Defeating the World with the Power of One Dragon!

Chapter 199: The Goblins Who Taxed Dragons

Regarding the strongest tribes in the Convergence Lands:

Humans, balanced in all aspects, wise and rational - acceptable.

Orcs, brave and warlike, unafraid of bloodshed and death, with formidable warrior units - tolerable.

Snakefolk, sinister and cruel, skilled in various curses and witchcraft, with many sorcerers and shamans - barely passable.

Goblins?

You must be joking, what kind of nonsense are goblins?!

This was the first reaction of outsiders when learning about the four strongest tribes of the Convergence Lands.

Goblins, synonymous with deceit and weakness, left a universally poor impression on other intelligent races - greedy, cunning, and full of lies. Few intelligent beings willingly associated with goblins.

Yet goblins had their merits:

They universally possessed sharp business acumen and excelled at trade.Nearly all goblins firmly believed:

"The concept of 'trade' first emerged in ancient times from the goblin race."

They invented trade and spread it far and wide, considering themselves the architects of today's prosperous era.

Other races had stolen goblin wisdom without paying for it, so in their eyes, their unscrupulous wealth accumulation was perfectly justified - what other races owed them.

"Goblins, the Gold Fang Tribe."

The red iron dragon's swinging tail plowed furrows in the ground as he mused: "This isn't my first time dealing with goblins."

To be precise,

The first time he felt genuine risk that ignited his killing intent was because of goblins.

Back when he had just left the Iron Dragon Mother's protection, living in the Iron Fir Hills with just one servant and the Earth Rampage Bears.

After slaughtering the goblin wolf cavalry that hunted the red dragon Samantha, conflict arose with the goblin clan, leading to their complete extermination.

"My first taste of black oil, realizing its importance, was also because of goblins."

Now arriving in the Convergence Lands and encountering goblins again - moreover as one of the region's four strongest tribes - gave Garoth a peculiar feeling.

Meanwhile,

Iron Dragon Sorog spoke: "These lowly vermin claim ownership over the Convergence Lands' banks along the Estonian Great River." He snorted coldly, his spikes slightly erect: "They actually sent envoys to Dragon Valley to collect taxes from us."

The Gold Fang Tribe had occupied the Convergence Lands for centuries and dealt with the Bloodhoof Clan.

The changes in the southwest hadn't escaped their notice, but rather than fearing the dragons' arrival, they tried to pry gold coins from dragons' mouths.

To dragons, goblins ranked no higher than kobolds.

Such lowly vermin daring to tax dragons?

This complete inversion of natural order enraged the iron dragons.

Red Dragon Samantha also despised goblins, the humiliation of being hunted by goblin cavalry during her weaker days still vivid in memory.

"If it were up to me, we should burn all these vermin to ashes."

The red dragon growled: "Goblins aren't even worth eating. Only turning them to ash would bring me satisfaction."

Garoth ignored Samantha's words.

He asked the iron dragon: "Did you kill their envoy?"

The iron dragon took a deep breath and slowly shook his head: "No, I suppressed my rage and expelled the Gold Fang Tribe's envoy but didn't kill them."

Killing negotiators meant immediate war.

During the exchange, Sorog had nearly torn the tax-demanding goblins limb from limb for insulting draconic dignity. But considering Garoth's hibernation and Dragon Valley's unpreparedness for war, his Mind Sorcerer training and personal growth helped restrain his draconic fury.

His nature despised the Gold Fang Tribe.

But his reason warned him - any tribe ranking among the Convergence Lands' four strongest shouldn't be underestimated, especially one bold enough to tax dragons.

After this internal struggle, reason prevailed over draconic instinct.

"An excellent ruler isn't driven by emotion."

"Your repeated failures have all nourished your eventual success."

"Sorog, you've impressed me."

Garoth didn't skimp on praise.

The younger iron dragon from before hibernation would have certainly slaughtered the goblin envoy in rage.

The Ignas brothers' growth was undeniable.

As the saying goes, one takes on the color of one's company. Garoth's rational approach to power and desire subtly influenced other dragons, making them better than average at controlling their urges and valuing reason.

"Neither emperors nor chancellors let emotions rule them."

"I've studied The Prince and On Lordship, understanding this intellectually but failing in practice."

The iron dragon returned praise: "Garoth, my dear brother, you gave me the courage and resolve to fight my desires. Building a draconic empire with you is an honor."

The brothers exchanged mutual admiration.

"What about me?"

The red dragon couldn't help asking.

"Dragon Valley can't do without your Sulfur Hills. You've done well."

Garoth said.

Satisfied, Samantha nodded, then suddenly remembered: "I almost forgot - I have work waiting. I'm the most crucial part of the alchemy workshop's assembly line and can't stay away long."

Assembly-line production brought wealth but reduced her leisure time.

Yet the red dragon didn't mind busyness when profit was involved.

After bidding farewell, Samantha left Dragon Valley for Sulfur Hills.

"After rejection, the Gold Fang Tribe hasn't returned to negotiate."

Sorog said, coiled opposite Garoth: "They haven't reinforced defenses along the western riverbanks."

"But since our encounter, fewer trading ships come besides the Gem Merchants' vessels."

"The Gem Merchants' ships received warnings too - arrows with notes threatening consequences for continued trade."

"I believe the Gold Fang Tribe is behind this."

The Gem Merchants was Nick's officially established guild in recent years.

From their journey conversation, Garoth already knew this.

Rather than anger, the red iron dragon chuckled: "It seems the goblins want a trade war - using commerce to blockade our trade routes and force tax payment."

Choosing economic warfare over direct conflict was more "civilized" than the human nobles from the Serpentine Earth Rift.

As for why proper merchants would cooperate with frontier goblins - it made perfect sense upon reflection.

The barren Convergence Lands could barely sustain four tribes despite centuries.

Yet the region had advantages:

No black oil deposits, scarce magical ores, and no interference from powerful kingdoms.

Comparatively, the Ser Wilderness could support many tribes, yet Garoth had never encountered any tribal-level powers there.

The Lothrian Federation permitted no tribes in the Ser Wilderness.

Any emerging groups were ruthlessly crushed.

Only struggling clans and countless magical beasts inhabited that region - exactly the environment the Federation wanted, treating the entire wilderness as their pasture and mine.

To return to topic - the four tribes controlled most Convergence Lands resources. Merchants trading with them obtained resources cheaply for resale at massive profits in southern federations. With the Gold Fang Tribe being the largest trader, merchants naturally aligned with them for greater profit.