Translator: AnubisTL
"You should cultivate your strengths, not cling to the common ground that all red dragons excel at."
"Only then can you truly stand out and make the title of Red Dragon Queen renowned far and wide."
"Think carefully: between an alchemical dragon brimming with wisdom and a foolish, barbaric Red Dragon Lord who only knows how to fight, which one is more distinctive and memorable?"
Garos murmured in a low voice.
"Vera thinks it's the alchemical dragon. There are too many violent red dragons out there," the fairy dragon nodded vigorously in agreement.
Across from them, Samantha's head had nearly tilted back to the heavens.
The intelligent dragon pondered carefully and felt Garos's words held great truth.
"A true powerhouse should secure victory from a thousand miles away," Garos pressed on, patiently guiding her.
"Imagine this scene:
An adventurer's legion attempts to overthrow the Red Dragon Queen. But before they can even approach, before they can glimpse her true form, they are utterly annihilated by her alchemical legion. They can only let out desperate, regretful wails.
Those organizations that once opposed you will instead submit to the Red Dragon Queen's wisdom and might, offering her their reverence and endless treasures."
Listening to Garos's words, Samantha subconsciously began to fantasize, and couldn't help but shiver, her body tingling.
"Hmm, I agree with your idea," she said.
Her demeanor immediately became more reserved, her gait deliberately measured and mature, and her gaze grew enigmatic, as if to truly convey wisdom.
The idea of building an alchemical legion took root in the young dragon's mind.
Eagerly, she returned to hr alchemy workshop and began to work.
Meanwhile, Garos flew back to his dragon nest in the mountain cliff, resting his head on his tail and covering his body with his dragon wings.
Could the intensity of this battle with the diamond giant awaken my dragon qi? Garos wondered.
To awaken dragon qi before the juvenile stage and become a martial dragon, one needed not only daily training but also a selfless, life-or-death battle.
Once dragon qi awakened, Garos's skills would become more diverse, his foundation deeper, and his combat power would undoubtedly soar.
However, he didn't hold out much hope. The inheritance had never recorded a young dragon awakening dragon qi.
Garos closed his eyes and rested.
For dragonkind, there was no better medicine than sleep. It dispelled his fatigue and accelerated the healing of his injuries.
Three days later.
Under the cover of night, the hyena-man Haken led a team of hyena-man scouts up the cliff face at the edge of the Quenching Highlands.
The Quenching Highlands appeared relatively flat, but the ground sloped upward at a gentle angle. Following this incline northward led to a sheer, cliff-like boundary over nine hundred meters high.
The hyena-men's territory lay just beyond the northern edge of the Quenching Highlands, surrounding a large river near the cliff.
This area was known as Gravel Beach.
Despite living on Gravel Beach, the true masters of the region were not the hyena-men, but a young iron dragon.
The Longtail Clan of hyena-men and a Kobold Clan, both fearing and revering the power of dragonkind, jointly swore allegiance to the iron dragon on Gravel Beach.
Their Iron Dragon Lord was ambitious and restless, unwilling to remain confined to Gravel Beach.
With strategic foresight, the Iron Dragon Lord recognized the Quenching Highlands as a defensible yet easily attacked strategic point with excellent visibility. He therefore set his sights on conquering the highlands.
However, the appearance of the stone giants disrupted the iron dragon's plans.
From an unknown source, the stone giants established a camp on the Quenching Highlands.
Wary of the giants' formidable strength, the iron dragon dared not make a rash move. Yet unwilling to abandon his grand vision of creating a Wilderness Empire, he kept a close watch on the Quenching Highlands.
Until a few days ago.
As if a meteor had fallen from the sky, it crashed onto the Quenching Highlands. The impact site seemed to be either very close to the Stone Giant Camp or directly within it.
The commotion was considerable.
The blinding crimson glow could be seen from a great distance.
This anomaly was detected by the iron dragon, who was secretly observing the Quenching Highlands.
He dispatched hyena-man scouts to investigate the area.
Hyenaman Haken led the scouting party, moving cautiously across the Quenching Highlands. Their feet trod silently on the gravel and grass, their ears twitching at every rustle of wind and sway of grass.
Time crawled by in the tense atmosphere.
As night deepened, the moon's pale light was obscured by dark clouds.
Darkness surged from all sides, keeping the hyena-men on high alert, their vigilance unwavering.
After a few minutes, the dozen or so hyena-men halted at the edge of a massive circular crater. Their bodies trembled slightly.
"Is... is this the impact site of the meteorite?"
"But there's no sign of the meteorite at the bottom."
The hyena-men possessed darkvision, allowing them to see clearly even in the thick of night.
"Perhaps it wasn't a meteorite," Haken said in a low voice. "It might be the work of those stone giants."
At the mention of stone giants, another scout flinched and tucked his head down. "Let's go back and report this to the dragon lord."
"Fool! Such worthless information will only enrage the dragon lord."
Haken licked his lips and glanced toward the Stone Giant Camp. "We need to confirm whether the stone giants are responsible. These brutes are slow to perceive. Stay alert, and we won't be discovered."
The Iron Dragon Lord ruled with both carrot and stick, lavishly rewarding his loyal familiars who achieved great deeds.
Haken felt his claws and fangs growing loose and brittle, his body weakening. He knew he was aging, gradually approaching his twilight years, and slowly fading toward death.
It refused to accept such a fate.
It yearned to earn the Iron Dragon Lord's favor and gain the opportunity for dragon blood transformation.
Knowing the Iron Dragon Lord's methods, it was willing to take this risk.
Then,
Haken and the scouts slowly approached the Stone Giant Camp.
As they drew closer and could clearly see the camp's interior, their eyes widened in astonishment.
There were no stone giants in sight.
Instead, a group of well-fed, muscular ogres occupied the camp.
These ogres were larger and more formidable than their usual counterparts, representing rare elite warriors.
Most terrifyingly, they were methodically dismantling the stone giant remains, tossing the fragments into a boiling symbiotic pool.
"Something's wrong," Haken growled, his tail clamping tight.
"These aren't ordinary—"
"Watch out! We've been exposed!"
A hyena-man scout to the left suddenly cried out.
A thick spear plummeted from the sky, piercing the hyena-man's body and pinning him to the ground.
The ogre Ugo stood atop the towering stone wall, his eyes locked onto the bushes where the hyena-men scouts were hiding. He twitched his nose, a cruel smile spreading across his face.
"These rocks are no good to eat. The little rats have come at just the right time."
He leaped down from the wall, his massive battle axe—its metal blade enhanced with alchemical runes—clutched in his hand. With heavy, thundering steps, he charged toward the hyena-men.
Behind him, more ogre warriors joined the charge.
Their massive bodies pounded the earth, sending tremors through the ground.
Though often perceived as lumbering brutes, these elite ogres moved with surprising speed, their charge rivaling that of rhinos. The common misconception that ogres were slow applied only to the flabby, overfed specimens, not these hardened warriors.
The hyena-men scouts scattered in panic.
The ogres hurled massive boulders and other weapons from behind, disrupting the hyena-men's escape. Their own relentless pursuit, combined with their surprising speed, soon closed the distance.
"Foolish ogre!"
As the ogre approached, hyena-man Haken realized he couldn't outrun it and stopped.
He turned to face the ogre, puffed out his chest, bristled his fur, and bared his teeth in a roar. "We are loyal to the great Iron King! The noble and invincible giant dragon!"
"How dare you offend him!"
The lead ogre, Ugo, froze in surprise.
The other ogres also stopped, exchanging glances.
Seeing their reaction, Haken grew bolder and swaggered. "Hmph! Hurry and apologize and beg for forgiveness!"
"Otherwise, the Iron King will flatten your territory, slaughter you all, and turn you into the dregs of the wilderness!"
After a few seconds of silence, Ugo strode forward.
"Very well, I beg forgiveness for my offense!"
Though he spoke these words, he raised his massive axe—longer than a hyena-man's entire body—and brought it down with a brutal crash.
Haken's pupils constricted, his pale face visible even through his fur. He stood frozen, rigid with terror, unable to move.
Ugo was an elite among elites.
Within the entire Bonechewer Clan, only Gluttonous Demon Karu was stronger.
Even ordinary young dragons would have struggled against it, let alone a mere hyena-man scout leader.
Thump!
The war axe struck the ground before the hyena-man, gouging a deep trench.
"Tie them all up! Take them away!" Ugo roared. "We'll await the judgment of the great Lord of the Crimson Wings!"
Lord of the Crimson Wings, Deathwing, the peerless harbinger of doom—these were the titles of honor the Ironforged Clan used for Garos.
Lord of the Crimson Wings?
It's over!
These ogres seem to have a dragon over them too! That title sounds like a dragon's! The hyena-men's last hope was gone, and their fighting spirit completely vanished.
Like wolves and tigers, the ogres swarmed over the hyena-men, dragging the prisoners back to their camp in an instant.
(End of the Chapter)
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