Chapter 3 Negotiation
The dragon's scales are thick and layered, a deep iron black, with fine serrated patterns on the surface, resembling a forged metal blank, as if cast from steel. Its joints have metal protrusions like an exoskeleton, and its back has a layer of thick, shark-fin-like spines.
It simply sat quietly on the high platform.
Its wings and limbs were not fully extended, and its enormous body was in a contracted state.
Even so.
An overwhelming sense of oppression still rushed over me.
The destruction and devastation that such a dragon could cause when enraged is chilling to even contemplate.
The dragon was staring at Garos with its black eyes, the same as Garos's.
It was Galos's mother—Iron Dragon Girl Leticia.
"Mother."
The young dragon lowered its head and greeted the giant dragon on the high platform.
Iron Dragon Girl is a very traditional Iron Dragon who does not believe in any dragon god, abides by lawful evil, takes efficiency and pragmatism as her highest principles, follows a strict hierarchical lifestyle, and longs to build a world dominated by dragons and ruled by Iron Dragons. She has a strong sense of class consciousness.
In its eyes, even offspring and descendants should not overstep their bounds.
One must abide by one's own rules and show respect and awe to oneself.
"Garos, my child, the crystallization of flame and steel."
Iron Dragon Lady looked down at Garos and said in a cool and magnetic voice, "The alternation of six lunar phases is enough for a fledgling dragon to shed its soft scales. Now, your scales are as hard as iron."
Its sound was like sandpaper rubbing against a steel ingot, each syllable causing the metallic particles in the air to hum and resonate.
Galos nodded, a sense of foreboding creeping into his heart.
Based on different ages, dragons are divided into many age groups.
For example, dragons aged 1-5 are called hatchlings. During this period, hatchlings receive protection from their mothers, including being provided with food, protection, and shelter.
Moving up further, the juvenile dragon stage is from 6 to 12 years old.
The dragon is rather indifferent to family ties and has little interest in raising offspring.
When the offspring grow to the juvenile stage, the evil dragon will often choose to drive them away, forcing them to leave its territory and live alone elsewhere.
Above Galos was another Dragon Brother, who was expelled a few years ago and whose fate is now unknown.
As for himself, Galos had long anticipated this day, but he didn't expect it to come so soon.
This magical world is not safe. Supernatural creatures are not limited to dragons, and magical power is not unique to dragons. Moreover, dragons are coveted because their bodies are made of top-quality materials.
Adult dragons are better off, as they possess great strength and can protect themselves.
But baby dragons?
Compared to humans, a young dragon is like a toddler who can barely stand up and walks unsteadily. For a young dragon alone in the outside world without protection, there is danger everywhere and survival is extremely difficult.
The offspring of dragons have a very high mortality rate before reaching adulthood.
Garros found it extremely unreasonable to banish young dragon offspring to live alone, and it's no wonder that the dragon race is gradually declining.
and.
He pondered that it was probably because of the extremely difficult survival experiences in childhood that these dragons developed their violent and ferocious personalities as adults.
“When I was your age, my claws and teeth weren’t as sharp as yours.”
Iron Dragon Girl continued, "My scales are not as strong as yours, but I have left my mother's protection and have my own territory."
When it spoke of its territory, its eyes darted around and its tone became somewhat hesitant.
The so-called 'territory' was actually just a stinking ditch.
Iron Dragon Girl's face was covered with fine, steel-like scales; her skin was thick, and her complexion remained normal.
Its massive body leaned back slightly, and it said, "Garos, it's time for you to leave this place and start your own life."
"Before dawn tomorrow, your scales should no longer be stained by the dust of this place."
As expected, they want to expel me.
This is a damned bad habit! Just because you got wet in the rain doesn't mean you can tear up someone else's umbrella, Dragon Girl!
Upon hearing Iron Dragon Girl's words, Garus felt a chill run down his spine.
At the same time, two suppressed chuckles came from behind.
Red Dragon Girl and Iron Dragon Brother, who had just arrived, were two five-year-old dragons looking at Garos with gloating eyes, their tails swishing behind them, clearly in high spirits.
Because of their evil dragon nature, the two often provoked Garus, and were repeatedly beaten by Garus.
They all hoped that Galus would be expelled.
"You two idiots, don't you realize that I am what they will be a year from now?"
Galos shook his head slightly, too lazy to argue with a fool.
These two baby dragons only cared about the present and didn't think about the future at all.
Raising his bowed head, Garus looked at the Iron Dragon Mother and said, "Mother, I hope to stay in your territory for a while longer. I am not ready yet."
The Iron Dragon Girl spread out half of her wings, and the shadow instantly engulfed half of the nest.
It refused decisively: "No."
Galos had anticipated today's situation, so he sighed and said, "I originally wanted to trade treasure for food and shelter, but since Mother's mind is so firm, then let's forget about it."
As soon as he finished speaking, Galos shook his head and turned to leave.
Treasure?
Iron Dragon Girl's pupils suddenly dilated.
“My dear Garus, wait!”
Normal dragons cannot resist treasure.
Galos knew this well—treasure was almost every dragon's Achilles' heel, and the Iron Dragon Girl was no exception.
It is old-fashioned and traditional, believing that a six-year-old dragon should live alone. However, there are always exceptions. Iron Dragon Girl is also a typical pragmatist. If Garus can bring her treasure, she doesn't mind continuing to take in this offspring.
His cold, hard expression softened considerably.
Iron Dragon Mother asked with a gentle smile, "Where did you get your treasure, and how much are you willing to exchange for food and shelter?"
Galos sat upright on the ground with his limbs together, looking up at the huge iron dragon, and said slowly, "I have a keen sense of minerals, especially precious metal minerals. I have a very clear sense of them."
"I can assure you that I will provide you with at least three pieces of precious metal ore weighing more than ten kilograms each month."
"And you, you need to provide me with shelter, and the same high-quality blood food as always."
The blood food that the Iron Dragon Girl can provide consists of high-level monsters, which Garos can hardly obtain on his own at the moment.
Galos needs high-quality blood food. His adaptive evolutionary talent did not come out of thin air; he needs sufficient energy to replenish it during the evolution process.
Upon hearing Garus's words, the Iron Dragon Girl nodded slightly.
Reasonable.
Iron dragons have a natural talent for being sensitive to metallic minerals, but this talent is rarely seen in young dragons.
"Are you willing to go mining?"
Dragons are inherently proud, and they generally disdain to do things like mining, which are usually done by their slaves.
When the topic of treasure came up, Iron Dragon Lady adopted a calculating demeanor and said, "If you want to recruit my retinue to mine for you, you'll have to pay extra. The exact amount will be discussed in detail based on the level of the retinue you want to recruit."
The level refers to the biological level.
This is the most intuitive way to distinguish the level of individual strength. For example, the current Garros's biological level is 7. This level is comparable to that of a gold dragon among young dragons of the same age, and is even superior to that of a typical gold dragon.
Both red dragons and iron dragons are normally weaker than gold dragons of the same age.
If we replace it with the white dragon from the Five-Colored Dragons, its average creature level at age six is only around level 3.
"No need. I have two mining slaves to command, and with my personal supervision, their mining efficiency should be quite high."
Garus rejected the Iron Dragon Girl's proposal.
Two mine slaves? Red Dragon Girl and Iron Dragon Brother looked surprised.
"When did Garros acquire two mine slaves?"
Red Dragon Girl lowered her voice and asked Iron Dragon Brother next to her.
"I don't know either."
Tie Longdi shook his head, his eyes clear.
The two young dragons looked at each other, racking their brains, but they really couldn't figure out where Garus had found the two miners.
(End of this chapter)
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