Tale of the Red Dragon Without Dragon’s Might
Chapter 242 - 241: One Wave Settles

Chapter 242: Chapter 241: One Wave Settles

Leon is just a lazy dog. Mainly because he worked so hard in his past life, only to end up with nothing, so he decided not to work as hard this time around—as long as he can scrape by, that’s enough.

As the leader, Leon only handles the big picture, focusing on the major issues while ignoring the minor ones. He entrusted all matters involving elves to Cecilia. As a Green Dragon, Cecilia delighted in interacting with elves and went to great lengths to corrupt them, striving to infiltrate Danalan as much as possible.

Although there had been some unpleasant moments in the past, they had fought side by side at least once. Leon regarded the Cloud Giants as friends. Of course, he didn’t expect them to risk their lives for him—such deep friendships are rare. All he wanted was occasional mutual assistance.

Every time the Cloud Giants came from the Lost Plateau to the Watchtower Port, Leon personally welcomed them. However, he left the specifics to the Cloud Giants and the Gold Shore Chamber of Commerce to discuss. He simply handled attracting investment and collecting taxes, enjoying the steady revenue stream.

Leon was now focused on the volcanic island he had transformed into a feng shui haven, paying particular attention to a smoldering obsidian egg slightly over half a meter in diameter. This egg had been laid by one of his Salamanders during his efforts to turn the volcanic island into a feng shui treasure.

Even the fastest-hatching White Dragon Eggs take over 400 days—more than a year. Salamanders, naturally, can’t compare to dragons, even if they’re considered the shame of True Dragons. Their eggs hatch in just a couple of months.

"Master, Master, the Salamander reports—the egg is about to hatch!"

A little over a month after the negotiation ended, the Cloud Giants and Gold Shore Chamber of Commerce had successfully reached an agreement to journey together to the Lost Plateau. Meanwhile, the elves had agreed to establish a trade center in Watchtower Port, which had just begun construction. Leon was sunbathing on a lounge chair on the beach when suddenly, a Tiefling maid rushed over anxiously to report.

"Hatching so soon? I thought it would still take a few days." Leon opened his eyes and pressed his hands down on the armrests of the chair to stand up. Activating Gathering Form and Scattering Energy, he instantly appeared at the volcano’s crater.

When Leon found the smoldering obsidian egg, the shell had just started to melt. As the melting expanded, the head of a Fire Snake emerged. Fire Snakes are the juvenile form of Salamanders, needing a year to mature into Salamanders.

Fire Snakes possess scorching bodies—any creature that touches them will suffer fire damage. However, that bit of fire damage was nothing to Leon, a Red Dragon. He nonchalantly picked up the Fire Snake by its tail. The snake attempted to bite him, but he smacked its head with his palm, rendering it obedient.

Leon examined the Fire Snake and said, "I remember the Fire Snakes that hatched before weren’t this big."

"Out of all the freshly hatched Fire Snakes, this is the largest and most vigorous one I’ve ever seen," said a Salamander guard holding a spear. "It’s sure to become a great asset to you in the future, Master."

"I didn’t expect a Salamander like you to be such a bootlicker," Leon said with amusement.

Salovis spent her days soaking in the molten lava pool, lazing about, doing nothing but eating and sleeping.

Thinking about their mother, who also spent all day lying around and rarely ventured out to patrol their territory, Leon often suspected his own laziness might be inherited from her. After all, emotions are influenced by the body, and the soul and body mutually affect each other.

"Brother, why are you so concerned about a Fire Snake?" Salovis, for all her laziness, occasionally liked to join in the fun.

"Why else would I spend so much time, effort, and money transforming the volcanic island?" Leon dangled the Fire Snake by its tail in front of Salovis. "This Fire Snake is the result."

"What’s so special about this Fire Snake?" Salovis bared her teeth. Previously employed by the Githyanki, she now freeloaded with Leon, living a parasitic lifestyle with no subordinates. Naturally, she couldn’t discern what was extraordinary about the Fire Snake in Leon’s hand.

"It’s larger and stronger than ordinary Fire Snakes, all thanks to my transformation of the volcanic island," Leon stated unequivocally.

"I don’t feel anything special about it," Salovis said, knowing full well why Leon had transformed the volcanic island.

"Weak Fire Snakes show changes easily. Large beings like you would need at least a year or two to notice," Leon replied, dropping the Fire Snake and seriously inspecting Salovis. "In fact, I think your scales look shinier than before."

Salovis, in her Dragon Form—where she spent most of her time—had a long neck. She turned her head to look at her scales and said, "My scales have always been shiny and dazzling; it’s because I soak in molten lava every day, nourishing them."

"Do you feel like you’ve grown stronger?" Leon asked, reflecting that it had been a month since he transformed the volcanic island into a feng shui haven—neither too long nor too short.

"I’ve always been strong," Salovis said, mimicking Leon as she tried to stand. Using her tail for support, she eventually managed to rise. "Brother, watch out—I might surpass you someday."

Leon glanced at his sister and finally understood the meaning of the word "confidence."

He hesitated to say anything, considering whether he should ask Cecilia or Tassera instead. But then it hit him—no dragon is ever lacking in confidence—so he decisively sought out the Tiefling maid.

"Since I transformed the volcanic island, have you noticed any changes?" Leon prompted. "Changes in yourself, specifically."

"Let me think..." The long-haired Tiefling maid said, "I used to have poor health... My health was so bad, yet Master still took me in as a maid—I’d willingly lay down my life for him."

When selecting maids, Leon prioritized physical beauty above work ability. After all, with so little work involved, anyone could do it. He said, "Don’t talk nonsense; just tell me about any physical changes."

"Alright," the Tiefling maid thought for a moment and said, "I used to suffer from insomnia; now I fall asleep easily. I used to have frequent stomachaches; now my stomach never hurts... Basically, I used to feel unwell all the time, but I don’t anymore."

The Tiefling maid listed off numerous changes, leaving Leon nodding continuously. He finally asked, "Has your strength increased?"

"No," the Tiefling maid responded. "But I recently learned Purgatory Shout."

Tieflings possess the Purgatory Bloodline, granting them abilities akin to Magicians, enabling them to awaken magical spells.

"Anything else?" Leon pressed further.

"No, nothing else," the Tiefling affirmed. "That’s it."

"Got it. You can go now."

What was once merely speculation had now become a conclusion.

The Breathing and Exhaling Skill only strengthened him personally. However, with his mastery of feng shui, combined with vast resources spent transforming the volcanic island into a feng shui haven, its influence extended to everyone and everything—not only enhancing him but also empowering his subordinates.

Leon was a one-man army, but if possible, he welcomed stronger subordinates. Otherwise, while Cecilia and Tassera are useful now, they might end up as mere ornaments as his power continued to grow, facing increasingly formidable opponents.

Of course, Leon cared more about his own improvement. Ever since the volcanic island became a feng shui haven, his efficiency in absorbing nature’s spiritual energy had greatly increased. However, his efficiency in absorbing the Sun and Moon Essence remained unchanged. Still, it should be enough for him to eventually reach the level of a Young Dragon, achieving power close to that of a Mature Dragon.

It must be said that given his current strength, it’s difficult to raise his challenge rating unless he receives some extraordinary high-level reward through his Golden Finger. Otherwise, it’s just slow and steady progress.

"Just give it a year—no, five years..."

Standing on the beach, Leon gazed out at the sea, confident that as long as he avoided reckless behavior, he had plenty of time.

Leon smiled, believing that, at present, he could provoke others but wouldn’t face retaliation—completely unaware of the consequences his negotiations with the elves were about to bring.

The Red Dragon perched on a volcanic island outside Watchtower Port clashed with the elves dwelling in the deep forests. In one instance, he had even stormed into Elf City Danalan to stir up trouble, only to be shot down from the skies by the Elf General’s arrow. For the following month, he refrained from retaliating, taking no action at all...

Such news quickly reached the ears of leaders in neighboring factions.

The factions of the Lost Plateau had no direct interest conflicts with Watchtower Port—at least those Frost Giants had previously been beaten by Leon.

For those who had never been struck by Leon or witnessed his immense power firsthand, the fact that he occupied Watchtower Port and claimed it was under his protection—and had deterred nearby pirates from raiding merchant fleets—was just hearsay. However, with news of the Red Dragon being bested by elves and now quietly staying put on the volcanic island, many pirates, who had suffered revenue losses, began itching to test their luck.

Don’t listen to what he says—just watch what he does. And now they see: the Red Dragon was defeated by elves and is behaving obediently on his island. Turns out, he was nothing more than an empty shell...