Life at sea was not as interesting and exciting as most bards described in their stories; on a pre-established safe route, life on the ship was mostly monotonous.
Nora, her grandmother, and villagers from her village were all assigned to the same large ship, along with other villagers captured from scattered settlements in the wilderness.
Perhaps because she was young, well-behaved, and rather likable, and often proactively helped the other bandits mend their torn clothes, Nora was not like other captured people who were only allowed out of the cabin for half a day every ten days.
One must know that sea voyages lasted for several months. If these people were kept in cramped, small cabins without a clean living environment, they would not only easily fall ill due to psychological problems but also be extremely susceptible to plagues.
To reduce losses and increase the survival rate of the captured slaves, these bandit mercenary groups would also, at fixed times, allow these slaves to come to the deck in batches to exercise, clean the cabins, and isolate the sick slaves, even throwing severely ill ones directly into the sea.
Nora, however, was allowed to come out for fresh air every afternoon. She was currently trailing behind Uncle Farn, the village chief, wandering around the ship's deck.
Uncle Farn, the village chief, also received some preferential treatment from these mercenary bandits due to his special past identity.
Although he still couldn't escape the fate of being sold as a slave, he could at least speak up in front of the mercenary pirates who respected strength, making him the most influential person among this batch of slaves.
"Hey, give me two cups of rum too, one a little less, one full," Uncle Farn, the village chief, shouted towards a mercenary bandit walking by, carrying a wine barrel.
During long voyages, fresh water was difficult to store and would spoil for various reasons in a short amount of time, either due to insects and rats, or erosion from sea winds and rain. Only cheap rum served as the backup water source for almost all long-distance ships.
So, even though the taste of rum was not palatable to Nora, the little girl instinctively pursed her lips upon hearing Uncle Farn, the village chief's words. Her somewhat chapped lips already had dead skin, and Nora had developed a habit and fondness for drinking rum during her months on the ship.
The pirate holding the wine barrel glanced at the two, cheerfully opened the barrel, took two large cups from the ones hanging behind his butt, filled them to the brim, and handed them to Uncle Farn, the village chief, and the eager little girl, Nora.
The big-bearded mercenary laughed and said, "Drink as much as you want, if it's not enough, pour more yourself. We're almost at the Golden Coast, and the captain has already ordered a free supply of rum."
The little girl, Nora, carefully held the oversized cup with her two small hands, took a small sip, and then smiled as she thanked the big-bearded mercenary, "Thank you, Uncle Big Beard!"
"Hahaha," the big-bearded mercenary held the heavy wine barrel with one hand, waved with the other, and strode away.
"Uncle Village Chief, Uncle Big Beard said we're almost at the Golden Coast. Is that place really as wonderful as they say? Will those evil True Dragon s not swallow us whole as snacks? Also, will my grandmother and I also be able to have our own new house, where no beasts or monsters dare disturb us!"
The little girl, Nora, looked at her Uncle Village Chief, whom she considered the strongest and most knowledgeable, with an expectant face, asking impatiently. In the beginning of her life at sea, Nora still longed for the vast and boundless ocean.
The sea and sky were one, clear, and azure, with birds flying and whales singing. Nora, who had grown up in the inland wilderness, found all of this novel, but the sea always looked the same, never changing for thousands of years, so Nora also felt very bored during the long journey.
Only occasionally seeing the mercenaries who got drunk on rum on the ship and acted wildly would make her dull spirit feel alive.
"Gulp," Uncle Farn, the village chief, swallowed a large mouthful of the strangely flavored rum, wiped his scruffy, particularly decadent face that hadn't been groomed for a long time, and then spoke, "Little Nora, never have too high expectations for an unknown thing, otherwise the sense of frustration you get will exceed your imagination."
Uncle Farn, the village chief, looked at the strange heads occasionally emerging from the distant sea, sighed, and rubbed Nora's head with his rough hand. "Nora, never believe what others say. Always maintain a degree of skepticism towards others' words. You must learn to see with your own eyes and listen with your own ears."
"Sometimes even your own eyes and ears can deceive you; at that time, you must trust your own intuition and thoughts!"
The little girl, Nora, hummed from her small, delicate nose and nodded. Although she didn't yet understand what Uncle Village Chief was saying, she would keep it in mind. Perhaps one day she would forget these words, and also forget who told them to her.
But when she encountered a lesson from a certain event at a certain moment, similar insights would arise in her heart, and these insights would then become her knowledge and experience, passed on to the next generation.
However, before Nora's little head could fully grasp it, excited shouts from other mercenary bandits erupted on the deck.
The big-bearded mercenary holding the wine barrel even threw the barrel directly into the sea, took out his steel fork from his waist, and shouted, "Business is here, brothers! There are Fishmenlurking nearby. Grab your weapons and kill these idiots!"
"Woohoo, let me see, where are those lovely fish heads?"
"Everyone move aside, make way for me! I used to be a fisherman, and these Fishmen are also fish in my eyes. My fish spear is already impatient."
The originally bored mercenaries immediately perked up, each holding a weapon, squeezing to the edge of the deck, their eyes shining as they looked at the monster heads faintly appearing on the distant sea.
Uncle Farn, the village chief, and the little girl, Nora, were pushed to the back, surrounded by the pirates who couldn't squeeze to the front.
Farn grabbed a pirate and asked curiously, "Your fleet, which frequently sails the seas, should have good relations with those monster tribes in the sea. Why does each of you want to hunt these Fishmen? Aren't you afraid these Fishmen will cause trouble for your fleet?"
In fact, what Farn said was consistent with the practice of most fleets sailing the seas. The sea belonged to these monsters, and although individual Fishmen were not very powerful in this world, elite human soldiers could easily take on several.
But there are countless Fishmen living in the vast, boundless sea, which is even larger than the land. They are too numerous to count, and these monsters often live in groups. Although their tribes have friction and opposition, they will unite when they encounter enemies.
It is somewhat similar to Metal Dragons. With Metal Dragons, if you hit a small one, an old one comes; if you hit an old one, two Ancient Dragons will come. If you even beat the Ancient Dragons, and these two Ancient Dragons happen to have some face and a lot of gold coins, then congratulations, you might be lucky enough to see the Legendary Ancient Gold True Dragon Council and the Silver Dragon Paladin Order.
As for Fishmen, if you hit this group, another group will occupy their territory, and there's a high probability they'll continue to hate you and oppose you. As long as you can't kill all the Fishmenin the ocean, there will always be Fishmen as your enemies and opponents, and they are impossible to guard against and endlessly annoying.
Unless you can deter these sea demons with absolutely powerful and terrifying means, they will superficially submit to you, at least not openly oppose you.
"Hehe," the mercenary, covered in strange tattoos, chuckled indifferently and said, "These stupid and ignorant fish people offended the Dragon Lord of the Golden Land, who commands the True Dragon of the Golden Land, before."
"The True Dragon has issued a racial hunting order against the Fishmen. Every fish head can be exchanged for twenty copper at the Golden Seaport Town's police station, and every living Fishmen can be exchanged for fifty copper. Although the individual price is indeed not high, these stupid monsters are countless in the sea."
The mercenary proudly patted his chest and then said, "Every fleet now regards these Fishmenas sparkling gold coins. They are our only fun and activity at sea. I've saved up a sum of money because of these fish people, enough money to let those women spread their legs freely for a whole month!"
"Damn it, you confiscated my weapon, can you give me my weapon back?" Uncle Farn, the village chief's Adam's apple unconsciously bobbed. He felt that he might be able to save up some money for himself before reaching the Dragon Territory.
"Tsk, didn't you see I couldn't even squeeze in?" The heavily tattooed mercenary rolled his eyes and sneered, extending his bulging arm to show off his huge muscles.
...
Red Copper Dragon Alfred and Bronze Dragon Alina flew north along the coast from Alfred's territory, following the direction Kalon had once pointed.
They crossed mountains and saw dangerous beasts in the endless mountain range staring at them, spiny-tailed lynxs that hunted True Dragon s. These Legendary creatures always moved stealthily when they didn't want True Dragon s to discover them, but this spiny-tailed lynxclearly didn't care about the two young True Dragons, so it openly followed behind the two True Dragon s the whole way.
The two young True Dragon s also dared not provoke or annoy this strange Legendary creature. This creature was extremely vengeful. Although a True Dragon could not be harmed by even the strongest spiny-tailed lynx as long as it didn't land, the True Dragon s also didn't want to be targeted by such an extraordinary hunter.
After all, there was a case of this narrow-minded Legendary creature successfully infiltrating a Dragon Territory and hunting an adult Bronze Dragon.
After shaking off this spiny-tailed lynx, the two Bronze Dragons became even more cautious, often following the ships traveling on the sea routes. However, once when they stopped to rest, the two young True Dragon s encountered a group of Storm Giants.
Fortunately, although these Storm Giants, like other giants, were descendants and creations of the Titans, they did not have the same blood feud and hostility with True Dragon s that Titans did. Titans belonged to Titans, and giants belonged to giants.
Moreover, the two young True Dragons were both Metal Dragons, and these Storm Giants also respected the traditions of these Metal Dragons, so even when Red Copper Dragon Alfred and Bronze Dragon Alina proposed to rest for a night in the Storm Giant's territory, this group of Storm Giants agreed.
Furthermore, the Storm Giants enthusiastically invited the two young True Dragons to share dinner. The young True Dragon s certainly wouldn't refuse this invitation. Regardless of the Bronze Dragon driven by curiosity, who naturally liked to understand other intelligent creatures, even Red Copper Dragon Alfred was a talkative chatterbox who enjoyed conversation.
Only the Bronze Dragon among the Metal Dragon possesses a peculiar hobby; Bronze Dragonprefer listening to others tell stories, and these Bronze Dragon, driven by loneliness and solitude, often actively capture adventurers and bards to tell them stories. If the story fails to satisfy the Bronze Dragon, then the captured adventurer and bard must continue telling stories without leaving.
Legend has it that a terribly unlucky bard was captured by an eccentric Bronze Dragon. No matter how much he racked his brain, he couldn't satisfy the Bronze Dragon and was forced to remain in the Dragon Nest of the Bronze Dragon for one thousand and one days. It is said that the villain in the story of One Thousand and One Nights, which is popular among mortals, was written based on this eccentric Bronze Dragon.
"Ah, you're talking about those Chromatic Dragons that passed through the territory a while ago," the Storm Giant leader sat cross-legged on the ground, his upper body still parallel with the two crouching young True Dragons, allowing them to look each other in the eye.
In the Storm Giant's eyes, even after several decades, it probably still counted as 'a while ago,' so the two young Giant True Dragon didn't feel surprised.
"That True Dragon was very interesting. Its leader even spoke with me. He enthusiastically invited me to settle in his territory, saying there was a sea area more beautiful and fertile than this one waiting for us. If I weren't too lazy to move, I might have led my tribe to accompany those Chromatic Dragon."
The Storm Giant's deep voice was no less impressive than a True Dragon's. He was flipping a huge sea fish over, and sizzling oil dripped, emitting a fragrant, charred aroma.
The young Storm Giant beside him licked his lips, eager to move. This meat was also a delicious snack for the Storm Giant.
The Bronze Dragon Alina's eyes showed curiosity. Although the Storm Giant's attitude towards the True Dragons was different from that of the Titan, his perception of the Chromatic Dragons was not exactly friendly, yet he actually had the idea of accompanying these Chromatic Dragons, which greatly surprised her.
So the young female True Dragon asked the old Giant leader, "What is so special about that True Dragon that it could earn your favor? With your strength and tribe, you should be able to easily defeat those young True Dragon and then occupy their territory."
The old Storm Giant shook his head, his enormous voice like thunder before a storm. "Among that Dragon clan, although the Red Dragon serving as leader is the strongest, the other Giant True Dragon do not fear this Red Dragon; rather, their obedience comes from the heart. This proves that this Red Dragon is a very good and successful leader."
"As for defeating those True Dragons, young Bronze Dragon, do not be defined by the justice and kindness on parchment and from the mouths of those hypocritical people. To survive and thrive in this world, one not only needs to rely on one's own strength but sometimes also needs the help of others. This is the experience of my old Maide living for countless years."
The Bronze Dragon Alina nodded. Bronze Dragon always tend to trust the words of powerful elders, which is due to the good upbringing and habits of Bronze Dragon from a young age.
The reason why those Chromatic Dragon do not have this habit, being arrogant and conceited, is also related to their race's upbringing habits. Many evil True Dragons, abandoned since childhood, simply do not know of the existence of a weapon like propaganda ; otherwise, every evil True Dragon would be proud to forge such a weapon.
On the second day, the two young True Dragon resumed their journey, encountering many dangerous creatures along the way, as well as some friendly magical beings. Most of them had an impression of the True Dragons that had passed by previously.
For example, a group of forest elves spoke ill of the two young True Dragons because the previous True Dragon had wanted to uproot the Tree of Life they had planted in the forest.
Of course, if it weren't for the faint aura of the Sanctuary emanating from the leader of this group of forest elves, the Red Copper Dragon Alfred would also have wanted to uproot that nascent Tree of Life.
Greed drives all True Dragons; even Metal Dragons are no better than Chromatic Dragons. And the Tree of Life can provide many benefits to creatures living near it.
Long-term exposure to the aura of the Tree of Life will also result in a certain increase and strengthening of life for True Dragons. Not to mention that the tender leaves of a mature Tree of Life are also a very useful magical material, and the life aura contained within can sometimes be used as a healing potion. A Giant True Dragon possessing a Tree of Life is equivalent to holding a small gold-producing mine.
After several months of long-distance flight, the two young True Dragons vaguely sensed a strong True Dragon aura in the vast area ahead.
True Dragon do not need to mark their territory with the scent of urine like ordinary wild beasts; instead, the long-term contact between the field they emit and the world's field naturally leaves behind the unique aura of True Dragon.
Therefore, even from a great distance, the two young True Dragons could still sense that a sufficiently active True Dragon existed in the vast world ahead.
"Look, Alina, there are Gnoll in the distance clearing land just like those humans, and some Gnollare patrolling the territory. It's unbelievable how orderly these ignorant and lazy monsters appear. See, I told you so, didn't I?"
Red Copper Dragon Alfred was smug and proud, as if the better Kalon's territory performed, the more prestige he gained.
"It is somewhat unbelievable for a True Dragon," Bronze Dragon Alina had always looked down on these disorderly, chaotic, and ignorant monsters. In her eyes, these monsters were all destroyers of order and extremely difficult to manage.
Even with the power of a True Dragon to suppress these monsters, they would not be so diligent, because their nature is hard to change. But in the Kogmora Dragon Clan territory, they became orderly members of the territory, which made her admire the entire True Dragon.
"Let's go down and take a look. There are some Gnoll fighting Forest Trolls there. That Gnollleader seems like a formidable fellow. Perhaps he knows more things." Bronze Dragon Alinamotioned for Alfred to follow her.
Pfft, the Gnoll leader Yug pulled his upgraded hunting spear from the fallen Troll corpse. The sharp, gleaming spearhead looked even more dangerous after being stained with blood.
He was very satisfied with this weapon; it was lighter than his previous three-headed flail and allowed for faster killing. He could use this long spear to fight in the Troll tribe for a day and a night without feeling tired.
Yug scanned the jungle, confirming that there were no Trolls disturbing or poaching in the territory, and nodded with satisfaction. He was about to speak in Gnoll but strongly restrained himself, switching to the common tongue to give orders to his warriors.
"Drag these stinking Forest Trolls back. They can be a gift from the Gnoll to the Goblin tribe. We have just become the True Dragon's dependents, so we should build good relationships with other dependents."
"These stinking Forest Trolls, even those Goblins might not like this smell," the Gnoll Spellcasterbbehind him hesitated somewhat. These Trolls were covered in colorful moss and emitted a stench comparable to certain swamps in the forest that had accumulated for countless years. Perhaps only the carrion-eating vultures on the plains could stomach the Troll corpses.
"It's fine, first ask those Goblin tribes. If even the Goblin tribes don't want them, then drag these Troll corpses to the True Dragon's orchard. Antagena has been very attentive to the orchard lately, and these Troll corpses can be used as fertilizer for Antagena to cultivate fruit trees."
Gnoll Yug replied casually. The Goblin tribe had now almost become the True Dragon dependents' garbage disposal site. The saying "If you don't eat it, give it to the dog" had been replaced with "If you don't eat it, give it to the Goblin."
Whoosh, a strong gust of wind came from overhead. Even the thick branches that had grown for countless years were pressed down by the strong airflow. Two young True Dragons arrived from the distant sky, hovering in mid-air before the Gnoll.
Yug's gaze sharpened, and the murderous aura that had just subsided rose again. He motioned for his spellcasters to prepare to send out messenger birds and raven vultures, while gripping his weapon tightly and proactively greeting the young True Dragons in the sky.
"Noble True Dragons from afar, halt your steps. The area ahead belongs to the kogmora Dragon clan's territory. Entering rashly will be considered an act of invasion by the True Dragon."
Yug said in a deep voice. He felt that perhaps today was the time to demonstrate his loyalty to the Red Dragon. As for the two young Giant True Dragon before him, with his strength, he could attempt to hold them off until the True Dragon arrived as reinforcements. As long as he didn't confront them directly, he was much more agile in the forest than these two Giant True Dragon.
The Red Copper Dragon Alfred and the Bronze Dragon Alina exchanged glances, and both simultaneously had the thought, "Why aren't they afraid of me?" Moreover, judging by the Gnoll's actions, he actually seemed to want to spar with the two young Giant True Dragon.
However, the two True Dragons were, after all, Metal Dragons, not those Chromatic Dragons who would immediately start a fight at the slightest disagreement. So the Red Copper Dragon Alfred and Bronze Dragon Alina landed on the ground, indicating they had no intention of invading the territory.
"Gnoll, I admire your courage. However, Alina and I do not intend to offend the True Dragon's territory. Instead, we have come to find my friend, Kalon Kogmora. He will welcome our arrival."
Red Copper Dragon Alfred explained to the Gnoll before him. True Dragons always particularly appreciate loyal and brave dependents, and Red Copper Dragon and Bronze Dragon are no exception. They rarely lowered their haughty demeanor towards these despised monsters.
Yug nodded, but did not relax. Instead, he said with neither humility nor arrogance, "I am merely a newly accepted follower under my Lord Kalon, and I cannot know such information. I will send messages via flying birds to the other dependents, asking them to report to the Dragon Lord."
"Perhaps the two distinguished True Dragons could also proceed to Golden Seaport Town. Register your intentions at the administrative office there. Administrator Fafna is authorized to bring the two distinguished Giant True Dragon to the Dragon Nest to meet my Lord."
Bronze Dragon Alina and Red Copper Dragon Alfred exchanged glances, nodded, and then said to Gnoll Yug, "Very well, we won't trouble you. We also wish to see what the territory under the True Dragon's governance looks like."
Gnoll Yug then bowed respectfully and pointed towards the direction of the sea, saying, "Fly straight from here, about three hundred li, and you will see Golden Seaport Town, distinguished True Dragon."
Whoosh, the two young Giant True Dragon flapped their wings and soared into the distance!