Chapter 123: Chapter 122: Gordon’s Troubles, Three Years Later

Lotheren Kingdom, Royal Court, Back Garden.

Iron Dragon Gordon lay half-reclined with its belly exposed, adorned with an array of jewelry, even the dragon horns were carefully carved and polished by craftsmen, engraved with daffodil-like patterns.

The dragon scales all over its body were also polished and sculpted, each one gleaming like the finest obsidian, without a trace of blemish.

Numerous maids served on both sides.

Continually bringing various gourmet foods to the iron dragon.

Delicious barbecue, rich meat stew, fresh and sweet fruits, tasty little cakes… everything was available.

Yet Gordon was not happy, lying idly, occasionally opening its mouth to eat the delicacies the maids brought, looking at its belly with a troubled face.

It felt like it was as fat as a pig.

No, fatter than a pig.

The tender flesh almost squeezed through the scales, the belly swelling in rings, and even the iron dragon’s previously hard face armor had grown pudgy with excess flesh.

The iron dragon had reached ten meters in length, its size far larger than red dragons of the same age.

In breadth, it could almost compare to Galos.

Different from Galos whose entire body was bulging with muscles, hard as steel, Gordon was full of excess flesh, and when crawling on the ground, the flesh rippled like waves.

With the dragon race’s resilient digestive capacity.

Who knows how much Gordon needs to eat each day to become this fat.

After continually eating for another hour.

Gordon stopped eating, resolving to lose weight.

“My dear Gordon, are you unhappy? You’ve been eating less these days and seem to have lost some weight.”

The graceful young girl with a crystal crown stepped quickly before the iron dragon, speaking worriedly.

The girl was named Alina, fourteen years old, a princess of the Lotheren Kingdom, the apple of the king’s eye.

Unlike other siblings who enjoyed power struggles, Alina was naive and received the king’s favor, loved by her other siblings.

The young dragon Gordon was her cherished playmate, accompanying her from the age of six to now.

“Um, Alina, I want to lose weight.”

Gordon muttered.

“You’re cutest like this, why lose weight?”

Alina asked in bewilderment, snuggling onto Gordon’s belly, rubbing her cheek.

“I can hardly fly anymore.”

Gordon flapped its dragon wings, stirring up a wind, but its body stayed motionless, lamenting.

“No worries, I’ll have the court mage inscribe arrays on your wings, then you’ll be able to fly.”

Alina laughed cheerfully: “Now, be good and eat a little more, finish these last few pieces of cake, and I’ll give you a sapphire.”

Enticed by the treasure, Gordon’s eyes lit up, and indeed it was not full yet, still craving delicious food, and gobbled down a few more pieces of sweet, delightful cake.

“Ah, my luck is too bad.”

“If I hadn’t been brought here, I would be charging through the wilderness now with a fierce and mighty stature, ruling territories and expanding my borders.”

Gordon thought, deeply missing the wilderness days of the past.

“I’ve arranged for craftsmen.”

Alina grasped Gordon’s claw and said: “Your claws and scale armor need maintenance.”

Gordon sluggishly got up and moved from the back garden to its private chamber, where a dozen craftsmen polished its claws from head to toe, removing superficial dust and grime, and finally carving patterns on its sharp claws, dragon horns, and dragon scales, giving the iron dragon a look of a superb artwork, except it was too broad.

Sel Wilderness, Molten Iron Clan.

After two weeks of dormancy, Iron Dragon Solrog healed all its injuries and enthusiastically began planning for the Molten Iron Clan.

The battle group was first reconstructed.

The Bone-Chewing Clan was officially renamed to Hammer of Shattered Stars, positioned for frontal breakthroughs and defense.

Other clans’ names were abolished, reconstructed categorized by characteristics.

Units with agility and mobility, like Giant Wolf Knights, Giant Lizard Knights, Hyena Knights, were consolidated into an all-knight battle group called Red Iron Riders.

Mages, Shamans, and other units formed Eye of Annihilation.

Units like warriors with balanced capabilities, most numerous but without distinct traits, together formed Steel Will.

After reconstructing the battle group.

They refined class divisions, established reward and penalty systems, promotion pathways, giving the monsters aspirations beyond simply following orders, enhancing enthusiasm.

The iron dragon understood the importance of ideology.

True cohesion was not formed by clans’ names or systems, but by a powerful, dignified lord whom all subjects could look up to loyally.

It temporarily appointed Ogre Ugo as craftsman commander, making him responsible for erecting Galos’s sculptures in various clans.

Simultaneously, it instructed the brighter mages from clans to compose ballads for Galos, praising Galos’s might and wisdom, teaching young clan members to sing them, letting them hear about Galos’s great achievements from an early age.

Ballads varied according to different clan creatures’ preferences.

For example, the ogre clan.

“Snap! The enemies’ tribe wall collapsed!

Sizzle! The Dragon Breath burned the chieftain to charcoal!

Crunch! Under the scorched skin is tender meat!

The king’s wings flapped the aroma of meat across the Sel Wilderness!

Thud! Thud! Follow the red wings!

The ground the footprints tread on, the blood turned into meat stew!”

They revered strength, living for food, simple-minded, hence the ballads were full of food elements, and primitively rough in style, easily spreading among ogres.

Concerning the territory.

Iron Dragon Solrog also implemented Galos’s previous ideas of setting outposts and garrisoned troops on critical highlands, passes, and routes.

With clan strongholds as nodes, linking them to form an entire territory, dispatching suitable units at crucial locations.

And more importantly, the Scale Earth Rift.

Nick’s Trading Team came once more, bringing more black oil and other needed resources for Galos, then taking away more purple copper ore along with prime minerals produced by the Symbiotic Pool.

Nick’s Trading Team, returning with a full load, advertised their profits as instructed by the Molten Iron Clan, attracting daredevil trading teams.

Initially trading teams were cautious, but once they found no monster attacks on the Scale Earth Rift and those monster clans were willing to trade normally, the frequency of visits increased.

The ferocious beasts and monsters around the Scale Earth Rift were even cleared by those monster clans.

Summing up, due to the ogre clan’s rampant plunder leading to near desolation, the Scale Earth Rift is gradually flourishing.

Forming a temporarily stable trade route between the Molten Iron Clan and the civilized world.

Various raw ores, hides, claws, and other materials of ferocious beasts and monsters were transported to the Southern Countries.

Black oil, armor, weapons, alchemy tools, communication stones, etc., were transported to the wilderness, enhancing the Molten Iron Clan’s depth, contributing to its day-by-day growth.

In this manner.

With the assistance of the Iron Dragon Governor, Galos no longer worried about territorial trivialities, focusing on its training and evolution, with ample black oil supplies, life became peaceful and stable.

Regrettably.

The tranquil time seems to slip away faster.

Unconsciously, three years passed in a flash.

During this period, the territory developed soundly, orderly, and seventeen-year-old Galos officially became a young dragon.

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