Beneath the Red Dragon

Although in Kaidelos’s heart, this skinny Steel Dragon Midir, who transforms into a lively and cute girl in human form, is the truly wicked festering Giant Dragon in the Golden Empire.

Not to mention the exploits of this Steel Dragon within the Imperial, ever since Steel Dragon Midir took office, they’ve begun to utilize the empire’s system to implement economic trade warfare against numerous Northern nobility.

Using the empire’s refined, high-output processed products to squeeze the market of those Noble Lords’ goods, and taking advantage of the opportunity presented by the Golden Empire’s installation of armaments, extensive construction, and development needs that require a massive amount of cotton textile products.

Encouraging the Golden Empire to completely abandon the practice of producing its own cotton textile raw products, purchasing large quantities of cotton and other products from other Noble Lords, gradually increasing the purchase price, and simultaneously lowering the tariffs on products like cotton.

Guiding numerous noble territories in the North to start abandoning grain, massively planting crops like cotton.

In these years, apart from the food supply for the Lords, many noble territories planted crops like cotton on almost all other lands.

The price of grain massively exported by the Golden Empire naturally rose accordingly, but the nobles, having their food-producing lands, did not care, leaving only the populace lamenting all around.

Then the Golden Empire began to stop the export of grain to these Noble Lords and the import trade of cotton crops.

Originally, in Steel Dragon Midir’s plan, by relying on these tactics of trade warfare, Batorri Count’s territory could easily defeat these Lords.

Then incorporating these noble territories as enclaves of the Golden Empire beyond its native land, but Charal Cesar, now the Emperor of the Hobis Empire, swept through the multiple nobles of the Northern Territory, disrupting Steel Dragon Midir’s plan.

Although the defeat of many northern nobles was undoubtedly due to their inability to match Charal Cesar I’s power, Steel Dragon Midir’s role was also a crucial factor.

Having soldiers but no grains, even the War God couldn’t make bricks without straw.

So those fallen nobles who fled to the Golden Empire cried day and night before Steel Dragon Midir’s residence, making her both furious and annoyed.

She actively ran to the Western Border of the empire to oversee the construction of Winter Hideaway City, incidentally also engaging in trade relations with the Vampires of the Forest Kingdom.

In Steel Dragon Midir’s view, there were still many tactics she hadn’t yet had the chance to attempt, no benefits reaped, and instead, she carried a heavy burden for Charal Cesar I.

In these days, she had to think of a method to rightfully extract money from those old nobles.

Young Red Dragon Kaidelos sometimes also began to worry about those Vampire Species of the Forest Kingdom. Steel Dragon Midir, though not well-known in the outside world of the empire, was the slyest Dragon among the Dragon Group.

Constructed with the aesthetic of a Giant Dragon, even the city gate could accommodate several adult Giant Dragons walking side by side.

Kaidelos led a cadre of Giant Dragons through the city gate, the orderly and broad streets still sparsely populated. Occasionally, a team of the elegantly dressed, noble-like Vampires with their slaves passed by, bowing and saluting the group of Giant Dragons.

These were the trade delegation sent by the Forest Kingdom and tourists experiencing the charm of the Cai Feng Empire. These proud Vampires, within the Dragon Nation, had to lower their heads as well.

Scattered around the Golden People mostly wore Dragon Horn Hats, their attire mainly depicting dragon patterns and elaborate scroll patterns, simple yet elegant and grand, contrasting sharply with the complex and opulent style of the Vampires.

Kaidelos frequently nodded in return, then led the team straight to the destination in the city.

Occasionally along the way, one or two Five-Color Dragons with varying scale colors could be seen, mostly Blue Dragons and Green Dragons, either idly strolling in the city or waiting in front of the transportation agency for travel permits.

With the stamped travel authorization, these Wild Dragons unwilling to join the Golden Empire could enter and tour the internal heartland of the Golden Empire.

Dragons entering the interior without travel authorization were seen as provocations.

The two Wild Dragons previously brought down were still paying off their reckless actions. They were under the supervision of White Dragon Sloraka and White Dragon Roni, responsible for the Imperial lines stationed in the North, defending against potential southern invasions by the Frost Giants.

In an open-air square at the city center, tall towers without roofs and Dragon statues fountains stood everywhere, with the pillar of merit carved with the names of the warriors who gave their lives for the establishment of the Golden Empire.

But in the corners of this open-air square, elite Heavy Armor Guards were stationed.

Twenty Heavy Armor Warriors all wielding Horse-Slaying Heavy Blades, their entire bodies clad in the heavy armor forged from Mountain Steel and magic alloy, standing upright as pine trees even in the chill of this deep autumn, scrupulously attentive, only nodding in greeting to Red Dragon Kaidelos.

Because these warriors guarded the only Teleportation Passage within each city, only Dragons or those carrying the documents issued by the Dragon Lord could pass. All others attempting to teleport freely in the city were seen as outlaws.

The vertical pupils of Young Red Dragon Kaidelos met the eyes of the Dragon statue standing in the Teleportation Field, instantly recognizing the Dragon Group member’s identity, then the sketched coordinates for the Young Red Dragon swiftly unfolded.

The Dragon statues surrounding the Teleportation Field, with their eyes carved from Magic Gemstones of various colors—red, blue, green, black, and white—simultaneously lit up, sparkling like stars.