The White Dragon stood on the rugged cliffside, raising her head to let out a dragon's roar.
A bone-chilling ice wind swept across the land, freezing Minotaur guards into ice sculptures one by one. Combat units like the Centaurs and Gnoll knights, led by Dragon Vein Gnolls, galloped past, engaging in fierce combat with the Minotaur.
Once the White Dragon's Demonic Energy was heavily depleted...
...only then did she lead the cavalry in a retreat, causing severe chaos at the Obsidian Mine at the cost of a small number of cavalry deaths.
The flight and counterattacks of the mine slaves, along with the high number of guard deaths, left the remaining Minotaur feeling overwhelmed and distressed.
Shortly after.
The Red Dragon and the White Dragon returned to Dragon Valley one after the other to report their battle results to Garros.
"Well done."
Garros was not stingy with his recognition.
Samantha lifted her head proudly, but couldn't help flicking her tail as she followed up: "We clearly could have occupied the mine and the ranch, so why didn't we seize their outposts?"
"And then distribute our troops to guard them, weakening our strength?"
Garros shook his head, his claws lightly tapping the ground, his gaze calm as he said: "Occupying outposts now would only weaken and scatter our forces. Once the Bloodhoof Clan is dealt with, everything of theirs will belong to us. There is no rush."
The two dragons' attacks on the mine and the ranch...
...under Garros's orders, were primarily aimed at inflicting casualties on the guards and creating chaos.
They had little impact on the herds or the mine itself; the main purpose was to prepare for future takeover.
As for now.
Attacking is simple, but defending is difficult.
Garros had no intention of seeking quick success by immediately occupying the outposts.
"Go eat and rest now."
"Tomorrow, continue attacking the Bloodhoof Clan's outposts."
"I want to see just how long those Minotaur can endure," the Red-Iron Dragon sneered. "Since they like to feign weakness, we'll help them become truly weak."
The Gnolls brought up roasted Bharals one by one, the fat crackling as it dripped into the fire.
The retainers had already prepared the food, and the dragons and cavalry began to feast greedily to replenish their energy. Once full, they soon fell into a deep sleep.
Over the next few days.
The Red Dragon and the White Dragon respectively led groups of wyverns and cavalry to repeatedly attack the five outposts of the Bloodhoof Clan, causing significant impact on the Minotaur.
Until the third day.
After the Red Dragon attacked the Minotaur's Cauliflower Plantation outpost, an accident occurred on the return journey.
While Samantha was savoring the memory of the Minotaur fleeing in panic and disarray, a falcon-like figure suddenly streaked across the sky, actually daring to fly above the Red Dragon's head.
Whoosh!
The Red Dragon spat out a fireball at the falcon; she would not allow an inferior creature to hover above her head.
However.
When the fireball hit the falcon, the bird suddenly transformed, turning into a dragon-like figure nearly fifteen meters long.
A young female Copper Dragon with silver scales and both ice and fire attributes blocked the dragon group's path.
"A Silver Dragon hybrid?"
Samantha's eyes showed a hint of wariness.
The Copper Dragon before her had Silver Dragon characteristics and was surrounded by a piercing cold air, making her feel endangered.
"Naturally Evil Red Dragon, why did you suddenly attack me?"
The Copper Dragon said with righteous indignation: "Aton with gold coins to earn my forgiveness, otherwise I will make you pay the price."
The Red Dragon Samantha fell silent.
Because Metallic Dragons were famous, few adventurers had designs on them.
Metallic Dragons suffered from a lack of wealth coming to their door, so poor young Metallic Dragons would devise extortion schemes for wealth.
For example.
Using Polymorph to disguise themselves, intentionally attracting an attack, and then revealing their true form to demand compensation.
This was classic Metallic Dragon behavior recorded in the Evil Dragon Legacy. Evil Dragons despised such hypocritical behavior—if you're going to rob someone, just do it directly instead of finding an excuse.
Samantha hadn't expected to encounter extortion from a Metallic Dragon.
Especially at a moment when she was not at full strength after just finishing an attack on a Bloodhoof Clan outpost. She had reason to suspect the Copper Dragon had followed her for a while and specifically chose this time to appear for extortion.
The key was.
The Red Dragon felt she might not be a match for the Copper Dragon before her.
If it were an ordinary young Copper Dragon, she would have a chance.
But the opponent was a Silver Dragon hybrid; her size and aura made her feel difficult to defeat. While the Wyvern Swarm could help drive her back, it would inevitably be a hard battle.
When force could not solve the problem.
The Red Dragon's wisdom began to take the upper hand.
Call Garros with the Communication Stone? No, I don't want everything to require Garros's intervention. Thinking of the records about Copper Dragons in her Legacy, the Red Dragon thought for a moment and said:
"Copper Dragon, let's play a riddle game."
The Copper Dragon's eyes lit up. After sizing up the Red Dragon for a few moments, she didn't hide her contempt and said: "I don't think a barbaric Red Dragon can answer my riddles."
"But I can give you one chance to try."
"As long as you can answer one of my riddles, I will let you leave."
Pausing, the Copper Dragon chanted: "I am born in an underground forge, cast into shape by desire. Kings use me for coronation, thieves use me to ransom their lives, and dragons will fight for me."
Considering that Red Dragons were all muscle and their subspecies weren't very intelligent.
The Copper Dragon arrogantly added another part, saying: "I can fill an entire dragon's nest, yet I am light enough to be blown away by a Hatchling. White Dragons say I am bone-chillingly cold, Red Dragons say I am scorching hot to the heart. The oldest dragons collect me, and the greediest dragons lose me."
"Young Dragon, what am I?"
The riddle dragon asked.
Hearing this, the Red Dragon, whose intelligence had taken the high ground, thought for a bit. Linking it to the Copper Dragon's extortion behavior, she pondered for a moment and then slowly answered: "Gold coins, or rather, wealth."
The Copper Dragon's pupils constricted suddenly, and her silver scales bristled slightly. She clearly hadn't expected this Red Dragon to be able to solve her riddle.
Even though she had given many hints, with the violent and brainless nature of Red Dragons, she shouldn't have possessed such sharp thinking.
"Metallic Dragon, you are too arrogant."
Samantha deliberately imitated Garros's steady and majestic tone, suppressing her inner pride as she spoke.
"One day, your arrogance will be your undoing."
She felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.
This feeling of educating another dragon from a superior position was even more pleasurable than tearing apart prey.
After speaking, the Red Dragon ignored the stunned Copper Dragon and decisively flapped her wings to lead the Wyvern Swarm back.
True to her word, the Copper Dragon did not stop them.
She sniffed the air, feeling that the Red Dragon's scent was somewhat familiar. Her eyes flickered slightly as she watched the Red Dragon's figure fade into the distance.
On the way back.
Samantha cautiously led the Wyvern Swarm in several large circles in the sky.
She looked back from time to time to confirm there were no signs of being followed. Only then did she feel relieved and fly toward her territory, returning to Dragon Valley.
"Garros, I encountered a metallic Hybrid Dragon!"
She said to the Red-Iron Dragon, who was using an anvil to sharpen his tail.
"A Hybrid Dragon?"
Garros paused his movements and asked about the situation.
When he finished listening to the Red Dragon's calm yet prideful narration, he couldn't help but feel a bit surprised.
"A Silver Dragon and Copper Dragon hybrid."
"In all likelihood, it's the offspring of the Metallic Dragons from Red Maple Valley."
"Deborah? No, I remember she was an ordinary Copper Dragon, not a hybrid."
"Could it be another offspring of a Silver Dragon and a Copper Dragon? But the personality and some physical traits sound just like Deborah."
Garros thought to himself.
"Can a pureblood actually become a hybrid?"
As doubt filled his mind, corresponding Legacy knowledge surged in his brain, causing Garros to gradually realize.
Bloodline is a wonderful and profound thing; it can both undergo atavistic sublimation and allow a pureblood to transform into a brand-new hybrid form.
When parents come from different dragon Bloodlines, the offspring actually carries the potential of dual Bloodlines simultaneously, though it outwardly manifests as one dominant Bloodline.
Through specific rituals or special means of stimulation, there is a chance that the hidden Bloodline can be truly activated.
But this is by no means easy.
None of these rituals or means can be done without consuming a large amount of precious and rare medium Materials, and they require the dragon itself to possess extremely firm will and determination.
This is almost equivalent to a dragon-exclusive 'Dragon Vein Transformation,' a metamorphosis and sublimation of the essence of the Bloodline.
If successful, the pureblood transforms into a hybrid, and it is inevitably a positive hybrid that brings an increase in power.
Failure would lead to severe injury and deep slumber, significantly delaying growth speed.
In the future, if conditions were ripe, both Samantha and Sorog would have the chance to awaken the other hidden Bloodline power within them through this method, becoming Red-Iron Hybrids.
"Metallic Dragon parents have the conditions to perform hybrid transformation on their offspring."
"It should be Deborah; she has become a Silver Dragon hybrid."
Garros thought silently.
The number of dragons in the Borderlands was limited, and it wasn't a particularly vast region.
Since knowing that a family of Copper Dragons lived here, Garros had realized he would encounter Deborah again sooner or later. However, he hadn't expected it to be at this time, and that he would get news of the Copper Dragon through Samantha.
"Being able to transform into a falcon, Deborah has mastered Polymorph ahead of time, a skill usually only known by Young Adult dragons."
Garros's vertical pupils constricted into two thin lines as he scanned the sky dyed red by the sunset.
Although Samantha said she had circled several times before finally returning to Dragon Valley, Garros didn't believe she could shake off the tracking of a Young Adult Hybrid Dragon.
Silver Dragon Bloodlines could grant Deborah a large number of Spell-like Abilities.
Among the major dragon types, Silver Dragons had the strongest magical talent and mastered the most Spell-like Abilities at the same age. Whether becoming a spellcaster or specializing as a sorcerer, Silver Dragons possessed unique natural talent.
The magical talent that the White Dragon Tereshi was so proud of was not even worth mentioning in front of the most ordinary Silver Dragon.
"Encountering Samantha might have been an accident."
"But Deborah definitely remembers me and my scent. Samantha's scent is similar to mine, which would attract her attention."
"What does she want to do?"
Garros calculated in his mind, believing that Deborah had already discovered Dragon Valley but had not appeared for some unknown reason.
"Defeated twice, robbed twice."
"Once she finds my traces, she will never sit idly by."
With the passage of time, the continuous attacks from Dragon Valley had left the Bloodhoof Clan battered and bruised. Those Minotaur were probably about to lose their patience, and the atmosphere of a decisive battle was growing thicker.
The decisive battle with the Bloodhoof Clan was imminent.
Now, he also had to consider the 'revenge' of the Red-Silver Dragon Deborah.
Garros took a deep breath and exhaled, feeling that things had become troublesome and full of unknowns.
"Since it has come to this, I'll deal with whatever comes my way and adapt to the situation."
Screech! Screech!
The Red-Iron Dragon continued to sharpen his wings and tail, sparks flying everywhere.
Since he couldn't completely control the situation, he would make his own edge even sharper until he could tear through all variables.