Translator: AnubisTL
The Ironforged Clan is like a beggar holding a golden bowl, Garos thought to himself.
Selling raw ore in exchange for finished goods meant losing a staggering amount of value. Yet, given the Ironforged Clan's current state, this was their only viable trade method.
This predicament mirrored the situation in the Sierre Wilderness, the Frontierlands, the Permafrost Tundra, and other similar regions.
With underdeveloped alchemy industries, these areas were forced to endure layers of exploitation, selling their resources at rock-bottom prices to obtain expensive manufactured goods. Meanwhile, nations with advanced alchemy industries amassed vast quantities of raw materials through trade alone.
The nobles of the Lothurn Federation often referred to the wild clans as beasts or barbarians.
This mindset reflected the condescension of developed regions toward less advanced areas.
The current situation is difficult to change. We can only place our hopes on future development.
After spending more time in the Sulfur Hills, Garos explained the importance of the alchemy industry to Red Dragon Samantha. Without developing a robust alchemy industry, their wealth would continue to drain away daily.
The thought of their wealth hemorrhaging daily sent Samantha into a fury. She gnashed her teeth, wishing she could stretch each day into two, dedicating every moment to advancing their alchemy industry.
This realization served as a powerful motivator for her.
Given dragonkind's inherent laziness, without such incentives, she would undoubtedly work sporadically, alternating between intense bursts of activity and prolonged periods of inactivity.
After leaving the Sulfur Hills, Garos didn't immediately return to Dragon Valley.
He devoted nearly all his time to training and evolution, but today he decided to relax and inspect his territory.
Beyond the Sulfur Valley, Garos passed by the Giant's Ruined Fortress.
The fortress remained in ruins, though some of the decayed and cracked foundations had been replaced with new stone slabs.
The Giant's Ruined Fortress occupied a strategic location, and the iron dragon Solgorn had intended to renovate and rebuild it, using the relatively intact foundations to create a fortress suitable for giant-sized creatures.
Initially, Solgorn brought a group of familiars to quarry stone nearby and shape it for construction. However, the project stalled when the stone deposits proved too small, cutting off the supply of building materials.
Later, the iron dragon personally searched for better stone deposits. Though he failed to find any, he accidentally discovered a gray magnetite deposit, leading to subsequent events. Eventually, Solgorn fell into slumber, leaving the Giant's Ruined Fortress in a state of suspended construction.
"Once Solgorn awakens, he can oversee this himself," Garos thought, glancing briefly at the site.
Monitoring and urging familiars to build fortresses was not the kind of task that should concern the king of the Ironforged Clan.
Soon after, Garos arrived at the Armored Rhino Ranch and saw ogres taming the armored rhinoceroses.
Under the watchful eyes of his comrades, an elite ogre warrior spat out a chewed bone and strode toward the center of the enclosure, his towering frame like a mountain of flesh.
An armored rhinoceros, its bony plates gleaming, pawed the ground anxiously, each stomp of its bowl-sized hooves sending plumes of dust billowing into the air.
The rhinoceros was nearly as massive as the ogre, not yet fully grown, making it the perfect age for taming.
"Come on, beast!"
The ogre stomped his foot, sinking halfway up his shin into the earth. To the rhinoceros, this was a challenge, much like how they paw the ground to threaten enemies.
Enraged, the rhinoceros lowered its head, its thick, razor-sharp horn aimed at the ogre's abdomen, and charged.
With a thunderous roar, the ogre seized the rhinoceros's horn at its base with his massive, fan-like hands, locking into a head-on struggle.
As the ogre roared like a wild beast, his muscles bulged, veins writhing beneath his skin like earthworms.
The rhinoceros's front hooves began to tremble, its thick neck gradually bending under the ogre's relentless force. The watching ogres pounded their weapons wildly, the ground vibrating beneath their stomping feet.
Finally.
After several minutes of grueling struggle, the ogre threw the rhinoceros to the ground.
When the ferocious beast rose again, a flicker of fear had crept into its gaze as it looked at the ogre.
Instead of pressing his advantage, the ogre pulled a salt block from his waist and squatted down, beckoning the armored rhinoceros.
When the rhinoceros finally lowered its head to lick the salt block from the ogre's hand, the surrounding ogres erupted in cheers, celebrating their companion's successful taming of the beast.
It had been over a year since the war with the Bloodhoof Clan.
Since taking over the Armored Rhino Ranch, the Starfall Hammer Warband had quickly added a new unit to their ranks: the heavy knight. Their numbers had steadily grown over the past year.
Unlike the Crimson Iron Cavalry's light cavalry, the heavy knight lacked agility and were purely heavy cavalry.
As the Starbreaker's Hammer's heavy cavalry vanguard, when both knight and ferocious beast mount were clad in heavy armor and charged into battle, they could shatter enemy lines like a raging flood, tearing through them with overwhelming force.
"Tame armored rhinoceroses can serve as mounts, while untamed ones are excellent sources of meat. However, their breeding and growth are far from simple, and the ranch requires more systematic management."
Garos didn't descend, instead observing silently from high above, hidden within the thick clouds.
The Ironforged Clan's current utilization of armored rhinoceros ranches was woefully inefficient. Garos sensed immense potential for improvement.
For example...
Garos selected the strongest and most outstanding individuals from the armored rhinoceros herd to serve as breeding stock.
Through artificial intervention, he planned to optimize their breeding across generations, or capture other rhinoceros-like ferocious beasts and demonic creatures for crossbreeding.
He also intended to formulate specialized "milk powder" and discover the optimal ratio of pasture grass to blood-based feed, aiming to shorten the growth cycle of the young rhinoceroses.
Moreover, the culled individuals wouldn't merely be used as food.
Their horns, bones, iron armor, and even dung could be sorted and collected, each serving distinct purposes.
Garos had a general idea of how to manage such a rhino ranch, but implementing the details would be a complex task. Lacking the time to handle it himself, he decided to delegate the responsibility to a clever and capable familiar boss in the future.
Leaving the Armored Rhino Ranch, Garos continued his aerial patrol.
His wings beat rhythmically as his shadow swept across the ground, passing over one base after another. Only as night deepened did he return to Dragon Valley.
Through this thorough inspection, Garos realized that while the Ironforged Clan had already grown considerably, many areas were still in their nascent stages, remarkably immature, and possessed vast potential for growth.
"I seem to still be in the stage of primitive accumulation," Garos thought, gazing up at the twin moons bathing the world in their ethereal glow.
The red-iron dragon felt no impatience, his mind calm. Yet, at that moment, an overwhelming drowsiness surged through him like a tidal wave, its relentless ebb and flow weighing heavily on his eyelids.
Garos wasn't surprised by the sudden drowsiness.
The dragon slumber of his youth was approaching.
He had already issued orders: during this period, the Ironforged Clan would sheathe their claws and fangs, focusing on silent development. They would not reveal their strength until he awoke.
Afterward, Garos summoned the red-silver dragon.
"You're going into dragon sleep?" Deborah asked, observing the drowsy red-iron dragon.
Garos nodded. "Deborah," he said to the red-silver dragon, "you're the only metallic dragon in Dragon Valley. But compared to the other evil dragonsโ"
He suddenly pressed his foreclaw against the red-silver dragon's shoulder armor. "โI trust you more."
"You're a reliable companion. I'm entrusting my dragon slumber entirely to your guard. Don't let any creature approach or disturb me."
His expression was solemn and earnest, his words carrying immense weight.
For the first time, the red-silver dragon felt truly valued.
She froze for a moment, then nodded fiercely, clenching her dragon claw. "Don't worry," she vowed. "I guarantee you'll safely endure your dragon slumber."
Garos repeated similar assurances, tailoring each message to the individual dragon's personality.
After instructing the familiar bosses on essential precautions, Garos ventured deep into Dragon Valley.
Behind Iron Dragon Solgorn's slumbering lair, a newly excavated cave awaited.
Garos entered, coiled his dragon wings around his body, and wrapped his wing membranes like curtains around his vital organs. His consciousness gradually faded.
I don't know how long this dragon slumber will last, but it should at least transform me into a juvenile dragon, he thought hazily. I hope there aren't too many unforeseen changes during this time.
A young dragon's slumber typically lasts three to five years. Garos had already slept for six.
A juvenile dragon's slumber is even longer, usually five to eight years.
Garos estimated his own slumber would likely exceed eight years.
While this duration was insignificant in dragonkind's perception of time, it was long enough for significant changes to occur in the outside world, bringing unforeseen variables and surprises.
This was something Garos disliked but couldn't control.
Ephemeral luck, favor me just once more, he thought drowsily as sleep claimed him.
(End of the Chapter)
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