Tale of the Red Dragon Without Dragon’s Might
Chapter 236 - 235: Gathering Intelligence

Chapter 236: Chapter 235: Gathering Intelligence

Vilanser was unwilling to negotiate, but she trusted their General Eran’s judgment.

If Eran said they could fight, they fought—undoubtedly, they could. If Eran said negotiate, it meant they truly could not fight and must consider the bigger picture.

"If we had known this earlier, we should have just agreed to the Green Dragon’s terms from the start... But I just couldn’t stand the obnoxious look on that Green Dragon’s face." Vilanser paused, "And when the Red Dragon came, accepting his terms was also possible—his conditions weren’t actually that unreasonable."

"Now, saying these things is pointless anyway. If we don’t fight, everyone will be unsatisfied. And without fighting, no one would’ve realized how terrifyingly strong that Red Dragon is..." Eran sighed.

"Thankfully, this battle can be considered a victory, even if it’s a pyrrhic one." Eran stared at the empty sky where the Red Dragon had vanished. "Still, maybe we can use this victory to negotiate better terms."

"Exactly, we need to arrange the negotiations as soon as possible," Eran nodded slightly. "Strike while the Red Dragon is still injured and has not recovered; otherwise, once his injuries heal, we lose all leverage."

"But... even if we can cooperate now," Vilanser said, "Red Dragons are inherently chaotic, evil, and unpredictable; he could betray us at any moment."

"This Red Dragon is different; he’s not like other Red Dragons," Eran replied. "According to our intelligence, this one has ruled Watchtower Port without engaging in pillaging or slaughter. He’s actually implemented many laws there. Surprisingly, he belongs to the Order Camp... He seems to be quite fond of peace, spending most of his time in his lair."

"Is he a Blue Dragon or a Red Dragon?" Vilanser furrowed her brows. "If he’s a Blue Dragon, I might tolerate it, but a Red Dragon... are these reports even credible?"

"I don’t know," Eran admitted. "The arrow I shot wasn’t as simple as it looked; the Red Dragon definitely won’t recover his injuries anytime soon and won’t dare disturb Danalan for now. We can use this time to send people to Watchtower Port to gather information."

"Even if this leads to negotiations, there’ll be endless meetings to attend," Eran exhaled deeply. "At least we have time to gather intelligence and assess whether the Red Dragon can be reasoned with—otherwise, we’ll need to consider retreating or calling for more reinforcements."

With that, the Elf Mage Adlan and the Elf Druid Karek departed from Danalan.

They had been meticulously selected by Danalan. Not only were they highly skilled, but they were also intelligent, cautious, and attentive, capable of analyzing situations promptly and making decisions. Most importantly, they lacked the arrogance prevalent in many elves.

"I heard you’ve been to Watchtower Port before, so this time General Eran specifically sent you," Adlan curiously said as they walked toward Watchtower Port. "When was that?"

"That was a few years ago," Karek recalled briefly. "Watchtower Port’s officials sought me out to scout Volcanic Island for them. I transformed into a seagull and conducted reconnaissance... Back then, I thought it was just an ordinary adolescent Red Dragon. Who would’ve thought it would dominate Watchtower Port years later and now pose a threat to Danalan."

"How is Watchtower Port compared to Danalan?" Adlan asked.

"You’d better prepare yourself mentally," Karek replied. "It’s filthy; excrement can be seen everywhere on the streets. It’s chaotic; those human prostitutes even solicit openly in the streets. Gangs run rampant, and there’s constant fighting and brawling..."

"But despite that," Karek paused, "this city is unlike the tranquil Danalan. It brims with vitality. Humans are always rushing about, busying themselves with who knows what, yet every now and then, they’ll astonish you with their achievements."

Adlan gave a neutral nod and remarked, "With the Red Dragon ruling now, it must’ve become even darker and more chaotic."

"This isn’t the time to pity them; we’re in no better condition ourselves," Karek reminded, "That Red Dragon is truly horrifying."

The two elves spent an hour traversing the forest. No monsters along the way posed a challenge to them, and they soon arrived outside the gates of Watchtower Port. Using small tricks, they easily infiltrated the city.

Upon entering Watchtower Port, Adlan cast a spell—Disguise Technique. Since the illusionary changes the spell provided couldn’t withstand physical inspection, he only altered his facial features, hair color, and the distinctive pointed ears of an elf, transforming into a weathered middle-aged adventurer.

Karek, being a Druid, was more adept in Transformation Magic. He reshaped his body, even manifesting gills and webbed fingers, as well as claws, fangs, spikes, and horns. He chose to assume the form of a sturdy Dwarf, hailing from the Lost Plateau.

"You said Watchtower Port is full of excrement everywhere, but I haven’t seen that," Adlan said, glancing around.

He was an elf from Danalan, and while Watchtower Port was cleaner now than in the past, it was still far from meeting his standards.

"Don’t ask me; I wouldn’t know," Karek replied, shaking his head slowly.

"Hobgoblins," Adlan muttered, spotting a patrolling Hobgoblin. "Here it comes."

Unlike the chaotic evil Orcs, Bugbears, and other such creatures, the orderly evil Hobgoblins followed rules, adhered to commands, and, under a strategic leader, could execute complex battle strategies. However, their hatred for elves meant they might impulsively attack an elf over other adversaries, potentially causing tactical errors.

Hobgoblins detested elves, and seeing one perform any sort of action could provoke them. However, the patrolling Hobgoblins on Watchtower Port’s streets couldn’t see through the elves’ disguises, merely catching traces of the elves’ scent—a loathsome odor that prompted them to stir up trouble intentionally.

"Where are you from? What are you doing in Watchtower Port?" The Hobgoblin snorted as it glared at the two elves. "Let me warn you—don’t cause trouble, or you’ll all be hauled off for labor reform."

If the Hobgoblin could see through their disguises, it would have undoubtedly taken action. Unfortunately, it couldn’t, so it settled for issuing threats before catching sight of a man in uniform out of the corner of its eye.

The man in the uniform was an Inspector. Approaching the two elves, he likewise failed to discern their true identities. "You must be outsiders," said the Inspector.

"We’re here for business," Adlan quickly replied.

"Watchtower Port welcomes you," the Inspector said. "That Hobgoblin didn’t bully you, did it?"

"No," Adlan answered, not wanting to complicate matters.

"Good. If those Hobgoblins give you trouble, come to us. We’ll deal with them," the Inspector assured them, patting his chest.

Adlan resisted the urge to hand over a silver coin. Hesitating slightly, he said, "We’ve heard that Watchtower Port is ruled by a Red Dragon now. Those Hobgoblins must be part of the Red Dragon’s forces... Aren’t you afraid of him?"

"What Red Dragon? That’s Lord Leon. Disrespect Lord Leon, and if it escalates, you’ll also be hauled off for labor reform," the Inspector warned. "Those Hobgoblins are not Lord Leon’s subordinates. He wouldn’t bother with them. They’re under the Green Dragon’s command; we, on the other hand, follow Lady Cecilia."

"Lady Cecilia leads us in opposing tyranny," the Inspector said with admiration.

"Who is Lady Cecilia?" Adlan seized the opportunity to gather new information. "She dares challenge the Green Dragon?"

"They say Lady Cecilia is a bronze dragon," the Inspector waved dismissively. "I’ll let you be now; I’ve got work to do. Recently, a group of Githyanki arrived—they are our primary focus."

As the so-called Inspector walked away, Adlan turned to his companion and remarked, "That Red Dragon has a bronze dragon under his command? For Metal Dragons to serve a Colorful Dragon, it’s no ordinary feat."

"I’ve heard of Blue Dragons pursuing bronze dragons romantically. It’s not uncommon for Colorful Dragons and Metal Dragons to intermingle," Karek replied. "That Red Dragon might even have some Githyanki among his forces—we ought to report that to General Eran."

"But these aren’t the main concerns," Adlan said seriously. "What we should take note of is the fact that this Red Dragon excels in employing people—Green Dragon, bronze dragon... He’s not like those Red Dragons who only fight solo. This Red Dragon is not just powerful on his own; he represents an entire formidable faction."

"If the Red Dragon can properly manage a city, it suggests he belongs to the Order Camp," Karek added. "A chaotic evil Red Dragon, ruling through fear and constantly changing orders, would never operate this way."

The two elves spent three days in Watchtower Port, charmingly extracting information, utilizing coins, and leveraging spells to uncover many facts—for instance, the length of the Red Dragon’s rule, his reputation as an uncompromising tyrant, the abolition of slavery in favor of labor reform, the arrival of a Githyanki Star Realm speedboat six months ago, and the recent appearance of a Cloud Giant.

With their mission successfully completed, the two elves returned to Danalan, compiling their gathered intelligence into a report for submission.

"How was it?" Vilanser asked.

Eran handed the report to Vilanser with a simple declaration: "We can negotiate. After witnessing the Red Dragon’s strength and now having this report, even those stubborn old council members will agree."

Meanwhile, Leon had been resting for a week. Despite the aid of Samadhi True Fire, he had yet to burn away a peculiar lingering force entirely. As he pondered ways to retaliate against the elves, news arrived that they wished to negotiate with him.