Beneath the Red Dragon

Chapter 21: Chapter 20: Akzhi, Flexible and Unyielding

Bang, the Blue Dragon Akzhi fell onto the grassland, his facial features bleeding, still with the strength to howl in agony, but the Dragon Group and Kobolds’ attention had long shifted away from him.

Boiling Evil Dragon Blood made Karon emit a victorious roar, even though the all-out battle had left him somewhat overburdened. The overly agitated Magic Power made all his muscles and organs scream with pain, but these all transformed into majestic, stirring roars that echoed across the land.

The Juvenile Dragons watched the Red Dragon stand upright and bleeding all over, although he quickly landed, the boiling Domain Power reduced everything within a hundred meters to ash, and the ground beneath was like purgatory with the land burnt dry of moisture, showcasing the force and majesty belonging to the King of the Dragon Group.

At this moment, the Juvenile Dragons felt an inner submission; Karon was no longer just the strongest among their playmates. The Dragon Group’s response to Karon’s summons was no longer merely a response to a powerful companion, and Karon was not only the pivot bonding the Dragon Group.

Karon accomplished what they couldn’t, and thus the Dragon Group crowned him King at this moment, not just as a verbal leader of the Juvenile Dragons, but as the master of the Dragon Group. This was evident from the stable force of the mysterious Runes silently linking the Juvenile Dragons with Karon’s mind.

As for Carlette, the Dragon Group deliberately ignored her; maybe tomorrow, next month, or next year, Carlette would ultimately be just a member of the Dragon Group, and the Dragon Group would no longer fear her authority.

”Is this Karon’s true power?” White Dragon Gomot and his brothers looked in awe at the Young King of the Dragon Group, their former idol for swearing; the power of the Red Dragon was a distant dream for the slender White Dragons. ”Perhaps Karon should be called the Purgatory Tyrant in the future.”

”Or perhaps the Purgatory Monarch,” the composed Blue Dragon Doss said, covering his trembling voice with a calm demeanor.

”Which Juvenile Dragon earns a title at a young age anyway? Titles that are too famous invite trouble; a Dragon Group that’s not strong enough can’t deal with those pesky Treasure Hunters and Dragon Hunters.” Black Dragon Rosani, often filled with the philosophy of broad accumulation, delayed kingship from following Karon, rasped cynically, ”It’s more fitting for Karon to earn this title once he becomes a Young Dragon.”

The two glowing female dragons didn’t express their opinions; their actions spoke for them. Kleyna and Antajena walked forward, limbs lowered, their proud heads bowed, displaying complete submission from the Great Dragons.

Blue Dragon Akzhi was in a dire condition, his left forelimb torn off, bleeding internally after the fall, and many scales had been ripped and fallen off during the battle. However, these injuries were not very serious for a Great Dragon; most wounds would heal with proper rest, and the broken forelimb would regrow after the next sleep cycle. He would just have to be a limping dragon for a while.

Thus, despite feeling aggrieved and shocked at being unable to defeat the Juvenile Dragons in his clan, Akzhi decisively expressed submission to Karon.

Now gleefully sitting within the Dragon Group, preparing to distribute treasure. After all, the allure of treasure was instinctive to Great Dragons, just as greedy humans sought treasure to change their lives, but Great Dragons simply wanted to possess treasure, no matter its use.

The Dragon Group crouched around Karon, who sat in front of gold and silver piled into small hills; these, roughly smelted by the Kobolds, were not very pure, mixed with various other minerals and varying in size, but the sheer quantity was immense. At this moment, the Dragon Group watched Karon’s actions, and the Red Dragon’s dazzling scales were not outshone by the brilliance of gold and silver.

Karon crouched, using his massive Dragon Claws to split the gathered gold, silver, and jewels into two piles. Other ores and unrefined precious metals were placed aside. One pile was larger, and one was smaller; even so, both piles of treasure were vast.

Then Karon divided the smaller pile into eight parts, seven equal ones, with the remaining one being twice the size of a single other portion.

Finally, Karon sat down and pointed to the distributed treasures, saying, ”These treasures were originally offered to me by my Beloved and should legally belong solely to me, but I desire to create an unprecedentedly powerful Dragon Group. Therefore, today, I will distribute my treasures among you, marking the start of the Dragon Group’s pact.”

Black Dragon Rosani withdrew his gaze from the endearingly shiny treasure, licked his lips, and spoke, ”Speak, Karon, you are now the leader of the Dragon Group; I will support your will, especially since you’re generously sharing the treasure with us.”

Blue Dragon Doss was thoughtful; he differed from the other Juvenile Dragons as he had known early on that the Red Dragon had his own ideas and plans, yet he undoubtedly supported Karon, so he nodded.

Karon looked at the Dragon Group, attentive in listening, then began to speak, ”The Dragon Group should be a true community in the future, the wealth of the Dragon Group belongs to each Dragon. With the increase in Dragon Group’s wealth, each Dragon’s wealth increases. However, the Dragon Group will reward Dragons contributing to the Clan and penalize those harming the Clan in the future. The more one contributes to the Dragon Group, the more rewards the Clan will grant.”

Akhzi also agreed; this demand wasn’t excessive, and to him, it was positive news. He had been a model dragon for several years, thinking the future rewards would be lucrative.

Moreover, now the family had a few large fish and small fish but hadn’t accumulated much treasure, and Akzhi and Carlette’s assets together probably didn’t surpass the gold brick Karon sat on.

”Good,” Karon said satisfactorily, looking at the Dragon Group, which under a carrot-and-big-stick deterrent had no opposing views. Then he stretched out his Dragon Claw towards the largest treasure, ”Then the pact is established. This treasure will be placed in the Treasure Vault established for the Dragon Group, serving as development funds for the Dragon Group Territory and capital for the Dragon Group’s growth.”

”In the future, all profits generated by the Dragon Group Territory, besides supplying the day-to-day expenses of the Dragon Group, will be converted into wealth and income for the Treasure Vault. Then, distribution will occur on this day each year; the harder the Great Dragons work, the more they earn, contributing nothing means no treasure rewards. I have finished speaking; who agrees, who opposes?”

The Great Dragons were not too keen on having future Dragon Group Territory profits added to the clan’s Treasury, but they were greedy, not foolish. They knew as the Dragon Group’s power grew, it could bring them more benefits.

An individual dragon, alone, needed constant vigilance for plunder by other clansmen and scrutiny from other races, but under the Dragon Group’s power, their treasures would be guarded safely beyond compare to the solitary dragon’s security.

Moreover, the Dragon Group was aware of the consequences if they opposed Karon’s views now; just looking at the miserable Akzhi sufficed. However, why did Akzhi now seem to be put on a cheerful display?

The Red Dragon swept his gaze across the Dragon Group; apparently, none wanted to test his fists larger than sandbags, so he nodded, ”If no Dragon opposes, come receive your treasures.”

Roaring, White Dragon Gomot rushed forward, embracing his treasure, not forgetting to flatter, ”Karon, you are truly a generous King; I, Gomot will be your staunch supporter henceforth.”

Other Great Dragons followed suit, clutching their treasures, faces brimming with happiness as they inhaled the fragrance of the treasure; two small female dragons actually rolled directly on their portion, while Karon also quietly lay on his treasure, savoring the fruits of his harvest.

But soon the Dragon Group faced a happy dilemma; even divided into several portions, the Kobold Tribe’s countless years’ collection of gold and silver treasures was a trove unimaginable for many unsuccessful Great Dragons. Several Juvenile Dragons simply couldn’t transport their treasures back to the Dragon Nest.

Even for the Young Dragon Akzhi, the dragon’s inherently treasure-transporting stomach wasn’t enough to store his treasures, and the hefty gold and silver blocks couldn’t be hidden beneath dragon scales like Gold Coins. And Karon, who not only received the most, also needed to transport the treasure belonging to Carlette and the largest portion for the clan’s Treasury.

Karon was troubled, but he hoped for more such troubles in the future. Luckily, he still had newly recruited Beloved, thus he ordered the Kobolds to chop large trees and fashion transport tools, conducting all treasure and minerals to the Dragon Nest.

Unwilling to leave their treasures alone, the Great Dragons hovered in the sky, following and escorting the caravan. The Kobolds had never felt as safe as today, which excited their industrious spirits, morphing into beasts of burden, transporting back and forth, along with relocating the tribe’s populace. They would settle in the forest within the Giant Dragon Territory, which was their new homeland.