Chapter 200 The Goblins Taxing Dragons
Discussing the strongest tribes in the border region.
Human beings, with balanced development in all aspects, and possessing wisdom and rationality, are acceptable.
Orcs are brave and warlike, unafraid of bloodshed and death. Their warrior units are formidable and passable.
Snake people are insidious and vicious, skilled in various forms of witchcraft and curses. They are mostly warlocks and shamans, though they are not bad at it.
Goblin?
Are you kidding me? What the hell is a goblin?!
This is the first reaction of unfamiliar visitors when they learn about the four strongest tribes in the border region.
Goblins are synonymous with cunning and weakness. Their image in the eyes of other intelligent races is always unpleasant. They are greedy, treacherous, and full of lies. Few intelligent beings are willing to deal with goblins.
However, goblins also have their merits.
They are generally very business-minded and skilled at transactions.
Almost all goblins firmly believed this.
The concept of 'trade' first appeared in ancient times, originating from the goblin race.
They invented trade and made it flourish, and are the creators of today's prosperous era.
Other races stole the goblins' wisdom without paying for it, so in their eyes, their unscrupulous pursuit of wealth is justified and legal, and that other intelligent races owe them something.
"Goblins, the Golden Tooth Tribe."
The red iron dragon swung its tail, carving furrows into the ground, and said thoughtfully, "This isn't the first time I've dealt with goblins."
Or rather...
The first time he felt threatened and was aroused with murderous intent was because of the goblins.
That was when he had just left the protection of the Iron Dragon Maiden, and was living alone with his servant and the Earth Bear in the Hemlock Hills.
Because he killed the goblin wolf riders who were hunting the red dragon Samantha, he clashed with the goblin clan and exterminated them all.
"The first time I drank black oil and realized its importance was because of the goblins."
Now that they've arrived at the border region, they've encountered goblins again, and these goblins are one of the four strongest tribes in the border region, which gives Garos a rather strange feeling.
at the same time.
Iron Dragon Sorog said, "These lowly reptiles claim ownership of the banks of the Estonian River near its borders." He snorted, his thorns slightly bristling, and said, "They even used this as a pretext to send messengers to Dragon Valley to collect taxes from us."
The Golden Tooth tribe lingered in the border region for hundreds of years and had dealings with the Bloodhoof clan.
The changes in the southwest were quite significant and did not escape their notice. However, they were not afraid of the dragons' arrival; instead, they tried to extract gold coins from the dragons' mouths.
In the eyes of dragons, goblins are no higher than kobolds.
How can something as lowly as a reptile turn around and collect taxes from dragons?
This is truly a rebellion against the Heavenly Gang, and the actions of the Golden Tooth Tribe have greatly angered Iron Dragon.
Samantha, the red dragon, also harbored deep hostility towards goblins, still vividly remembering the humiliation of being hunted and killed by goblin cavalry when she was weak.
"If you ask me, we should burn all these reptiles to death."
The red dragon growled, "I don't even have the desire to eat goblins. Only turning them into ashes can give me any pleasure."
Garoth ignored Samantha's words.
He asked the Iron Dragon, "Did you kill their messenger?"
Tie Long took a deep breath and slowly shook his head: "No, I suppressed my anger and drove away the envoys from the Golden Tooth Tribe, but I did not kill them."
Killing the negotiator is tantamount to declaring war.
When he spoke with the goblin messenger, Iron Dragon was furious and wanted to skin and dismember the goblin who had offended the dignity of dragons. However, considering that Garos was still asleep and that Dragon Valley should not go to war with the Golden Tooth Tribe, he managed to suppress his violent rage thanks to the mind mage class's ability to control his emotions and his own growth.
His nature made him look down on the Golden Tooth tribe.
However, his reason told him that the Golden Tooth Tribe, as one of the four strongest tribes in the border region, could not be underestimated, otherwise they would not have dared to collect taxes from dragons.
After a struggle between instinct and reason, the iron dragon's reason prevailed over its dragon nature.
"A good manager is not driven by his own emotions."
"You have experienced failures more than once, but they have all become the fuel that helps you succeed."
"Sologer, you've impressed me greatly."
Galus was generous with his praise.
If it were the young Tie Long before he fell into a deep sleep, he would definitely not be able to control his violent emotions and would kill the goblin messenger.
The growth of the Ignas brothers was clearly visible.
As the saying goes, "One who stays near vermilion gets stained red, and one who stays near ink gets stained black." Garus's rational approach to controlling power and desire also subtly influenced the other dragons around him, making them better able to control their desires and more aware of the importance of reason than ordinary dragons.
"Neither emperors nor prime ministers will let their emotions dictate their actions."
“I have read The Prince and The Lordship thoroughly and have always understood this point, but I have been unable to put it into practice.”
Iron Dragon responded with praise, saying, "Garos, my dear brother, it is you who gave me the courage and determination to fight against desire. It is my honor to build the dragon empire with you."
The two brothers praised each other and admired one another.
"And what about me?"
Red Dragon couldn't help but ask.
"Dragon Nest can no longer exist without your Sulfur Hills, you've done a great job."
"Garos said."
Upon hearing this, Samantha, the red dragon, nodded in satisfaction. Then, as if remembering something, she hurriedly said, "I almost forgot, I still have things to do. I am the most important link in the alchemy workshop's production line and cannot be away for too long."
Assembly line industrial production brought Honglong wealth, but it also reduced her free time.
However, as long as he can gain wealth, Red Dragon doesn't mind a busy life.
After bidding farewell to Garros and Sorog, Samantha left Dragon Valley and returned to Sulfur Hills.
"After being rejected, the Golden Tooth tribe did not come to negotiate with us again."
"They haven't continued to deploy defenses on the western bank," Sorog said, "stationed opposite the Red Iron Dragon."
"But since we made contact with them, apart from the Gem Merchants' ships, the number of other ships willing to trade with us has gradually decreased."
"The Gem Merchants' ships were also warned; arrows landed on their hulls with notes attached, saying that they would face the consequences if they continued to trade with us."
"I think it's the Golden Tooth tribe causing trouble."
The Gem Merchants' Guild is a business association that Nick formally established over the years.
During their conversation on the way back to Dragon Valley, Garos already knew this.
Red Iron Dragon was not angered by the Golden Tooth Tribe's petty tricks. Instead, he chuckled and said, "It seems that the goblins want to wage a trade war against us. They want to use commercial operations to undermine our trade channels with the outside world and force us to pay taxes."
Instead of engaging in direct warfare, they resolved the issue using primitive and barbaric methods.
This is somewhat more 'civilized' than the human nobles we encountered in the Scaled Earth Rift.
As for why merchant ships from truly civilized countries would cooperate with goblin tribes in the border region, upon closer examination, it makes perfect sense.
The border area is barren and has a harsh environment. Even after exhausting all its resources, it has only been able to support four tribes for a long time.
However, border areas also have their advantages.
There are no black oil reserves here, rare magical mineral deposits are scarce, and there are no legions from powerful kingdoms.
In comparison, the resources of the Sel Wilderness could support a large number of tribes; however, at least Galos had never seen a single tribe-level wilderness power.
The Lorthen Federation does not allow any tribes to exist in the Sel Wilderness.
Anything that shows promise or potential will be ruthlessly crushed.
The wilderness of Sel is inhabited only by clans of creatures of all sizes struggling to survive, as well as countless ferocious beasts and monsters. This kind of environment is deliberately created by the Lorthen Federation.
They viewed the entire Sel Wilderness as a 'ranch and mine'.
Getting back to the main point, the four major tribes control the vast majority of resources in the border region. Merchant ships can often obtain the resources they want at low prices by trading with the tribes, and then transport them back to the Southern Federation at high prices. The Golden Tooth Tribe is the largest trading party, so it is not unreasonable for merchants to choose to cooperate with the Golden Tooth Tribe for greater profits.
(End of this chapter)
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