Chapter 267 What's wrong with me, the King of the Borderlands, enjoying myself?

The fourth floor of Burning Steel Castle, the residence of the Lord of Molten Iron.

In the center of the room, Galus's 'bed' was prominently displayed.

It is by no means a traditional square bed, but a dazzling hill mainly made of piles of gold coins, colorful gems, and various precious metals that shimmer with metallic luster.

The light it emitted was so dazzling that it could almost dazzle ordinary people instantly.

Admittedly, the border region is generally barren, but no matter how barren it is, it is still a vast and boundless territory.

When all the precious resources of the entire territory converge on Steelburnt Castle and are eventually concentrated there, the accumulated wealth becomes quite considerable and astonishing.

Galos moved its claws, steadily stepping on the glittering little things, making a crisp clinking sound, and finally found a comfortable position on the 'bed' made of treasure, slowly lying down cross-legged.

His strong, powerful dragon tail curled naturally at his side, his entire posture relaxed, exuding a languid and contented air reminiscent of a large feline.

"Comfortable."

Garros felt the unique tactile sensation of the hard scales rubbing against the cold metal and smooth gemstones, and couldn't help but narrow his dragon eyes slightly, letting out a satisfied sigh.

Such a pile of treasure is clearly not suitable for ordinary creatures to rest in.

Those hard, sharp metals and gems can cause excruciating pain to soft skin and fragile bones.

But for dragons, who are born with thick, hard scales, this contact is just right. The subtle stimulation from the friction between the scales and the treasure brings an indescribable comfort. In Garus's eyes, there is no more perfect bed.

The only slight regret is that there are still too few magical gems containing magic power.

No large-scale gemstone veins have indeed been found underground in the border area.

These magical gems are almost all plundered from the collections of the four tribes that originally ruled this area over the years, and their quantity is ultimately limited.

Galos used the tip of his flexible and powerful dragon tail to curl up several magical gems and held them up to his eyes.

Red Iron Dragon opened its eyes, which it had just closed, and lingered on the several gems that shone with an alluring luster for a few seconds. Then, as if it had made up its mind, it closed its eyes again, steeled its heart, and swiftly swallowed the four magic gems into its stomach.

As soon as these magical gems entered his powerful stomach, they immediately began to emit gentle and continuous energy fluctuations.

This energy was completely different from the fiery and violent feeling of black oil. Instead, it was more like a warm stream that nourished the heart and soul, continuously emerging from the depths of his body and gently nourishing his massive dragon body from the inside out.

This nourishment can last for a considerable period of time, subtly enhancing the reserves and purity of his life energy and the magical energy within his body, making the dragon energy around him even more concentrated and refined.

At this moment.

Galos took a deep breath, mustered his strength, and slowly put the fifth magic gem into his mouth, swallowing it with difficulty. However, when he tried to continue and swallow the sixth gem in one go, he found that he could not open his mouth no matter what.

An instinctive and extremely strong sense of resistance instantly swept over his entire body, as if every thought and every muscle in his body was shouting in unison to stop him from continuing this devouring beyond the limit.

"Phew... Take your time."

Galos sighed helplessly and gently set down the remaining gems.

"The fact that it can handle five at once is a significant improvement, and it's quite remarkable."

After carefully placing the gems, Garus lowered his head and buried the enormous dragon head in the pile of precious metals. He opened his huge mouth and swallowed a large amount of shimmering metallic ore, chewing it vigorously before swallowing it.

These precious metals do not immediately transform into surging energy, but they slowly settle and fuse deep within his bones, making his claws and teeth even sharper and his scales more indestructible over time.

Dragons that consistently consume precious metals year-round.

Their physical strength must far surpass that of their kind who can only eat soil or ordinary meat.

In Galus's cognitive system, the role of black oil is somewhat similar to his understanding of a powerful "nitrogen pump".

It can greatly stimulate the body's activity level in a short period of time, and it can significantly improve mental excitement, muscle pump, and overall endurance... thereby effectively improving the efficiency of training and combat.

And precious metals, especially rare items like magic gems that contain pure energy.

They are equivalent to "growth hormones" without any adverse side effects, acting directly on the fundamental level of life energy and physical growth, and can directly and significantly increase the growth rate of dragons.

Comparing the two, the latter is undoubtedly more effective and safer to use.

However, they are also more precious and difficult to obtain in large quantities and in a stable manner.

Even though he can now enjoy the benefits of integrating the resources of the entire border region, as his own strength continues to grow and his demand for various rare resources expands rapidly, if the territory cannot continue to expand, then the wealth and resources accumulated around Burning Steel Fortress will inevitably become insufficient to cover his expenses, and eventually fall into a predicament of supply falling short of demand.

Ring ring!

Galos deftly curled its tail around an exquisitely crafted alchemical tool, resembling a bell, and gently shook it. The clear, melodious sound of the bell immediately echoed throughout the empty room.

Soon, the low doors around them, designed specifically for servants, slid open silently.

Twelve serpent-woman maids, each with a sorcerer class and a graceful figure, swayed their slender, supple waists as they approached the Red Iron Dragon.

They knelt humbly, surrounding the massive, mountain-like red iron dragon, carefully placing their delicate, soft palms on its hard, iron-like scales, and began to gently and skillfully caress it.

at the same time.

They diligently channeled their magical energy, allowing it to gently permeate the Red Iron Dragon's thick, heavy scales like a warm spring rain, seeping into every muscle fiber that was tired and tense from over-training, providing deep conditioning and relief, and helping the Red Iron Dragon recover from its fatigue more quickly.

"From a wanderer who once lived hand to mouth, to the powerful and renowned king of the border region..."

As Galos relaxed during the comfortable and professional massage, a sense of感慨 welled up within him: "It's only right to occasionally enjoy the fruits of victory."

He gently closed his heavy eyelids, letting the accumulated fatigue dissipate little by little with his deep and long breaths, eventually disappearing into the warm and richly fragrant air.

Two weeks later.

Dragon Valley, a vacant lot that has been compacted.

White Dragon Therese is meticulously fulfilling her duty as a nurser, bringing the fruits of her wild hunts to the hungry baby dragons who are 'starving'.

The corpse of a powerful and ferocious beast with a life level of ten or higher.

"You frail little brats, eat your fill!"

She threw the enormous, elephant-like beast's corpse heavily in front of the little dragons, declaring it with an air of authority.

Before the words were even finished, the young red dragon Cahill was the first to lose his composure, flapping his wings eagerly and rushing toward the tempting food.

However.

A swift, whip-like white shadow suddenly lashed out, striking Cahill hard and sending her flying more than ten meters away.

Cahill instinctively bared his fangs, a furious roar rising from deep within his throat.

But thinking of the painful beating she had suffered before, her body felt a dull ache again. She forcibly suppressed the anger that was about to burst forth and could only stare at the white dragon Therese with furious eyes.

"You guys were told to eat, and you just kept your heads down and started eating?"

The white dragon grinned, revealing a mocking smile, and slowly said, "Where's your basic manners? Did you say thank you?"

The little dragons looked at each other in bewilderment.

After a brief silence, unable to resist the intense hunger in their stomachs, they all lowered their heads and stammered out a few words: "Th...thank you..."

Only then did Bai Long show a slightly satisfied expression.

Immediately afterwards, her smile vanished, and her expression turned incredibly serious.

"Pain is the best teacher."

She suddenly spread her enormous dragon wings, and the shadow cast by her massive body almost completely enveloped the little dragons in front of her.

"Now, all of you come at me! The rules are simple—whoever leaves the most scars on me gets to start eating first and enjoy the most delicious part!"

Without a doubt, Cahill the Red Dragon was the first to launch an attack.

The young red dragon's wings whipped up scorching waves of air, and its mouth opened wide, unleashing a blazing cone of flame that shot straight at the white dragon.

Therese, however, neither dodged nor evaded. She suddenly and violently flapped her dragon wings, creating a fierce airflow that actually blew the incoming flames off course, sweeping them straight towards the black dragon Serafina, who was trying to launch a sneak attack from the shadows on the other side.

The black dragon was terrified and rolled sideways in a sorry state.

The scorching flames barely grazed her back scales, instantly scorching several still-tender scales.

"Too slow!"

Just as the red dragon was breathing, the white dragon leaped in like a ghost, its massive claws moving with lightning speed, striking Cahill hard and sending her flying dozens of meters away once again.

Serafina the Black Dragon seized this fleeting opportunity.

She darted out of the shadows again, her sharp claws precisely aimed at the relatively soft wing membrane of the white dragon.

However, Therese seemed to have eyes in the back of her head. She suddenly folded her wings, and her massive body rolled over, using her hard, thick carapace to smash into the black dragon that was right next to her.

At the same time, as if she had eyes, she kicked backward with precision, hitting the green dragon Ludwig, who was trying to sneakily nibble at the tip of her tail.

In the distance, the blue dragon Heriam was gathering a powerful lightning breath, but was deceived by a realistic feint attack from the white dragon, and hastily released it ahead of schedule.

Therese's dragon wings flapped rapidly, and her massive body instantly rose higher.

The dazzling lightning only struck the blurry afterimage she left behind.

The battle raged on. The four dragons' coordination was riddled with flaws—Cahill relied solely on brute force, Serafina was always looking for opportunistic sneak attacks, and Ludwig appeared overly cautious and timid.

Blue Dragon Heriam had a relatively good grasp of the battle situation.

However, due to the significant difference in skill level and the lack of effective teamwork, they were unable to play a key role.

"flaw!"

The white dragon suddenly let out a low roar and swooped down.

With her left claw, she pressed down on Cahill's head like a mountain, slamming her entire dragon head into the ground; at the same time, her right claw lashed out, swatting away the green dragon Ludwig who was trying to come to her aid; simultaneously, her tail, covered in hard bone spikes, swept like a steel whip across the black dragon Serafina's vulnerable spot behind her knees, causing her to howl and fall to her knees; while the blue dragon Heriam, who had just gathered his second wave of lightning, was frozen in place by an instant ice spell she cast, unable to move.

(I'm so strong, taking on many opponents single-handedly and sweeping away all the dragons!)

White Dragon Therese felt incredibly proud of herself, her incomparably brave body maneuvering effortlessly among the disheveled group of small dragons.

As the biting cold wind gradually dissipated, the four little dragons, exhausted, collapsed on the ground, panting heavily.

Therese gracefully combed the few dragon scales on her body that had been scorched by the flames, then tilted her head slightly to examine her back carefully—there were several charred cracks like lightning bolts and some claw marks left behind, the result of Cahill and Heriam's all-out battle.

In comparison.

The attacks from the black dragon Serafina and the green dragon Ludwig only left a few insignificant scratches on her hard scales.

However, considering that the opponent was just a young dragon, this performance was barely acceptable.

"Hmm, it's a rather interesting little spark."

She gently stroked the scars on her back with her paw, her tone tinged with approval, before announcing, "Hriam and Cahill, you two can eat first. Serafina and Ludwig, you two go last."

Immediately.

The little dragons were panting heavily, as if they wanted to transform all the humiliation they had just suffered into their appetite.

Cahill was particularly ferocious, seemingly regarding the carcass of the giant elephant beast as the hateful incarnation of the white dragon, viciously tearing and swallowing the tenderest and most succulent tenderloin.

(End of this chapter)