Translator: AnubisTL
Within the Howling Moon Clan,
Garos summoned Chief Russell, informing him about the purple copper ore and tasking him with overseeing its extraction. He then instructed Russell to prepare to contact Nick's Caravan to reestablish trade channels, giving him many other instructions.
The next trade shipment, in addition to black oil, would be different.
Garos allowed his chosen to profit for themselves, but only if it didn't interfere with his acquisition of black oil.
This would stimulate the chosen's initiative. They had followed Garos in the first place for a better life and brighter prospects, and Garos wasn't an evil dragon. As long as they performed well, he would give them opportunities.
Moreover,
if they only requested black oil, their behavior would seem suspicious.
Bernardo Planet had numerous large black oilfields, ensuring abundant reserves. However, this didn't mean black oil was a freely accessible resource, nor that anyone could exploit it.
No nation would ever complain about having too much black oil.
As a strategic material primarily used to power large alchemy items like alchemy golems, it remained subject to strict controls.
Although there were official channels for purchasing, they were always limited in supply.
In the Sierre Wilderness, merchants often engaged in private transactions with the local oilfield garrisons, transporting black oil south to the Southern Kingdoms and then reselling it to smaller nations lacking sufficient resources.
Buying black oil from the Southern Kingdoms and transporting it back to the Sierre Wilderness was a peculiar behavior.
Why would a monster clan in the wilderness have such a specific and persistent demand for large quantities of black oil? If anyone with ulterior motives discovered this, it would likely attract unnecessary trouble.
"Dragon Lord, please accept this," Russell said, presenting a message stone.
"It's from the last merchant caravan."
"When you can't be here in person, you can use it to give us orders remotely."
He added, with thoughtful but unnecessary explanation.
Garos accepted the message stone and said, "Next time, ask the merchant caravan to bring more message stones."
Flapping his wings, he lifted the iron-vine net filled with barrels of black oil and prepared to take flight.
Just then, Frostfang returned. Seeing his daughter approach, Russell recalled the clan texts regarding dragonkind's customs. He hesitated for a moment before calling out to Garos, "Wait, dragon lord. Please, hold on."
Garos lowered his gaze to Russell.
"What is it?"
Russell pulled Frostfang close. Under Garos's puzzled stare, he whispered, "Esteemed dragon lord, to celebrate your return, Frostfang will offer her first night and serve you."
"If you find her unsatisfactory, you may choose any young werewolf from the Howling Moon Clan."
Garos's eyes widened.
As a young dragon, he didn't quite grasp Russell's reasoning.
Frostfang stood obediently beside her father, showing neither anger nor displeasure. Instead, a hint of anticipation flickered in her eyes.
Garos focused his gaze on the young female werewolf.
Her fur gleamed, her teeth were pearly white, and her eyes were clear and luminous. The fine down on her erect ears, the lithe proportions of her limbs and tail, and the harmonious balance of her form all combined to make her a beautiful female werewolf.
Dragonkind possessed eyes that could perceive the beauty in all things.
Garos naturally appreciated Frostfang's beauty.
But he still didn't understand why Russell had suddenly said that.
Did I unintentionally reveal a lecherous side?
Garos carefully reviewed his behavior but couldn't recall anything that might have given that impression. He directly asked Russell why he had that thought.
Russell stammered, finally, under Garos's steady gaze, he hesitantly replied, "Our clan's ancient texts record that male Dragon Lords demand the first night with their female chosen."
"To increase your regard for the Howling Moon Clan, I thought I should offer it to you proactively, before you had to ask."
Garos fell silent.
This wasn't entirely Russell's fault for having such a warped idea.
Because their clan's texts were actually correct.
Evil Dragon Lords, like red dragons, did indeed behave this way—promiscuous, debauched, directly breeding Dragonkin with their chosen, and then using these Dragonkin as their core guards.
As for reproductive isolation—
This didn't exist among dragons.
Dragonkind bloodlines were so potent and dominant that they could almost always produce Dragonkin through mating with any creature.
But.
It's often after reaching adolescence that certain desires begin to stir in dragonkind, leading to such thoughts.
At just fourteen years old, Garos currently has no interest in such matters, even though his little dragon, hardened through rigorous training, is already far stronger than a typical young dragon.
Even if he were interested, without having mastered Transformation Magic, Garos's massive size difference with Frostfang would make any substantial interaction impossible.
Transformation Magic is a spell all dragonkind master, normally awakening during their adolescent years. Metallic dragons, particularly gold and silver dragons, enjoy using it to mingle with other intelligent creature races and play in the world. Evil dragons, on the other hand, often use it for carnal indulgence.
Frostfang stammered, "Great Dragon Lord, I willingly offer myself to you."
Bearing Dragonkin-werewolf offspring with Garos would be a boon to the Howling Moon Clan, strengthening their bond with him. Moreover, Frostfang herself reveres Garos's immense power.
That majestic and formidable dragon form—so full of raw power, grandeur, and fierce beauty—not only attracts other dragons but also inspires Frostfang's cross-species admiration.
"We'll discuss it later."
Garos neither agreed nor refused outright.
With that parting remark, he soared into the sky.
"Father, do you think the dragon lord will agree?" Frostfang asked Russell, blinking her eyes.
"He will, he will," Russell murmured. "The dragon lord has at least half red dragon blood. Our clan archives state that male red dragons are notoriously lustful."
The backward-swept, formidable dragon horns.
The faint scent of sulfur and flame clinging to his body.
His muscular frame.
The thick, protruding fangs at the corners of his jaws.
The dense, sharp spines covering his back.
These were all hallmarks of a red dragon. Though Russell knew little of subclasses like iron dragons, he was well-versed in the renowned red dragons. He could clearly see the red dragon blood coursing through Garos's veins.
It was said that...
Human armies dreaded nothing more than campaigning against male red dragon lords.
One reason was the red dragons' sheer power.
The other was their insatiable lust. Male red dragons were virtually unrestrained in their carnal desires, perpetually in heat and possessing formidable reproductive vitality. As a result, they commanded vast broods of Dragonkin offspring.
"I want to have a litter of wolf pups with dragon scales," Frostfang said wistfully.
Time flowed by, marked by the rising and setting of the sun and moon over the wilderness.
Garos put the minor incident with the Howling Moon Clan behind him, not dwelling on it. He later reappeared at Howling Crag to reinforce the hyena-men's loyalty to him.
No unexpected events occurred during this period.
Warchief Bloodtooth maintained his firm grip on the Redeye Clan, his six years of rule leaving him in his prime, not showing a hint of aging.
It's worth noting that
a hyena-man sorcerer emerged from the Redeye Clan—the same sentry who had fainted upon first seeing Garos.
Garos had sensed the sentry's keen perception at the time, so his awakening of the power within his bloodline to become a sorcerer wasn't surprising.
In the wilderness, monster clans of sufficient size almost invariably have a sorcerer, shaman, or priest among them. This seems to be a survival mechanism that has evolved within their species.
There were also the lizardfolk of the Riftclaw Clan.
The four clans of the Scaly Earth Rift Road suffered the most in their battles against the ogres. Seeing a dragonkind willing to offer them protection, they were so grateful they practically wanted to kiss Garos's toes, immediately pledging their loyalty to him.
Garos integrated all these clans under his command, but he kept them separate, imposing rules to prevent excessive conflict and establishing more organized, sustainable methods for ambushing and plundering the trade routes.
Unfortunately, due to the ogre clans' rampant and unrestrained raids over the past six years, almost no merchant caravans now traveled the Scaly Earth Rift Road. Those that did were massive, heavily guarded convoys.
But this was only temporary.
Garos had already instructed the werewolves to contact Nick, tasking him with spreading news that the Scaly Earth Rift Road was gradually becoming safe and peaceful again. Nick would then lead by example, personally venturing into the region.
When Nick returned with a full load next time, it would likely reignite the greed of other merchants.
All the clans were now under his control.
Garos's days gradually settled into a rhythm of calm and stability.
With his reserve of black oil, his daily training became even more efficient. He took the opportunity to experiment with using black oil and fairy scale powder simultaneously.
The results were as he had predicted.
Leveraging the fairy scale powder's enhancement of his mental reflexes, he was able to briefly harness the black oil's amplified, extreme speed.
When combined with the Bloodburst Technique embedded in his horn ring,
Garos in his fully unleashed state could achieve a completely new level of combat power.
However, Garos remained grounded, refusing to become complacent with these external enhancements. He knew these were trump cards not to be used carelessly; true strength lay in fortifying his fundamentals.
Under the cover of night in the Cracked Spine Hills,
Sizzle! Sizzle!
Garos stood silently at the center of several ogre mages, allowing them to unleash their chain lightning spells upon him.
Dense arcs of electricity wrapped around his body.
Garos felt a tingling sensation throughout his body, with electric currents surging through the muscles beneath his scales. The tingling sensation stimulated them, causing them to swell and contract in a way that grew increasingly distinct.
Moreover, as the lightning struck, some arcs escaped through the gaps between his scales.
Dense, concentrated, and shimmering,
they resembled a mane woven from lightning.
Garos had a strong premonition.
His next evolution might be related to lightning.
Coincidentally, the ogre mages used chain lightning, which was more direct and effective than the enchantment on the lightning tail ring. He frequently practiced with it, honing his lightning resistance in anticipation of his next evolution.
Soon, several sorcerers, their magical energy depleted, lay slumped and listless as ogre warriors carried them away.
Still wanting more, Garos called out to the Gluttony Demon, who was eating.
"Karu, come here. Let's spar a bit more."
He had the Gluttony Demon wear the lightning tail ring on his arm and continue training with him.
Minutes later, Garos's training was far from over when an ogre sentry suddenly rushed over.
"Dragon Lord, a stone giant has arrived at the outskirts of the Bonechewer Clan and wishes to meet with the leader," the sentry whispered.
A stone giant? Where did he come from?
Garos's gaze sharpened.
"Karu, prepare to receive him. Inquire about his purpose and origin, but keep my presence secret."
Instead of taking flight, Garos flattened himself along the ridge of the hill, tucking into a barely visible depression in the slope. He unfurled his wings, suppressed his qi, and blended almost completely with the night. Only his pair of deep, dark eyes quietly observed the Bonechewer Clan's territory below.
(End of the Chapter)
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