Tale of the Red Dragon Without Dragon’s Might
Chapter 228 - 227: Can’t Relax Yet

Chapter 228: Chapter 227: Can’t Relax Yet

Leon didn’t enjoy too much fuss. Although he had traveled alone with a backpack, wandering across several cities for over half a month, he usually preferred staying at home, watching movies or playing games. Rarely did he go out unless someone specially invited him, which is why he wanted to hole up on the Volcanic Island indefinitely.

He was genuinely satisfied with his current life.

Every morning when he woke up, Tiefling maids would bring him meticulously prepared meals. The variety of food was vast, ranging from creatures that flew in the sky, walked on land, or swam in the water. His chronic indecisiveness often left him unsure of what to eat, so he usually delegated the decision to others.

After eating his fill, he could leisurely head to the castle near the volcanic crater for a lava bath, tease his Magma Land Shark or Magma Salamander, or gather everyone for card games and chess. If fewer people joined, poker did the trick; with more people, they’d play his own invention of a Monopoly-like game. Mahjong was an undeniable classic that nobody could resist.

However—perhaps in the future, he could live such a carefree life—but not just yet. While he could still laze away on the Volcanic Island, he couldn’t let his guard down entirely.

The Volcanic Island had been successfully renovated into a geomantic treasure trove, but this accomplishment didn’t mean that everything was smooth sailing from then on with no further investments required. The continued usage and maintenance of the island posed significant challenges. It was similar to owning a car: while buying it might be easy, the subsequent yearly expenses on insurance, upkeep, and fuel could be overwhelming.

The abundant spiritual energy of nature on the now-transformed Volcanic Island didn’t appear out of thin air. It primarily relied on the techniques of harnessing and concentrating natural energies, which were, in turn, consumable resources. If the island became overpopulated, the spiritual energy would be insufficient to support the ecosystem.

In those ancient myths and legends, geomantic treasure troves—sacred grounds of paradise—only accommodated a single immortal and their disciples. Never were they turned into bustling metropolises where just anyone could move in and practice cultivation. There were legitimate reasons for such limitations.

Spot the problem, fix the problem.

Originally, many Fire Melt Salamanders lived on the island. After the volcano was awakened, and the castle and villas were constructed, they were relocated to other islands early on.

The Tiefling maids couldn’t leave, of course—who else would take care of him if they did?

When Tassera established her Mage Tower on the Volcanic Island and set up Guardian Magic and Magic Traps everywhere, they no longer had to worry as much about shameful thieves, allowing for a significant downsizing of the guards.

Many laborers who had renovated the island into a geomantic treasure trove had not left immediately. After systematically expelling the laborers and other irrelevant individuals, the number of residents on the island significantly decreased, alleviating Leon’s concerns over the efficient absorption of the island’s spiritual energy.

With the over-consumption issue resolved, and given the inability to increase output, cutting costs was a must. Next in line was the maintenance problem: the balance of the Five Elements must be preserved in a geomantic treasure trove.

The areas surrounding a dragon’s lair tended to transform due to the mere presence of the dragon. For instance, the vicinity of a Red Dragon’s lair frequently experienced small seismic events; water sources warmed due to supernatural forces and became polluted with sulfur, while rock crevices could evolve into portals to the Fire Element Plane...

However, the close connection between dragons and the Material Plane required time to develop. Until a dragon had spent nearly a century in a single lair, its power in the area wouldn’t truly manifest.

Under these circumstances, neither Tassera, Cecilia, nor Salovis would disrupt the Five Elements balance on the Volcanic Island. This left only the Efreeti, the Lord of Blazing Flames, whose presence could escalate the island’s Fire Element to excess.

Leon actually held quite a favorable view of the Efreeti. After all, they had worked well together for many years. But alas, it was inevitable—he could only call the Efreeti to him with a heavy heart.

"Selim." Leon gazed at the towering, formidable Efreeti. "Do you still remember how we first met?"

"I do," the Efreeti replied.

"Thinking back now, it truly was a case of meeting through fighting." Leon reminisced, "I’d heard of a Steam Lake somewhere, and out of boredom and curiosity, I decided to check it out. If you hadn’t been so suspicious and attacked me, I wouldn’t have seized your territory, and our clash wouldn’t have escalated to a nearly irreconcilable situation."

"Back then, I was arrogant and didn’t know my limits," the Efreeti sighed.

Now, he had completely submitted to Leon. The extraordinary strength and rapid growth of this Red Dragon were things he’d never witnessed before. In the past, although he could defeat Leon, it was by a narrow margin, and Leon could always escape if he chose. Yet in just over a decade, Leon had grown strong enough to kill him effortlessly, leaving no chance for escape.

"Let’s not dwell on that." Leon waved his hand dismissively. "Back then, you agreed to serve me for thirty years. Most of that time has already passed. Being a steward, security captain, and head contractor—you’ve performed these roles diligently over the years, and I’ve seen it all."

"What is it you wish to say, my lord?" the Efreeti asked.

"Efreeti are notoriously deceitful, ruthless, and ruthless, known for raiding the Material and Elemental Planes, capturing slaves, and considering all other creatures as either enemies or potential serfs. Yet, you disdain being forcibly enslaved yourself, don’t you?" Leon stated. "You must despise your current life and dream of escaping, don’t you?"

The Efreeti opened his mouth, hesitant to speak. He vaguely guessed Leon’s intentions, which filled him with both anticipation and suspicion, worried that Leon’s words were merely bait.

"I won’t release you entirely, but I can grant you a degree of freedom," Leon exhaled wistfully. Keeping the Fire Element in check on the island was vital, but he couldn’t have the volcano falling dormant again if the Efreeti were gone. Luckily, the Magma Land Sharks, teeming with elemental forces, offered a temporary solution.

Although the Efreeti didn’t need to breathe, his body’s flames pulsed with his emotions. At this moment, the flickering flames betrayed his excitement.

"As an Efreeti of your caliber, you must resent being confined to this tiny Volcanic Island," Leon continued. "I’m now granting you permission to leave and establish your own domain and power in the Lost Plateau by claiming a volcano of your own."

The Efreeti stayed silent, waiting calmly for Leon to finish.

"I don’t care if you enslave Dwarves and Fire Giants to mine or resume your great career of raiding and plundering. Whatever you do is your choice," Leon said. "You’ll be operating under my name, and as long as you deliver tribute to me on time every month, that’s enough."

"Although there were some unpleasant incidents in the past, I hope we can be friends moving forward." Leon crossed his arms. "I know Efreeti hold grudges against those who wrongfully enslaved them. I trust you won’t do the same to me."

"Of course not," the Efreeti hastily replied. Why would he, given the disparity in power? He believed this Red Dragon before him to be even stronger than the Noble Genies, rivaling only the Sultans and Caliphs in might.

Leon’s decision to send the Efreeti away wasn’t solely because the island no longer required him. Another factor was that Leon was now broke—a consequence of draining his finances during the Volcanic Island’s transformation.

Even though he wasn’t the type to obsess over wealth like other dragons, Leon still felt a sense of unease with no money to his name—it was simply unnerving.

Given Leon’s current strength, most cities, apart from the largest ones, couldn’t stop him. However, he didn’t want to develop too terrible a reputation. Despite already being considered the epitome of an Evil Dragon, he wished to generate wealth through taxes, commerce, and other lawful means if possible.

His thinking was straightforward: hailing from Earth, armed with so much knowledge and backed by formidable power, failing to make money would be too embarrassing.

He once considered introducing soap to this world, but it turned out soap already existed. He thought about salt drying methods, but salts weren’t worth much. Knowing that MSG was derived from seaweed, he imagined profiting from making soy sauce or MSG—but his knowledge on how to actually do so ended there.

The Githyanki haven’t yet set up their nurseries, and it’ll take time before they come to Watchtower Port for trade. Even if the Githyanki deal only in stolen goods, as long as the price is right, capitalists will sell them the rope to hang themselves.

Leon thought of the Cloud Giants. Ever since Angmog robbed them, turning them into paupers, their community’s social hierarchy—determined by wealth—had driven them mad with desperation. With their clever minds, perhaps reaching out to them could prove fruitful.

To the east of Watchtower Port lay an Elf City. Ever since Leon took control of Watchtower Port, the city had ceased all trade with his territory. Initially, he ignored them, but now he felt the need to negotiate with the elves to find out if they held prejudice against him.

Leon decided to personally approach the Cloud Giants while entrusting Cecilia to negotiate with the Elf City.