Chapter 384 Galos's Charismatic Position Theory.
Fertile plains, near the abyss fissure.
"By the evil god! I want to return to the abyss!"
"Which idiot led the way?!"
"Run! Run! Don't stay in this damned material world any longer!"
A series of terrifying demonic words, mixed with dying screams and painful wails, echoed violently and repeatedly throughout the place.
With the final, abrupt scream, all the commotion gradually subsided, dissipating into the howling wind and snow, leaving only two deep, heavy dragon breaths.
"Garos, you should have brought me here sooner if there was such a wonderful place."
Alberto the golden dragon shuddered violently with pleasure, the high-speed tremors making his massive body almost blur into a golden afterimage, shaking off all the demonic blood and bits of flesh clinging to his scales and restoring his original dazzling luster.
"Punish the wicked and eliminate evil, and slay the demons."
He looked around at the chaotic battlefield and said with satisfaction, "This was so much fun! I had a blast!"
For the Golden Dragon, who naturally reveres order and kindness, killing these demons from the lower realms not only brings him no psychological burden, but also a strong sense of accomplishment and exhilaration in upholding justice and purifying the world.
As for the rift that continuously produces demons, an ordinary golden dragon might immediately think about how to completely close and seal it, but Alberto's thought process is clearly different from that of his kind.
He felt it might be better to keep it.
This is how he can continuously lure more demons to come, so that he can carry out this great cause of eliminating evil.
Of course, whether or not the problem is ultimately eradicated or temporarily preserved, the real decision-making power does not lie with him.
"The demonic attacks are almost endless. Since you are so interested in this, you can come here more often in the future and help me with my problems."
As he spoke, Galos also shook himself into a blurry afterimage, shaking off the filth and residue of the demon on his body.
With the release of his anger, the bloodshot eyes caused by his rage faded considerably, and his mental state returned to a manageable range.
Almost at the same time, Jinlong's eyes lit up when he heard Hong Tielong's words.
He immediately pressed on, "Of course, sharing your burdens is no problem! I'd be more than happy to! But..."
He changed the subject, saying, "What about the payment? You know I'm a noble golden dragon, I can't work for you for nothing."
Upon hearing this, Garus glanced indifferently at the golden dragon beside him.
“Alberto, you need to understand one thing: I’ve already been very generous by not charging you an ‘entrance fee’.”
"Essentially, it's you who craves to come here to kill demons for fun, not that I really need your help."
Alberto the Golden Dragon automatically filtered out the key parts of Galos's words.
He nodded to himself, pretending not to hear, and said, "However, on the other hand, considering the strong alliance between us, I, Alberto, will reluctantly agree to help you out for free."
Galos didn't dwell on Jinlong's attempt to save face, nor did he bother to expose it.
He raised a massive dragon claw, slightly opened its fingers towards the demon remains scattered on the ground, and then clenched it tightly.
Buzz—!
An invisible ripple instantly expanded from Garus's body, enveloping a large area around him.
Immediately afterwards, all the demon corpses within range rapidly withered and shrank at a visible speed, as if all their essence had been drained away. At the same time, strands of rich, blood-red energy were forcibly condensed and extracted, flowing towards Garos's body as if drawn by an attraction, and were eventually absorbed by him.
The losses caused by the previous battle were almost instantly replenished.
After numerous attempts and applications, Galos has a clear understanding of the characteristics of this skill.
The skill is most effective, consumes the least amount of energy, and is most efficient when extracting the residual life energy from a recently deceased organism.
If the goal is to directly extract the life essence of living beings, there will be many limitations, such as the resistance of the other party, the strength of their will, etc. However, this is also related to the fact that his current cultivation level on this path is not very high.
"Life extraction... Is this a skill that leads to eternal death?"
Alberto, the Golden Dragon, recognized him and asked in surprise.
Galos nodded slightly and readily admitted, "Yes, I just started practicing it recently."
Jinlong opened his mouth, instinctively wanting to remind Galos.
The path to eternal death is notoriously dangerous and unpredictable. The advancement method requires users to constantly walk on the edge of life and death, and to improve their level through serious injury or even near-death experiences. The more they do this, the easier it is to mess up at a critical moment and accidentally turn a fake death into a real death, resulting in complete annihilation.
However, before he could utter any words of advice, Alberto recalled Galos's past behavior.
During the fierce battle with the Mad King, he witnessed Galos's neck being snapped, his life force waning to almost nothing, leaving him in a truly near-death state.
But in the blink of an eye, the red iron dragon regained its vitality and, after another fierce battle, turned the tables and killed the Mad King.
Alberto was unaware of the specific reasons.
But he understood at least one thing.
Galos likely possesses some extremely powerful ultimate means of survival, almost equivalent to a second life.
For such a shameless guy, just let him win.
The dangerous act of pursuing the path to eternal death was insignificant to Garus.
"They're gone."
Galos didn't delay any longer. With a sudden flap of its enormous dragon wings, it soared into the sky.
The powerful airflow that came towards him during high-speed flight gradually washed away the last bit of dirt and residue left on his body.
Seeing this, Alberto the Golden Dragon immediately followed, flapping his wings to catch up.
The figures of two giant dragons flew side by side towards Dragon Valley at high speed.
The scene below was rushing past rapidly, and the biting cold wind and snowflakes rushed towards them, but were easily deflected by the dragon scales.
"Garos, I've made up my mind."
Alberto said, "After I awaken from this slumber, I will stay in your Ironforge tribe for a while longer."
He organized his thoughts briefly and continued to elaborate on his ideas.
“I have come to realize that to establish my ideal golden order, I need a strong territory that is stable enough and always thriving as a foundation and model.”
"In this respect... I must admit that I am not as good as you at the moment."
"Therefore, I hope to learn more from you about operating, managing, and developing territory. In the meantime, I am willing to serve the Ironforge tribe free of charge as payment for my learning."
Galos turned his head slightly and gave the golden dragon a scrutinizing look.
Are you able to openly admit your shortcomings?
This golden dragon has indeed matured a lot; it's at least much more pragmatic than before.
"I welcome your wish to stay and study in the Ironforge Tribe."
Galos's voice pierced through the wind and snow, reaching the golden dragon's ears clearly: "But Alberto, I've heard Deborah mention your parents... Won't they come themselves and take you back to the Dragon Realm?"
Alberto's flight rhythm was disrupted for a moment, and his breathing became labored.
It took him several seconds to calm down again: "No, it's okay! My parents... as important members of the Dragon Domain, they won't leave the Fubo Dragon Domain easily."
"You want to take me back?"
"Hehe, at most they will send some relatives or messengers, or have some of my brothers and sisters or other blood relatives come to deliver a message and persuade them to return."
As he spoke, Jinlong seemed to regain his confidence and proudly raised his head.
“As long as my parents don’t come in person, I, Alberto, have nothing to fear!”
Although he has a somewhat rebellious personality, his exceptional dragon talent and growth over the years are undeniable, and his strength is now comparable to that of an adult golden dragon.
Unless his parents intervene personally.
Otherwise, even if his other blood relatives were strong enough to suppress him, they would find it difficult to forcibly bring him back to the Dragon Realm.
"Besides, aren't you here, Garus?"
Alberto suddenly burst into laughter and said, "We are staunch allies who share weal and woe!"
"Who would dare to venture into the territory of you, the King of the Borderlands and the King of Iron, and forcibly capture his important ally? Wouldn't that be disrespecting you?"
Upon hearing this, the red iron dragon nodded its massive head slightly, seemingly agreeing with the statement.
"I will take action if necessary."
He first made a promise, then casually asked, "Speaking of which, what are your parents' life levels? I don't think I've ever heard you mention it in detail."
Alberto, the golden dragon, scratched the scales on the side of his neck with his claws, his eyes darting around, and his tone becoming ambiguous.
"Uh...not too high, really, just two rather...well...old Jinlongs with somewhat outdated ideas."
Galos slowed his rapid flight by a barely perceptible amount.
Old Golden Dragon?
According to the age classification of dragons, an elderly golden dragon is at least a legendary level existence!
Damn Alberto, are you trying to drag me down with you?
He had previously judged based on Alberto's approximate age that his parents were most likely in their prime, and thus made the necessary mental preparations.
But now it seems he encountered a rare, low-probability event.
While the prime of life is indeed the stage when dragons are most capable of reproduction, it is not the only one. Some older dragons also have the opportunity to have offspring, and there are even precedents of ancient dragons having children in their old age.
Perhaps it's more casual for a dragon.
However, for metal dragons, especially older metal dragons, their concern and protectiveness towards their offspring often become stronger as they age and become more powerful.
“Alberto, leave my territory, now, immediately.”
He planned to drive Jinlong away.
"Have you already forgotten what you just said?"
Jinlong reminded him.
"I haven't forgotten, but saying it doesn't mean I have to do it. Don't forget I'm a dragon. We dragons are notoriously unreasonable. Do you want to leave the border area on your own, or do you want me to throw you out?"
Galos chuckled, his gaze gradually turning dangerous.
"No! Don't panic! Galos, let me explain!"
The golden dragon Alberto hurriedly said, "My parents have very important duties and missions within the Dragon Realm. They would never leave the Dragon Realm and travel to the border region just to capture me. I assure you in the name of the great dragon god Bahamut!"
Upon hearing this, Galos's lips twitched upwards, revealing a fleeting smile.
He maintained a stern expression and said in a harsh tone, "Is that all? By taking you in, I am taking on the enormous risk of facing accountability from the two legendary Golden Dragons in the future."
Do you think such an empty promise is enough?
Alberto sighed, then began to persuade Galos with many additional, more practical vows.
These oaths include, but are not limited to:
In the event that the Ironforge tribe or Garos ever encounters a legendary-level threat in the future, as Garos's most steadfast ally, he will immediately seek help from his elders upon receiving a request for assistance, striving to bring powerful external support to Garos.
Galos reluctantly agreed to continue taking in the troublesome golden dragon.
After this little incident, Alberto felt relieved and returned his attention to the original topic, asking him for advice on the development of the territory.
Garos gazed at the vast, snow-covered land in the distance and sighed with deep emotion:
"Dragons love to fight amongst themselves, monsters are savage and ferocious, beasts and monsters don't understand each other's languages, and food and resources don't just fall from the sky."
"In short, managing a territory, especially wanting to make it grow and thrive, is not an easy task."
He gave examples, such as the Iron Dragon Sorog and the Red Dragon Samantha, who only needed to be responsible for specific management affairs, coordinating their families, developing their territories, promoting the alchemy industry, and handling mountains of daily chores, etc.
As the leader of the dragons, he had even more to consider, and he needed to find ways to improve and strengthen himself every day.
"But you are able to make the Ironforge tribe thrive and keep the entire Ignas dragon herd in good order."
Alberto, shameless as ever, pressed on, "Is there any secret you can share? For example, what's the most crucial part?"
Red Iron Dragon hesitated for a few seconds, then finally said in a deep and serious voice, "Alright, Alberto."
"For the sake of our rare friendship, I will tell you this secret."
“Listen carefully.”
Alberto the Golden Dragon suddenly perked up, slowed the frequency of his wing flapping slightly, and listened intently, afraid of missing a single word.
Under Alberto's expectant gaze, Red Iron Dragon slowly said, "The key lies in two words."
"charm!"
Alberto: "."
He was stunned; the enormous dragon head seemed to freeze in mid-air.
After a few seconds of silence, he shook his head violently and protested, "Garos! I'm asking for your advice very seriously, don't joke like that."
Hong Tielong shook his head slightly, his expression remaining serious.
“No, Alberto, I’m serious.”
As the lord of a dragon horde that rules over a region, Garus has certainly pondered deeply how he should act to better match his status, how to win the hearts of his followers, gain the trust of his allies, and instill fear in his enemies.
Based on his own experiences during his rise to prominence, and some subsequent in-depth reflections.
He gradually summarized and formed his own theory on leadership qualities.
He called it the "charisma hierarchy theory".
—Biographies in different social positions and with different statuses will possess different levels of charm.
Charisma grows and becomes more apparent as one's status rises; conversely, the level of one's status is also greatly influenced by the strength of one's personal charisma.
The two are complementary and mutually reinforcing.
Galos explained in detail to the bewildered golden dragon beside him, "You have a very superficial understanding of the word 'charm'."
"The charm I'm referring to is a comprehensive concept."
"It encompasses many aspects, including a dignified appearance, imposing posture, elegant demeanor, intelligent speech, the sense of pressure and security brought by strong strength, and convincing persuasiveness."
"It is a kind of deep impression that can make others feel at first glance, a kind of strong feeling."
"Just like me, when I spread my dragon wings and stand in the sky, any creature that sees me, regardless of its race or faction, will instinctively regard me as a leader or chieftain at first glance."
"That's my charm."
As he spoke, Galos turned his head, glanced at the golden dragon, and gave an objective evaluation.
"As for you, Alberto, your charm is not bad either. Your dazzling golden scales and strong physique are outstanding even among dragons."
"But if I may be so bold, your first impression is more like that of an elite dragon."
"Compared to someone like me, who is like a local overlord or a BOSS, he is still far inferior in terms of leadership aura."
Alberto the Golden Dragon pondered Galos's words carefully, without offering any rebuttal.
He felt that Galos's analysis was incisive and very reasonable.
He remained silent for several seconds, seemingly lost in thought, before asking, "So... Garus, what do you think I should do to effectively enhance my charm?"
Galos swept his scrutinizing gaze over the golden dragon and said, "To be honest, among the golden dragons, your first impression, apart from being stronger and more muscular than your peers, is not that that makes you stand out."
"Those grand vows, firm resolve, and lofty ideals in your heart... these are all internal things that cannot be directly perceived by others through outward appearance."
After a moment's thought, Galos offered his suggestion.
"You should add some impressive features to yourself."
"For example, you can wear magnificent gold and silk, or have runes engraved on your dragon horns. In short, you can enhance your image through unique symbols, making you stand out from the crowd and thus initially possess the foundation of a leader-level charisma."
Galos himself doesn't need these.
His appearance and physique alone are enough to make him unique.
"Knowledge of territory management can be learned, but without the corresponding charm, it's all for nothing."
Galos generously gave guidance to the golden dragon Alberto.
Sharing one's theoretical ideas is indeed a very fulfilling thing, and Galos suddenly understood the White Dragon Therese a little.
As Alberto listened to Galos's theory, he gradually revealed an expression of sudden realization.
As for what he actually learned from these words, and how he planned to put them into practice, Galos had no idea.
(End of this chapter)
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