Tale of the Red Dragon Without Dragon’s Might
Chapter 172 - 171: Rapid Progress

Chapter 172: Chapter 171: Rapid Progress

It’s not yet time to conquer Watchtower Port, but it doesn’t stop Leon from laying the groundwork in advance.

These days, he often brazenly flies in his Red Dragon form over the skies of Watchtower Port, completely disregarding the fear of its residents.

"You circling around Watchtower Port from time to time frightens everyone." As a lawful-good Bronze Dragon, Fiora felt somewhat uneasy and once proactively approached Leon to caution him, "I actually saw you roar suddenly and scare an old man to death."

If not for the fact that he still had use for the Bronze Dragon, Leon really wanted to slap her face and responded, "I haven’t attacked Watchtower Port, killed everyone, or robbed them of their possessions—this is already quite merciful. Now I’m just flying around in the sky, and you’re telling me I can’t even do that... Have I been too agreeable and given you the wrong impression?"

"No, no, it’s just..." As soon as Leon got aggressive, Fiora immediately shrank back a bit, but a righteous knight never retreats, "You can fly, but could you stop the sudden roaring and yelling?"

"I’ll fly however I want, roar however I want, and do whatever I want." Leon was genuinely annoyed, thinking he had already been very gentle, yet the Bronze Dragon still wasn’t satisfied, "They need to adapt to me; there’s no reason for me to accommodate them."

"If a human told me this, I wouldn’t be so irritated." Leon fixed his gaze on the Bronze Dragon, his anger simmering, "Are you a dragon or a human? Whose side are you on? Are you out of your mind? I understand your kindness, but forbidding a dragon like me from engaging in normal activities—don’t you think that’s excessive?"

Leon’s words made Fiora realize the issue, and she was left speechless and embarrassed.

It seemed there was still hope for her—not entirely beyond redemption. Seeing the somewhat sheepish Bronze Dragon, Leon’s anger dwindled slightly, and he said, "Humans are highly adaptable creatures. They might be unsettled now, but in a few days, they’ll become accustomed."

After dismissing the Bronze Dragon, Leon suddenly realized that his perspective was increasingly dragon-oriented. After all these years living as a dragon in this world... he wasn’t sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing—and maybe he should pay a bit more attention to it.

Indeed, humans are highly adaptable creatures. In less than a week, Leon found that no matter how he flew or roared above Watchtower Port, it made little difference—people no longer fled in panic, and some even had the audacity to wave at him.

The reputation of Red Dragons was notoriously awful, but nothing worked better than firsthand experiences to change perceptions.

Seeing people increasingly adapt to his presence, Leon decided to land at the docks and take a leisurely stroll.

Next, as long as the shapeshifters trained by Cecilia spread enough negative gossip about the current officials ruling Watchtower Port and amplified the potential benefits of Red Dragon rule, Leon could effortlessly take over Watchtower Port—a complete and intact Watchtower Port.

More than half a month went by without any sign of the Brass Dragon. Leon was tempted to fly to the desert to find him when the long-overdue Brass Dragon finally showed up.

"The Blue Dragon said you were looking for me. What do you need me for?"

The Brass Dragon was still the same chatterbox, unable to stop talking once he started. Leon had to rudely interrupt him, saying, "I need you to help me build a castle."

"How much are you planning to pay me?" The Brass Dragon, of course, wasn’t going to agree to work for free, "You know my craftsmanship—I’m the Great Artisan. I’m skilled in a variety of architectural styles, but my favorite is the early Empire style: ring-column structures with the central hall serving as the core surrounded by columns..."

To buy refined gold and mithril... Even in a place like Raffi, money couldn’t buy everything. Fortunately, Leon had some good luck and managed to acquire a decent amount, but his funds were now nearly depleted, and he was feeling the strain. He said, "Given the nature of our relationship, doesn’t discussing money damage the sentiment a bit?"

"Not discussing money is what damages sentiment." The Brass Dragon replied, "Have you heard the phrase ’clear accounts even among close brothers’ before?"

"A chance to change your fate." Leon thought of the Impermanence Card; as long as he didn’t draw from the deck, he didn’t care if others did.

"What chance to change my fate?" Though the Brass Dragon was notoriously chatty, he wasn’t stupid. He pressed for details, "Explain explicitly."

"I recently came across a set of Impermanence Cards and am willing to let you draw from it—to alter your destiny." Leon brandished the deck of Impermanence Cards for emphasis, "You probably haven’t heard, but Tassera tried drawing a card once, and her magical research progressed immensely."

The Brass Dragon loved chatting with everyone, and through his endless tales, he knew about all sorts of things—including the infamous horror stories tied to the Impermanence Cards. He shook his head vehemently, saying, "You’ve got to be kidding me. Everyone knows the Impermanence Cards are a deathtrap."

"Impermanence Cards, All-Things Impermanent, Miracle Deck... That scammy stuff—I’d never touch it, no matter what." He said gravely, "Even if you paid me, I still wouldn’t touch it."

"Let’s talk about something practical." Finally, the Brass Dragon momentarily basked in the glory of having the upper hand for once and puffed himself up triumphantly.

Leon sighed and thought about the fact he had no plans to return to the desert. Even if he did, he could always take refuge in Tassera’s lair. He said, "I can give you the Molten Lava Lake."

"I don’t need it; I don’t need that Molten Lava Lake." The Brass Dragon’s logic was simple: since Leon had no intention of returning to the desert, the Molten Lava Lake was accessible to him regardless of formal ownership—he could stay there anytime he wanted.

"You do need it." Leon narrowed his eyes slightly, "If your current lair in the Desert Canyon ever gets raided, where would you plan to go next?"

"Fine, I’ll help. I absolutely love the Molten Lava Lake—to the extent that I even remodeled that castle." The Brass Dragon discerned the veiled threat in Leon’s words. If he didn’t cooperate, his Desert Canyon lair might face misfortune... Maybe he could hold his own against Leon in the past, but now, under Leon’s command, he probably couldn’t last ten moves. He had no choice but to yield.

With the Brass Dragon on board, whose exceptional stonecutting skills were unparalleled, Leon’s volcano-top castle took shape at rapid speed—within less than a month, its framework was complete.

By comparison, the Efreeti, despite having far more hands, including dwarves and Fire Melt Salamanders doing forced labor and the orcs and goblins sent by Cecilia, hadn’t even managed to make their villa resemble anything like a building.

Slow work yields fine results, so Leon wasn’t in a rush.

His life now was quite comfortable. He could soak in molten lava at the volcano’s rim with his "cat" and "dog" companions—the relatively quiet Magma Salamander was his "cat," while the lively Magma Land Shark was the "dog." Alternatively, he could take human form, live at Watchtower Port, and dash into the forest for a meal whenever he was hungry—Cecilia, who ruled over an entire forest, always kept food ready for him.

Time flowed easily. A month, two months—they were nothing.

Although Leon always carried the Impermanence Cards with him, he hadn’t yet encountered any disciples of the Comet Pioneers, knights of the Blazing Sky Barrier, or Death Fear Punishers. However, he did run into a Shuffle Demon one day.