Ashen Dragon

Another half a month went by, and snowflakes started falling from the sky over Stormy Ridge.

The Rock Fortress already stood majestically at the entrance of the "Ashen Nest," blocking all creatures that dared to trespass.

The goblins, who were not tolerant of the cold, hastily set up makeshift camps in the valley, huddling together for warmth, while the ogres enjoyed slightly better accommodations, occupying several large caves where they snored loudly in slumber.

Cassius also slept in the Giant's Mouth Cave, yawning idly at the moment, exhaling streams of sulfur-scented heat that filled the cave with smoke.

The red dragon naturally loved warmth, and the geothermal energy in the cave made it reluctant to leave.

Several bipedal wyverns clung shamelessly to the entrance of the cave, ostensibly to guard their master, but really to soak up the heat as well.

But seeing their diligence, the red dragon merely turned a blind eye.

Meanwhile, Ramp had found a warm and hidden cave to serve as a library, spending his days immersed in his books, complaining daily to Cassius about the weakness of the goblin army and their inability to rob new books from human caravans.

"Awoooo——"

A bipedal wyvern circling in the sky let out a howl.

That sound meant——someone was coming.

Cassius perked up, rising slowly on all fours, shaking his wings before walking out of the cave and taking to the sky.

For the past half month, he had either been sleeping or studying spells in the cave.

As for food, the great goblin led an elite hunting party and surrounded several mammoths, even sending one specifically to the Giant's Mouth Cave.

The red dragon could be described as living a life of luxury.

Just when he was feeling a bit bored, wishing for something to expend his excess energy and destructive urges on, an opportunity presented itself.

The wyverns piled at the cave entrance eagerly made way the moment they saw Cassius wanting to leave, respectfully bowing their heads and then closely following behind him.

But when Cassius soared to the valley entrance and looked down to see the uninvited guests in front of the Rock Fortress, his interest waned slightly.

At the city gate stood a group of about a hundred small, thin, humanoid creatures.

They were covered in scales ranging from dark brown to black, with heads resembling a cross between a dragon and a canine, and small light-colored horns on their foreheads—these were kobolds, cave-dwelling reptilian humanoids often worshiped evil dragons as demigods.

But this group of kobolds was clearly in bad shape, many bearing wounds and bloodstains, huddled together in panic under the fortress gate, making a cacophony of noises.

Cassius could tell they were speaking in Draconic, but from their mouths, it sounded like noisy barking.

"It's... it's the Great Dragon!"

"It's really a dragon!"

Until one kobold struggled to lift its head, seeing the red dragon in the sky and letting out a cry of surprise.

"We are saved!"

Suddenly, all the kobolds knelt down as if witnessing a miracle, muttering indistinctly in Draconic.

"Boom——"

The red dragon descended from the sky with a thunderous impact, sending flurries of snow flying at the city gate.

"Why have you come here? (Draconic)"

Under the pressure from the dragon's bloodline, the kobolds continued to kneel without daring to look up.

After a long while, a slightly larger kobold slowly crawled out from among the crowd.

It threw itself at the red dragon's feet, speaking in a barking Draconic with a hint of sobbing, "Great Dragon, we have come to seek refuge with you——"

The red dragon coldly gazed at the small creatures before him, as if he could crush them with just a slight move of his body.

It was said that kobolds had a trace of dragon blood in their veins and were naturally inclined to serve evil dragons, but their strength was pitifully weak, and with goblins as substitutes, their utility to him was minimal.

Seeing the red dragon unmoved, the kobold raised its head stealthily, showing extreme sorrow, "Our whole tribe was devoured by that monster, leaving only these few of us alive, and we felt your immense power, so we came to seek your protection..."

Hearing the mention of the so-called "monster" from the kobold's mouth, Cassius finally showed a bit of interest.

"If I take in you weak kobolds, what can you offer me?"

Seeing a glimmer of hope, the kobold's eyes brightened, and it quickly said, "Gold! We can bring you lots of gold!

Our whole tribe lived in the mine, enslaved by human smugglers to dig gold for them, we know everything about it, understand the veins, and know where the most gold is."

The kobolds behind it hurriedly chimed in.

"Yes, yes."

"That's right, I can dig out gold as big as my head every day."

"Great Dragon, you must take us in."

Cassius's interest grew.

Gold, a universally hard currency, with enough gold, he could confidently procure all sorts of contraband from humans, including and not limited to weapons and magical books, thereby rapidly expanding his power.

If he couldn't buy it, it only meant there wasn't enough gold.

Moreover, the kobold's story included the so-called "monster."

Cassius continued to probe, "Tell me more about this monster you mentioned, what exactly is it?"

Hearing this, terror flashed across the lead kobold's face, and the other kobolds began to clamor, some even bursting into tears out of fear.

The kobold leader tapped his chest to steady himself before speaking slowly, "Master, you must believe what I am about to tell you."

The red dragon did not mind the title and merely nodded slightly.

The kobold seemed immersed in a terrifying memory, speaking with a tone as if reliving it, "It was a very dreadful monster, its body was larger, larger than a small hill, its mouth was also huge, bigger than... than a cave, and it could swallow ten kobolds at once."

His voice trembled uncontrollably as he said this.

"In the mine, it was like a shadow, omnipresent, no matter where we ran to, the monster would find us, the tribe originally had over seven hundred members, all... all got eaten, not even bones were left."

The kobold appeared visibly shaken.

"I went through great lengths to lead over a hundred of my kin out through the mine's secret passage." He sighed in relief as he finished speaking.

By now, the kobolds behind him had huddled together in fear, not daring to make a sound.

"Is this monster you're talking about bigger than me?" the red dragon asked with interest.

Sweat beaded on the kobold leader's forehead, unsure how to answer.

In his memory, red dragons were the most haughty and brutal creatures, even a slight offense could lead to a death with no burial.

"Speak the truth." Cassius stated impatiently.

"Yes, yes." The kobold stuttered, even closing his eyes in fear.

"What is your name?"

"Jin Ya."

Not feeling the anticipated claws, the kobold leader let out a sigh of relief, wearing an ingratiating smile and exposing his notably prominent golden tooth.