The faerie dragon dragged her tail listlessly as she slowly shuffled over to Garoth's side.
"I'm not going to eat you."
The red iron dragon bent his hind legs and squatted down, asking, "Did anything major happen in Dragon Valley during my slumber?"
The faerie dragon nodded solemnly. "So many huge things happened! Dragon Valley was almost on the brink of destruction!"
Garoth's gaze sharpened as he adjusted to a more attentive sitting posture.
Ten years—a re blink of an eye for long-lived species—yet enough ti for mortal realms to experience earth-shaking changes.
He had indeed ordered the Clan of Molten Iron to restrain their claws and fangs, but the spindle of fate never spun along predetermined tracks. Unexpected events might have occurred during this period.
"What exactly happened? Tell ."
He inquired.
The faerie dragon bobbed her tiny head mournfully. "The valley spirit died."
Valley spirit?
What nonsense was this?
Garoth flicked his tail and pressed for details, eventually understanding the faerie dragon's aning.
There was a cave in Dragon Valley where special echoes would respond whenever the faerie dragon Vira played inside and shouted loudly. She considered these echoes the valley spirit's replies.
Starting from the third year of Garoth's slumber.
The valley spirit stopped responding to her, becoming silent and 'dead'.
In reality.
It was rely so structural changes within the cave that disrupted the echo effect.
Perhaps because she was born in the Serene Spirit Wilderness where all things possessed spiritual vitality, the faerie dragon's thought processes were sowhat unconventional.
After comprehending the situation.
The red iron dragon listened as the faerie dragon chirped about one 'major event' after another—her beloved patch of star-moss inexplicably withered, terrifying thorns grew in a hidden corner, her scales had faded slightly... Garoth remained silent, but his quietude was deafening.
After several seconds, he slowly shook his head, realizing he shouldn't have asked the faerie dragon for updates.
"My mind isn't fully clear yet after just waking up—my thoughts are still sluggish."
Garoth reflected internally.
Still, from the faerie dragon's responses, he could at least confirm Dragon Valley hadn't suffered any invasions. Otherwise, her tales wouldn't have been filled with such trivial matters.
For more concrete updates about recent events, he should consult the iron dragon Sorog, who was far more reliable.
When awakening from his slumber site, Garoth hadn't detected Sorog's presence. Clearly, the iron dragon had woken earlier and wasn't currently in Dragon Valley.
Neither the White Dragon Trixie nor the red dragon Samantha were present either.
This slight unease had prompted Garoth to question the unreliable faerie dragon first. Were there no important matters at hand, these dragons should have been guarding him in Dragon Valley, rather than just the brass-silver dragon and faerie dragon remaining.
After briefly licking so faerie dragon scale powder, Garoth's sluggish thoughts imdiately beca more active.
When the powder's effects faded and he returned to normal, his mind—stimulated by the earlier boost—regained full clarity, no longer muddled.
"First, contact Sorog."
Retrieving a ssage stone from his spatial ring, Garoth called out to the iron dragon Sorog.
Almost imdiately, as the ssage stone glowed faintly, Sorog's delighted voice ca through: "Garoth? My dear brother, your dragon sleep exceeded the normal duration—you've finally awakened."
After ten years.
The young dragons originally in Dragon Valley had generally progressed to young adult stage, including the red dragon Samantha. Though she began her slumber two years after Garoth, she awoke a year earlier, experiencing a shorter dormancy period.
With all three Ignas brothers now young adult dragons.
Dragon Valley's overall average power level had risen a tier, becoming stronger than before.
But without their central pillar Garoth awake, the dragons lacked proper leadership and confidence. Only now with his awakening was Dragon Valley truly complete.
The long-dormant Clan of Molten Iron also opened its eyes with Garoth's return.
"Did anything significant happen during my slumber?"
Garoth asked.
"One matter. We've been attempting to handle it but haven't resolved it yet."
"It's difficult to explain briefly. Now that you're awake, co here personally—seeing it will make everything clear."
Sorog replied quickly.
"Where?"
"The King's Fertile Plain, where you slew the Bloodhoof Chieftain."
Having said this, Sorog ended the communication.
Garoth felt puzzled. The King's Fertile Plain was already Molten Iron Clan territory—had they encountered harassnt or attacks from other clans?
This speculation wasn't baseless.
After crushing the Bloodhoof Clan.
The Molten Iron Clan had essentially claid the southwestern part of the convergence lands.
But this was rely a corner—limited and barren territory, not particularly valuable. In other directions lay more fertile lands controlled by mightier clans.
Nor was Garoth a newcor anymore.
Before his slumber, he'd basically mapped out the convergence lands' power distribution.
Excluding individually powerful but territorially limited magical beasts and monsters, four major intelligent species clans dominated the convergence lands.
Given their scale, they were more accurately described as tribes.
The current Molten Iron Clan's size had reached tribal threshold—a larger organizational unit typically ford by multiple united clans.
Snaken, orcs, goblins, and humans.
These four species comprised the convergence lands' major tribes.
Humans appearing here might seem strange, but it was actually normal.
Just as dragons varied between gold and white dragons, humans also exhibited trendous diversity.
Humans from the Lothrian Kingdom—even the Halden Empire—were the sa species as convergence lands humans, but their upbringing, education, worldview, and resources were worlds apart.
To citizens of human kingdoms, convergence lands humans were re 'primitives'—a completely different species.
Returning to the main topic, the four major tribes maintained constant friction and conflict while observing tenuous alliances, ruling the convergence lands' most fertile territories.
The King's Fertile Plain lay at the southwestern heartland.
Originally occupied by the Bloodhoof Clan, they'd attempted using it as a base for further expansion—to control the entire southwest, develop into a tribe, and gradually attain power rivaling the other four.
But they failed, interrupted by the Molten Iron Clan's migration from the Ser Wilderness.
"According to the White Dragon Trixie and brass-silver dragon Deborah."
"The convergence lands' four major tribes have developed and accumulated strength over many years, possessing profound foundations. Their chieftains and leaders rival young adult high-tier dragons—so even matching full adult high-tier dragons."
Garoth contemplated internally.
Now wasn't the ideal ti for Dragon Valley to confront the four major tribes. Only when the Ignas brothers generally reached young adult stage could they engage without fearing the risks.
But this wasn't sothing they could control.
If any tribe discovered the rising Molten Iron Tribe and attacked to nip it in the bud, Garoth wouldn't sit idly by. Short of absolute necessity, he wouldn't abandon their foothold here.
"The current situation differs from our Ser Wilderness days."
"The convergence lands tribes aren't like Lothrian Federation nations—they don't belong to a unified faction."
"Even if targeting Dragon Valley, they must guard against each other, unable to commit full strength. I needn't over-worry about threats from the four tribes, yet mustn't drop vigilance either."
The red iron dragon's eyes glead as he reflected.
Simultaneously, desires amplified by age and strength surged within, making Garoth feel restless as ambition gradually sprouted.
Defeat the four major tribes, beco king of the convergence lands!
This notion reverberated powerfully within him.
Haa—Garoth took a deep breath but didn't suppress the idea. Instead, he considered it more rationally, preventing ambition from clouding judgnt.
Because this wasn't unachievable, and success promised imnse rewards.
[Weakness is the greatest risk]
This was Garoth's unwavering belief.
He avoided dangerous endeavors offering no benefits whenever possible.
But to escape weakness's risks, grow stronger, and secure more resources—when properly prepared—he dared undertake calculated risks for high returns, taking initiative rather than enduring passively.
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