After Gordon threw out his outrageous statement, the entire Mind Network fell silent.
Even the usually calm and steady Iron Dragon Sorog couldn't help but say, "Is there a possibility that all of this is just you overthinking things after eating too much?"
He spoke slowly, choosing his words carefully, trying to awaken his Dragon Brother and pull him back to reality.
This Dragon Brother, adopted by the Human Royal Court and raised in a pampered environment, had probably faced his biggest setbacks and hardships in battling his overly corpulent physique, striving to shed his excess fat.
Although he had indeed put in effort, his relatively more formidable physique now was clear proof.
But compared to his other blood relatives who had struggled for survival and grown step by step in the perilous, resource-scarce wilderness, his experiences still seemed a bit too naive and smooth-sailing.
The inherent pride and arrogance of Dragon nature were still particularly evident in him.
In fact, it had even inflated further due to a lack of sufficient harsh reality checks.
Gordon was now very certain of his theory and believed that he was the Dragon destined by fate, unmoved by Sorog's words.
"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"
His consciousness waved its claws in the Mind Network, saying so.
In reality, from a certain perspective, Gordon's way of thinking was precisely the common psychological portrayal of many proud Dragons.
The inheritance recorded too much about the glory and power of the Dragon race.
Most Dragon, from the moment they hatched, subconsciously believed that the entire world should revolve around them.
This perception often required a painful head-on collision with cruel reality to gradually sober up, like being doused with ice water.
Sorog and Samantha, including Galos who had to fight for survival during his young Dragon period, all had similar, self-centered cognitive stages to varying degrees.
The biggest difference with Gordon was that after experiencing many trials and tribulations and witnessing the vastness and cruelty of the world, they had all clearly recognized reality.
The world would not easily turn according to an individual's will.
To realize the grand blueprints and ambitions in their hearts, they had to put in immense sweat and effort.
Even if they might not ultimately reach their envisioned destination, they still chose to move forward.
The journey itself was the meaning of their existence.
At this moment, Red Dragon Samantha let out an undisguised sneer, breaking the brief silence.
"Gordon, if what you say is true, you might as well go back to being that fat pig you were before."
She spoke with a cold Dragon face and a voice as sharp as a knife: "Since you are so convinced that you are destined by fate, then naturally you don't need to undergo any more strenuous exercise or boring training. Just eat and sleep, sleep and eat, enjoy yourself to the fullest, and let your so-called 'destiny' achieve all your 'great' accomplishments for you!"
Samantha keenly felt that Gordon was looking for a grand excuse for his laziness.
Previously, seeing his physique change, Samantha thought this Dragon Brother had finally grown up, but now it seemed that his inherent slothful Dragon nature had not changed at all.
A surge of frustration and disappointment, like hating iron for not becoming steel, welled up in her heart for this good-for-nothing Dragon Brother.
However, what Samantha never expected was that Iron Dragon Gordon did not go along with her as she anticipated, but instead shook his thick neck firmly.
"You're wrong, Samantha."
He replied solemnly: "Exercise, training, these arduous practices, not only cannot stop, but are absolutely necessary."
He paused, then continued: "I believe that destiny is not an eternal, unchanging, one-time gift."
"I am indeed the Dragon destined by fate now, but precisely because of this, I must strive to be worthy of this favor of destiny, and absolutely must not become complacent or arrogant because of it."
"Otherwise, this precious favor of destiny will sooner or later shift elsewhere, or... completely disappear."
Hearing these unexpected words, Samantha couldn't help but be stunned, a hint of surprise flashing across her huge Dragon face.
Immediately after, she bared her teeth, seemingly wanting to habitually mock him, but the smile had barely appeared before it instantly receded, and she instead said in a more ferocious tone: "Idiot! What contradictory nonsense are you spouting? When we meet again, I'll have to smash your stupid head to pieces and make you truly understand what cruel reality is!"
Samantha said fiercely.
Gordon naturally refused to be outdone and immediately retorted: "Come on! Who's afraid of whom! The things this Dragon has eaten over the years weren't eaten for nothing! They've long since transformed into power!"
The two, like ignited powder kegs, began to argue fiercely.
Their words were sharp and unyielding, neither giving an inch.
Galos was already accustomed to this familiar scene, his heart completely unmoved.
Ever since they were young Dragons, due to their hatching times being very close, these two Dragons had always been in this state of bickering and refusing to yield to each other.
"Nasha and Alberto, this Golden Dragon sibling pair are both in the wilderness now. What have they been doing recently?"
Galos ignored the noisy Dragons next to him and posed the question to Iron Dragon Sorog.
"Alberto has been touring and observing our Molten Iron Tribe's various territories."
Sorog replied meticulously: "According to him, he wants to 'observe and reference' our tribe's operational model and management system."
"I agreed to his request, and on this condition, I asked him to occasionally make public appearances in important settlements like Creekwood Territory, saying lines we had designed beforehand, essentially using his Golden Dragon reputation and image to endorse our tribe."
"As for Golden Dragon Nasha, she has absolutely no interest in managing territories or administrative affairs."
Speaking of this, Sorog felt a bit of a headache.
"This Golden Dragon... is overly warlike. After arriving in the wilderness, she completely let herself go."
"Under the guise of martial arts exchanges, she has challenged and 'exchanged blows' with almost all the notable members of our Dragon Group, as well as Dominic's Blue Dragon, and powerful subordinate leaders like Karu."
"Day after day, she's either fighting or on her way to find a target to fight."
Sorog continued to elaborate.
When Nasha engaged in martial arts exchanges with Dragon Group members and subordinate leaders, she usually did not wear her iconic elaborate armor.
Facing opponents whose life levels were clearly lower than her own, she would deliberately suppress her own strength and speed, striving for a fair contest as much as possible, but even so, the powerful combat skills and physical prowess of the Martial Golden Dragon were by no means comparable to ordinary Dragon or subordinates.
The outcome of exchanging blows with her was often not very pleasant.
"However, the situation has improved slightly recently."
Sorog's tone shifted, with a hint of relief: "She's recently become quite familiar with several other lords in the wilderness, and now she goes to them for martial arts exchanges when she has nothing to do, reducing the harassment of our Dragon Group."
At this point, his voice paused, then he whispered: "Although it has solved a lot of trouble for the tribe, these Golden Dragon siblings both seem a bit... abnormal."
Does that even need to be said?
Could a normal Golden Dragon mix with a group of Evil Dragon, and even not want to return to the Dragon Domain?
Galos thought to himself.
At this moment, Gordon, who had just finished another round of arguing with Samantha on the other side, suddenly seemed to remember something and interjected.
"Oh, right, someone seemed to ask me earlier how my relationship with the Crystal Princess was progressing?"
His consciousness instantly filled with a smug air: "I can tell you clearly, the relationship is progressing very smoothly!"
"I am confident that it won't be long."
"I, Gordon, destined by fate, will have a noble princess of my own!"
Who asked you?
Galos and Sorog carefully recalled their previous conversation and were both very certain that no one had inquired about that question.
At this moment, Red Dragon Samantha seemed to have heard the funniest joke in the world.
She couldn't help but burst out laughing: "Crystal Princess? Hahahaha!"
"Gordon, haven't you realized that, calculating by that human woman's actual age, among the short-lived human race, she can already be respectfully called 'Crystal Grandma'!"
"Does getting a Crystal Grandma make you so happy and proud?"
She continued to mock mercilessly, "Those great Evil Dragons who truly shake the world, the princesses they abduct are always young and beautiful, like maidens in their first bloom."
Gordon immediately snorted coldly at her words.
He retorted righteously, "What do you know? Superficial!"
"True beauty, like top-grade aged wine, only after years of sedimentation and fermentation, will it exude an increasingly rich and mellow fragrance and charm!"
As they spoke, the two Dragons once again fiercely argued about aesthetics and princesses.
The Red Iron Dragon directly shifted his gaze, no longer paying attention to the endless debate, and looked at Sorog, asking about serious matters: "In the twenty-nine years I was in slumber, has the Molten Iron Tribe and the other two regional kings, the Mountain King and the Fungus King, been at peace, or have there been occasional frictions?"
Iron Dragon Sorog immediately composed himself and responded attentively.
"Overall, we have maintained a situation of basic peace."
"Both the Mountain King and the Fungus King are content with guarding their existing territories and have not shown any intention of expanding outwards."
"The only exception was during the period when an Abyssal Rift suddenly appeared in the northeast region; the giants under the Mountain King seemed to be restless, showing certain signs of expansion."
"As the Abyssal Rift was suppressed, those giants quickly returned to their usual stable state, no longer crossing boundaries."
Under the premise of having sufficient resources, rashly going to war with other regional kings of considerable strength was undoubtedly an extremely foolish decision.
Blindly pursuing war would only continuously drag down one's own development and accumulation.
Both the Mountain King and the Fungus King were clearly beings of high intelligence; after obtaining the territories and resources they desired, choosing peaceful development and consolidating their gains was a perfectly normal and rational behavior.
At this moment, the war of words between Samantha and Gordon regarding princesses gradually subsided.
Adhering to the pure concept of enjoying battle, Samantha turned her gaze towards the Red Iron Dragon.
"Galos, since you have awakened, and after such a long period of slumber and evolution, you must be stronger than ever. Why don't we take this opportunity to officially declare war on the other two regional kings!"
"If they are sensible, they will obediently submit to the rule of our Molten Iron Tribe; if they dare to resist fiercely, then we will decisively crush them! Turn them and their ambitions into ashes and dust on the wilderness!"
Samantha excitedly shook her head.
"Let's eliminate them and seize all regions of the Serre Wilderness in one fell swoop! By then, our Dragon Group will be the sole master of this vast land!"
"At that time, my title, Red Dragon Queen, will truly be deserved."
"And you, my dear brother, you will be crowned the undisputed king of the wilderness; all creatures of the entire Serre Wilderness, regardless of race, regardless of strength, will kneel beneath your wings, offering you their loyalty and reverence!"
She raised her head high, as if already seeing the vision of victory.
This grand rhetoric describing the future was indeed quite impressive; even Galos, upon hearing it, couldn't help but feel a slight surge of excitement in his heart, as if he saw the magnificent vision of himself reigning over the wilderness.
However, he quickly suppressed this thought and calmly shook his head.
"Now is not the right time for an all-out war with the other regional kings," the Red Iron Dragon said steadily.
A look of confusion appeared on Samantha's Dragon face: "Why? I think the timing is perfect right now. The Molten Iron Tribe has been dormant for so long and needs a great war to re-establish its prestige, and you have just awakened, similarly needing a glorious victory to announce your return and awe all directions!"
The Red Iron Dragon said, "The enemy we most need to pay attention to right now is not in the wilderness."
He paused, then continued, his tone carrying a hint of solemnity: "The decades-long civil war in the Southern Kingdoms ultimately ended with the dissolution of the Lossern Federation. This matter is by no means a good thing for us."
"Without the cover of war, the wilderness is bound to re-enter the sight of the kingdoms."
"By then, what we will face will no longer be a few regional kings, but those kingdom powerhouses who possess Legendary beings, who once hung like sharp swords, suppressing the natives of the wilderness."
Three years had passed since the end of the civil war that swept the South.
This period, neither too long nor too short, was enough for those kingdoms depleted by the war to initially catch their breath and redirect some of their attention outwards.
Galos estimated in his heart that it wouldn't be too long before some duchies, and even stronger kingdoms, would notice these regional kings who occupied large, fertile areas of the wilderness.
It was even very likely that the other side had already noticed them.
It was only due to the cumbersome decision-making processes of those human nations, and other matters they needed to deal with, that they had temporarily not taken large-scale action.
When he awoke this time, the Molten Iron Tribe did not happen to coincide with an imminent danger or trouble.
The timing was still quite good.
At least it gave him time to prepare for the coming storm.
If it were a few years later, facing the organized clearing actions of the kingdoms, the Molten Iron Tribe, leaderless and lacking unified command, might have been forced to abandon the vast foundation it had established in the wilderness, retreating first to the Borderlands, or even the more distant tundra.
"Other regional kings, as long as they are not fools, must also understand this principle."
Iron Dragon Sorog chimed in, his thoughts aligning perfectly with Galos's.
"That's why we have been able to maintain basic peace and live in harmony with each other all these years."
"The enemy we truly need to rack our brains to deal with has never been each other, but the Southern Kingdoms."
After hearing their words, Samantha also realized the crux of the problem and recognized the huge potential crisis.
She quickly reined in her burning desire for war, and her attitude became cautious.
"The Southern Kingdoms... in our expansion over the years, we haven't destroyed and occupied few of their bases in the wilderness."
"If all the duchies and kingdoms regard us as a thorn in their side and come to trouble us together, that would be too bad."
"Fortunately, Heliam has already been sent to the tundra to open up new territory."
"If something goes wrong here in the wilderness, at least there will be a place to migrate to and temporarily avoid the sharp edge."
Speaking of this, Samantha couldn't help but sigh, shaking her tail somewhat irritably, and said with reluctance, "But, just thinking about having to abandon the huge foundation we've built in the wilderness over so many years... it truly makes me unwilling!"
The Red Dragon's intelligence and strategic vision were actually not low.
It seemed calm now, but according to Galos, the Molten Iron Tribe was actually at the forefront of a storm. Facing powerful kingdoms, whether the Molten Iron Tribe fought or retreated, both were decisions that would have a significant impact on future development.
At this moment, Galos, as the Lord of the Dragon Group, slowly spoke.
"Unless absolutely necessary, I will not abandon the wilderness."
He said, "Now, with the dissolution of the Lossern Federation, the kingdoms' nominal sovereignty over the wilderness no longer exists. This is a free land, and whoever can seize it does so by their own ability."
"The war just ended three years ago; most of them are preoccupied with their own affairs."
"Moreover, for the Southern Kingdoms, with their vast territories and intricate interests, the development and conquest of the wilderness is just one of many aspects they need to pay attention to, not the current focus."
"Ordinary duchies, we need not fear."
"If a certain kingdom sets its sights on us, there's no need to be overly nervous. The kingdoms are no longer a united front; there is plenty of room for maneuvering."
Feeling Galos's consistently calm demeanor, the slight unease and anxiety of his blood relatives gradually subsided.
As long as this King of Molten Iron, this Lord of the Dragon Group, still existed, they dared to face any storm.
"But all of this is predicated on my ability to contend with a Legendary being."
This last sentence, Galos did not speak aloud in the mind network, but only echoed silently in the depths of his own heart.
If one was completely incomparable to a Legendary, to those kingdoms, one was just a roadside existence, unable to compare to a Legendary, without even the qualifications to negotiate. To maneuver between nations? One needed at least some capital.