Tale of the Red Dragon Without Dragon’s Might
Chapter 358 - 353: Old Coward

Chapter 358: Chapter 353: Old Coward

The power of the Sanmei Divine Wind may not be as high as the Samadhi True Fire. You should know that Samadhi True Fire is also a high-level reward; it can not only burn external objects but also scorch souls. However, it has an attack range that Samadhi True Fire can never match, and a massive mana consumption that Samadhi True Fire can never surpass.

Anyway, once the Sanmei Divine Wind blows, all demons and monsters are reduced to dust. Leon’s mana is also drained away like water through an open gate, consuming nearly all of it in a short time, so he must cautiously consider using spells next.

If Delaguna still has any last resorts, an Ancient Black Dragon that has lived for thousands of years must have accumulated quite a bit, or if other guild leaders come to aid, after all, one of the five guild leaders of Crossroads City is a Witch Demon, and a Witch Demon certainly wouldn’t mind allying with an Ancient Black Dragon. In that case, it would be Leon’s turn to make a strategic retreat.

Now, thinking about it doesn’t help. Mana isn’t entirely depleted, facing a Black Dragon that bullies the weak and fears the strong requires a hard punch. Leon stomped his legs, flapped his wings fiercely, and swung his tail to take flight.

Kobolds, skeletons, zombies are not worth mentioning, but Zombie Dragons and Giant Fusion Monsters are not weak, especially the latter, which can even defeat an adult Red Dragon. The Red Dragon that just had its centuries-old accumulation blown away by a gust of wind took to the skies once again, leaving Delaguna with no time to think and not daring to stop.

Leon flew quite fast. If the mobile chest ornament he obtained from Slankus’s Treasure Vault were still adorned on his Dragon Armor and hadn’t been corroded by the Ancient Black Dragon’s strong acid, he could be even faster, but the Ancient Black Dragon’s speed was no slower than his.

Leon didn’t forget he had 72 Transformations, but attempting to transform into a Falcon Eagle or an Air Element was useless, and transforming into a Transformed Genie didn’t allow him to use Wind Riding. Even if he occasionally bumped into Delaguna, it was hard to cause effective damage.

Yes, he’s quite formidable now; there are few weaklings on the Material Plane. But he’s lacking a spell that enhances mobility, not knowing when he could learn the Somersault Cloud through a Golden Finger reward... there shouldn’t be any spell faster than the Somersault Cloud, which can take him eighty thousand miles away in a single leap.

High-level battles have this downside: everyone has tough skin and powerful techniques. When one side is determined to flee, it’s hard for the other to easily kill them, often dragging battles out for several days and nights or even longer. If the Kraken hadn’t fled to Volcanic Island back then, Leon would at most have driven it away.

This is Crossroads City, not his territory. With several guild leaders in Crossroads City, he should avoid making profits only for others while suffering losses himself.

Thinking this, Leon decided to let Delaguna go for now and first raid the other’s lair... Black Dragon lairs are usually located in dark caves, grottos, or at least partially submerged ruins, likely unaffected by his Sanmei Divine Wind.

Leon flew back to the swamp, which had transformed into a lake. There were no longer any swamps with strange smells as he searched for Delaguna’s lair. Although he hadn’t found the lair yet, he spotted Tassera flying toward him.

"Where’s Delaguna?" Tassera folded her wings, "Did you defeat him?"

Leon shook his head lightly: "I can only say I drove him away."

"That’s normal," Tassera understood, "That was an Ancient Dragon, even if it was a Black Dragon."

"No, it’s not how you think," Leon recounted what had happened, "No wonder it’s a Black Dragon that could live to the Ancient Dragon stage, capable of taking and letting go, without hesitation."

"How about on your side?" Leon asked, "Did you win or lose?"

Tassera replied: "Ran too fast, couldn’t catch up."

"Never mind him, he can’t escape," Leon thought that every Vampire is bound to his coffin, crypt, or cemetery, "Let’s find that Ancient Black Dragon’s lair first, surely there’ll be many treasures."

Because Sanmei Divine Wind had blown away all the obstructions, the two of them didn’t expend much effort to find the entrance to Delaguna’s lair. Just as they were about to enter, they heard the sound of flapping wings.

Leon looked up and found Delaguna slowly circling in the sky.

"Old thing, you dare to come back?" Leon taunted.

"Lord Leon," Delaguna said, "we have no enmity or resentment, why must it come to this?"

The words of the Ancient Black Dragon made Leon’s lips twitch.

Even if there was no past enmity, the current battle has clearly forged deep hatred.

Leon didn’t rush to chase him down and asked, "What do you want to say?"

"I could offer compensation to Lord Leon, and we could just let today go, how about that?" Delaguna kept circling in the sky, unwilling to land.

Leon couldn’t imagine an Ancient Dragon conceding defeat. Then again, Black Dragons are known for bullying the weak and fearing the strong, and since Delaguna was also known for managing a trading company, recognizing that harmony brings wealth wasn’t out of the question.

If there was an opportunity, Leon would be glad to take down Delaguna, but who knew that guy would be so troublesome. Given the situation, it wouldn’t hurt to negotiate, so he asked, "Don’t mention this lair, it’s mine now. What else are you prepared to compensate with?"

Delaguna’s eye twitched but didn’t lash out, asking, "How much does Leon want?"

"Ten million gold coins," Leon demanded brazenly, thinking that he originally only asked for ten hundred thousand gold coins from those Elves, mainly because the Elf City had a Maze Lock, and those Elves were backed by a God, whose arrow had shattered his Vajra Body, scaring him. Delaguna, as a Black Dragon, couldn’t possibly enlist Tiamat to deal with a Red Dragon.

"Lord Leon, don’t joke," Delaguna said, "Even if I wanted to give it to you, I don’t have that much money."

Ten million gold coins were indeed too much, and Leon knew Delaguna couldn’t provide it, so he said: "The treasures in this lair are already mine. I don’t know where your other lairs are... you chose to negotiate mainly for the Black Water Trading Company, right? Tell me, what’s the Black Water Trading Company worth?"

Delaguna didn’t deny it.

"Asking for one million gold coins isn’t too much," Leon suddenly thought of something, "If you don’t have that much cash, you could pay in weapons and equipment, especially rare metals... you’re an Ancient Dragon; you must have connections in the Lower Plane. I want Cold Iron, I want Hell Iron. You must help me acquire them. If you can get Heavenly Realm Steel, I’ll consider it a premium."

"Besides, I want shares in the Black Water Trading Company and a Vice President position," Leon said. His idea was simple: he couldn’t control the Black Water Trading Company now but could insert his people into it. Once his people became familiar with the company, he could eliminate Delaguna and take over the company anytime.

"This is robbery!" Delaguna roared.

Leon chuckled: "It was robbery from the start."

"No sincerity at all," Delaguna said, "You can rob this lair, but without me, you’ll get nothing from the Black Water Trading Company."

"I might get nothing, but I can destroy the Black Water Trading Company," Leon threatened with malice.

"And then you’ll get nothing either," Leon shouted.

"If you dare destroy my Black Water Trading Company, I’ll retaliate by destroying your Watchtower Port," Delaguna threatened, "Unless you never leave Volcanic Island, never giving me a chance."

"Then bring it on, old thing. What’s the point of all this talk?" Leon said, "Let’s see if we fear each other."

Delaguna fell silent again.

Youths are hot-blooded, daring to fight and venture, but he had long since lost his youthful courage.

Moreover, he is an Ancient Dragon. After twelve centuries, a dragon’s mental and physical development reach its peak, reaching the summit of physical, mental, and magical power, but growth ceasing also heralds the beginning of death. How much longer he could live is uncertain, the only option is to enter a state called "Twilight" to extend life.

He didn’t want to die; unless forced, becoming a Dragon Witch Demon—as only the most narcissistic of dragons choose this, cutting ties with all kin and the Dragon God—wasn’t an option. Without the Black Water Trading Company, he wouldn’t even have the means to become a Dragon Witch Demon.

As long as he found a chance to swallow Nightfall Guild, offering the Red Dragon a bit wouldn’t hurt. Delaguna, lost in thought, heard the Red Dragon’s voice again.

"Oh, and the Nightfall Guild is mine. You need to cooperate with me to raid the Nightfall Guild."

"Can it be done?" Leon bared his gleaming white teeth.