Translator: AnubisTL
Red dragon Cahill finally lowered her head.
Fifty years—a mere blink of an eye for dragonkind. Her life was far more precious than that, and had it been another great evil dragon, they might have demanded five centuries of servitude for saving her life.
Compared to what she had gained, this price was negligible. To an evil dragon, it was practically charity.
If not for the overwhelming aura of malice radiating from the dragon before her, Cahill might have suspected him of being a good dragon.
She felt she had come out ahead.
Little did she know, Garos felt the same way.
As everyone knows, free things are the most expensive. The moment red dragon Cahill agreed, she was destined to serve Dragon Valley and Garos for the rest of her life.
"Now, tell me how you ended up in this situation."
"It's a long story. Not caused by a single event," Cahill said, scratching the scales at her neck, her expression growing complex.
She was just a juvenile dragon, barely twenty years old. What rich experiences could she possibly have?
The red-iron dragon's gaze swept over Cahill's scars. "Then start from the beginning."
Pushing through her exhaustion, Cahill said, "I'm a lone dragon now, but I'm not truly alone in this struggle for survival."
She quickly recounted her recent experiences.
From the ambitious hopes she had when leaving Steep Cliff Strait, to the silent resignation she felt after being struck down in the Sierre Wilderness, and the regret and fury that consumed her while being hunted—Garos could sense the emotional shifts in her narrative.
What intrigued him most was this:
There were other dragons.
Not just one, but three dragons had been captured by the Blackrock Dwarves in the Sierre Wilderness.
As for the dragons Cahill mentioned had died, Garos said nothing more.
The survival environment for evil dragons was brutal. Though mature evil dragons generally surpassed metallic dragons of the same age in power, the cost was immense.
In Garos's view, Cahill and her companions had stumbled into nearly every pitfall possible.
Perhaps because they had grown up in the blue dragon community, including two juvenile dragons, they lacked the experience and caution needed to survive in the wilderness. They had encountered far too many avoidable troubles.
"This damned wilderness—even when we tried to lie low and develop, to just barely survive, dangers kept coming. They killed our companions, and we couldn't even escape at the end."
Cahill muttered a curse.
Hearing this, Garos narrowed his eyes and said seriously, "Born as an evil dragon, every corner of this world is fraught with danger and malice."
"Hiding? Weakness is always the greatest danger. Endless hiding and enduring will only ensure we never rise above our current state."
He had always been cautious, but far from being a coward.
He knew all too well that his identity as a Red Iron Hybrid meant that even if he hid in the darkest corners and lived in obscurity, even if he did nothing, adventurers would eventually come knocking to slay him.
In such a situation, weakness would mean certain death.
Therefore, after each carefully considered decision,
When the benefits of an action clearly outweighed the risks, Garos would always strike decisively, securing the resources and environment needed for his growth and development.
"Garos, according to this young red dragon, three other dragons are trapped in the wilderness, captured and imprisoned by the Blackrock Dwarves."
Solgorn's voice echoed in his mind. "Blue dragons are naturally skilled at managing territories and familiars. I lack such a deputy. Moreover, green and black dragons each possess unique strengths that would benefit the Ironforged Tribe. I recommend rescuing them."
As a staunch dragon supremacist,
Iron Dragon Solgorn was eager to save more dragonkind, build a Dragon Empire that would rule the world, and ultimately have the Ignis Brothers command all other dragons.
"Please, rescue the blue dragon captured by the dwarves," Cahill's soft voice pleaded. The proud red dragon lowered her head and said, "He's my age, but his strength is comparable to mine. He's worth investing in and nurturing."
Red Dragon Samantha let out a surprised "Hmm?"
"A blue dragon... but why not mention the green and black dragons as well?" she asked.
Cahill scoffed. "Green and black scales... are they even considered dragons? They're only slightly better than White Scale, and still utterly useless. They were captured without putting up any resistance—a disgrace! If they'd shown even a shred of worth, we could have broken through the dwarves' blockade that day."
"Well said!"
As a red dragon supremacist, Samantha gave Cahill an appreciative nod.
Meanwhile, Garos remained silent, deep in thought.
"The little dragon was captured recently."
"They were severely wounded, but their lives should be safe. A living dragon is far more valuable than a dead one."
"Besides, the Sierre Wilderness has the Thousand Serpents' Trace road network, but transporting dragons won't be quick. They're most likely still at the Blackrock Principality's base."
He pondered, his claws tapping softly against the ground.
The Blackrock Principality, a member of the Lothurn Federation, was a dwarf-ruled duchy independent of any kingdom. Its military strength ranked middling among the federation's duchies.
The question now was:
Which outweighed the other—the risk of raiding the Blackrock Principality's base or the benefit of rescuing the dragon?
Yet, it wasn't a complicated question.
After a dozen seconds, the red-iron dragon slowly raised its head, gazing toward the Sierre Wilderness.
"Solgorn, Samantha, how many years has it been since we left the wilderness?" he asked.
"Fourteen years," they answered instantly.
As a long-lived race, dragonkind were generally indifferent to the passage of time. Their vivid memory of the duration stemmed from the powerful emotions driving them.
"Yes, fourteen years," the red-iron dragon murmured, his voice carrying a lingering resonance. "Before we knew it, fourteen years had passed."
He remembered clearly: he had been forced from the Sierre Wilderness on his eighteenth birthday, compelled to flee toward the Frontierlands. Now thirty-two, fourteen years had elapsed.
After a few seconds of silence, the red-iron dragon grinned, his fangs bared like daggers.
"Do you long to return to the wilderness?" he asked.
Solgorn and Samantha exchanged a meaningful glance, then nodded gravely, their eyes gleaming with excitement. "Every moment, we've yearned to make those crawling vermin feel the terror of being dominated by the Ignis Brothers."
Defeated by a powerful enemy, driven into exile.
Growing stronger, returning to seek vengeance.
Though more dragonkind perished midway than succeeded, such tales were not uncommon in dragonkind's inheritance.
Raiding Federation outposts was hardly unprecedented.
After careful consideration, Garos decided to act personally, aiming for a swift, decisive strike against the Blackrock Principality's outpost. The plan was to rescue several dragons, secure their loyalty to Dragon Valley as repayment for their salvation, and then use them to retaliate against the Principality.
The Blackrock Principality was not significantly stronger than the current Ironforged Tribe.
Their main stronghold lay to the south, with only a few garrisons stationed in the Sierre Wilderness, controlling perhaps two or three resource points in total.
Even if the Principality were enraged by the attack and sought to punish the Ironforged Tribe, they would have to consider whether their legions could safely traverse the Sierre Wilderness, whether their supplies could sustain such a distant war, and whether they could hold their own against the Ironforged Tribe in the Frontierlands.
Moreover, the Sierre Wilderness harbored a significant number of dragonkind. An attack by dragons would make it difficult to pinpoint the exact location of the raid.
Most importantly, the Ironforged Tribe would advance into the wilderness the moment war broke out. Before that, Garos wanted to test the Federation's reaction to an internal member being attacked.
(End of the Chapter)
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