Translator: AnubisTL
The spider spirit was incinerated by a small fireball, causing Groz to tremble violently from the backlash.
Seizing the moment before Garos noticed him, he scrambled into the alchemy workshop. With trembling claws, he clutched the message stone, desperately trying to activate it and contact the merchant caravan.
Boom!
The workshop roof was suddenly torn open, revealing the night sky above.
And looming there, gazing down with cold, dangerous eyes, was the red iron young dragon.
Garos spotted the message stone in Groz's hand.
Fortunately, the runes on the stone hadn't lit up yet—it hadn't been activated.
"Great dragonkind, I offer everything! Spare me!" Groz pleaded in broken draconic, his voice trembling.
A torrent of flames answered him, engulfing his festering, grotesque body and the message stone in his hand. In an instant, both were reduced to charred ash.
Garos swooped low over the goblin tribe, unleashing a blast of flaming dragon breath from his maw.
The raging flames swiftly engulfed the Rock-Chewing Tribe. Lizard skulls hanging from vines charred and shattered as the entire settlement transformed into a sea of fire. Not a single goblin escaped.
The brilliant fire illuminated the night sky, reducing the goblin tribe to ashes.
Garos soared in circles above the inferno, his throat burning from prolonged use of dragon breath. The duration of a young dragon's breath was typically short, but he had sustained his fiery torrent far beyond normal limits.
The alchemy items on this planet are too advanced, Garos thought grimly. I must exercise extreme caution when dealing with sapient races here.
In the past, when alchemy was less developed, only noble spellcasters or rare, expensive magical artifacts could transmit messages over long distances.
But now.
Even a small goblin tribe possessed alchemy items like message stones, usable by anyone, regardless of magical ability.
The level of alchemical magic on this planet far surpassed the technology of Garos's previous world. They had even developed spaceships capable of exploring the cosmos.
"That last goblin spoke Draconic. That's rare."
Groz's final plea for mercy surprised Garos.
A goblin who spoke Draconic, a shaman who seemed to know alchemy—this creature was intelligent and potentially valuable.
At the very least, Garos could have taken it as a familiar. The goblin could use shamanic magic to attack him, allowing him to develop resistance to such attacks. Its intelligence would also make it easy to command.
But Garos ultimately unleashed his dragon breath without hesitation.
He refused to waste his vital essence on a dragon blood transformation that would stunt his own growth. Nor did he possess any quasi-spell skills to enslave creatures, leaving him unable to guarantee the goblin's loyalty.
Unlike most demonic or ferocious beasts, sapient races like goblins were cunning and scheming. Without absolute loyalty, the goblin might betray him.
And no matter how special it was, it was still just a goblin—insignificant to Garos.
Garos blinked, his dragon wings beating as he vanished into the night sky, disappearing into the floating clouds as if he had already departed.
Approximately two hours later, only ashes and smoldering embers remained of the Rock-Chewing Tribe.
Cough, cough, cough!
A gaunt goblin, covered head to toe in ash, crawled out of a barely noticeable crack in the ground, its soot-stained face twisted with terror and hatred.
The tribe had been annihilated.
Every member of its clan had been slaughtered.
The hatred in its heart burned deep, the fear unable to extinguish the burning rage in its eyes.
Staggering out from the edge of the ash-covered walls, the frail goblin swore an oath: it would carry the hatred of its entire tribe, and no matter the cost—even selling its soul to a devil—it would exact vengeance upon the damned dragonkind.
As these thoughts raced through its mind, a sudden heat flared behind it.
It felt the breath of some colossal creature fall upon its back.
Its footsteps froze. Slowly, stiffly, like a machine rusted for decades, the goblin turned around.
Before it stood a dragon of red-black scales, layered and gleaming like steel and iron forged into living metal.
"Ah, so there was a hidden survivor after all."
Snap!
Garos slammed his claw down, crushing the scrawny goblin.
After thoroughly searching the goblin tribe's camp to ensure no survivors remained, he hoisted the mangled remains of the Giant-Arm Miner onto his back and soared back toward Hemlock Hills.
Soon after, a ray of sunlight pierced through the clouds, illuminating the massive rock slab on the hill.
Garos lay sprawled across the slab, his claw pawing at a twisted, spherical object riddled with tubes.
"What's this, dear brother?" Samantha asked, blinking curiously.
Having replenished her energy with food and rested well overnight, the injuries on her dragon wings had already begun to heal, and her previously listless spirit was gradually recovering.
"The alchemy golem's engine," Garos replied.
It was the only relatively intact component salvaged from the Giant-Arm Miner.
Garos picked up the alchemy engine and examined it closely.
The engine was crude, its frame cast from raw iron with poorly engraved runes. The rivets still bore the hammer marks from forging, and the unpolished seams revealed black rust patterns formed by oxidation. The gears, lacking any protective coating, meshed directly, producing a sharp, grinding noise like teeth grinding when turned.
It was obvious.
This was a crudely made, low-quality alchemy engine.
Yet even so, it could power the eight-meter-tall Giant-Arm Miner.
In a ground battle, even a young dragon like Samantha might struggle to defeat the Giant-Arm Miner.
The inheritance contains some alchemy knowledge, but it requires self-study and is incredibly profound, impossible to master quickly, Garos thought silently.
On Bernardo Planet, alchemy had flourished only in the past few centuries. The alchemy knowledge recorded in the dragon heritage was limited, with little practical experience documented.
Learning alchemy demanded immense mental effort and time.
After weighing his options, Garos shook his head slightly and abandoned the idea of studying alchemy.
For a long time, alchemy wouldn't translate into combat power or provide effective aid for Garos's survival. Moreover, he didn't want to become overly reliant on external tools.
In this world where alchemy flourished, Garos wouldn't refuse to use alchemy items, but he had no intention of delving deeply into the art himself.
However, mastering alchemy spells would undoubtedly offer many conveniences.
"Hmm, I don't necessarily need to master them myself. More accurately, as long as I have an alchemist by my side, I can reap the benefits of alchemy—smelting ores, refining black oil, and crafting alchemy items."
He glanced at Samantha and grinned.
"Is there something on my face?" Samantha tilted her head, flicking her tongue across the fine scales on her cheek.
"Samantha, do you want countless treasures and to one day become the wealthiest red dragon?" Garos asked warmly.
Red dragons possessed pure fire affinity, making them naturally suited to learning alchemy. With their innate magical talent and a willingness to study diligently, they were destined to achieve profound mastery in alchemical magic.
"Of course! It's one of my lifelong pursuits!" Samantha's eyes lit up, her tail wagging excitedly.
(End of the Chapter)
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