Chapter 24: Garos (Requesting Monthly Tickets and Follows)

Since black oil can be eaten.

Then, energy ores of higher quality than black oil should, without exception, provide me with even richer energy.

The problem is, these are all strategic resources; a small amount of black oil doesn’t matter—luckily, one might dig up deposits themselves, or alchemists may refine them—but large black oil reserves and other energy mineral deposits are tightly controlled by major nations.

Luo Si fell into thought.

Leaving other matters aside for now.

The human empire of Holden and the elven empire of Nauxir are still secretly vying against each other, with constant friction, over the division of a super-large black oil reserve.

Were it not for the fact that their sheer scale would make war catastrophic, likely leading to mutual annihilation.

Now it’s no longer just covert rivalry.

“There are oil fields in the Ser Wilds too, but all are guarded and mined by armies.”

“We’ll deal with it later—right now, I absolutely can’t provoke them; that would be suicide. Besides, the energy I need for my current evolution isn’t much—I can satisfy it by hunting demonic beasts.”

Luo Si thought silently to himself.

He looked down at the black oil on his claws.

He extended his sensitive tongue to meticulously lick it clean, then picked up the alchemical engine and poured the remaining black oil straight into his mouth.

A sharp, spicy sensation shot straight to the crown of his head.

After swallowing the last of the black oil left in the alchemical engine.

Luo Si felt as if a roaring fire burned inside his belly, and his spirit became intensely exhilarated.

Huh!

He spread his wings, surging upward in a howling gale, soaring at high speed through the sky, continuously spewing torrents of flame breath, his scales’ dark red patterns glowing like flowing lava.

Waves of flame spread endlessly.

Turning the sky’s clouds a deep crimson, as if set ablaze.

Half an hour later, Luo Si retracted his wings and landed on a rock slab; the sensation of roaring fire in his belly had vanished, yet he felt unsatisfied.

Because in this mere half hour.

Luo Si could clearly feel his training effect exceeded a full week’s normal training—especially in the strength and duration of his breath.

And he still didn’t feel much fatigue.

“Such a fine thing.”

He picked up the alchemical engine and tilted it again.

Only a single drop of black oil remained, spilled into his claw’s palm.

He had planned to swallow it directly.

But he paused, then looked toward Samantha.

“The Chuancheng says this isn’t food, but I found it intensely potent—could the Chuancheng be wrong?”

The Dragon Chuancheng isn’t necessarily flawless; its information may be outdated or contain errors.

“Let Samantha try it.”

Luo Si woke Samantha, and under her suspicious gaze, said: “Black oil contains abundant energy—I just consumed a lot. You should try some too.”

“Really? My Chuancheng never said this could be eaten.”

Samantha was doubtful.

She extended her warm tongue and licked the drop from Luo Si’s palm.

Then.

Pah!

Pah-pah-pah!

Before she even swallowed, Samantha’s eyelids twitched, and she spat the black oil out onto the ground several times.

“This thing is edible? Completely inedible!”

She flicked her tongue, refusing to let even a trace of black oil cling to it.

“So the Chuancheng was right—the problem is me.”

Luo Si had no reply.

“Here, take this engine—it’ll help you learn alchemy.”

He tossed the alchemical engine to Samantha.

Black oil varies in quality; the black oil Luo Si just ate was the lowest grade.

Alchemy can further refine ordinary black oil, and can also transmute demonic beast bodies into ordinary black oil—these are basic aspects of alchemy.

Once Samantha masters it, she’ll owe me something in return.

Luo Si doesn’t keep idle dragons.

And this won’t take long—dragonkind have excellent learning aptitude; basic alchemy isn’t difficult to grasp.

Samantha took the alchemical engine, glanced at it curiously, then curled her tail around it, closed her eyes slightly, and resumed studying her Chuancheng knowledge.

He glanced at Samantha, now immersed in her Chuancheng knowledge.

Luo Si suddenly wondered how his other iron dragon sibling, Garos, was faring.

Garos was less arrogant and conceited than Samantha, but less clever, always a bit dim-witted—he’d likely struggle terribly to survive alone.

He shook his head and let it go.

He’d already offered the chance; how he chose was his own business.

If Garos came to him like Samantha, willing to obey commands and stop acting recklessly, Luo Si would accept his allegiance and let him learn a type of magic to assist him, as beneficial as Samantha’s.

But Luo Si didn’t know.

Garos would never come here.

If viewed from extremely high above, one could see a main road winding across nearly the entire Ser Wilds, its branches forming a dense spiderweb, branching in many directions like tree limbs—a network of the wilds.

This network is called—the Thousand Serpent’s Trace.

In essence, it’s the collective term for all roads used for caravans and mineral transport across the Ser Wilds.

The main road of the Thousand Serpent’s Trace leads straight into the territory of the Lothien Federation; it’s wide, paved with an asphalt-like substance, stretching endlessly under the sun.

As the ground trembled slightly.

Metal-bodied wheels, coated in gelatinous material, rolled over the road.

Ten colossal, alchemically crafted vehicles, each nearly fifteen meters long and resembling freight wagons, roared past.

On one of the wagons sat an open steel cage.

Each steel bar was as thick as an adult’s arm, etched with dense alchemical runes.

Inside the cage was the young iron dragon Garos.

He bit at the cage.

With a grating metallic clang, sparks flew.

Garos’s teeth ached, yet he left only shallow indentations—he couldn’t break the cage at all.

After leaving the Iron Dragon Mother’s territory, he’d planned to start by raiding caravans, then head south to make his mark.

But the moment he showed himself, he was instantly captured by the caravan’s formidable guards, and after being passed around, ended up sold to this large caravan.

“Stop biting. Even if your teeth broke, you couldn’t break this cage—it’s alchemically reinforced, strong enough to hold a young dragon.”

A human warrior in heavy armor stood outside the cage.

“Damn humans! What do you intend to do to the great true dragon!”

Garos roared, baring his fangs.

The warrior clicked his tongue. “Don’t react so strongly—we won’t peel your skin or dismantle your bones and scales. On the contrary, we’ll dress you up beautifully and let you enjoy a wonderful life.”

“What?”

Garos didn’t believe it, eyes filled with suspicion.

“The beloved young princess of Lothien Kingdom wants a dragon companion as a birthday gift. The kingdom issued an official bounty—and you, lucky little iron dragon, are the gift we’ll deliver to her.”

At this, Garos’s eyes widened.

He never imagined he’d reach the south he longed for in this way.

(End of Chapter)