Translator: AnubisTL
The Ironforged Lord's chambers, on the fourth level of the Burning Steel Citadel.
At the center of the room sat Garos's "bed," a conspicuous sight.
It was no ordinary rectangular couch, but a dazzling own little mountain, primarily composed of piles of gold coins, multicolored gemstones, and various precious metals that shimmered with a metallic luster.
The radiance it emitted was so dazzling that it could almost blind a mere mortal instantly.
To be sure, the Frontierlands were generally a barren land. Yet, however barren, it was still a vast and boundless territory.
When all the precious resources of the entire territory converged on the Burning Steel Citadel and ultimately concentrated here, the accumulated wealth reached a staggering scale, enough to leave anyone in awe.
Garos moved his talons, stepping steadily onto the glittering trinkets with a crisp clinking sound. Finally, he found a comfortable spot on the treasure-piled "bed" and slowly coiled his body down.
His powerful dragon tail curled naturally by his side, his entire posture relaxing with a hint of the laziness and contentment of a large cat.
"Ah, this is the life."
Garos felt the unique sensation of his hard scales rubbing against cold metal and smooth gems. He narrowed his dragon eyes and let out a low, satisfied sigh.
Such a hoard of treasure was clearly unsuitable for any ordinary creature to rest upon. The hard, jagged metal and gems would have caused unbearable pain to soft skin and fragile bones. But for a dragon, born with heavy, hard scales, this contact was just right. The subtle stimulation from the scales rubbing against the treasure brought an indescribable comfort. To Garos, there was no bed more perfect than this.
The only slight regret was that the number of mana-infused magic gems was still too small.
No large-scale gem veins had ever been discovered in the underground of the Frontierlands. These magic gems were almost all scavenged from the long-accumulated collections of the Four Great Tribes that had once ruled this land, and their quantity was ultimately limited.
Garos used the flexible, powerful tip of his dragon tail to coil up several mana-infused gems and lift them before his eyes.
The red-iron dragon opened the eyes he had just closed, his gaze lingering on the few gems that emitted an alluring glow for a few seconds. Then, as if having made a certain decision, he closed his eyes, steeled his resolve, and decisively swallowed the four magic gems one after another.
As soon as the magic gems entered his powerful stomach, they immediately began to emit a gentle and steady wave of energy.
This energy was starkly different from the scorching, violent sensation of the black oil. Instead, it felt like a nourishing, warm stream, continuously flowing from deep within him to gently revitalize his massive dragon body from the inside out.
This nourishment could sustain itself for a considerable time, subtly enhancing his life energy and increasing the capacity and purity of the magic energy within him. Even the dragon qi surrounding his body grew denser and more refined.
Just then, Garos took a deep breath, mustered his strength, and slowly forced the fifth magic gem into his mouth, swallowing it with difficulty. However, when he tried to push forward and swallow a sixth gem in one go, he found that he couldn't open his mouth no matter how hard he tried.
An instinctive, overwhelming sense of rejection instantly swept through his entire body, as if every thought and every muscle was screaming in unison, stopping him from continuing this limit-breaking consumption.
"Hah... I'll have to take it slow," Garos sighed, releasing a puff of hot air as he gently set down the remaining gems.
"Eating five gems at once is already a significant improvement—very obvious."
After carefully setting the gems aside, Garos lowered his massive dragon head into the pile of precious metals. He opened his maw wide, devouring a large amount of the metallic-sheened ore, chewing it thoroughly before swallowing.
These precious metals wouldn't immediately convert into a surge of energy. Instead, they would slowly settle and fuse deep within his bones. Over time, this process would make his claws and fangs incomparably sharper and his scales even more indestructible.
Dragonkind that consistently consumed precious metals would inevitably possess a physique far stronger than their kin who could only gnaw on earth or ordinary flesh.
In Garos's understanding, the black oil acted somewhat like a powerful "pre-workout supplement" he knew. It could drastically stimulate bodily activity in a short time, significantly boosting mental alertness, muscle pump, and overall endurance... thereby effectively enhancing training and combat efficiency.
But precious metals—especially rare items like magic gems that contained pure energy...
They were like "growth hormones" with no adverse side effects, acting directly on the fundamental levels of life energy and physical growth, and could directly and significantly increase the growth rate of dragonkind.
Comparing the two, the latter was undoubtedly more effective and also safer to use.
But they were also more precious and difficult to obtain in large, stable quantities.
Even though he could now enjoy the convenience brought by integrating the resources of the entire Frontierlands, as his own strength continuously grew, his demand for various rare resources would expand sharply. If the territory's boundaries could not continue to expand, the wealth and resources accumulated around Burning Steel Citadel were destined to gradually become insufficient to meet the demand, eventually falling into a predicament of supply not meeting demand.
Tinkle, tinkle!
Garos used his tail to nimbly coil up an exquisitely shaped alchemy item that looked like a bell, and shook it gently. A crisp and pleasant bell sound immediately echoed in the spacious room.
Soon, the several short doors designed specifically for servants slid open silently.
Twelve serpentman maidservants with the sorcerer class and graceful figures approached the red-iron dragon, wriggling their slender and soft waists.
They knelt in humble submission, surrounding the mountain-like red-iron dragon. Their delicate, soft palms pressed carefully against his iron-hard scales as they began a gentle and skillful massage.
Simultaneously, they channeled their magic energy, letting it seep like a warm spring rain through the red-iron dragon's heavy, dense scales. It soaked into every strained and fatigued muscle fiber—worn from excessive exertion—providing deep conditioning and relief to help the red-iron dragon recover faster from his exhaustion.
From a wanderer who once lived day by day, to the now-renowned King of the Frontierlands, ruling over this land...
Garos relaxed into the comfortable and professional massage service, a surge of emotion rising from deep within him. It is only right to occasionally enjoy the rich fruits of victory.
(End of the Chapter)
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