Chapter 136 Recruiting the Metal Dragon
A dragon will never relinquish its wealth.
For dragons, who love money more than anything, even the dragon god cannot force them to give up their wealth, let alone a human nobleman, and a viscount is not even a great nobleman.
Whether it's Sorog or Samantha.
Upon receiving the news, both of them immediately thought of killing the tax officials, skinning them alive, and hanging their remains on the trade route as a warning.
It was Galos who calmed their anger.
For Galus, giving up his wealth would be difficult, but not impossible.
For better development and longer-term stability, Galos was willing to pay a certain price, so he orchestrated the first negotiation with the tax collectors behind the scenes.
Through this negotiation.
Galos had a vague feeling that the noble lords behind the tax collectors were not acting in the long run.
For example, their insistence on paying a year's worth of back taxes and their refusal to budge on the bottom line of three thousand gold coins made Garos feel that the other party wanted to squeeze him for a large sum of money.
However, it is also possible that the tax officials have too little authority, and this negotiation was just a test.
In response, Galos gave them a second chance, asking them to send higher-ranking officials for more formal talks, with the 'lord' of the Ironclad Clan also making an appearance.
"Sorog, Samantha."
"Don't let your emotions overwhelm your rationality and composure."
Galos's gaze was calm as he said, "This matter concerns our future development and is of utmost importance. We must make a calm decision and deal with it."
Red Iron Dragon's prestige gradually calmed both sides down.
Samantha slapped her tail on the ground and said, "Three thousand gold coins? Why doesn't that greedy human just come and rob us?"
Its vertical pupils contracted dangerously as it said, "My mind remains unchanged: kill all these reptiles that dare to offend and provoke us, and tear their alchemical golems to shreds."
Samantha raised her head, sparks flying from her nostrils.
"The wilderness has always been ruled by the strong. What are human laws anyway?!"
"Their deaths will be more convincing than the taxes paid."
Galos remained silent, instead looking at the iron dragon Sorog.
Its iron claws scraped deep furrows in the ground as it said, "Human nobles have no respect or awe whatsoever. They arrogantly consider all other beings to be monsters, and even categorize us dragons as monsters."
"Hmph, we compromise and pay taxes today, but tomorrow they'll demand we be their mounts!"
Iron Dragon was more rational than Samantha, but when it came to matters of wealth, this evil dragon with pure blood and soul was unwilling to back down in the slightest.
"Let's kill the tax collectors first, so that humanity knows we're not to be trifled with!"
Iron Dragon and Red Dragon reached a rare consensus.
Galos spoke slowly, his deep voice echoing in the rain.
"Going to war directly is the most foolish choice. Have you ever thought that if we kill a tax collector today, the Knights of the Lortheron Federation might come tomorrow?"
He said, "The foundation we've built here over many years could be destroyed in an instant."
After a pause, Galos narrowed his eyes and changed the subject, saying, "But if they insist on having war, then let them have war!"
It will simply result in both sides suffering losses and having to relocate again.
In fact, due to the presence of the tax collectors and the targeting by the viscount lords, Galos had already felt a deep sense of risk.
Now, our peaceful life has been disrupted.
The Ironforge clan has been forced to step into the limelight.
Moreover, this is just the beginning. There will definitely be more investigations and spying from all sides. If the existence of several dragons is accidentally exposed, then what awaits them will be a dangerous encirclement and annihilation.
Compared to the wealth that three dragons could bring.
The Ironforge Clan's accumulated experience in business over the years is nothing compared to what they have achieved.
For human nobles, dragon hunting meant immense wealth and glory, and they didn't need to worry about their background when hunting evil dragons. Hybrid dragons like Garus were especially rare and valuable.
In particular, the viscount behind the tax collector seems to be in dire need of wealth.
In this situation, if the dragon's identity were discovered, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Galos's idea was...
If negotiations go smoothly, then we should try to lie low and develop for a while longer, acquiring more resources for growth during this period, and then act opportunistically depending on the situation.
If the negotiations fail.
He would then flip the table, taking advantage of the fact that he hadn't been discovered beforehand and didn't give the human legion a chance to surround and annihilate him, to strike first and severely damage the noble who had disrupted his peaceful life, making them pay a heavy price, and then take all his valuable possessions and migrate at top speed.
Dragons do not stay in the same territory for long periods of their lives.
Galos had little attachment to the land beneath his feet. When he decided to occupy the Scaled Earth Rift to seek resources for growth, he had already anticipated this day.
"The next time they come for formal negotiations, we need to send a lord to represent them."
Garos glanced at the two young dragons and said, "Our existence must not be exposed, otherwise it will attract attacks. Let Karu pretend to be the lord and negotiate."
Sorog and Samantha had no objections.
They are no longer ignorant young dragons; they know the consequences if their true identity as evil dragons is exposed.
At this moment, Iron Dragon Sorog, reflecting on the current situation, said in a low voice, "There should be a metal dragon among us."
There is no harmony between the anaerobic dragon and the metallic dragon.
In fact, the Azelfs were also metal dragons in ancient times, but they were driven out for some unknown and mysterious reasons and split off to form the Azelf race. Therefore, the relationship between Azelfs and metal dragons is very delicate.
Even so, Iron Dragon Sorog still said he wanted a Metal Dragon ally.
On one hand, its dream is to establish a dragon empire, which also includes metal dragons.
On the other hand, the benevolent dragon status of metal dragons makes things much easier, and many nobles even take pride in befriending metal dragons, unlike evil dragons, which would be attacked by all sides as soon as they show their faces.
Samantha stated bluntly: "I hate metal dragons and don't want to live with them."
Galos narrowed his eyes slightly, remaining silent, but inwardly he agreed with Sorog's idea.
Tie Long is right; the dragon herd is full of evil dragons, which is too conspicuous and dangerous.
Although Garros is a hybrid of red and iron, a born evil dragon, and hates metal dragons, he can control his nature.
From a rational perspective, Garros believed that having a metal dragon ally to stand in the spotlight could resolve many unnecessary troubles, and since most evil dragons are capricious, metal dragons are actually easier to get along with.
However, there are very few metal dragons that roam alone.
Galos thought carefully and could only think of the bronze dragon that liked puzzles.
It has been more than ten years since we last met. The copper dragon should have been over 25 years old back then, in its adolescence.
"If only I could see the bronze dragon again."
"Find a way to get it on board."
Galos thought to himself.
The existence of a metal dragon makes those who want to defeat it hesitant and full of concerns.
Looking back now, Garus felt a little regretful for having gone too far and not realizing this. He vowed that the next time he saw the copper dragon Deborah, he would never steal from her again, but would treat her kindly instead.
Next.
Garros instructed the Gluttonous Demon Karu to impersonate the lord of the Ironforge clan and act in his place, and to have Samantha forge him a suit of armor to conceal his dragon-blooded features.
Karu is a big, burly man, but he is also very thoughtful.
They are capable of undertaking this task.
Time passed day by day.
A week quickly passed, and Viscount Ironthorn's men still hadn't arrived.
However, the monsters of the Ironclad Clan keenly noticed that the number of caravans traveling on the Scaled Earth Rift had decreased by nearly a third, and was still decreasing, which affected the Ironclad Clan's trade.
They inquired with the merchants and learned that Viscount Ironthorn had raised the road tax on the Scaled Earth Road to its highest level.
According to federal trade laws, there is a cap on road tax, but very few roads actually charge the maximum tax. Nowadays, the rampant increase in road tax to the cap is deterring many businessmen.
To prevent tax evasion.
Tax collectors and the Fearless Alchemy Golem were stationed directly at the entrance to the Scaled Earth Path, personally urging passing caravans to pay their taxes.
Galos also learned of this.
Clearly, this was the Viscount demonstrating his power and putting pressure on the negotiations ahead of time.
He was telling the Ironforge clan that if they didn't pay taxes, he had plenty of ways to create primitive and crude beasts.
As for the viscount himself, although his long-term interests will be affected, he is currently pursuing short-term gains. Moreover, his business is not limited to the land and road, and he does not rely entirely on this place to make money. He has the confidence to do so.
in addition.
The sorcerers of various tribes also discovered that some of the recently traded goods contained hidden alchemical tools that could be used for location tracking.
Galus had foresight.
He had already established the rules.
Goods obtained from trade routes are not immediately transported to the territory. Instead, they are gathered together and repeatedly inspected by multiple sorcerers to prevent any accidents. The inspection is especially rigorous for items needed by the dragons.
This foresight.
This prevented the location of the Ironclad Clan's core territory from being directly exposed.
As for the source of the positioning props.
Without a doubt, it was the work of Viscount Ironthorn.
Perhaps to exert further pressure, or in preparation for a failed negotiation, he wanted to obtain the coordinates of the Ironforge's territory first.
However, he underestimated Galus's caution and wisdom.
In case the viscount had a more advanced and harder-to-detect location device, Garus ordered his retinue to pile up all the recently traded goods in the wilderness instead of bringing them to the territory, and then temporarily suspended trade with the caravan.
The location tracking items mixed in with the cargo were scattered across the territories of some powerful and ferocious beasts and monsters.
If a scout follows the location, the subsequent experience will certainly not be pleasant; they will not only fail to discover the core territory, but will also encounter attacks from powerful ferocious beasts and monsters.
Formal negotiations have not yet begun, but an invisible confrontation is already underway.
(End of this chapter)
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