Heavy-Metal Dragon

The two Chrome Dragons left Eaglebeak Cliff and followed the winding mountain stream all the way toward the valley floor.

Seeing that Xilong had lost interest, Moqi pondered for a moment and changed the subject. "So... I heard Ladon is having a tug-of-war over by the mines. One against two. Should we go watch the fun?"

Compared with the Racing Competition, tug-of-war was far less popular. Some bored Dragon Hatchlings had gone to the mining grounds and gotten long ore-hauling ropes from the Gray Dwarves. Two dragons would each bite a knot at opposite ends and pull with all their might, trying to drag the other toward themselves.

Whoever pulled the other over won.

"No."

Xilong shook his head lightly. In a contest of pure strength like that, no dragon could surpass an Iron Dragon. The Fringe Dragons had little interest in it; only Iron Dragons amused themselves with it.

"By the way, while I was waiting for you to come out of the gathering grounds, I saw that there were a lot more Kobolds around the shacks. They looked very busy."

Moqi looked around and casually said, "Maybe there'll be a huge feast tonight."

The Kobolds he spoke of were all retainers of the Nurturer, while the shacks were the "kitchens" they used to prepare food for the Dragon Hatchlings.

"I'd rather eat sweet fruit."

His companion spoke casually, and Xilong answered just as casually.

Having just seen the Iron Dragon, he remembered his crushing defeat from a few days ago. He was somewhat distracted, turning over everything that had happened recently in his mind, and could barely keep up with Moqi's conversation.

At present, aside from eating and playing, the Dragon Hatchlings spent their lives fighting and brawling. Driven by their competitive, overbearing natures, these fellows would always come to blows over all manner of trivial things.

For instance, someone blocking someone else's way, or someone looking at someone else one too many times...

In the world of dragons, patience and restraint were not considered virtues. Any creature that showed weakness or fled from a challenge was bound to be scorned and mocked by the other hatchlings.

Only dragons who dared to compete and continually claim victory could earn the respect of their kind.

Living in such an environment, Xilong had fought quite a few battles himself.

He was a Chrome Dragon, and his bloodline talent ranked second among Heavy-Metal Dragons. Thus, when facing Tungsten Dragons or Nickel Dragons, he could often seize the advantage with ease. Coupled with his understanding of combat, he also stood a high chance of winning against his own kind.

But once he faced an Iron Dragon, Xilong would quickly fall into defeat, with almost no ability to fight back. Up to now, he had only won a single match through sheer luck.

"Moqi."

After a moment of silence, Xilong finally spoke as if talking to himself. "Tell me, what exactly do I have to do to defeat Hidorivi?"

The moment Moqi heard this, he knew Xilong was still dwelling on his loss from days ago. But he could not think of any better solution either. He could only scratch the scales beneath his jaw and comfort him.

"Though we Chrome Dragons are noble, elegant, and extraordinarily charming, how could we possibly defeat Iron Dragons? They're the kings among Heavy-Metal Dragons, ranked a whole tier above us. It was already astonishing that you beat Leijieduolei back then. Those little females are still talking about your name even now."

Though he claimed to be comforting him, Moqi still could not let go of the females' gossip.

Heavy-Metal Dragons were also known as Heavy Metal Dragons. Because their scales shared the same metallic texture, other races often mistook Heavy-Metal Dragons for a subspecies or collateral branch of Metallic Dragons.

To Heavy-Metal Dragons, this misunderstanding was almost an insult. They considered themselves older than Metallic Dragons. Metallic Dragons were famous for their exceptional spellcasting, while Heavy-Metal Dragons were exactly the opposite, concentrating all their gifts into their bodies.

Their magical abilities awakened slowly. During their hatchling and juvenile stages, they often displayed only faint magical reactions, unable for the time being to breathe elemental attacks or fly, yet they possessed the unique Heavy-Metal Body structure found nowhere else among dragonkind.

The so-called Heavy-Metal Body was the living manifestation of various heavy-metal elements within a dragon's body. It appeared as high-density bones, strange scale structures, tough tendons, multilayered organs, and claws and horns with extreme resistance to damage.

Different kinds of Heavy-Metal Dragons developed in different directions on the foundation of the Heavy-Metal Body: Chrome Dragons displayed sharpness and agility, Cobalt Dragons emphasized endurance and contamination, Tungsten Dragons generated high heat and pressure, while Nickel Dragons excelled in transformation and reconstruction.

As the Royal Strain and crowned king of Heavy-Metal Dragons, Iron Dragons were born blessed by heaven itself, possessing bodies that inspired dread and strength no force could withstand.

Whether by coincidence or deliberate design by the Dragon God, the agility and sharpness that made Chrome Dragons exceedingly dangerous to other dragons were completely suppressed by Iron Dragons.

Even scholars who specialized in studying Heavy-Metal Dragons joked, "Chrome Dragons are blades without equal, but only the Dragon King can grip them in an iron hand."

Though his current life was carefree, whenever Xilong recalled these memories from the Dragon Legacy, he could not help feeling stifled.

Moqi could not understand Xilong's troubles at all. If it were him, if he had managed to defeat an Iron Dragon even once, he would probably have been so delighted that he would flap his wings and fly, boasting of his achievement to every dragon in Ochre Valley.

But Xilong was completely different. Even with such ability, he still carried out tedious training every day. Often, he would sit alone in silence, watching the sun rise and set over Ochre Valley, watching mountain goats chew wild grass. Just now, he had even said he did not want to attend the Racing Competition.

"Too strange."

Moqi's mind wandered wildly. Where did this inexplicable sense of loneliness come from?

Was it because their parents had abandoned them?

Their parent, Solaxus, had once fought for the Ashmark Lineage. Before heading to the Great Glacier, he had made a deal with Taigo and left behind these two dragon eggs.

But dragons had never felt much affection for blood relatives. After learning that their parent had gone away, Moqi instead felt that a burden had been lifted. Every day, he ate and drank, played and frolicked in the valley, enjoying everything the Lineage had to offer with a clear conscience.

Xilong was so popular with the little females. Surely he could not be troubled over that?

After quite a while, Moqi finally could not hold it in any longer. "When all is said and done, why are you so determined to defeat Hidorivi?"

He was genuinely puzzled. Fights between Dragon Hatchlings were common. Unless one had been beaten terribly, they generally did not hold grudges. Chrome Dragons were destined to be defeated by Iron Dragons, so by all rights, there was nothing to feel unwilling about.

The Hidorivi in Xilong's mouth was merely a relatively domineering Iron Dragon. He was not the strongest among the dragons, nor was he special in any way. Moqi did not know why Xilong could not let it go.

"There's no particular reason."

Xilong smiled and spoke calmly and openly. "It's just that after defeating an Iron Dragon once, my mindset changed a little. I started having more fantasies. I always wanted to see whether I could win more, even keep winning forever."

He lowered himself to the ground, a faintly thoughtful expression appearing on his face. "I know very well that with my current abilities, challenging the strongest hatchling is impossible. I can only start with a familiar target and see whether I can use it to wake myself up and strive to climb a little higher."

"I understand."

After hearing this, Moqi nodded with feigned profundity. "Actually, whether Heavy-Metal Dragons, Metallic Dragons, or Chromatic Dragons, what dragon in its hatchling years hasn't dreamed of plucking stars and seizing the moon someday? But only after seeing true Archaic Species, ancestral dragons, did I understand..."

He had only gotten halfway through his sentence when his eyes suddenly flicked to the side. Immediately tossing everything else out of his mind, he shot into the stream like lightning.

By the time Xilong stood up to look, Moqi had already leapt from the water with two large Stone Crabs in his claws.

Moqi looked immensely pleased with himself. He handed one to Xilong and held the other in his mouth, crunching down on it with loud cracks.

"Eating something puts you in a better mood."

Moqi spoke while chewing. "There are fewer and fewer living things in the valley. If we don't eat more now, they'll all get gnawed clean by that bunch."

Xilong accepted it, but did not immediately stuff it into his mouth. Instead, he placed the Stone Crab on the ground, turning it over and over and teasing it in circles.

Moqi knew that was simply his personality. He looked heroic and mature, yet sometimes he was not much different from Moqi himself, especially when it came to all kinds of animals in the valley, which fascinated him greatly.

Once, Moqi had gone looking for Xilong and found him lowering his body like a great cat poised to pounce, staring downward with rapt attention.

At first, Moqi had thought Xilong was undergoing some mysterious training and had not dared to approach and disturb him.

But after carefully drawing near, he discovered that Xilong was lying on the ground, completely absorbed in watching red ants move house.

And he watched them for a long time.

He might be a Dragon Hatchling, but that was far too childish.

The stream ran clear, and the sunlight was warm. The two Chrome Dragons sat with their tails swaying. After falling quiet, neither of them spoke for a while.

After no short period of time had passed, Xilong noticed that Moqi's eyes had already shifted toward him. Moqi kept licking his foreclaws, looking as though he still wanted more.

He knew he could not wait any longer. Swiftly biting the Stone Crab between his teeth, he cracked its shell under the force of his powerful jaws, filling his mouth with fresh juices.

Moqi withdrew his gaze and carefully scanned the stream again. Finding nothing new, he sighed before looking elsewhere to distract himself.

Xilong followed his gaze and saw several small terraced fields halfway up the mountainside. The wind rolled through the wheat in waves, and the awns surged along the ridges with a rustling whisper.

Ochre Valley had never been some desolate wilderness. It was an important resource-producing region of the Lineage, surrounded by a rich red iron mine. Long before the Dragon Hatchlings and the Nurturer arrived, two Gray Dwarf clans had lived and worked here.

The dwarves had built scattered stone houses at the foot of the mountain, planted barley and tobacco in the fields, and established small logging yards in the forest. Massive Ironleaf logs were piled in the yard, while laborers shouted to one another as they worked together to lift Ironleaf Wood onto carts.

Some drove Kodo Beasts as large as small mountains, which slowly hauled the carts away. The sounds of axes from the logging grounds were heavy and slow, and the Kodo Beasts' silhouettes gradually vanished at the end of the long road.

"I always wanted to see this so-called pastoral idyll..."

Xilong spoke softly, seeming to murmur to himself.

The shriek of a Dragon Hatchling tore through the quiet. A faint tremor came from above, and both Xilong and Moqi raised their heads to see water splashing from the mountain stream not far away.

A Thunderclap Dragon bounded and raced forward, howling as he swept past them. Right behind him came his pursuers, diving in close.

One Iron Dragon, one Tungsten Dragon, and two Nickel Dragons—four Heavy-Metal Dragons surrounded and intercepted him, sealing every route of escape. Bit by bit, they devoured his room to move, continually shrinking the encirclement until they finally drove the Lesser Dragon into a cramped corner with nowhere left to flee.

"You lowborn bastard without a Legacy, how dare you strut in front of us!"

The Dragon Hatchlings' voices were still somewhat childish, but their attacks were savage and powerful. The leading Iron Dragon whipped his tail fiercely, the wind howling as it lashed across the Lesser Dragon's face like a whip, making the Thunderclap Dragon bare his fangs in pain.

"If you couldn't win, then you couldn't win. Yet you had to resort to dirty tricks outside the competition. Is this race only supposed to allow you to win and forbid us from winning?"

The black-and-yellow Thunderclap Dragon growled.

"Who used dirty tricks? We were competing to see who could get down the mountain faster. Up ahead, you deliberately blocked the way and kept trying every possible means to ram other dragons. Damn lowborn bastard, since you love playing so much, we'll play with you until we've had our fill!"

"No one ever said ramming and blocking were forbidden. Everyone has always raced like this. You're only unhappy because I took first place."

The Thunderclap Dragon glared at the Heavy-Metal Dragons. "I'm not afraid of you. If you want to fight, then fight. You beat me now, but sooner or later, I'll beat you back."

"You still dare to bark? Tear his mouth apart!"

The Heavy-Metal Dragons swarmed forward. The Thunderclap Dragon tried to fight back, but the gap between True Dragons and Lesser Dragons was already beginning to show. The two Nickel Dragons clamped his limbs and stepped on his back. The Thunderclap Dragon gasped violently, weighed down so heavily he could not even speak, much less struggle to his feet.

The Iron Dragon began tearing at his mouth with his claws. The other Heavy-Metal Dragons were equally ruthless, pressing their teeth into the Thunderclap Dragon's scales and violently shaking their heads, biting him until his flesh split open and blood flowed without stop.

Watching from nearby, Moqi's expression changed slightly.

Dragon Hatchlings fighting was common in Ochre Valley. Generally speaking, even the Nurturer did not interfere. Whenever Moqi had encountered other dragons fighting before, he had happily watched the excitement from the side.

But for some reason, this time he felt somewhat uncomfortable, though he could not say exactly why.

On the other side, Xilong had already approached. "Hey, Leijieduolei, what are you doing?"

Leijieduolei was the name of the leading Iron Dragon. Hearing this, he turned around. When he saw Xilong, whose body was only slightly smaller than his own, the savage expression on his face shifted a little.

"Xilong, we're not looking for trouble with you. If you don't want to fight, then stay out of other people's business."

Though that was what he said, Leijieduolei was actually somewhat angry with Xilong. Enemies truly met on narrow roads. They had fought just two weeks ago, and the result had been astonishing.

Leijieduolei had actually lost. He had been knocked to the ground, becoming the only Iron Dragon defeated by a Lower Species.

Because of that defeat, Leijieduolei had been mocked by the other Iron Dragons for a long time. Later, one of his brothers defeated Xilong for him, yet they were still ashamed to associate with him. As a result, Leijieduolei could now only play with Tungsten Dragons and Nickel Dragons.

Xilong continued forward until he stood near them. "I'm asking what you're doing."

With that stance, the other three Heavy-Metal Dragons hesitated for a moment. In the end, they had no choice but to stop and retreat.

They stayed at Leijieduolei's side partly to curry favor with him, but in the final analysis, Tungsten Dragons and Nickel Dragons belonged to fringe groups and could not integrate into the core circle of Iron Dragons. Thus, they identified more with Xilong's status.

"A Chrome Dragon born bad to the bone suddenly has the heart to help the weak? Why are you sticking your snout into this sort of business? When all is said and done, you only came over because you saw me. You're showing off and deliberately targeting me."

Leijieduolei ground his teeth. "Xilong, don't think you can be so proud just because you won once. Want me to call Hidorivi over?"

"I'm not targeting you, and I don't want to meddle in other people's business."

Xilong shook his head. "It's just that, Leijieduolei, you're fighting a Lesser Dragon and still calling for helpers, ganging up on him like hyenas. Don't you feel ashamed?"

"That's right."

Moqi chimed in as well. "And your two brothers, Hidorivi and Jelierion, are having a tug-of-war over by the mines. They still can't beat the other side even two against one. What are you so smug about?"

Leijieduolei immediately glared furiously at Moqi.

Moqi stepped behind Xilong, but his mouth remained relentless. "Bullying Lesser Dragons is one thing. We've all beaten Lesser Dragons plenty of times, but no one is like you, calling so many Heavy-Metal Dragons over to join in. You've disgraced yourself all the way to Red Fort. Forget your two brothers—even we feel ashamed just looking at you."

Leijieduolei burned with rage, yet he suddenly froze as well, feeling that Moqi's words made some sense.

As a Higher Species among Heavy-Metal Dragons, the pride of an Iron Dragon was stopping him from acting this way.

Leijieduolei fell silent. His gaze shifted as he coldly confronted the two Chrome Dragons.

"This really is meaningless."

At last, the Iron Dragon snorted. "But Xilong, you won't be proud for long. Once I grow a little bigger, I'll trample all you inferior breeds beneath my feet."

With that, he left at once without looking back again.

The other Heavy-Metal Dragons did not immediately follow him. First, Moqi's words had made them feel somewhat ashamed. Second, Leijieduolei had called Chrome Dragons inferior breeds, which meant Tungsten Dragons and Nickel Dragons, who were inferior even to Chrome Dragons, were inferior among inferior breeds. The Heavy-Metal Dragons' expressions all turned ugly.

Xilong shook his head. Seeing the sun sink behind the western hills and knowing it was nearly time to eat, he prepared to leave with Moqi. This fellow had earlier revealed that there might be a huge feast tonight, and Xilong was eager to go claim a spot.

The remaining Heavy-Metal Dragons looked at one another. The Thunderclap Dragon on the ground stared at Xilong's retreating back and remained silent throughout.

After walking some distance, Moqi looked back. Somewhat displeased, he whispered, "That Thunderclap Dragon—you stood up for him, and he didn't even follow to offer thanks. He has no sense at all. Those Lesser Dragons are so stupid. Their intelligence is really low."

Xilong treated it as nothing more than a minor incident during play and did not care.