"Blood as firewood, wailing as the wind."
"..."
Red-Silver Dragon Deborah blinked, her slender neck tilting slightly forward, her body—a base of crimson adorned with silver scales—glowing brilliantly in the sunlight.
The riddle Garros provided had many concrete symbols.
Blood, wailing, broken spears, scorched earth. They were all concrete, so it was not hard to guess.
As a master naturally skilled at solving riddles.
After thinking for a few seconds, the Red-Silver Dragon said decisively, "War, it is war!"
Under her expectant gaze, Garros nodded slowly and praised her without reservation, saying, "Correct. You are the best at riddles among all the Metallic Dragons I have ever met."
Hearing this, the tip of Red-Silver Dragon Deborah's tail curled up slightly, overflowing with joy.
She possessed the nature of a Copper Dragon; the most wonderful moments in her life were twofold: revealing the answer to a riddle-solver who was scratching their head in frustration, and solving riddles carefully crafted by others.
"Are there any more? Give me another one!"
She said, "I can answer another one, giving you an extra opportunity to order me around."
The Red-Silver Dragon was full of enthusiasm, looking at Garros with hopeful eyes.
Among the Metallic Dragon Race, the Copper Dragon and the Brass Dragon—one a riddle-dragon, the other a chatterbox-dragon—were the two least favored types of dragons; few dragons, or other intelligent creatures, were willing to accompany them in solving riddles or conversing.
But as long as one shared their interests.
It was very easy to befriend these two types of dragons.
Garros knew this well, but he shook his head and refused, not continuing to play games with the Red-Silver Dragon. Knowing when to stop was also very important; one could not always indulge the other party.
"You answered my riddle, so I allow you to follow on my adventure."
Garros said solemnly, "But you must remember what you said: listen to my commands, otherwise our relationship ends here."
The Red-Silver Dragon nodded, "As long as it doesn't violate my moral principles, that is fine."
Garros narrowed his eyes and suddenly asked, "If one day I were to start a war in The Borderlands, would that violate your moral code?"
"The Borderlands?" The Red-Silver Dragon looked somewhat puzzled.
"The land beneath our feet, the buffer zone between the Serel Wilderness and the Permafrost Tundra."
Garros: "You don't know this place?"
The Red-Silver Dragon realized and said, "Of course I know it. This is the place where I was born, but in my Legacy, it is recorded and referred to as The Borderlands; the term 'Borderlands' is not commonly used."
After explaining.
The Red-Silver Dragon answered Garros's question, saying, "War is just a means, not an end; the key lies in what it is for."
She looked at Garros and said:
"If it is for slaughter, to satisfy your own violent heart, then I will refuse your command. At most, I will not stand in opposition to you, but I will not become your accomplice."
Garros: "What about for wealth or resources?"
The Red-Silver Dragon shook her head righteously, "This is an unjust act; I find it hard to approve."
Garros thought for a moment and said, "What if there is a share for you?"
Cough, cough. The Red-Silver Dragon suddenly covered her mouth with her claw, then said with serious earnestness, "The creatures in The Borderlands are mostly ignorant and barbaric. If wealth and resources are consolidated in the hands of the Dragon Clan, they can be utilized better. This is a good thing that benefits the development of The Borderlands!"
Garros did not ask any further.
He had roughly figured out the underlying character of the Red-Silver Dragon.
Definitely Chaotic Good.
She had moral principles, but not many, and her bottom line was very flexible.
If she were Lawful Good like a Silver Dragon, she would not start a war purely for wealth and resources, nor would she support such behavior.
—They would punish the wicked and eliminate evil, and in the process, incidentally acquire wealth and resources.
At this moment.
The kin of the Molten Iron Legion had already ended the battle, killing those who resisted, disarming and stripping the armor of those who surrendered, taking them captive, and then beginning to clean up the aftermath.
They collected various equipment and items that were still intact, not even sparing the corpses of the Minotaurs.
Wartime logistics were not much of a problem for the Molten Iron Clan.
Except for the Centaurs, creatures such as the Ogres, Gnolls, and Grey-mane Werewolves were inherently cruel and bloodthirsty; dead enemies were their food, and when extremely hungry, dead kin were also their emergency rations.
Intelligent creatures of the civilized world considered this cruel and barbaric.
But in a place as resource-scarce as The Borderlands, it was a part of natural selection: the winner takes all and gets everything, while the loser is picked clean and left with nothing.
The kin had gone through a fierce, bloody battle.
They indulged their nature, not even bothering with simple roasting or steaming, tearing apart the bodies of the Minotaurs on the spot to use as food, drinking blood and eating raw flesh, replenishing their exhausted bodies.
Garros landed on the ground, neither stopping them nor participating.
Perhaps because he had fused with humanity, he had no appetite for humanoid creatures, but he would not stop his subordinates from eating Minotaurs.
Putting aside Garros's own psychological reasons, Minotaurs were actually very good food, a high-quality source of protein and energy.
Karu approached with heavy footsteps.
He had many wounds on his body, but given his vigorous vitality, they were not serious injuries. At this moment, he was holding a bull's head, eating with relish.
Garros took a closer look and realized it was the head of the Bloodhoof Chieftain.
"My Lord, please enjoy the bull's head; this is the most delicious part. Eating more can make one smarter."
Crunch. Gnawing on a piece of horn, Karu's voice was slurred, yet he did not forget to offer the bull's brain to the Red-Iron Dragon, handing the head to Garros, though his movements were somewhat reluctant.
"No need."
Garros shook his head.
A naive smile appeared on Karu's fierce face as he asked, "Um, can I eat the remains of the Bloodhoof Chieftain?"
His coming to offer it was genuine, but his main purpose was to get Garros's permission to eat Bahl's remains. He coveted them greatly, but because Bahl was killed by Garros's own hand, according to the customs and habits of the Ogres, they belonged to Garros as a trophy, so he could not eat them directly.
"Get lost and eat it."
Garros saw through the Gluttonous Ogre's little scheme and said.
"Alright!"
Karu curled his body into a ball and rolled toward where Bahl's remains were, happily feasting.
The way a Gluttonous Ogre grows is by eating.
Consuming high-level food could increase Karu's Life Level.
The Bloodhoof Chieftain had burned away his demonic blood, leaving only a ruined carcass, but given the essence of his life, it was still a rare delicacy for Karu.
"Are you not going to eat?"
Red-Silver Dragon Deborah asked, her gaze turning toward the White Dragon and the Red Dragon who were eating.
At this moment, Samantha was tearing into a mammoth, while White Dragon Tereshi was tearing at the flesh of a Minotaur giant, her face covered in blood, exuding a fierce aura.
Garros shook his head slightly.
In Dragon Valley, there were spice reserves brought by caravans; compared to raw food, Garros now preferred enjoying cooked food that had been carefully prepared and was rich in flavor.
Now that he had the conditions.
In his rigorous life of training, gourmet food counted as a rare, indulgent pleasure.
Deborah observed the unique Red-Iron Dragon, her gaze landing on his rugged yet calm profile.
Neither participating in the feast nor stopping the brutality.
This contradiction made her scales itch, feeling very curious.
"This Red-Iron Dragon is so different from the Evil Dragons I know. Could it be that he is not an Evil Dragon?"
The Red-Silver Dragon thought to herself.
Suddenly, a rustling sound of flight came to her ears.
The Red-Silver Dragon turned her head and saw the petite and exquisite Fairy Dragon Vera.
The Red-Silver Dragon was very surprised by the existence of a Planar Dragon, and also surprised that she could live together with a group of Evil Dragons. However, because she had noticed the Fairy Dragon while tailing Garros, her reaction was relatively calm now.
Thinking carefully, it was normal for a Chaotic Good dragon like a Fairy Dragon to mingle with Evil Dragons.
As for the Red-Silver Dragon herself, she believed she was not associating with Evil Dragons.
Requesting to join the adventure was only one of her purposes; she had another purpose.
—To stay by Garros's side, influence him subtly, and make him a Good Dragon!
"Hey, newcomer, you're joining Dragon Valley, right?"
The Fairy Dragon circled around the Red-Silver Dragon and said, "Remember, I am number three, and as for you, you should be number six."