Tale of the Red Dragon Without Dragon’s Might
Chapter 237 - 236 Negotiation

Chapter 237: Chapter 236 Negotiation

There’s no need to talk about what happened before the reincarnation. Back then, he was just an ordinary human, poor and aimless, struggling to make a living. Life was harsh, even the food tasted lousy. Even when his boss demanded mandatory overtime, he had to grin and bear it, desperate to keep his job and stay in the big city. Not a single complaint escaped his lips.

After being reincarnated into this world as a mighty Red Dragon, Leon’s temper grew significantly worse, and he became increasingly intolerant of being wronged. Mainly because he started figuring things out—he worked himself to death in his last life, ending up with a tragic death. He refused to live that way again in this life. One should seek peace of mind while alive, after all.

Thinking back, from hatching to becoming a teenage dragon, spanning decades, he hadn’t suffered losses often. But the few times he did were burned deeply into his memory.

Leon distinctly remembered the first time he suffered a setback—it was back when he was a baby dragon, nearly falling prey to a sneak attack by an adventurer. He only managed a counterkill thanks to a spell rewarded by his Golden Finger. The second loss came during his youth, when he encountered a small team of adventurers. Lacking any real combat experience, that fight turned out to be quite pathetic...

He originally thought that intimidating the Elves would be enough for them to submit. Worst-case scenario, showing off his skills would also suffice. But instead, he ended up being scared off by them with a single arrow—not even managing to escape properly. He fled back to the Volcanic Island, embarrassed beyond words, and didn’t dare raise his voice in front of Cecilia. Leon hated the Elves with a burning passion now.

Danalan was indeed beautiful. Leon once couldn’t bear to destroy it. But now, he wouldn’t mind wrecking it in the slightest, if it meant swallowing his pride. Even if it meant offending the Elves and earning himself the label of a Great Evil Dragon, so be it. A Red Dragon doesn’t expect to have a stellar reputation anyway.

As for the notion that the Elves now wanted peace talks, Leon found it utterly hilarious. He couldn’t help but share the joke with everyone.

"I’ve never eaten an Elf before," Salovis was eager, "I’ll go devour those Elf Envoys."

"Don’t act recklessly." Leon mocked the naïveté of the Elves, but that didn’t mean he would allow Salovis to lose her composure. He was willing to adhere to certain unwritten rules. "In war, envoys are not to be harmed."

"Then I’ll go drive them away," Cecilia interjected, seeking an opportunity to humiliate the Elf Envoys.

"No, not only am I not planning to drive them away, but I actually want to meet them," Leon said with a grin. "I want to hear what kind of lofty rhetoric they can muster."

The castle on the mountain primarily served the Dragon Form, lacking many functions. The villa at the base of the mountain had countless rooms, including a dedicated reception hall Leon often used for hosting guests. However, he intentionally chose not to meet the Elf Envoys there, deciding instead to encounter them in the dining room mid-meal—and purposefully neglecting to offer them a seat at the table.

The three Elf Envoys from Danalan were complete strangers to Leon, and he wasn’t interested in knowing them. While eating, he casually remarked, "So, you’re the envoys from Danalan?"

Whether Leon showed manners or not, the Elf Envoys were exceedingly polite, introducing themselves and explaining the purpose of their visit.

"Peace talks? Why should I negotiate peace with you?" Leon snorted, sipping on some fruit juice.

Yes, fruit juice. He preferred it over red wine, and had absolutely no interest in blood, which fit the stereotypical image of a Red Dragon. He did whatever he pleased, caring little for others’ opinions or judgment. No one dared question him or defy him.

Hai’an, a tall High Elf with golden hair cascading over her shoulders, was the lead negotiator. The other two Elf Rangers were merely her escorts—if you could even call them bodyguards, since Hai’an was stronger than either of them. They were really just there for appearances. Hai’an took a moment to compose her thoughts before speaking.

"Did I give you permission to speak?" Leon didn’t even let the Elf Envoy get a word in. "Even if you managed to drive me away last time, that arrow you shot was quite powerful—but I doubt that’s a move you can pull off whenever you want."

"Even if you could use it again, unless you can kill me in one shot, don’t expect me to stop." That strange energy still lingered in his body, Leon could still feel the aching and numbness in his hands and feet. "Next time, I won’t foolishly announce my arrival. I won’t give you any advance warning so you can prepare."

"If I’m in a good mood, I’ll fly over for a stroll. If I’m in a bad mood, I’ll still fly over for a stroll. Unless you stay in perpetual wartime readiness, the moment you drop your guard, I’ll swoop down, wreck a few houses, and kill a couple of Elves. How does that sound?" Leon elegantly stabbed a piece of steak with his fork, bringing it to his mouth for slow, deliberate chewing.

"Of course, you’re welcome to send troops to the Volcanic Island to deal with me. Send a massive army or an elite squad, I don’t care," Leon said with a sidelong glance. "Let me be blunt—this island has cost me tremendous time, effort, and money. Abandoning it is out of the question. I’ll defend it to the death."

Leon was, naturally, exaggerating. He wasn’t truly a Red Dragon; inside the body of a Red Dragon lived a human soul. If he were a real Red Dragon, those Elf Envoys would have been eaten ages ago. Who cares about the rule about sparing envoys during wartime? When danger truly loomed, he would run without hesitation, not stubbornly fight to the very end.

Leon rattled off a litany of complaints with a flurry of words, his grievances clearly weighing heavily on him.

Hai’an calmly waited for Leon to finish before asking, "Lord Leon, may I speak now?"

"Go ahead," Leon replied, resting his face on one hand. "I was initially planning to kick you all out, but decided to let you speak instead. Make it worth my time; say something interesting."

Hai’an observed Leon closely, confident the Red Dragon was still fuming. Knowing that Red Dragons detest excessive niceties and verbosity, the skilled diplomat adapted her approach, opting for blunt practicality. "If Lord Leon is willing to seek peace, Danalan is prepared to trade with Watchtower Port. However, we cannot agree to trade exclusively within Watchtower Port."

"Completely insincere," Leon sneered. "Do you actually think I lost? After all that effort, you still couldn’t stop me. Who won and who lost—do you seriously have no clue? Are your brains waterlogged? Also, Danalan isn’t even coastal!"

"Had your people reached out to mine for talks earlier, I might have been open to negotiation then. What you just proposed could have been acceptable back then," Leon shrugged. "But now you’ve injured my people and me... You Elves have lived long lives and seen much of the world; surely you know how vengeful Red Dragons can be."

"Regarding the harm done to Ms. Cecilia, we’re willing to offer compensation." With a single use of True Knowledge Technique, Hai’an could ascertain that Cecilia—in her Green Dragon Man form—was merely a maid. "For the injuries caused to Lord Leon, we’re also ready to compensate."

"What kind of compensation could you possibly offer?" Leon retorted with threatening intent. "Anything I might want, I could just take directly from Danalan myself."

"Lord Leon is undoubtedly powerful, but conquering Danalan would be no simple feat," Hai’an countered defiantly. "We drove you off once, we can do it a second time—or even a third."

"With that kind of overconfidence, why bother negotiating at all?" Leon, usually mindful of his image, was deliberately insolent now, poking his finger into his ear for exaggerated effect.

"Should Lord Leon insist on destroying Danalan, we absolutely won’t allow it," Hai’an inhaled deeply. "Our willingness to negotiate is simple to understand. As Lord Leon mentioned, your frequent harassment of Danalan would also be highly inconvenient for us."

Leon grasped Hai’an’s meaning. She was subtly hinting that Danalan, with its Maze Lock defenses, wasn’t intimidated by him. To be honest, Danalan indeed possessed the capability to resist him effectively.

"I genuinely believe Lord Leon should accept compensation," Hai’an nodded. "It would be preferable to us using that payment to recruit allies. We happen to know many Golden Dragons and Silver Dragons who’d gladly take our side against a Red Dragon."

"Are you threatening me?" Leon’s crimson, slit pupils glared intently at Hai’an.

"Not a threat—just the plain truth," Hai’an replied. "Why not hear me out on the compensation I’m proposing?"

"Alright, go ahead," Leon said, leaning back into his chair with leisurely indifference.

"We’re willing to compensate Ms. Cecilia with ten thousand Gold Coins, which was Lord Leon’s original demand," Hai’an said with unwavering confidence, exuding the poise of an undefeated diplomat. "For Lord Leon himself, we’re prepared to offer one hundred thousand Gold Coins."

"One hundred thousand Gold Coins?" Leon’s expression turned incredulous, wondering if his ears had deceived him.

"Yes, that’s correct—one hundred thousand Gold Coins," Hai’an confirmed. "Lord Leon did not mishear."

The atmosphere immediately shifted, an air of silence enveloping the room.

Despite being beaten up a bit and enduring minor injuries and humiliation, they were offering an entire fortune as compensation?

Leon stared at Hai’an, hesitating for a moment, then said, "You haven’t eaten yet, have you? Let’s dine while we talk, so no one accuses me of being rude... You there, bring a set of dining utensils."