Translator: AnubisTL
After a minor hiccup, the Redeye Clan of Howling Crag officially became Garos's chosen.
He gazed at Warchief Bloodtooth, who was fawning over him with a wagging tail, and pondered whether to subject the warlord to dragon blood transformation.
The iron dragon maiden had dragon blood retainers among her most trusted personal guards, who protected her treasure vaults and carried out her commands. In fact, she trusted her dragon blood retainers more than even her own offspring.
Most core familiars of dragonkind underwent dragon blood transformation.
Dragon blood retainers were the dragon's confidantes, extensions of its claws and fangs, and utterly loyal to the dragon who granted them the transformative dragon blood.
"The cost is too steep," Garos murmured, shaking his head. "I can't afford it right now."
Only dragons over fifty years old were eligible for dragon blood transformation, and the process required a significant expenditure of vital essence, weakening the dragon's own power.
Transforming an ordinary creature into a dragon blood creature was akin to a rebirth.
The process involved death-like torment, requiring immense determination and mental will to emerge reborn from the flames. If targets were chosen carelessly, the success rate would plummet below ten percent.
The hyena-man chieftain before him seemed utterly incapable of enduring the dragon blood transformation.
More importantly, the targets for dragon blood transformation couldn't be chosen at random.
Only creatures with exceptional innate talent and potential were granted the privilege of transformation.
Otherwise, what would be the point of wasting precious dragon blood on a worthless creature?
No dragon would tolerate such humiliation.
An adult dragon might command numerous familiars, but the core dragon blood leaders remained few and far between.
The hyena-man.
The earthstorm bear.
The graymane werewolf.
Garos saw no potential for dragon blood transformation in any of them. On reflection, if the old Earthstorm Bear Chieftain had been willing to submit, he might have earned Garos's favor.
"Perhaps among the lizardfolk or the ogre clans..."
Could there be any targets worthy of dragon blood transformation? Garos wondered.
But given his nature, he wouldn't waste his blood and power to enhance other creatures unless he had grown so strong that the cost of dragon blood transformation no longer weakened him.
In Garos's view, personal strength was paramount. No matter how many dragon blood retainers he commanded, they would be useless if he himself remained weak.
Dismissing these thoughts, Garos lowered his gaze to Warchief Bloodtooth and said, "The graymane werewolves of the Howling Moon Clan now serve under me as well. You will all pledge your loyalty to me."
Warchief Bloodtooth immediately flattered him, "It is an honor for those graymane werewolves to follow you!"
His words implied that he had arrived first.
Garos then issued commands, establishing protocols to stagger the Redeye Clan's ambushes along the Scaly Earth Rift Road with those of the Howling Moon Clan. This would increase the likelihood of encountering merchant caravans while preventing conflicts between the two clans.
Dragonkind's familiars only obey dragonkind.
To curry favor with their Dragon Lord, different chosen clans would often clash violently, yet the Dragon Lord rarely intervened in these displays of rivalry, sometimes even instigating conflicts among his retainers.
Within dragonkind's inheritance, the Lordship Theory and even the Monarch Theory were considered essential knowledge.
"It's not just the Howling Moon Clan," Garos declared. "The Riftclaw Clan's lizardfolk and the Bonechewer Clan's ogres will soon bow beneath my dragon wings, joining you in ruling the Scaly Earth Rift Road."
"This is inevitable," Warchief Bloodtooth replied respectfully. "They will all grovel before you, submitting to your might. If you require anything, the Redeye Clan will charge ahead, leading the charge for you."
"Hodge, I admire your cunning and resourcefulness," Garos said meaningfully. "From now on, whoever among you clan leaders proves most worthy will be granted the opportunity for dragon blood transformation."
Bloodtooth froze for a moment, then erupted with joy.
"Great Dragon Lord, I will not disappoint you!" he vowed, his fighting spirit ablaze with anticipation.
In the stories and legends passed down through generations of hyena-men clans, the glory of dragon blood transformation was a coveted aspiration.
The natural lifespan of ordinary hyena-men was a meager 35 years. Even powerful individuals like warlords rarely lived past a century. However, successful dragon blood transformation, granting them a trace of immortal blood, could extend their lives to two or three centuries.
Beyond longevity, dragon blood hyena-men possessed power far surpassing that of their ordinary kin.
Driven by his pursuit of survival and strength, Warchief Bloodtooth now focused solely on how to further please Garos, secure victory in clan conflicts, and earn the right to undergo dragon blood transformation.
Soon after, Garos departed from Howling Crag.
He would not remain permanently in places like Howling Crag or Crescent Moon Valley.
Nor did he provide the clan leaders with precise dates for his return or locations where they could find him.
Instead, he instructed them to follow his orders: raid passing merchant caravans, control merchants to construct channels, and acquire resources such as black oil and magic energy stones.
Upon his next visit, he would assess their performance and reward or punish them accordingly.
This wasn't about deliberately creating an air of mystery, but rather about exercising caution.
Raiding merchant caravans and controlling merchants were not risk-free endeavors. Such actions could attract unwanted attention and trigger subsequent dangers, just as when Garos had the earth spiders steal black oil, which ultimately led to its discovery by the Blackrock Dwarves. Therefore, prudence was essential.
As for why he would proceed despite knowing the risks, this was the result of Garos's careful deliberation, weighing the advantages and disadvantages.
He was cautious and prudent, but not weak or cowardly.
When the potential benefits were substantial enough, he was willing to accept a certain level of risk.
While living in complete seclusion in the wilderness would minimize immediate dangers and ensure temporary peace, it would severely hinder his growth.
Garos's daily training already generated considerable noise, potentially exposing his location. To completely avoid risk, he would have to reduce the intensity of his training.
Moreover, in Garos's view, his own weakness was the greatest risk of all.
Every danger stemmed from his own weakness.
The longer he remained weak, the greater the threats from all sides would become.
Only by growing stronger could he gradually bring peace and stability to the world.
Fine rain drizzled through the night sky, accompanied by the ceaseless howl of the wind.
Garos planned to strike while the iron was hot, aiming to subdue the Riftclaw Clan's lizardfolk and the Bonechewer Clan's ogres, thereby unifying all the creature clans around the Scaly Earth Rift Road and securing absolute control over this vital branch route.
But before he reached his destination, Garos suddenly felt a wave of exhaustion.
This fatigue felt unnatural, unlike anything he'd experienced before.
He hadn't exerted himself much during his time with the Redeye Clan. Given his physical prowess, such minimal activity shouldn't have left him feeling drained.
As the exhaustion washed over him, a profound weariness followed, accompanied by an overwhelming drowsiness.
"My dragon slumber is approaching," Garos realized.
These sensations surprised him. They weren't genuine fatigue or weariness, but rather signals—warnings that he needed to set aside his current tasks and prepare for his dragon slumber.
Dragon slumber differed fundamentally from ordinary sleep.
A dragon's growth wasn't linear. During slumber, their growth rate would accelerate exponentially. The experience gained through daily training and combat, the accumulated energy reserves—all would be transformed into nourishment, fueling a significant leap in the dragon's development.
Ordinary naps don't count.
Before Gu Long, each age group experienced only one formal dragon sleep.
The slumber of a young dragon typically lasted one to five years.
The richer the accumulated resources, the longer the slumber and the greater the growth during that period.
Due to their inherent laziness and lack of training, most young dragons' slumbers lasted only one or two years.
Moreover, during the young dragon stage (ages 6 to 15), dragon sleep often didn't occur until after age 12. If delayed further, they might awaken directly as juvenile dragons.
Garos was currently just over eight years old, not yet nine.
The signs of dragon sleep appearing now surprised him.
After careful consideration, he surmised that his daily physical training, sharpening of claws and fangs, and consumption of black oil and fairy scale powder had accelerated his physical and mental development, triggering the early onset of dragon sleep.
Regardless of the exact cause, this was a good thing.
It would allow him to rapidly enhance himself and overcome his vulnerable hatchling stage.
"My dragon sleep will likely last three to four years, perhaps even the maximum of five."
Garos thought.
This development would disrupt some of his plans.
There was now little point in subduing the Riftclaw Clan and Bonechewer Clan. Even if the merchant caravan brought back black oil or magic energy stones, he wouldn't be able to use them during his slumber.
Unexpected events and variables were a constant in life.
Garos wasn't bothered by this. Instead, he began pondering how to achieve evolution during his slumber.
One thing was certain:
His slumber wouldn't just allow him to grow.
The accumulated training and adaptations he had undergone would also evolve during this period.
Garos had first discovered his Adaptive Evolution Talent after emerging from his dragon sleep during his hatchling stage.
"If I want to evolve and gain wings capable of jet-propelled bursts of speed, this slumber is the perfect opportunity!"
Garos rallied his spirits and turned back toward Needleleaf Valley.
(End of the Chapter)
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