Chapter 86: Evolution, Evolution!

After a few minor setbacks.

The Red-Eye Clan of Howling Cliff has officially become Garos's kin.

Gazing at the Blood-Toothed Warlord, whose face was full of flattery and whose tail wagged, he pondered whether to perform the Dragon Vein Transformation upon it.

The Iron Dragon Mother already had Dragon Vein kin under her command; those were her most trusted personal guards, used to guard her treasury or execute certain orders. Indeed, the Iron Dragon Mother's trust in Dragon Vein kin surpassed even her trust in her own offspring.

Core kin of the dragon kind almost all undergo the Dragon Vein Transformation.

Dragon Vein kin are the confidants of the dragon kind, the extended claws and fangs of dragons, possessing absolute loyalty to the dragon that grants the Dragon Blood Transformation.

"The price is too high; I cannot bear it now."

Garos shook his head slightly, rejecting the idea.

Only young dragons aged fifty or older are qualified for the Dragon Vein Transformation, and it requires expending vital blood, paying the price of one's own strength being diminished and weakened.

Transforming an ordinary creature into a Dragon Vein creature is no less than a new birth.

During the process, one must endure torture akin to death; only with immense determination and spiritual will can one be reborn from the flames. If targets are chosen arbitrarily, the success rate is less than ten percent.

This gnoll chieftain before him did not look in the least like one who could endure the Dragon Vein Transformation.

There is also a more important point: the target of the Dragon Vein Transformation is not chosen at random.

Only creatures with excellent innate talent and certain potential are granted the qualification for transformation.

Otherwise, after expending vast amounts of dragon blood, the result would still be a waste?

No dragon can tolerate such a shame.

An adult dragon may have many kin under command, but the number of core Dragon Vein leaders is always few and far between.

Gnolls.

Earth-Rage Bears.

Grey-Mane Werewolves.

Garos saw no potential worth the Dragon Vein Transformation on any of them. Thinking carefully, if the old Bear Chieftain from back then had been willing to submit, he might have earned his favor.

"Among the War-Lizard or Ogre clans."

"Might there be targets worthy of transformation?"

Garos thought to himself.

But given his nature, unless he had already become so strong that the price of the Dragon Vein Transformation would no longer weaken him, he would not waste his own blood and power to enhance other creatures.

In Garos's view.

Only one's own strength matters most.

He is not strong enough; no matter how many Dragon Vein kin he has under him, they are useless.

Putting aside his thoughts, Garos lowered his gaze to look at the Blood-Toothed Warlord and said, "The Grey-Mane Werewolves of the Howling Moon Clan now serve under me as well; you shall both serve me with loyalty."

The Blood-Toothed Warlord immediately flattered, "For those Grey-Mane Werewolves to follow you is their honor!"

Spoken as if it were the one who arrived first.

Immediately, Garos began issuing orders and establishing regulations, arranging for the Red-Eye Clan's ambushes and raids on the Scaled Earth Rift Road to occur at times different from those of the Howling Moon Clan.

This way, the probability of encountering caravans would be higher, and the two would not clash with each other.

Kin of the dragon kind obey only dragons.

Different kin factions, in their struggle for favor, will even fight to the death, and dragon lords rarely stop such 'struggles for favor'; sometimes they even actively incite their subordinate kin to fight.

In the heritage of the dragon kind.

【The Lord's Theory】, or even 【The Prince's Theory】, is almost essential knowledge.

"Not just the Howling Moon Clan."

"The War-Lizards of the Rending-Claw Clan, the Ogres of the Bone-Chewing Clan."

"They will soon submit beneath my dragon wings, ruling the Scaled Earth Rift Road together with you."

Garos said.

"This is inevitable; they will all bow and scrape before you, submitting to your power."

"If any need arises, the Red-Eye Clan will charge to the front, leading the way for you."

The Blood-Toothed Warlord said respectfully.

"Hoch, I greatly admire your cunning and agility."

Garos said meaningfully: "You and the chieftains of other clans; whoever performs better in the future shall be granted the opportunity for Dragon Vein Transformation."

Hearing this, the Blood-Toothed Warlord first froze, then was overcome with wild joy.

"Great Dragon Lord, I will certainly not disappoint you!"

Its fighting spirit was high, its heart full of expectation.

In the stories and legends passed down among the gnoll clans, the glory of the Dragon Vein Transformation is something to be yearned for.

The natural lifespan of an ordinary gnoll is a pitiful thirty-five years; even for powerful individuals like a Warlord, the lifespan does not reach a hundred years. However, if one successfully undergoes the Dragon Vein Transformation and obtains a drop of blood from an immortal race, living to two or three hundred years is no problem.

Besides longevity.

The power of a Dragon Vein gnoll is far beyond the reach of ordinary gnolls.

Driven by the pursuit of survival and power, the Blood-Toothed Warlord now thinks only of how to make Garos more satisfied, to win in struggles against other clans, and to obtain the qualification for Dragon Vein Transformation.

Shortly after, Garos left Howling Cliff.

He would not stay in places like Howling Cliff or Crescent Valley forever.

He gave the clan chieftains no accurate time for when he would return, nor did he tell them where they could find him.

He only required them to act according to his orders: raid passing caravans, control merchants to build channels, and obtain resources such as black oil and mana stones.

When he returns next time, he will conduct an evaluation and grant rewards or punishments based on their performance.

This was not deliberately creating mystery, but rather acting out of caution.

Plundering caravans and controlling merchants are not without risk; they might attract attention and trigger subsequent dangers, just as when the Earth Spider stole black oil and was ultimately discovered by the Black Rock Dwarves, so caution is necessary.

As for why, knowing the risks, he still does this.

This is the result of Garos's careful deliberation and weighing of pros and cons.

He is cautious, but not weak or cowardly.

When the benefits are sufficient, he is willing to pay the price of bearing a certain degree of risk.

Living completely hidden and cowering in the wilderness certainly avoids more risks and brings temporary peace, but it will slow his growth.

Garos's daily training actually creates a certain amount of commotion, with the possibility of exposing himself; to completely avoid risk, he would have to lower the intensity of his training.

Moreover.

In Garos's view.

His own weakness is the greatest risk!

Any danger stems from his own weakness.

The longer the period of weakness, the more dangers from all directions will increase day by day.

Once strong, the entire world will gradually become peaceful and tranquil.

Fine rain drizzles in the night sky, and the sound of wind never ceases.

Garos thought of striking while the iron is hot, going to subdue the War Lizards of the Ripped Claw Clan and the Ogres of the Bone Chewer Clan, completely unifying the beast clans around the Scale Earth Rift Dao, and firmly controlling this branch road in his own hands.

But he had not yet reached the destination.

Garos suddenly felt a wave of fatigue.

This fatigue was unnatural, quite extraordinary.

When he was with the Red Eye Clan, there was no such expenditure; with his physical constitution, these activities currently should not cause him fatigue.

At the same time the fatigue arrived.

There was also a sense of weariness, a feeling of drowsiness growing.

"My Dragon Slumber is coming."

These feelings surprised Garos somewhat.

They were not true fatigue and weariness, but a signal, reminding Garos to put aside other matters at hand and prepare for the Dragon Slumber.

The Dragon Slumber is different from ordinary sleep.

A dragon's growth is not linear; during the Dragon Slumber, the growth speed of dragon-kind will leap forward; the experience gained from daily training or combat, and the energy accumulated in abundance, will all turn into nourishment during the Dragon Slumber, allowing dragon-kind to welcome a significant growth breakthrough.

Ordinary small naps do not count.

Before becoming an Ancient Dragon, each different age group has only one formal Dragon Slumber.

The slumber time of a young dragon is roughly one to five years.

The richer the accumulation, the longer the slumber time, and the greater the growth during the period.

Due to inherent laziness and neglect of training, the slumber time of most young dragons is only one or two years.

Moreover, during the young dragon stage from 6 to 15 years old, the Dragon Slumber often comes after age 12; if it comes even later, waking up directly from a young dragon to a juvenile dragon is also a common occurrence.

Garos is now a little over eight years old, not yet nine.

Showing signs of Dragon Slumber now is therefore somewhat surprising to him.

Thinking carefully, he estimated that perhaps it was because he had been hammering his body and sharpening his claws and teeth day after day, and had also consumed black oil and fairy scale powder, causing his body and spirit to develop ahead of schedule, thus bringing the Dragon Slumber forward.

But regardless of the specific reason.

This is a good thing.

It allows for a quick improvement of oneself and passing through the period of weakness.

"My Dragon Slumber time is very likely to be three or four years, or even a maximum of five years."

Garos thought to himself.

In this case, some of his plans would be disrupted.

Going now to subdue the Ripped Claw Clan and the Bone Chewer Clan would be meaningless; the caravans could bring back black oil or mana stones, but they could not be used during his slumber.

Accidents and variables are the norm in life.

Garos was not troubled by this and began to ponder how to achieve evolution during the slumber.

Without a doubt.

The slumber will not only make him grow.

Those accumulated years of training and adaptation will also evolve during his slumber period.

Garos first discovered he possessed the Adaptation Evolution talent after the Dragon Slumber of his hatchling stage ended.

"To evolve jet-propelled burst speed wings, this slumber is the best opportunity!"

Garos perked up, turned around, and headed back to the Conifer Valley.

(End of this chapter)