After a few minor setbacks.
The Red-Eye Clan of Crying Cliff had officially become Garros's vassals.
He looked at the fawning, tail-wagging Bloodtooth Overseer, contemplating whether to subject it to a Dragon Vein Transformation.
The Iron Dragon Mother had Dragon Vein vassals under her command; they were her most trusted personal guards, used to guard her treasury or carry out certain orders. It could be said that her level of trust in her Dragon Vein vassals was even higher than her trust in her own offspring.
The core vassals of Dragonkin almost always undergo Dragon Vein Transformation.
Dragon Vein vassals are the confidants of Dragonkin, their extended claws and teeth, possessing absolute loyalty to the Dragonkin that granted them the Bloodline transformation.
"The price is too high; I cannot afford it right now."
Garros shook his head slightly, dismissing the idea.
A dragon must be at least a Young Adult Dragon of fifty years or older to be qualified to perform a Dragon Vein Transformation, and it requires the consumption of essence blood, coming at the cost of weakening one's own strength.
For an ordinary creature to transform into a Dragon Vein creature is undoubtedly a Rebirth.
During the process, one must endure death-like torment, requiring immense determination and mental fortitude to be reborn from the ashes. If a target is chosen at random, the success rate is less than ten percent.
The Gnoll leader before him didn't look like he could survive a Dragon Vein Transformation at all.
More importantly, the targets for Dragon Vein Transformation cannot be chosen haphazardly.
Only creatures with great innate talent and a certain amount of potential are granted the qualification for transformation.
Otherwise, what if a massive amount of dragon blood is spent only to end up with a useless waste?
No Dragon would tolerate such a disgrace.
An adult Dragon has many vassals, but the number of core Dragon Vein leaders is always countable on one hand.
Gnolls.
Earth Storm Bears.
Grey-mane Werewolves.
Garros saw no potential worth a Dragon Vein Transformation in any of them. Thinking carefully, if the old Storm Bear Leader from before had been willing to submit, he might have earned Garros's favor.
"Among the Lizardfolk or the Ogre clans..."
"...might there be a target worth transforming?"
Garros wondered.
But given his personality, unless he became so powerful that the cost of Dragon Vein Transformation no longer weakened him, he would not waste his blood and power to elevate other creatures.
In Garros's view.
Only one's own strength is what truly matters.
If he wasn't strong enough, it wouldn't matter how many Dragon Vein vassals he had.
Putting his thoughts aside, Garros looked down at the Bloodtooth Overseer and said, "The Grey-mane Werewolves of the Howling Moon Clan are also under my command now. You shall serve me together."
The Bloodtooth Overseer immediately flattered him, "It is an honor for those Grey-mane Werewolves to follow you!"
He spoke as if he were the one who had arrived first.
Immediately, Garros began issuing orders and setting regulations, ensuring that the Red-Eye Clan's ambushes and raids on the Scale-Earth Rift Road were scheduled at different times from those of the Howling Moon Clan.
This way, the probability of encountering merchant caravans would be higher, and the two clans wouldn't clash with each other.
Dragonkin vassals only obey Dragonkin.
Different vassal clans might even come to blows to vie for favor, and Dragonkin lords rarely stop this 'jockeying for favor'; sometimes, they even actively incite conflict among their vassals.
Within the Dragonkin Legacy.
[The Lord], or even [the prince], was almost always included as essential knowledge.
"It's not just the Howling Moon Clan."
"The Lizardfolk of the Ripped-Claw Clan and the Ogres of the Bone-Chewing Clan."
"They will soon submit beneath my dragon wings and rule the Scale-Earth Rift Road alongside you."
Garros said.
"That is inevitable. They will all bow and scrape before you, submitting to your power."
"If there is any need, the Red-Eye Clan will charge at the very front and serve as your vanguard."
The Bloodtooth Overseer said respectfully.
"Hodge, I appreciate your cunning and alertness."
Garros said meaningfully, "Among you and the leaders of the other clans, whoever performs best in the future will be granted the opportunity for Dragon Vein Transformation."
Hearing this, the Bloodtooth Overseer was stunned for a moment before becoming ecstatic.
"Great Dragon Lord, I will certainly not disappoint you!"
He was high-spirited and filled with anticipation.
In the stories and legends passed down through the Gnoll clans, the glory of Dragon Vein Transformation was something to be yearned for.
The natural lifespan of an ordinary Gnoll was a pitiful thirty-five years. Even a powerful individual like an Overseer wouldn't live to be a hundred. But if one could successfully undergo Dragon Vein Transformation and obtain a sliver of Bloodline from a long-lived species, living to two or three hundred years would not be a problem.
Besides lifespan.
The strength of a Dragon Vein Gnoll was far beyond the reach of an ordinary Gnoll.
Driven by the pursuit of survival and power, the Bloodtooth Overseer's mind was now entirely filled with thoughts of how to better satisfy Garros, triumph in conflicts with other clans, and earn the qualification for Dragon Vein Transformation.
Not long after, Garros left Crying Cliff.
He wouldn't stay in places like Crying Cliff or Crescent Moon Valley forever.
Nor did he give the clan leaders an exact time for when he would return, or inform them where he could be found.
He only required them to act according to his orders: raid passing caravans, control merchants to build channels, and acquire resources like black oil and Demonic Energy Stones.
When he returned next time, he would evaluate them and grant rewards or punishments based on their performance.
This wasn't intentionally being mysterious; it was out of caution.
Raiding caravans and controlling merchants were not without risk. They might attract attention and lead to subsequent dangers, much like when the Earth Spiders were sent to steal black oil and were eventually discovered by the Blackrock Dwarves. Thus, it was necessary to be cautious.
As for why he still did it despite knowing the risks.
That was the result of Garros's careful consideration and weighing of pros and cons.
He was cautious, but not weak or cowardly.
When the benefits were sufficient, he was willing to pay the price of taking certain risks.
Living a life completely curled up and hidden in the wilderness might avoid more risks and gain temporary peace, but it would slow down his growth.
Garros's daily training actually created a certain amount of commotion, carrying the possibility of exposing himself. To completely avoid risk, he would have to reduce the intensity of his training.
And.
In Garros's view.
His own weakness was the greatest risk!
All danger stemmed from one's own weakness.
The longer one remained weak, the more the dangers from all directions would increase day by day.
Become strong, and the whole world would gradually become peaceful and serene.
In the night sky, a steady drizzle fell, and the sound of the wind was constant.
Garros thought to strike while the iron was hot and go subdue the Lizardfolk of the Ripped-Claw Clan and the Ogres of the Bone-Chewing Clan, completely unifying the biological clans around the Scale-Earth Rift Road and firmly controlling this branch road in his own hands.
But before he reached his destination.
Garros suddenly felt a wave of exhaustion.
This exhaustion was unnatural and unusual.
He hadn't exerted himself much while at the Red-Eye Clan; with his stamina, his current activities shouldn't have caused him to feel tired.
Along with the feeling of exhaustion.
Came a sense of lethargy, a feeling of growing sleepiness.
"My Dragon Sleep period is coming."
These sensations took Garros somewhat by surprise.
They weren't true exhaustion or lethargy, but a signal reminding Garros to set aside his current tasks and prepare for Dragon Sleep.
Dragon Sleep was different from ordinary slumber.
A Dragon's growth is not linear. During Dragon Sleep, the growth rate of Dragonkin will see a leap-forward improvement. The experience gained from daily training or combat, and the accumulated energy, will all turn into nutrients during Dragon Sleep, allowing the Dragonkin to usher in a period of significant growth and progress.
Ordinary short naps didn't count.
Before becoming an Ancient Dragon, there was only one formal Dragon Sleep for each different age group.
A Young Dragon's sleep lasts about one to five years.
The richer the accumulation, the longer the sleep, and the greater the magnitude of growth during that period.
Due to being naturally lazy and neglecting training, most Young Dragons only sleep for a year or two.
Furthermore, during the Young Dragon stage from ages six to fifteen, Dragon Sleep usually comes after age twelve. If it's even later, it's common to wake up and transform directly from a Young Dragon into a Young Dragon.
Garros was currently over eight years old, not yet nine.
Having signs of Dragon Sleep now was what surprised him.
Thinking carefully, he guessed that it might be because he had been tempering his body and honing his claws and teeth day after day, and had also consumed black oil and fairy scale powder. His body and spirit had both matured ahead of schedule, causing the Dragon Sleep to arrive early.
But regardless of the specific reason.
This was a good thing.
He could improve himself as quickly as possible and pass through his period of weakness.
"My Dragon Sleep duration will likely be three or four years, perhaps even the limit of five years."
Garros thought to himself.
As a result, some of his plans would be disrupted.
There was no point in going to subdue the Ripped-Claw Clan and Bone-Chewing Clan now; even if caravans brought back black oil or Demonic Energy Stones, he wouldn't be able to use them while he slept.
Surprises and variables are a normal part of life.
Garros wasn't troubled by this and began to ponder how he could achieve evolution during his slumber.
Without a doubt.
The slumber would not only make him grow.
Those daily accumulations of training and adaptation would also evolve during his Dragon Sleep.
Garros had first discovered his Adaptive Evolution talent after his Dragon Sleep during the Hatchling stage.
"If I want to evolve wings with jet-like explosive speed bursts, this slumber is the best opportunity!"
Garros pulled himself together and turned back toward Coniferous Valley.