Chapter 19: Gnawing Rock Tribe

What is this?

Garos stepped forward and stared closely.

It was a square stone, carved with a simple rune in the center, not reflecting light—the rune itself emitted a faint glow.

This is a message stone.

Garos recognized it.

——It was one of the most common and universal alchemical tools on Bernardo, its effect exactly as its name suggested: transmitting messages.

The runes on the message stone were glowing, gradually dimming and fading out.

Clearly, it had just been used.

“This goblin used the message stone just before death—it must have sent some message to its tribe behind.”

“It must be about me, about Iron Cedar Territory.”

Garos’s dragon brows furrowed slightly.

Goblins held grudges fiercely, and according to Samantha’s description, this goblin tribe possessed many alchemical tools, though their individual life ranks were low and their numbers moderate.

“Once the goblin tribe receives this message, they won’t let it go.”

“They dared chase Samantha—they must not fear young dragons, perhaps even see them as prey.”

Garos paced in place, thinking deeply.

Should I abandon Iron Cedar Hills? The resources here are mediocre, but barely enough for my current survival. The wilds are dangerous; finding another suitable territory won’t be easy, and a nomadic life doesn’t suit my growth.

But if I don’t abandon the territory—

A prepared goblin tribe might ambush and surround me, and that could be dangerous.

“I don’t want to give up the territory, and I don’t want to die in an ambush.”

“First, I’ll scout them out, confirm the goblin tribe’s situation.”

“If they’re very weak, I can ignore them. If they’re too strong, I’ll have to abandon Iron Cedar Hills.”

“If they’re in between—not strong enough to threaten me directly, but dangerous enough to strike covertly—I’ll eliminate them first!”

Under the sun, the young Red Iron Dragon’s eyes narrowed slightly, a flash of murderous intent passing through.

Whenever his life was involved, whenever danger loomed, Garos became extremely alert, cautious, deliberate, and brimming with killing intent.

Facing potential threats—

Garos’s style was to crush them early, while still in the bud.

For instance, during the attack on the goblin wolf riders just now.

To prevent any word from leaking, the instant he decided to strike, Garos had resolved to leave no goblin alive—but still, the message stone had transmitted information, possibly bringing danger to him.

He turned to look at Samantha.

Garos asked: “How strong is this goblin tribe that hunted you? Tell me everything you know in detail—leave nothing out.”

Samantha was momentarily stunned, unsure what Garos intended.

She recalled, then recounted everything she knew, honestly and thoroughly.

Slowly, after listening to Samantha’s account, Garos fell into thought.

“In life rank, the strongest goblin is no higher than Level 6.”

“But their tribe possesses many alchemical tools, and one alchemical golem that made Samantha feel immense threat.”

The alchemical golem was a highly successful product born from the development of alchemy.

The Dragon Legacy recorded it, and paid special attention to it.

For example—

The Holy Flame Arbiter·Ignis.

It was one of the top golems of the human empire [Holden], forged through collaboration between countless alchemists and the Dawn Church, built from the skeleton of an Ancient Red Dragon combined with rare, expensive metals, inscribed inside and out with sacred runes of the Dawn Church, and endowed with multiple properties.

Because the Holy Flame Arbiter used the remains of an Ancient Red Dragon as material—

The dragon race considered this a grave insult.

Even metal dragons, enemies of evil dragons, could not tolerate it.

Once, a group of legendary metal dragons stormed the empire demanding the destruction of the Holy Flame Arbiter—but Holden Empire, allied with the Dawn Church, refused.

Metal dragons, being lawful beings, held reservations and were unwilling to wage war over the remains of an evil dragon.

Moreover, Holden Empire wisely offered many alchemical tools to appease the metal dragons’ fury; after prolonged negotiations, the matter was dropped.

As for evil dragons, solitary and lone-wolf creatures—even Ancient Dragons—could not stand against an empire.

The Holy Flame Arbiter now guards a deep abyssal rift within Holden Empire, having slain countless demons, and is famed across Bernardo for its immense power.

And such top-tier alchemical golems, capable of slaying Ancient Dragons—

Were far from unique.

Back to the matter at hand.

The alchemical golem in this goblin tribe would certainly not be high-tier; most likely mass-produced, even designed for mining or transport rather than combat—such golems could be purchased through many channels.

“I don’t need to be overly anxious.”

“Thinking carefully, if this goblin tribe were truly powerful, Samantha wouldn’t have escaped their capture in the first place.”

Garos’s tension eased, the murderous intent in his eyes gradually fading.

“I really want to eat—I haven’t had meat in a long time.”

Samantha was staring fixedly at the wild ox, eyes locked, unable to look away.

Had her reverence for Garos not reached its peak, she would have lunged at once.

Grrrrr!

Her stomach suddenly growled like distant thunder, drawing Garos’s attention.

Samantha flushed crimson, her tail swishing nervously, but unable to bear the hunger any longer, she pleaded: “My dear brother, can I have just a little bit of beef? Just a tiny bit, just a little!”

Why didn’t you say so earlier?

Garos tore off an entire hind leg of the ox with his claw and tossed it to Samantha.

Samantha caught the leg and devoured it ravenously, chewing every bone to fragments, leaving nothing wasted.

“Mobeer, drive these gray wolves up to the hills and keep them as reserve food.”

Garos began eating as well, giving the order.

“Got it!”

The Earthquake Bear nodded heavily and stomped off, driving the surviving gray wolves.

Time passed slowly.

The sun sank below the horizon; night fell silently.

The Gnawing Rock Tribe—the goblin tribe that hunted Samantha.

Its encampment lay at the foot of a severely wind-eroded, reddish-brown low mountain, its surface pockmarked with honeycomb-like natural caves, as if hollowed out by rot.

The goblins nailed wooden planks, animal bones, and broken pottery shards to the cave mouths with rusted iron nails, assembling crooked walls.

More like a pile of trash serving as a warning sign than a defensive structure.

Outside, a fence woven from upright flint spikes and man-eating vines encircled the perimeter.

Dried lizard skulls hung from the vines; in goblin culture, they believed displaying prey skulls brought good fortune to the tribe.

Though small in scale, it was a complete microcosm.

In the iron pit, goblins used sulfur-blackened claws to select iron ore, then delivered it to the smelting workshop to forge barbed arrowheads, swords, and other weapons, which tribal alchemists further enhanced.

The Ser Wilds were rich in all kinds of ores.

Common iron ore was everywhere; even the smallest tribe lacked none. As for magical precious metal ores, however, they were beyond their reach.

(End of Chapter)