Alberto's huge head, covered with brilliant Gold Dragon scales, slowly raised its vertical pupils and looked directly at Red Iron Dragon.
He said in a deep voice, "Tell me, what price do I need to pay for this?"
He has a stubborn temper and a strong self-awareness that is almost extreme, but what is surprising is that all his thoughts and emotions are written directly on that dragon face, without any pretense or pretense.
Dealing with such a dragon is, to a certain extent, simpler and more straightforward.
A glimmer of understanding flashed across Red Iron Dragon's eyes, and a deep voice echoed in the empty land, "Since you insist on demanding a clear price, then follow the laws and rules of Borderlands."
He paused and said, "According to the rules, the only appropriate ending for the robbery you committed is to wash away your sins with death."
At this point, he changed the subject.
"However, I appreciate your philosophy, so as King of the Borderlands, I grant you partial pardon."
He stretched out the dragon claw covered with hard scales and raised a sharp finger. "You only need to pay back ten times the total amount of wealth you robbed from the Molten Iron Tribe, and this matter can be written off."
Ten times?! This number hit Alberto's heart like a heavy hammer.
There was a look of embarrassment that could not be concealed on his dragon face.
Because of his extreme and magnificent Conquest Oath and Crown Oath, as well as his extreme personality, he is usually under the strict supervision of his elders.
This time I was able to escape from the sight of my elders and embark on my own journey, completely taking advantage of the opportunity when my elders left after being recruited by the Dragon Realm.
Before that... this ambitious young man Gold Dragon was actually severely restricted by his elders in his ability to obtain wealth.
Every dragon scale on his body shines with noble golden light. He seems to be extremely wealthy, but in fact he is very poor and extremely poor.
The largest fortune he has on hand is precisely the treasure he extorted from various Molten Iron Tribe strongholds not long ago in order to lure out the lord here. It is not even enough to pay the tenfold compensation.
"Huh?"
Red Iron Dragon keenly captured the embarrassment on Gold Dragon's face. He tilted his head slightly, and there was just the right amount of surprise in his eyes. "You seem to be in a bit of trouble?"
He said somewhat playfully, "Is it possible that Gold Dragon, who is a dignified Young Adult Stage, can't come up with this meager amount of money? My punishment for you is already tolerant enough, and any of your fellow racers present -"
His eyes swept over Samantha, Tressie, and Sorog: "--all of them can easily come up with this compensation."
Fairy Dragon blinked his bright eyes and wanted to protest.
[I can't come up with that much! The black-hearted Garos should make up for it for me]
As a result, before her little movement even started, Red-Silver Dragon beside her flexibly curled up the tip of her tail and instantly covered her mouth, smothering her protest in the cradle.
The expression on Alberto's face changed violently.
Pride, embarrassment, unwillingness, humiliation... all kinds of emotions are intertwined on the dragon's face like a storm, which is very obvious.
In the end, he seemed to have exhausted all his strength, and in a discontinuous, extremely stiff and shameful tone, he struggled to squeeze out a few words: "Can... can... adopt... compensation in installments?"
He almost didn't dare to look directly into Garos's eyes, his voice became lower and lower, and even became a little stuttering.
"I... I can't take out so much at one time... but I guarantee with Longge... that I will repay all the principal... within... ten years..."
"Instalment compensation?"
Garos's dragon head shook slightly.
"According to the rules of Borderlands and the practices of Dragon Race, this is usually not allowed."
"Besides, wealth is like a river. Only when it flows can it be gathered into a broader Ocean. With a time span of ten years, at least... an additional ten percent interest must be paid every year during this period to make up for the loss caused by time."
Having said this, Red Iron Dragon nodded friendly to Alberto, and his voice became gentle.
"However, as I said before, this is just a small thing after all. I don't care if you can pay it back, just treat it as a gift."
He looked at Alberto deeply, with a generous meaning that was insightful and almost "I understand you".
As if saying silently:
I know you can't afford it, and I know you may want to leave, but it doesn't matter, there is no need to be embarrassed, everyone is Evil Dragon, and I understand your situation and thoughts.
"Are there other... other ways to compensate?!"
Alberto almost gritted his teeth and asked this sentence. The pain of his self-esteem being crushed repeatedly made his golden scales seem to dim a bit.
Garos's eyes swept over White Dragon Tressie.
He pondered for a moment and then slowly said, "Well, in the past, there were losers who chose to handle some affairs for me in order to repay their debts."
"In short, it is to use labor or merit to pay debts in the form of an employment contract or a commissioned task."
He cleverly avoided sensitive and humiliating words such as "loyalty", "submission" and "slavery".
Only relatively equal terms such as "employment" and "entrustment" are used.
However, the moment these words reached Alberto's ears, young Gold Dragon shook his head violently almost instinctively.
No! His face was full of resistance.
This is definitely not because he despises Red Iron Dragon's bloodline mixed with Evil Dragon's - in fact, deep down in his heart, Alberto has considerable respect for this powerful opponent who can defeat him head-on and who does not take the opportunity to humiliate him but agrees with his ideas.
The real problem lies in his Conquest Oath and Crown Sacred Oath, and his ultimate ideal.
He wanted to establish a golden law covering the entire continent and create a golden kingdom with strict laws, order and eternal peace under the rule of his will.
To some extent.
The visions of Alberto and Iron Dragon have some subtle similarities - they both aspire to establish an order dominated by the powerful Dragonkin.
The difference is that what Iron Dragon longs for is a world where Dragonkin, as Overlord, enslaves all things; while what Alberto longs for is Land of Order that meets the definition of justice and perfection in his heart.
Accepting the employment of Red Iron Dragon means that he will be bound here, spending precious time and energy to fulfill the will of others, and will have no time to practice his own path and chase his own dreams.
This is an unacceptable condition for Gold Dragon Alberto who values ideals above all else.
"There is no rush to give an answer now."
Red Iron Dragon's voice broke the oppressive silence.
"Now that the misunderstanding has been clarified, and a member of the same clan has come from afar, as the lord of this place, I should fulfill my friendship as a landlord and entertain them well."
His dragon's kiss curved upward, revealing an expression that resembled a smile, "I am indeed very curious about the grand idea in your heart."
"How about we change to a more comfortable place, sit down, put aside our positions, and have a good talk?"
Red Iron Dragon's attitude is almost abnormally friendly.
However, the other Evil Dragons around - the red dragons Samantha, White Dragon Tressie, and Iron Dragon Sorog - still maintained a high degree of alert. Their cold and hostile gazes were like actual blades, continuing to lock on Gold Dragon Alberto. The warning was self-evident.
But...
Red Iron Dragon Garos, as a winner, can take the initiative to invite someone so magnanimously and tolerantly. Alberto, who prides himself on noble blood and extraordinary magnanimity, can show his timidity and back down at this moment?
What's more, he is not without support. His Spell Scale can instantly give him terrifying defense and speed comparable to that of a strong Gold Dragon.
Even if this group of Evil Dragon suddenly turns against him, he is still confident of breaking out of the siege.
"The humble opinions of mediocre people are not worth a cent."
Alberto raised his head and said, "As for a sober person like you who is outstanding and understands the essence, I am happy to talk and communicate with you."
He nodded solemnly. "I accept your invitation."
Soon after, Alberto followed the dragons to Dragon Valley.
At this moment, the light of the morning sun has become rich and warm, spreading like a golden veil over the vast land.
When Alberto cast his eyes towards the top of the valley cliff, his movements could not help but stagnate slightly.
A towering, huge, magnificent fortress full of Dragonkin aesthetic style, standing on the top of the cliff like a burning mountain.
The rising sun coated it with a layer of flowing molten gold, and the entire fortress seemed to be burning, emitting a scorching red light.
Such a scene made the proud Gold Dragon lose his mind for a moment.
Fortress, this is not an asset that all dragons can have.
When he came back to his senses and moved his gaze downwards, scanning the inside of Dragon Valley, his pupils shrank slightly again.
He noticed that there were other Dragonkins in the valley.
Red, blue, green, black... two dragons that are obviously in their teenage years, and two smaller ones Hatchling Dragon!
Counting it down, the number of Dragonkin gathered here has actually reached ten!
If time is given and they all grow up, Borderlands will become a dominant force that cannot be underestimated.
Alberto's eyes involuntarily turned to Red Iron Dragon flying ahead again.
He knew very well... Among the Dragonkins present, only the powerful Red Iron Dragon in front of him could gather so many Dragonkins of different natures and different types on the same piece of land.
Evil Dragon is different from Metal Dragon, which advocates collaboration.
Their resistance to order is engraved in their bones, and they instinctively desire to trample everything under their feet and stand on the top of the pyramid.
Only the existence of a Evil Dragon king who is powerful enough to crush all dissent, wise enough to balance the interests of all parties, and determined enough to impress all dragons can allow these completely different Evil Dragons to temporarily put aside their disputes and coexist on the same land.
Think of this.
Deep in Alberto's heart, his evaluation of Garos couldn't help but rise a few points higher.
At the same time.
The training ground at the bottom of the valley.
Several little dragons - red dragon Kaxier, Blue Dragon Heriam, Green Dragon Ludwig. Black Dragon Seraphina--is raising his little head, staring dumbfounded at the scarred but still golden and majestic huge dragon shadow in the sky.
"Prisoner? Is that a prisoner?!"
The red dragon Kaxier swung its tail excitedly, its voice sharp and full of admiration. "Lord of Crimson Wings is so powerful! So amazing! Even... even Gold Dragon can be captured and brought back!"
As a red dragon, her blood runs with natural hostility towards Gold Dragon and the instinct to trample it under her feet.
Although I couldn't do it myself, I saw that the Garos prisoner who owned Red Dragon Bloodline brought back an obviously injured Gold Dragon, and then I thought that I was also a member of Dragon Valley.
A sense of pride arose spontaneously, and she couldn't help but puff up her chest with pride.
"Incredible."
Green Dragon whispered to his companions, "Look at that figure... at least he is a powerful young man Gold Dragon! But he looks so miserable, with many of his scales damaged."
He shrank his neck. "It seems that he just experienced an extremely painful beating."
In the sky, Alberto's eyelids twitched a few times.
The voices of Hatchling Dragon and Adolescent Dragon were not loud, but they were still heard by the sensitive Gold Dragon.
Captured, beaten?
Gold Dragon felt insulted by the whispers of several dragons.
He was clearly invited! And the previous battle was by no means a one-sided beating, but it was not his style to argue or explain to the weak Hatchling Dragon and Adolescent Dragon, so the golden dragon eyes stared straight ahead like a burning fortress, pretending not to hear anything.