The Red Dragon Just Wants To Do As It Pleases

Over a month later, the Katjana volcano, which had been restlessly emitting acrid smoke, finally quieted down.

For different dragons, this meant different things.

For the Silver Dragon Tania, it signified long-awaited freedom:

"Yay, Mom is finally asleep! Tania can go out to play with big brother!"

Tania, who had been 'bound' by her Dragon Mother since birth, finally tasted freedom. She joyfully ran circles around David's Dragon Nest like a husky-possessed milk cow cat, causing the various retainers reporting nearby anomalies to glance sideways.

However, it wasn't surprising. Although the duration of a dragon's slumber is relatively flexible, for a mature Red Dragon like Pafila, who had already ascended to legendary status, one sleep could easily last several years at a minimum. If she were to indulge in exploring her legendary path or even her divine nature, it wouldn't be strange for her to sleep for decades or even a century. Especially considering she had been awakened by that notorious Dragon Dung War ten years prior, the now-sleepy Dragon Mother would likely choose to catch up on her rest.

So, Tania and David estimated that Dragon Mother's slumber might last about ten years this time. By then, David and his sister would have also reached adolescence. Among the Chromatic Dragons, who generally lacked motherly love and care, they would certainly be considered old enough to be 'independent.'

Originally, it didn't matter in the least to David how long Dragon Mother slept. To him, Dragon Mother's significance was now more as a source of borrowed authority and a deterrent. For instance, when he flaunted his Sed Ponga surname in the Gloomy Region, those Drow who were initially ready to fight him to the death suddenly became much more compliant. Otherwise, he would most likely have been backstabbed by high-ranking Drow professionals or fallen victim to their unpredictable sneak attacks. Considering the level of destruction he was capable of at his current age and power, David didn't think it likely that any situation would escalate to such an extreme that his legendary Red Dragon mother would need to intervene.

Yet, Dragon Mother's slumber also meant, for David, the sudden appearance of a new hassle and burden:

"Slow down! Don't run so fast in the Dragon Nest, Tania."

He had gained the responsibility that came with being a 'Silver Dragon big brother.'

"I'm still dealing with camp affairs; I'll play with you later, okay?"

"Alright! Thanks, big brother!"

Then, under the 'knowing' gaze of the other dragons and their followers, they saw the joyfully frolicking Silver Dragon Tania pounce directly onto her Red Dragon big brother, the leader of the camp.

"Don't—don't come over here! Ahhh!!!"

Accompanied by David's scream, he was tackled off his dragon couch by his Silver Dragon sister—who weighed only about two hundred pounds less than him—and sent tumbling into the pile of treasure behind it, disappearing from view under the envious gazes of the other dragons.

"I know, I know, I just got too excited and couldn't control myself, hehe, don't be mad at me, okay? Please?"

"Sigh…" David collected a broken tooth with his tongue, swallowed it, and sighed deeply.

She is my little sister, the one to whom I owe a debt for a meal during my hatchling days.

If any other dragon dared to do this, damn it, he'd break their legs on the spot!

"Don't be angry, don't be angry! It's my fault!" Tania, who had spent a long time with Dragon Mother and become adept at reading draconic expressions, quickly lowered her head in submission.

"I'm not angry," David said, pushing the emerging Wrath deep into his thoughts.

"Then give me a smile…"

I bloody… David really wanted to curse.

"It's not good to always frown! Come on, smile."

With her claws and wing-claws working in concert, Tania finally managed to smooth out the wrinkles on David's stern face. The Silver Dragon sister, realizing she'd caused trouble again, secretly heaved a sigh of relief. She knew all too well how formidable her big brother could become when truly angered—he was nearly a match for Dragon Mother herself! The hundreds of Barbarians and dozens of High Elves who had died at the South Foothills of Mt. Katjana could testify to that.

Witnessing this scene of Tania so openly 'bullying' the Red Dragon, the other dragons had a myriad of thoughts. Nifadora, the Green Dragon 'chief steward' of the camp, looked on with a touch of envy, but she couldn't bring herself to be jealous, nor did she dare to. After all, this was something an outsider dragon couldn't replicate. If Nifadora dared to try, she would very likely die on the spot.

Considering David's vague yet still ferocious combat record in the Gloomy Region, she, a young Green Dragon, would likely no longer be his opponent even if she played all her trump cards. It was a preposterous but cruel fact that a young Green Dragon might not be able to defeat a juvenile Red Dragon.

The only consolation for her was that she, Nifadora, had made the farsighted strategic decision to join him early on, before he had fully matured, recognizing his formidable potential. She became David Uthos's first young dragon follower and was now his trusted right hand. As long as she didn't court disaster, her position would remain secure and unthreatened in the short term, given her intelligence and skills.

If it weren't for her decision back then, the ones suffering over the past month would likely not be those unruly Barbarians and the Children of Battle behind them, but rather her own Green Dragon Territory.

Yes, for the better part of the past month, they had been busy dealing with the surrounding Barbarian tribes. Unbeknownst to Pafila, the master of the territory, the domain of the Crimson Calamity had been expanding, slowly yet steadfastly.

The only slightly awkward issue now was not a shortage of 'upper-echelon' forces capable of holding their own or breaking through enemy lines single-handedly. For average Barbarians, whether it was Flame Steel Dragon David Uthos or Venomous Emerald Nifadora, the mere sight of their dragon shadows from several kilometers away would typically send them scattering like birds and beasts. Even a heavyweight like David, who could unleash his entire breath weapon in an opening attack, couldn't incinerate more than a few. A frustrated David, in a fit of Wrath, set several mountains ablaze, but under the humid climate of the Old Continent, the fires often failed to burn for long before being gradually extinguished by rain. Thereafter, David simply stayed inside the Dragon Nest, too lazy to venture out again.

As the chief supervisor, Nifadora also could not afford to spend all her time in hunting grounds that promised meager returns. Without the combat power of these two Evil Dragons, the remaining 'core strength' suddenly seemed less impressive. Whether it was Lizrite, the young Red Dragon, or Mofei, the White Hatchling Dragon, their threat level would plummet dramatically after a single use of their Dragon Breath. Once, through sheer bad luck, they encountered a well-trained group of 'Children of Battle.' Had Nifadora not arrived in time to rescue them, the two young dragons, their wings riddled with javelin holes, could very well have been hacked to death on the spot by the Barbarians.

After all, Barbarians with a professional heritage differed drastically from a Barbarian who only knew how to wield an axe and hack blindly with brute force. Take Rosinde, for example, whom David had encountered at the South Foothills years ago. Had it not been for a swarm of brainless Barbarians charging headlong, giving David a chance to accumulate Wrath and turn the fight chaotic, Rosinde, who seemed possessed by a War God that day, might have actually had a slight chance of forcing David—then only searching for food and not yet fully enraged—to retreat.

Compared to the great dragons, the one who had shown the most brilliant performance and battle record in the recent skirmishes with the Barbarians was, ironically, 'the Barbarian who had been reborn,' along with his Ogre lover Monado, and their mixed battle group, composed of warriors from Rosinde's tribe's training camp and over twenty Ogre warriors. This month, aside from one evenly matched battle with the Children of Battle from which they had to immediately disengage when Nifadora arrived, they had suffered no other defeats.

On the other hand, the High Elf war captives under the command of Hiatt and Yevgeny… their performance could only be described as a dismal failure, a complete rout. Each of these two Elves, when considered alone, was a capable individual able to hold their own. Regrettably, under their command was only a group of High Elf war captives who had utterly lost their will to fight, effectively becoming as passive as farmers. The most absurd incident was when over three hundred High Elves were chased across two whole mountains by a mere thirty-odd Children of Battle before the farce finally subsided.

Hearing the battle report, David was so infuriated that, in his Wrath, he almost blasted his own camp with dragon breath. And yet, these High Elf war captives, now useless in combat, had perfected their skills in fleeing and wilderness survival. Often, after a battle ended in an instant rout, when they gradually regrouped over the next few days and a headcount was taken before meals… incredibly few had died. Oh, but there was one non-combat casualty. According to his companions, during a panicked rush into a cave, he had become an unintended offering from nature to a famished brown bear…

"Hisss! Damn, what a bunch of useless fools," David hissed, pacing back and forth in the camp, much like Dragon Mother Pafila, who had nearly been driven to an explosive rage by Attilicia a month before.

Noticing his docile Silver Dragon sister Tania looking around with innocent curiosity, David paused in his thoughts and refrained from uttering the cruel command to "drag all these long-eared wastes out to sea and sink them."

Although he smuggled military-grade potions in the New World, incited massive slaughter in the Gloomy Region's Spider Nest City, and had even sold his own father to Dragon Mother Pafila, in his sister Tania's eyes, he was still a good brother. Perhaps it was because the blood of a Silver Dragon also ran through his veins that he was particularly reluctant to reveal too much of his evil and violent side in front of his sister.

"Is there any way to make use of these freeloading wastes? Even a one-time use would do," David mused aloud, his gaze shifting to the Green Dragon Nifadora beside him.

"Dragon Lord, since you have already made up your mind, why bother to seek my opinion?" Nifadora, perceptive as a dragon, replied. "Just do as you please. Whether it is grace or authority, it is all the Dragon's benevolence." She could clearly see his intent and had no desire to steal the Red Dragon Lord's opportunity to display 'compassion and tolerance.'

Most importantly, she had to maintain her image as a Green Dragon—'sly, ruthless, merciless,' and 'the drop of poison on the tip of the Flame Steel Dragon's tail.'

If that persona crumbled, her power to intimidate as Nifadora would surely diminish.

Unlike David, the Red Dragon Lord, who was already perceived as plenty violent in his daily demeanor.

For him, appropriately displaying a 'calm and wise' side would actually be more beneficial for maintaining that complex, contradictory, and inscrutable chaotic image that kept other dragons guessing.

"Bootlicking dragon," David cursed with a laugh, knowing full well what she was up to. He then took a deep breath and commanded:

"Tell those long-ears that whoever returns with ten pounds of Gold in spoils of war, or the head of a 'Child of Battle,' I shall grant them freedom and the right to choose whether to stay or leave."

David directly adapted the 'decapitation for merit' system from the Qin State of Blue Star, modifying it for this situation. After a moment's thought, to ensure his promise wasn't just empty words, he added, "Those who choose to stay will be granted the same rights as Elves and freemen. Those who choose to leave may take their remaining spoils of war and sail back to their New World on Hiatt's merchant ships."

Once this decree was issued, David saw the fruits of his order that very night:

The High Elves, who had previously seemed as feeble as canaries, went one by one to Hiatt to reclaim their full sets of equipment. Then, forming groups of two or three, or rejoining their previous squads, they took advantage of the strong night winds and went out to kill.

This was the temptation… of returning home.