Translator: AnubisTL
The white dragon stood atop the jagged cliff, raising her head in a resounding dragon's roar.
A bone-chilling ice wind swept across the land, freezing minotaur guards into icy statues. Centaurs, werewolf knights, and other combat units, led by dragon-blood werewolves, charged through the battlefield, clashing fiercely with the minotaurs.
Only when the white dragon's magic energy was nearly depleted did she lead her cavalry to retreat. At the cost of a few cavalry lives, they had sown chaos throughout the Obsidian Mine.
The slaves' desperate escape and counterattacks, combined with the heavy losses among the guards, left the remaining minotaurs overwhelmed and frantic.
Soon after, the red dragon and white dragon returned to Dragon Valley, reporting their battle results to Garos.
"Well done," Garos said, sparing no praise.
Samantha proudly raised her head, but couldn't resist flicking her tail as she pressed, "We could have easily seized the mine and pastures. Why didn't we occupy their strongholds?"
"And then divide our forces to garrison them, weakening our overall strength?" Garos countered.
Garos shook his head, his claws tapping lightly on the ground. "Occupying their strongholds now would only weaken and scatter our forces," he said calmly. "Once we've dealt with the Bloodhoof Clan, everything they possess will be ours. There's no need to rush."
The two dragons launched attacks on the mines and pastures.
Under Garos's orders, the primary targets were the guards, with the aim of inflicting casualties and sowing chaos.
The herds and the mines themselves remained largely unaffected, as the main objective was to prepare for future takeover.
As for the present...
Attacking was easy, but defending was difficult.
Garos had no desire for immediate gains or occupying the strongholds.
"Go eat and rest now," he ordered.
"Tomorrow, continue raiding the Bloodhoof Clan's strongholds."
"I want to see how long those minotaurs can endure," the red-iron dragon sneered. "If they want to play weak, we'll help them become truly weak."
The Hyena-Men carried up roasted rock sheep, their fat sizzling and dripping into the fire with a crackling sound.
The familiars had already prepared the food. The dragons and their riders began to feast, replenishing their strength. Once full, they quickly fell into deep sleep.
Over the following days, the red and white dragons led their wyvern flock and cavalry, respectively, in relentless attacks on the Bloodhoof Clan's five strongholds, inflicting significant damage on the minotaurs.
On the third day, after raiding the minotaurs' cauliflower plantation stronghold, the red dragon encountered an unexpected incident during her return flight.
Samantha was relishing the memory of the minotaurs' panicked retreat when a falcon-like figure suddenly soared across the sky, daring to fly above the red dragon's head.
Whoosh!
The red dragon unleashed a fireball at the falcon, refusing to tolerate any inferior creature hovering above her.
However, as the fireball struck the falcon, the creature abruptly transformed into a dragon-like figure nearly fifteen meters long.
Adorned with silver dragon scales and possessing both ice and fire attributes, the adolescent female red copper dragon blocked the wyvern flock's path.
"A silver dragon hybrid?" Samantha's eyes narrowed with wariness.
The red copper dragon before her displayed silver dragon traits and radiated an icy chill, making her sense imminent danger.
"Why is a naturally evil red dragon suddenly attacking me?"
The red copper dragon declared sternly, "Repent with gold coins and earn my forgiveness, or face the consequences."
Red Dragon Samantha fell silent.
Due to the metallic dragons' renowned reputation, few adventurers dared to target them.
Frustrated by the lack of readily available wealth, impoverished young metallic dragons often resorted to extortion schemes.
For example:
Using transformation magic to disguise themselves, they would deliberately provoke attacks, then reveal their true forms and demand compensation.
This was a classic metallic dragon tactic, documented in the Evil Dragon Legacy, which evil dragons scorned as hypocritical. Why bother with excuses when they could simply seize what they wanted?
Samantha never expected to encounter a metallic dragon's extortion attempt.
Especially not now, after just finishing her assault on the Bloodhoof Clan's stronghold, when she was still weakened. She suspected the red copper dragon had been tailing her, waiting for this opportune moment to strike.
The critical issue was:
The red dragon sensed she was no match for the red copper dragon before her.
If it were an ordinary juvenile red copper dragon, she might have stood a chance.
The red dragon sensed the silver dragon blood flowing through her opponent's veins, making her size and aura feel insurmountable. Even with the wyvern flock's assistance, repelling her would require a grueling battle.
When brute force failed to solve the problem, the red dragon's intellect began to assert itself.
Should I call Garos using the message stone? No, I don't want to rely on him for everything. Recalling the records of red copper dragons from her inheritance, she pondered briefly before declaring:
"Red copper dragon, let's play a riddle game."
The red copper dragon's eyes lit up as she scrutinized the red dragon. Unconcealing her disdain, she sneered, "I doubt a barbaric red dragon could solve my riddles."
"Still, I'll grant you one chance."
"Answer my riddle, and I'll let you leave unharmed."
After a pause, the red copper dragon murmured: "I am born from the earth's fiery furnace, forged by desire into form. Kings wear me as their crown, thieves use me to buy their lives, and dragons will fight for me."
Considering the red dragon's reputation for being all brawn and the subspecies' generally lacking intelligence, the red copper dragon felt confident in her victory.
The red copper dragon, ever arrogant, added another clue: "I can fill an entire dragon nest, yet I'm light enough to be blown away by a hatchling's breath. The white dragon calls me bone-chillingly cold, while the red dragon says I burn the heart. The most ancient dragons collect me, but the most greedy dragons lose me."
"Juvenile dragon, what am I?" the riddle dragon asked.
Hearing this, the red dragon, whose intellect had already claimed the high ground, pondered briefly. Recalling the red copper dragon's extortion tactics, she mused for a moment before slowly answering, "Gold coins, or rather, wealth."
The red copper dragon's pupils constricted sharply, and her silver scales bristled slightly, clearly taken aback that the red dragon had solved her riddle. Despite the numerous clues she had provided, given the red dragon's volatile and dim-witted nature, she shouldn't have possessed such keen insight.
"Metallic dragon, you're far too arrogant," Samantha said, deliberately mimicking Garos's steady, authoritative tone while suppressing her inner triumph. "One day, your arrogance will be your downfall."
She felt an unprecedented surge of exhilaration. The sensation of lecturing another dragon from a position of superiority was even more gratifying than tearing apart prey.
With that, the red dragon dismissed the red copper dragon, who stood frozen in place, and decisively flapped her wings, leading the wyvern flock back to their lair.
As agreed, the red copper dragon didn't interfere.
She sniffed the air, finding the red dragon's scent vaguely familiar. Her eyes flickered as she watched the red dragon's silhouette recede into the distance.
During the return journey, Samantha cautiously led the wyvern flock in wide circles through the sky. She frequently glanced back to ensure they weren't being followed. Only after confirming no pursuit did she confidently steer the flock toward their territory, returning to Dragon Valley.
"Garos, I encountered a metallic hybrid dragon!" she announced to the red-iron dragon, who was sharpening his tail on an iron anvil.
"A hybrid dragon?" Garos paused his work, inquiring about the details.
After listening to the red dragon's calm yet subtly proud account, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of surprise.
"A silver dragon and red copper dragon hybrid," he mused. "Most likely offspring of the metallic dragons from Red Maple Valley."
"Deborah? No, I remember her being a purebred red copper dragon, not a hybrid."
"Could it be another offspring of a silver dragon and red copper dragon? But the personality and some physical traits... it sounds exactly like Deborah."
Garos thought to himself.
"Can a purebred dragon even transform into a hybrid?"
As this question formed in his mind, corresponding knowledge from his inherited memories surged forth, gradually illuminating the answer.
Bloodlines are a wondrous and profound thing, capable of both atavistic regression and the transformation of pureblood dragons into entirely new hybrid forms.
When parents possess different dragon bloodlines, their offspring inherently carry the potential for both, though only one bloodline manifests outwardly as the dominant trait.
Through specific rituals or specialized methods, the dormant bloodline can sometimes be truly awakened.
But this is no easy feat.
Such rituals and methods invariably require vast quantities of rare and precious materials, and demand unwavering will and resolve from the dragon itself.
This process is akin to the dragon-exclusive 'dragon blood transformation,' a fundamental metamorphosis and sublimation of the bloodline's essence.
Success results in the pureblood dragon transforming into a hybrid, invariably a positive hybrid that enhances its power.
Failure leads to severe injury and prolonged dormancy, significantly delaying growth.
In the future, given the right conditions, both Samantha and Solgorn could potentially awaken the dormant bloodline within them through this method, becoming Red Iron Hybrids.
"Metallic dragon parents have the means to induce hybrid transformation in their offspring."
"That must be Deborah. She's become a silver dragon hybrid."
Garos thought silently.
The Borderlands had a limited number of dragons and wasn't a particularly vast region.
Ever since learning that the red copper dragon family lived here, Garos had known he would inevitably encounter Deborah again. However, he hadn't expected it to happen so soon, or that he would receive news of the red copper dragon through Samantha.
"She can transform into a falcon. Deborah has mastered transformation magic, a skill typically learned only by young adult dragons."
Garos's vertical pupils narrowed into thin slits as he scanned the sunset-stained sky.
Although Samantha claimed she had circled around several times before returning to Dragon Valley, Garos doubted she could have shaken off a juvenile hybrid dragon's pursuit.
The silver dragon bloodline granted Deborah a wealth of quasi-spell skills.
Among the main class dragons, silver dragons possessed the strongest magical aptitude, mastering the most quasi-spell skills at any given age. Whether they chose to become spellcasters or specialize as sorcerers, silver dragons were blessed with unparalleled innate talent.
White Dragon Treacy's vaunted magical prowess paled in comparison to that of even the most ordinary silver dragon.
"Meeting Samantha might have been a coincidence."
"But Deborah definitely remembers me, remembers my scent. Samantha's scent is similar to mine, which would have drawn her attention."
"What does she want?"
Garos pondered, concluding that Deborah had already discovered Dragon Valley but was deliberately concealing herself for some unknown purpose.
"Two defeats, two robberies."
"Once she finds my trail, she won't simply stand by and watch."
As time passed, the Bloodhoof Clan grew increasingly battered by the relentless attacks on Dragon Valley. The minotaurs were likely nearing their breaking point, and the air grew thick with the anticipation of a final battle.
A decisive battle with the Bloodhoof Clan was imminent.
Now, they also had to consider the red-iron dragon Deborah's "vengeance."
Garos took a deep breath, feeling the situation growing increasingly complex and unpredictable.
"Since things have come to this, we'll just have to adapt and improvise as we go."
Scratch! Scratch!
The red-iron dragon continued sharpening its dragon wings and tail, sparks flying.
If he couldn't completely control the situation, he would simply hone his own edge until it could tear through any variable.
(End of the Chapter)
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