novelraw Chapter 134
Chapter 134
"Damn it! Damn all these wretched goblins!"
Bianca's four claws scrabbled furiously against the stone floor, propelling her deeper into the mine.
Clang. Clang. Clang...
The rhythmic sound of pickaxes hitting stone echoed from the depths.
At the end of the main tunnel, the iron tracks split into dozens of branches. Each track hosted a waiting mine cart, and over a hundred goblins were hard at work, their roles clearly defined—diggers digging, loaders loading. It was an industry of malice.
Thud. Thud.
Heavy, scaled footsteps announced death's arrival.
"Found you! You miserable little vermin!"
The ferocity in Bianca’s white eyes intensified. Her maw snapped open, and a torrent of freezing breath cascaded out.
"Gah!"
"Run! It's a dragon!"
These were merely miners, not warriors. Faced with a sudden, vengeful white dragon, they had no courage to fight. They scattered like roaches in light.
But the breath weapon was relentless. Any goblin caught in the cone of frost was instantly frozen mid-stride, transformed into a pristine, horrified ice sculpture.
Bianca stood at the junction, blocking the only exit. The goblins had nowhere to run but toward her.
Her claws shredded those foolish enough to get close. Her tail whipped out, sending broken bodies flying into the walls.
"Gawww!"
The panicked shrieks of goblins echoed through the cavern.
Whoosh.
Aiden landed heavily behind her, his crimson claws gripping the stone. His vertical pupils scanned the scene calmly.
What caught his attention wasn't Bianca’s massacre, but the mine itself.
This looks like an iron vein. Aiden’s eyes narrowed in thought.
The goblin race had been cursed, their lineage broken, their minds stagnant or regressing. Yet, craftsmanship seemed etched into their very genetic code. Even devolved into mystic beasts, the items they forged were precise, deadly, and undeniably well-made. Their weapons were masterwork quality, far superior to standard crude armaments.
A blaze of ambition ignited in his red eyes.
Perhaps... I can enslave this tribe.
Make them dig. Make them forge.
Isolde was fighting a war. She would need weapons. The market was already established.
Aiden grinned, his maw stretching wide.
In his left eye, the Crown sigil flared with red flame.
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[Oh... Master. Isolde awaits your guidance.]
The young girl’s voice resonated in his mind, lively and filled with obvious joy.
[Isolde, you can continue to call me Mister Aiden.]
[No. You are Isolde's revered Master.]
She refused. Aiden shrugged internally; he didn't care much for divine titles.
[Suit yourself. I need a large quantity of Rings of Enslavement. Do you have access to them?]
There was a pause before she responded.
[Master, Thea says her family can provide the Rings of Enslavement you need. What is the specific quantity?]
Thea? Family? The flames in Aiden’s eyes flickered.
So she isn't a servant?
Quantity... Goblins breed like rats. Better to be prepared.
[Put me down for fifty thousand.]
[We can provide that. It's just...]
[What is it?]
[Um... Master, will you be paying for them?] Her voice held a clear note of hopeful expectation.
In a spacious command tent, a blonde girl in shining silver-white armor sat on a bench.
[Can I owe you for now?]
Hearing her Master's reply, Isolde instantly slumped onto the table, her chin resting on the wood, squishing her round cheeks.
[Well... okay then.]
She glanced sideways. The black-haired girl in the white dress stood silently nearby.
Thea had been watching the whole time. Their eyes met.
"My dear Highness, what did your 'Master' say?"
Thea’s black eyes fixed on Isolde’s pouting face. She already knew the answer. Expecting a chromatic dragon to pay? Tsk tsk.
Isolde never hid anything about her Master from Thea.
Isolde turned her face away, huffing softly.
"Hmph!"
With that sound, the debt increased: +25,000 gold.
This divine favor is cheeky. Actually expecting me to pay.
What kind of divine favor asks for money? Shameless.
The flames in Aiden’s eyes died down as he cut the connection.
Just put it on my tab. You can't exactly send debt collectors after your god.
He lifted his head, looking at the white figure ahead.
Bianca had pounced on an Elite Goblin overseer, a brute standing over seven feet tall. Her white claws pinned him to the ground.
"Gawww!"
The goblin struggled frantically as the scarlet-stained white maw descended.
Crunch!
She bit off half his body in one go.
Chew, chew...
Ptoo!
She spat a mass of mangled flesh onto the ground.
Her shimmering eyes glared at the meat.
Yuck. Not tasty at all.
Just like the first one. Terrible texture.
"Let's go. We're leaving," Aiden called out from behind.
"Okay! Rawr!"
Bianca spun around, her claws tapping a jaunty rhythm on the stone as she trotted toward the red dragon.
She reached him and looked up, her round head tilting.
Aiden lowered his head. He looked into those shimmering white eyes—pure, innocent, and completely simple.
She is cute, I’ll give her that.
He raised a red claw, gently patting her round head before withdrawing.
He looked up. The tunnel was wide enough for low flight.
He spread his wings and took off, gliding toward the exit.
Whoosh.
Sunlight pierced the gloom. The exit rushed to meet them. Aiden pumped his wings, accelerating out into the open air.
The sky was still blue. He flared his nostrils, his pupils dilating.
The air outside was definitely sweeter than the stale, metallic scent of the mine.
He landed smoothly, rearing up onto his hind legs before folding his wings.
He looked forward.
Directly in front of the mine entrance, Azure lay quietly on the ground. Her blue tail was still, resting on the earth, her head raised in alert observation.
They locked eyes for a moment before Aiden shifted his gaze to the circle of a dozen goblins gathered before her. Noticing the arrival of a red dragon, the goblins began to tremble violently.
Aiden looked past them, noting the scorched earth around the clearing. Dozens of goblins lay dead, fried by lightning breath.
She killed these. There must be many hiding spots in that mine if this many slipped past me.
He looked back at the survivors.
What is she doing with them? Planning to enslave them too?
Let her try. She can't bond with many.
Standard enslavement contracts had hard limits based on the caster's power. Rings of Enslavement, however, did not.
So, my wretched little sister, even if you have ideas, you can't outplay your big brother.
Aiden grinned, a wide, arrogant expression.
Azure stared at him.
Why is he smiling like that? Did eating goblins rot his brain?
Whoosh.
A white shape flew out of the cave.
Azure tilted her head, inspecting the arrival.
No major injuries. Just two small holes in her wings.
She watched Bianca trot to stand behind Aiden's tail. Azure’s blue eyes flashed with disdain.
Hmph. Disgrace to true dragons. Getting tricked by brain-damaged mystic beasts.