Borderlands, Dragon Valley.
Sunlight fell along the jagged and steep mountain walls, shining upon the oasis-like territory within the valley.
Flocks of wyverns soared and patrolled the sky, casting shadows across the ground, while alert kin like Gnolls guarded the outer outposts, wary of any movement.
Garros brought White Dragon Tereshi into the valley.
"Dragon Lord, you have returned."
The Wyvern Leader, Tasha, landed before Garros, prostrating herself to express her respect.
This strong, scar-faced wyvern noticed the White Dragon accompanying Garros, and the muscles beneath her scales instantly tensed.
"White Dragon Tereshi; she follows me now and has sworn her fealty."
Garros said.
The Wyvern Leader spoke softly to the White Dragon: "Noble White Dragon, Tasha greets you."
The pressure this adult White Dragon exerted on the wyvern was second only to Garros.
While the White Dragon was submissive before Garros—ranking lowest among Dragonkin—a dragon was still a dragon. In the eyes of other creatures, a White Dragon remained a fierce and powerful top-tier magical beast.
To the Sub-dragon's greeting, the White Dragon merely gave a cold snort, exhaling a freezing current of air from her nostrils.
She did not respond, holding her head high with an expression of pride and disdain.
Only before Sub-dragons could a White Dragon feel the superiority of being a Dragonkin.
"Tasha, continue your patrol,"
Garros ordered.
The wyvern did not immediately take flight. Instead, she said in a raspy voice, "My Lord, the wyvern flock discovered yesterday that a group of Minotaur cavalry attempted to approach Dragon Valley. They lingered on the outskirts wearing war helmets with iron-shod horns. Realizing they were exposed, they did not approach further and turned back."
"Minotaur... Is it the Bloodhoof Clan the Centaurs spoke of?"
The Red-Iron Dragon was thoughtful.
Centaurs were nomadic tribes. Before the White Mane Clan was subjugated by Garros, they wandered throughout the Borderlands and thus had a clear understanding of the area.
Through the accounts of the Centaur commander and the old warlock,
Garros knew of the Minotaurs' existence.
The Bloodhoof Clan—substantial in scale, several times larger than the Centaur clans. While not the overlords of the Borderlands, they had moved beyond the realm of merely struggling to survive.
They had their own pastures, mineral veins, and numerous warriors and shaman warlocks.
They traded via the Great River and possessed sophisticated weapons and armor.
Many years ago, the Bloodhoof Clan was far inferior to the White Mane Clan, precarious in the Borderlands and liable to be wiped out at any moment—a clan like weeds.
Until the birth of Bahl Bloodhoof.
He was born different, with a pair of pure black eyes without any whites.
His fur was not brown like ordinary Minotaurs, but ink-black, darker than the blackest night.
His growth rate left ordinary Minotaurs far behind.
At twelve, Bahl killed the old chieftain in a challenge and became the ruler of the Bloodhoof Clan. He rose rapidly, leading the Bloodhoof Clan to annex other Minotaur clans and destroy enemies in their path, making the Bloodhoof Clan grow ever stronger.
The previous Clan Chief of the White Mane Clan had once met Bahl.
"He is like a demon from the abyss."
This was the White Mane Clan Chief's evaluation of Bahl. Even the brave Centaur who dared to hunt adult White Dragons warned his tribesmen not to provoke the Bloodhoof Clan, and especially not to make an enemy of Bahl.
The Red-Iron Dragon remained silent.
Having just arrived and established a foothold in the Borderlands, and with his Dragon Sleep approaching, Garros did not want to cause trouble or attract too much attention.
However, things did not go as planned.
The expanding Bloodhoof Clan had set its sights on Dragon Valley. Those retreated Minotaur cavalry might return one day with a large force.
Now, Garros did not have many choices.
One was to abandon the territory again, find another place to lie low, and return after his Dragon Sleep.
The second was to resolve the threat of the Bloodhoof Clan before his Dragon Sleep.
Garros leaned toward the second option.
He had already fled twice and abandoned his territory twice. Unless necessary, he did not want a third time.
Besides, the monster clans of the Borderlands were certainly not as dangerous as the garrisons of the wilderness.
"The descriptions from the Centaurs aren't comprehensive enough."
"I must first determine the general situation of the Bloodhoof Clan before making a final decision."
Garros pondered, his eyes flickering. "I just don't know if our existence has been exposed."
This point was very important.
If they weren't exposed, the Young Dragon in the shadows would hold the initiative and could use some schemes. But if they were exposed, the situation would become troublesome—or rather, simpler, as both sides would be out in the open, and it would mainly be strength that did the talking.
The Bloodhoof Clan had many units like shaman warlocks.
Minotaur Shamans were famously powerful, their race and class being extremely compatible. Furthermore, the Bloodhoof Chieftain leading them was renowned and could not be underestimated.
This meant...
It would be unwise to try to topple the entire Bloodhoof Clan with the power of a single dragon. A war might be necessary next to resolve the Bloodhoof Clan threat more securely.
Garros now had quite a few followers.
He didn't need to risk himself for everything or charge into the Bloodhoof Clan alone.
"Tasha, take the adult wyverns and scout for information on the Bloodhoof Clan."
"Remember, your mission is to scout, not to fight. Try your best not to be exposed, and avoid combat conflicts."
Garros immediately issued orders to the Wyvern Leader.
The Bloodhoof Clan was not an obscure little clan in the Borderlands, and the wyverns knew the location of their territory.
As for why he didn't send White Dragon Tereshi, who could use magic, the reason was simple: he didn't trust the White Dragon's intelligence. In comparison, the two-hundred-year-old wyvern Tasha was more reliable.
In Garros's eyes, the White Dragon's current role was just a thug and a sparring partner.
He had no intention of letting the White Dragon handle other matters like managing pastures or supervising mineral mining.
"As you command."
Tasha took several adult wyverns, and their figures gradually receded into the distance until they disappeared.
Meanwhile, Garros brought White Dragon Tereshi to the open ground where he usually trained.
"Use your ice Spells on me. Attack as much as you like."
The Red-Iron Dragon stretched his body, a few sparks flying from between his spines. "No need to hold back; I won't counterattack."
"Really?"
The White Dragon glanced at him suspiciously, then tentatively used an Ice Creation Spell to form several ice blades. They made a metallic screeching sound as they scraped across the Red-Iron Dragon's back.
Seeing that he truly remained motionless, the corners of the White Dragon's mouth gradually curled into a dangerous arc, and she began to construct more powerful Spells.
As a dragon's roar echoed...
Cold winds howled, a layer of ice crystals condensed on the ground, and a thick chill filled the air.
Garros, at the center of the icy wind, felt waves of freezing cold.
As the fierce cold wind crushed and rubbed against his scales, they absorbed kinetic energy, growing hot and burning. They then collided with the cold wind, hissing and emitting white smoke as the overheated scales gradually cooled down.
Heating, cooling.
The Explosive Scales cycled repeatedly in the icy wind, undergoing training while never reaching the threshold for an overload explosion.
"Very good. This can improve my ice resistance and is effective for my Explosive Scales as well."
Coiled within the icy wind, Garros felt cold all over, but his heart was burning with excitement.
"With the White Dragon as a new sparring partner, my Explosive Scales should be able to complete their adaptation faster and stop exploding pointlessly."
Suddenly, an angry dragon's roar came from the horizon.
"Lowly White Scale! How dare you attack Dragon Valley!"
A Flame Dragon Breath as hot as lava descended from the sky.
Because she was focused on casting, Tereshi didn't notice the Red Dragon's arrival. Caught off guard by the attack, her body was grazed by the Dragon Breath as she dodged, leaving a charred burn mark on her back.
Ha!
The White Dragon bared her teeth, cold air surging in her mouth. Her dragon scales stood slightly on end as she took an offensive stance against the Red Dragon. Samantha did not fear her despite the White Dragon's size and age, her eyes filled with hostility as she glared at the White Dragon.
The two were at each other's throats.
However, the fight did not begin.
Garros stopped them.
"Samantha, White Dragon Tereshi is now a member of Dragon Valley, not an enemy."
Under the Red Dragon's puzzled gaze, Garros briefly informed her of the White Dragon's origin.
"I see."
Red Dragon Samantha folded her wings and walked haughtily in front of the White Dragon.
Making no effort to hide her contempt, she said, "White Scale, it is your honor to serve the Ignas Siblings and associate with True Dragons."
The White Dragon bared her teeth in anger: "Young Dragon! Apologize to me. You should maintain respect when facing a Dragonkin stronger than yourself."
The Red Dragon gave a light snort, flames puffing from her nostrils.
She did not respond, holding her head high with an expression of pride and disdain.