Chapter 277 Alberto's Embarrassment and Shame
Alberto slowly raised his enormous head, covered in gleaming golden dragon scales, his vertical pupils staring directly at the red iron dragon.
He spoke in a deep voice: "Tell me, what price do I need to pay for this?"
He was stubborn and had a strong sense of self that bordered on the extreme, but surprisingly, all his thoughts and emotions were written directly on his dragon-like face, without the slightest pretense or guile.
Dealing with such dragons is, in some ways, simpler and more direct.
A knowing glint flashed in Hong Tielong's eyes, and his deep voice echoed across the empty land: "Since you insist on a clear price, then let's proceed according to the laws and rules of the border region."
He paused for a moment and said, "According to the rules, the only proper end for your acts of robbery is to atone for your sins with death."
At this point, he changed the subject.
“However, I admire your ideals, therefore, as the King of the Borderlands, I grant you a partial pardon.”
He extended his dragon claw, covered in hard scales, and raised a sharp claw: "All you need to do is repay ten times the total amount of wealth you plundered from the Ironforge tribe, and this matter will be wiped clean."
Ten times?! This number struck Alberto's heart like a hammer blow.
An undisguised look of embarrassment appeared on his dragon-like face.
Because of his extreme and grand oath of conquest and the oath of the crown, and his own extreme and biased personality, he was usually under the strict supervision of his elders.
This time, I was able to escape the watchful eyes of my elders and embark on my own journey entirely because of the gap when my elders were summoned away by the Dragon Realm.
Prior to this... Jinlong, an ambitious young man, had his ways of acquiring wealth strictly limited by his elders.
Every dragon scale on his body shimmered with noble golden light, seemingly making him incredibly wealthy, but in reality, he was penniless and destitute.
His greatest asset was the treasure he had recently extorted from various strongholds of the Ironforge in order to lure out the local lord; it wasn't even enough to pay a fraction of the tenfold compensation.
"Um?"
Red Iron Dragon keenly noticed the embarrassment on Golden Dragon's face. He turned his head slightly, his dragon eyes revealing just the right amount of surprise: "You seem to be in a bit of a predicament?"
He said with a hint of amusement, "Could it be that a dignified young golden dragon cannot produce such a paltry sum of money? My punishment for you has been lenient enough; any of your kin present—"
His gaze swept over Samantha, Therese, and Sorog: "—They can all easily come up with this compensation."
The fairy dragon blinked its bright eyes, as if to protest.
I can't come up with that much either! That heartless Galos should make it up to me.
Before she could even begin her little scheme, the crimson dragon beside her deftly wrapped its tail around her mouth, nipping her protest in the bud.
Alberto's facial expression shifted dramatically.
Pride, embarrassment, resentment, humiliation... all sorts of emotions intertwined on that dragon's face like a storm, very clearly visible.
Finally, as if he had used all his strength, he managed to squeeze out a few words in a broken, extremely stiff, and shameful tone: "Can...can we...adopt...installment...installment compensation?"
He could hardly look Galos in the eye, and his voice grew softer and softer, even becoming somewhat stuttering.
"I...I can't come up with that much at once...but I guarantee with Long Ge...that I will...repay all the principal within ten years!"
"Installment payment?"
Garus's dragon head swayed slightly.
"According to the rules of the border region and the customs of the dragon race, this is usually not allowed."
"Moreover, wealth is like a river; only by flowing can it converge into a wider ocean. With a ten-year installment period, at least 10% interest needs to be paid annually to make up for the loss caused by time."
At this point, Red Iron Dragon nodded amicably to Alberto, his voice softening.
"However, as I said before, this is ultimately just a small matter. I don't care whether you can pay it back or not. Consider it a gift."
He looked deeply into Alberto's eyes, with a knowing, almost "I understand you" kind of understanding.
It seemed to be saying in silence:
I know you can't pay me back, and I know you might want to just walk away, but it's okay, there's no need to feel embarrassed. We're all dragons, and I understand your situation and thoughts.
"Are there any other...other ways to get compensation?!"
Alberto practically gritted his teeth as he asked the question, the pain of his pride being repeatedly crushed making even his golden scales seem a little dim.
Galos's gaze swept over the white dragon Therese.
He pondered for a moment before slowly saying, "Well, in the past, there have been defeated soldiers who, in order to repay their debts, chose to handle some matters for me."
"In short, it means repaying debts with labor or merit in the form of an employment contract or a commissioned task."
He skillfully avoided using sensitive and humiliating words such as "loyalty," "submission," and "slave."
It only used relatively equal terms like "employment" and "delegation".
However, the moment these words reached Alberto's ears, the young Golden Dragon shook his head violently almost instinctively.
No! His face was full of resistance.
This was by no means because he despised Red Iron Dragon's bloodline mixed with that of a dragon—in fact, deep down, Alberto held considerable respect for this powerful opponent who could defeat him head-on, and who, instead of taking the opportunity to humiliate him, agreed with his ideals.
The real problem lies in his oath of conquest and the sacred oath of the crown, in his ultimate ideal.
He wanted to establish a golden law that would cover the entire continent, creating a golden kingdom under his rule, characterized by strict laws, perfect order, and eternal peace.
To some extent.
Alberto and Iron Dragon share some subtle similarities in their visions—both yearn to establish an order dominated by powerful dragons.
The difference lies in this: Iron Dragon desires a world where dragons reign supreme and enslave all things; while Alberto desires a land of order that conforms to his definition of justice and perfection.
Accepting Red Iron Dragon's employment means he will be bound to this place, spending his precious time and energy fulfilling the will of others, leaving him no time to pursue his own path and dreams.
This was an unacceptable condition to Alberto, the Golden Dragon, who valued ideals above all else.
There's no need to rush to give an answer now.
Hong Tielong's voice broke the oppressive silence.
"Now that the misunderstanding has been cleared up and fellow clansmen have come from afar, as the lord of this place, I should do my duty as a host and treat them well."
His dragon-like snout curved upwards, revealing an expression that resembled a smile: "I am indeed extremely curious about the grand ideas in your heart."
"Why don't we move to a more comfortable place, sit down, put aside our differences, and have a proper talk?"
Hong Tielong's attitude was almost abnormally friendly.
However, the other dragons around them—Red Dragon Samantha, White Dragon Therese, and Iron Dragon Sorog—remained on high alert, their cold and hostile gazes like tangible blades, fixed on Golden Dragon Alberto, the warning unmistakable.
but……
As the victor, Galos the Red Dragon was so generous and tolerant in taking the initiative to invite him. How could Alberto, who prided himself on his noble bloodline and extraordinary demeanor, possibly back down at this moment?
Moreover, he was not without support; his magic scales could instantly grant him terrifying defense and speed comparable to a mature golden dragon.
Even if these evil dragons suddenly turn against him, he is confident that he can break through their encirclement.
"The shallow views of mediocre people are not worth a laugh."
Alberto raised his head and said, "And I would be happy to have a conversation with someone as extraordinary and insightful as you."
He solemnly nodded to the dragon head: "I accept your invitation."
Not long after, Alberto arrived at Dragon Valley with the dragons.
At this moment, the light of dawn has become rich and warm, like a golden veil draped over the vast earth.
Alberto paused slightly when his gaze fell upon the summit of the valley.
A majestic, massive fortress, imbued with a dragon-like aesthetic, stands atop the cliff like a burning mountain.
The rising sun gilded it with a layer of flowing molten gold, making the entire fortress seem to be burning fiercely, radiating a scorching red light.
Such a sight caused even the proud golden dragon to momentarily lose its composure.
A fortress—that's an asset not every dragon can possess.
When he came to his senses and his gaze swept down over the interior of Dragon Valley, his pupils contracted slightly again.
He noticed that there were other dragons in the valley.
Red, blue, green, black... two dragons that are clearly in their adolescence, and two even smaller young dragons!
Upon closer inspection, the number of dragons gathered here has reached a staggering ten!
Given time, once they have all grown up, they will surely make the border region a formidable and powerful territory.
Alberto's gaze involuntarily drifted back to the red iron dragon flying ahead.
He knew perfectly well that among all the dragons present, only this powerful red iron dragon could have gathered so many naturally unruly and diverse dragons on the same land.
The evil dragon is different from the metal dragon that advocates cooperation.
They are inherently defiant against order, instinctively yearning to trample everything underfoot and stand at the top of the pyramid.
Only a dragon king, powerful enough to crush all dissent, wise enough to balance the interests of all parties, and with a will so strong that all dragons submit to him, can make these vastly different dragons temporarily set aside their disputes and coexist on the same land.
Thinking about this...
Alberto's opinion of Garros rose even higher in his heart.
at the same time.
On the training ground at the bottom of the valley.
Several small dragons—the red dragon Cahill, the blue dragon Heriam, the green dragon Ludwig, and the black dragon Serafina—were tilting their little heads, staring in disbelief at the enormous, scarred yet still radiant and majestic dragon shadow in the sky.
"Prisoners? Are they prisoners?!"
Red Dragon Cahill excitedly flicked his tail, his voice sharp and full of adoration: "The Crimson Wing Lord is too powerful! Too amazing! He can even... even capture a golden dragon!"
As a red dragon, she possessed a natural hostility towards the golden dragon and an instinctive desire to trample it underfoot.
Although he couldn't do it himself, seeing the captive Garos, who possessed the blood of a red dragon, bring back a clearly injured golden dragon, and remembering that he was also a member of Dragon Valley, he felt a surge of inspiration.
A sense of pride welled up within her, and she couldn't help but puff out her chest proudly.
"Incredible."
The green dragon whispered to its companion, "Judging by his size... he's at least a powerful young golden dragon! But he looks so pitiful, with so many of his scales broken."
He shrank back: "It seems he just went through an extremely painful beating."
In the sky, Alberto's eyelids twitched a few times.
The voices of the young and teenage dragons were not loud, but they were still heard by the keen-sensed golden dragon.
Prisoners, beaten?
The whispers of the smaller dragons insulted the golden dragon.
He was clearly invited! And the previous battle was by no means a one-sided beating, but it was not his style to argue or explain to weak young dragons and teenagers. So, he stared straight ahead at the burning fortress and pretended not to hear anything.
(End of this chapter)
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