Tale of the Red Dragon Without Dragon’s Might
Chapter 153 - 152: People on a Journey

Chapter 153: Chapter 152: People on a Journey

Tassera’s concerns, of course, were not unfounded.

She knew that the Salamanders under Leon’s command were strong. As large elemental creatures, their combat ability was assured. Especially after so many years of growth, their numbers had increased from a few to more than a dozen. Admittedly, a few immature Fire Snakes could be disregarded, but that Magma Land Shark, although not yet mature, was still not to be taken lightly.

Composed of Salamanders, Fire Snakes, and a Magma Land Shark, the migration team would certainly be too much for a young Blue Dragon alone, and even an adult Blue Dragon, unless it was in its prime, would lose some teeth trying to take them on. But aren’t there many Blue Dragons in the Red Crown Desert? The Lost Plateau is even more dangerous.

"Ordinary thieves definitely wouldn’t dare to mess with your migration team," Tassera said, "Aside from me, there are several Blue Dragons in the Red Crown Desert, and they might have their eyes on your team. But as long as you don’t overtly display wealth, they probably wouldn’t want to bite into a prickly cactus."

"Blue Dragons only want money, and as long as you’re willing to pay, your lives would surely be no issue," Tassera paused, "I’ve heard you say there are many Fire Giants in the Lost Plateau, and they like to rob money as well as people, don’t they? Taking them to serve as slaves."

"No worries, I’ll be there," thought Leon, who used to be able to drive away mature Red Dragons, and now he was even stronger than before.

"I wasn’t planning to go alone from the start, planning to follow the migration team," Leon paused, "And aren’t you going to Watchtower Port too? Plus, with Cecilia, with the three of us there... I guarantee that whether it be Blue Dragons, Fire Giants, or Red Dragons, we won’t be afraid, let them come and they won’t be going back."

"Since we’re going to travel with the migration team, we don’t have to worry anymore," Tassera said. The reason she specifically mentioned this was that she didn’t want to simply turn into a Dragon and fly directly there.

Tassera preferred the scenery along the way.

Leon stayed in Tassera’s lair for one day until Tassera was ready for the trip, and then they returned to the Molten Lava Lake together.

Cecilia had been staying inside Dome Castle all this time, and when she saw the Red and Blue Dragon fly over, she immediately went out to meet them.

"You’re ready so soon?" Leon landed on the circular mountains surrounding Molten Lava Lake, looking down at the camels below, three of which were saddled, while the rest were loaded with a mishmash of things, such as unfinished weapons, valuable metal ingots that were unsold but too precious to be discarded...

"Since you and the Efreeti went to Watchtower Port, I’ve started preparing," Cecilia noticed Leon’s gaze on the Hobgoblins guarding the camels, "Those Hobgoblins, I plan to bring them to Watchtower Port... I’m too lazy to bring the Goblins, but those Hobgoblins are very smart."

"Suit yourself," Leon knew Cecilia had gathered many subordinates.

"Why don’t we let the Magma Land Shark carry all that mishmash of stuff?" Tassera had transformed back into human form as soon as she landed; she indeed preferred her human form over her Dragon Form. "A single Magma Land Shark should be able to carry all those things, so we wouldn’t need to bring so many camels."

"You’ll get burned if you get too close to the Magma Land Shark," explained Cecilia, "Unless you don’t care about those goods, regardless if they get burnt or not."

"Alright then," Tassera finally recalled the scorching aura of the Magma Land Shark, a kind of Spirit Light, which could burn ordinary people to death in ten seconds if they basked in it, the goods alike.

"Besides, it’s quite disobedient," said Cecilia, "The Efreeti has trained it for many years; it no longer attacks people at random and understands basic commands, but that’s about it. It likes to bounce around, dig holes, even without the scorching aura, it wouldn’t be fit for carrying loads or as a mount."

"I was about to say," Tassera folded her arms across her chest, "Why not consider having a Druid cast the Enlightenment Technique on the Magma Land Shark? Wouldn’t it be better behaved if it were smarter?"

"Magma Land Sharks are not animals or trees; they’re elemental beings. Is the Enlightenment Technique even effective on them?" Leon said, "Besides, I don’t know any Druids."

"That’s not the key point," said Cecilia, "Who says the smarter they are, the easier they are to manage? On the contrary, the dumber ones are the easier to manage. If you want the masses to be easy to govern, you have to stick with policies that keep them unenlightened."

Tassera laughed and nodded, admitting the Green Dragon was right.

Leon thought he would need a few days to prepare, but since Cecilia had already done so much, there was no need to wait, they could set off right away.

The Fire Lizard Leader led the way with the Magma Land Shark, and everyone else followed behind.

Although still far from Watchtower Port, this didn’t stop Leon from having nothing to do. He told Cecilia about the plans for Watchtower Port and shared his strategy with her so she could prepare in advance.

"Master’s plan is truly ingenious," Cecilia was the best at sweet-talking, "Left to me, I would simply forcibly demand control of Watchtower Port, leading to a great battle and mutual destruction, maybe even reducing it to ruins despite winning."

"Enough with the flattery," Leon knew the Green Dragon’s capabilities, which lay in intrigue and politics, "If your abilities are as modest as you say, then you might as well leave; I don’t want such a foolish subordinate."

Cecilia chuckled and stuck out her tongue, saying, "It’s just that there are a few points I can’t grasp... Master wants me to establish a newspaper and sell papers outside Watchtower Port — what are these ’newspaper’ and ’papers’?"

Leon was at a loss for words, struggling to find the right language with hand gestures.

"This is what a newspaper looks like." Tassera pulled out a newspaper from the Dimension Bag and handed it to Cecilia, which she had bought during her previous visit to the Empire and had never thrown away.

The actual item was more useful than any explanation. Cecilia quickly finished reading the newspaper and understood what it was.

Although Leon didn’t know how to explain a newspaper, he knew how to explain media hegemony. Having a newspaper was essential for gaining media control, and after his explanation, Cecilia’s eyes sparkled with realization.

"As long as you run the newspaper well and promote me as a kind-hearted Red Dragon while continuously demeaning the officials of Watchtower Port, the moment the public becomes dissatisfied, I can step in to replace them," said Leon. "That way we can get a complete hold over Watchtower Port."

Leon had been pondering whether taking control of Watchtower Port would reward him with a Golden Finger, as he did previously when he gained a piece of territory—the Soul Summoning Mantra was the reward. He felt getting control of a city was similar to acquiring a piece of land, yet he was not confident.

After two days of traveling in the desert, the migrating group eventually encountered robbers. However, it wasn’t the Blue Dragon leading them but rather several groups of bandits that had joined forces, outnumbering the migration group by several times.

Against those bandits, not a single one among Leon, Tassera, and Cecilia needed to take action. The Magma Land Shark crushed two unfortunate bandits with a lethal jump, then caught another in its jaws and swallowed it whole, scoring three kills in a short time.

Under the leadership of the Fire Lizard Leader, the Salamanders charged at the bandits without a second thought, thrusting their spears. The bandits scattered in disarray, throwing their spears, and even if less than a third hit their mark, they still harvested five or six heads.

As for the Hobgoblins led by Cecilia, they stayed put, tasked with protecting the camels to prevent them from panicking and running away.

One must be ruthless to survive in the desert. The scale of casualties that would normally cause panic didn’t faze the bandits. When they saw that the Salamanders had thrown all their spears, the bandits even began to counterattack. But being unarmed didn’t mean the Salamanders were harmless—the damage from their tail attacks was not to be underestimated.

"How dare they?" Leon had observed the entire process of the bandits coming prepared and then fleeing in embarrassment. If he put himself in their shoes, he wouldn’t have made such a foolish move. "They dare to attack us with such weak strength?"

"With such a big forest, all kinds of birds are bound to appear. Anything’s possible," Cecilia said with a chuckle.

"I think they were driven here," Tassera commented, "If we were not nimble in dealing with them, the next to come might be a Blue Dragon, or perhaps some other powerful creature."

"So, did we pass the test?" Leon asked nonchalantly.

"Pretty much," Tassera confirmed.

With the first wave of bandits slaughtered by the Salamanders, the migration group encountered no more attacks until they reached the Lost Plateau. Many bandits watched from a distance, almost as if they were escorting the group.

Arriving at the Lost Plateau, the mountain paths were treacherous; Leon and Cecilia had gotten lost there before.

Once bitten, twice shy; Cecilia took the initiative and stealthily grabbed a guide.

The Lost Plateau wasn’t just home to Humans and Dwarves; Dragons and Giants were a common sight, as were various dangerous creatures.

The Fire Giants must not see the Salamanders; for a live forge like the Salamanders, they would never let it slip by. It would also be just perfect to snatch the Magma Land Shark and raise it like a pet dog.

Easier said than done, with such a conspicuous target as the Salamanders, there was no way to hide them.

"Stop, all of you, come with us."

An armored squad of Efreeti, fully armed with spears, was not something the Salamanders and a not-yet adult Magma Land Shark could handle.

"What did you just say?" Cecilia was the first to revert to Dragon Form, transforming into a Green Dragon.

"A mere little Green Dragon dares to be so presumptuous."

A Green Dragon was not enough to frighten the Fire Giants. It wasn’t until Tassera turned into a Blue Dragon, known as a Storage Dragon adept with all kinds of Spells, that she cast an Ice Wall Skill to block the escape route, the Fire Giants began to waver.

"You’re the ones who offered yourselves up," Leon said, as he had been worrying about finding construction workers. To his surprise, it was like manna from heaven.

Passing through the Lost Plateau, Leon’s migrating group doubled in size, gaining several Fire Giants and a decent number of scattered Dwarves.