204. Dragon Island (21)
"So, over the past few decades, there had been fewer and fewer young dragons... because everyone had their eyes on killing dragons."
"Right. Killing dragons gets you dragon blood, dragon horns, dragon teeth, dragon bones, dragon scales—a whole body of materials. You can even construct Magic Constructions on the spot and cast Mass Destruction Spells."
"When all was said and done, this was deliberate targeting of the Dragon Race. Every other race in the top ten had thriving populations. Losing a few talented people was nothing to them. Only us dragons take hundreds of years to grow up..."
"This is murder! It's utterly unfair!"
"Fair?"
Naga snorted coldly and bared his teeth. Two troll tusks pierced through his temples with a deep, muffled sound. "There is no fairness. If you want fairness, go to the Empire, the corporations, the temples—anywhere that talks about law and civilization."
"This is the Alliance. Blood and fire are the only truths!"
"You want to talk about fairness in a place that talks about race? You're the one trampling on the fairness of Alliance citizens! They acknowledge it, they love it, they believe in it, and they built it into a Narrative. The Alliance used it to lead the Border Abyss to victory against the Void eight times! What right do you have to question them?"
"The weak are wrong, no matter what they say."
"Easy, Naga. Don't frighten the children."
Sodore Golas held Naga back, then turned to the crowd. "I know this is dangerous, but the Dragon Race has reached a critical moment of life and death. This competition is crucial to us. I also know that slogans and sentiment alone cannot make you stay. So..."
He took a deep breath, made up his mind, and said, "As long