The Red Dragon Just Wants To Do As It Pleases
Chapter 47 - 46: Returning to Old Ways

Chapter 47: Chapter 46: Returning to Old Ways

At the same time, at the Katjana volcano crater.

Dragon Mother Pafila was lounging in the lava pool—which had expanded many times its original size due to the volcanic eruption—enjoying the snacks tossed to her by her Silver Dragon daughter from the cliff. Suddenly, she paused, squinting in the direction of the ongoing ’Fury of the Flaming Dragon.’ A schadenfreude-infused smile spread across her face.

"I knew that old hag was up to no good," she muttered. "Good thing I have a son to take the hit."

If she had, at the time, out of her draconic greed or mere curiosity, decided to keep that Dragon God’s blessing for herself... she’d probably be the one furiously stomping around right now, staring at an empty Dragon Nest treasury. But at least her Dragon God had kept his promise to her: he hadn’t installed any faith-based backdoor in that Dragon God’s blessing. This meant that as long as David didn’t actively invoke Tiamat’s name, the Evil Dragon Mother couldn’t directly contact him and thereby seduce him into becoming one of her followers. As long as this bottom line was maintained, it was an outcome Pafila could accept. She didn’t want her offspring to meaninglessly repeat her own past mistakes, even if she, Pafila, was an Evil Dragon through and through, in every sense of the word.

"Oh no, it’s coming from the direction of my brother’s nest! I need to check it out," Tania said. She, too, had noticed the sudden change in the sky and thought her unlucky brother had attracted disaster again. She tensed her legs, about to take off.

"Come back here. Your mother isn’t full yet," Pafila, now akin to an oversized Hatchling, said, pointing at her unchanged belly with the tip of her tail.

"But..." Tania, who had become a Silver Dragon mother at such a young age, was on the verge of tears.

"No need to worry about your brother. He’s over there playing with the new toy I bought him," Dragon Mother assured her, her face serious.

"Huh?" Tania was completely dumbstruck.

This near-apocalyptic scene... that was her brother playing? But on second thought, although this sudden wildfire was massive, for Red Dragons who are essentially immune to fire, it seemed... possibly... not that big a deal?

Just as a skeptical Tania was about to turn back and continue feeding her Dragon Mother Dragon Food, Pafila raised her head slightly.

"Oh, that Drow your brother has seems to have returned from the Old Continent. Go check if it brought back anything tasty, and bring me some on your way back."

Dragon Mother, shamelessly attempting to freeload, added after a moment’s thought, "Hmm, if your brother looks angry, just bring a little less for me. A taste will be fine."

After all, he was her own son. She mustn’t act like those miserly old hags who were always coveting her meager treasures with such greed. If her son grew up, became strong-willed like her, and stopped listening... well, that wouldn’t be fun at all.

"Okay, Mommy!"

Tania, who had been eagerly awaiting this very phrase, was like a poor child who, after being cooped up studying at home for an entire winter break, had finally been given permission by her parents to go out and play.

She shot into the sky, her face alight with excitement.

"Thank you, Mommy!"

「...」

Even though David was eager for wealth, as their master, he couldn’t possibly run to the coast to personally welcome the return of Hiatt and his band of Elves. To maintain his image as a prideful and aloof Red Dragon master, David soared among the low-hanging clouds.

It was only after Hiatt, commanding a group of High Elf captives and the White Hatchling Dragon meticulously tamed by his brother Kraidian, had transported the goods acquired from the New Continent by pack animal to his fledgling Elf-crafted Dragon Nest, and kindled the pre-prepared bonfire to roast meat, its aroma wafting through the forest for a couple of miles, that David descended from the clouds. He arrived as if it were his scheduled mealtime, amidst the bowed heads and subservient gazes of all the Drow and Elves.

He first indulged in the animal companions the Elves had reluctantly cooked.

Once nearly sated, he turned to Hiatt, who had been kneeling by his side for some time, serving his meal and awaiting his questions.

"It seems the loot is richer than expected. Tell me about it."

"Yes, Master!" Hiatt, who had already prepared his report, immediately began to share the outcomes and observations of their journey to the New Continent. "As *you surmised, Master,* the sea route passage to the Old Continent remains stable and usable. And those dead eggs, along with the High Elf spoils you entrusted to us, fetched nearly three times their usual price when we sold them in batches."

Upon hearing this, David wasn’t particularly surprised, as he clearly sensed there were further unexpected developments. Indeed, Hiatt continued, "Afterward, we used the trade proceeds to purchase supplies urgently needed by the Dragon Nest, as you instructed, Master. However, it might be due to the Year Without Summer, caused by the Katjana volcano eruption earlier this year. Prices for all sorts of goods on the New Continent—including food, furs, feathers, bulk metal ingots, Magical Items, and alchemical products—skyrocketed. This significantly increased our procurement difficulty and costs..."

...

"In addition, the several parties we traded with all inquired if we had more stable sources of goods. They are willing to sign purchase contracts at double this trade’s value."

...

"At the same time, we’ve noticed that the lords backing these trading parties are facing issues. Due to the poor harvest in the Year Without Summer, their lower-class Nobles, knights, and even freemen are demanding tax reductions or deferrals. This has already led to several armed conflicts."

...

"Even among our Drow, the Celestial Faction devoted to the Lady of Gloom is beginning to stir. Given all these circumstances, chaos has already emerged in the New Continent, especially within the realm of the High Elves."

Hiatt’s voice held a trace of excitement. "Master, this may be our opportunity."

An opportunity to intervene and make a fortune by smuggling as middlemen. After all, compared to the nations of the New Continent—long constrained by intense tensions over territory and resources—they possessed the Old Continent. Though barren, it was still a potentially limitless ’mine,’ an untapped foundation.

「...」

As David listened to Hiatt’s detailed report, his pupils first narrowed, then dilated.

For some reason, the scenario Hiatt depicted seemed to increasingly overlap with knowledge from his high school history textbook. This prompted him to blurt out a conclusion that made all the Elves present turn to look at him.

"There’s going to be a war..."

"What?" Even Hiatt, the Drow, was a bit stunned. Then, his pupils contracted sharply. "Yes... indeed, that is a possibility..."

"But haven’t you Drow and the High Elves been at war all along?" Tania, who had flown over at some point, asked naively. She was now leaning against David, enjoying head pats from his tail while indulging in the various foods brought from the New Continent, not forgetting to pack some for Dragon Mother.

"This is completely different, Princess Tania," Hiatt said with an excited smile. "In the past, those could mostly be called localized armed conflicts or cold war standoffs. But now, due to the Katjana supervolcano eruption, food production has drastically decreased, causing shortages. With prices soaring, the internal contradictions within the various powers are becoming increasingly evident."

And historical experience from another world was already laid out before David. When intelligent beings face such a situation, they often, under the pressure of internal collapse, choose in unison to shift these contradictions outward. Thus, a comprehensive war—one affecting not just the New Continent but the entire plane of Elariya—was very likely already on a countdown, hidden beneath deep, dark currents.

David didn’t know if this prediction would become reality, nor did he know if the New Continent, dominated by long-lived Elves, would delay the outbreak of such a comprehensive conflict. But he knew that an era completely different from the past, a perfect yet dangerous stage, might be approaching. This was danger, but also opportunity. Yet he was still somewhat unsure of his own judgment.

Gazing into the endless, cold North Sea, David imagined he saw fertile lands across the water, golden fields, mountains of treasure, beauties from various races, and an iron-blooded throne that seemed to loom over the continent like a cloud. A ferocious smile slowly spread across his face.

For the first time since arriving in this world, he felt an inexplicable, pulsing emotion towards wealth, beauty, power, and all the wonderful things in the world.

That emotion: Ambition!

In that instant, his eyes seemed to pierce through the mists of time:

He saw chaotic and wild battlefields.

He saw various races—Drow, Elves, humans, and even Dwarves—killing each other for myriad reasons.

He saw hundreds of dragons of all kinds battling in the skies, over fertile plains, and in the oceans, unleashing deadly breath attacks.

A comprehensive war was on the horizon.

[Authority—Greed]

David’s brain could no longer bear the burden of this ’omniscient’ information load. Scarlet blood sprayed from his seven facial orifices. He finally broke free from that state, as if his spirit had been wandering through the torrents of time, and began to gasp heavily.

"Master!" Hiatt cried out.

"Brother! What’s wrong?" Tania asked, suddenly panicked.

But the smile on David’s face only grew wider. "It seems we don’t have much time left to prepare, but we’re still short on manpower."

As he spoke, his gaze landed on Hiatt. "Hiatt, interested in resuming your old trade?"

"What?" The Drow was completely dumbfounded. He instantly understood his master’s implication.

"You... you want to go steal Dragon Eggs with us?"

David, however, was dismissive. "Stealing Dragon Eggs? What’s the point? They still take time to incubate.

We’ll go capture wild Hatchlings directly.

The more, the better."

...

Tania, Hiatt, and even the High Elves who heard this all fell into a silence as if turned to stone.