Beneath the Red Dragon

Chapter 79: Chapter 33: The Gradually Changing Giant Dragon Territory

The Pioneer Camp of human settlers is still constantly expanding, far surpassing the original boundaries of the Ogre Camp.

Blocks of simple wooden houses, built from logs, stand within the camp, creating a chaotic and disordered scene from houses constructed without planning.

After all, the controllers in the camp now devote most of their energy to fully grabbing profits, and besides sending servants and soldiers to collect relevant fees on schedule every month, they let the camp grow wildly the rest of the time.

During this time, more and more people have come to this land, as the nobles, having lost the shackles upon them, can divert more effort and manpower here.

During the preliminary cooperation with the Giant Dragons, they reaped enough benefits to increase investment costs for this fertile but undeveloped territory where numerous means to earn Gold Coins exist.

And these people need not care about the construction and sustainable development of this land, so long as they exploit relentlessly, the cost of investment seems almost zero compared to the returns they gain.

There are also some destitute minor nobles and Knights who, in this tide of expansion, have sold all their possessions, brought along one or two loyal Guards, and come to this land increasingly praised as a ’Land of Miracles’ by the desperate seeking a chance to turn their fortunes.

Some civilian Mages have also joined this crowd; however, unlike the destitute nobles and Knights, even impoverished Mages can often use their prowess to form a team.

Moreover, civilian Mages often have unique Spells and skills due to frequent adventures, making them popular among adventurer teams.

Thus, often the arrival of a Mage signifies the arrival of an entire adventurer team. Lazi is one such Mage.

His team includes two strong Warriors, a Priest skilled in healing, a Shadow Assassin who is not good at interaction, and one Mage—himself, which is a standard configuration for most small adventurer teams.

When Lazi and his adventurer team companions struggled out from the cramped ship cabin and set foot on this land, they realized perhaps the rumors were true; they were here not for adventure, but for profit!

The entire camp has expanded so much that it stretches beyond sight; according to Lazi’s estimation, this camp is almost akin to a bustling town within a noble territory.

In fact, it is already a small town, even though it lacks the Town Garrison Army that those towns without walls have.

Everyone coming to this place calls this ever-expanding town Golden Harbor Town.

Implying that from this town’s harbor flows shiploads of gold, everyone who gains here strongly agrees with this name.

The town hastily expanded without planning appears especially crowded, even though many adventurers and gold-diggers have already headed to the woods and plains, the remaining people in this town still make it vibrant and prosperous.

On the crowded streets, people rub shoulders, and many stalls line the roadsides, showcasing odd items like dark ores, Gemstones akin to eyeballs, and herbs resembling twigs.

There are also terrifying hides and bones from various creatures, and the stall owners are all gritty adventurers; evidently, these items are their harvests from this land.

Though Lazi is just a fortunate civilian Mage inheriting powers, every Mage grasps considerable knowledge.

As he moved with his team through the crowds, Lazi used his knowledge to appraise goods on makeshift stalls, and the results astonished him—most goods are rich in magical material.

This is a beloved Mage haven, a paradise for Mage experiments, especially for Mages proficient in Magic Alchemy, and Lazi made up his mind in his heart to make a fortune here.

Lazi finally squeezed out of the throng with his team and found a tavern for a rest.

Looking up, a large sign hung on the tavern’s eaves, with a few crooked characters— ”Rose and He’Er’s Tavern” written in common tongue.

The tavern, in fact, is not small at all; even at noon, it’s crowded inside.

Lazi followed his team into the buzzing tavern and found a table to sit at.

Though human adventurers occupy the majority, Lazi spotted some Half-Elves and Beastmen, even two or three Centaurs and Kobolds coming and going.

The human adventurers evidently took this situation casually, continuing chattering amongst themselves, while only Lazi and his companions seemed to feel a bit surprised.

After all, to most people, Kobolds and Centaurs are hardly friendly to humans, especially Kobolds.

These creatures, though weak in combat, are extremely cold-blooded and brutal towards other races.

Yet, these creatures sat peacefully at their respective tables, drinking, muttering in unknown languages to the Mage.

Clearly, this place features diverse comings and goings, with a strong sense of inclusivity.

Checking the wall-mounted menu with limited drink varieties, a specially marked beverage caught Lazi’s attention.

The Mage waved to call over the tavern’s Attendant and asked, ”Hey, barkeep, what’s this ’even Giant Dragons speak well of’ drink? Give me a cup to try.”

He’Er scampered up; ever since he and his friend Rose discovered the lucrative profits of selling drinks far surpassing mere food sales, the clever He’Er suggested partnering with Rose to open this tavern.

Time proved He’Er’s vision paired with Rose’s skills brings tremendous success, expanding from a small eatery to this present tavern, yielding profits far beyond running a restaurant.

Since they already established good relations with the Dragon’s Beloved, they not only received care when searching for brewing materials in the woods, but numerous Dragon’s Beloved frequently visited this tavern.

Especially as those Dragon’s Beloved understood the principles of trade, yet hadn’t grasped exact currency values, often exchanging a grain of sand gold or small fragmented Gemstones for a sweet drink.

Nevertheless, neither Rose nor He’Er let greed cloud their reason; a lasting customer source forms the foundation for their tavern’s sustained presence.

Thus, the tavern consistently exchanged the surplus drink currency for Gold Coins or Silver Coins and Copper Coins to return to the Dragon’s Beloved.

Seeing the tavern’s honest bosses, the frequency and number of visits by the Dragon’s Beloved increased. With these creatures as examples, adventurers in the town also began favoring consumption at this tavern.

Due to daily bustling business, even with several hired helpers, He’Er still had to personally make rounds.

He’Er stood before the Mage, smilingly explaining, ”Dear guests, this drink is made with over a hundred kinds of flowers and fruits from the forest blended with luxurious sweets, a beverage even the Dragon Lords governing this land enjoy,”

”But as most are supplied to the Dragons, our tavern can only provide ten cups or so daily, and all quotas are currently sold out, so would the customers consider switching for another beverage.”

Mage Lazi glanced at his companions; one Warrior nodded and said, ”Alright, then let’s have each of us a cup, hmm, ’Dragon’s Beloved also speak highly of it!’”

He’Er happily nodded; this drink ranks among the priciest within the tavern, judging from the customer’s capability, he better keep an eye on them, notifying the Dragon’s Beloved promptly if needed.

He then smilingly said, ”Please wait here for a moment, your drinks will be served shortly.”