Translator: AnubisTL
"Tell me, hybrid dragon, what is it?"
After hearing the red-silver dragon's latest riddle, Garos furrowed his brow in deep thought.
Unlike previous riddles, this one offered no clear clues. Its cryptic and abstract language was rich in imagery but devoid of concrete meaning.
In essence, it was highly abstract.
Ambition? Hope? Transformation? Each answer seemed to scratch the surface, yet none felt entirely accurate.
Faced with such an abstract riddle, Garos refused to answer.
It wasn't that he couldn't find the precise answer; he simply lacked interest.
Moreover, as a Red Dragon Descendant, resorting to brute force first was perfectly acceptable.
"What are you babbling about?" Garos roared, his massive wings snapping open. With a thunderous gust of wind, his colossal frame surged into the air.
He glared at the red-silver dragon. "I prefer to solve problems with strength."
Red Dragon Samantha, White Dragon Treacy, and the other familiar bosses present all fixed their gazes on the red-silver dragon, their bodies tense with anticipation.
Seeing the red-iron dragon poised to charge, and with numerous subordinates glaring at her menacingly, the red-silver dragon hastily raised her claws in a gesture of surrender. "Stop, stop! I'm not here to fight you," she said.
Compared to before, Deborah, now a silver dragon hybrid, had undergone a remarkable transformation. In her adolescence, she had already surpassed the strength of a fully grown white dragon.
When the red-silver dragon witnessed Garos's fierce battle against the demonic bull, she considered intervening midway through the fight. If the bull seemed to gain the upper hand, she would swoop in with a dramatic display of righteous intervention, forcing Garos to owe her a debt of gratitude.
Conversely, if Garos ultimately prevailed, she planned to exploit the red-iron dragon's post-battle exhaustion to defeat and humiliate him, avenging her previous defeat.
However, observing Garos's surprisingly unscathed condition—showing few signs of injury—the red-silver dragon Deborah wisely abandoned this plan.
In Deborah's eyes, Garos had undergone an equally profound transformation.
He had become even more formidable and ferocious, his physical strength defying belief. His unique double wings were unlike anything she had ever seen, and each of the thorn spikes on his body radiated a chilling menace. The golden lightning that crackled around him during his battle with the demonic bull only deepened Deborah's surprise and curiosity.
Why is this hybrid dragon so powerful? How has he changed so drastically?
There must be a secret hidden within him.
The red-silver dragon mused, Perhaps I can uncover the secret behind Garos's strength.
"You wouldn't have appeared here without a reason," Garos said.
Hearing her words, Garos suppressed his urge to strike immediately. As an Iron Dragonborn, observing the situation before acting was only logical.
"What do you want?" Garos asked.
Under Garos's intense gaze, the red-silver dragon smiled slyly. "The answer lies within the riddle itself, hybrid dragon. Think harder."
"I have no interest in your riddles," Garos retorted.
Deborah tilted her head, her eyes clear and unwavering. "You played my guessing games twice before. Now you claim to be uninterested? I don't believe you."
The red-silver dragon paused, then said with a knowing tone, as if suddenly realizing something, "You must not be able to figure it out, so you're pretending not to be interested. Ah, don't rush! Riddles are meant to be pondered slowly, aren't they?"
Garos remained silent.
A faint golden electrical current flickered beneath his scales like tiny snakes, and a subtle burning scent filled the air.
The red-silver dragon's smile stiffened slightly. She curled her lip, thinking, As expected, red-iron dragons are inherently evil. He's furious just because I saw through his intentions.
"Adventure! It's adventure!" the red-silver dragon declared, revealing her answer.
She continued, "What you said last time gave me a sudden realization."
"I want to experience true adventure, not just a childish game."
"And you, red-iron dragon, you easily attract hostility and become the target of crusades and such."
Finally, the red-silver dragon revealed her true desire: "Please let me join your adventures! During this time, I will obey your commands, as long as they don't violate my moral principles."
Garos's eyes flickered as he weighed his options.
Having another metallic dragon in Dragon Valley would undoubtedly be a boon.
Back when he was carving the Scaly Earth Rift Road through the Sierre Wilderness, if he had had a metallic dragon under his command to stand at the forefront, it would have prevented many subsequent troubles.
No one wants to see hordes of evil dragons.
Without proper cover or sufficient strength, groups of evil dragons face constant threats and challenges during their growth and development. But with a metallic dragon among them, most of these dangers could be avoided.
As for the red-silver dragon's moral code...
Metallic dragons are inherently good, but goodness comes in different forms.
Red copper dragons and copper dragons are typically chaotic good.
These intelligent creatures act primarily according to their own beliefs, possessing kind hearts and a strong sense of justice, yet rejecting conventional laws and customs in favor of their personal moral codes.
However...
While these codes are rooted in good intentions, they may clash with widely accepted notions of morality.
Their understanding of justice may also differ significantly from societal norms.
Gold dragons, silver dragons, and bronze dragons, on the other hand, are paragons of lawful good.
They dedicate themselves to combating evil, acting with integrity and honesty, aiding those in need, and upholding justice by speaking out against injustice. They approach every task with diligence, reliability, and trustworthiness.
If she were a lawful good dragon, she would likely disapprove of Garos's actions.
However...
The red-silver dragon before him, a silver dragon hybrid whose bloodline had been activated later in life, retained the dominant traits of her red copper dragon nature, showing little change in temperament.
Her use of transformation magic for extortion proved she remained firmly aligned with the chaotic good alignment.
Her moral standards might not be any higher than mine, Garos mused. The red-silver dragon should be quite useful.
But "taming" the chaotic good nature of a red copper dragon wouldn't be easy.
After careful consideration, Garos concluded that the key was to never refuse her riddle games, and even proactively offer new puzzles.
Different dragons required different taming techniques. To captivate a red copper dragon, one needed to master the art of riddles.
Another entry added to Garos's Dragon Taming Art.
"If you want to join my adventures, you may," Garos said after a moment's thought. "But I won't shelter you for free. You'll need to provide a substantial sum of wealth as payment."
The red-silver dragon's expression darkened with internal conflict.
She found it agonizing to part with her wealth.
Though Garos had robbed her more than once, being robbed and voluntarily surrendering wealth were two entirely different concepts. Greed for wealth wasn't just the nature of evil dragons; it was an irresistible instinct for metallic dragons as well.
Garos abruptly changed his tone. "If you can solve my riddle, I'll take you on an adventure for free."
The red-silver dragon froze for a moment, then her face lit up with a radiant, overjoyed smile.
Garos had anticipated every reaction, and they unfolded exactly as he'd predicted.
Simple manipulation.
What riddle should I pose?
Garos glanced at the corpse-strewn, ravaged landscape and a spark of inspiration struck him.
Clearing his throat, he mimicked the red-silver dragon's cadence and style, delivering the riddle with dramatic inflection:
"It burns with blood as fuel, its bellows fueled by sorrowful cries; when I wield my scepter, I ignite its fuse, while you traverse a forest of swords merely to claim its crown."
"It drinks the hero's last drop of warm blood, yet regurgitates the coward's first lie; it tempers ten million medals on broken spears, burying the same spark beneath scorched earth."
Pausing slightly, he turned to the red copper dragon. "Tell me, metallic dragon, what is it?"
(End of the Chapter)
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