The Adventurer Mage Lazi, I am impressed with you," Kalon gestured for the mage and his adventurer companions to relax. He squatted down, and a magical glow flowed from his stout True Dragon claws. A pile of glittering treasures appeared before the mage.
"I saw your performance last night. You made a great contribution to defending the Dragon Clan's Territory, and you deserve my reward," Kalon's crimson vertical pupils were filled with admiration for the mage.
"You can choose any one of these treasures as my reward," the True Dragon looked down at the mage before him, his demeanor equally high and mighty.
For Kalon, Mage Lazi's performance was certainly worthy of his reward, but in reality, Mage Lazi, like most adventurers, was only trying to protect his own life and property.
However, Kalon's actions were more about demonstrating his attitude, the attitude of the ruler of this territory, which was equivalent to buying a horse's bones for a thousand gold.
The True Dragon would certainly reward those who had contributed, and the True Dragon was never stingy, but very generous.
Furthermore, Kalon intended to recruit these skilled humans, but he wouldn't say it directly. He was a Dragon Lord and couldn't be too proactive.
After he expressed his attitude, anyone with such intentions would surely contact the True Dragon's kin, which would not only maintain the True Dragon's prestige but also prevent those who approached voluntarily from asking for more.
But Mage Lazi and his adventurer companions, as well as the adventurers nearby who heard the True Dragon's words, were stunned. However, it wasn't because of the True Dragon's high and mighty posture, but because of the True Dragon's decision.
It should be known that True Dragon are extremely stingy and greedy, especially when it comes to wealth.
Even the good True Dragon belonging to the Metal Dragon were the same; although the Metal Dragon were friendly, he wouldn't give you even a single copper coin.
If you dared to encroach on its wealth, it would let you know what True Dragon power and double standards were. You would be directly cast into the evil alignment, just as the Bronze Dragon who loved to eat Fishmen did not recognize Fishmen as a sentient race.
The Chromatic Dragon, on the other hand, were even more blatant; they were not only stingy and greedy but also liked to exploit and extort others' wealth.
Even for their kin, many evil Chromatic Dragon only treated them as objects of exploitation, collecting as much treasure as possible, and it was even more impossible for them to bestow their wealth upon others.
Red Dragon, in particular, were famous in all planes for their love of banditry and extortion. A large part of the reason many Red Dragon abducted princesses from human kingdoms was not for their beauty, but to extort tempting gold coins.
Of course, there were also some Red Dragon who particularly loved the taste of human and elven maidens; they regarded human and elven maidens as delicacies.
And this Red Dragon in front of him would actually bestow his treasures upon others. Mage Lazi stared with wide eyes as if he had seen a mortal defeat a god. This scene was like a fantasy, unbelievable.
Mage Lazi was very afraid that the Red Dragon in front of him was testing him; as soon as he reached out, that terrifying big mouth would open and swallow him. So he prepared to politely refuse the Red Dragon's reward. Wealth was important, but for a mage, life was more precious.
But when Mage Lazi's eyes swept over the treasures before him, he felt that he should bravely try.
Among the pile of treasures were red gems as clear as agate, silver-gray ore the size of a baby's fist, a treasure like a block of fine iron seemingly wrapped in a layer of flame, and crystalline particles emitting various sparkling lights.
The appearance of these treasures immediately caused exclamations from the crowd on the street. These adventurers and residents involuntarily gathered around.
"Oh my god, that's Mithril Ore! Its value is at least ten times that of an equal amount of gold. It's an extremely precious treasure and has super strong magical ductility. It's an indispensable material for forging many powerful magical weapons."
"And it's as strong as True Dragon scales and as light as a feather," exclaimed a knowledgeable adventurer.
"There's also Adamantine. This Adamantine is heavy and strong, with strong anti-magic properties. It's one of the best materials for making anti-magic equipment. This is a hot commodity in auction houses. Those powerful warriors like to mix this strange metal into their armor."
Mage Lazi, of course, knew the value of these treasures. He had the dual identity of adventurer and mage, and his knowledge and insights surpassed those of these experienced adventurers.
He was just hesitating; every treasure in front of him made it difficult for him to give up. Mithril Ore could not only be used to forge magical weapons but was also an essential material for every mage to build his mage tower. The magic circles inscribed in a mage tower required a lot of Mithril.
But those pure magic crystals and magic gems shimmering with various magical lights also made his heart pound. These magic crystals and magic gems were also high-grade materials.
They could also help mages accumulate magic faster and create secret treasures that helped mages restore magic.
Mage Lazi closed his eyes in pain. He wished all the treasures before him were his.
Finally, Mage Lazi made his choice. He gasped and pointed to the Mithril Ore shimmering with a silver-gray luster, saying, "I choose this Mithril Ore, Dragon Lord."
Kalon nodded, used his Dragon claw to push out the baby-fist-sized Mithril Ore from the pile of treasures, and threw it to the mage. "Very good, this Mithril Ore now belongs to you."
Mage Lazi accepted the Mithril Ore with a beaming smile, but the surrounding adventurers began to stir. They were not worried about scarcity but about inequality, and the True Dragon's attitude made them no longer overly fearful.
"Damn it, that mage is so lucky to be rewarded with such a valuable treasure."
"I also contributed last night. I think I should explain it to the True Dragon. Although I don't expect to get a treasure of the same value as the mage, I should also get a reward."
"That's right, we also defended the Dragon Clan Territory last night and should be rewarded by the True Dragon."
The crowd became noisy and gradually surrounded the True Dragon and the True Dragon's kin.
Dragonborn Wolf Sahar's crimson eyes lit up, and his retracted claws sprang out. He led his Dragonborn subordinates to stand between the True Dragon and the crowd. In the Dragonborn Wolf's heart, no one was allowed to overstep their bounds with the Red Dragon.
Klenaya also felt the tension in the atmosphere. Although these humans were generally not strong enough to pose a threat to the Dragon clan, she still bared her fangs and let out a low growl of warning, not allowing the crowd to get too close.
Kalon's massive body remained unshaken, his cold vertical pupils merely watching these humans. His will would not be swayed.
Although he had thought that every warrior who participated in the counterattack against the Fishmen last night would receive a corresponding reward, he had now changed his mind. He would only set an example, and only the most outstanding warriors would receive his reward.
Under Kalon's gaze, these surrounding humans felt the oppressive presence emanating from the True Dragon. They gradually closed their mouths and began to disperse.
At this moment, the short and stout Dwarf Kargon squeezed out from the crowd. His eyes burned as he looked at the fine iron shrouded in firelight—that was Blazing Adamantine.
This Adamantine was one of the best materials in the world for forging weapons. Weapons forged with this material could ignite the power of flames and were also the favorite treasure of the Dwarf race.
They were keen to forge this material into war hammers in their hands, which could not only serve as a craftsman's hammer for forging weapons but also as a heavy hammer for forging the bodies of enemies.
The Dwarf Kargons voice was thick, and he eagerly asked the True Dragon, "Respected True Dragon, what conditions are needed to exchange for this Adamantine?"
The Red Dragon's huge head swayed slightly and said, "The True Dragon does not lack wealth. Only those who have made outstanding contributions to the Dragon Clan Territory can receive my reward, or those who pledge allegiance to the True Dragon and bring help to the True Dragon."
Dwarf Kargon's eyes lit up, and he loudly said, "I am willing to pledge allegiance to the great True Dragon. I hope the True Dragon can bestow that Blazing Adamantine upon me."
"The True Dragon does not accept the useless, Dwarf. Tell me your skills and let me see if you are worthy of pledging allegiance to the True Dragon," the Red Dragon's deep voice echoed in the Dwarf's ears.
Although Kalon's attitude towards Mage Lazi today was to attract others to serve the True Dragon, he did not expect a Dwarf to volunteer so quickly to be an example. However, he still maintained a relatively high posture.
"Haha, everyone in the world knows that every Dwarf is an excellent blacksmith. I can forge sharp weapons and sturdy armor for the True Dragon's kin, as long as there is enough fine wine," the Dwarf Kalon warrior said in a booming voice.
"Very good, I look forward to your performance," the Red Dragon was very satisfied. The territory now lacked such technical talents. So he used his True Dragon claw to push out the Blazing Adamantine and threw it to the Dwarf warrior, asking, "What is your name, Dwarf warrior, now the True Dragon's craftsman?"
"Kargon, Kargon Mim. That is my name, Dragon Lord," the Dwarf Kalon warrior, though rugged in appearance, answered politely with a bow.
"Then, Kargon Mim, I hope you can obtain more treasures from my hands." The Red Dragon stood up. He felt that his attitude today was sufficient.
So the Red Dragon spread his broad and powerful scaled wings, leaped up, and, riding the flowing wind, flew directly into the high heavens, heading towards his Dragon Nest.
The little female True Dragon Klenaya also soared into the air, following closely behind Kalon.
Whoosh!
The strong wind blew away the beard on the Dwarf Kalon warrior's chin and the braids on his head, but he didn't care at all.
The Dwarf warrior at this moment tightly gripped the Adamantine in his hand and roared at the True Dragon in the sky, "Haha, just wait, Dragon Lord, Kargon is a greedy enough Dwarf warrior!"