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Chapter 537 - 537 107 Red Dragon_1

537: Chapter 107, Red Dragon_1 537: Chapter 107, Red Dragon_1 In the Magical Beast Mountain Range, within a man-made cavern, a red giant dragon, about seventy meters long, was staring ahead with eyes bigger than lanterns, incensed.

“You filthy vermin, how dare you disturb the slumber of the great Sir Maxim!

Your audacity is your death warrant!”

One can’t deny the innate talent of the dragon race.

He spoke in perfect common tongue of the Continent of Aslante, clearly to ensure his words were understood by the intruders.

A red dragon isn’t a beast to be trifled with.

Among all giant dragons, it has one of the worst tempers.

Normally when disturbed, it would spew a mouthful of magma or smash whoever was there to death with its tail.

The privilege to be swallowed whole is specific to other races.

Orcs, regarded as filthy creatures by giant dragons, do not even get that honor.

A typical double-standard.

The Dragon Race indeed sired the most offspring, yet they despise the Orcs who have diverse racial bloodlines.

A dragon in heat will mate with any of their kin, in the air, on the ground, or in the water, who can all become the objects of their lust.

The numerous sub-dragon species on the Continent of Aslante are the accomplishments of the Giant Dragon Clan.

Fortunately, they don’t settle on the continent long term, otherwise, one day the whole continent would be filled with dragonkin.

Maxim was willing to talk because he was truly furious.

Killing these Orcs before him couldn’t appease his rage.

Since he came from Dragon Island, things seemed to be running amuck.

He had just arrived at the Magical Beast Mountain Range and set his sights on a mountaintop to make his nest, only to find that the “landlord” was not to be messed with.

A mother Earth Bear of similar temper came out.

Without exchanging any words, they instantly clashed.

Both possessed power on the same scale, who would fear the other in a one-on-one brawl?

Unfortunately, no rules were respected by the other side.

After sustaining injuries in the battle, the other party called for help from another Earth Bear.

Then, a tragedy occurred to Maxim.

He was severely beaten by two Earth Bears.

If he had not been fast enough and his physique was not robust, he nearly would have lost his life.

He was chased from deep within the Magical Beast Mountain Range to the outskirts.

Only when they realized they could not get the best of him did they finally give up.

Having suffered a tough beatdown, Maxim realized the Continent of Aslante was not easy to handle.

At least he couldn’t be the lord and master of the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

He decided to build his den at the fringe of the Magical Beast Mountain Range, settled down and took a slow rest to recover from his wounds.

He had only been asleep for about a year when he was woken up by the Orcs now standing before him.

His simmering anger, two-fold, decided the fate of these Orcs who had disturbed him.

They would be left to die in terror.

Realizing something was amiss, the leading Hawkman elder quickly spoke, “Esteemed Sir Maxim, having heard of your renowned name, we intentionally came to present you with gifts.”

Having heard they were to present gifts, Maxim’s countenance slightly softened, which was immediately followed by a burst of anger: “You vermin are lying!”

This was his first time stepping onto the Continent of Aslante.

He was beaten and chased by two Earth Bears upon his debut, so any talk of a “renowned name” was utter nonsense.

Seeing this, the leading hawkman elder was taken aback.

Weren’t all dragons fond of getting their egos massaged?

Why didn’t he play to script?

Luckily, the elder reacted fast enough.

Realizing his flattery didn’t hit the mark, he quickly corrected himself: “Why are you still dawdling?

Quickly open the box!”

In a moment, Maxim’s gaze was attracted by the flickering gold light, and his anger subsided.

Greed is the biggest weakness of the Dragon Race, and Red Dragon Maxim is no exception.

His greatest desire is to have countless gold coins and then seduce pretty female dragons to sire offspring.

One isn’t enough.

A whole flock is preferable.

Greed, lust, and hunger – these were all normal needs for a mature dragon like Maxim.

He ventured out this time to amass enough treasures.

If it hadn’t been for his run-in with the two Earth Bears, he would have already set out to earn money.

“These treasures are all mine!

You vermin, stay off!” Maxim couldn’t help but admonish.

From his tone, one could tell that he no longer harbored an intention to kill.

It could only be said that the allure of gold coins was so strong that it could change the decision of a dragon.

Only after retreating over fifty steps and feeling quite safe did the Hawkman elder slowly start, “Esteemed Sir Maxim, these are only tokens of our respect.

They simply represent the profound admiration the Orc Empire has for you.

The Continent of Aslante is in upheaval due to incessant wars and is in urgent need of establishing a new order.

Such a grand event, how can it be held without your participation?

This time, we came here specifically to invite you on behalf of the Orc Empire to attend the Continental Conference, and witness the different races reach a peace agreement.

You can rest assured that we will follow the old rules and not put you in an awkward situation.

Upon successful completion, we will gift you a pile of gold coins the size of your body as a reward.

Your contributions to all races of the Continent will be eternally sung by bards!”

Taking cues from previous mishaps, this time the Hawkman elder’s flattery was successful.

Not only did he offer a handsome sum of money, but he also exalted Maxim to high heaven.

There wasn’t a trace of humiliation, and it was very much in line with this Red Dragon’s tastes.

The intelligence of a dragon is never to be questioned.

As long as they’re not in heat, most of the time they’re functioning normally.

Maxim fully understood the Orc Empire’s intention to invite him to the Continental Conference at a high cost—they just wanted to use the Dragon Race’s power.

“Hmm, witnessing the Continental Conference is okay.

But I will only represent myself.

If you want me to represent the Dragon Race, you need to offer more money!”

As he spoke, Maxim had already extended his claw, and he began to bargain.

The Hawkman elder was momentarily stunned by such straightforward negotiations.

Are all giant dragons this straightforward?

The dragons recorded in the canon are all arrogant creatures with a great sense of self-importance, always self-centred.

The Red Dragon before them was obviously not playing by conventional rules.

Generally speaking, only ancient dragons advanced in years could develop such thick skin.

No matter what he thought, the elderly Hawkman managed to sound hesitant, “Well, we’ll go with the price you said, Sir.”

If you dare negotiate with a giant dragon, you must be prepared to be ripped off.

Anyway, he was acting on behalf of the Orc Empire this time, no matter how much it costs, the Empire will foot the bill.

He was too lazy to risk haggling over the price.

There were prior examples.

In the past, some people had been accidentally slapped to death by a dragon while haggling over the price.

…

The Alpha Kingdom wanted to negotiate, so did the Orc Empire.

When both sides wanted to resolve the issue diplomatically, things became much simpler.

Soon, a letter of mediation appeared on the desks of the leaders of each tribe on the continent.

Influenced by the letter, the Human Alliance urgently announced a meeting.

All due to the massive claw mark on the mediation letter.

Any slightly knowledgeable noble could recognize this as the emblem of the Dragon Race.

If any other species dared to mediate, even if not swatted away with a slap, the mediation letter would end up in the trash can.

As the dominant power on the continent, the Human Race had the confidence to say no to other races, but not when dealing with the Dragon Race.

Even though the number of giant dragons now is scarce, with the total count worldwide probably not exceeding five digits, their collective strength certainly couldn’t surpass that of the Human Race.

But collective strength does not necessarily equate victory.

Against creatures like dragons that seem to have no weaknesses except their numbers, human sea tactics mean nothing.

Once a war breaks out, dragons could conduct surprise attacks anywhere in the human territory without giving the humans any chance to defend.

No matter how wealthy or strong, nobody can withstand constant attacks.

If continually attacked by dragons, the human race would soon be overthrown from their ruling position.

Realizing the seriousness of the problem, the representatives started discussing quickly.

“The Dragon Race has long stopped intervening in continental affairs, how likely is it that they would suddenly get involved at this critical moment?

This is most likely a fraud perpetrated by the Orcs intending to use the Dragon Race to evade responsibility.

We mustn’t fall for it!”

Count Derrick was the first to object.

As a representative of the Warhammer Kingdom, his hatred for the Orc Empire was bone-deep.

When hatred takes over, rationality inevitably plays a secondary role.

Even the old strategy of retaining the Orcs to contain the Alpha Kingdom, they now can’t afford to consider.

The Orcs were simply too deceitful.

The growth of the Alpha Kingdom merely might infringe upon their interests, but the Orcs were literally a threat to their lives.

The Warhammer Kingdom narrowly escaped becoming part of history, which truly terrified them.

If the Alpha Kingdom wanted to invade the Warhammer Kingdom, they had to do so within the rules of the game.

Even if they won on the battlefield, they would have to withdraw their troops once the Human Alliance intervened.

What’s more, the Moxi Duchy stood between them.

The probability of a direct military conflict between the two countries was not high.

At most, it would be a contest for political influence.

“It’s straightforward to determine the truth.

As mediators, they are bound to send a representative.

Let’s assume the mediation letter is genuine.

If there’s no representative from the Dragon Race present, we can still annihilate the Orc Empire later,”

Bishop Montson calmly stated.

The Warhammer Kingdom could be impulsive, but the Church had to be rational.

After clashing with the continent’s number one military power, an unstable factor like the Alpha Kingdom had to be stalled somehow.

If they lost the Orcs as a restraint, they would have to face the concerted efforts of two anti-church military powers at the same time.

If they were not careful, the Continent of Aslante would be mired in a conflict between the old and the new Church.

What if the Iberia Kingdom was also persuaded to take action to exterminate the Church and set up a more obedient New Church?

It’s not impossible.

“Bishop, having a representative present doesn’t confirm its authenticity.

Not all giant dragons are so moral, many dragons are endlessly greedy.

If the price is right, hiring a giant dragon to impersonate a Dragon Race representative and mediate is also plausible.

Similar cases have indeed happened in history.

If we let the Orcs deceive us and miss this opportunity, history books won’t judge us favorably.

If we analyse it carefully, our dispute with the Orcs doesn’t impact the interest of the Dragon Race, they wouldn’t bother to stand up for the Orcs.”

Count Nigore objected.

As one of the victims of this war, the Orton Duchy has become a staunch proponent of the ‘annihilate the beasts’ faction.

Orton XIX has given the command to push for the extermination of the Orc Empire as much as possible.

Nearly all representatives from the northern powers received similar orders sooner or later.

It was evident that they had felt the pain and did not want a second round.

The only surprise was the Alpha Kingdom, a fervent advocate of annihilating the beasts, who remained silent all along.

They had no choice; the Orcs had ‘hostages.’ If the Alpha Kingdom dared to push the ‘wipe out the beasts’ proposal, the Orcs would simply ‘tear up the ticket.’