Beneath the Red Dragon

The enormous main hall and the three-tiered fortress behind it, each layer more towering and expansive than the shrines built by devout followers for their deities, made this Steel Dragon, with considerable real estate knowledge, feel a pang of regret. The vastness of this great fortress’s land could have developed countless residences.

Even the forecourt garden of this magnificent fortress would be enough for Steel Dragon Midir to develop an entire residential area.

But Steel Dragon Midir’s regret was drowned out by the sight of the immense, glittering wealth laid out before the Dragon Group, this treasure so radiant it made the Steel Dragon completely forget the teachings on how to exhibit proper etiquette.

She instinctively halted under the watchful eyes of the Dragon Group, staring unblinkingly at the chests of treasures, muttering, ”My god, pearls of this quality, gold coins of such purity, gemstones so finely crafted, if only they were all mine.”

Karon didn’t care about the other’s reaction; the allure of treasure to a Giant Dragon is unparalleled by anything else. This was one of the reasons he deliberately locked several Metal Dragons outside the gate of the King’s Castle today.

In the future Dragon Empire, it would be impossible to demand all Giant Dragons share the same goals as the current Dragon Group; more motivation and enticement are necessary for the other Giant Dragons.

As long as other Giant Dragons can be lured and guided, absorbed into the Dragon Group, and gradually transformed and influenced, the growth of the Dragon Group’s power can be accelerated.

And wealth is the most effective attack against Giant Dragons, bar none.

Though Karon was indifferent, the words from the lively, spirited young Steel Dragon did provoke the Dragons surrounding them.

Metal Dragons believe in the inviolable sanctity of all creatures’ legitimate private property, a sanctity that even divine majesty cannot overshadow.

They will show their righteous fangs to any creature coveting their property, extending their sacred claws to deliver the harshest of judgments—destruction.

Yet Colorful Dragons skip a few steps; they’ll directly kill those who covet their wealth, often too lazy to even bare their teeth.

But until the Ancestral Red Dragon makes an attitude clear, the Giant Dragons had no choice but to bare their long fangs, glaring menacingly at the greedy maiden, issuing low growls as threats and demonstrations.

The intimidating presence of the Dragon Group jolted the maiden awake. She hurriedly stepped forward, approaching the foot of the throne not far from the steps, glanced around, and then performed a chest-touching salute to the gaping Dragon Group and the serene Red Dragon.

She spoke, ”Good evening, mighty Exotic Scale Leader, noble King of Golden, and honorable Dragon Group. I am Midir, a Steel Dragon.”

Karon nodded; the aura exuded by the Steel Dragon before him stirred his predatory nature to action. To avoid imposing too strong an oppressive atmosphere, he focused his gaze on her neck.

It was an iron necklace, not an ornament of this Steel Dragon but an innate gift of the Steel Dragon Species, evident in human form.

Chain of Life, this special gift of the Steel Dragon Species, originates from the common traits of Steel Dragons.

Throughout their long lives, Steel Dragon Species walk the earth as men, women, nobles, beggars, humans, elves, orcs, and various other humanoid intelligent races.

Yet these Steel Dragon Species do not view the roles they play as disguises and masks but see these roles as real, existing lives, regarded as friends of the Steel Dragons.

And the Chain of Life is the collection of lives the Dragon plays, capable of exercising some magical abilities in the hands of these Dragons.

But some Steel Dragons opt for another way to create their Chain of Life, carving the characters they played onto their scales, much like some Giant Dragons with a peculiar obsession with casting spells.

Moreover, these Steel Dragons possess another formidable talent—Empowerment, stemming from the disguise skills of these dragons, arguably the most adept among all Giant Dragons.

Steel Dragons need about a month to complete the profound and intricate empowerment of a new form, and once they’ve finished, while the Steel Dragons maintain their new shape, it becomes almost as powerful as when in their true Giant Dragon form.

With strength no different from their true form, and spellcasting ability no different from their true body, it’s only their defense that’s slightly less tough than the real Dragon Scale.

There are also some mysterious and distinctive talents, precisely the catalyst for Karon’s predatory instincts flaring rapidly.

However, Karon’s will far surpasses what such instincts and Dragon Blood can shake, so he continued listening to the words of this young Steel Dragon maiden.

Yet the Steel Dragon maiden was interrupted by Green Dragon Antajena.

”You are too close to the king, Exotic Scale Dragon,” Green Dragon Antajena’s dragon eyes blatantly harboring hostility, as her wing claws clung to the armrests of the Black Stone Throne, her slender neck supporting a delicate head leaning forward.

”Furthermore, at this gathering of the Dragon Group, you should participate in the identity of a Giant Dragon, not in human form to boast and chatter,”

Green Dragon Antajena’s forward-leaning head carried hostility, issuing a low threatening warning: ”This is disrespect to the king of the Dragon Group, insolence to the Imperial Dragon Emperor, and contempt for the Dragon Group itself!”

Hearing Green Dragon Antajena’s words, Steel Dragon Midir had no time to react before the young White Dragon Sloraka, located at the tail end of the Dragon Group, excitedly bounced off his exquisite long rug.