novelraw Chapter 220: The Temptation of the Red Iron Dragon, Deborah Without Resistance
Chapter 220: The Temptation of the Red Iron Dragon, Deborah Without Resistance
Those tribal leaders tempered in blood and fire might be secretly plotting alone or forming alliances in the shadows.
The war horn would sound at the latest before the Molten Iron Tribe fully consolidated the south and digested their victorious gains.
This was a countdown to survival.
Otherwise, facing the Molten Iron Tribe at its peak, the other tribes could only wait for death.
Thinking of this, the red iron dragon's pupils showed no ripples of emotion.
He was no longer that young dragon who needed to be cautious about everything. He remained prudent, but not everything could make him feel fear anymore.
Under his direction, the Molten Iron Tribe was also preparing to deal with the impending war.
When the time came.
If they lost, all these years of accumulation would be destroyed, but it would just mean starting over from scratch. Garoth would never allow his life to be endangered.
If they won, Garoth would be crowned King of the Convergence Lands. While this land was generally barren and backward, standing at its peak would still grant him massive resource allocation and faster growth.At this moment, the followers noticed the red iron dragon's arrival and paused their tasks to bow their heads in worship, prostrating on the ground, calling out with reverence and awe.
"Praise the Dragon Lord!"
"Loyalty! Faithfulness!"
"......"
Garoth nodded slightly: "Continue with your duties."
The followers on the assembly lines resumed their work.
Those who had just been replaced by substitutes ate with satisfied expressions, devouring the nearly unlimited supply of food.
The assembly line work was intense, no easier than combat, but the Molten Iron Tribe thoughtfully provided ample food for these followers, allowing them to eat and drink their fill without worrying about hunger.
In the resource-limited Convergence Lands where people could starve to death.
This treatment already surpassed that of many basic followers.
The gnolls and kobolds basically competed for assembly line work and felt genuine gratitude and admiration for Garoth from the bottom of their hearts.
"Goblin, why do my rune etchings always fail?"
From another alchemy workshop came the voice of the red dragon Samantha.
Since capturing the Black Iron Plains, because this stronghold had numerous alchemy workshops and suitable temperature conditions, Samantha had directly moved here from the Sulfur Hills, making it more convenient to manage and command the various assembly lines.
Garoth turned to look.
He saw the red dragon Samantha extending her arm before the Grand Artificer, pointing to a scale on it.
Rune etching was a more advanced technique than ordinary carving, using alchemical runes to deeply enhance and strengthen the etched object.
The red dragon Samantha was learning to try etching defensive runes onto her scales, but had failed more than once.
"I've been very careful, so why can't I succeed?"
The red dragon asked.
The construct's eyes emitted an eerie blue light, scanning the red dragon's scale.
With just one glance, the intelligence left by this advanced alchemist understood the problem.
The light retracted into its eyes, then instantly expanded again.
One of the red dragon Samantha's scales was magnified countless times, its surface grooves like continuous mountain ranges.
"Dragon scales are not flat surfaces as seen by the naked eye; they have more microscopic structures."
It said: "You need more detailed observation to establish a three-dimensional geometric model."
The Grand Artificer gestured with its fingers, using magical energy to outline bright green threads. Immediately, the green lines flowed like rivers along the scale's natural patterns, winding through, avoiding all obstructions, finally forming complex and exquisite, naturally seamless runic circuits.
"Nature is the optimal rune substrate; forcing modifications is inferior to following the natural grain."
The Grand Artificer said mechanically and calmly.
Nature is the optimal rune substrate?
Samantha hadn't found similar words in her inheritance. Her alchemy heritage also hadn't mentioned that when etching runes, one needed to consider that dragon scales weren't flat surfaces.
These were new knowledge not present in her inheritance.
Though unwilling to admit it internally.
The red dragon Samantha clearly understood that the intelligent golem before her had profound alchemical attainments and was an excellent instructor.
This wasn't the first time she had consulted the intelligent golem with questions.
Every time, the Grand Artificer could see through everything with clarity, pinpoint the essence of the problem, use simple language to resolve her doubts, making her suddenly understand and have revelations.
Hearing this conversation, Garoth nodded slightly.
Not in vain was the effort spent on the war with the Gold Fang Tribe. Just gaining the Grand Artificer's loyalty was immeasurably valuable.
[Don't give me gold, give me the flame that turns stone to gold]
Garoth quite agreed with this saying. This Grand Artificer construct was essentially an educational intelligent golem that would continuously train alchemists for the Molten Iron Tribe.
The Gold Fang Tribe goblins' legendary praise of him was truly not exaggerated.
If he hadn't been trapped in the Convergence Lands during his lifetime, held back by his clan, he would have had an extremely high probability of becoming truly legendary.
Understanding the key to rune etching, Samantha began attempting it.
The Grand Artificer wasn't idle either, patrolling the territory, instructing every alchemist encountering problems, tirelessly and diligently.
Garoth didn't stay here long.
He beat his wings and soared into the sky, arriving at the rear hinterland of the Black Iron Plains, circling in the air, a pleased smile on his dragon face, looking down below.
On the dark plains, countless figures moved like tiny worker ants shuttling through the earth's veins.
Miners formed long queues, shouting low and rhythmic chants, sweating profusely as they used thick crowbars and heavy oak hammers to drive steel wedges deeper into the stratum inch by inch.
At the center of the mining pits stood several steel constructs.
They were monsters assembled and welded from steel and metal.
They extended massive metal arms like pillars, topped with heavy steel drill bits, pounding! Bang! Bang! into the earth's depths.
With each impact, the ground shook dully, oil mixed with mud spraying from the drill holes, drenching the minotaur slaves operating the winches below.
Flying dragon groups, Kora giant eagles.
Centaurs, giant wolves, various elite cavalry.
Numerous soldiers patrolled and guarded the ground and sky, preventing any creatures from approaching, with countless hidden scouts and sentries around.
Moreover, the black oil field's noise and activity were confined within its boundaries, constrained by magic arrays jointly constructed by sorcerers and shamans, not transmitting to more distant places.
"What a wonderful scent."
The red iron dragon took a deep breath, able to detect the subtle scent of black oil exposed to air.
This black oil field was only the smallest, but its reserves were quite abundant for a tribe. Although the goblins had already mined and utilized it for some time, since before their rise they didn't even dare mine black oil openly, its remaining reserves were still ample.
Given more time.
It wouldn't be a problem to use the mined black oil to create a pool belonging to Garoth.
"However, compared to the scale of the black oil field I saw in the Ser Wilderness back then, this is still too small."
The red iron dragon's eyes flickered, thinking to himself.
The scene of the black oil field he saw during his childhood adventure—those tight and powerful garrisons, those alchemical heavy machinery that pumped black oil like pilgrims worshiping the earth—had left quite a psychological impact on him.
In comparison.
The Molten Iron Tribe's black oil field was too small, and their mining methods were quite backward.
"Black oil has more advanced solid forms."
"The inheritance mentions that a hundred tons of black oil can only be condensed into a small black energy stone, which is the primary energy source used by legendary alchemical golems."
"I really want to taste what black energy stones are like, must be incredibly potent and strong."
"Unfortunately, while we now have black oil resources, the Molten Iron Tribe's alchemical industry can't achieve this, nor do we have purchasing channels."
Garoth licked his lips, yearning inwardly.
Regardless, he finally had his own black oil field, no longer needing to make deals with insects like earth spiders to steal oil for him as in the past, having to flee quickly when discovered.
However, the Molten Iron Tribe's possession of a black oil field still needed to be hidden, not openly exposed.
Such strategic resources were never too many for any nation.
Just as when Garoth learned the Gold Fang Tribe had a black oil field, he immediately prepared for war. Once discovered that a Convergence Lands tribe actually had a black oil field, the Molten Iron Tribe would inevitably face crusades.
After admiring and inspecting his black oil field for a while.
Garoth returned to Dragon Valley.
It was already noon, sunlight pouring down from the sky like golden liquid, plating the valley, also plating the brass-silver dragon resting on a rock slab, making her dragon scales shine brilliantly, sparkling, looking incredibly beautiful.
"The Molten Iron Tribe grows stronger daily and will eventually be exposed to the silver dragons' sight. Better improve Deborah's favorability early. For now, we probably won't face mature silver dragons yet."
Garoth thought to himself.
"Hey, metal dragon."
The red iron dragon called out: "Wake up, it's riddle time."
Hearing the word "riddle," the brass-silver dragon's ears immediately perked up, waking from her nap, then blinking her eyes, looking at Garoth expectantly.
Garoth cleared his throat, using a chanting-like tone, said:
"I burn yet leave no ashes; I fall yet forever climb."
"Shepherds use me to mark the time when flocks return to fold; sages use me to measure fate's flowing trajectory."
"I never speak, yet witness all epics' beginnings and final chapters; I am cold embers originally, yet ignited civilization's first bonfire."
As the last syllable fell, he looked at the brass-silver dragon.
This riddle wasn't complex, rather straightforward.
"Stars!"
Deborah's pupils suddenly contracted into brilliant slits, answering.
The red iron dragon nodded, saying: "Correct."
Pausing for a moment, he looked directly into the brass-silver dragon's silver eyes, chuckled lowly, saying: "But... your innate scale radiance is much more vivid than those dead things in the sky."
The brass-silver dragon's tail "swished" stiff into a silver spear, then the next second went limp as if having its bones removed, softly drooping.
"R-really?"
"Th-thank you for the riddle and praise, I really like it."
The brass-silver dragon said in a low voice, not daring to look directly into Garoth's eyes, but couldn't help stealing glances from the corner of her eyes, feeling her heartbeat constantly accelerating, her scales feeling tingly and itchy.
This method of first stirring thoughts with riddles, then breaking down defenses with praise.
Especially when that praise came from the seemingly fierce and menacing, rough and violent red iron dragon, carrying the red iron dragon's unique blazing breath.
The contrast made her almost completely defenseless.
Favorability +100!
...Though he couldn't see similar messages, the brass-silver dragon's reaction was observed by Garoth.
[Dragon Taming Technique · Brass Dragon Chapter]
[Whether provocation or praise, including a riddle always makes brass dragons delighted]
Garoth had refined his dragon taming technique a bit more.