Tale of the Red Dragon Without Dragon’s Might
Chapter 121章 Arrangement

Chapter 121: 121章 Arrangement

Tassera was not putting on a stern face, nor was her tone interrogative. She didn’t act like a wife who had caught her husband cheating and was waiting for his flimsy excuses, which disappointed Cecilia, who had been hoping for a drama.

The Green Dragon had hoped to see the Blue Dragon holding the Red Dragon accountable, which would inevitably lead to a dispute given the Red Dragon’s temperament, escalating into a brawl where she could then engage in subtle meddling, fanning flames, pitting them against each other, and exploiting their vulnerabilities.

It wasn’t that Tassera was intrinsically cunning, but she genuinely believed that as a teenage dragon, Leon wasn’t very scheming. It was only a nefarious Green Dragon from start to finish, and she was fortunate to have discovered it in time before any mischief could unfold.

"I see you’re in good spirits; it seems those hidden injuries have also completely healed. It looks like your recent half-year training journey was quite fruitful."

Tassera remembered that Red Dragon had some vulnerable scales newly grown from injuries, differently colored than the rest. As things stood, they had healed perfectly, matching the rest.

Leon initially thought Blue Dragon would be angry since he brought back a Green Dragon, which might look like an act akin to cheating... He had thought of explaining, but seeing Blue Dragon’s outrage, he decided to stay silent. After all, the Green Dragon had harbored ill intentions and deserved some hardship; it didn’t merit his defense.

Tassera took out her frustrations entirely on the Green Dragon instead of bothering him, truly surprising and touching Leon, prompting him to share all about his travels. After leaving the desert, he first revisited the forest where he used to live—nothing was the same—and then returned to his birthplace before heading to the Primitive Forest...

"It’s utterly ridiculous for a Green Dragon to sink so low as to consort with a Green Hag and Evil Ghosts." After a hearty fight, kinship borne from conflict was impossible between two women, and likewise for two Mother Dragons. Tassera seized every chance to mock and belittle the Green Dragon.

"I was merely playing along with them, using them as stepping stones; they were never truly my allies," Cecilia defended. "It’s a strategy, do you understand that? Blue Dragon has never grasped what strategy means."

"Heh," Tassera sneered with arms crossed, occasionally glancing at the Green Dragon’s chest. When the Green Dragon noticed, she proudly puffed out her chest.

Cecilia scoffed in return, albeit still feeling somewhat unsure.

As the Green Dragon headed towards Molten Lava Lake, possibly as an escape, Tassera didn’t pursue further. Instead, she turned and asked Leon, "Will you need to go out for training again?"

"Not for the time being," Leon thought, having completed his Foundation Establishment.

In fact, during his extended meditative period, he had learned how quickly to achieve a state of pure mental clarity, capable of meditating anywhere. His main reason for staying in the Primitive Forest was a belief in seeing things through from start to finish.

"There’s one more thing." Tassera, eyeing the Green Dragon with a tilt, was a bit worried. She had won big today, but the future was still uncertain. "Why did you bring her back? To truly make her a servant?"

"I haven’t decided yet," Leon said. "A Green Dragon always has its uses. Even if not immediately, it’s good to have talents in reserve."

"A Green Dragon definitely has uses, but you must realize a dragon’s appetite is enormous. Overpaying isn’t worth it, for it lacks cost-effectiveness. Paying too little will only breed resentment, leading to eventual conflict," Tassera said bluntly, unconcerned whether Cecilia was listening.

"It’s alright, I’m easy to maintain; just a bite to eat will do, as long as I can stay by my master’s side," Cecilia interjected, unable to accept her fate being decided by a rival.

Tassera ignored the Green Dragon, lifting a slender finger towards her and smirking dismissively, "Do you believe that?"

"To be honest, not really," Leon said. He firmly believed that no True Dragon could resist greed; it’s just that Tassera, as a Storage Dragon, cared more about other things.

The two discussed a bit, and since the Efreeti was perfectly capable of managing the Molten Lava Lake thanks to their contract, and was far more reliable than the Green Dragon, with the Brass Dragon in charge of selling passes, and the Evil Wolf managing the Plunder Certificates, there wasn’t really a need for a Green Dragon unless they started new ventures.

"How extensive are my brother’s— I mean my master’s—territories?" Cecilia gathered information from snippets of conversations about Leon’s current endeavors.

"You should call him ’master,’" Tassera corrected.

"Alright, ’master’ then," Cecilia shrugged nonchalantly with a coquettish tone, "How large are the master’s territories?"

"About this much..." Leon chuckled as he gestured non-specifically with his hands, indicating an area easily tens to hundreds of kilometers in length and breadth. Though the value wasn’t high due to the desert’s scarcity of resources, he admitted, "I’ve never actually measured it."

"How many oases then?" Cecilia, unfamiliar with deserts, made parallels with polar regions, both harsh environments, one cold, one hot, "Including various relics, tribes, abandoned fortresses, and underground cities...?"

"Quite a few," Leon scratched his head sheepishly, realizing he wasn’t very concerned about his vast territories, focusing only on the area around the Molten Lava Lake.

Cecilia, who had unscrupulously vied for the Primitive Forest, thought about how some people could care so little for their vast lands and repeatedly hesitated to speak out.

"I know what you are about to say..." Leon saw the small gesture of the Green Dragon, "You know, in places like the desert, resources are scarce."

"Even a small mosquito is still meat," said Cecilia.

"It’s really troublesome," Leon said with a headache.

It’s not that becoming a Red Dragon after transmigrating made him lazy, but Leon has always hated hassle. Perhaps it could be said that his concept of money is quite peculiar.

Whenever he goes shopping and a shopkeeper dares to overcharge him even by a dime, he could haggle over it for ten minutes. To save a yuan on parking fees for his electric scooter, he would rather park it hundreds of meters away from his destination. But when it comes to online shopping and getting cashback for good reviews, even if it’s five yuan or ten yuan, he can’t be bothered to lift a finger and post a photo in reviews.

"This kind of matter can be left to the subordinates, it’s not troublesome at all," Cecilia said nonchalantly, "For instance, the Efreeti."

"The Efreeti won’t do," Leon said. "The Efreeti are cruel and ruthless, they only know how to use knives and whips. You can let them fight or rob... but they are no good for these trivial tasks."

Leon glanced sidelong at the Green Dragon. After all the talking, its goal was clear.

"I’ll tell you where my territory extends, and assign this task to you to map out all the forces within my territory, including the strength and financial status of these forces... Depending on your performance, I might consider letting you be my chief steward."

Compared to the Efreeti, the Green Dragon was cunning, meticulous, persuasive, and worldly. However, it often appeared flamboyant and rough when facing its own kind, especially those Green Dragons of similar age and status.

"Now to be my chief steward, and in the future to be my Imperial Prime Minister..." Leon subconsciously promised his subordinate big dreams. The dreams he had consumed in the past were now the dreams he painted, a matter of just spending a bit more breath.

"I don’t want to be any chief steward or prime minister," Cecilia wrinkled her nose, "I just want to be brother’s sister... a master’s maid."

When Tassera heard Cecilia’s words, she scoffed, deeming herself incapable of being so shameless.

Tassera waited for the conversation between Leon and the Green Dragon to conclude, and thought it was also time for her to show herself.

"Do you know? While I was away, I completely digested what I learned from Betty in Crossroads City about making Magic Statues, and my skills have improved," Tassera said. "You wanted my help to make Magic Statues before, do you still want to make them?"

"You must be wanting to practice but had no opportunity, and then you thought of me," Leon never thought that bringing back the Green Dragon would make Blue Dragon feel threatened, prompting her to offer aid voluntarily.

"Is that how you see me?" said Tassera, "Can’t it be that I care about you?"

"Otherwise?" Leon sighed. "When I wanted to make Magic Statues before, it was because I didn’t know how expensive it was to make one."

"The cheapest Meat Body Demon Statue costs tens of thousands of Gold Coins. Even a basic Stone Magic Statue wouldn’t be less than several tens of thousands," Leon recalled asking Blue Dragon how much it would cost to make a Magic Statue, "What good is spending a hundred thousand Gold Coins just for a steel magic statue?"

"How little do you think of steel magic statues?" Tassera couldn’t help but say. "A properly made steel magic statue, without any shortcuts, is stronger than a robust adult Green Dragon."

Blue Dragon didn’t mind undermining Green Dragon from any detail.

Leon finally remembered, the steel magic statue in the book was meticulously crafted from heavy metal, fused with rare tinctures and mixtures, wielding enormous blades, and even capable of emitting deadly poison clouds, with a Challenge Level as high as 16. He probably couldn’t match it now.

"I remember you have a Stone Magic Statue," said Leon, "It must have cost you seventy to eighty thousand Gold Coins, you really have money."

"That was made by my own hands, I carried out most of the work, it took a few years, I didn’t give others a chance to make money off it, so it didn’t cost much," Tassera explained. "I have just that one Stone Magic Statue, I keep it in my shop to deter any ill-intended folks."

After some idle chat, Leon soon felt sleepy. After all, he hadn’t rested since flying back from the Primitive Forest.

Just like that, Tassera left, planning to think over how she could help Leon, ensuring he couldn’t do without her.

Cecilia kept busy figuring out her new job, determined to show good performance because just saying nice words wouldn’t be enough.

Leon allowed her to reside in Dome Castle and also allowed her to find an Oasis nearby to build her nest; she still hadn’t decided.

Leon lay down to sleep beside Molten Lava Lake. Before sleeping, he thought about the tasks ahead; assigning the Green Dragon to thoroughly scout the territory wasn’t important—the focus was that he had completed his Foundation Establishment. What to do next was the question, despite more than half a year passing, he hadn’t actually begun the Inner Core Dual Cultivation Method.