novelraw Chapter 177: Encountering the Brass Dragon Again, Hybrid Transformation
Chapter 177: Encountering the Brass Dragon Again, Hybrid Transformation
The White Dragon stood on the rugged cliff, lifting her head to roar like a dragon.
A piercing, bone-chilling icy wind swept across the land, freezing the minotaur guards into ice sculptures. Centaurs and werewolf knights, led by the dragon-vein werewolves, galloped through the battlefield, fiercely clashing with the minotaurs.
Only after the White Dragon’s magical energy was heavily depleted did she lead the cavalry to retreat. At the cost of a few cavalry deaths, they caused serious chaos in the obsidian mine.
The slaves’ rout and counterattacks, along with the heavy casualties among the guards, left the remaining minotaurs overwhelmed and panicked.
Not long after,
the Red Dragon and White Dragon returned to Dragon Valley one after the other to report their results to Garoth.
“Well done.”
Garoth did not hesitate to express his approval.
Samantha proudly lifted her head but couldn’t help wagging her tail as she asked, “We clearly could have taken over the mine and the ranch. Why didn’t we just seize their strongholds?”
“Then assign troops to garrison them, weakening our forces?”Garoth shook his head, tapping his claw lightly on the ground, his gaze calm as he said, “Occupying the strongholds now would only disperse and weaken us. Once we’ve dealt with the Bloodhoof Clan, everything they have will belong to us. No need to rush.”
The attacks on the mine and ranch, under Garoth’s orders, mainly targeted the guards to inflict casualties and cause chaos.
The herds and the mine itself were barely affected, as the main goal was to prepare for future takeover.
For now,
attacking is simple, but defending is difficult.
Garoth was not eager for quick gains or immediate occupation of strongholds.
“Go eat and rest now.”
“Tomorrow, continue attacking the Bloodhoof Clan’s strongholds.”
“I want to see how long those minotaurs can endure.” The Red Iron Dragon sneered coldly, “If they like showing weakness, then we’ll help them become true weaklings.”
The gnolls carried roasted mountain sheep up, the dripping fat sizzling in the fire.
The followers had prepared food, and the dragons and cavalry began feasting heartily to replenish their energy. After eating their fill, they soon fell into deep sleep.
In the following days,
the Red Dragon and White Dragon each led flying dragon groups and cavalry, continuously attacking five strongholds of the Bloodhoof Clan, dealing considerable damage to the minotaurs.
On the third day,
after the Red Dragon attacked the minotaurs’ cauliflower plantation stronghold, an accident occurred on the return trip.
Samantha recalled the minotaurs’ frantic, shameful retreat when suddenly a hawk-like figure streaked across the sky, daring to fly above the Red Dragon’s head.
Whoosh!
The Red Dragon spat a fireball at the hawk; she would not tolerate inferior creatures hanging over her.
However,
when the fireball struck the hawk, it suddenly transformed into a dragon nearly fifteen meters long.
Its body was adorned with silver scales, a young female brass dragon with both ice and fire attributes, blocking the dragon group’s path.
“A silver dragon hybrid?”
Samantha’s eyes revealed caution.
The brass dragon before her bore silver dragon traits, and the chilling cold emanating from it felt dangerous.
“You, naturally evil Red Dragon, why suddenly attack me?”
The brass dragon spoke with righteous indignation: “Pay compensation with gold coins to earn my forgiveness, or I will make you pay the price.”
Red Dragon Samantha fell silent.
Because the reputation of metal dragons was well known, few adventurers dared to covet them.
Metal dragons, suffering from a lack of delivered wealth, resorted to extortion schemes to gain riches.
For example,
using transformation magic to disguise themselves, intentionally attracting attacks, then revealing their true form to demand compensation.
This is a classic metal dragon tactic, recorded in the Legacy of Evil Dragons, and evil dragons disdain such hypocritical behavior—when they could just rob directly, why bother finding an excuse?
Samantha never expected to encounter extortion by a metal dragon.
And it was right after attacking the Bloodhoof Clan’s stronghold, when she wasn’t at full strength. She had reason to suspect the brass dragon had been tailing her for a while, choosing this moment to appear and extort.
The key was,
the Red Dragon felt she was no match for the brass dragon before her.
If it were an ordinary young brass dragon, there would still be a chance.
But this one had silver dragon blood, and its size and aura made it difficult to defeat. Even with the flying dragon group, repelling it would be a tough fight.
When brute force could not solve the problem,
the Red Dragon’s wisdom began to take the upper hand.
Call Garoth with the message stone? No, she did not want every issue to require Garoth’s intervention...
Recalling the legacy’s notes about brass dragons, the Red Dragon thought briefly and said:
“Brass Dragon, let’s play a riddle game.”
The brass dragon’s eyes lit up. After sizing up the Red Dragon a few times, it openly showed disdain, saying, “I don’t think a savage Red Dragon can answer my riddle.”
“But I’ll give you one chance.”
“As long as you answer one of my riddles, I will let you leave.”
After a pause, the brass dragon murmured, “I was born in the earth’s furnace, forged by desire. Kings crown themselves with me, thieves redeem their lives with me, and dragons fight for me.”
Considering that the Red Dragon was all muscle and that subspecies didn’t have high intelligence,
the brass dragon arrogantly added, “I can fill the entire Dragon Nest, yet I am so light a hatchling dragon could blow me away. The White Dragon says I am cold to the bone, the Red Dragon says I burn fiercely. The oldest dragons collect me, the greediest dragons lose me.”
“Young Dragon, what am I?”
The riddle dragon asked.
Upon hearing this, the Red Dragon, with intelligence now taking the high ground, thought for a moment. Connecting the brass dragon’s extortion behavior, she pondered briefly before slowly answering, “Gold coins, or rather, wealth.”
The brass dragon’s pupils suddenly contracted, and its silver scales bristled slightly, clearly not expecting this Red Dragon to solve her riddle.
Despite giving many hints, with the Red Dragon’s irritable, simple-minded nature, she shouldn’t have possessed such sharp thinking.
“Metal Dragon, you are too arrogant.”
Samantha deliberately imitated Garoth’s steady and authoritative tone, suppressing her inner pride as she said.
“One day, your arrogance will be your downfall.”
She felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.
That feeling of looking down and teaching other dragons was even more delightful than tearing apart prey.
After speaking, the Red Dragon ignored the brass dragon standing dumbfounded and decisively spread her wings, leading the flying dragons back home.
The brass dragon did not block them, keeping her promise.
She sniffed the air, sensing the Red Dragon’s scent was somewhat familiar. Her gaze flickered as she watched the Red Dragon’s figure fade into the distance.
On the way back,
Samantha cautiously led the flying dragons in wide circles through the air.
She glanced back repeatedly to confirm there was no sign of being followed, then finally flew towards their territory, returning to Dragon Valley.
“Garoth, I encountered a metal hybrid dragon!”
She said to the Red Iron Dragon, who was sharpening his tail with an iron rasp.
“Hybrid dragon?”
Garoth paused, asking for details.
After hearing the Red Dragon’s calm yet proudly veiled narration, he felt somewhat surprised.
“A silver dragon and brass dragon hybrid.”
“Most likely the offspring of the Metal Dragons from Red Maple Valley.”
“Deborah? No, I remember she was a normal brass dragon, not a hybrid.”
“Could it be another offspring of silver and brass dragons? But the personality and appearance traits sound like Deborah.”
Garoth thought to himself.
“Could a pureblood become a hybrid?”
As he wondered, corresponding legacy knowledge surged through his mind, gradually clarifying things.
Bloodlines are a strange and profound thing, capable of ancestral regression and sublimation, as well as allowing purebloods to transform into completely new hybrid forms.
When parents come from different dragon bloodlines, their offspring’s body simultaneously flows with the potential of dual bloodlines, though outwardly showing one dominant bloodline.
Through specific rituals or special methods to stimulate the hidden bloodline, there is a chance for it to be truly activated.
But this is no easy feat.
These rituals and methods all require consuming large amounts of rare and precious materials, and demand dragons themselves possess extremely strong willpower and determination.
This is almost equivalent to a dragon-exclusive “dragon vein transformation,” the essence of bloodline metamorphosis and sublimation.
Success means the pureblood transforms into a hybrid, and it must bring a positive increase in power.
Failure results in severe injury and deep slumber, significantly delaying growth speed.
If conditions mature in the future, whether Samantha or Sorog could awaken the other hidden bloodline power within them through this method, becoming red iron hybrids.
“Metal dragon parents have the conditions to perform hybrid transformation on their offspring.”
“It must be Deborah; she has become a silver dragon hybrid.”
Garoth thought silently.
The number of dragons in the borderlands was limited, and the area was not very vast.
Since learning that the brass dragon family lived here, Garoth knew he would meet Deborah again eventually. But he didn’t expect it to be at such a time, and through Samantha that he would get news of the brass dragon.
“Being able to transform into a hawk means Deborah has mastered the transformation magic only young dragons learn in advance.”
Garoth’s slit pupils narrowed to thin lines as he scanned the sky dyed red by the sunset.
Though Samantha said she circled several times before returning to Dragon Valley, Garoth didn’t believe she could shake off the pursuit of a young hybrid dragon.
The silver dragon bloodline gave Deborah many quasi-spell skills.
Among main dragon species, silver dragons had the strongest magical talent, mastering the most quasi-spell skills at the same age. Whether as casters or sorceresses, silver dragons had innate advantages.
The White Dragon Trixie’s proud magic talent was insignificant compared to an ordinary silver dragon.
“Meeting Samantha might be a coincidence.”
“But Deborah definitely remembers me, remembers my scent, and Samantha’s similar scent would attract her attention.”
“What does she want?”
Garoth calculated in his heart, believing Deborah had discovered Dragon Valley but had not appeared for unknown reasons.
“Two defeats, two robberies.”
“After finding my traces, she will not sit idly by.”
As time passed, the repeated attacks on Dragon Valley left the Bloodhoof Clan badly wounded, and those minotaurs were probably about to lose control. The atmosphere of a decisive battle grew heavier.
The decisive battle with the Bloodhoof Clan was imminent.
Now they also had to consider the ‘revenge’ of the red silver dragon Deborah.
Garoth inhaled deeply and exhaled, feeling things growing complicated, with more unknowns added.
“It has come to this, we respond move by move and adapt as needed.”
Scratch! Scratch!
The Red Iron Dragon continued sharpening his wings and tail, sparks flying.
Since he could not fully control the situation, he would let his own edge become sharper, until he could tear apart all uncertainties.