Ashen Dragon

Gold coins flowed from the Red Dragon's mouth, while the Chimera outside the cave stared intently at the scene. Its greedy eyes not only showed a heartache over the lost treasure but also a hint of resentment. However, this emotion vanished swiftly, unable to display it before the Red Dragon.

Cassius noticed this but didn't care, even feeling a sense of accomplishment in transforming into a Minotaur.

For such chaotic evil creatures, showing mercy was useless because the Chimera could never be unconditionally loyal to him. It would seize any opportunity to devour its master and take over.

As an ancient saying from his past life went, "Fear power, not virtue," this described the monster perfectly.

The only thing the Red Dragon could do was to use its strength while maintaining its powerful presence, ensuring it remained forever a retainer without the opportunity to rise.

[Metallic Scales rose to full level (5230/5000)]

[New trait obtained: Gilded Scales]

[Gilded Scales] Ac+3 Constitution+1

[You have devoured an excessive amount of Gold Element. The flowing gold will attach to your outer body and the depths of your heart.

You can actively trigger Gilded Carapace. The gold inside your body will form a gilded layer on your surface, greatly increasing your armor value and changing the scales' appearance to gold.]

"Able to turn my scales golden?"

Cassius suddenly had some strange thoughts.

Because in his memory, there should've been no Gold Dragon in Anzeta.

Is it possible...?

Regardless, another life-saving measure had been added. The Red Dragon felt quite delighted.

He ignored the Chimera's resentful gaze, merely continuing to have it lead the way, exploring the Giant's Mouth Cave.

"Not there yet?"

Cassius wondered.

This place was far more complicated than he imagined, with numerous extremely deep sections that made one suspect it wasn't naturally formed but crafted by some Dwarven artisans.

Not far off, in a narrow cave, bursts of scalding white steam erupted, with some magma splashing out. This made the Red Dragon feel somewhat nostalgic.

"Keep going,"

Cassius signaled the Chimera to lead the way.

But the cowardly beast kept whimpering and pleading, refusing to go further no matter what.

"Master, hot, dangerous."

"Will die."

After all, it had submitted to the Red Dragon to save its own life.

Not to lose its life in the magma. It didn't have the Red Dragon's flame resistance.

"A strange place."

"However, with such a strong elemental reaction, it's better to explore once we are fully prepared."

"As for the name, let's call it the Bottomless Cavern."

Cassius pondered for a while before deciding to temporarily put it aside, as he was, after all, just a young Red Dragon.

He was barely managing to be a ruler in this wilderness, let alone face the unknown monsters below ground. If an Eye Demon or other high-level monsters appeared, he wasn't confident of winning.

"You may leave now."

"Thank you, Master."

The Chimera breathed a sigh of relief.

It didn't even care about its injuries, bolting toward its treasure-stashing cave and hurriedly moving the remaining hundreds of gold coins.

Even risking its nearly fractured wings, it shakily flew across, finding a place to hide these treasures.

"Truly a creature with Dragon blood."

"So obsessively fond of wealth."

Cassius couldn't help but shake his head disdainfully.

Thus, Cassius made the outer cave of the Giant's Mouth Cave his first lair and temporarily sealed the inner passage with rocks.

The Chimera, meanwhile, was sent to a small cave on the opposite cliff by Cassius to serve as a retainer, guarding his home.

To Cassius, the provided treatment was quite generous. At least he left it some savings, didn't he? Many modern enterprises didn't even offer that kind of treatment...

"Magic Tricks!"

As Cassius chanted, a corner of the cave, one cubic foot, became clean and tidy. The initially foul-smelling bloodstains vanished.

This Red Dragon, like a cleaner, used magic to scrub the cave inch by inch.

"This brainless beast surely ruined the place. This cave, if it were in a cultivation novel, should have been a 'Land of Good Fortune and Heavenly Caves,' but instead, it turned it into a slaughterhouse." Cassius looked at the bloody mess and couldn't help but complain.

Another pile of bones lay ahead. The Red Dragon was preparing to clear them out of the cave but once again saw a skull with goat horns.

This skull looked relatively recent, probably weeks old, with some meat still clinging to it, surrounded by buzzing flies.

From the human-like body shape and the broken tailbone, it was discernible as a Tiefling.

Tieflings were derived from human bloodlines, with bodies generally appearing human.

However, their devilish lineage left a clear mark on their appearance: horns on their heads, four to five feet long, thick tails, and solid-colored eyes, with skins in various hues.

These hell-blooded beings often gathered in human towns. Though not inherently evil, they always faced mistrust and discrimination from others.

Cassius pondered for a moment, recalling a questline from his past life: "It's Tieflings, indeed. Could it be related to the 'Northwind Fortress Tragedy' quest?"

[Northwind Fortress Tragedy]

[Northwind Castle, also known as Cavanagh Castle, was a city on the Northern United Kingdom's border, north of Stormy Ridge. With over thirty thousand residents, it housed more than a thousand Tieflings under the rule of Earl Rackman.]

[A century ago, the aged Duke Brad Rackman, troubled by his dwindling life, struck a pact with an evil Necromancer, transforming himself into an undying Vampire. Now reawakened, he agreed to offer a thousand lives to the Necromancer within ten years to achieve a great ascension.]

[In the ensuing months, many people vanished from the city without a trace. Amid this, Brad Rackman took advantage of the situation by delivering a notorious 'Bloody Speech,' placing all blame on the Tiefling tribe, dubbed the 'Devil's Offspring,' claiming they were sacrificing humans to devils.]

[Thus began a 'righteous' massacre as enraged townspeople rushed into the city, tying unprepared Tieflings to the stake and burning them alive, old and young alike, under accusations of collusion with devils.]

[The Tiefling Holy Warrior Mezulash, originally part of the city defense forces, vehemently resisted. Evading the Duke's soldiers, he led a group of three hundred surviving Tieflings to flee northward, near Stormy Ridge, establishing the Tiefling refugee camp 'House of Ruin.']

In the early game, one of the main questlines involved cooperating with Tieflings to expose Duke Rackman's true nature and eventually kill the brutal Vampire.

And Northwind Castle was a crucial Main City.

"Could the Tiefling refugee camp be located near this territory? Perhaps I can leverage this questline… to seize Northwind Castle."

This was the player's main city. Seizing the city equated to gaining control over the players. From his experience in past versions, Cassius knew the significant benefits of this.

Thinking this, the Red Dragon summoned the Chimera again, pointing at the remains on the ground:

"Where did you encounter these creatures?"

The Chimera approached, sniffing with its lion head before answering: "Horned humans, not tasty."

Cassius glanced at the Chimera's battered wings, deducing it lacked the capability for long-distance flight.

He thought there was no rush. Besides, his current power wasn't strong enough. He could gradually rally surrounding beings under his banner.

"Go back and heal first."

"Yes, Master."