polite. Not only did it master English, but it was also well-versed in etiquette, willingly crouching to let Wayne and Luna ride on its back.
One doesn't strike a smiling face. At heart, Wayne was someone who responded better to kindness than coercion.
With such deference and courtesy, and Mr Lovegood not in immediate danger, the fire in his heart gradually subsided.
Carrying the two, the wyvern swiftly returned to the dragon cave where the golden dragon king resided.
A voice, aged yet commanding, emerged from Orynix's mouth. "Respected human... Hmm? You are of dragonkind?"
Wayne had suppressed his aura. Only when Orynix opened his eyes to scrutinise him did he sense that overwhelming superiority, asking in startled disbelief.
"I am human," Wayne emphasised.
Orynix studied him for a long moment before continuing, "Very well, respected human Legend. I presume you are Lord Wayne Lawrence?"
"I am Orynix, leader of Nibelung."
"Seems you've asked a redundant question. Aside from me, are there any other human Legends in this world?" Wayne curled his lip. "Orynix, was it? Hand over my people, and you might still have a chance to survive."
He could sense it – this ancient dragon before him was a true Legend.
"Your people?" Orynix's authoritative pupils narrowed to slits. "Lord Lawrence, I have no intention of opposing you. After you annihilated the Heaven Divine Realm, I commanded all my descendants and subordinates to never approach your British Isles. How could your people possibly be here?"
"Might there be... some misunderstanding?"
This truly surprised Wayne.
Must you be so timid?
How was he supposed to find an excuse to fight now?
Weren't dragons supposed to be greedy, brainless brutes? Why did this old dragon feel so slippery?
"They didn't disappear in the British Isles, but within your territory." Wayne decided to locate Lovegood first. "The timeframe was roughly yesterday and the day before."
Orynix was dumbfounded.
He had calculated meticulously, repeatedly warning his subordinates not to provoke Lawrence, even refusing Odin's visit – all to avoid crossing paths with this bizarre Legend.
Yet who would have thought that even if he stayed away, trouble would come knocking.
Was this some kind of fishing expedition?
Orynix swiftly turned to his attendant. "Veldora, what happened? Were any foreign wizards captured in the past two days?"
The wyvern hurriedly replied, "We did apprehend five wizards who sneaked in yesterday. They should currently be moving stones at the quarry..."
"Bring them all here, at once."
"Yes."
After issuing the command, Veldora beat his wings and flew off. Orynix then turned his gaze back to Wayne.
"Lord Lawrence, this is undoubtedly a misunderstanding. After Nibelung declared sovereignty over this territory, we prohibited all wizards from entering. Yet poachers and the endlessly curious still arrive in an endless stream."
"I can only have my patrols arrest these people daily and send them to the quarry to extract giant stones as punishment, but I truly didn't know your man was among them."
Orynix lowered his posture with extreme humility. "
Had he revealed his identity, I would certainly have treated him as an honoured guest."
"Let's see first," Wayne responded briefly before falling silent.
The atmosphere in the dragon cave grew tense, and Orynix seriously considered fleeing right then.
There were currently three pseudo-Legends in Nibelung, plus himself as a true Legend, making the dragon clan's combat power formidable. Their overall strength wasn't much different from that of the Heaven Divine Realm, perhaps even stronger.
At least he believed himself to be considerably more powerful than Gabriel.
But... this Lawrence was unnerving. Just standing there gave him an intense sense of suppression - fighting would definitely mean certain death.
Just as Orynix was anxiously worrying, Veldora finally arrived with five wizards.
Following behind him was a Norwegian Ridgeback, and Wayne immediately spotted Mr Lovegood among them. Luna also saw her father and showed a relieved smile.
"Luna!"
Mr Lovegood spotted them too and exclaimed in surprise.
Veldora now identified his target and ordered the Norwegian Ridgeback to release Mr Lovegood before preparing to dismiss it, but Wayne spoke up.
"Release them all, too."
"This..." Veldora looked toward Orynix.
"Do as Lord Lawrence says. Release those in the quarry as well."
Orynix demonstrated a strong desire to survive.
"Luna, how did you get here?" Mr Lovegood asked as he approached them.
Luna tugged at his sleeve, "I sensed you were in danger and asked Wayne to find you."
"Dad, please don't take such risks anymore."
The girl's voice carried a pleading tone - he was her only blood relative in this world. This time, Wayne had helped, and Nibelung hadn't resorted to killing.
But next time?
Not all divine realms would be this reasonable.
"I... I understand." Mr Lovegood hung his head in shame.
Wayne didn't disturb the tender moment between father and daughter, instead contemplating how to handle Nibelung and this old dragon.
If they had come fighting and killing from the start, it would have been simpler to deal with. This current situation made things more complicated.
"Mr Lawrence, this was our mistake. I'm willing to offer compensation." Orynix spoke first, "Just name what you need, provided Mr Lovegood is willing to let this matter drop."
Wayne looked toward his future father-in-law.
"Just let me leave." Mr Lovegood shook his head, "I wasn't mistreated here, just poor living conditions, and I'm tired from quarrying stones all day."
Even now, his curiosity persisted, and he gathered the courage to ask, "Dragon King, why do dragons need stones anyway?"
Orynix answered awkwardly, "I saw how beautiful human palaces are and planned to build some for myself and other dragons."
Gritting his teeth, he separated one-third of the golden hoard beneath him.
Then, with even greater pain, he increased it to half.
"These treasures shall serve as my apology. Would this be acceptable?" Orynix looked at Wayne humbly.
"Don't let it happen again."
Wayne eventually stepped around him. "I'll take the treasure. The timing isn't right today - I'll return tomorrow to discuss further compensation."
"Your presence is always welcome," Orynix nearly wept with relief, watching as Veldora respectfully escorted the three visitors away.
He'd actually survived!
...
After bringing the Lovegoods back to Britain, Wayne didn't return Mr Lovegood to his home in Ottery St Catchpole, but instead took them to Hogsmeade.
He owned several properties in Hogsmeade too, and had Luna and Mr Lovegood stay in one for the night.
"Thank you, Wayne," Mr Lovegood said awkwardly.
He'd actually been strongly opposed to his daughter being with Wayne. Leaving aside the crowd of girls around Wayne, their social statuses and upbringings were worlds apart.
He feared Wayne was toying with her and that Luna would end up heartbroken.
But after this rescue, Mr Lovegood's perspective had shifted. The fact that Wayne could retrieve him from Nibelung proved he valued Luna greatly.
"We're family - no need for formalities," Wayne smiled.
These words made Mr Lovegood's face darken slightly again.
Luna remained silent, simply stepping forward to embrace the young man and planting a deep kiss of gratitude.
"Stay with your father. I'll get you a Christmas present in a few days."
Patting the girl's head, Wayne nodded to Mr Lovegood before leaving Hogsmeade.
...
The next day.
Wayne returned to Nibelung.
Using the spatial coordinates from last time, he entered the divine realm directly without alerting the outer wyverns.
Back in yesterday's dragon cave, Orynix cautiously asked, "Lord Lawrence, is there anything else you require? Whatever I can provide, I'll spare no effort."
It was utterly terrifying - this overwhelming draconic pressure made him wonder if the youth before him was the Dragon God reincarnated.
He could barely even flap his wings now!
"Orynix, you know what's good for you." Wayne casually conjured a single armchair and sat down. "Had your attitude been any poorer yesterday, or had Mr Lovegood suffered any mistreatment, I can guarantee you wouldn't have lived to see today."
"Perish the thought," the old dragon fawned. "We dragons are peace-loving creatures who greatly enjoy making friends."
Wayne didn't care whether this was true, merely nodding along. "That's good. My house at Hogwarts, Hufflepuff, also enjoys making friends. I have many friends myself."
"You are so kind and magnificent - it's their honour to be your friends. Might I have the qualification to be counted among them?"
"Of course."
After exchanging diplomatic pleasantries, Wayne found an opening to raise his actual business.
"How much do you know about other divine realm leaders? I heard... Odin came to see you recently."
This wasn't secret knowledge - even Muggles had reported the news, with many witnesses seeing an eight-legged steed galloping across the sky faster than any aeroplane.
"Odin did visit. He wanted to ally with me against you, but I refused."
Orynix first shifted blame and established his stance before continuing: "Odin has already broken through to Legend. I estimate Thor, Heimdall and Loki aren't far behind."
Wayne gave a noncommittal nod. "What of the other realms?"
"I've had dealings with the Olympus Divine Realm, too, but I never encountered Zeus or Poseidon, so I don't know their specific circumstances. As for the other so-called chief gods, I certainly wouldn't regard them highly."
"Only that divine master in the Jannah Divine Realm is worth looking at, but he's no match for me either."
When speaking of other divine realms, Orynix mostly expressed disdain. Clearly, he only acted timidly before Wayne, but remained quite confident in his own strength.
After finishing recounting everything he knew, Orynix dropped another bombshell.
"Lord Lawrence, these so-called gods are no match for you, but you shouldn't underestimate them too much."
"Oh?" Wayne slightly raised his head. "Do they hold some trump cards?"
"As far as I know, yes." Orynix nodded. "You must have seen the Rebirth Pool in the Heaven Divine Realm, right?"
"Mm, I took it home."
The old dragon choked up, cautiously covering his remaining treasures.
"The Heaven Divine Realm only managed to produce more powerful beings than other divine realms because of their Rebirth Pool. Other divine realms also possess similar divine artefacts to varying degrees."
"They have divine artefacts and still lost to the alliance of wizards and Muggles?" Wayne looked at him in surprise.
These divine realms are too useless... Oh, sorry, I remember now, there were no Legend powerhouses back then.
Even he could only master divine artefacts after breaking through to the Legend level, so naturally, others were no exception.
Weighing the number of powerful beings currently on Earth in his mind, Wayne took out his wand to fiddle with.
"Orynix, if I wanted to destroy Nibelung, would you stop me?"