Chapter 90: Drifting Further Down the Path of the Evil Dragon

In the alchemy workshop of the Needleleaf Valley, which was gradually taking shape and already had a modest scale.

Samantha held a glass test tube made from sand-baked sand with her claw, her dark red dragon eyes staring intently at the boiling liquid inside.

"Add a small pinch of iron sulfide powder."

It muttered softly, curling up the mortar with the tip of its tail and pouring the metallic-shining powder into the test tube.

Boom!

The test tube exploded, and acrid smoke instantly filled the alchemy workshop. Samantha was choked into sneezing three times in a row, flapped her dragon wings, and dispersed the smoke.

"Failed again!"

"I clearly followed the ratios in the inheritance; where exactly did I go wrong?"

The red dragon angrily flicked its tail.

The ogres of the Bone-Chewing Clan were constantly expanding, their momentum fierce.

Although they had not yet reached the Needleleaf Valley, they had already made Samantha feel threatened.

In the third year of Garos's dragon sleep, Samantha also began her dragon sleep. After the two-year-long dragon sleep ended, she thought Garos should have awakened and returned.

But three years passed, then another three.

It had been six years, and Garos still had not returned.

Without her accustomed reliance, and as a red dragon who would not submit to any other creature besides Garos, she temporarily took charge of the Needleleaf Valley, becoming the backbone for the fae dragons and the Xiong Qun.

But this position was not easy to hold.

Especially now, the danger from the Bone-Chewing Clan was almost imminent.

Samantha had to pull herself together.

To fulfill her promise to guard the Needleleaf Valley well, she tried to create alchemical artifacts capable of arming her minions—the Flame Beads.

These were single-use alchemical artifacts; once thrown, they would form a violent explosion with tremendous power.

If she could stockpile a large number of Flame Beads, she could resist the ogre invasion for a bit longer.

Yes, resist for a bit longer, not defeat.

To better manage her territory, Samantha forced herself to think in Garos's manner, trying to be less arrogant and overconfident, and following Garos's habit, she first took a bite of fae dragon scales to enhance her own wisdom.

Then.

She clearly realized that the Gluttony Demon of the Bone-Chewing Clan, who had risen almost immediately after Garos's dragon sleep six years ago, was an enemy too strong for her to defeat.

And it wasn't just the Gluttony Demon.

Because of the extensive hunting over these years, with sufficient food resources, and perhaps stimulated by some leadership skills of the Gluttony Demon, the entire clan's ogre level was rising; the number of plump and muscular elite ogre warriors increased, and more than one shaman was born.

The Bone-Chewing Clan was developing at the height of its power.

Their territory was constantly expanding, and their numbers were constantly increasing.

No arrogant young dragon would think they could subjugate this ogre clan as their minions.

In this situation, what Samantha had to do was wait for Garos to awaken and return, and before that, do her best to defend the Needleleaf Valley.

If it really came to it, she could only lead the fae dragons, the Xiong Qun, and her own monster minions to retreat.

—Samantha herself had tamed a swarm of giant fire ants and a swarm of fire lizards.

Being forced by ogres to abandon her territory was a great shame in the eyes of a red dragon, but she could not lose her life because of it.

On the surface, Samantha disapproved of Garos's caution and love for life.

But sometimes, upon careful thought, she felt Garos's words made a lot of sense; deep down, she actually regarded Garos as a role model and subconsciously learned from Garos.

"I cannot fail again."

"Calm down, calm down, Samantha."

"Let your mind become rational, do not be nervous."

Samantha took a deep breath and continued trying to make the Flame Beads.

Time passed slowly; soon, a black, unremarkable bead with some dark red patterns on its surface appeared in Samantha's claw.

"If the first one succeeds, the rest will be simple."

Her efforts paid off; a joyful smile appeared on Samantha's dragon face, and she flicked her tail.

Just then.

A thick, oppressive dragon aura approached from afar.

Samantha's dragon eyes narrowed, her dragon scales almost stood on end, and the giant fire ants lying around the workshop each let out a sharp hiss, shrinking and burrowing into the ground.

She rushed out of the workshop and looked up at the sky.

In the dark sky.

It was like a comet streaking across the heavens, getting closer and closer to the Needleleaf Valley.

No, not a real comet.

It was a dragon trailing a comet-like wake behind it, moving at an unimaginable speed!

As the distance closed, Samantha smelled a familiar scent; she widened her eyes, and the vigilance and tension in her gaze vanished in an instant.

Although his appearance had changed somewhat.

She still recognized Garos at a glance.

"Garos, my dear brother, welcome to your awakening!"

Samantha flapped her wings, feeling as if she had suddenly shed all burdens, her body becoming light, then flew into the sky to welcome Garos.

The flame currents surging behind the dragon wings gradually dissipated.

Garos slowed down, feeling a bit hungry again.

Growth and evolution had consumed too much energy; he had not eaten enough after waking up, and after not being too hungry, he flew toward the Needleleaf Valley.

He could have flown back leisurely.

But because he had just acquired a new skill, like a child who had received a new toy, he couldn't resist wanting to try it, so he used Jet Acceleration, savoring the sheer exhilaration of soaring through the sky at extreme speed.

"There seems to be no problem within the territory."

"In a moment, I will hunt and feed properly again."

Garos flew toward the sky above the Conifer Valley and saw Samantha flying toward him.

He slowed down a bit more and gazed at Samantha.

This once-juvenile Red Hatchling was still juvenile now, yet had also grown.

Samantha's body length approached ten meters; her body had also sprouted additional spikes, and thick, long fangs protruded from her mouth. Her scales throughout were like quenched fine steel, shimmering with a dark red metallic luster under the moonlight.

Garos sniffed his nose.

On Samantha, he smelled a pungent scent of sulfur, like a volcano, like molten lava; this was the body odor of a Red Dragon, which would gradually intensify with age.

Due to his own bloodline, Garos did not dislike such a scent; on the contrary, he found it quite pleasant.

"Samantha, you have also grown a great deal."

He said.

"Of course! We share the same bloodline; I will not be inferior to you."

Samantha did not recount the struggles and psychological pressures of this period, but only displayed her innate confidence, belonging to a Red Dragon.

The two dragons landed together in the Conifer Valley.

The Fairy Dragon Long Long Weila cried "Waaah!" and pounced over, then suddenly halted before Garos, blinked her eyes, and said: "Garos, your appearance now is more ferocious than before."

Jagged, erupting scales.

Massive Comet Wings, as fearsome as weapons.

The dual traits of Red Dragon and Iron Dragon bloodlines becoming ever more outwardly manifest.

All of this made Garos's form bristle with sharpness, looking more ferocious, more like an Evil Dragon, and possessing greater oppressive pressure.

(End of this chapter)