Beneath the Red Dragon

Chapter 23: Chapter 22: Ogre Tribe

During this period, the Dragon Group was very busy. The Green Jade Dragon Antajena needed to supervise the construction of the Kobold Tribe settlements and separately allocate an area nearby for the future Melting Workshop. Apart from the valuable minerals, other practical minerals like iron, copper, and tin would be transported here for simple processing by the Kobolds and then stored away.

These minerals would later be made into armor and weapons to arm the Dragon Group’s Beloved force. However, the Kobolds were only skilled in mining and roughly polishing gemstones into crude jewelry, lacking forging skills. They could roughly hammer iron ore into barely usable tools, so this plan could only be temporarily shelved.

The Lame Blue Dragon Akzhi was content to stay in the Dragon Nest licking his wounds, but for his lame leg to regrow, it might require a period of hibernation to complete. Fortunately, the Juvenile Dragons in the family had started to learn to shoulder the responsibility of maintaining the Dragon Group’s territory. The united Dragon Group didn’t worry about the Giant Dragon Territory’s safety.

The canyon where the Juvenile Dragons’ Dragon Nest is now twice the size before expansion, even adult Giant Dragons wouldn’t find it cramped. The nominal dragon leader Carlette seemed like a recluse dragon; the Juvenile Dragons never saw her figure, even with some changes happening within the Dragon Group territory.

Karon was initially concerned about how to deal with Carlette. In his mind, even though the Blue Dragon Carlette is indifferent, she wouldn’t easily give up her leader position and let the dragon cubs crawl over her head, who once played with her tail like a toy.

If he offered the Blue Dragon’s share of the treasure, perhaps the greed-driven Blue Dragon would then demand all the treasure to be handed over by the Dragon Group, which the other Giant Dragons wouldn’t like. With Karon’s support, a battle would erupt, but Karon didn’t wish for the Dragon Group to waste away in pointless in-fighting. In his eyes, every Giant Dragon’s power was useful.

However, if a direct challenge was raised according to Dragon Group’s Rules, even with Karon’s enhanced talent, he still wasn’t confident about successfully challenging Carlette, as a Young Dragon’s power is far stronger than that of the current Red Dragon. The current state fits the Red Dragon’s wishes; it seems that as long as food is provided daily, Carlette could stay in the cave, perhaps even sleep until adulthood.

Karon stretched luxuriously; one cannot deny the joy of sleeping on piles of gold made dragons happy. Last night he even had a beautiful dream, where the newly expanded cave didn’t feel narrow at all but made Karon feel somewhat stifled. He planned to make do for now and establish a new nest on the mountaintop when he entered the next hibernation stage upon crossing his age.

Before Karon could exit the cave, he heard Riven shouting outside. He leisurely walked out of the cave, seeing Riven riding on the back of the Gold-eating Beast, laughing like riding a big cat.

A long rope was tied around the Gold-eating Beast’s neck, the other end held by Dogman Warriors guarding the cave. Upon seeing the Red Dragon’s figure, the two Dogman Warriors hurriedly knelt, their canine heads bowed, and uttered in dog-like Dragon Language: ”Great Master.”

Karon nodded, looking towards the lively Pik Little Elf.

It had been a long time since he last saw Little Elf Riven, who seemed to have grown a bit taller, wearing a green Flower Fairy Dress. The Acorn Hat on her head was replaced by a flower crown woven with tender green leaves. Two flowers still adorned each side of her pale green hair.

Only then did Karon realize there was a Power of Thought connection between Little Elf Riven and himself. However, their connection was too weak and intermittent, which explained why Karon hadn’t noticed it before.

At this time, Riven also noticed Karon. She tugged her ride, the big cat, and ran over to him, stopping in front of Karon. The rebellious big cat lay down submissively, while Riven flew up and hovered in front of Karon’s smiling face, raising her delicate little face and giggling at Karon: ”Long time no see, Karon. Not only did I bring you a gift, but I also have good news. The merchants have arrived with big ships.”

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Located about two to three hundred miles east of the Dragon Nest Mountain Range, close to The Sea, lies a prosperous Gulf. It is covered by sprawling rainforests, abundant in species resources. The rainforest offers endless hunting of beasts, while the sea yields unlimited fish catches. Any grain scattered here can ripen four times a year, rich enough to tempt any nation.

Additionally, there’s a natural harbor here, although far from many civilized places. Travelers always pass through, and merchants specifically come, docking their ships. Adventurers even land here, and many large airships loaded with supplies from across The Sea for trading with the Beastman Empire make stops here on their return voyage.

These travelers and merchants bring ample food and various living materials to the Ogre Tribe occupying this rich Gulf. The Ogre Tribe need only to trade their useless shining minerals and glittering junk to merchants for cheap cloth and crudely made weapons, various leftover inferior spices, and expired old grain among other abundant materials.

This rapid strength growth allowed the originally chaotic and disordered tribe, occupying only a small area for survival with a few hundred people, to transform into the Lord Tribe of countless powerful Ogre Warriors.

All this was because a mysterious Ogre Giant Demon emerged from this tribe. This creature, a legend in the dirty, chaotic, unintelligent, ugly Ogre species, is the world’s most beautiful being, possessing unparalleled appearance, wisdom, and power. It is destined from birth to rule over all Ogres.

At this moment, bringing order and wisdom to the Ogre Tribe, the Giant Demon laid lazily on a massive couch inside a tall tent in the tribe’s center, its right hand gently supported its naturally alluring face.

The bead-colored long dress couldn’t conceal the ups and downs of its silhouette. Two white handfuls surged from its chest, and graceful leg lines and bare feet exposed outside the long dress sparkled with a kind of luminous luster, as if the skin’s jade color was enveloped by a layer of luminescence, making them like round, smooth pearls.

This was undoubtedly the most adored Holy Spirit creation by the gods, carrying a more deadly allure than a Succubus. The Giant Demon’s four-meter-long body didn’t detract from its beauty, and even the most critical human sculptors couldn’t find a flaw on the Giant Demon, emblematic of charm and perfection.

Standing apart from the Giant Demon, however, were the contrasting Ogre Leader and Ogre Mage. The One-Eyed Ogre King Moergo, naturally possessing ancestral mountain giant blood, had an ugly face towering over six meters when standing straight, with one arm as thick as the tent’s supporting wooden pole. His naked upper body was full of scars, burly muscles knotted up, emitting a foul odor, signifying blatant violence and filth.

It’s noteworthy that Ogres and Dragons share a commonality: the larger the body, the greater the strength. Yet a Dragon’s length includes its tail, and accounting for this, even Young Dragon Carlette’s power couldn’t compare to this One-Eyed Ogre King.

Although the Ogre Mage stood only three meters tall, the Two-headed Ogre naturally excelled as powerful Casters among the Ogre species. Capable of learning human Magic and awakening their own Witchcraft, the Ogre Mage with two small horns on its weathered and aged faces showed its bloodlust and formidable spellcasting abilities with a long string of skulls hung around its neck.

Now, the Ogre Warriors over three meters tall, considered mighty by other beings, kneel humbly in the tent’s center, reporting their observations to the tribe’s highest Power Holder.

”We’ve figured out by utilizing the Banshee slaves given by Great Witch Sahai that, some years ago, two Blue Dragons flew to nearby mountains near the Elf Wasteland and nested there. They’ve even bred the next generation of Juvenile Dragons, and those Giant Dragons have started recruiting Beloved...