The air around was cold, and a layer of ice crystals had formed on the ground.
The dense ice blades had yet to melt, clustered together like countless blooming flowers.
A dark figure stepped out from the shadows of the nearby forest, obsidian-like Dragon Scales, red dark patterns, a sturdy and rugged body… it was none other than Galos, returning to the scene of the crime.
He glanced in the direction where the Red Copper Dragon had left, and then looked at the heavily damaged, abandoned mine pit.
"Tsk, this Red Copper Dragon is really pissed off. However, the Dragon Race treasures wealth as if it were life itself. The fact that it didn't go crazy outright shows great restraint; worthy of the Metal Dragon indeed, much more restrained than the Five-Colored Dragon."
Galos clicked his tongue.
He pulled out an ice blade with his claw, the cold touch making his claw ache a bit.
"This is at least the power that only an adult Dragon Race could possess."
"Cold-affiliated… could it be that one of its parents was a Silver Dragon? Most likely."
Galos pondered in his heart.
In choosing a mate, the Dragon Race does not specifically choose only the same type. Mating with the same type of dragon is relatively rare.
But because the Dragon Race's bloodline is so dominant and difficult to integrate, the probability of a hybrid is low.
So regardless of the parents' species, the offspring are likely to inherit only one side's bloodline, making mixed-blood dragons like Galos relatively rare.
Additionally, it's worth mentioning.
Mixed-blood dragons are not always the hallmark of strength and excellence.
Galos inherited the advantages of both Iron Dragon and Red Dragon, making him a positive hybrid.
But there are also unlucky negative hybrids, who inherit both parents' weaknesses.
For instance.
A descendant of a Red Dragon and a White Dragon might be weak to both water and fire, physically frail like a White Dragon, and reckless and violent like a Red Dragon, truly a 'heart higher than the sky, life thinner than paper' in the Dragon Race.
Galos rubbed the keratinized layer on his chin, glancing down at the abandoned mine pit.
"Facing the fury of the Red Copper Dragon, the Insect King is likely heavily injured. Should I take this chance to capture it?"
Shaking his head, Galos dismissed the idea.
The Insect King was hiding at the bottom of the abandoned mine pit. Although Galos could go down, underground was not his realm, and purely killing the Insect King had little benefit.
As for capturing it.
Galos's method of using mental communication to subdue a target was essentially a means of coercion and inducement, a transaction lacking stronger guarantees.
This would not be very effective on the Insect King.
It had a high life level, and though it might be subdued initially, rebellion was inevitable once it recovered.
Soon after.
Under the shroud of night, Galos returned to the Iron Pine Hills and began to tally his gains from this venture.
With a shake of his Dragon Wings, gemstones and gold coins fell with a clinking sound, glistening beautifully in the moonlight.
These gemstones and gold coins were no ordinary items, containing magic energy, and consuming them would aid in the Dragon Race's growth and development.
Looking down at these glittering objects.
Galos instinctively felt a sense of excitement and joy, along with a strong desire to hoard and protect them from any other creature's touch.
The allure of treasure for the Dragon Race is embedded in their very bones, almost like a curse.
Galos was unwilling to be influenced by this.
An excessive pursuit and obsession with treasures was one of the major causes of death among the Dragon Race, comparable to death caused by arrogance.
Galos took a deep breath and then exhaled long, constantly breathing deeply to resist his inner desire.
His gaze gradually regained clarity.
At the age of four, he had fortunately dug up a Magic Gemstone and was eager to hide it somewhere unreachable, but he felt this emotion was abnormal and shouldn't be allowed to develop, so he thought of eating it.
However, the gemstone wouldn't go down once it reached his mouth.
It seemed like what was at his mouth wasn't a gemstone, but his lifeline.
Later, Galos hid the Magic Gemstone at the bottom of a lake, and in his spare time, he would play with it and resist the desire, honing his willpower.
Finally, around the age of six.
After two years of tempering, Galos steeled his heart and successfully consumed it as he wished.
For a juvenile dragon.
This was an absolute feat.
For those not of the Dragon Race, it is hard to imagine the Dragon Race's passion for treasures; it's a flutter etched in the soul, a primal instinct from their core.
Meanwhile.
While inscribing alchemy runes on Möbel's body, Samantha paused, her ears suddenly perking up.
"Ah, where does this wonderfully melodic, heavenly sound come from?"
She turned her head and immediately saw the pile of gemstones and gold coins at Galos's feet, her breath quickening and heart racing, her eyes sparkling.
Her claw accidentally made a large sweep, leaving a long bloody scratch on Möbel's body.
Awoo—a sudden pain made Möbel howl unexpectedly.
Samantha, however, seemed to not hear, her eyes fixated as if her soul was being summoned, stepping towards Galos.
"My dear, wealthy, great, glorious brother!"
Samantha completely abandoned the dignity of a Red Dragon, bowing her head before Galos in utmost reverence.
"I beg you, please, please."
"Share some treasure with me, I'll do anything!"
Samantha felt as if ants were biting her all over, from soul to body, making her willing to pay any price for the treasure.
Galos looked at Samantha with pity.
Her appearance was the typical reaction of a juvenile dragon upon seeing treasures.
If she knew she couldn't snatch it, she would have already pounced.
Even so, Samantha had to expend much mental effort to resist the urge to snatch the treasure from Galos's hands.
One of the adventurers' typical methods of hunting dragons was to lavishly scatter gemstones and gold coins in dragon-frequented areas, set up traps around them, and silently wait for the dragons who were sensitive to such things to arrive.
"No problem."
Galos agreed lightly, leaving Samantha incredulous.
After a pause, he added a sentence, "But on the premise that your actions satisfy me, if I am happy, I can reward you with some treasure."
Samantha's eyes widened, and she asked excitedly, "What exactly should I do?"
Galos chuckled, saying, "I can't say for sure, you'll have to figure it out on your own. As long as it makes me happy, that's fine."
As the saying goes.
The method is unknown and power unpredictable.
No fixed standard means the decision to give or not completely depends on Galos's mood.
In simple terms, he was drawing a pie.
"Making Galos happy, it sounds so easy... he wants me to master alchemy as soon as possible to help him."
After a brief thought, Samantha found a spot that could make Galos happy.
"My dear brother, I know what to do!"
Leaving a spirited statement, Samantha turned back to diligently continue her study of alchemy, in hopes of earning her 'reward.'
After dismissing Samantha.
Galos picked up a gemstone, sluggishly brought it close to his mouth, then, closing his eyes, tossed it in and bit down determinedly, crushing and swallowing it.
A surge of energy greater in magnitude than anything of equal mass rose from his belly.
The slight fatigue from training and combat dissipated almost instantly.
Magic Gemstones, being difficult to mass-produce and mine, are rarer and more precious than resources like black oil, and the benefits of consuming them are more potent albeit harder to obtain.
Having eaten one.
Galos wanted to strike while the iron was hot and consume a second one.
However, the gemstone wouldn't go down once it reached his mouth.
Attempting to continuously consume two gemstones made Galos feel a heartsick pang, with every scale and muscle resisting—it was truly difficult to proceed.
"This instinct is still too strong, eating one at a time is already my limit."
Galos shook his head and put down the gemstone.
Currently, he still had five gemstones, three Cold-Attribute White Crystals, one Fire-Attribute Ruby, one Water-Attribute Sapphire, and about two hundred Gold Coins and Silver Coins altogether.
With a sweep of his Dragon Wings, all the gemstones and gold coins were stowed away.
Then, taking advantage of the energy brimming within him, Galos soared into the sky with three pieces of Alchemy Equipment to test their specific strength and efficacy.
Alchemy Tools are not like magic items.
These things prioritize practicality, and ownership lies with whoever possesses them.
If an ordinary person obtained a powerful Alchemy Tool and it still had energy to activate, it wouldn't be impossible to contest with the extraordinary.
Unless it's a very advanced Alchemy Tool, there is no notion of ownership attachment.