novelraw Chapter 258: A Story of Revenge
Chapter 258: A Story of Revenge
Red Dragon Kahir ultimately lowered her head.
Fifty years—this timeframe wasn't lengthy for dragonkind, and her life was far more precious than fifty years. Moreover, if it were any other great evil dragon using a life-saving favor as leverage, making her pledge five hundred years of service might have been considered lenient.
Compared to what she gained.
This price was negligible.
In the eyes of evil dragons, it practically felt like charity.
This effort was insignificant.
She felt like she'd scored a great deal.
If not for the fact that every sharp and imposing feature of the dragon before her screamed his identity as an evil dragon, Kahir might have suspected he was some kind of benevolent dragon.
As everyone knew, free things came at the highest cost. The moment Red Dragon Kahir agreed, she was destined to serve Dragon Valley and Garoth for her entire life.
"Now, let's discuss how you ended up in your current situation.""It's a long story... this wasn't caused by just one thing." Kahir touched the scales on her neck, her expression growing complex.
A Young Dragon less than twenty years old.
What kind of rich experiences could she possibly have?
...The red iron dragon's gaze swept over the wounds on Kahir's body: "Then start from the beginning."
Immediately, Kahir gathered her exhaustion and said: "I'm alone now, but actually, I wasn't surviving solo..."
She quickly recounted recent events.
From the ambitious aspirations when leaving Cliff Strait, to the silent withdrawal after being defeated in the Ser Wilderness, to the regretful fury when being pursued... Garoth could sense the shifts in her emotions through her description.
What interested Garoth most was this.
There were actually other dragons.
From the ambitious aspirations when leaving Cliff Strait, to the silent withdrawal after being struck down in the Ser Wilderness, to the regretful fury when being pursued... Garoth could sense the shifts in her emotions through her description.
As for the dragons who died in Kahir's account... Garoth didn't comment much.
Such was the harsh survival environment of evil dragons. Although evil dragons that managed to grow up were generally much stronger than Metal Dragons at the same age, the price paid was extremely high.
In Garoth's view, Kahir's group had practically stepped into every possible trap.
Perhaps because they were born and raised in the Blue Dragon Community, including the two Young Dragons, they lacked experience surviving in the wilderness, weren't cautious or steady enough, and encountered too many accidental troubles that should have been avoidable.
"This damned wilderness—even when we wanted to lie low and develop, to survive meekly, various dangers kept coming one after another, killing our companions. We couldn't even manage to escape the wilderness in the end."
Hearing this, Garoth narrowed his eyes and said seriously: "Born as evil dragons, every place in this world is fraught with danger, filled with malice."
"Lying low? Weakness will always be the greatest danger. Endlessly hiding and enduring will only keep you forever unable to lift your head."
He always acted cautiously, but was far from what could be called 'cowering'.
He knew very well that his red iron mixed blood destined that even if he cowered in the darkest corner surviving meekly, even if he did nothing at all, eventually adventurers or similar characters would come knocking to hunt him down.
When that time came, if he himself was weak, death would be certain.
When he could confirm that the benefits of something outweighed the risks, Garoth would always strike decisively, seeking resources and environments for his own development and growth.
"Garoth, according to what this Young Red Dragon says, three more dragons are trapped in the wilderness, captured and imprisoned by the Blackrock dwarves."
He knew very well that his red iron mixed blood destined that even if he hid in the darkest corner surviving meekly, even if he did nothing at all, eventually adventurers or similar characters would come knocking to hunt him down.
As a standard dragon supremacist.
Iron Dragon Sorog was very willing to save more dragons, to build a dragon empire that could rule the world, ultimately to be ruled by the Ignas brothers over other great dragons.
"Please rescue the Blue Dragon captured by the dwarves."
Kahir's whispered request sounded simultaneously, the proud red dragon lowering her head, saying: "He's my age, but has strength comparable to mine. He's worth your investment to cultivate."
Red Dragon Samantha made a surprised sound.
"Blue Dragon... and there's a Green Dragon and Black Dragon too. Why not mention them?"
She asked.
Hearing this, Kahir laughed scornfully, saying: "Green skins and black skins count as dragons? Only slightly better than White Scales, but still utterly useless. They were defeated and captured with almost no resistance—utter disgrace. If they'd been even slightly useful, we could have broken through the dwarves' blockade back then."
Well said!
As a red dragon supremacist, Samantha gave Kahir an appreciative look.
Meanwhile, Garoth pondered quietly, not answering directly.
"The little dragons were captured recently."
"They were captured with serious injuries but should still be alive—living dragons are more valuable than dead ones."
"Also, although the Ser Wilderness has the Dry Snake Mark road network, transporting dragons isn't something that can be done quickly. They're most likely still at the Blackrock Duchy outpost."
He thought to himself, his claws tapping lightly on the ground.
Blackrock Duchy, a member of the Lothrian Federation, a duchy composed of dwarves, not subordinate to any kingdom. Their military strength was neither high nor low among Federation duchies, considered average.
The current question was.
Whether the risk of raiding the Blackrock Duchy outpost outweighed the benefits of rescuing the dragons.
But this wasn't a particularly complex problem.
After more than ten seconds, the red iron dragon gradually raised his head, looking toward the direction of the Ser Wilderness.
"Sorog, Samantha, how many years has it been since we left the wilderness?"
He asked.
"Fourteen years."
Both answered instantly without hesitation.
As long-lived dragonkind, they weren't actually sensitive to the passage of time. The reason they remembered so clearly was simply because of intense driving emotions.
"Yes, fourteen years."
The red iron dragon's tone grew distant, speaking unhurriedly: "Unknowingly, fourteen years have already passed."
He remembered clearly—he had been exactly eighteen years old when forced out of the Ser Wilderness, forced to flee toward the convergence lands. Now he was thirty-two—fourteen years had passed.
The red iron dragon grinned, revealing his fangs, radiating sharp intensity.
He asked: "Do you yearn to return to the wilderness?"
Sorog and Samantha exchanged glances, then nodded heavily, their eyes flashing with excitement: "Every moment, we've wanted to make those insects experience the fear of being dominated by the Ignas brothers."
Defeated and driven out by powerful enemies.
Returning after growing stronger, taking revenge.
Although more dragons died along the way in such stories, similar tales weren't uncommon in dragon lore.
After careful consideration, Garoth decided to take action personally—to strike quickly, resolve things swiftly, rapidly raid the Blackrock Duchy base, rescue the several dragons, then have them pledge loyalty to Dragon Valley in return for the life-saving favor.
Blackrock Duchy wasn't much more powerful than the current Molten Iron Tribe.
Their main headquarters was in the south—what they had in the Ser Wilderness were merely some stationed troops, probably only two or three resource points total.
The red iron dragon grinned, revealing his fangs, sharp and imposing.
He asked: "Do you long to return to the wilderness?"
Moreover.
The number of dragons in the Ser Wilderness wasn't small—when attacked by dragons, it would be difficult to immediately pinpoint the convergence lands.
Most crucially, the Molten Iron Tribe only waited for the flames of war to ignite before advancing into the wilderness. Before that, Garoth wanted to test how the Federation would react when its internal members came under attack.