The Fiery Crown Cycle: A Dragon's Rebirth

Chapter 149

"To forge the cannons, we require Amethyst ore. The heavy arbalests demand Platinum. The tribe... has exhausted its supply of both."

Aiden’s jaw clamped shut. The crimson fire in his eyes dimmed, replaced by a cold, reptilian indifference.

"So, what you are telling me," the Red Dragon rumbled, his voice dropping an octave, "is that you are useless?"

The four goblin Elders began to shake violently. They knew that tone. If their next answer didn't satisfy the wyrm, they would be reduced to ash.

"We can build them!" one Elder squeaked, prostrating himself further. "If—if we can acquire the ores!"

Amethyst and Platinum. Both were rare, expensive materials.

"And how many veins do you currently control? Are any of them rare earth deposits?"

"We control eight veins, Master. But... all are common iron."

Hiss.

Two jets of superheated smoke blasted from Aiden’s nostrils, scorching the grass.

He was displeased. Immensely displeased.

He had spent the entire night on this conquest. He had wasted precious sleeping hours, essentially working unpaid overtime, only to find out the factory he just acquired was out of raw materials.

Useless trash. Maybe I should just incinerate them and sell the ash for fertilizer.

The ambient temperature around the dragon spiked. The grass began to curl and brown. Sensing their imminent demise, the lead Elder screamed out.

"Great Master! We know where to find the rare ores!"

The rising heat instantly dissipated. Aiden’s heavy eyelids lowered halfway, his expression shifting from murderous to mildly annoyed.

"Why didn't you lead with that?" He grumbled, the smoke clearing. "Where?"

Azure, watching from the side, let out a soft huff of disappointment. She had been looking forward to the dissection.

"In the center of the forest," the Elder rushed to explain. "There is a rift—a passage leading to the Underdark. The rare veins are down there."

Aiden’s eyes brightened. The Underdark.

Deep within his Draconic Inheritance, memories that were not his own surfaced. The Underdark was not merely a cavern system beneath the earth; it was a sub-plane, a pocket dimension parasitic to the main plane of Aethelgard. It was a dark reflection of the world above, teeming with resources, ancient ruins, and danger.

"Why haven't you claimed it?" Aiden asked.

"Master, the entrance is guarded by high-tier mystic beasts. We could not breach it."

Aiden considered this. The Underdark was indeed perilous. It was a closed ecosystem filled with native subterranean horrors. But risk meant profit.

He looked down at the goblins.

Well, this species breeds like vermin. They are expendable.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

He turned his gaze toward the sinkhole where the rest of the tribe hid.

"What is the current inventory? Finished product only."

"Seven cannons. Twenty shells. Ten heavy arbalests. Fifteen bolts."

Tsk.

Pathetic. That wasn't enough to arm a squad, let alone stock a dealership. He couldn't open a storefront with this pittance.

"Fine," Aiden snapped. "Call the rest of the rats up from the hole. Every single one of them puts on a Ring of Enslavement."

"Yes, Master!" the four Elders chorused, relief washing over them. They would live to see another sunrise.

As for enslaving their kin? They felt zero remorse. The unawakened were merely labor. If anything, this meant they needed to implement mandatory breeding programs immediately to replenish the numbers.

The Elders exchanged a knowing glance. They understood the assignment.

They scrambled to the edge of the sinkhole and waved their spindly arms.

"Gah! Gah!"

They barked orders in their guttural tongue.

Aiden ignored the noise, tilting his head back to look at the night sky. He yawned, his massive maw opening wide enough to swallow a horse.

Damn it. I need sleep. I’m going to sleep for a week after this.

A cacophony erupted from the pit as thousands of goblins poured out like a swarm of ants. Under the strict supervision of the Elders, the confused creatures picked up the silver rings and slipped them over their heads.

The sheer noise was irritating. Aiden had seen enough.

"You. Come here."

The lead Elder froze, then spun around, knees buckling as he faced the Red Dragon. He threw himself flat on the ground.

"Great Master?"

"Once everyone is collared, take the tribe to the base of the cliff on the eastern ridge. Establish your new settlement there."

Aiden recalled his other servant—the disciplined Gnoll.

"You will find a Gnoll there. He is your new Chieftain. Obey him as you obey me."

"Yes, Master!"

The Elder didn't dare argue. If the dragon said a hyena was their king, then a hyena was their king.

Orders given, Aiden didn't waste another second. He unfurled his crimson wings, the leathery membranes catching the wind. With a powerful thrust of his legs, he launched himself into the air, eager for the comfort of his lair.

Finally. Bedtime.

Bianca, seeing her brother leave, tilted her round, white head. She shook off her dizziness, spread her own wings, and took flight after him.

Everyone is leaving?

Azure swept her gaze over the sea of green skin one last time. Humanoid structure. Similar joint articulation to the Gnoll. Boring.

The Blue Dragon spread her wings and ascended, following her siblings.

The four goblin Elders stood in the field, craning their necks as they watched the three chromatic dragons disappear into the night clouds.

Back at the lair, Aiden plummeted from the sky and landed heavily on the cliffside platform. He dragged himself into the cave, flopped onto the cool stone floor, and let his heavy eyelids slide shut. Within seconds, his breathing slowed to a rhythmic rumble.

Sleep. Glorious sleep.

Whoosh.

A rush of wind signaled Azure’s arrival, followed by the soft click of claws on stone. Azure glanced at the mound of red scales snoozing in the corner.

Lazy. Wasting time.

She settled into her own corner but did not sleep. Instead, she lay flat, her focus sharpening.

Mana engraving. Trial thirty-four.

Three transparent rings of pure mana manifested in the air before her snout.

She began the sequence. Runes appeared, hovering in the void. With telekinetic precision, she attempted to press the runes into the mana rings simultaneously.

The first rune set held. The second set held.

She repeated the process, layering the complexity. The rings spun, humming with arcane energy. She was halfway through the matrix when the resonance frequency shifted.

The rings began to vibrate violently.

Azure’s pupils contracted to pinpricks. She instinctively slammed her armored eyelids shut.

Snap! Hiss—

The mana structure collapsed. The energy released like shrapnel, invisible blades slicing through the air. Sparks flew as the backlash raked across her face, leaving shallow white scratches on her metallic blue scales.

Azure opened her eyes, ignoring the stinging sensation on her snout. She looked down at the scorch marks on her chest.

Failure.

The simulation was imperfect. Real mana engraving required a level of microscopic control she had not yet mastered. The volatility was higher than anticipated.

She didn't get angry. She didn't sigh. She simply calculated the error margin.

Again.

Three fresh transparent rings materialized in the silence of the cave.

Ten minutes later.

The rings began to shudder. The hum turned into a high-pitched whine.

Azure closed her eyes calmly.

Snap! Hiss—

The sharp sound of shattering magic echoed off the cave walls.

Azure opened her eyes. She replayed the failure in her mind, isolating the variable that caused the collapse. She adjusted her mental formula.

The rings manifested again.