Tale of the Red Dragon Without Dragon’s Might
Chapter 180 - 179: New Home

Chapter 180: Chapter 179: New Home

The Storage Dragons are more social than other dragons and tend to travel more frequently. Aside from their relentless pursuit of knowledge driving them away from their lairs, the primary reason lies in their treasure—Storage Dragons consider spells as their treasures—which can travel with them, eliminating the need to stay nested in the Dragon Nest.

Under normal circumstances, a dragon would never stray far from its lair for long periods, primarily out of fear that the treasures in the lair might be stolen by despicable little thieves. For a dragon, treasures are not just treasures—they are also sources of power.

Dragons lightly tap into the Magic Energy abundant in the Material Plane, which is amplified by the physical objects they possess. A dragon’s power is directly related to the size of its Treasure Vault, which explains why dragons often protect their lairs to the death and wouldn’t part with even a single copper coin.

In this context, after helping Leon finish building his castle, the Brass Dragon immediately clamored to leave.

"You’ve already been out for a few months; waiting a few more days won’t hurt, will it?" Leon wasn’t trying to keep him, but was pondering how to have someone stay to build the Mage Tower after finishing the castle. With a Mage Tower, he could recruit Tassera. "You’ve worked so hard for so long—why not rest up for just a few more days before leaving? It’s still quite a journey back from here."

No matter who tries to sneak into a dragon’s lair to steal its treasures, there is no avoiding the dragon’s detection since dragons share a magical connection with their treasures.

So far, Leon didn’t feel anything amiss. The Brass Dragon, anxious to leave, said, "If you chat with me, I might stick around for a few more days."

"Good riddance," Leon responded without any hesitation.

As it turned out, he could tolerate the Brass Dragon when it was busy with work, but now that it had nothing to do, it pestered him all day. If it were a beautiful maiden, perhaps he could reluctantly endure it, but come on, it was just a shut-in guy.

The Brass Dragon hesitated because Leon had made some fair points. Perhaps he could stay on the Volcanic Island for a few days, though it was a pity that the Blazing Sky Barrier Knight had left—otherwise, he could’ve had a good chat with him.

Whether the Brass Dragon stayed or left, Leon turned his attention to admiring his castle.

It had originally been about inspection, but now he was truly appreciating it.

Leon’s castle was situated within a bowl-shaped volcanic crater, though not at its exact center—that spot was occupied by the molten lava vent. The materials used were the gigantic stones that were abundant on the Volcanic Island. As a masterful stonecutter, the Brass Dragon could use his claws as chisels to shape the stones into all manner of forms, from bricks to pillars.

A castle designed for a dragon’s residence was bound to differ greatly from one built for humans.

Leon’s castle didn’t have defensive walls to repel enemies. Ordinary people couldn’t even reach it, and those who could would at the very least need to fly—a basic requirement. There were no battlements either. The main structure was essentially just one large house, its exterior resembling ancient Greek architecture, divided into different functional rooms—

A spare room could serve as a future nursery, a waiting room for visitors, a classroom for students, or even a prison or cell.

The warehouse could be used to store items necessary to maintain the lair, yet not precious enough to house in the Treasure Vault—mainly food. A dragon, after all, could also own toys.

The reception room served to host guests, whether friends or allies.

Finally, the bedroom, which also functioned as the Treasure Vault, had to be protected with strong Guardian Magic to prevent theft or magical detection. However, neither Leon nor the Brass Dragon could cast such spells—he’d have to wait until Tassera visited Watchtower Port for her help.

The molten lava pool outside the castle was the Brass Dragon’s idea. He had been quite thoughtful—Leon could go there to enjoy a lava bath when he wished.

The guards’ quarters and barracks were indispensable. Even though the castle was located within the volcanic crater and its master was a formidable Red Dragon, the world was never short of bold adventurers willing to take risks, gamble on their fortunes, and dream of transforming their humble lives into riches.

An enormous platform—which facilitated takeoffs, landings, and simply moving around—was Leon’s idea. He imagined himself spending every day there, enjoying the breeze, basking in the sun, and taking in the scenery. When the mood struck, he could leap into the air, beat his wings, and soar, circling the skies.

Oh, and there were two kennels—one to the east and one to the west—one for the Magma Salamander and another for the Magma Land Shark. The two creatures were now considerably more peaceful with each other.

"The Brass Dragon has already finished the castle. When will you finish the villa?"

"No need to stress—I’m just asking; I’m not in a rush."

"We don’t have slaves anymore—not nowadays. You can scold, but no physical fighting or killing—that would leave a bad impression."

The mountaintop castle had been overseen by the Brass Dragon and had taken the better part of several months, nearly half a year, to complete.

The villa at the mountain’s base was managed by the Efreeti. So far, only the framework had been completed. This wasn’t due to any laziness on the Efreeti’s part, but rather Leon’s high standards for it.

Leon’s main requirement for the mountaintop castle was its size—it had to allow his Dragon Form to move freely without constantly bumping into things. It also needed to be sturdy enough to withstand minor collisions without chipping corners...and perhaps even the occasional volcanic eruption.

In comparison, his expectations for the villa were much higher. Not only did the exterior need to be beautiful, but the interior had to be functional and well-designed. Every room—from the living room and study to the kitchen, dining room, and bedrooms—had to be perfect. No detail could be overlooked in the blueprints he had drawn up; any issues were entirely on him.

To make things even more extravagant, the villa needed an accompanying garden, a sports field, a Beast Pen, and other amenities. The platform for takeoffs and landings, of course, was a given.

Despite the time it took, the villa at the mountain’s base was eventually completed. However, the Efreeti’s work was far from over—he still needed to oversee the construction of a dock on the Volcanic Island. The dock didn’t have many requirements; as long as it was functional, it would suffice. Then, there was the matter of building roads.

"This is just a bare-bones structure," Leon remarked.

"It needs proper furnishing, or it won’t be livable."

"I wonder if Cecilia knows how to handle renovations... She’d at least make a decent gardener."

After the Brass Dragon completed the mountaintop castle, Leon, apart from living in it, didn’t do much to furnish it. In truth, the castle was located so close to the molten lava vent that the heat made it unbearable to decorate. Aside from a few stones and some steel items, the barren environment couldn’t even support a single potted plant.

When it came to the villa at the mountain’s base, Leon specifically went to Watchtower Port to recruit a designer. Through some threats, it didn’t take much to invite them to the Volcanic Island. Installing wooden floors, putting up wallpaper, buying furniture—it was a chaotic ordeal that spanned several more months.

Residing in one place for too long would certainly get dull, but Leon found some fleeting contentment during this time. When in a good mood, he’d stay in the mountaintop villa, gazing out from the observation deck toward the sea. At other times, he’d reside at the mountain’s base, spending his days reading, fishing, taking walks, or riding Striders, even finding himself reluctant to leave.

It was a gloomy day.

Leon slept until mid-morning and, after a good meal, took out his fishing rod to try his luck. By noon, he hadn’t caught a single fish. He had initially planned to grill fish for lunch, but that plan fell apart, leaving him to ponder the tasks he still needed to tackle—such as governing Watchtower Port or tracking down the Cloud Giant to inquire about the progress of his Dragon Armor.

On second thought, managing Watchtower Port wasn’t urgent; he had no interest in micromanaging it anyway and would eventually have to find someone else to do it. Cecilia had the forest to govern, the Efreeti only knew how to play the slave master, and the Evil Wolf wasn’t exactly cultured. In the end, humans would still need to govern humans, which wasn’t all that different from the current setup.

Ah, the ideal was grand, but reality was harsh. Ruling over a territory could sometimes be harder than conquering it.

Leon decided to first pay a visit to the Cloud Giant and check on the status of his Dragon Armor. It had been a long time—it should be close to finished by now.

When Leon set his mind to something, he acted swiftly.

He resolutely shifted into Dragon Form, flapped his wings a couple of times, and soared into the sky, heading for the Lost Plateau to find the Cloud Giant’s castle.

Leon was brimming with anticipation—who would’ve thought he’d arrive only to find an empty castle?

His first thought was that the Cloud Giant had taken his Impermanence Card and run away.