Silver Tongue

The panel unfolded before Keosius.

[You broke through another's psychological defenses with words, earning the achievement Silver Tongue.]
Achievement: Silver Tongue

"My tongue can be a thorny rose or a poison-dipped sword. That depends on your choice—spoken by an unnamed devil from Hell."

Passive trait acquired: Eloquent Speaker

Persuasion +6, Deception +4, additional spell acquired: Suggestion

You are a rare Eloquent Speaker. Words are your greatest support. Your eloquence can make anyone go through fire and water for you, your sophistry can conceal any crime, and your words can twist black into white and plunge the whole world into chaos.

Suggestion

2nd-circle enchantment spell

You magically influence a creature you can see within range, suggesting a course of action (your suggestion must be worded in such a way that the course of action sounds reasonable).

"Not a bad passive trait. It could be quite useful in certain situations."

That was Keosius's assessment.

Though it was not much use in battle, it never hurt to have another skill. It would come in handy someday, and it even came with a rather rare 2nd-circle spell.

The Eagle Guards' sudden invasion had inflicted considerable losses upon the still-developing Ember Nest.

According to Lang Pu's tally, two Wyverns, seven Ogres, eighty-six Goblins, and ninety-five Kobolds had died. The number of wounded was uncounted. Even the Chimera had been severely injured and was temporarily unable to fight.

This also put Keosius on alert.

Goblins and Kobolds were no great concern. With a little effort, several hundred fresh ones would be produced by next year, and they would probably need to find somewhere to heavily cull the population.

But losing Wyverns, Bloodline Kin with considerable combat power and long breeding cycles, pained Keosius.

Besides, if he had not returned in time this time, the losses would likely have been far greater.

This was not a good sign.

Compared to the speed at which Keosius's strength was growing, the quality of Ember Nest's Bloodline Kin was already beginning to fall behind. The result could be this: in the future, the Red Dragon might go off to fight, and before he had even had time to rest, his lair would be wiped out by the enemy.

Thinking of this, Keosius looked at the special ability on the panel: Bloodline Gift.

Bloodline Gift

[You are a natural leader, capable of influencing creatures within your territory with your powerful presence. You can also perform rituals with your own blood to create Bloodline Kin.]

[Once the ritual is complete, the pressure from deep within their bloodlines will make them submit to you completely. Even their descendants will become your eternal kin.]

"Spending a little blood to create a batch of loyal and reliable kin seems like a good bargain," Keosius thought.

With that, Keosius let out a distant long roar, notifying all the kin to gather in the spacious part of the valley.

"Roar—"

This was Ember Nest's first large-scale assembly.

The Red Dragon had personally issued the summons. Something major must have happened, and the leaders of every kin group took it especially seriously.

Lang Pu reminded the Ogres to maintain discipline. Dolo donned his imposing leather armor. Gold Tooth polished his scales. Even the Wyverns hissed softly, though no one knew what they were discussing. In an instant, the entire Ember Nest became lively. Only the necessary guards remained at their posts, while all other kin poured out in full force.

More than a thousand monsters of all kinds packed the entire valley. They shoved, clamored, and made a terrible racket, even rubbing one another the wrong way—such as the Goblins and Kobolds.

Both were numerous but weak races, and they had never gotten along. The Goblins believed that they had arrived earlier and were Ember Nest's founding veterans, while the Kobolds believed they were more closely related to their master and that those Goblins were nothing more than cannon fodder.

"Goblins, get lost!"

"This is our spot!"

"You came late, so stand in the back!"

Several slightly larger Kobolds blocked the way ahead, chattering noisily.

The Goblins were furious and tried to force their way through, but the Kobolds swarmed forward as well.

"Move. Don't block our way!"

The Goblins opened a path as Dolo, the Hobgoblin commander behind them, spoke.

Several strong Bugbear guards at his side strode forward and kicked the Kobolds several yards away.

Though ordinary Goblins held low status, the strength and authority of Hobgoblins and Bugbears were undeniable. They oversaw military affairs and construction within Ember Nest, and even Gold Tooth, the Kobold leader, feared Dolo greatly.

The Kobolds left resentfully, not daring to say another word.

The Lizardmen arrived with their tribe.

There were more than fifty of them. They were much taller than Kobolds and Goblins, with builds similar to humans. They looked like a combination of upright lizards and crocodiles, most carrying primitive wooden spears and shell shields. It was clear that they possessed considerable strength.

But they had only recently entered Ember Nest and did not even have a stable place to settle down, so they did not dare provoke conflicts with the other tribes.

They were the "Blacktooth" Lizardmen tribe, which had joined while the Red Dragon was underground.

They had originally lived in abandoned caverns, but the disaster caused by the Azure Foot Dragon Snake had driven them here. Since the Red Dragon had been away, Lang Pu, who had temporarily taken over the lair at the time, had accepted them for the moment. Thus, they had yet to receive the Red Dragon's recognition.

Their leader had not even formally had an audience with the Red Dragon. He had only witnessed the Red Dragon's majestic bearing in battle, and from that day on, he had firmly resolved to submit.

The Lizardmen's leader was named Ake Longfang, named for the dagger-like fangs in his mouth.

Unlike ordinary Lizardmen, his powerful, solid body stood over two meters tall. A tall, brightly colored fin rose from the top of his head like a crown. It represented a Lizardman's strength and also served to attract mates.

In his hand, he carried a trident made from crocodile bones—the symbol of a tribal leader.

Yet the Lizardmen leader appeared uneasy at that moment. He was still uncertain whether the mighty Red Dragon would accept him.

Subconsciously, he looked toward the Lizardman shaman beside him, Koda Blackscale. He was an elderly Lizardman, hunched over, with slightly cloudy eyes and a patch of black scales on his chest.

"Koda, can we settle down here?"

The Lizardman shaman did not answer. He merely smiled meaningfully and pointed behind them.

Several burly Lizardmen were carrying a few heavy chests, which were surrounded by guards.

A glimmer of gold showed through the gaps in the chests. They were filled with all kinds of golden artifacts. Some had been plundered from human caravans, while others had been excavated from caves. They were the Blacktooth tribe's savings of many years.

"You can always trust in a Red Dragon's greed," the Old Shaman softly recited an ancient proverb.