War

"Karajiege was the father of the other two Iron Dragons in the valley, right? They'd always been suppressed by the Ashmark siblings and seemed pretty unwilling to accept it, so they kept mocking Leijieduolei for being an idiot, then picked fights with Hidorivi."

Moqi pondered for a while. "On Dragonbirth Day, I heard the Nurturer say that the Lineage had seven Great Dragon Lords in total, but I didn't know exactly who they were."

The mine tunnels twisted and turned as they made their way downward, about to enter the deepest excavation zone.

"First was Taigo Ashmark. He was the strongest, with a Disaster Level as high as twenty-three. Then came Viluoya Ashmark. Not only was she Taigo's younger sister, she was also Taigo's mate, and the most influential lord in the Lineage."

In Tas explained to him, "Next were the Adult Dragon Vिक्स Karajiege mentioned by the dwarves, and his mate Ingrid. They ruled Gray Mountain Black Lake. Counting the Nurturer in Ochre Valley, that made five Iron Dragon Lords."

"Huh?"

Moqi froze. "How did you know that?"

"The Nurturer mentioned it during lessons. Learning is the most important thing for Lesser Dragons. Whether what she said was useful or not, I wrote down every word and forgot none of it."

In Tas thought for a moment, then shook his head. "But I don't know who the remaining two lords are."

"There are also the two Tungsten Dragon Lords, the Nolantel brothers."

Ferrum said, "There are nine Tungsten Dragons in the valley altogether, the largest number of any kind. They were all gathered here through every means the brothers could think of."

Moqi was even more astonished. "Ferrum, don't you rarely deal with other dragons? I roam around the valley every day and didn't know any of this. How did you know?"

"On the night of Dragonbirth Day, the Tungsten Dragons were happily drinking and singing over there. I heard them talking among themselves and got this information."

Ferrum answered.

Moqi looked at Ferrum, then at In Tas, and wilted. "The two of you are making me look like an idiot."

"Nonsense."

Ferrum rubbed his head in consolation. "What do you mean, 'look like'?"

"Are we still going forward, young dragon lords?"

The Gray Dwarf raised his oil lamp and lit up the surroundings. "The excavation zone is almost at its end. Beyond it is the warning zone. Guards are normally posted there while we work. The lord said there are no major disasters, but there may still be some danger."

"Take us to see it," Ferrum said.

The young dragons who had come seeking adventure were brimming with excitement. As they stepped inside, the scorched, rusty smell of the mine tunnel was immediately flung behind them, while a cold, damp breath seeped up from underground in fine threads.

"Two Tungsten Dragons."

In Tas noted down this intelligence. Seeing Moqi's gloomy, muddled expression, he changed the subject. "I thought the lords would be Chrome Dragons. There are also four Chrome Dragons living on the cliffs in the valley. It seems they aren't with you."

"They aren't, indeed. But our parents were both hired by the Ashmark Lineage back then. They came running from the Great Glacier to fight Chromatic Dragons. Their parents had bad luck and were killed outright in the war."

Moqi said.

In Tas nodded silently. With that, the origins of all the Heavy-Metal Dragons in the valley were more or less clear. They had names and histories, each with roots to trace, unlike the thirteen Lesser Dragons, whose origins were unknown. They knew neither parents nor past, and even their names had to be bestowed by the Nurturer.

"Ah, looking at it this way, there aren't many Dragon Hatchlings in the valley who are easy to provoke. The Iron Dragons and Tungsten Dragons both have Great Dragons watching over them, and the Cobalt Dragons come from Marsh Abyss. Only us and the Nickel Dragons are all alone, miserable and pitiful."

Moqi shook his head as he spoke.

"More nonsense."

Ferrum turned back and shot him a glance. "Isn't the Nurturer the Great Dragon above our heads?"

Something stirred faintly in In Tas's heart.

"This is the end of the warning zone, young dragon lords."

The Gray Dwarf looked hesitant. "Look, the lord's scale is hanging there. Whether there's a path beyond it and what might be there, even the Gray Dwarves don't know. Perhaps it connects to the underground and other mountain ranges."

Ferrum glanced at the scale hanging from an iron chain. It was a reverse-growing scale from beneath a Great Dragon's neck, its scent savage and menacing, its deep black surface glinting.

It was a primal declaration from a predator. No words or sounds were needed, yet it clearly and unmistakably marked the borders of its territory. Any living creature that knew how to seek fortune and avoid disaster would surely understand that language.

"It actually smells pretty nice," Ferrum said.

"Clack, clack—"

A broken series of sounds suddenly came from below, as if something were striking the rock strata.

"That's... that sound."

The Gray Dwarf panicked and instinctively edged closer to Ferrum, wishing he could hug the Chrome Dragon's tail. "My lord, listen. That's it. It wasn't much in the excavation zone, but here, it's extremely loud."

"You should leave."

Ferrum thought for a moment, then said, "We haven't found what I'm looking for along the way, so we still need to keep exploring downward. If there really is danger, you won't be able to help, and you won't be able to protect yourself either. Take your lamp and go back."

Taota was stunned at first, then unexpectedly revealed an expression of immense relief. He understood in his heart that following three dragons into danger would not only be useless, but would make him a burden.

When Taota had introduced himself earlier, he said he had volunteered to come. In truth, that was not the case at all. The lord had given the order, and someone had to serve as a guide. If this old fellow didn't come, could they make the young children of his clan do it?

After thinking it over and over, what frightened him most was that dragons would not treat a dwarf's life as worth anything, forcing him to hold up his lamp and keep walking ahead. If his foot slipped then, he might die on the spot. Who knew whether the lord would give any compensation?

He had not expected these young dragons to understand reason. Just like that, they lightly let him go.

"Ah, ah!"

Taota hurriedly saluted and bowed deeply to the three Dragon Hatchlings. "Then I'll withdraw to the excavation zone and wait for you. If anything really happens, just call out loudly. I... I'll immediately go report it to the lord."

He did not dare linger. After thanking them, he lifted his feet and headed back. The swaying lamplight gradually became a point of light, then finally vanished completely around the bend of the tunnel.

Darkness swallowed the surroundings, leaving only the faint gleam in the Dragon Hatchlings' eyes.

"Clack, clack, clack."

The strange sound came from below once more.

"Heh, even the Nurturer said there was no disaster, and the dwarf was still scared into that state. These humanoid races really are too weak."

Moqi shook his head, trying hard to appear completely unconcerned. Yet as he listened to the sounds below, his claws curled tight without his notice.

"Why aren't you going forward?" In Tas asked him.

Moqi ground his teeth. "I..."

Ferrum did not speak to either of them. His expression turned serious as he stepped into the deeper darkness.

The farther down they went, the fainter the scorched smell belonging to the mine became, and the rocks along the walls quietly changed their appearance.

All traces of artificial excavation had long since disappeared. In their place were natural, jagged contours. The slope beneath their feet grew steeper and steeper, and Ferrum could feel himself descending step by step into the true belly of the mountain range.

Yet strangely, the farther down they went, the more the darkness began to fade.

At first, the Dragon Hatchlings thought it was merely an illusion. But as they followed the slope down, light truly seeped upward from the darkness in wisps, gentle and hazy, like moonlight sinking beneath water.

"Something really isn't right."

The color in Moqi's pupils shifted slightly as he adjusted his darkvision. He no longer joked around. "Where would light come from underground?"

Ferrum silently swept his gaze around, keeping his senses stretched to their utmost as he moved forward steadily.

The light grew brighter and brighter, and the slope finally came to an end. The three Dragon Hatchlings passed through a narrow crack in the rock one after another, only to find the view before them suddenly opening wide.

Not only In Tas and Moqi—even Ferrum paused in slight surprise at the utterly unexpected sight before them.

Beyond the crack lay a vast underground space, as if a portion of the mountain had been hollowed out. It was flat and open, while fluorescent mushrooms with broad caps grew thickly in the crevices of the rock walls. Their caps were blue or purple, their soft halos brightening and dimming like breathing.

Swarms of fireflies carried their own ghostly lights as they flew above underground pools, like a school of glowing fish in the deep sea—fantastical and gorgeous, their falling radiance like rain.

"Clack, clack."

The alarming sound rang out once again.

Following the sound, the Dragon Hatchlings discovered that an "unprecedented" war was underway in the center of the underground space.

One side was made up of Mushroom People, the very creatures Moqi had once failed to capture. With short arms and legs and broad mushroom caps on their heads, they charged forward with little bujis, constantly launching mushroom-cap headbutts.

Their hard mushroom caps struck the ground with loud clangs.

The other side was the Little Stone Spirits Valyria had mentioned. They were the size of dwarven fists, round-bodied, and wielded stone clubs as weapons while forming dense rows upon rows.

That clacking vibration was the sound they made as they rolled forward together in a collective charge.

The two sides had already fought until heaven and earth were turned upside down. They paid no attention at all to the uninvited guests who had suddenly entered, all charging toward the stone sphere at the center.

The stone sphere was wrapped tightly in mycelium, and corpses lay strewn crookedly all around it.

A Mushroom Person was knocked flying and rolled beneath Ferrum's claws. It had only just staggered to its feet, shaking its head, when Ferrum grabbed it and lifted it before his face for inspection.

Upon discovering the monster, obvious panic and fear appeared in the Mushroom Person's tiny eyes. It braced itself against the scales on the Chrome Dragon's claw, struggling to push itself up and using every ounce of strength to pull itself free.

After Ferrum looked at it for a few moments and released it, the little thing did not report the situation to the other Mushroom People. Instead, it actually went buji buji running back into the battlefield, once again tangling with the Little Stone Spirits.