Chapter 656: Dragon’s Roar Town Opens Its Gates

Attack Twin Wing Island? In their dreams.

Marcus’s current position was the Lord of Dragon’s Roar under the Dragon Dynasty, much like the ancient nobles who had been granted fiefdoms by an emperor. The entirety of Twin Wing Island remained under the Dynasty’s protection, and unless a guild formally declared rebellion and attempted to establish its own kingdom, they did not even meet the conditions required to launch an attack.

Besides, Twin Wing Island was protected by the natural barrier known as the Storm Seal. Even if a guild actually did rebel, crossing the Storm Seal would be another matter entirely.

His Twin Wing Island. His Dragon’s Roar Town. His own little paradise.

Of course, that didn’t mean Dragon’s Roar Town would never see a war.

According to the system’s rules, once a player became a lord, upgrading their territory, such as advancing Dragon’s Roar Town into Dragon’s Roar County, required them to survive a monster siege. If Marcus wanted to experience a monster siege or even a massive battle involving thousands of players, he could trigger one himself.

Unfortunately, he had no intention of upgrading Dragon’s Roar Town anytime soon. He had worked too hard to build this place into something peaceful and comfortable, and he had no desire to tear it apart just for the sake of a battle.

There was another possible source of trouble, of course. If three or five hundred bandits or rogues somehow wandered into Dragon’s Roar Town, a small-scale battle would break out. But thanks to the protection of the Storm Seal, there was almost no chance of ordinary pirates ever reaching the island.

Unless something unusual happened, such as a pirate leader possessing an artifact capable of bypassing the Storm Seal. In that case, an invasion would actually be possible.

The same applied to the Mythic-tier beasts on the other islands, or the Blazing Three-Headed Beast lurking within Dragon’s Roar Island’s volcano. Those creatures were not bound by the same restrictions as ordinary enemies.

Mythic beasts and the Blazing Three-Headed Beast were not worth thinking about. Marcus knew his own limits, and right now, he simply couldn’t afford to provoke monsters of that level. Pirates and rogues, on the other hand, were another story. He was almost looking forward to them.

Just imagine it. Players would be touring Dragon’s Roar Town when suddenly three or five hundred bandits appeared, and he stepped forward and dealt with all of them himself. It would be quite a spectacle.

"Heh."

The thought alone made Marcus grin. If someone really came looking for trouble, he certainly wouldn’t mind putting on a show.

Of course, he wasn’t naive enough to believe that the ambitious, power-hungry guilds outside had any particular affection for Dragon’s Roar Town. If anything, many of them were probably already eyeing this place.

Ding!

[Attention players: Twin Wing Island officially opens at noon today. Players who purchased teleport passes need only activate their tickets to be transported directly to Dragon’s Roar Town. Players without tickets need not worry. You may use the teleport arrays in major cities to reach the outskirts of Dragon’s Roar Town and experience the scenery and attractions of Twin Wing Island’s other islands.]

Time passed quickly, and before anyone knew it, opening day had arrived.

"Ten, nine, eight..."

At noon, Marcus stood ready in the lord’s residence, holding the golden token engraved with the words "Lord of Dragon’s Roar", a token personally bestowed upon him by the Dragon Emperor.

When the countdown reached its final three seconds, Marcus followed the mayor’s instructions and pressed the golden token against the prepared system document. The moment the two came into contact, the system responded.

Ding!

[Player Stonehaven, as the Lord of Dragon’s Roar, you are about to officially open Twin Wing Island. Confirm?]

"Confirm."

The golden token stamped itself onto the document.

A brilliant burst of golden light erupted from the two objects, spreading outward in ripples. It swept through the lord’s residence, across Dragon’s Roar Town, over the transformed Dragon’s Roar Island, and then continued outward until it covered every island and territory belonging to Twin Wing Island.

Even the vast stretch of sea enclosed by the Storm Seal seemed to tremble beneath the radiance.

At the same time, a system announcement rang throughout the entire US Region.

Ding!

[Attention players: Twin Wing Island is now officially open.]

The announcement itself was simple.

Its effect was anything but.

The moment the announcement ended, players carrying teleport passes activated them without hesitation. Those without passes had already been waiting at teleportation points, and they were transported toward Twin Wing Island almost immediately.

Inside the lord’s residence, Marcus and his companions gathered around the Light Mirror Gem and watched the scene unfold. Through the magical display, they could clearly see the sea stretching for fifteen miles around Dragon’s Roar Island.

Whoosh!

One wave of teleportation light after another descended upon the island, and excited figures began appearing across Dragon’s Roar Island.

The island, which had been quiet only moments ago, erupted into noise and activity.

Players with teleport passes were randomly transported to different locations within Dragon’s Roar Town. Those without passes had paid twenty gold coins to use the teleport arrays in the major cities and were instead deposited outside the blue barrier surrounding the island’s ten-mile radius.

The moment they attempted to cross the blue light, the system notification appeared.

Ding!

[Sorry, you do not possess a Dragon’s Roar Town teleport pass and cannot enter the area enclosed by the blue barrier. You may explore the surrounding areas freely.]

The players outside could only stand there and stare through the barrier at the breathtaking scenery beyond.

"Ah!"

"Honey, this place is gorgeous! Just like the advertisements said. Tropical rainforest, ocean waves, beaches, and a volcano that’s been frozen for thousands of years right in the middle of the island."

"Yeah. I honestly can’t believe this is real. It’s even more beautiful and spectacular than Hawaii, and it feels ninety-nine percent real!"

"Hmph. And you didn’t even want to buy the five-day pass. Three hundred gold per person per day, so one thousand five hundred gold for five days. That’s only a hundred and fifty dollars. Three hundred for both of us."

"Honey, do you think three hundred dollars could get us to Hawaii? Could we have a completely unpolluted, completely safe tropical island experience like this? Our honeymoon to Hawaii cost us tens of thousands."

Under his wife’s ruthless accounting, the man immediately nodded.

"Ha, you’re absolutely right, dear!"

All around them, players were talking excitedly. Almost everyone was captivated by the scenery.

Tropical rainforest islands were rare in the United States outside Puerto Rico, which only made the experience feel even more exotic to many American players.

And in this world, Dragon’s Roar Island was hardly an ordinary tropical island.

Twin Wing Island had been constructed by Skynet using Hawaii and countless other tropical islands as references, combining their most attractive features into a single destination. There was simply no real-world location that could compete with it.

More importantly, Dominion’s ninety-nine-percent immersion made the experience feel almost indistinguishable from reality. Players could feel the sea breeze against their skin, hear the waves rolling toward the shore, and see the sunlight glittering across the water as though they had genuinely traveled there.

Cheers and laughter soon erupted across the island.

Of course, not everyone was having such a pleasant time.

A young mage was desperately moving from person to person, asking the same question over and over.

"Bro, is your teleport pass for five days?"

"No?"

"Then what about three days? Three days works too. I’ll pay you double."

"Waaah..."

The young mage looked utterly miserable. He finally stopped in front of another player and complained, "Bro, my family is from inland. I’ve never even seen an ocean this beautiful, let alone a tropical rainforest. Now that I’m finally getting to experience one for myself, I couldn’t even get a five-day pass. My girlfriend’s furious. She said that if I can’t find a five-day pass, she won’t talk to me for five days."

The girl standing beside the player he had approached immediately seized on that last part.

"Honey, I want the five-day tour too. The advertisements said Dragon’s Roar Town has all kinds of attractions, and there’s no way we can see everything in just one day."

The man looked toward the packed streets and beaches before sighing.

"Dear, it’s going to be difficult to get one now. Let’s book the ten-day pass next time. Then we can take our time and actually enjoy everything."

The girl nodded, but a moment later, her eyes lit up when she spotted several couples wearing swimsuits and carrying surfboards as they raced toward the golden beach.

"Honey, hurry! Let’s buy swimsuits and go surfing!"

"Didn’t we buy swimsuits last time? Their durability hasn’t even run out yet."

"Come on, honey. Don’t you remember the red swimsuit that model was wearing in the advertisement? It would look perfect on me. And it’s a couples’ set, so there’s one for each of us. The Dragon’s Roar Town clothing store is the only place that sells them."

The man knew better than to argue.

With no other choice, he allowed himself to be dragged toward the clothing store.

For working adults, exchanging a couple hundred dollars for system currency was hardly an unreasonable expense. Dominion was a game, after all, and games were meant to be enjoyed.

With the game’s ninety-nine-percent immersion, spending two or three hundred dollars here was cheaper than taking a proper trip during the holidays, and it was considerably more comfortable. There were no flights to catch, no hotels to book, no crowds to fight through, and no worries about the weather ruining the trip.

Amazing. Society really had come a long way.

Technology had become powerful enough to let people experience something like this without ever leaving home.

The couple had arrived just in time, too. Any later, and the red swimsuits would probably have been sold out.

Speaking of clothing, Dragon’s Roar Town actually had two clothing stores.

One was the system-operated store, which sold casual clothing, swimsuits, accessories, and other items that were automatically generated and regularly updated by the system. The other belonged to Marcus’s own people.

In Dominion, Tailoring was considered a support profession. Players with the necessary skills could craft cloaks, and with the right materials, they could also produce casual clothing, swimsuits, and other apparel for sale.

Marcus’s store was operated by Boss Blaze and the others. During the construction of Dragon’s Roar Town, they had already anticipated the demand and stockpiled a large amount of materials. They had also recruited several players with Intermediate Tailoring to design and produce the clothing.

The results had turned out surprisingly well.

Their designs were just as fashionable as those sold by the system store, but because they were player-made, they also had a greater sense of individuality. Some designs were completely unique, and that gave them an advantage that the system’s mass-produced clothing couldn’t easily match.

The profit margins were enormous.

Naturally, those profits went to Marcus’s bros. They had all worked together to build the business, so there was no reason for him to take everything for himself. On top of that, their advertising agreements entitled them to additional commissions.

Every piece of clothing carried the same distinctive mark, a red phoenix emblem representing Mellory Financial.

Now all Marcus had to do was wait for CEO Vivian Sterling to settle the bill.

By this point, the golden beaches and azure waters were already crowded with players. The enormous beach could comfortably accommodate fifty thousand tourists, and it was quickly filling with people enjoying the scenery, swimming, playing in the sand, and trying out the various activities Dragon’s Roar Town had prepared.

Among the crowds, beautiful girls in colorful swimsuits naturally became the center of attention for countless male players.

At the same time, the beach quickly became a paradise for female players hoping to meet someone interesting.

With its beautiful scenery, warm beaches, clear blue water, and endless stream of visitors, Dragon’s Roar Island had officially transformed from a quiet territory into one of the most lively destinations in Dominion.