novelraw Chapter 335: Set the Trap, Blood Kin Plot Against Father
Chapter 335: Set the Trap, Blood Kin Plot Against Father
"Haha, Sorog, are you kidding? I'm going to lose to that iron pig?!"
"Mother, you must be misunderstanding me. I will definitely defeat that red-scaled fool who has no self-awareness!"
After hearing the exchange between several blood kin, red dragon Samantha and iron dragon Gordon almost spoke up to refute at the same time, then glared viciously at each other. Their consciousness forms’ sharp gazes collided fiercely in the air, like actual sparks snapping and popping.
"Fine! When we meet in the material world, the first thing we do is duel!"
Both dragons bared their fangs, battle intent boiling, and in the instant their eyes met they reached an unspoken agreement: when they met in the flesh, they would settle it first, knock the other down, and heap scornful humiliation upon them.
"I'd be happy to be the witness for you."
Garoth said with a chuckle.
He was the one who had first thrown out that provocative question, and after Sorog’s seemingly casual stoking of the fire, he eventually incited Samantha and Gordon to make that fight pact.
It’s hard to say whether the dragon leader secretly enjoyed the spectacle a little.
After that little interlude, Garoth’s consciousness slowly drew the smile from his expression; he became serious and solemn."This gathering this time is mainly to discuss a potential huge danger."
His gaze swept slowly over each blood kin present, finally settling on the three young dragons apart from Leticia.
"First, let’s clarify what the danger is."
"Sorog already knows—our biological father is currently in the Ser Wilderness."
"His name is Gorthax, also nicknamed Madfire Bloodflame, Wing of the Burning Mountain, and so on. He is a middle-aged red dragon of extremely formidable power."
At that point his voice paused and grew deeper and heavier.
"But what Sorog, like you, does not know is this—our red dragon father is extremely dangerous. If we encounter him carelessly, it could very likely bring unpredictable huge trouble, even life-or-death crisis."
"Blood relatives who share a bloodline have a rather keen natural sense of each other’s existence."
"As long as we and he live on the same Ser Wilderness, sooner or later an encounter is nearly unavoidable."
"In other words, the options before us are actually quite limited."
"Either we choose to proactively leave the Ser Wilderness and give up everything here; or sooner or later we must face this extremely dangerous father—there is no other path."
He then briefly but clearly described Gorthax’s current condition:
A mind eroded by frenzied flame, power surpassing red dragons of the same age, and an extremely unpredictable danger.
When Garoth finished describing him, he looked at his brothers and sisters with a calm gaze and asked, "What do you think—we should treat this powerful biological father how?"
Having said that, he fell silent, merely watching his blood kin, waiting for their responses and opinions.
Garoth knew well the importance of pooling wisdom; he never believed himself to be infallible or that his ideas were perfect.
Asking other blood kin for opinions could, even if not ultimately adopted, inspire him with different perspectives and expose potential blind spots.
It was undoubtedly a great way to check for missing pieces.
After a few seconds of silence, the only pure-blooded red dragon present was the first to break the quiet.
Samantha flicked her tail carelessly, scattering an invisible string of sparks.
"He's just a biological dad, after all."
She split her massive maw, revealing rows of sharp teeth. Her tone held no fear but rather eager excitement.
"If he’s guaranteed to be difficult to get along with, possibly a menace, then treat him as an enemy! I have no psychological burden about striking a so-called father I’ve never met."
"On the contrary—" her eyes narrowed slightly, "—for some strange reason, the thought of opposing such a powerful father actually excites me. I can feel my dragon blood flowing faster."
Leticia glanced sideways at her only female offspring.
From Leticia’s understanding of Gorthax, she could almost be certain that if a fight truly broke out, Gorthax in his madness would show no mercy to his descendants; on the contrary, the target’s identity might make him even more ecstatic and brutal.
Samantha’s bluntness fully inherited the red dragon blood’s untamed arrogance and warlike frenzy.
Her thinking in some ways coincided with Gorthax’s, proving that like father, like child.
"My initial inclination was that perhaps we could try to communicate first."
Sorog’s low voice sounded, calm as ever.
"A middle-aged red dragon with such power, if he could stand as an ally, would be far more valuable than a powerful enemy."
"In any case, an alliance based on bloodline as a potential bond is usually more stable than cooperation between unfamiliar dragons based purely on interest."
He was not easily swayed by emotion like Samantha.
For the grand blueprint he envisioned for the tribe, even a potential enemy, as long as there existed a sliver of possibility for cooperation or subjugation, Sorog would prioritize that solution.
For example: when he once besieged and wounded a centaur leader, he did not order the being killed out of spite; instead he kept them, transforming them into subordinate forces that contributed to the Molten Iron Tribe.
However, after outlining the possibility of communication, Sorog’s tone suddenly shifted to something more grave.
"But before this, I already attempted to proactively establish a bloodline connection with Gorthax."
"The result was that the moment my thread of spiritual energy touched, it was instantly burned away by his raging, furious spirit flame."
"In that process I truly felt an indescribable, absolute chaos and madness."
The iron dragon's voice was unhurried as he continued: "Considering that the risk in that is enormous and uncontrollable, on this matter my final judgment aligns with Samantha’s—treat father as the enemy and prioritize eliminating him."
Gordon scratched his fat-neck with a thick claw.
He thought for only a couple seconds, then nodded his big head heavily.
"Sorog and Samantha make solid points and analyze it clearly. I think the same as they do—no other opinions."
After a brisk round of discussion, these young dragons—growing and beginning to show their edges—finally reached a unanimous consensus: they would regard their mad red dragon father as an enemy that must be eliminated, not someone to be wooed or cooperated with.
A farcical scene of father and sons at odds seemed unavoidable.
"Alright, since we agree, let’s discuss the specifics of how to deal with Gorthax."
Garoth raised his proud dragon head slightly and said, "Our goal is to, as much as possible through one carefully planned siege, completely remove this hazard—give him no chance to come back."
His voice was calm yet contained exceptional resolve.
An enemy like the red dragon Gorthax—either do nothing, or if you act you must aim for a single decisive killing blow that leaves no future trouble.
Otherwise, if they fail to eradicate the evil and he escapes to return, with his madness and great strength he would definitely cause Garoth and his Molten Iron Tribe enormous trouble.
"Find an open ground, lay out the finest food red dragons love, then use wind spells to spread the scent far and wide!"
Gordon shook his huge head and first proposed a suggestion full of his personal flavor.
"When Gorthax is drawn by the aroma, we all pounce and catch him off-guard!"
Samantha immediately shot him a disdainful look.
"Do you think all dragons are like you, filling their heads only with food? Do you really believe such a childish trap could fool a middle-aged dragon?"
She snorted. Then she lifted her head and put forth her plan.
"If you ask me, we should send a squad of elite followers, make a big show entering Gorthax’s territory, deliver a challenge! Insult him with the most vicious words, then arrange a duel location and ambush him there!"
That suggestion drew Gordon’s rebuttal at once.
He said in a rough voice, "Ha! You think other dragons are as straightforward and stupid as you? They’d rush in at the provocation? If Gorthax were that stupid, he’d have been killed long ago."
As the two dragons were about to fall into dispute, under Garoth’s gaze Sorog’s eyes flickered with spiritual energy as he spoke slowly:
"Frenzied flame... based on Mother’s description, this thing is the root of Gorthax’s power and likely his greatest fixation."
"Perhaps we can try to use the frenzied flame as bait."
"He has a very high probability of taking the bait."
He explained his plan coherently: "Using our various channels, quietly spread a rumor that deep in the Sky Pit Territory where Mother Leticia resides, a strange nameless fire has mysteriously ignited; any creature approaching goes mad and confused, yet its strength will briefly surge."
"If that news reaches Gorthax’s ears, given his familiarity with frenzied flame, whether or not he fully believes it, he will be unable to resist investigating in person."
"At that time, the one who knows Gorthax best—Mother—can try to detain him, while calling us through the bloodline connection."
"When the dragon group has gathered, we launch a thunderous strike."
Hearing this, Garoth gave Sorog an approving look.
"Good idea; you considered Gorthax’s thought processes, which makes it more targeted."
He looked around and said, "If there’s no better or more complete plan, let’s begin preliminary preparations according to Sorog’s proposal."
Samantha and Gordon were not essentially dragons who liked to ponder complex strategies.
They did not object to this seemingly more viable plan and thus tacitly approved Sorog’s suggestion.
At that moment, Leticia, who had been silent for a long time, cocked her head slightly and asked with some doubt, "Children, you seem unusually confident in discussing how to ambush Gorthax."
"But I must remind you: Gorthax is no ordinary middle-aged dragon."
"He is a powerful Wild Dragon, possesses a fierce and mysterious frenzied flame, and has partially awakened ancestral red dragon bloodlines. His level of danger far exceeds that of ordinary dragons."
"Also, although he is somewhat mad and chaotic, that does not mean he is stupid."
"If things look bad, he very likely can snap out of his frenzy and choose to retreat decisively."
"Even if outnumbered, the moment he wants to flee, with his strength and speed it will be very difficult for us to truly keep him."
This was indeed a crucial point.
However, Garoth happened to have an answer for dealing with it.
"I once encountered a powerful Dragon Hunting Team. In that life-or-death crisis I nearly died."
Garoth said calmly, "After I managed to turn the tables and slay them, fortune smiled upon me: I awakened Dragon Qi, took up the role of a Battle Dragon, and also seized an extremely powerful Alchemical Tool."
He described the effect of the Duel Array Disk.
It forcibly drags the target into an independent space, isolates external interference, and restricts spatial movement.
In short, this tool was tailor-made to allow many to overwhelm one—surround and kill those single individuals whose personal strength is unusually high.
"The Duel Array Disk’s effect involves the path of space."
Garoth continued, "Gorthax is a typical warrior-type red dragon and certainly masters many powerful spell-like abilities."
"But the path of space? That requires extraordinary talent and study."
"None of the dragons present excel in that path, and Gorthax is no exception. Unless he has already stepped into the legendary realm, it’s almost impossible for him to break through the confinement of a carefully crafted spatial tool in a short time under attack by multiple strong enemies."
Leticia nodded slowly, a glint of comprehension in her eyes.
"Indeed he is poor at space path. Apart from innate spell-like abilities, Gorthax can be said to have no other magic."
She added, "He prides himself on pure strength and a mighty physique, believing the red dragon body to be the world’s greatest weapon, and has always sniffed at learning spells."
"A powerful spatial tool that can generate an independent battlefield, combined with a group assault...there is indeed a significant chance of utterly resolving him."
After a further series of detailed discussions that refined many operational details, the topic of how to deal with the red dragon father Gorthax was temporarily concluded.
Leticia’s consciousness then withdrew from the mental network; she needed time to digest the information and prepare for possible action.
"The Molten Iron Tribe’s steps will not be halted because of a potential enemy."
Garoth did not end the mental meeting there; he shifted the topic and spoke with an elevated tone.
"Our subordinate army has fully arrived in the Ser Wilderness, gathering at Ximu Domain and major outposts on standby. They crave war, craving victory to secure glory and resources for the tribe."
Red dragon Samantha nodded heavily first; her consciousness solidified further with excitement.
"I can hardly wait!"
"I want to see rivers of blood! I want to burn enemies to ash with dragon breath! I want the Molten Iron Tribe’s renown to echo throughout the wilderness!"
She roared low, as if real sparks flew from her mouth.
Iron dragon Sorog’s tone also rose slightly, betraying his own restrained excitement: "Currently, Ximu Domain and our main strongholds are concentrated on the northwest edge of the Ser Wilderness."
"My idea is to use Ximu Domain as our starting point and secure rear, gradually radiating outward, taking ground step by step, first attempting to seize control of the entire northwest region."
He paused slightly, then continued: "The scouts I sent earlier have started returning with intelligence. Based on my analysis, I have selected our first target—the Tempering Heights."
"There once belonged to our Molten Iron Tribe and there is an extremely precious Geosymbiotic Pool there."
"After we were driven out, pursuing forces from the Raymond Duchy occupied and long-held that place."
"They clearly understand this land’s value and poured massive resources into upgrading and remodeling the Geosymbiotic Pool, making its function far exceed before. They also garrisoned heavy troops at Tempering Heights, building extremely strong defenses—arguably the Raymond Duchy’s most tightly guarded, hardest-to-take stronghold in the Ser Wilderness."
Sorog continued, "Also, the Raymond Duchy is aligned with the Kingdom of Rybos."
"Attacking and seizing their stronghold will also let us obtain the previously promised additional investment and support from Crystal Princess Elina."
Garoth pondered for a few seconds, ran Sorog’s information through his mind, then nodded slowly.
"Then let us start from Tempering Heights, let the Molten Iron Tribe’s battle standards again root across the land we once lost, and point toward farther territories."
He said in a deep voice, making the decision.
"Sorog, begin mobilizing and summoning the legions. Prepare—by thunderous force we will take Tempering Heights in one blow!"
Lands once lost will surely be reclaimed as Garoth grows stronger and the Molten Iron Tribe flourishes; from that base the tribe’s territory will expand outward further.
"Alas, I’m stuck in the royal court and cannot personally join this glorious campaign."
Gordon spread his thick claws with some regret.
"I can only wait in the far south for your triumphant news. But with Princess Elina, I will continue negotiating; I’ll ensure she keeps investing in the dragon cause."
Garoth smiled a little at that and said, "Gordon, I must correct your first sentence."
"You are participating in this war as well, just in a different way than the frontline slaughter. Every great deed of the tribe will have a share of glory that belongs to you."