novelraw Chapter 320: Iron Dragon Mother's Suspicion
Chapter 320: Iron Dragon Mother's Suspicion
A heavy night sky like black velvet enveloped the heavens above the Ser Wilderness. Sparse stars, like randomly scattered diamonds, cast faint, cold light over the Sky Pit Territory, barely outlining the massive silhouettes of two giant dragons standing in opposition.
Across from the red iron dragon, whose majestic and burly physique was downright unbelievable.
The composure and majesty that should have belonged to the Steel Queen had long since vanished completely from Iron Dragon Leticia's face.
That expression mixed with extreme shock, bewilderment, and disbelief could be clearly felt even through her heavy, cold, hard metal faceplate.
Gradually.
Only after she repeatedly confirmed that deeply familiar bloodline aura and the irrefutable details in the other's words did the overly exaggerated shock on her face recede like an ebbing tide, bit by bit, calming down. But heavy confusion and puzzlement still remained in her enormous dragon pupils.
For a moment, she was actually rendered speechless.
Her throat seemed choked by an invisible force, unable to find any suitable opening words.
Garoth was quite considerate in not continuing to speak, merely standing quietly, his eyes calmly watching the other party, patiently waiting for the Iron Dragon Mother to calm her turbulent emotions and recover from the huge impact on her own.
"You... Garoth?"After half a silence, Leticia's voice finally sounded again, carrying obvious hesitation, as if each word needed careful consideration.
She spoke in a rather uncertain, almost questioning tone:
"The product of red dragon and iron dragon bloodlines mingling... my that... hybrid offspring?"
Hearing the Iron Dragon Mother's uncertainty-filled question, Garoth slightly tilted his massive head, his majestic, winding dragon horns tracing an authoritative arc.
"Indeed."
He gave a brief, affirmative reply, his voice deep and magnetic, exceptionally clear in the silent night sky.
After a brief pause, he carefully examined the Iron Dragon Mother before him—her body length might hold a slight advantage, but in terms of pure sense of power and massiveness, she could no longer match him.
"It seems my growth and changes over these years have left you even more deeply impressed than I anticipated, Mother."
He said.
After completely calming down, Leticia did not relax her vigilance. Her body remained taut, as if facing a strange, dangerous dragon. She stared intently at the red iron dragon, her sharp gaze sweeping over his thick scales and those muscle lines containing explosive power.
"If my memory serves correctly, you left my territory at nine years old."
"Leaving the mother dragon's protection to temper scales, claws, and fangs in the broader, crueler world can indeed make young descendants mature faster."
"But no matter what."
"Only about fifty years have passed since you left."
Leticia's voice was full of doubt: "What did you eat? How could you possibly grow to this extent in such a short time?!"
Even among the same dragon species, different individuals can have personality differences, and the gap can be as vast as a chasm.
Leticia is a standard iron dragon, lawful evil alignment, a pragmatist.
But compared to most other iron dragons, her nature carries more caution and suspicion.
She did not let her guard down because of Garoth's words.
Deep inside, she even began to suspect whether this powerful red iron dragon before her was actually a powerful entity skilled in shapeshifting or illusion magic in disguise?
Their goal might be to lower her defenses, waiting for an opportunity to covet her territory, her treasures, or even her life.
"Mother, you should understand better than any dragon—"
Garoth said unhurriedly: "—The word 'impossible' doesn't seem to apply very well to me."
"Do you remember when I was about four years old, I proactively asked you to whip me with your dragon tail for training? I quickly recovered from those flesh-tearing injuries, and my scales became harder than before."
"At that time, that recovery and adaptation ability far exceeding ordinary dragons also made you think it was impossible."
After mentioning a bit of childhood memories to support his point, the red iron dragon continued calmly correcting: "Additionally, regarding the time I left, you seem to have misremembered something."
"I did not leave at nine years old."
"To be precise, I was just over seven years old, not yet fully eight, when Samantha, Gordon, and I—the three of us—left the Sky Pit Territory together."
From the Iron Dragon Mother's words and demeanor, Garoth keenly detected that deeply hidden suspicion and testing.
Immediately, he lifted one giant claw covered in dark scales.
In his palm lay an object—a somewhat shattered, crack-covered metal ring that had completely lost all its magical luster.
Garoth raised the broken ring before Leticia's eyes, letting her clearly see every detail.
"This item provided me with immeasurable help during those initial difficult months."
"Unfortunately, it was ultimately too fragile. During a high-intensity use, I accidentally broke it."
This was precisely the gift Iron Dragon Mother Leticia gave Garoth at their parting—the Lightning Tail Ring.
And it was precisely because of this tail ring's existence that Garoth first realized he could use external alchemical tools to stimulate himself, completing directed evolution in specific directions.
It was the key that opened Garoth's path to Frenzied State evolution, playing a very important role in his growth journey.
Opposite, Leticia carefully listened to the red iron dragon's clear, detailed narrative, her gaze falling on that Lightning Tail Ring that absolutely could not be easily counterfeited by other dragons, already long damaged.
Her extremely guarded posture finally visibly eased somewhat.
However, her dragon scales still stood slightly on end, her body's muscles remaining in a semi-taut state, not completely relaxed.
Long-term solitude and the wilderness's dangers had cultivated in her a habit of never easily letting her guard down.
"Garoth, your growth speed and final form truly astonish me beyond measure."
She bared her gleaming sharp teeth, pupils constricting into two dangerous slits, asking directly: "Then tell me, did you return here today merely to show me your current power? Or do you harbor other intentions regarding this territory I've managed for so long?"
The Iron Dragon Mother's current overreaction did not surprise Garoth.
This wasn't because she was overly sensitive or harsh.
It was truly because, in evil dragon society's rules, familial bonds are extremely faint and sparse.
Some camaraderie might remain between peers who grew up together.
But between blood relatives of different generations, there often exists deeper estrangement and potential competitive relationships.
The Dragon Legacy records not a few elder dragons successfully challenged or even killed by their offspring.
Examples of blood relatives harming each other to compete for territory, treasure, or merely prove themselves stronger are not uncommon.
"Relax, Mother."
Garoth's gaze casually swept over those iron dragon followers who remained on high alert yet trembled, not daring to approach, saying: "If I truly harbored hostile intentions, what you should be doing right now isn't questioning me here, but busy collecting the corpses of these followers of yours."
His voice was very calm, as if merely stating a simple fact.
Yet these words falling into the ears of those surrounding scorpion-lions, dragon bloodline creatures, and other monsters made them collectively feel a bone-chilling horror and retrospective fear.
Indeed, if this terrifying red iron dragon truly bore malice, he could have struck first with lightning speed, eliminating all followers while the Dragon Lord was away from the territory.
Even if he intended to take over these followers, he would definitely first eliminate those dragon bloodline vassal leaders absolutely loyal to Leticia, keeping only those easily tamed or controlled.
Not like this.
Leisurely waiting for the Dragon Lord to return, facing her and her entire subordinate army alone.
After careful consideration and weighing.
Iron Dragon Mother Leticia finally slowly relaxed her previously slightly crouched, ready-to-explode limbs, her body's powerful muscles gradually loosening.
Like a large feline confirming temporary absence of danger, she slightly gathered her limbs, squatting in a relatively relaxed posture, that steel-scale-covered long tail swaying left and right unconsciously behind her.
She looked carefully again at Garoth's highly impactful physique, finally asking the core question: "Then, Garoth, what is your true purpose in spending time waiting for my return?"
Garoth pondered slightly, weighing his words, then said: "I came here mainly to tell you two things."
"First, the life back in Sky Pit Territory was an indispensable growth experience for me. The alchemical tool you gave me at the end also provided tremendous help at critical moments."
"Second, based on the partially similar blood flowing within us, I believe we have a better foundation for cooperation than strangers. I hope we can attempt to reach some degree of alliance or cooperative relationship."
First expressing goodwill and recognition, then proposing clear cooperation intent.
After Garoth concisely finished speaking, he said no more, merely calmly looking at the Iron Dragon Mother, awaiting her response and decision.
Leticia was also gazing at Garoth, her eyes scanning inch by inch over his body, slightly shorter than hers but whose massive size and burliness far exceeded hers several times over.
Cooperation?
This proposal wasn't unthinkable.
For Leticia, that mad, powerful red dragon Gorthax remained a sharp sword hanging over her head, a huge, unpredictable potential danger.
She was unwilling to leave the Ser Wilderness where she had dwelled for many years, long familiar.
But as long as she remained here, she was destined to deal with Gorthax sooner or later.
And in the current power balance, she was completely at a disadvantage.
To counter Gorthax's threat, Leticia was already actively seeking possible allies.
However, suitable candidates were few.
Her previous attempt to ally with the Dominic Blue Dragon family, though not yet receiving a final reply, would likely end in refusal. Those blue dragons were too shrewd and pragmatic, unwilling to easily act for vague potential risks.
On the other hand, any cooperation foundation often rests on two points: trust, and clear recognition of each other's strength levels.
Regarding trust, though familial affection among evil dragons is thin, it ultimately has one more layer of blood connection and past understanding than completely unfamiliar dragons.
Moreover, in her impression, Garoth's temperament was quite different from ordinary chaotic, mad evil dragons, appearing more steady and reliable.
Her gift of that alchemical tool back then was itself a form of forward-looking investment.
As long as Garoth wasn't as extremely mad and chaotic as his red dragon father, then cooperation held some possibility.
As for specific strength levels, in this aspect, size often only represents part of strength, not all.
In Leticia's long life, she had hunted many ferocious magical beasts far larger than herself.
The red iron dragon before her, though looking quite intimidating, might possibly be impressive but useless, after all his age was truly too young: perhaps some miraculous encounter caused his body's premature development, his actual combat power might not match this impressive physique.
After carefully weighing pros, cons, and risks, Leticia's huge dragon pupils focused again on Garoth as she spoke: "My dear Garoth, today is our reunion after decades, originally a joyous occasion worth celebrating."
"But before we formally begin discussing any specific cooperation matters."
"I want to more directly understand what level you have actually grown to now."
"Your size astonishes me, but as a fellow dragon, you should also be very clear, size cannot represent everything."
She gazed at the red iron dragon, saying.
Garoth asked: "How to understand?"
He actually vaguely guessed the Iron Dragon Mother's thoughts, but still chose to ask verbally. This was both a form of respect and setting the tone for subsequent communication.
Leticia's head lifted slightly, a steady voice emerging from under her heavy faceplate.
She said directly: "Very simple, a calm sparring match."
"Only through scale against scale friction, claw and fang against claw and fang collision, the most genuine clash of power and technique, can we most clearly recognize each other's true level."
"I believe, after this, whether for cooperation or otherwise, we can make better judgments."
Her proposal perfectly aligned with Garoth's intentions.
He needed a sufficiently weighty battle to establish his proper position in this mother's heart.
In the dragon world, verbal promises are often light as dust. Only strength tested through claws, fangs, and flame can forge truly solid contracts or alliances.