Red Dragon's Ambition

Keosius lay lazily in the cave, observing the hardworking players in Bator City with the help of Lang Pu's magic mirror.

"Keep up the good work, my dear Leeks."

In just one month, the once incredibly simple Bator City has taken on a completely new look. The city walls have become much taller and thicker, and unique buildings have sprung up everywhere. The city has also become more vibrant with the comings and goings of players.

The fact that I'm Going to Eat Mantou, Singo, Xia Ye Qiuyu, and Born Battle Maniac Kuang were able to receive that Mysterious Invitation was not accidental, but rather something he deliberately arranged.

These individuals have a built-in following in the gaming community, and once they discover the usefulness of Faction Contribution, the entire player base will take it seriously.

For example, even though Singleo hasn't released any strategy information yet, some of his loyal followers have already analyzed the situation and begun to suspect that Faction Contribution are very useful, and they're trying to accumulate Faction Contribution. I believe that soon those big guilds will also start vying for contribution tasks.

By then, Keosius's mission of getting something for nothing will be considered a great success.

After that, he will add another powerful dose of medicine - the Faction Position System, which will allow players to obtain certain positions in the city based on their Faction Contribution, such as: Patrol Officer, Tax Officer, judge, investigator, and even, in the future, after conquering human cities, they can be made mayors or even mayors.

As for wages, they are primarily based on Faction Contribution, with monetary rewards as a secondary measure.

This policy allows players to experience the thrill of power while also giving Keosius the pleasure of having someone work for him for free—a true win-win situation.

I believe players will understand his actions and be extremely grateful.

Just as he was engrossed in watching, the Hobgoblin Dolo came to report.

Over the years, this Dragon Vein Hobgoblin has become increasingly experienced, leading tens of thousands of Goblin creatures and being well-versed in all military affairs within the Ember Nest.

"Master, the Wolf Rider have recently discovered traces of the Eagle Guards on the border of Storm Highlands."

Keosius's golden eyes narrowed slightly. "Oh? Haven't they been keeping quiet about me for a long time?"

Dolo continued, "While you were asleep, we took in a dozen or so Pureblood Snake People and sent them to North Wind Fortress Keep to gather intelligence."

"A very good decision, but snakes have venomous fangs."

"Don't trust them completely; it's best to treat them as tools that can be discarded at any time," Keosius said meaningfully.

The Yuan-ti always plot to replace and dominate other races, and then proclaim themselves gods.

Pureblood Snake People are at the very bottom of Yuan-ti society. They look very similar to humans, but cannot pass the strict scrutiny of humans.

Because they always reveal some innate characteristics, such as scaly skin, snake-like eyes, sharp fangs, or forked tongues. They wear cloaks and headscarves, disguise themselves as humans, and infiltrate civilized lands to gather intelligence, kidnap captives for interrogation and sacrifice, or even make deals with others to further their endless conspiracies.

"As you instructed, Master, that's what we did."

Dolo continued.

"Recently, these Pureblood Snake People seem to have received news that the Rackman Dynasty is going to cooperate with the ' Northern Lion ' Bosk Family in the south and the ' Double Headed Eagle ' Nott Family in the northwest to form a joint army, and their target of encirclement from three sides is very likely to be us— the Ember Nest."

"Forgive my frankness, but my great master, the expansion of the Ember Nest in recent years has aroused the vigilance of the the North kingdoms. They covet our gold and fear our kin, but we have yet to be truly tested and proven in blood and fire."

Keosius slowly rose, his golden eyes looking down at Dolo: "So you mean we need a war?"

Dolo knelt on one knee and bowed his head respectfully. "I think so, Master."

"Only war can make these pathetic, short-sighted humans realize your power."

"Lang Pu, what do you think?"

Keosius looked at the magic mirrors, which were naturally connected to Lang Pu's "Mage Tower." These mirrors followed the will of the Red Dragon and would only open when he needed them.

Lang Pu's ugly, grotesque face appeared in the mirror. He put on his gold-rimmed glasses again and held several Magic Scroll in his hands.

"Master, I also believe that the Ember Nest needs a war. According to my count, there are 13,457 Kobold in the Goblin. If we don't wage a sustained, large-scale war, our food supply will not be enough to fill these guys' stomachs."

Lang Pu deliberately pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses and casually mentioned, "And with Commander Dolo's rudimentary, even primitive, breeding system, it can only fill a tiny fraction of the gap."

Faced with Lang Pu's intentional or unintentional sarcasm, Dolo's already flushed face turned even redder, but she didn't dare to retaliate because the Red Dragon was right in front of her.

Ignoring their infighting, Keosius simply asked, "How long until their so-called 'alliance' can be fully assembled?"

Dolo quickly replied, "The dukes of the the North kingdoms do not have complete control over their lords. These humans are prone to shirking responsibility and fighting for power, so they are very slow. It would take at least three months to assemble a coalition army of tens of thousands of people, and that is a conservative estimate."

"Very good, three months is enough."

A hint of danger flashed in Keosius's golden eyes.

"Master, are we about to go to war?"

Dolo's expression revealed boundless excitement. Hobgoblin are creatures who are born with a love for war, which means that most of them do not live to a ripe old age. After obtaining the bloodline of the Red Dragon, his inherent cruelty and thirst for blood and fire became even stronger.

"Dolo, don't rush. Have those Yuan-ti keep a close eye on the situation of the the North Alliance, and make sure your troops are fully prepared for war—weapons, training, tactics. You should know more about these things than I do."

"After all... you've been looking forward to this for a long time, haven't you?"

"Yes, Master."

Dolo immediately knelt on one knee, excitedly puffing white smoke from his bright red nose, as if he could already imagine the enemy's blood smeared on his claws.

"Lang Pu, start preparing the logistics. Use all the magic you've accumulated over the years."

"Yes, Master."

"Since they want war, then we'll give them war."

"It's just that when it will end is not up to them to decide."

The two family members accepted the order and went back to their respective work.

The Hobgoblin soldiers began to polish their long-idle weapons and armor, conduct pre-war drills, and hold tactical discussions.

The Ogre cheered for the impending war, and their morale soared even higher after learning that they could use the corpses of their enemies as rations. They celebrated around the campfire.

The Goblin then transported the food deep into Dragon Valley to store it for use in the war.

The Kobold began to make Simple Weapon such as stone ropes and bows and arrows.

The Red Dragon stood at the highest point of the valley, looking down at its busy retinue, its golden pupils seemingly reflecting blazing flames.

"It's time to get this massive War Machine running."

There are three months left until the war.