Beneath the Red Dragon

”Praise the Master of the Dragon Clans who reigns here, the mighty Red Monarch, embodiment of flames, the master of earth and metal!” The people echoed together, and the roaring voices rose to the heavens, infecting even the Red Dragon soaring above.

”Roar,” the massive body of the Red Dragon emitted a dragon’s roar that shook the world, then it flew into the distance.

At this moment, Countess Batorri, standing on the deck of a giant ship docked in the harbor, withdrew her gradually enthusiastic gaze and said to the squinting mage Hughes beside her, who was also staring upwards, ”Such an incredible creature, Hughes, you say this Red Dragon is just a young dragon now? I thought he was a young adult dragon. No wonder even your mentor has great confidence in him.”

Hughes shook his head and said with a warm smile, ”You’re mistaken, Batorri. Our confidence in Karon isn’t just due to his strength, but rather his characteristics and rational wisdom. A Red Dragon with rationality and intelligence, extraordinary by nature, just thinking about his future is surprising!”

The tall and beautiful short-haired Countess Batorri looked towards a woman with long blue hair standing beside her. The plump and tall countess, wearing exquisitely made deer leather boots, was about 1.78 meters tall, but this young woman with long blue hair, with a clear and elegant face and an air of indifference mingled with laziness, was a head taller than Countess Batorri.

Countess Batorri smiled at the young woman with long blue hair and said, ”Carlette, it seems the hefty cost I paid to redeem you was the right choice. If Karon Gogomola is as Hughes says, then the rewards I receive will be satisfactory.”

The human-formed Carlette shook her head and said in an indifferent and cold voice, ”You’re wrong, Batorri. I long ago abandoned the Dragon Group, and they have abandoned me, no longer considering me one of them.”

”Those dragonlings would tear me to pieces. Even Karon wouldn’t tolerate a traitor’s existence. Maybe all you will find is disappointment!”

The young short-haired Countess, bold and carefree, wore a slight smile on her beautiful face, shrugged her shoulders, opened her hands, and said nonchalantly, ”It doesn’t matter. You’re just a means to show my attitude towards the Dragon Group. Even if this attitude costs a bit much, I’ve never regretted my choices, that’s just who I am!”

The Red Dragon’s figure flew over all the habited lands within his territory, even passing by villages nestled within forests. Seeing the crops hanging heavy with ripe fruits filled him with joy.

Reclaiming wasteland and planting grain is now the most crucial goal of the Dragon Group Territory, not only for the unfettered development of the territory but also because of the growing Dragon Group.

Take ordinary animals, the hunting range of predators like tigers, for example. In areas where species resources are average and prey is scarce, a tiger’s activity and hunting territory typically range from 100 to 400 square kilometers, with particularly powerful tigers reaching 900 square kilometers.

In regions where species resources are abundant but competition is fierce, even female tigers require at least ten square kilometers of hunting territory to ensure a sufficient food supply.

Male tigers, which consume more than female tigers, need at least 30 square kilometers. These tigers not only hunt wild deer, wild sheep, elk, wild boars, and other animals but also need to gather berries and many large insects, as well as many small animals and beasts, during the fall and winter.

Though the world of Aikania is rich with magic power, and species resources in the Dragon Group’s territory are especially plentiful, supplying the ever-growing Dragon Group requires a larger territory because the Dragon Group cannot wantonly disrupt ecological balance due to hunting.

That is something even the most foolish and cruel Five-Color Dragons wouldn’t do.

Given Karon’s current size, he needs to consume a minimum of three giant antelopes with an average body length of three and a half meters each day to maintain the energy for daily activities. Even with abundant magic power, a giant dragon is not a pure elemental creature.

If Karon wants to go several days or even more than ten days without eating, he must consume several times that amount of food. The gradually growing young dragons also have terrifying appetites. Each giant dragon’s daily meat consumption could feed a family of three for quite some time.

Additionally, the growing number of beloved and residents in the Giant Dragon Territory also need to be sustained. Solely relying on purchased food from other kingdoms of the Northern Continent and hunting can only sustain for a period.

That’s why Karon places such importance on agricultural foundation. All the strengths of the territory are now devoted to land reclamation and grain cultivation.

Once the first batch of grains is harvested, the beloved won’t have to compete for food with the giant dragons, and these grains can replace hunted food, preventing the Giant Dragon Territory from being at the mercy of the nobility from various kingdoms of the Northern Continent.

With joy, Karon descended and landed before a lush vegetable garden. The villagers in the village were already alarmed by the giant dragon’s massive body and were now tremblingly bowing to the ground, unaware of the dragon’s intentions.

An elderly villager was pushed forward, trembling and bowing before the Red Dragon, saying, ”Honorable Giant Dragon Sir, we don’t know your intentions. Our village respects the dragon’s rule and has never overstepped the territorial laws, and the village is also very poor, with no savings in gold coins or wealth!”

”Hmm, it seems these ordinary people still hold the old impression of dragons, thinking a dragon’s rare visit must be to plunder treasures. Such perceptions require long-term dissemination and lifestyle changes,”

Karon looked at the villagers stammering from fear and said in a gentle tone, ”There’s no need to be afraid. I’m merely thrilled by the fruitful outcome of your hard work. Go to the vegetable field and pick some fruits for me to taste. I noticed that those fruits appear to be ripe.”

The elderly villager hurriedly instructed a few young men to pick a large bunch of fruits of various kinds. Tomatoes the size of an adult’s fist, green-skinned olives, and even a pumpkin the size of a washbasin were gathered. In their panic, the youths even picked some inedible fruits, each shining with oil and emitting a fragrant aroma.

Karon’s eyes lit up as he received the fruits from the villagers’ jackets, then swallowed them whole one by one. The dragon’s stomach wasn’t bothered by inedible fruits; he merely wanted to taste them.

The mixed fragrance of fruits spread in his mouth, giving rise not to a sense of gluttonous satisfaction but a grounded sense of achievement.

Karon squinted, spat out a silver coin, and laughed heartily, saying, ”You’ve done well. This is the money for purchasing those fruits. Remember, as long as you obey the dragon’s rule, the dragon will protect your safety and rightful interests!”

Before finishing his words, the Red Dragon had already taken to the skies, rapidly disappearing into the distance.

And those villagers who intended to refuse the dragon’s silver coins could only kneel on the ground, all with reddened eyes, kowtowing and loudly proclaiming, ”Thank you, great dragon! Thank you for the protection of the Dragon Group! We will forever support the dragon’s dominion!”

Hey, the desires of ordinary people are just this simple, just to live well!