novelraw Chapter 208: The Gold Dragon Grandfather
Chapter 208: The Gold Dragon Grandfather
The red sunset sank in the west, spilling fiery rays as the layered forest was dyed in vibrant colors.
“The answer is patience.”
The brass-silver dragon whispered softly.
Garoth slightly nodded, then revealed a sudden understanding on his face and slowly said, “What a beautiful and fitting riddle... Deborah, patience is the one thing I never lack.”
He was not a clueless blockhead nor someone who liked to pretend to be dumb; he caught the hidden meaning in the brass-silver dragon’s words.
Patience... Metal dragons usually begin seeking mates only after reaching adulthood. They think through everything before considering reproduction, upholding the principle of quality over quantity, and strive to provide the best for their offspring.
Unlike the five-colored dragons who, in their youth or even adolescence, tend to indulge their desires recklessly.
If a female evil dragon becomes pregnant too early, some will even directly discard the eggs. Those with a bit of conscience might throw them into the territory of the blue dragon clans.
“What Deborah means is that she doesn’t actually reject me and might even have a favorable impression.”
“Only that she is not ready yet.”Garoth pondered silently.
After activating her silver dragon bloodline, Deborah’s appearance was top-tier elegant and beautiful by dragon standards, with eyes that flickered with the cunning liveliness of a brass dragon. Otherwise, Garoth’s red iron dragon form wouldn’t have been so unable to suppress his desire back then.
“Hmm... maybe I’m just imagining things.”
“After all, one of life’s biggest illusions is—she likes me.”
“Let nature take its course.”
Garoth’s mind was calm; deep inside, he didn’t care much about such matters.
His goal was longevity, with a hint of an ambition for eternal immortality.
Compared to that, everything else was just a byproduct or seasoning on the path to everlasting life.
Regardless, Deborah’s return was good news for Garoth.
The friction between the Molten Iron Tribe and the Gold Fang Tribe continued unabated. If neither side yielded, conflicts would surely intensify day by day. Deborah’s return was timely and could help prevent unforeseen troubles.
The brass-silver dragon’s eyes flickered nervously, avoiding direct contact with Garoth’s red iron dragon gaze.
She swayed her long, slender tail left and right, her eyes wandering as if admiring the scenery—though the recently battle-ravaged forest was nothing worth appreciating.
Until Garoth responded.
She slowly turned her head, looking at Garoth.
“Patience is a noble quality.”
She said, “Evil dragons often lack patience; they are too impatient, chasing quick success and instant results. Garoth, you are different. I am glad for you.”
After adding this with a hint of covering up,
the brass-silver dragon shifted her gaze again, pretending to be interested in the burning tree stump.
But her long, graceful tail bent, curled, and tangled from time to time—these subconscious small movements betrayed her true thoughts.
“Look at the new wild beast lord I captured.”
Garoth’s eyes left the brass-silver dragon’s tail and turned toward the white tiger lying on the ground.
While the two dragons talked, the white tiger did not seize the opportunity to escape; it quietly crawled on the ground. Its intelligence was lower than the chimera’s, but instinctively it knew it should not run away.
The white tiger’s body was covered in numerous wounds, densely packed, some deep enough to expose the bone.
However, even in this short time, all the wounds had stopped bleeding, stabilizing the gradually weakening breath.
This was the physique of a high-level brutal subtype.
“A brutal tiger that has grown this large is probably stronger than the white scales in your territory.”
The brass-silver dragon blinked, her silver pupils sparkling under the sunset, and said, “Are you clearing out the wild beast lords in the southwest? I can help you.”
Garoth shook his head slightly.
“Clearing them out is only one goal.”
He said, “The key is that I want to familiarize myself with the power and skills that have changed after awakening by fighting the wild beast lords. Also, if I can tame them, taming will be the priority.”
Wild beast lords command a territory and are themselves powerful and proud creatures, top predators.
Only by defeating them in one-on-one combat and winning their sincere submission is it possible to make them subordinate. Dragons naturally possess extraordinary prestige over other fierce beasts and magical creatures, giving them an innate advantage in this regard.
For example.
If it were the Gold Fang Tribe,
they would rely on numbers to besiege and defeat a brutal tiger, then capture or kill it.
But it would be difficult to make it submit.
Even if they won with a single powerful mecha, the mecha lacks dragon might and is seen by the brutal tiger as a cold metal machine, making submission equally unlikely.
“Wild beast lords in the convergence lands.”
“My chances of taming them are higher.”
“For the other four great tribes, the options are basically kill, expel, or capture... The probability of taming wild beast lords is slim.”
Garoth calculated inwardly.
The Molten Iron Tribe rose quickly but had too short a development time, lacking the foundation compared to the four great tribes in the convergence lands.
Garoth, as leader, might be on the same level as the leaders of the four great tribes.
Perhaps even a bit stronger than them.
At the bottom level, the ‘cannon fodder’—the Molten Iron Tribe had a slight advantage due to the numerous kobolds and gnolls like wild grass.
However,
the middle-upper and middle-lower tier leaders, elites, and combat units—the key pillars—were far fewer.
Wild beast lords could fill this gap.
They were not easy to control; even Garoth did not have a 100% guarantee of taming them. For example, the chimera previously, when close to death, only thought of escaping without any intention to submit.
But as long as they can be controlled, wild beast lords can become the Molten Iron Tribe’s powerful breakthrough weapons.
And not too many are needed.
Each wild beast lord can directly add high-end strength to the Molten Iron Tribe, ensuring they are not eliminated in the short term.
“I understand what you mean; you mainly want to tame wild beast lords.”
The brass-silver dragon reminded, “One is manageable, but if there are many such creatures together, unless you constantly watch and suppress them, intense conflicts and even bloody deaths can easily erupt.”
Garoth nodded, “I have already considered that.”
The white tiger had been dwelling in the Howling Wind Dense Forest for a long time and was more adapted to this place, so it did not mind following him to the Dragon’s Hold.
Garoth strode over to the white tiger, stretched out a single claw, and gently touched its forehead. Then he used Mind Link again to convey his thoughts.
It could stay in the Howling Wind Dense Forest; this territory would belong to Garoth, and the tiger was merely the guardian.
Later, a batch of soldiers from various warhosts would come to garrison in the Howling Wind Dense Forest, establishing more stringent outposts and defenses. Among them would be shamans skilled in wild beast communication who could interact to some extent with the white tiger.
If Garoth needed the white tiger to perform tasks, he would notify it separately.
A low growl came from the white tiger as it gently rubbed against the red iron dragon’s claw, showing understanding.
Its intelligence was slightly lower than that of earth rampage bears, semi-intelligent creatures, but higher than ordinary beasts, roughly equivalent to an eight- or nine-year-old human child’s intelligence, capable of comprehending Garoth’s meaning.
To guard the Howling Wind Dense Forest, coexist harmoniously with the Molten Iron Tribe’s followers, and await further orders.
These instructions were not difficult for the white tiger to accept.
“Deborah, do you know how to clear the Abyssal Rift?”
Garoth changed the topic and asked.
Hearing this, the brass-silver dragon was somewhat surprised: “The Abyssal Rift, you mean the spatial passage connected to the bottomless abyss?”
Garoth said, “Yes. You saw the battle between me and the ancestral demon bull, and where it died, a miniature abyssal rift formed. I don’t know if it’s a coincidence or due to some other reason.”
The brass-silver dragon’s expression grew solemn: “The possibility of coincidence is almost zero... You want to clear it?”
Garoth nodded: “It has not caused a major crisis so far and is within a controllable range, but it is ultimately a hidden danger.”
“I think if possible, it’s best to solve it first.”
The brass-silver dragon nodded gently in agreement: “Your idea is correct. The bottomless abyss represents chaos and evil. Anything tainted by the abyss rarely ends well.”
“So do you have a way?” Garoth asked.
The brass-silver dragon shook her head shamefully: “All abyssal rifts are extremely difficult to eliminate. My level is insufficient.”
After a pause, she said, “However, I can ask my father for help. He can probably handle a miniature abyssal rift, and even if he cannot, he can then ask my gold dragon grandfather for assistance.”