Translator: AnubisTL
"Are we going to war with the Bloodhoof Clan?"
Under the twilight glow, flames seemed to dance in the eyes of the Red Dragon Samantha as she asked excitedly.
All red dragons were warmongers at heart. She yearned to tear through enemy chests with her claws and savor the desperate cries of the vermin.
"We can't leave any threats unresolved before the dragon sleep," the red-iron dragon said, his eyes narrowing slightly. "The Bloodhoof Clan poses a danger to us. We can't afford to ignore them."
"Now that Solgorn is slumbering in Dragon Valley, I can assist you in commanding the legion of servants," the red dragon said, flicking her tongue to lick the keratinous layer beneath her jaw. "Let's summon the legion of servants directly and crush them in one fell swoop. We'll show those rabble the true might of dragonkind."
Samantha had grown tired of playing with ants. She craved real war.
Garos lifted his gaze toward the Bloodhoof Clan's territory. "The Bloodhoof Clan rose to prominence in the Borderlands. They must possess exceptional capabilities. We must approach them with caution and seriousness."
He understood one thing clearly: the Bloodhoof Clan was unlike the minor clans they had encountered before.
The minotaurs possessed their own pastures and mines, multiple strongholds, and even deployed Heaven's Eye Spells to guard against aerial threats.
Currently, intelligence was lacking.
Directly summoning the legion of servants and recklessly charging the Bloodhoof Clan's main camp would be unwise.
Even if their legion were crushed, failing to properly eliminate the Bloodhoof Clan's bosses and chieftain would lead to endless trouble from scattered guerrilla tactics.
"Samantha," Garos said, turning to her, "refine black oil to 95% purity for me."
High-quality black oil was a controlled resource, its quality directly tied to its purity. The black oil brought by merchant caravans was typically 90% pure. Each additional percentage point of purity exponentially increased the difficulty of obtaining it. The highest-grade black oil the caravans could supply was 94% pure, and only two barrels of it were available. Beyond that, there were no channels for acquisition.
However, after obtaining the necessary alchemical tools from the merchant caravan last time, the red dragon alchemist's refining skills had improved. She could now push the 94% purity black oil further, achieving 95% purity.
Higher-quality black oil provided Garos with a more potent energy source for the same volume, and it was also less prone to saturation and overload. It served as a highly effective magic potion for enhancing his own capabilities.
Human adventurers often consumed potions to boost their combat readiness.
However, given the immense size and drug resistance of dragonkind, most magic potions proved unreliable—expensive yet ineffective. Consequently, pre-battle potion consumption was rare among dragons. Garos, however, possessed black oil, a uniquely potent remedy.
Those advanced alchemy golems are said to have 99, or even perfect-quality black oil flowing through their energy conduits, Garos mused. I must taste that someday.
At his command, the ogre hauled two precious barrels of 94-purity black oil from the cellar.
"Refining 95-purity black oil requires a furnace," Samantha explained. "Crucibles are only suitable for refining below that level. My alchemical furnace is in the workshop, which means we'll need to travel to Sulfur Hills to refine it, and the process will take some time."
"There's no time to waste," Garos nodded. "Take the black oil and go immediately."
Samantha didn't move immediately. "Brother," she said, "when you fought the dragon hunting group, didn't you obtain a formation plate from those humans?"
Her intellect began to dominate. "Let the legion of servants absorb the Bloodhoof Clan warriors' attacks while we lure the Bull Demon into the Gladiator Space."
"Even if Solgorn can't intervene, three dragons ganging up on him will guarantee his demise."
Fairy Dragon Vera suddenly appeared, declaring, "Four dragons! Don't forget me! I'll use illusion magic."
With that, she turned to White Dragon Treacy and introduced herself with a cheerful grin: "Hey big guy, I'm Vera, third in line among the Ignis Brothers."
The fairy dragon always referred to herself as one of the Ignis Brothers.
The white dragon glanced at the fairy dragon in surprise, never expecting to find a planar dragon in Dragon Valley. Regardless of its strength, fairy dragons were exceedingly rare on the material plane, even rarer than gold dragons.
"A little runt like you would be crushed under a minotaur's hoof," Garos scoffed. "Don't meddle in things you don't understand."
"Don't underestimate me! I've become a Dreamweaver. This class is practically tailor-made for me!" the fairy dragon declared proudly.
To keep pace with the Ignis Brothers, the fairy dragon had chosen the Dreamweaver class. Thanks to her innate talent, she mastered it with remarkable ease.
As she spoke, her body shuddered. Using her scale powder as a medium, she suddenly swelled into a colossal dragon, even larger than White Dragon Treacy, stretching over twenty meters in length.
She bared her fangs and claws, unleashing a deafening roar that radiated overwhelming power.
Until Garos flicked her with his tail. The massive form deflated like a punctured balloon, shrinking back to her miniature, kitten-like size.
Illusions may shatter with a touch, but they're incredibly lifelike. If I hadn't witnessed the transformation myself, I might not have realized it was an illusion. This could actually be useful, Garos mused.
While the fairy dragon's illusion magic might prove ineffective in direct combat, it could be devastatingly effective if used strategically and unexpectedly.
"What was that for?!"
The fairy dragon, now back in her original form, spun in circles, furious.
"I permit you to join the battle, but you must obey my commands completely."
Garos's words filled the fairy dragon with elation.
He turned to the red dragon Samantha and said, "The gladiator formation plate can only be used once. I don't want to waste it on a single minotaur in the Borderlands. It's capable of far greater value."
After his adolescent dragon sleep, Garos's strength would surge again.
By then, enemies like the Bloodhoof Clan would be insignificant. However, the Bloodhoof Clan wasn't the dominant power in the Borderlands, and the chaos of the Permafrost Tundra couldn't be ignored.
The gladiator formation plate should be reserved for more critical moments.
While its spatial barrier wasn't indestructible, any opponent unable to shatter it in a single strike would find themselves trapped in a dilemma, unable to advance or retreat. Garos could still use it even after his dragon sleep.
"True," the red dragon agreed. "It's not worth wasting on a minotaur."
She then hoisted two barrels of 94 black oil and soared toward the Sulfur Hills.
Earlier, while at the Sulfur Hills, Samantha had dug a pit and ignited the sulfur with her dragon flame, creating a continuously burning fire that served as the foundation for an alchemical furnace.
With the alchemical furnace and several blueprints in hand, she could now attempt crafting larger alchemical constructs.
However, having only recently acquired these resources and with limited time, she hadn't yet created anything significant.
Samantha's visit to Dragon Valley was also to personally share the good news of her successful alchemical furnace construction with Garos.
(End of the Chapter)