Tale of the Red Dragon Without Dragon’s Might
Chapter 296 - 291 Occupation

Chapter 296: Chapter 291 Occupation

Establishing a kingdom requires long-term planning; it is not something that can be accomplished in a short amount of time. For now, the urgent task is still to plunder Slankus’ treasures—everything requires money, and no matter how much there is, it can be spent in an instant.

Slankus’ underground lair only resembled a maze but wasn’t truly one. Even though Leon wasn’t a Minotaur—Minotaurs possess Maze Recall, enabling them to perfectly remember any path they’ve ever walked—his excellent memory made it easy enough to locate the passageway leading to Slankus’ Treasure Vault.

The journey would inevitably be filled with chaotic plant guardians, magic statues, and traps, but all of these had already been handled by Slankus. Such obstacles wouldn’t stop Leon, whether he used claw attacks, swung his sword, or resorted to his Samadhi True Fire if necessary; at most, it would waste half an hour to an hour of his time.

Entering the Treasure Vault, the first sight was of a massive circular hall—or perhaps it could be called a beautiful garden. It was unclear how Slankus managed to cultivate those flowers and plants so well without sunlight... Magic must have been involved, as those blossoms and greenery were strikingly vivid, almost to a disturbing degree.

Leon noticed many corpses, mostly Human and a few Elves, used as fertilizer for the plants. He merely pursed his lips and moved on—after all, the things he had done lately made using Human and Elf corpses for fertilizer seem far less appalling.

Those flowers and plants looked exceptionally rare; they might be useful as alchemy materials. Even if they couldn’t be refined into Heavenly Immortal Pills, crafting some Human Elixirs would be worthwhile. He would need Cecilia or Tassera to identify them.

With this thought, Leon walked to the center of the circular hall, where piles of gold coins, gemstones, various artworks, and magic items were stacked.

The spread of gold coins totaled no more than 500,000, which was underwhelming for an oversized, old Green Dragon who had managed their domain for centuries, though it was still acceptable.

Money isn’t everything, but without money, nothing works. Conversely, many things cannot be bought with money. Leon wasn’t particularly concerned about the money; he swept it all into the small space of the Sleeve of the Universe and shifted his focus to the magic items in Slankus’ Treasure Vault.

A crystal ball caught his attention; it seemed incredibly extraordinary. Through the Heavenly Eye Technique, it revealed powerful energy within, an artifact of the utmost rarity. Unfortunately, Leon wasn’t proficient in identification techniques, so he couldn’t determine its exact functions—for now, he simply stored it away, planning to let Tassera examine it later.

Next was a pair of Communication Stones. Though Leon already owned several, such items were never excessive.

Then, a metallic disc appeared—it was a Mobile Chest Ornament, a piece of equipment for dragons. Straps secured it to their chest by threading through their forelimbs, enhancing the flight maneuverability of winged creatures.

Leon was thrilled by this item; it could greatly compensate for his weaknesses in aerial mobility. Otherwise, his movement skills were limited to Gathering Form and Scattering Energy, making him struggle to chase enemies determined to flee.

Leon couldn’t understand why Slankus didn’t use such a good item, but after thinking it over, he realized Slankus preferred diving into forests and rarely engaged in aerial activities. It made sense.

There was no shortage of chaotic magic items, though Leon found only a few truly useful to him.

Artworks were valuable solely for sale.

"What’s that?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Leon spotted a sturdy stone table. Atop it lay several massive scrolls, large enough for a giant dragon to read comfortably.

Curiously approaching, Leon found the scrolls to be of an ancient design with a distinctly draconic aesthetic. The ends of the scroll rods were adorned with dragon head sculptures, their eyes inlaid with tiny rubies. Pulling open the dragon-claw clasps revealed parchment seemingly crafted from some unknown animal hide, inscribed in Dragon Language.

Scanning the contents briefly, Leon confirmed these were not spell scrolls with magical incantations encoded in cryptic runes but rather scroll books containing secrets of advanced dragon professions.

Dragons rarely adopt character professions due to their long lifespans, immense innate abilities, and beastly nature, which collectively foster their patient demeanor for self-improvement over time rather than the typical traits of adventurers characterized by frenetic exploration or training.

Nevertheless, a notable number of dragons chose to embrace advanced professions directly upon reaching maturity, or after briefly engaging in standard professions.

As Leon studied the scroll book closely, he discovered that it detailed the advanced profession of Element Master.

Dragons are creatures derived from primordial elemental power—the energy driving their Spit Weapons and the elemental core shaping their existence at the fundamental level. Element Masters strive for perfect, pure harmony with both forces.

Only True Dragons pursued this path, given its requirement for a deep connection to elemental and energy forces. Some dragons who adopted this advanced profession first acquired levels in other roles, typically Mage or Magician, while others did not.

Leon thought of Anglistra, who had mastered multiple Super Spitting Specializations and qualified for progression as an Element Master. With high-level proficiency in the profession, increased flame damage could aid in refining Heavenly Immortal Pills.

Satisfied, Leon stored the scroll book detailing the secrets of the Element Master, then picked up another scroll book.

This one recorded the secrets of Tiamat’s Desecration Destroyer.

Tiamat’s Desecration Destroyers seek a fragment of their god—Tiamat’s vast power—while rejecting her cunning ways and worldly wisdom common among dragon priests.

Desecration Destroyers are often Blue or Green Dragons with priest levels.

Slankus was a priest of Tiamat; why wasn’t he a Desecration Destroyer? Leon pondered for a moment and concluded that Desecration Destroyers lived solely to destroy. In their wake, there would not be a single stone left standing, while Slankus did not live purely for destruction.

Though not particularly useful to him, Leon carefully stored the scroll book, then reached for the last one.

The last scroll book recorded secrets about Ashardalon’s Followers.

The infamous Great Red Dragon Ashardalon, renowned across the multiverse for his terrifying deeds, replaced his mortally wounded heart with a Balor’s fiery organ, his visage acquiring a demonic semblance with eyes flickering hellish flame.

Interestingly, Ashardalon’s Followers did not truly worship Ashardalon. Strictly speaking, they weren’t followers of him, but rather considered him a great exemplar, striving to imitate him in every possible way.

Where was the scroll book detailing Blood Scale Frenzy?

Where was the scroll book revealing the secrets of Carving Skin Dragon?

Most importantly, where was the scroll book disclosing the secrets of the Sealing God Dragon?

Leon circled the stone table several times, but those scroll books were nowhere to be found. He felt disappointed.

Leon suddenly fell into deep thought—after all these years, he had never acquired a profession. Perhaps obtaining a profession might even come with a Golden Finger bonus. Though it was most likely an ordinary bonus, that would still suffice.

He had no interest in Tiamat’s Desecration Destroyers, Element Masters required mastery of multiple Super Spitting Specializations, and Ashardalon’s Followers required binding a demon’s soul to one’s heart, which seemed entirely unreliable. He thought it best to choose an ordinary profession, such as warrior, ranger, or barbarian.

A few hundred thousand gold coins served as solid currency, the Mobile Chest Ornament was a fantastic item, and the three scroll books unveiling advanced dragon profession secrets would surely be invaluable in the future. Above all, Leon had found a new direction: first, acquire a profession; second, establish a Dragon Country, even if temporarily... Overall, Leon felt today’s haul was overwhelmingly remarkable.