The Fish That Slipped Through the Net (Please Support with Monthly Tickets and Follow-Up Reads)

The Spider Spirit was blown to death by a Lesser Fireball, and Groz's entire body convulsed violently as he suffered a severe backlash.

Before Garos noticed him, he scrambled into the Alchemy Workshop and clutched the Communication Stone with trembling claws, trying to activate it and contact the caravan.

Bang!

The workshop's roof was suddenly ripped away, revealing the night sky above.

And the Red Iron Dragonet looking down at him, his gaze cold and dangerous.

Garos saw the Communication Stone in Groz's hand.

Fortunately, its runes had not lit up yet. It had not been activated.

"Great Dragonkin, I am willing to offer everything. Please spare me."

Trembling, Groz spoke a few clumsy words in Dragon Language and begged Garos for mercy.

Dense flames answered him, swallowing his ugly, pustule-covered body. Along with the Communication Stone in his hand, he was almost instantly burned into charcoal.

Garos swept low over the Goblin Tribe, spewing Flame Dragon Breath.

The roaring flames quickly engulfed the Gnawrock Tribe. The lizard heads hanging from vines blackened and burst apart, and the entire tribe became a sea of fire. Not a single goblin escaped.

The blazing fire illuminated the night as the Goblin Tribe was reduced to ashes.

Soaring and circling through the night sky.

Garos gazed at the flames below and felt a hot, burning pain in his throat. It was the aftereffect of breathing dragon fire for too long. A hatchling dragon could only sustain its breath for a short time, yet he had spewed flames in one continuous stream far longer than a normal hatchling dragon could.

"This planet's alchemical devices are too advanced. I must be especially cautious when dealing with intelligent races."

Garos thought seriously.

Back when Alchemy had not been so advanced, only noble Spellcasters or a few exceptionally expensive magical items could transmit messages over long distances.

But now.

Even a tiny Goblin Tribe possessed an alchemical item like a Communication Stone.

It could be used even without magic.

The level of alchemical magic on this planet even surpassed the technology of Garos's previous world. They had even built spacecraft capable of exploring the universe.

"That last goblin could speak Dragon Language. That was rather rare."

Groz's final plea had actually taken Garos somewhat by surprise.

A goblin who could speak Dragon Language, and a Shaman at that. He also seemed to know a little Alchemy. He was not lacking in intelligence and held some value.

At the very least.

If Garos took him as a vassal, he could have him attack with shamanic spells to build up resistance in that area. His considerable intelligence also made him suitable for use.

But Garos had ultimately breathed dragon fire without hesitation.

He did not want to waste his essence and blood on Dragon Vein Conversion for a goblin at the cost of delaying his own growth. Moreover, he possessed no Spell-like Ability for enslaving creatures, so he could not guarantee a goblin's Loyalty.

Unlike the vast majority of monsters and savage beasts.

Intelligent creatures like goblins were cunning and full of schemes.

Without guaranteed Loyalty, the goblin might sell him out.

And no matter how unusual he was, he was still only a goblin. To Garos, he was expendable and hardly important.

Garos blinked, beat his dragon wings, and vanished into the floating clouds of the night sky, as though he had already left.

About two hours later.

Only ashes remained of the Gnawbite Tribe, with a few lingering flames still burning.

Cough, cough, cough!

A scrawny goblin covered from head to toe in ash crawled out from an inconspicuous crack in the ground. Its soot-blackened face was filled with fear and hatred.

The tribe had been destroyed.

Every member of its tribe had been killed.

The hatred in its heart was carved into its bones. Even fear could not smother the hatred burning in its eyes.

Staggering out from the edge of the wall that had already been burned to ash, the scrawny goblin swore that it carried the hatred of all its tribesmen. No matter the price, even if it had to sell its soul to a Devil, it would take revenge on that damned Dragonkin.

As it thought this.

Its back suddenly grew hot.

It was as if the breath of some enormous creature had fallen upon it.

Its steps froze. The scrawny goblin slowly turned around, its movements sluggish and stiff, like machinery rusted for decades.

Layer upon layer of black-red dragon scales rose before it, and a Dragonkin that seemed forged from steel and iron stood in front of it.

"Oh, so there really was a fish that slipped through the net."

Smack!

Garos brought down a claw and crushed the scrawny goblin.

After checking again and confirming that not a single survivor remained in the Goblin Tribe, he grabbed the mangled remains of the Giant-Arm Miner and shot into the sky, flying back toward the Iron Fir Hills.

Not long afterward.

A ray of sunlight pierced the clouds and shone upon a massive slab of rock in the hills.

Garos lay there, his claws fiddling with a somewhat warped spherical object covered in tubes.

"My dear brother, what is this?"

Samantha blinked curiously and asked.

With food to replenish her strength and a good night's rest, the injury to her dragon wings had improved. Her previously listless spirit was gradually returning as well.

"The engine of an Alchemy Golem."

It was also the only relatively intact thing left on the Giant-Arm Miner.

Garos picked up the Alchemy Engine and inspected it closely.

It was crude. Its framework had been cast from pig iron, its engraved runes were uneven, and every riveted point bore dents from the forging hammer. Its seams had not been polished, exposing black rust streaks from oxidation. Its uncoated gear assembly meshed directly together, producing a shrill grinding noise like teeth gnashing whenever he turned it with his claws.

It was obvious.

This was a shoddily made, extremely low-quality Alchemy Engine.

Even so, it had been able to support the operation of an eight-meter-tall Giant-Arm Miner.

In ground combat, a hatchling dragon like Samantha might not necessarily have been able to defeat the Giant-Arm Miner.

"There is some knowledge of Alchemy in my inheritance, but I would have to study it myself. It is profound, and I cannot master it quickly overnight."

Garos thought silently.

Alchemy had only flourished on Bernardo Planet over the past few centuries. The Dragon Inheritance contained little alchemical knowledge and even less experience.

Learning Alchemy consumed a great deal of time and mental effort.

After weighing the matter for a while, Garos shook his head slightly and abandoned the idea of studying Alchemy.

For a long time, Alchemy would not translate into combat power and could not effectively aid Garos's survival. Besides, he did not want to rely too heavily on external objects.

In this world where Alchemy was well developed.

Garos would not refuse to use alchemical items, but neither did he intend to delve deeply into Alchemy.

However, mastering alchemical spells could indeed provide many conveniences.

"Still, I do not necessarily have to master it myself. More accurately, as long as I have an Alchemist by my side, I can benefit from Alchemy—smelting ore, Black Oil, and forging alchemical items."

He glanced at Samantha and grinned.

"Is there something on my face?"

Samantha tilted her head and ran her tongue over the fine scales on her face.

"Samantha, do you want countless treasures and to one day become the wealthiest Red Dragon?"

Garos asked pleasantly.

Red Dragons were purely fire-aspected, making them suited to learning Alchemy. They also possessed considerable magical talent. As long as she was willing to study diligently, she would surely attain profound accomplishments in alchemical spells.

"Of course! That is one of my lifelong pursuits!"

Samantha's eyes lit up, and even her tail curled upward with excitement.