The canyon had already returned to tranquility, with only traces of the brief battle that had just occurred remaining. The remaining Ogre Warriors picked up the weapons of the dead Ogres from the scorched ground; these iron spearheads were precious to Ogres who did not understand metallurgy.
Two-Headed Ogre Black's severed arm had begun to slowly heal. He, along with the few remaining, relatively intact Ogre Warlocks, were using shamanic divine arts to stabilize the Giant ogre's tormented mind.
A White Dragon with a severed tail, its mouth and nose bleeding, was being dragged by Ogre Warriors like a dead dog. This was the unlucky Germott. He had thought charging at the front was dangerous, so he stayed behind the Young Dragons, and now he was indeed behind the Dragon Clan.
Morgor was excitedly directing the Warriors of his Tribe to transport shiny stones and shimmering golden ore from the Young Dragons' nest. Although Ogres had no concept of wealth, Morgor knew these things could be exchanged for many useful items with those greedy merchants.
Aiersu and his group had originally only intended to observe the battle, so at the reminder of the knowledgeable Mage, they and their guards retreated to the very back of the crowd at the first opportunity. They were not discovered by the Red Dragon during the battle, thus avoiding the Red Dragon's impact.
The joy that arose in the merchant from seeing the gold ore and jewels transported from the Dragon Nest and piled together could not dispel the regret in his heart. He could easily exchange these treasures for a large amount of cheap cloth and broken weapons, but the Young Dragons that escaped were truly a pity.
Those Young Dragons were countless times more valuable than the same weight in gold. No, measuring a Dragon Clan itself with simple wealth was foolish, especially that particular Red Dragon.
That Red Dragon clearly already possessed the rudimentary form of some domain. Even if Aiersu was mistaken, the Mage beside him would certainly not be.
And the meaning represented by a domain's rudimentary form was known to all creatures in the Aikania World: it was a transcendent high position, a powerhouse above Legendary, below demigod, possessing abilities unique to a domain master.
That was a powerhouse worthy of being called a nation's pillar, capable of establishing a country alone. Although Aiersu and the Mage could not access that lofty circle, they, who possessed considerable power relative to ordinary people, still had this common knowledge.
Thinking of this, Aiersu asked in a low voice, "How is it, Laksu, as a Mage? Do you have confidence?"
Laksu, with a confident smile on his pale face, said, "If you're asking me to capture that Red Dragon, I might not be able to, but with my abilities, that Red Dragon will definitely not discover my tracking magic imprint."
A smile also appeared on Aiersu's face, and he praised, "Well done, Laksu. As expected of a Mage from the High Mage Association. You will still be needed to guide these Ogres later."
"Not all Ogres are fools. After this lesson, they might not be willing to provoke those of this Dragon Clan again on their own initiative." Laksu looked warily at the beautiful Giant ogre and Two-Headed Warlock lying on the long couch, still beautiful even with a frown.
Every Mage possessed many times more powerful mental strength than ordinary people, but Laksu felt his mental power was like an ordinary person facing a Mage in front of this beautiful Giant ogre. Only due to the Mage's arrogance and mastery of magical knowledge did he not need to fear this. He even wanted to study the Giant ogre.
"I will offer them irresistible terms. As long as they can capture that Red Dragon for me, I will bring them the power of civilization: forging techniques and blacksmiths, crop seeds and farmers. All these can be sold to them." Aiersu wore a confident smile on his face.
These were no problem for him at all. He had not given these things to the Ogre Tribe before, partly because humans from civilized worlds inherently looked down on these barbaric creatures. Besides intelligence, these Ogres were no different from animals in his eyes. Moreover, Aiersu did not want the Ogre Tribe to become stronger; weakness was more conducive to control.
The other reason was out of a merchant's natural pursuit of profit. The more the other party desired something, the less easily it should be sold to them, so as to fetch a good price.
"Also, Laksu, use your raven to send a letter back for me. I need the support of my family's power. You should also send a letter to the Mages you are friends with, but do not tell them about this yet. Let my servants inform them of the truth when they are about to arrive. After this matter is concluded, you will receive your due reward, after all, there are quite a few Young Dragons, aren't there?
················
A Red Dragon swayed in the sky, as if drunk, scattering large amounts of blood as it passed over the tall forest. A long, thin wound extended from the Red Dragon's lower back to the front of its abdomen. The wound was deep, almost revealing the constantly squirming internal organs of the Red Dragon's body.
Kalon forcibly endured the constantly radiating stinging pain in his mind and body. There was only one thought in his mind: to fly forward, keep flying, and stay as far away from his former Dragon Nest as possible.
His consciousness was constantly blurring, only allowing his body muscles to spontaneously squirm. Fortunately, the wound was not too wide, and it quickly temporarily closed under the Dragon Clan's powerful life recovery ability, stopping the blood loss.
Kalon didn't know how long or how far he had flown until he could no longer hold on and fell from mid-air.
His last trace of clear consciousness drove him to use his claws to dig a makeshift burrow in the ground, barely large enough to hide in. He didn't even have time to cover it before collapsing into the burrow and falling asleep.
Fortunately, the rainy season arrived. The torrential rain, like a continuous curtain of water connecting heaven and earth, covered everything visible within the forest, a vast expanse of white. The Red Dragon's aura and blood were also diluted until they were almost imperceptible.
Kalon woke up after three days of lethargy in the cave. For a Dragon Clan, a minor mental trauma has a more profound impact than physical wounds. At least during these three days, most of the wounds on his Dragon body had already healed, no longer significantly affecting his free movement.
But mentally, Kalon was like someone who had drunk some strong alcohol and been hungover for a few days and nights. His mind was still somewhat muddled and occasionally tingled, and his usually active Evil Dragon thoughts were somewhat unable to turn over.
"Shit," the Red Dragon hiding in the burrow accidentally gulped down a mouthful of muddy water that had rushed into the burrow. Kalon quickly spat it out.
The rain was simply too heavy. He, who used to love lying in his cave listening to the rain and falling asleep, now had no enjoyment whatsoever. The abundant rainwater had already poured into the burrow and was almost submerging his wings.
As one of the closest creatures to perfection, Dragon Clan possess extremely strong environmental adaptability. They can survive freely on land, in the sky, and in the sea. This amount of water would not drown the Red Dragon.
However, the increasingly strong fishy smell in the burrow instead stimulated Kalon's appetite. He had not eaten for several days, and now every scent was exceptionally clear to his sense of smell.
The Dragon Clan's Young Dragon stage is a period of rapid physical growth and development, requiring a large amount of food every day. As the saying goes, a growing boy eats a poor old man out of house and home, let alone Kalon, who was undergoing super-limit growth. At this moment, his stomach was already rumbling with hunger.
The loud sound coming from the Dragon Clan's stomach sounded to an uninitiated person like a dozen frogs croaking together. But it was pouring rain outside, and no creature would be outside their nest at this moment. Even for a Dragon Clan, it would be difficult to find prey.
"How about a taste?" Kalon hesitantly looked at the soft, lumpy mud in front of him, soaked by the rain. It looked like a glutinous rice cake, exuding a temptation Kalon had never noticed before.
"Let's not." Although the Dragon Clan's powerful stomach could digest mud, mud offered little nutrition to a Dragon Clan. To fill up, he would have to turn into an excavator and eat a considerable amount. Kalon tried to think of other things to avoid actually giving in and trying it.
Originally, after breaking through the Ogre's encirclement that night, Kalon had intended to go to the Ogre's old lair, that rumored rich bay. After all, his previous life was a place where all kinds of transformation tactics were mastered.
Moreover, those who came to the Dragon Nest to encircle the Dragon Clan must have been elites from the Ogre Tribe. There certainly wouldn't be too many powerful Warriors left guarding the bay. If Kalon had gone, he might have achieved significant battle results.
Unfortunately, Kalon was injured and delayed for a few days. Going to the Ogre's old lair now would be walking into a trap. "I wonder how Dos and the others are doing. But with a Dragon Clan's mobility, as long as they can escape to the grassland, all situations will be seen by the Dragon Clan. As long as the Young Dragons want to escape, it's very difficult to catch them."
Many jumbled thoughts churned in Kalon's mind. His injured mind easily felt fatigued, so he slowly fell asleep again.