Keosius instructed Lang Pu to cast several "Guardian Inscriptions" spells at the entrance to the cave.
Any creature that attempted to enter without permission would be harmed by rune explosions. Once the spells were triggered, intruders would be engulfed by fire, lightning, and powerful acid.
He also arranged for his followers to take shifts guarding the entrance. In the future, Hobgoblin, Bugbear, Lizardmen, and other guards would stand watch there without interruption, ensuring the cave would never be disturbed.
With all matters settled, Keosius went alone to the depths of Giant's Maw Cave, his wings loosely folded at his sides.
This place was already close to the lava region. Scalding white steam rose everywhere, the air was saturated with intense fire elemental energy, and molten lava bubbled up from the ground.
To ordinary people, this environment was a land of death, yet Keosius found it immensely comfortable.
The scent of sulfur and pumice on him had grown ever stronger, signaling that the Red Dragon's body was urgently craving slumber and the transition into its next age category. This lava-filled cave was the perfect place for him to absorb and store elemental energy during his sleep.
All True Dragons were warm-blooded. Given their elemental nature, they could scarcely be otherwise, and dragons that wielded fire grew hotter with age in the most literal sense.
Unlike most warm-blooded creatures, dragons had no obvious means of shedding excess body heat. They did not sweat and rarely panted. Instead, their Base Blood Vessels extracted heat from their bloodstream and stored that energy.
Thus, in a sense, dragons could be regarded as cold-blooded, since they could make use of environmental heat sources.
However, when dragons lost external sources of heat, their metabolism and activity levels did not change. They would not become sluggish or be