Tale of the Red Dragon Without Dragon’s Might
Chapter 288 - 284: Green Dragon’s Strategy

Chapter 288: Chapter 284: Green Dragon’s Strategy

In terms of physical strength, ordinary Demon Lords and Great Devils are probably no match for Leon.

Even powerful Demon Lords and Great Devils like the Undying Demon Monarch Ocas, the Beast of Whispers Dimo Genesis, or Zarriel, the ruler of Aphnas, are not entirely beyond Leon’s ability to contend with, though securing victory against them would undoubtedly pose quite a challenge.

As a Red Dragon, Leon’s intelligence is without question, but intelligence and wisdom are two vastly different attributes.

The former refers to general cognitive abilities of a creature, including memory, observation, imagination, reasoning, and judgment. The latter, however, is a complex system composed of subsystems such as intelligence, knowledge, methods and skills, as well as concepts and ideologies.

Leon’s intellectual capabilities are high, and his learning ability is quite extraordinary. If he wanted to, a single month would be enough for him to master a new language—though only at the level required for daily communication. To this point, he has already learned several languages, sufficient to communicate with most races. However, when it comes to deception, plotting schemes, or conspiracy, he pales in comparison to the Green Dragons.

If Cecilia were here, she might be able to discern, based on some subtle expressions or movements of Hinton, that this particular Green Dragon harbored ulterior motives.

Unfortunately, Leon was alone, and he lacked that skill... While he might be able to pick up on some small hints if he tried, he simply didn’t care to. After all, in his mind, that groveling Green Dragon, who had surrendered immediately upon meeting him, was beneath his concern. Leon firmly believed that absolute strength could render any scheme or trick futile.

Sometimes, weakness and ignorance are not barriers to survival; arrogance is.

"You’re not bad. I accept your allegiance," Leon said casually, lifting his claw and releasing the Green Dragon’s head. "I have a few questions for you now."

"Please go ahead, Lord Leon," Hinton replied obsequiously.

Earlier, Hinton had addressed him as "Master Leon." Now, he changed it to "Lord Leon," evidently leaving no detail unexploited.

"Do you know that old Green Dragon nicknamed the Ghost Forest Nightmare?" Leon asked, standing up habitually, towering over Hinton as though sizing up a dog. If not for his daily interactions with Cecilia, he might even think this Green Dragon looked decent, relatively speaking. "Tell me about him."

"The Ghost Forest Nightmare?" Hinton glanced around nervously.

"Don’t even think about escaping—unless you’d like me to twist off your neck," Leon warned.

"I would never dream of escaping..." Hinton explained hastily, "It’s just that Lord Leon’s grip is so strong. You pressed my head so hard it started hurting. I simply moved my neck a bit... to better recall the details about the Ghost Forest Nightmare."

"I wasn’t using much force—otherwise, your head would have already exploded," Leon bragged, though it was a slight exaggeration. Even if he had consumed the Heavenly Immortal Pill, gained the body of a mature Red Dragon, and possessed the strength of an elder Red Dragon, it would still be difficult to truly crush a Green Dragon’s skull. "So, did you remember?"

"I did," Hinton answered. "His name is Slankus, and he’s ruled the Emerald Corridor for hundreds of years now."

"Not only is he an elder Green Dragon, he also serves as the Priest of the Dragon Queen, spreading Her renown on the Material Plane in Her stead. Ordinary elder Red Dragons likely wouldn’t be able to defeat him, and even ancient ones might struggle to prevail," Hinton continued.

"The average ancient Red Dragon level—well, that’s nothing special," Leon remarked, thinking to himself that a standard ancient Red Dragon’s challenge rating would only be about 20, approximately equal to Envis. Hardly something worth his concern.

"Beyond that, he is extremely adept at managing his faction," Hinton added, still talking. "Over the centuries, he’s left behind numerous progeny. Any greedy True Dragon offspring were driven away, while the more controllable Half-Dragon descendants were kept close... Some of these exceptional Half-Dragons even possess power comparable to that of True Dragons."

"Oh, right," Hinton added, "He’s also used magic to create a number of Half-Dragons."

Just as dragon reproduction isn’t necessarily a simple biological matter, the creation of Half-Dragons takes many forms. The magical influence of the Dragon Nest can cause Half-Dragons to emerge spontaneously among the local creatures. Those who bathe in Dragon Blood or drink it sometimes transform into Half-Dragons. A dragon might voluntarily provide some of its blood to facilitate such transformations. Dragons can even imbue their power into newborns or unborn children as a blessing—or a curse.

"About a century ago, he succeeded in corrupting a powerful Elf Druid..." Hinton said with a hint of admiration.

The treasure most beloved by Green Dragons is often intellectual beings that have submitted to their will, including specific figures such as revered heroes, notable scholars, or famed bards. If the treasure happens to be an Elf, all the better—and this preference naturally applied to Hinton as well.

Hinton began talking at length, emphasizing Slankus’s immense strength and the overwhelming power of his forces. He detailed how Slankus’s most prized subordinate was a formidable fallen Elf Druid, in addition to several other corrupted Druids serving him. He also maintained a group of wyverns and, as his ultimate elite force, nurtured a Half-Dragon Royal Guard Corps that had been cultivated over extensive time and resources.

Leon quietly calculated everything.

Though he had more dragons under his command by sheer number, after transitioning into the young dragon stage, Leon’s contract with the Efreeti had ended. His Magma Land Shark and Magma Salamander were merely pets, while the population of Salamanders had grown to over a hundred through years of development. Upon further reflection, it seemed his forces paled in comparison to Slankus’s.

"So, if Lord Leon plans to deal with Slankus..." Hinton cautiously raised his eyes to glance at Leon. It was hard to fathom how a young dragon could already achieve the physical size of a mature dragon—several sizes larger than himself. "I’ve heard that Lord Leon commands two Red Dragons, one Blue Dragon, and one Green Dragon—"