Ferrum's Boss

Jili lay beside the stream, pressing down hard on the Roe Deer that was still twitching, her heart brimming with exhilaration and joy.

Roe Deer had become fewer and fewer in Ochre Valley. They were extraordinarily wary and swift, vanishing without a trace at the slightest disturbance. Without some special talent, they were truly difficult to hunt.

Jili had done nothing else today but pit herself against these Roe Deer. Only after countless failures had she finally chased one relentlessly along the stream and caught it.

She held down the Roe Deer, breathing in short, shallow gasps as she warily watched her surroundings.

Lesser Dragons were unlike True Dragons. They possessed no innate knowledge, nor did they have the formidable bodies of Heavy-Metal Dragons. Though she was awakening magic power, she was still frail.

Thus, one had to tread with utmost caution through the valley. Otherwise, trouble would come easily.

At that moment, a burst of chaotic noise rolled down from the hillside.

Jili froze. She did not even need to look up; just by hearing those shrill cries and that arrogant, smug commotion, she knew who had come.

Nickel Dragons.

Three or four Nickel Dragons came hopping and bounding down to the stream, surrounding Jili from every side.

They were not large, their scales a dull, lusterless grayish white. Crowded together, they looked just like a nest of rats freshly crawled out of the mud.

The leader had arrived first. There was a crooked black patch on his head.

Jili recognized this fellow: Bido Xinoz, a scoundrel among scoundrels.

"Let me see. A Thorn Dragon called Jili, right? I remember all the Lesser Dragons' names."

Bido looked rather pleased with himself. Tilting his head, he swept his gaze over the Thorn Dragon's face before looking at the Roe Deer before her. "As expected of a Lesser Dragon. You're good at hunting, just like a hound."

Instinctively, Jili dragged the Roe Deer farther beneath herself, pressing down harder with her claws.

She did not answer. The more one spoke to these Nickel Dragons, the more worked up they became. They loved to pester and twist arguments; saying even one extra word to them was asking for trouble.

"What are you hiding it for?"

Bido leaned closer, naked greed appearing in his little eyes. "The Nurturers hand out blood food to you every day, and you get more than we do. Isn't that enough for you? After eating blood food, you still jump out to steal our Roe Deer. How shameless. Everything in the valley will be eaten clean by Lesser Dragons like you."

As he spoke, he licked his teeth. "Hand it over. We've been watching from up there for ages, and we've been waiting so anxiously."

A low growl rumbled from Jili's throat as she guarded the Roe Deer beneath her.

Yet even so, she knew clearly that once these Nickel Dragons had surrounded her, protecting her food would be extremely difficult.

She hated Nickel Dragons to the bone. They were the weakest among the Heavy-Metal Dragons. They did not dare show themselves before the Royal Strain Iron Dragons, nor did they dare provoke the Higher Species Chrome Dragons and Cobalt Dragons. They only knew how to keep their eyes fixed on Lesser Dragons.

Wherever Lesser Dragons went, these Nickel Dragons would bully them. Like carrion-eating vultures, no matter how one shook them off or hid, one could never escape them.

Jili burned with anger. She wanted to call for her companions; among the Lesser Dragons, there were also some with extraordinary gifts—Afterglow, In Tas, Leisen...

If they were here, they might not be unable to fight these Nickel Dragons.

Seeing that the Lesser Dragon had no sense of the situation, Bido could not be bothered to waste words. He jerked his head, and two Nickel Dragons immediately pressed forward, baring sharp fangs as they prepared to seize the prey by force.

A dull thud came from downstream.

"Hey."

A Tungsten Dragon approached, striking the ground with his tail. His scales were the blue-green of ironwood leaves. "Are you Nickel Dragons picking on Lesser Dragons again?"

The valley was not large, and there were many Dragon Hatchlings. Running into one another was commonplace.

Nickel Dragon Bido bared his fangs and turned to look at the Tungsten Dragon.

He felt somewhat annoyed, but he did not answer immediately.

Tungsten Dragons ranked fourth among Heavy-Metal Dragons. They were mainly skilled at putting on airs and displaying gentle, kind natures to curry favor with the Nurturers and draw close to the Royal Strain and Higher Species.

For that reason, these Tungsten Dragons received quite favorable treatment in the valley.

Sometimes even Iron Dragons would play with them, making them rather troublesome.

Bido did not want a conflict to erupt with a Tungsten Dragon.

"We're all friends, just gathered here to play. This has nothing to do with you, Tungsten Dragon."

Bido changed his expression, grinning as he glanced at the Lesser Dragon again. "Jili, we've known each other for a long time, haven't we?"

"Who knows you?" Jili growled.

"Let her go."

The Tungsten Dragon pressed closer, lowering his horn-covered head. "You're trying to steal her wild prey. If you want Roe Deer, catch your own!"

Bido narrowed his eyes. One Tungsten Dragon was nothing; if it truly came to blows, he was not afraid.

But Tungsten Dragons had many companions. If this dragged on and actually drew the Higher Species over, there would inevitably be all sorts of trouble.

Fortunately, he had plenty of tricks.

"You've got some nerve."

Bido's expression changed. Suddenly glaring with ferocity, he ground his teeth. "You dare point fingers at Ferrum's boss's affairs?"

Ferrum.

The moment that name emerged, the Tungsten Dragon was stunned. "You're bullying Lesser Dragons here. What does that have to do with Ferrum?"

"What do you mean, we're bullying Lesser Dragons?"

Bido said darkly, "When Boss Ferrum fought Hidorivi, his wing membrane was broken. We're hunting for food in the valley to bring to Boss Ferrum and help his body recover faster. But just when we'd surrounded this Roe Deer, this Lesser Dragon snatched it away. Tell me, how should this be settled?"

The Tungsten Dragon's expression shifted. He stared at the black patch on Bido's head, opening his mouth.

The True Dragon's bearing that had just risen from him actually sank inch by inch.

"I... I don't believe it."

After hesitating for a moment, the Tungsten Dragon still voiced his doubts. "There have been too many rumors lately, every kind imaginable. I heard that yesterday, some Nickel Dragons smashed a Lesser Dragon's nest, also for Ferrum's sake. Did Ferrum tell you to smash Lesser Dragons' nests? How could a noble Chrome Dragon keep company with Nickel Dragons?"

"That Lesser Dragon built its nest where Boss Ferrum trained, blocking Boss Ferrum's path. Of course it should have been smashed."

Bido replied smoothly, revealing a respectful expression at just the right moment. "Chrome Dragons are naturally noble. Compared to Chrome Dragons, we are like coal slag beside gemstones. But Boss Ferrum is proud. There are many things he finds inconvenient to do himself, so we can only do them for him."

As he spoke, he took another step forward. "Don't forget: Chrome Dragons, Cobalt Dragons, and Nickel Dragons are all Evil Dragons. Chrome Dragons are the most evil of all Heavy-Metal Dragons, born to be the leaders of Nickel Dragons. Didn't your Dragon Legacy tell you that?"

The Tungsten Dragon's momentum weakened another degree.

In the age before the Supreme Dragon Jialagedong fell, Chrome Dragons truly had been the most evil Heavy-Metal Dragons. They loved slaughter and reveled in destruction.

Nickel Dragons, meanwhile, were the Heavy-Metal Dragons most like Chromatic Dragons, fond of hiding behind the scenes and using schemes and tricks to commit evil. As for Cobalt Dragons...

Though Cobalt Dragons were called Evil Dragons, their reputation was actually rather good. That was not relevant for now.

"I..."

After hearing this, the Tungsten Dragon was clearly hesitant. After wavering for a while, he said, "Wait here. I know Ferrum's brother, and I'll go ask him right now. If I find out you lied to me, I'll come back and settle the score with you."

In the end, the green-scaled Tungsten Dragon craned his neck, lifted his gaze from the Roe Deer, and quickly left the scene.

Jili, lying in the wet mud, wore a complicated, shifting expression.

She listened to the Nickel Dragons and Tungsten Dragon speak, watched the Tungsten Dragon retreat and leave, saw the smug expressions on the Nickel Dragons' faces, and heard them invoke that name again and again. Suddenly, a towering fury rose within her, so great it nearly made her tremble.

"Awooo."

Jili suddenly bit down on the Roe Deer. Without even chewing, she shoved the entire thing into her mouth, desperately trying to swallow it in one gulp.

"Bastard!"

Bido was startled. One Roe Deer was nothing, but he had spent so much breath and effort sweet-talking the Tungsten Dragon away. Now the wild prey already in his grasp was about to be eaten by the Thorn Dragon—how could he allow that?

"Spit it out! Damn it... bastard, let go! Let go!"

Several Nickel Dragons hurriedly lunged forward to seize it, but once the Thorn Dragon had bitten down, she refused to release it no matter what, continuously forcing it deeper into her throat.

"Fuck!"

Bido flew into a rage. He lashed the Thorn Dragon across the face with his tail and stomped viciously on her head. "You dare steal Boss Ferrum's wild prey? Bite her to death!"

Countless sharp teeth and claws rained down. Jili rolled beneath the Nickel Dragons' assault, her flesh splitting and her body torn open in an instant as low whimpers escaped her throat.

Yet she still clamped down on the Roe Deer, refusing to let the Nickel Dragons take it away.

Boss Ferrum. Boss Ferrum.

Jili listened as the Nickel Dragons mentioned that name over and over.

Of course she knew who they meant: Ferrum Solax, a solitary and proud Chrome Dragon. Through his own efforts, he had defeated Hidorivi Jinheng and risen into the ranks of the dragon pack's powerful, to the point that even Iron Dragons had to yield him the way.

His deeds had been woven into stories and spread throughout the dragon pack.

Jili loved hearing Afterglow tell that story most. Every time she finished listening, she would beg Afterglow to tell it again, then desperately commit those obscure and profound Ancient Dragon Script words to memory. She felt as though something had inspired her, as though perhaps she was not so bad after all.

But now, she was gradually becoming unable to tell. She did not know whether the Ferrum Solax in Afterglow's stories and the Boss Ferrum in the Nickel Dragons' mouths were truly the same dragon.