"ROAR!!! My treasure! My treasure!!! Tibilus!! You despicable thief! Shameless bandit! You excuse for a dragon! I, Kangerweian, will remember this!!!"
When Black Dragon Kangerweian, whose scales were as bald as Li Wei's and who was just as full of arrows as a hedgehog, risked his life sneaking back to his territory, he found his lair clean enough for a mouse to run through. The sight left him utterly dumbfounded. Only after a long moment did he let out a roar of grief and despair.
Heaven be praised: as the youngest child of Lady Savivian, the Lady of Corruption, Kangerweian had received a little preferential treatment. Unlike his older siblings, who had been driven from the lair early, he had managed to stay there until he reached adulthood, when the Lady finally kicked him out.
She had given him no possessions, but before he left, she had bestowed upon him a heartfelt 'blessing.'
[The Scorn of His Mother, Black Dragon Savivian]: Kangerweian, my youngest brat. Perhaps I spoiled you too much, and in the end, that went against the way of the dragon. Your weakness and cowardice make me seriously wonder whether you even came from one of my eggs. Now get out of my lair and curl up in some corner where nobody can find you for the rest of your life. Perhaps being ignored and forgotten is your only hope of survival.
As a powerful Black Dragon who had almost lost her ability to bear children and was nearing old age, Savivian could sometimes speak words from the heart that had an effect similar to the blessings of divine beings, though the effect wasn't powerful—and was practically useless.
After receiving this 'blessing,' Kangerweian discovered that he seemed to have a real knack for stealth. Whether he hid himself in the mud or crouched in a dark cave, he could easily blend into his surroundings, making his ambushes sudden and deadly.
It had to be said that this talent suited the Black Dragon's hunting habits perfectly.
Thanks to this unusual talent, Kangerweian had carved out a small territory for himself in just over twenty years, flying the banner of his mother, the Lady of Corruption. He had also plundered quite a bit of wealth from his neighbors. It wasn't much, but it was enough for Kangerweian to treasure.
Over the years, Kangerweian had also relied on ambushes to defeat quite a few dragons his age who had ventured out to make their own way in the world. Unfortunately, while young dragons might not be the strongest fighters, they were all experts at getting away. (Those who weren't had been dismantled for Spellcasting Material or kept as slaves.)
So when he discovered during the battle to seize the new fishing grounds that the lord behind it was a young Red Dragon, his first reaction was delight.
It was also the first Red Dragon he had ever encountered.
Red Dragons were different from the devious Black Dragons, the cunning Green Dragons, and the inscrutable Shadow Dragons. They were powerful and violent, but both their rate of dying young and their casualties after reaching adulthood remained high.
Power often made dragons arrogant, and arrogance was often the source of their destruction.
Humans had once studied and categorized the habits of various dragons. One passage about Red Dragons read:
"When a Red Dragon discovers that a creature weaker than itself has invaded its territory, the first thing it usually does isn't think. It simply charges."
If the setting were Blue Star, Li Wei's previous world, the saying might go something like this: "A Red Dragon spots an enemy on the map. The Red Dragon charges. The Red Dragon gets GG'd."
As a result, some adventurers found it easy to exploit this habit in young Red Dragons.
And sure enough, as soon as that Red Dragon appeared, it immediately pounced on his retainers.
"What an envy-inducing level of strength."
But even a Red Dragon that powerful had fallen into a tight encirclement because of its own arrogance.
At that moment, Kangerweian had thought he was about to reach a new peak in his dragon life. He would get himself a Red Dragon slave and take it to his mother, so she would finally see him in a new light.
But the terrifying blaze that erupted like a volcano burned all his plans and ambitions to ash. The second breath attack, already primed to fire, scared what little courage he had left right out of him. His own Acid Breath, which he had been readying, turned into a stream of liquid that splattered onto the ground like morning-after diarrhea.
Once again, he was the weak and cowardly Black Dragon his mother had scorned. He abandoned his retainers and fled alone.
Having lost his retainers and his ability to use his breath attack, the Black Dragon had originally planned to flee straight to his mother's lair and seek her protection. But a dragon's nature made it impossible for him to abandon the treasure in his own lair.
So, on the way back, he was ambushed by those long-eared people!
He, Kangerweian, had nearly been turned into a hedgehog! Those damned Drow hadn't just enchanted their arrows with Magic Breaking; they'd even coated them with poison. If he hadn't inherited a little knowledge and rushed into a Formian nest in time, using the Ant Honey they produced to neutralize some of the poison and the Formians to hold off his pursuers, he'd probably have been sold to the Mind Flayers by those damned Drow by now. Then his mother's wrath would have been redirected at them, too.
That was exactly the sort of thing those cunning, treacherous Drow would do.
Yet after surviving one brush with death after another and making it back to his lair, he found that the treasure he had been longing for had been completely plundered by a dragon!
The image of that Red Dragon immediately came to mind!
"Damn the Drow! Damn you, Tibilus! I, Kangerweian, will be back! You'll pay for this!!! ROAR!!!"
"Mom! Your favorite kid got bullied by a dragon! Wuuuu!"
The more the Black Dragon tough guy thought about it, the angrier and more aggrieved he became. As he flew toward the Lady of Corruption's lair, tears streamed across the sky.
Li Wei, who had made a quick getaway right after starting the Riverbank Battle, had no idea that his sudden disappearance had left the disgruntled Drow with no choice but to turn all their firepower on the Black Dragon Kangerweian, the only one they could track down.
Kangerweian, who had already made quite a name for himself in the Underdark, had nearly fallen into the Drow's hands. Now, with tears streaming from his dragon eyes, he was fleeing their pursuit in panic toward the Lady of Corruption's lair.
The Drow, who had also failed to hunt a dragon, had no idea that the 'Red Dragon' Tibilus they longed to capture was currently disguised in a wolf pelt, openly roaming Zelandia, less than thirty miles beneath their main city of Gershon, and methodically hiring workers for his new business.
Clearly, though, his hiring efforts hadn't gone as smoothly as he'd hoped. The appearance of the Gnoll mining crew had made the Duergar wary enough to abandon their plans to stop him for the time being, but that didn't mean everything had gone smoothly.
The area in front of Remlu Fish Stall, where Li Wei had temporarily set up his hiring station, was desolate. Nearly an hour had passed since the Gnoll mining crew showed up, but only a couple of people had come to apply.
Let's take a look at the workers Li Wei had managed to hire.
Six elderly, frail humans dressed like beggars, a dozen Halfings who were nearly starving and had come hoping for free dried fish, and three heavily mutated Goblins.
These mutated Goblins were usually the offspring of Goblins who had mated with Drow for countless generations, and had developed many Drow traits. Unlike their kin, who were little better than beasts, these Goblins had awakened some Drow characteristics, which made them noticeably smarter and stronger. That was one reason the people of Zelandia had begun to accept them, but their poor constitution still made it hard for them to survive.
A gust of wind blew by. Li Wei rubbed his aching temples.
"Looks like I'll have to give it some time. After all, opening a new mine is too dangerous for these old hands who've been around for decades. They'll only dare take a risk once they've seen enough profit. Tsk."
There were reasons Li Wei had chosen Zelandia as his second base and gone to all this trouble to mine here.
First, after the Riverbank Battle, he had been badly injured and needed a large supply of all kinds of ore to restore and upgrade his scales.
Second, he had a large collection of incomplete Black Technology. He planned to use Zelandia, a mining hub, as a base and see if he could develop power sources like the Steam Engine and metalworking lathes. He wanted to get the locals used to assembly-line production while building up wealth and cultivating talent in the field, laying the groundwork for future technological advances.
He wasn't in a hurry. As a dragon, a single deep-sleep cycle could last several years. He had plenty of time to wait for technology to advance, gradually decipher the Black Technology in his possession, and then use those technological creations to arm himself.
Just then, a gruff, exhausted voice interrupted Li Wei's thoughts.
"Boss, take a look. Can the three of us sign up? I—I've got a bit of a problem with my body." The Orc whom the Dwarf had beaten badly was looking at him with concern.
Li Wei sniffed and cast a pitying glance at the Orc's foul-smelling nether regions. Suppressing a yawn, he said, "You can sign up, but I'm not sure you'll last long. That thing's practically rotting off. If you want to live, you'd better toughen up and cut it off."
"If I cut it off, will you take me on?"
Li Wei nodded without thinking.
Pfft!
Li Wei and the Gnolls behind him all looked up in shock. The Orc had actually ripped off his rotted organ in one go. Blood sprayed from him like a fountain, splattering onto the iron table at the fish stall.
"Now I can sign up to mine, right? Heh-heh." The Orc panted, baring two tusks as he smiled with relieved, radiant joy.
"You're hired! All three of you." Li Wei gave the Orc a thumbs-up, then turned to shout at Pipim, "Give this Warrior some medicine! Don't let him bleed to death!"
After bursts of laughter rose and fell from the crowd in the neighboring application line, the area in front of Hogg Mining's recruitment station fell silent once more.
"Ah, so it really isn't easy to start a company in another world." Li Wei muttered to himself as he stood up. He was about to stretch and pack up, planning to have the Gnolls start work tomorrow, when he suddenly stopped. Bracing both hands on the battered iron table, he leaned forward and looked at the child standing in front of him, whose head barely rose above the tabletop.
The child wore a somewhat tattered cloak that was spotlessly clean. Only half of her delicate face showed beneath the hood, and her bright eyes gazed quietly at Li Wei. She looked less than ten years old. Her frame was terribly thin, but she stood as straight as she could, as if that might make her a little taller and earn her even the slightest chance.
Li Wei had been about to have Remlu give her a strip of dried fish and send her on her way. But when he saw the even smaller figure holding onto her cloak from behind, even his heart of stone wavered. He asked, "You want a job too?"
The child nodded.
"All right! But first, tell me if you're a boy or a girl." Li Wei scratched his head.
"I'm male." The child parted his lips, then chose to answer truthfully. His voice was somewhat androgynous, but unexpectedly pleasant.
Well, another Drow. He couldn't help reflecting that the Drow had been losing their decency more and more over the years, abusing even children this young.
"Good. A male Drow your age can certainly take on some responsibility. All right, you're number twenty-six. Go to the Koutao Fishman in the back and collect three dried fish. Mm, eat them before you leave. Then come back at this time tomorrow morning to get your tools. And if you trust me, you can leave the little one behind you at our company office while you work. We'll deduct the cost of her food from your wages. Does that sound all right?"
The little figure behind the child shrank farther into his shadow when Li Wei mentioned her, clutching the boy's cloak tightly, as if she were afraid her big brother would hand her over.
But the Drow child nodded firmly. He didn't go to get the fish. Instead, he picked up the little one and slowly disappeared into the far end of the Marketplace, retreating into the shadows.
Only after they were gone did Huozi, the Gnoll behind Li Wei, open his mouth, then think better of asking.
But Li Wei noticed and asked without turning around, "Do you think I'm just putting on an act? If I really pitied them, why not give them more dried fish to take with them?"
Huozi quickly shook his head and muttered, "That would only get them killed."
Li Wei nodded. "Seems like all those struggling to survive in this damned world have something in common. Once work starts tomorrow, have your people keep an eye on them. If nothing unusual happens, leave them alone. He reminds me of someone. I'm looking forward to seeing him grow up. Consider it a little indulgence of mine."
"Yes, Master!"
"Call me Boss!"
"Yes, Boss!"
Li Wei rubbed his aching temples. Under the amused gazes of the Dwarves, he led his people into the oncoming night.
As the Fluorescent Moss went dark, the Goblins who had been driven out of the city during the day began to emerge like ghosts, searching for any chance to fill their empty bellies.
In a remote little cave, the Drow Boy stood protectively in front of the smaller figure. His reddened, frozen hands gripped a Stone Knife as he calmly watched the cave entrance, waiting for the dawn.
Thanks to the big shot [Bule☆Deli] for the generous tip! This chapter combined two chapters into one big installment, so I won't split it up. Also, the ending of this chapter pays tribute to Yan Nan's Demon Hunter's Handbook. Consider it a little indulgence of mine.
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