Beneath the Red Dragon

Chapter 88: Chapter 39: Can a Dragon Even Cheat?

”What’s the little game? Tell me, tell me,” the Pick Elf jumped up in the air, these magical creatures are naturally fond of seeking joy and enjoying fun.

Occasionally, some Little Elves in the wilderness and forest would, for their mischievous pleasure, specifically prank travelers and other creatures who accidentally enter their territory, leaving behind various bizarre rumors and stories about Forest Witches.

It can be said a significant portion of the witch’s bad reputation is spread by these naughty Pick Elves.

Thus, the naturally game-loving Riven’s face was now full of anticipation.

”Wait here, I’ll buy... um, make some toys for you.” Karon turned around and jumped into the steaming Magma Lake.

He started searching for special stones floating in the magma, with black and white stones as his main targets, planning to craft a set of Go, as a puzzle game, to entertain during leisurely moments.

However, in the volcano, black stones are easy to find, resembling obsidian, smooth and sturdy, floating and sinking in the magma, Karon quickly collected a sufficient amount.

But it was difficult to find an equivalent quantity of white stones to match these black ones, so Karon changed his target, diving into volcanic caves to excavate red agate stones to replace the white stones.

Now in the volcano, red agate stones are the most abundant.

Then Karon used his Dragon Claw, sharper than ironware, to shape these stones, which glow like gemstones into individual game pieces, and sliced down a large piece from the rock beneath him to serve as the game board and containers.

Finally, he used his Dragon Claw to carve out nineteen intersecting lines vertically and horizontally on the board, with three hundred sixty-one intersections. This puzzle toy was finally complete.

The impatient little elf quickly flew to the game board, her bare little feet stepping on the slightly rough surface and shouted, ”Hurry, hurry, Karon tell me how to play this, I want to defeat you.”

Karon opened his Dragon Claw, and a transparent big hand grabbed the jumping little elf, placing her opposite him. Soon, he explained all the rules of Go to Riven.

”Great, come on, let’s play,” Riven clapped her hands.

Yet, the excited little elf soon faced a big setback.

Although Karon hadn’t studied Go deeply, his Sub-brain was equivalent to a built-in computer, analyzing and collecting Riven’s moves, then calculating the easiest and simplest way to defeat Riven and transmitting it to Karon’s brain.

Hence, the Pick Elf battled and lost repeatedly, finally, after losing for the twentieth time, Riven threw the game piece in her hand in frustration, ”Not playing anymore, Karon, I can’t beat you at the game you invented.”

The Green Dragon Antajena, who had been watching for a long time, hurried to join, shouting, ”Let me try, I can defeat Karon.”

The Young Dragons who had surrounded unnoticed were eagerly watching with anticipation.

Only Kleyna, the Female Red Dragon, took the opportunity of Karon’s focus on the game to sneak into the Magma Lake for a soak, now splashing wildly, but Karon pretended not to notice, too lazy to mind.

Before adulthood, whether Metal Dragons or Five-Color Dragons seldom liked staying in their lairs to sleep.

Upon noticing Karon was awake, they flocked here, a habit nurtured since their hatchling days, enjoying gathering together, whether to play or daydream.

Karon shook his head, saying, ”Too many dragons make Go not so fun. If you gather materials, I can create a game suitable for many dragons to play, which you’ll surely enjoy.”

These Young Dragons happily went to collect materials; only the White Dragon Camid grumbled, ”Karon, it’s too hot here, maybe we should find another place.”

This stems from different habits among the dragons, with white dragons preferring colder places, and due to the lair effect, the peak of the mountain belonging to the white dragon is gradually covered with frost.

The nests of other young dragons have also undergone changes, the forests on the Green Dragon’s mountain top have now become twisted, with thick vines growing.

The mountain head of the Blue Dragon is perpetually shrouded in clouds, with occasional subtle thunderbolts and lightning erupting.

The reservoir lake created by Black Dragon Rosani at the mountain top has turned into a poisonous swamp.

And Karon’s mountain top, besides the constantly erupting magma, often features wildfires burning on rocks and sub-plane fissures leaking a thick fire element aura.

It’s fortunate these dragon residences are hundreds of meters and nearly a thousand meters above ground, otherwise, the impact would be far greater.

Karon nodded, leading Camid to fly towards other peaks. He realized maybe a special place should be constructed elsewhere for the Dragon Group gatherings.

As future ruler of this land, he may also need to meet people outside the Dragon Group; it wouldn’t be proper for everyone to come to his lair.

He dislikes strangers entering his lair, even those loyal beloved haven’t touched the peak.

Moreover, meetings in one’s lair aren’t elegant and dignified enough, although dragons inherently possess sufficient majesty without relying on external things.

”It seems it’s time to start building a castle for the Dragon Group on other peaks. We could consider leveling an entire mountain and then constructing a castle big enough on top,” Karon thought with some interest.

However, the Beloveds of the territory not only lack the monstrous talents needed to build the castles, but they are also short-handed. The mountain range where the nests of the Dragon Group are located needs to be heavily defended, so most of the Beloved of the Dragon Group are distributed there.

Some Beloveds also need to be assigned to manage and maintain the order in Golden Harbor Town, while the largest group, the Kobolds, is diligently swinging pickaxes in the dark mines to create wealth for the Dragon Group.

Perhaps the strong Ogre Slaves could prepare the stone and other materials needed for the Giant Dragon Castle first, as building a castle for the Giant Dragons is indeed a big project.

Moreover, Karon has already decided to build a castle for the Giant Dragons on the high mountain, which would involve a considerable amount of work.

It seems necessary to recruit more Beloveds, preferably ones skilled in castle construction, like the Giant Demons and Beastmen, who once had their own civilizations.

Unfortunately, the current territory of the Dragon Group cannot support more Beloveds. Until the fertile forest is sufficiently developed, the Dragon Group will have to keep expanding if they want to recruit more Beloveds. However, aimless expansion could put these Young Dragons in danger.

One can only say that solitary Five-Color Dragons have their own troubles, and a Lord Five-Color Dragon has the troubles of a lord.

The other Young Dragons soon handed over the materials they collected to Karon. Karon was considering creating a special deck of cards for the Giant Dragons.

Even though he had many more fun card games in his mind, like those favored by certain Demon Hunters, crafting these game props is undoubtedly a troublesome undertaking.

Moreover, playing card games can help him earn a little wealth from other Giant Dragons. Although he is not greedy for these treasures, he is fond of seeing other dragons reluctantly part with their treasures, which would greatly satisfy Karon’s twisted sense of humor as a wicked Red Dragon.

...

”Karon, are you cheating? How do you keep winning? I never win,” Green Dragon Antajena frowned and looked at the four lanterns floating around, feeling that something was not quite right.

The Young Dragons, experiencing this kind of game for the first time, became quite addicted, playing from daylight into the night.

Although the sky was completely dark, the excellent vision of the Giant Dragons allowed them to see clearly in most dark environments. Still, Karon insisted on using magic to create four lanterns for illumination to protect the Giant Dragons’ eyes.

But the Green Dragon, who had continuously lost many gemstones, started to suspect that the Red Dragon was cheating. Green Dragon Antajena regretted agreeing to add stakes to the game when playing with Karon.

The Green Dragon also greedily wanted to win treasures from other Giant Dragons but did not expect to be the one falling victim instead.

Black Dragon Rosani also looked suspiciously at the Red Dragon’s pile of gemstones and shouted, ”Something’s not right, Karon, are you really cheating? You’re even more cunning than us Black Dragons.”

Among the Five-Color Dragons, Black Dragons and Green Dragons are the ones who enjoy using tricks the most, and consequently, they are also the smartest.

But neither the Black Dragon nor the Green Dragon expected that the dumbest White Dragon and the Red Dragon, who usually disliked using his brain, would keep winning while they kept losing.

Black Dragon Rosani even started using the scales it shed as stakes. These scales, though they would soon lose their magic power and the dragon’s aura would dissipate,

remain a high-quality material for forging armor due to their sturdy protection. Moreover, Dragon Scales and Dragon Hide are among the best materials in the world for carrying magic power, making them quite valuable treasures.

However, according to Karon’s estimates, the most valuable Dragon Scales among the Five-Color Dragons belong to the Red Dragons and the Blue Dragons, followed by the Green Dragon’s scales. The Black Dragon’s scales are the least valuable, and Karon doesn’t want to accept the White Dragon’s scales.

Of course, even if he wanted to accept them, it is not feasible. There’s always a rookie with beginner’s luck; White Dragon Camid is one of them. Even if Karon could peek at his cards, Camid would still win more than he lost.

White Dragon Camid just pretended to be clumsy and watched as the Green Dragon and the Black Dragon shouted. Being among the beneficiaries, he naturally remained calm.

”How could that be? Are the matters of Giant Dragons ever considered cheating? I merely used my intelligence, you two idiots should just admit your defeat.” Karon said, sticking his neck out with a proud look.

Pikku Little Elf Riven also placed her hands on her hips, acting as the Red Dragon’s accomplice. Karon had the best relationship with her, and Riven was evidently a very loyal Little Elf.

Though it seemed a bit shameless, for the Giant Dragons, this term is considered quite a compliment. Evidently, Karon has gradually showcased the nature of a Giant Dragon.

Blue Dragon Doss and Blue Dragon Akzhi’s long bodies had already surrounded the clearing. Seeing the clamor from the Green Dragon and Black Dragon, they were suddenly invigorated, rising from their previously lazy positions.

They clamored, ”If you two don’t want to play, step aside. Let us have a turn. We’ve been eager to earn some treasures from Karon.”

White Dragon Gomot, patrolling the sky, had lost count of how many times it flew over this mountaintop. Feigning fatigue, it approached, gathering its wings furtively as it crept near the mountain top’s clearing.

Yet it was seen by the now irritated Green Dragon Antajena, who jumped down from the stone table hewn from a boulder, sudden anger flashing in its eyes as it shouted, ”Gomot, are you slacking again? Get lost, the safety of the territory is your current task, return to patrolling the territory.”

White Dragon Gomot paused, involuntarily glancing at the smug Red Dragon. However, there was no way Karon would give it this chance. In his heart, there was a firm distinction between playtime and responsibilities, and responsibilities had to be taken seriously. The Red Dragon waved its Dragon Claws, motioning for the White Dragon to quickly leave.

White Dragon Gomot could only stop in frustration, climbing back into the sky to continue patrolling the territory.