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Translator: AnubisTL
The crimson sun sank westward, casting fiery afterglow that painted the layered forests in fiery hues.
"The answer is patience," the red-silver dragon murmured softly.
Garos paused, then his expression cleared with understanding. He replied slowly, "A truly elegant and fitting riddle, Deborah. Patience is the one thing I have in abundance."
He wasn't a clueless fool, nor did he enjoy feigning ignorance. He understood the red-silver dragon's unspoken meaning.
Patient metallic dragon typically only seek mates in their adulthood, and they only consider reproduction once all preparations are complete. They champion the principles of eugenics and strive to provide their offspring with the best possible upbringing.
This contrasts sharply with chromatic dragons, who often indulge their desires in youth or even adolescence.
If a female evil dragon becomes pregnant too early, some will abandon their eggs outright. Those with a shred of conscience might discard them in Blue Dragon Clan territory.
Deborah means she doesn't dislike me—in fact, she's quite fond of me, Garos mused inwardly.
She's just not ready yet.
After activating her silver dragon bloodline, Deborah's appearance was considered the epitome of elegance and beauty by dragonkind's standards. Her gaze, however, retained the lively cunning of a red copper dragon—otherwise, the red-iron dragon wouldn't have been unable to suppress his desires.
"Hmm, perhaps I'm just deluding myself."
"After all, one of life's greatest illusions is believing she likes me."
"Let things take their course."
Garos's mind remained calm, his heart untroubled by such matters.
His true goals were immortality and a touch of eternal glory.
Compared to these, everything else was merely a byproduct or seasoning on the path to eternal life.
Regardless, the red-silver dragon's return was a welcome development for Garos.
Tensions between the Ironforged Tribe and the Gold Tooth Tribe were escalating. If neither side yielded, conflict would inevitably intensify. The red-silver dragon's timely return could serve as a safeguard against unforeseen circumstances.
The red-silver dragon's gaze flickered, avoiding direct eye contact with the red-iron dragon.
She swayed her slender tail from side to side, her eyes darting around as if admiring the scenery—the battle-ravaged jungle, now a scene of utter devastation, hardly worth admiring.
Only after Garos responded did she finally turn her attention to him.
She slowly turned her head to look at Garos.
"Patience is a noble virtue," she said. "Evil dragons always lack patience, rushing into things, seeking quick gains. Garos, you're different, and I'm glad for you."
After this transparent attempt to cover her tracks, the red-silver dragon shifted her gaze, pretending to be interested in the burning tree stump.
Yet her slender, elegant tail occasionally curved, coiled, or twitched. These unconscious movements betrayed her true thoughts.
"Look at my newly acquired wild monster lord," Garos said, shifting his gaze from the red-silver dragon's tail to the white tiger sprawled on the ground.
While the two dragons conversed, the white tiger hadn't attempted to escape. It simply lay motionless, its intelligence inferior to that of a Chimera, yet instinctively knowing it shouldn't flee.
The white tiger's body was covered in wounds, a dense network of gashes, some so deep they exposed bone.
However, in the brief time since its capture, all the wounds had stopped bleeding, and its gradually weakening qi had stabilized.
This demonstrated the extraordinary resilience of a high-grade ferocious species.
"A ferocious tiger that has grown to this size is likely more powerful than White Scale in your territory," Garos remarked.
The red-silver dragon blinked, its silver pupils gleaming in the setting sun. "Are you clearing out the wild monster lords in the southwest?" it asked. "I can help you."
Garos shook his head slightly.
"Clearing them out is only one of my goals," he said. "More importantly, I want to familiarize myself with the powers and skills I've developed since my deep slumber by fighting these wild monster lords. And if I can subdue them, I'll prioritize taming them."
Wild monster lords ruled over their territories, inherently powerful and proud creatures, apex predators in their domains.
Only by defeating them in single combat and earning their genuine respect could one hope to make them submit. In this regard, dragonkind possessed a natural advantage over other ferocious beasts and demonic creatures, wielding an innate dragon might that granted them unparalleled authority.
For example,
If the Gold Tooth Tribe were to face the ferocious tiger, they could overwhelm it with numbers, capturing or killing it.
But they could never make it submit.
Even if a single powerful mecha were to defeat the ferocious tiger, the mecha lacked dragon might and would appear to the beast as nothing more than cold, unfeeling metal machinery, making submission equally impossible.
"The wild monster lords in the Frontierlands," Garos mused. "I have a higher chance of taming them."
"For the other Four Great Tribes, the options are essentially limited to killing, driving away, or capturing wild monster lords. The chances of taming them are slim."
Garos pondered this.
The Ironforged Tribe had risen rapidly, but their development time was too short, leaving them somewhat lacking in foundation compared to the Four Great Tribes of the Frontierlands.
Garos, as chief, might be on par with the leaders of the Four Great Tribes, perhaps even slightly stronger.
At the lowest level—the "cannon fodder"—the Ironforged Tribe held a slight advantage due to their abundant Hyena-Men and kobolds, who swarmed like weeds.
However.
In the middle and upper echelons—the bosses, elites, and combat units—the Ironforged Tribe's numbers fell far short.
Wild monster lords could bridge this gap.
They were difficult to control; even Garos couldn't guarantee taming them completely. The Chimera, for example, had only thought of fleeing even as death loomed, showing no inclination to submit.
But if tamed, wild monster lords could become formidable siege weapons for the Ironforged Tribe.
And they didn't need many.
Each wild monster lord would directly bolster the tribe's high-end combat power, remaining valuable for the foreseeable future.
"I understand your plan now," Garos said. "Your primary goal is to tame wild monster lords."
The red-silver dragon cautioned, "One is manageable, but if you gather too many of these creatures together, they'll inevitably clash violently—even to the point of bloodshed and death—unless you constantly monitor and suppress them."
Garos nodded. "I've already considered that."
The white tiger had long claimed the Wind Howl Dense Forest as its territory and was well-adapted to the environment. There was no need for it to accompany him to Dragon Valley.
With agile strides, Garos approached the white tiger, extended a single claw, and gently stroked its forehead. He activated his mind sense skill once more, transmitting his thoughts directly into the creature's mind.
It could remain in the Wind Howl Dense Forest, which would now belong to Garos, with the tiger acting as its temporary guardian.
Soon, soldiers from various battle groups would arrive to garrison the forest, establishing more rigorous patrols and defensive fortifications. Among them would be shamans skilled in communicating with beasts, capable of limited interaction with the white tiger.
If Garos needed the tiger to perform specific tasks, he would notify it separately.
Woof! The white tiger let out a low growl, then raised its head to gently rub against the red-iron dragon's claw, indicating its understanding.
Its intelligence was slightly lower than that of semi-sapient creatures like the Earthstorm Bear, yet higher than that of ordinary beasts—roughly equivalent to that of an eight- or nine-year-old human child. It could grasp Garos's meaning.
Guard the Wind Howl Dense Forest, coexist harmoniously with the Ironforged Tribe's familiars, and await further orders.
These instructions were easily understood by the white tiger.
"Deborah, do you know how to clear an abyssal rift?" Garos asked, changing the subject.
The red-silver dragon looked surprised. "An abyssal rift? You mean a spatial passage connecting to the bottomless abyss?"
"Yes," Garos replied. "You witnessed my battle with the reverted demonic bull. A miniature abyssal rift formed at the spot where it died. I'm not sure if it was a coincidence or if there's another reason."
The red-silver dragon's expression turned grave. "The chances of it being a coincidence are vanishingly small. You want to eliminate it?"
Garos nodded. "It hasn't caused any major crises yet and remains within manageable limits, but it's still a potential threat. I think it's best to resolve it now if possible."
The red-silver dragon nodded in agreement. "Your reasoning is sound. The bottomless abyss represents chaos and evil. Anything tainted by the abyss rarely ends well."
"So, do you have a solution?" Garos asked.
The red-silver dragon shook her head apologetically. "Abyssal rifts are notoriously difficult to eradicate. My skills aren't sufficient."
After a pause, she added, "However, I can ask my father for help. He should be able to handle a miniature rift. And if not, he can request assistance from my Golden Dragon Grandfather."
(End of the Chapter)
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