novelraw Chapter 308: Sleeping, Dragon Heart Evolves
Chapter 308: Sleeping, Dragon Heart Evolves
"Garoth! It's time to settle my appearance fee!"
A floating message stone drifted before Garoth, carrying the familiar voice of the Gold Dragon Alberto.
He was the very gold dragon who frequently visited Ximu Town, bringing good reputation to the Molten Iron Tribe.
Without even lifting his eyelids, Garoth lazily replied: "Why go through all that trouble? Just deduct it directly from the debt you owe me."
The message stone fell silent for a moment.
Then Alberto's voice sounded again.
"No! Absolutely not! I want—cash—payment—now!"
"Even if these gold coins will eventually end up with you anyway."
"But at least! At least before they leave my claws, I can spend more time with these adorable little things, listen to their wonderful jingling sounds a bit longer, and feel their intoxicating warmth and luster!"
In order to secure a sufficiently long rest period, Alberto had recently challenged Garoth once again.The outcome was predictably one-sided, ending with him being beaten unconscious yet again, and his debt climbing to new heights.
At this rate, the possibility of him ever repaying his debt was basically zero.
"Since you insist so strongly."
Garoth's massive head nodded slightly as he spoke magnanimously: "Then go collect from the treasury in Ximu Town, ask Lord Flower for the payment."
No sooner had he spoken.
Suddenly, he let out an enormous, completely unexpected yawn.
Coming back to his senses, a clear and irresistible drowsiness slowly emerged from the depths of his soul like a gradually rising tide, spreading throughout his entire body.
The feeling couldn't be more explicit.
It meant the final dragon sleep of his young adult period was about to arrive.
"This slumber will definitely last over ten years."
"When I awaken next, perhaps all the duchies of the human Federation will be embroiled in total war, with even the kingdoms behind them personally joining the fray, fighting so chaotically they won't have time to pay attention elsewhere. By then, I will have officially entered the youth phase, becoming a true young adult dragon."
Garoth contemplated silently in his heart.
As for the possibility that the war sweeping the south might conclude hastily during his slumber, with all factions having already reconciled and completed a new round of resource redistribution by the time he awoke?
Given the current situation of escalating conflicts, deep involvement from multiple factions, and increasingly entangled chains of hatred.
This probability was extremely slim.
The larger the organization, the more complex its internal interests become, and the wars it launches are inevitably prolonged.
Even now, the kingdoms behind the Federation remain hidden in the shadows, playing their games by supporting their respective proxy duchies, showing no obvious signs of wanting to personally enter the fray.
Even if the situation escalates in the future and they become dissatisfied with proxy wars and decide to intervene personally.
Since the power disparity between them isn't great enough to create overwhelming dominance, and the battle lines would inevitably become protracted and complex, wars between kingdoms are destined to be drawn-out struggles, not something that could be decided quickly.
After pondering for a moment, Garoth spoke to the gold dragon through the message stone: "Alberto, I'm about to enter dragon sleep."
"During this period, if the Molten Iron Tribe encounters troubles they cannot resolve, I hope you can step in to mediate or handle them on my behalf."
"As compensation, for every peaceful year that passes, I will reduce your debt interest by ten percent. If my slumber lasts long enough for you to offset all the principal, I will additionally pay you a generous reward."
Hearing these words.
Gold Dragon Alberto's tone instantly became enthusiastic as he replied fervently.
"You're being too formal! We're all dragon brothers, do we really need to discuss such things between us? The matters of the Molten Iron Tribe are my matters, Alberto's matters!"
As he said this.
He seemed to have completely forgotten how resistant he had been when Garoth first called him a gold dragon brother and said compensation wasn't necessary, acting as if his tail had been stepped on.
The next moment.
After a slight pause in his speech, Alberto quickly added another sentence, his tone extremely serious: "Of course! Even brothers should settle accounts clearly, so the reward you promised me then must not be short by even a single coin."
After ending communication with the gold dragon.
Garoth formally announced his impending slumber to the other dragons in Dragon Valley.
And he wasn't the only one who needed to sleep.
It was predictable that after him, his blood relatives like the iron dragon Sorog, the red dragon Samantha, and even Gordon far away in the Federation would soon enter their sleep periods one after another.
With the Ignas brothers all falling into slumber.
The white dragon Trixie, the blue dragon Heriam who was about to awaken from dragon sleep, the red dragon Kahir, and the young black dragon and young green dragon Ludwig would shoulder heavier responsibilities, taking charge of the Molten Iron Tribe's various affairs for the coming period.
To prevent these young or impulsive dragons from making irrational decisions.
Garoth gave clear instructions in advance to the senior follower leaders including the Gluttonous Ogre Karu, the werewolf Russell, the flying dragon leader Tasha, the half-elf centaur Elvy, the serpentfolk Sword Saint Narys, and the Grand Artificer Scott.
During this special period when the Ignas brothers all fall into slumber:
First: The tribe is forbidden from any form of external expansion and from proactively initiating large-scale conflicts.
Second: The tribe's overall development strategy shifts entirely to conservatism, with the core objectives being: hold existing territories! Consolidate defenses, stockpile resources, and accumulate strength.
Third: If the remaining dragons attempt to violate the conservative policy and forcibly implement radical strategies, the follower leaders have the right to refuse to execute commands.
Those senior leaders' primary loyalty is to Garoth.
Without Garoth's personal authorization, other great dragons would find it difficult to truly command them.
Moreover, judging by the white dragon Trixie and those young dragons' current strength, they probably couldn't even defeat those senior follower leaders.
"Trixie, you are currently the oldest and most experienced among the dragon group."
"After me, Sorog, and Samantha all fall into slumber, you need to take on the responsibility of leadership, ensuring the tribe lives peacefully, not proactively causing trouble, with everything focused on accumulating strength and consolidating foundations."
"Can you do this?"
Garoth specifically called the white dragon before him, speaking earnestly.
"Don't worry! Garoth!"
The white dragon Trixie suddenly straightened her slender neck, saying seriously: "If we consider the Molten Iron Tribe as a whole, then after you enter slumber, the tribe's overall ecological niche will inevitably experience a temporary decline."
"During this stage, patience and restraint are the wise choices."
"When you all awaken and collectively enter the youth phase, the tribe's ecological niche will experience a tremendous leap forward... that will be the best time for us to show our edge again."
Hearing the white dragon's clear and rational analysis, Garoth felt very confident that she wouldn't do anything outrageous during his slumber.
She would probably be only too happy to have the entire tribe completely turtle up.
In the following days.
Garoth thoroughly conveyed his will and various precautions during the slumber period to every dragon vein vassal and other core follower leaders, and held a lengthy and detailed work meeting with his blood brothers and the other remaining dragons.
Only after everything was properly arranged with no omissions.
Did Garoth finally spread his enormous wings, soar into the air, and leave Dragon Valley.
The red iron dragon soared through the cool skies of the convergence lands.
Before long, he arrived above another valley covered in brilliant red.
He lowered his head and gazed down, seeing the valley densely populated with red maple trees. At this season, the fiery red leaves swayed and rolled in layers with the mountain breeze's caress, breathtakingly beautiful.
Red Maple Valley—this was the territory where the silver dragon Edri's family resided.
A year ago, when Deborah's dragon sleep period arrived, she had returned to this safe home to slumber under her parents' protective barrier.
And Garoth had also decided to make this place his slumber site for this occasion.
He beat his wings, gradually descending in altitude.
Just as he was about to enter the valley's range.
Garoth clearly felt a slight resistance like passing through a layer of viscous water film sweep over his entire body. The next moment, the obstruction disappeared, and he found himself already inside the valley.
Garoth focused his mind slightly, using Face of the Self.
Sure enough, he saw a massive and complex, powerful magical barrier with countless faintly visible runes on its surface, covering the entire valley tightly like an inverted bowl.
The strength of this barrier was astonishing.
The reason Garoth could enter and exit freely was because the silver dragon Edri had left a passage mark on him previously.
He circled slightly in the air above Red Maple Valley, his gaze quickly locking onto a figure in a forest clearing below.
Deborah was curled up slightly in her slender dragon body covered in beautiful scales, with many fiery red maple leaves having fallen around her and on her body. Her sleeping posture appeared serene and elegant, as if integrated with the beautiful mountain scenery.
Garoth didn't approach to disturb this tranquility.
Unlike Deborah, he couldn't feel the same depth of security that would allow him to undergo prolonged slumber completely exposed in an open environment.
He needed a more concealed location.
After brief consideration, the red iron dragon turned his gaze toward a clear small river winding through the valley.
His massive body descended, squeezing into the river channel. Using his powerful claws and fangs and immense strength, he didn't take much time to excavate a temporary dragon nest in the rocky bank on one side of the river.
Inside the dark and damp temporary dragon nest.
The red iron dragon took out all the stored black oil crystals.
At the moment when the drowsiness within him was most intense and almost irresistible, he took a deep breath, swallowed all the black oil crystals at once, then immediately consumed as many magic gems and various precious metals as possible.
Under normal circumstances.
With such a massive amount of high-energy substances entering his stomach instantly, he would inevitably feel surges of vigorous energy erupting like volcanoes within his body, requiring immediate high-intensity exercise to release it.
But now, the special physiological state before dragon sleep changed everything.
In this state, the efficiency of a great dragon's body in digesting, absorbing, and converting energy would reach levels far exceeding normal.
After swallowing large quantities of treasures, Garoth didn't feel violent surges of surging energy impact.
Instead, he felt them slowly settling within his body, releasing pure energy in a gentle and sustained manner bit by bit, like warm currents permeating his limbs, scales, armor, and bones.
This soothing nourishing sensation made him feel extremely comfortable, and the deep sleepiness subsequently overwhelmed him completely like a tide.
"After this long slumber, my dragon heart will most likely complete that crucial evolution."
"This will be a qualitative leap. When I step into the youth phase, I will inevitably become stronger."
"But this is only the beginning. I will evolve step by step to heights where no one can kill me..."
Thinking this in his heart, the red iron dragon's consciousness gradually blurred and scattered, finally falling into deep sleep.
Time flowed silently amidst the shifting light and shadow of swaying maple leaves.
Simultaneously, the red iron dragon's originally leaping heart that beat like a war drum gradually became slow and prolonged, eventually even approaching imperceptibility, as if completely enveloped by an invisible, thick cocoon.