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Translator: AnubisTL
After the small-scale clashes with the Gold Tooth Tribe began along the riverbank, Iron Dragon Solgorn did not personally join the fray. The fighting was primarily carried out by cavalry and the wyvern flock.
However, Solgorn was far from idle.
The Monarch Theory of the Iron Dragon Legacy contained a crucial insight on warfare:
See clearly every grain in the enemy's shield, and your blade will find the crack.
The more you understand your enemy, the greater your chances of victory.
Leveraging his ability to soar high above, Solgorn concealed his movements and quietly observed the goblins' activities, extending his surveillance beyond the riverbank stronghold.
During his reconnaissance, he noticed a peculiar phenomenon: the Gold Tooth Tribe was using their alchemy golems with reckless abandon.
They squandered these constructs as if they were inexhaustible, completely disregarding their massive black oil consumption. These golems were primarily powered by black oil, consuming vast quantities every second they operated.
Initially, Solgorn couldn't understand why, merely finding it odd.
He continued his investigation, focusing on this anomaly, and soon uncovered other unusual patterns.
For instance, the Gold Tooth Tribe's supply lines—transporting soldiers, raw materials, and other resources—didn't rely on typical tribal methods. Instead, they used steam-powered freight wagons fueled by black oil, just like their alchemy golems. Though antiquated in design, these were genuine alchemy vehicles.
In contrast, the Ironforged Tribe's transportation methods were quite primitive, relying primarily on armored rhinoceroses to pull flatbed carts for hauling goods. Faster options included cavalry units on horseback and urgent air shipments via wyverns.
In truth, the Ironforged Tribe wasn't incapable of using more advanced alchemical freight wagons.
Blueprints for older-model alchemical freight wagons were widely available. While these designs might lack aesthetic refinement, their simple and intuitive structure made them relatively easy to assemble. By purchasing core components from merchant guilds and crafting the basic chassis themselves, the tribe could acquire such wagons without incurring exorbitant costs.
The critical bottleneck, however, lay in securing a reliable energy supply.
The vast majority of black oilfields were under the control of the Lothurn Federation. The black oil purchased by the Frontierlands from the Southern Federation came at a steep premium, making it economically unsustainable to meet their consumption needs.
Although the Ironforged Tribe maintained close ties with the Gemstone Merchant Guild, even they struggled to obtain black oil at reasonable prices.
While black oilfields boasted abundant reserves, they remained strictly controlled resources. Unless a merchant guild possessed deep connections within the Federation, acquiring black oil meant paying inflated prices.
The situation was similar for other tribes in the Frontierlands.
In short, the Gold Tooth Tribe's lavish use of black oil—treating it like water to power their mech golems and vast array of other alchemical constructs—was highly abnormal.
Other tribes, lacking a significant demand for black oil, remained largely indifferent to this extravagance.
The Ironforged Tribe, however, was different. Due to the Lord of the Crimson Wings' fondness for black oil, everyone from the Dragon Valley to the common familiars was highly sensitive to it. The mere mention of the words would make them prick up their ears and pay close attention.
The iron dragon Solgorn was no exception.
Once he realized this, he carefully calculated the Gold Tooth Tribe's high-intensity expenditures. Given their current resources, sustaining such extravagance would be impossible.
Yet the reality was that they were spending lavishly.
Either they had a channel for procuring black oil at a low price—an unlikely scenario, as the Frontierlands tribes were considered primitive barbarians by the Federation. Only unscrupulous merchants willing to profit at any cost would trade with them.
Those filthy Frontierlanders want Federation black oil?
Dream on!
Alternatively, there was another possibility:
The Gold Tooth Tribe has its own black oil reserves, eliminating the need to purchase it at exorbitant prices.
To verify his theory, Solgorn personally scouted the goblins' territory during each raid, taking advantage of their momentary distractions to carefully survey their airspace.
After about a month, Solgorn approached the truth.
Within the Gold Tooth Tribe's territory, approximately a hundred miles east, lay an unremarkable plain. It wasn't a strategic pass or a key location, yet the Gold Tooth Tribe had stationed a significant garrison there, complete with aerial defenses.
Iron Dragon Solgorn dared not approach rashly.
He patiently observed from the periphery and discovered that convoys frequently traveled to and from the plain, transporting sealed barrels of an unknown substance to other goblin strongholds.
Solgorn tracked a convoy heading toward the riverbank.
Under the cover of night, a combined force of centaurs and wyverns launched a surprise attack on a goblin riverbank stronghold, only to be repelled by formidable mech golems and heavy crossbows.
Though they suffered losses, the iron dragon confirmed one thing amidst the goblins' triumphant cheers: the Gold Tooth Tribe had almost certainly discovered a black oilfield.
Moreover, this discovery was no recent event. It was highly likely that their rise to power had been fueled by this black oilfield.
The other tribes in the Frontierlands were indifferent to black oil, lacking both the need for it and any awareness of its value. The Lothurn Federation, with no military presence in the Frontierlands, paid little attention to the tribes and similarly remained ignorant of the oilfield's existence.
"Based on our current findings, we can confidently conclude that a black oilfield exists within the Gold Tooth Tribe's territory," Iron Dragon Solgorn declared slowly.
Through his account, Garos gained a clear understanding of the events and the situation's specifics.
The Gold Tooth Tribe had deployed heavy guards around the black oilfield, maintaining strict vigilance and concealment.
But perhaps due to the prolonged inaction of other tribes in the Frontierlands, they had grown complacent, recklessly squandering the black oil. This extravagance alerted the Ironforged Tribe, who were highly sensitive to the substance, to the unusual activity.
"Solgorn, you're mistaken," the red-iron dragon said, slowly rising to his full height. His scales were as dark as night, and the thorn spikes along his body bristled slightly like a forest of swords.
"It's not that the Gold Tooth Tribe possesses a black oilfield," he declared. "It's that the Gold Tooth Tribe has sprouted from my black oilfield."
The red-iron dragon bared his fangs, their tips gleaming sharply. "These insect-like creatures dare to invade my oilfield and squander my black oil!"
Even after the Gold Tooth Tribe had been exploiting the black oilfield for some time, its value remained immeasurable.
With his future development at stake, the red-iron dragon burned with impatience, longing to soar into the sky, charge toward the Gold Tooth Tribe, and beat those goblins to their knees until they begged for mercy and surrendered the oilfield without resistance.
Huff... He took a deep breath, temporarily suppressing his boiling greed.
The Gold Tooth Tribe had accumulated vast wealth, and their black oilfield lay deep within their territory, heavily guarded. A direct aerial assault would likely end in disaster.
He needed to remain calm.
Confronting the Gold Tooth Tribe required strategy, not brute force.
While he was the absolute core of their alliance, the strength of the Ironforged Tribe also needed to be leveraged.
The red-iron dragon tilted his head toward the cliff face and addressed the red-silver dragon perched on a rocky ledge: "Deborah, the war between the Ironforged Tribe and the Gold Tooth Tribe is about to escalate. Will you help me?"
Deborah furrowed her brow, her gaze shifting uneasily.
She had overheard Garos and Solgorn's conversation and sensed that Garos's true motive was to seize the Gold Tooth Tribe's black oil.
This was an act of pure evil.
The metallic dragons' code of justice left her torn and conflicted.
"The Gold Tooth Tribe is attempting to monopolize the riverbanks near the Frontierlands border, completely controlling trade in the region," the red-iron dragon continued. "If they succeed, their inherently treacherous and greedy goblin nature will inevitably lead them to exploit every resource in this land, shattering the peace of the Frontierlands."
He continued, his voice ringing with righteous conviction, "We are striking against the Gold Tooth Tribe for the sake of the Frontierlands, for the sake of all the creatures here, for peace and justice!"
Finally, Garos added, "Once this is done, I will reward you with ten high-quality magic gems."
The red-silver dragon fell silent.
She had initially intended to refuse Garos's request. After all, wars waged for plunder went against the principles of metallic dragons.
However, goblins were creatures of the evil alignment, and striking against evil to uphold justice was precisely what a metallic dragon should do.
This was different from the inherently evil red dragon or the offspring of red and iron dragons.
Under Garos's watchful gaze, the red-silver dragon nodded firmly. "I cannot refuse to strike against the evil goblins!"
Upon receiving the red-silver dragon's answer, Garos gave a barely perceptible nod.
Dragon Taming Art: Red Copper Dragon Chapter
A mere reason, an excuse, and a reward are all it takes. The naturally chaotic good red copper dragon is more than willing to participate in 'unjust' wars.
The red-iron dragon silently refined his Dragon Taming Art.
(End of the Chapter)
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