A few days later, the Red Iron Dragon rested again for a while, replenishing his vigor.
When he woke, Deborah—who had reverted to her great-dragon form—was still curled up, breathing evenly, lost in a deep sleep, her scales shimring with a soft glow in the light.
"It's ti to train."
The Red Iron Dragon stretched, joints moving with a low tallic rasp, like gears sliding over one another.
He could distinctly feel that after the battle with the Legendary Sword Saint, this body had beco tougher, so of its attributes improving.
"Going through a few more fights like that might beco a powerful catalyst for my breakthrough into the Legendary Domain."
He thought to himself silently.
Just as he was about to head to his usual training grounds, a familiar, steady ntal fluctuation touched his awareness.
It was the Iron Dragon Sorog. He had sensed the Red Iron Dragon stirring and imdiately sent a psychic ssage.
"Garoth, there is an important matter I need to discuss with you."
Sorog's voice echoed directly in Garoth's mind.
Garoth moved his thought and replied, "Perfect timing. I’ve been having so ideas too. Establish a mind-link. While we're at it, let’s discuss the tribe’s future direction."
He felt his mind clear and sharp, perfect for strategic planning.
"Gordon, you go ahead."
Within the mind-link, Sorog yielded speaking priority to another blood-brother.
Iron Dragon Gordon's voice joined the link, saying, "Garoth, Elina asked to convey a proposal to you—she asks whether you would be willing to beco, in na and fact, the ruler of the entire Ser Wilderness, the Wilderness King?"
This was far more than a casual question; it carried deep aning.
"Wilderness King..."
Garoth repeated the title quietly, sinking into a brief reflection.
Then the Red Dragon Samantha's laughter broke the silence first.
"Hah! What nonsense is that human girl spouting?"
"Garoth just killed a Legendary! Who in the Ser Wilderness would still dare doubt or challenge our power? If Garoth wants it, he can declare himself king anyti. He doesn't need a human princess's 'proposal,' and he certainly doesn't need recognition from their so-called kingdoms!"
Her tone brimd with arrogance and a visceral rejection of human interference in wilderness affairs.
Iron Dragon Sorog said, "Samantha, calm down."
"The Crystal Princess’s proposal isn't without value. It deserves serious consideration."
"We must understand that being called the Wilderness King is not just an empty title or a flattering na; it represents a legitimacy and governing order accepted by the surrounding major intelligent nations."
"Obtaining such recognition can reduce a great deal of hostility and harassnt toward us."
"If the tribe is to achieve long-term stable developnt and clear our na—shake off the label of a 'monster cluster occupying the wilderness'—this is a crucial step."
"Otherwise, no matter how formidable you are, as long as you are perceived as a threat that needs to be eliminated, one wave after another of punitive expeditions will co under various pretexts, and there will never be peace."
"A widely accepted 'king' and a governnt with legitimate standing will make your interactions with those nations—at most trade—rightful, smooth, and far more orderly."
At that mont, Garoth, as the decision-maker, spoke.
"Compared to an empty honorific, I'm more concerned with the concrete value it can bring."
He told the Iron Dragons, "Tell Elina I need a direct conversation to understand specifically what her so-called help entails."
"Understood."
Gordon replied briefly.
Not long after, by so form of magic, Crystal Princess Elina's consciousness joined the mind-link.
"Lord Garoth, mighty dragons."
Elina's voice was clear and calm, cutting straight to the point. "I would like to establish a more stable and lasting alliance with you and the Molten Iron Tribe that you represent."
Garoth: "In what specific ways?"
An alliance isn't empty words; he needed to know what Elina and the Lothrian Kingdom could offer the Molten Iron Tribe, and what they would expect in return.
Garoth habitually put both sides' interests on the table.
After weighing pros and cons thoroughly, he would decide whether to cooperate or to find room for negotiation.
"Rest assured, the Lothrian Kingdom has no intention of interfering in the Molten Iron Tribe’s internal affairs, nor will it dispatch troops to the Ser Wilderness to impose military control."
Elina seed to have anticipated this question. Her voice was steady and sincere as she began to outline the four forms of support she could provide.
First, formal diplomatic recognition.
The Lothrian Kingdom would be the first to publicly acknowledge and congratulate Garoth as the sole, legitimate ruler of the Ser Wilderness, calling him the Wilderness King, and would use its influence to actively lobby and encourage other nations to grant the sa diplomatic recognition.
This would greatly elevate the Molten Iron Tribe’s status among nations and curb certain kingdoms from using "clearing lawless lands" as an excuse for harassnt.
Second, free technical assistance.
The Lothrian Kingdom would send senior alchemists, veteran engineers, and learned scholar teams to be stationed in the wilderness for extended periods to help the Molten Iron Tribe establish and perfect a complete alchemical industry system.
Assistance would range from basic ore identification, efficient slting, and tal purification, to advanced areas like precision golem construction, rune weapon etching, and crafting of energy cores for constructs. Lothrian was willing to share this valuable knowledge.
Third, infrastructure support.
Beyond the Thousand Serpent Traces trade route, Lothrian could help the tribe comprehensively survey and plan, provide partial investnt, and build standardized road networks connecting major wilderness areas—mining zones, black oil fields, important monster gathering sites, and so on.
They could even assist in erecting small teleportation arrays to improve internal circulation and developnt.
Fourth, equitable trade agreents.
Lothrian was willing to buy large quantities of the Ser Wilderness’s specialty resources—certain magical minerals, rare herbs, dangerous beast materials—long-term and steadily at fair market prices. Lothrian would also supply the Molten Iron Tribe with materials it urgently needed but could not yet produce independently, such as advanced alchemical catalysts, enchantnt components, and precision instrunts.
Admittedly, Elina’s four proposals were very beneficial to the Molten Iron Tribe.
Although the tribe had acquired a number of alchemical tools and schematics through channels like the Gem rchant Consortium, their foundation was still shallow and their accumulation limited.
To truly build a large, stable alchemical industry, those channels alone were far from sufficient.
Compared to a powerful nation like Lothrian, capable of launching a magical satellite into the Astral, even many human princedoms and large city-states outstripped the Molten Iron Tribe in alchemical prowess.
And the black oil crystals, which were crucial to Garoth, required a robust, complete alchemical industry to support their refinent.
Garoth quietly absorbed the information.
After a mont, he asked the key question: "Then what is the cost?"
Elina's voice grew solemn and earnest. "I do not ask for territory in the Ser Wilderness, nor will I demand the Molten Iron Tribe beco Lothrian's vassal or subordinate."
"What I truly hope for is a stable, prosperous, and powerful Ser Wilderness as a neighbor, and a firm strategic alliance with the Molten Iron Tribe."
"In future critical monts when the Lothrian Kingdom needs friends' support—whether diplomatic backing, moral support, or prioritized supply of certain strategic materials—I hope to receive a response from the 'Wilderness King.'"
Her words revealed long-term considerations.
The southern wars were quiet for now, but seeds of hatred and interest had already been sown.
Many nations had been hurt by war without gaining benefits, and voices in Lothrian yearning to reestablish absolute advantage had never vanished. War could flare again.
Plan ahead.
Win potential powerful allies in advance, divide possible enemies—these were wise moves to secure a more favorable strategic posture for the kingdom.
After listening to Elina's full statent, the Red Dragon Samantha still snorted habitually, but her attitude was noticeably less extre and dismissive than at first.
"It does sound better than just sending an army to seize land."
"Still, humans are cunning schers. Who knows if this isn’t just another carefully woven trap?"
Elina did not directly argue the point. She remained silent and left the decision entirely to the Red Iron Dragon, patiently awaiting his final answer.
Garoth pondered for a longer while.
His massive head lowered slightly, calculation and weighing shining in his eyes.
Finally he slowly lifted his head, eyes seeming to peer through the mind-link straight at the Crystal Princess, and he spoke in a deep voice.
"Princess Elina, your proposal shows sufficient sincerity, and it aligns with the Molten Iron Tribe’s long-term developnt interests."
The Red Iron Dragon said, "We have strength and resources, but lack the systematic technology to convert those resources into greater power. Lothrian has technology and knowledge and needs a stable, reliable source of raw materials and a strategic rear."
"Our interests do not conflict; they complent one another."
Garoth understood clearly that gaining Lothrian’s formal recognition—a nation once the head of the human federation—was of enormous significance.
If Lothrian led by example, allied nations would follow suit.
This would save the tribe massive ti spent coping with endless tests from other countries and allow it to focus on developnt. Lothrian’s technical assistance could accelerate the rise of the tribe’s alchemical industry, sothing impossible to achieve quickly through looting and trial-and-error alone.
He had already decided in his heart.
"The Molten Iron Tribe is willing to establish a deep cooperative alliance with the Lothrian Kingdom."
He gave his formal response and added, "Specific cooperation terms can be drafted by suitable representatives from both parties for follow-up negotiation and finalization."
"But there are several core principles that must be clarified upfront and cannot be changed."
"Affairs within the Ser Wilderness will be decided autonomously by the Molten Iron Tribe; Lothrian’s technical aid must aim to cultivate our own talent rather than create dependency; trade must be fair."
The wilderness was vast and rich, and so special resources hidden within it could not be efficiently surveyed and developed by the tribe alone; things would inevitably be missed.
Garoth was not a stubbornly xenophobic dragon; he did not reject cooperation with intelligent races.
As long as collaboration could bring him tangible benefits and did not undermine his absolute authority or the tribe’s independence, he preferred a win-win path.
For example, if the Blue Dragon leader had not been so arrogant and had been willing to negotiate, he might have peacefully coexisted with the Dominik Dragon Cluster and shared the wilderness; likewise, he had maintained a decades-long peace-by-distance with the Mountain King and the Fungus King.
Unfortunately, few had been willing to pursue mutual benefit with him before.
anwhile, upon hearing Garoth’s response, Elina at the Lothrian royal court smiled.
Indeed, this Lord of Molten Iron had vision and rationality far beyond ordinary evil dragons.
Gordon was fortunate to have such a wise and powerful blood-brother.
After a mont’s thought, Elina asked, "Then, Lord Garoth, when do you plan to formally declare yourself king?"
Garoth narrowed his eyes slightly, a sharp light flashing in his dragon pupils.
He said calmly and resolutely, "There is no rush to declare a kingship."
"Once we have consolidated control of the northeastern and southern regions of the wilderness and eliminated all discordant and disobedient voices—truly bringing the entire Ser Wilderness under our command—then the title will naturally be deserved and co into being."
"At that ti, the na Molten Iron Tribe can, if appropriate, be replaced with a more fitting title."
Upon hearing this, Sorog trembled ntally with indescribable excitent.
From a clan that once held a corner of territory to a dominant Molten Iron Tribe, the future now pointed toward founding a genuine dragon realm.
Decades of hardship, decades of frosts and trials.
He had steadfastly followed Garoth, watching their power swell like a rolling snowball. The grand dream of building a strong, orderly, respected dragon empire drew ever nearer.
He felt even more certain that his choice long ago had been completely correct.
Elina’s voice took on a faint smile.
"Emperor Ignas... allow to call you that in advance."
"When you officially found a nation in the Ser Wilderness, the Lothrian Kingdom will be the first to stand up and offer our most sincere congratulations and formal diplomatic recognition for that grand event."
Wilderness King of the Ser Wilderness, Emperor Ignas...
Garoth repeated the titles silently in his mind and smiled without sound.
It sounded quite pleasing.
Becoming a Legendary at a hundred years old was difficult, but founding a nation at a hundred and becoming a Dragon Emperor was also an extraordinary feat.
Such rarity might even eclipse achieving Legendary status at a century; it could be carved into his legacy and passed down to descendants as a glorious deed.
If a dragon wanted to establish and maintain a nation, it needed at least Legendary-level strength as a foundation.
But raw individual power alone was insufficient; one also needed the ability to strategize, charisma to gain recognition, and to win broad acceptance.
Otherwise, a newborn dragon nation could be quickly jointly targeted and annihilated by neighboring states, vanishing as quickly as it appeared.
The Dragon Legacy is full of such cautionary examples.
One of Garoth’s deepest ambitions was to single-handedly rival, even overwhelm, the whole world.
Yet he knew that before reaching that distant goal, he needed steady, solid steps—accumulate and develop prudently to lay the most unshakeable foundation.
As ti went on, Garoth and Elina gradually reached consensus.
In that invisible ntal link, a cooperation that would change the Ser Wilderness and its surrounding balance was tentatively set in direction.
The Molten Iron Tribe—long labeled a monster cluster occupying the wilderness—would soon enter the sights of the nations in a new posture and beco impossible to ignore.
Shortly after, the Crystal Princess politely withdrew from the mind-link.
The Red Dragon Samantha imdiately let out an excited low roar, "Since the decision has been made, what are we waiting for?"
"Can we begin right away by wiping out that Hill Giant King holed up in the northeast? My claws are starving to tear those giants apart."
Iron Dragon Sorog added calmly, "The Mountain King and his giant tribe have held their mountain territory in the northeast of the wilderness for decades."
"They have stubbornly defended that mountain domain and have not shown strong expansionist desires."
"That behavior seems odd—like they have so plan of their own. If we are to deal with them, I think it should be done quickly."
Finally, their attention turned to the Red Iron Dragon.
After a brief thought, Garoth said slowly, "Our current goal is the unification of the wilderness. The previous peace ends here."
"One mountain cannot hold two tigers."
"The remaining Mountain King must step off the stage."
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