----------
đ 4 Days Remaining until the giveaway begins! Join us on Discord!
----------
Translator: AnubisTL
"Do you have a concrete plan right now?" Garos asked.
Hearing the red-iron dragon's question, the iron dragon scratched his head.
"N-no, I don't," he said awkwardly.
After a brief pause, his eyes suddenly lit up. "Garos, I once read about you in the Federal Daily. They called you the Ominous Star of Death and said you have the potential to become a great evil dragon."
"And that was over ten years ago. By now, you must have established your own territory in the wilderness."
"The Federation is in chaos right now. Many kingdoms are revealing their ambitions, trying to redistribute the Southern resources. They're neglecting the Sierre Wilderness, so you'll definitely be able to develop faster and better there."
Gordon still assumed the red-iron dragon was in the Sierre Wilderness.
To prevent this foolish dragon from inadvertently leaking his current situation, Garos didn't explain. Instead, he said, "It seems you're not entirely useless after all. You can see the current situation clearly."
"Start making plans and preparing. Otherwise, you might die in the turmoil of the Lothurn Federation."
After hearing Garos's words, Gordon hesitated for two seconds before speaking his true thoughts:
"Garos, my dear brother, can I bring Eileen to seek refuge with you? When you receive us, I will bring enough wealth to satisfy you as payment."
Upon hearing the word "wealth," Garos's evil dragon nature stirred. He instinctively wanted to agree immediately, but he ever-so-quickly suppressed the urge. He could now devour four magic gems in a single breath, and his resistance to wealth had greatly improved.
"Fool, if the Federation falls apart, bringing a princess with the Lothurn royal bloodline to us will only bring us destruction," Solgorn said in a deep, serious voice.
This was also why Garos hadn't agreed.
A Lothurn princess was a textbook "hot potato." If the Ironforged Tribe dared to accept her, a legendary being might come charging at them the next moment.
"Gordon's idea is immature. Setting aside whether the Lothurn princess is even willing to go with him, how to escape from the Federation to the wilderness or the Frontierlands while surrounded by enemies is also a major problem."
"Regardless, as long as I haven't reached the Legendary rank, it's impossible for me to shelter a Lothurn princess in these chaotic times."
"Besides, the probability of the Kingdom of Lothurn's complete destruction is actually quite low. They might lose a large amount of territory and resources, but for the entire nation to perish... that's unrealistic. After all, they've sat at the top of the Federation for centuries, accumulating deep roots. They won't collapse easily."
Garos pondered silently.
Using Gordon as a fulcrum and the Royal Princess as a lever, perhaps he could seize unimaginable benefits from the Federation's internal strife.
After a brief thought, the Red-Iron Dragon said, "Gordon, don't think about how to smuggle the princess out of the Federation. That's unrealistic."
"The Federation's internal turmoil will happen sooner or later, but it won't be as severe as you imagine."
"Without the Holy King, this behemoth might shatter, and the Kingdom of Lothurn could suffer a heavy blow."
"But a magnificent kingdom that has enjoyed eight hundred years of preferential resource allocationâdeeply rooted and lushly branchedâwon't collapse immediately, even if it's riddled with problems."
Iron Dragon Solgorn agreed in support:
"I believe the Southern Kingdoms will reshuffle through war, initiating a new round of resource and territorial redistribution. During this period, the Kingdom of Lothurn might fall from its central position and become an ordinary kingdom, or even face complete destruction, but the chances of the latter are slim."
Hearing the two brothers' words, Gordon froze.
He hadn't considered this.
When he first heard the news of the Holy King's fall, followed by Eileen's resolute vow to die for her country, his iron dragon bloodline had reacted instinctively. After a flurry of analysis, he concluded the kingdom was on the verge of collapse. This conclusion had turned his anxiety into an insatiable appetite, leaving him both worried and gluttonous day after day.
But now, thinking it over carefully...
Eileen's words at the time were merely a declaration of her resolve; they didn't mean she would actually die.
The federation, this grand edifice, was highly likely to 'collapse,' but the constituent kingdoms and duchies might not. The probability of those ancient, deep-rooted kingdoms being destroyed was very low.
"I seem to have equated the federation with the Kingdom of Lothurn, but they are actually two different concepts. Oh, damn it, Gordon, have you eaten your own brain as well?!"
"Wait, if that's the case, can I just go back to eating, drinking, and having fun without a care in the world? I won't have to worry about the future anymore."
"No, no, no. What if the royal court gets caught in the war? At the very least, I need to be able to protect myself and Elena."
Iron Dragon Gordon's left and right brains were at war, his thoughts a chaotic mess.
Until Garos's dragon-soothing words echoed from deep within his heart.
"Gordon, my dear brother, I know your mind is in turmoil right now."
"But rest assured, I will be your steadfast support, guiding you toward the right path."
Garos continued, his voice coaxing, "You and I, brothers, are located inside and outside the kingdom. We should join forcesâone within, one withoutâand seize this opportunity. While the federation is embroiled in internal strife, we can rapidly rise and forge a Dragon Kingdom ruled by dragons."
A Dragon Kingdom?!
Gordon's pupils instantly slit, his breathing growing heavy.
[Dragon Taming Art: Iron Dragon Chapter]
[All Iron Dragons aspire to establish a kingdom ruled by dragons. To gain an Iron Dragon's trust and recognition, it is best to center your communication around this ambition.]
"I'm within the federation's borders with countless servants at my beck and call, but openly establishing a Dragon Kingdom... that's just too difficult," Iron Dragon Gordon said in a low voice, his confidence wavering.
Hearing this, the Red-Iron Dragon laughed heartily before turning serious. "Then we shall start from the wilderness!"
"I can move more freely in the outer world, and I am determined to build a Dragon Kingdom."
"Gordon, you and I share the same blood, and we bear the same surname."
"One day, when the Dragon Kingdom stands upon this earth, basking freely in the sun's radianceâmy brother, I will share that light and glory with you."
Whoosh!
Gordon's mental body ignited instantly! A layer of illusory flames enveloped him.
This was his ambition, so dense it had materialized into substance.
The Iron Dragon's eyes blazed with unprecedented determination. "Garos, tell me what to do!"
Good, he's fired up.
Garos nodded with satisfaction. "Tell me about this Princess Elenaâhow many resources does she control? What can she do for the Kingdom of Lothurn?"
The fat on Gordon's belly trembled slightly as he pondered. "She is the Royal Family's most cherished pearl."
"The current King's youngest child, she possesses immense magic talent but lacks ambition. She spends her days immersed in magic, never competing or striving for power."
"But because of this, she enjoys the King's favor and holds numerous fiefs and various properties."
"I'm not sure of the exact amount, but I know of at least three magic crystal-producing fiefs and shares in three Royal Alchemy Factories. In any case, she's far wealthier than any ordinary prince or princess."
Otherwise, she couldn't afford to support a lazy glutton like me.
"She told me she'd live or die with the Kingdom of Lothurn and would never live in disgrace."
Hearing this last sentence, Solgorn couldn't help but ask, "Wait, that contradicts your previous description. This princess has a fiery temperâhow could she possibly be willing to flee the Federation with you?"
"Well... I plan to knock her unconscious when she's not looking, tie her up, and just take her."
Solgorn fell silent for a few seconds before saying, "In the royal court, where even an ancient dragon wouldn't dare barge in recklessly due to the heavy guard, you're going to knock out a princess and kidnap her? Are you serious?"
Gordon nodded guiltily.
He was serious, but he had never actually thought through his plan because, subconsciously, he also felt it was unlikely to work.
"Gordon has lived in the royal court for years, enjoying a privileged life. It's only natural that his thinking is a bit rash."
The Red-Iron Dragon continued, "What has Princess Elena been like lately with all the Federation's troubles?"
Gordon replied, "She's been tearing at the corners of her magic booksâthat's what she does when she's anxious. A few days ago, she even came to me to vent, saying she wants to help the kingdom but is being treated like a fragile ornament."
The Royal Family of Lothurn was far from close.
Elena despised her siblings' hypocritical smiles and the nobles' fawning flattery. Whenever she had something on her mind or felt distressed, she often confided in Iron Dragon Gordon.
Because of this, Gordon knew her thoughts and situation all too well.
Garos then pressed further, asking a barrage of questionsâall about Elena.
From the princess's daily routine to her interactions with other princes, princesses, and noble lords, no detail was too small.
This princess was the key to his chance to seize a piece of the Federation's internal turmoil. He viewed her as crucial and sought to understand her completely.
Finally, as Gordon's descriptions unfolded, Elena's image grew clearer in Garos's mind.
âA magical firework protected by a crystal dome, yearning to ignite a prairie fire but unable to find a fuse.
(End of the Chapter)
---------------------------
đ You are reading [200] Chapters behind.
đ„ Read up to Chapter [450] now, only on đđđđđđŁđ„đ.đđ đ.
đ Read upto [12,000+] Chapters on Site with [9,900+] Free Chapters!
đ« Also get FREE lifetime ad-free and join the giveaway by joining our Discord!
---------------------------