Join

"You rest first. Leave the rest to me."

After saying that, Xilong left the Thunderclap Dragon's nest.

Moqi stood outside, looking dejected. Their food-snatching plan had succeeded, but no one had expected Ladon to suddenly go mad, abandoning the food to chase them out and leaving In Tas seriously wounded.

"What do we do next?"

Moqi asked, "There are still ten days until the Food-Sharing Period ends. Otherwise, why don't we wait for a while?"

"In Tas is badly hurt. I don't want him to keep going hungry while he recovers."

Xilong shook his head and raised his clawed toes before his eyes, studying them for a moment. "Fighting Ladon was a good experience. It hurt me, but the claws that grow back will be sharper. I have a feeling about it."

"So we're still going to snatch food again in a couple of days?"

Moqi shook his head. He was not afraid, but he said, "But now there are only the two of us left. Xilong, you know me—I can't be much help."

"I've already thought it through. Go from Bay Lake now and follow this road all the way until you find Afterglow. Tell her about the food-snatching and ask whether she's willing to join us."

Xilong said, "As for me, I'll make a trip to the Shattered Stone Grounds and drag Blackscar out. Nickel Dragons may not be good for much, but given their hyena instincts, dragging food should be their specialty."

"Alright."

Moqi set off without hesitation. Whatever Xilong said, he obeyed. To him, Xilong was the strongest. As long as Xilong did not ask to borrow gold coins, nothing else was a problem.

The two Chrome Dragons parted ways. Xilong took another route, circled around Eaglebeak Cliff, and passed by his own nest. Before he reached the Shattered Stone Grounds, he suddenly spotted an unexpected figure.

Kेलaili Belivy.

The Cobalt Dragon lay atop a huge boulder, gazing into the distance. Hearing movement behind him, he turned to glance back.

"Come, come."

Kेलaili's voice was slow and drawn-out. He swished his tail in invitation. "I was waiting for you here. Never thought there would be something lively to watch as well."

Xilong found it strange but did not ask. He squeezed onto the boulder and watched alongside Kelaili.

They stood high up on the side of Eaglebeak Cliff. Beyond the rock below stretched a long, gradual slope, offering an exceptionally broad view. With dragon sight, they could even see beyond the valley.

Outside Ochre Valley, a cargo convoy had just arrived. More than a hundred Gray Dwarf laborers pushed carts and drove pack beasts, crowding along the narrow passage at the valley entrance as they underwent inspection by the Gnoll garrison.

At that moment, someone startled one of the pack beasts. Dragging its cart behind it, the beast began charging wildly through the rear of the convoy.

The laborers descended into chaos, scrambling to calm the pack beast and gather the scattered cargo. Curses, cries of alarm, and beastly roars rose in a noisy jumble up the hillside.

The young dragons knew very little of the world beyond the valley. Kेलaili watched with great interest as the Gray Dwarves and Gnolls ran themselves ragged in a flustered frenzy.

Xilong had originally swept his gaze over the scene as if it were nothing, but as he watched, his eyes slowly narrowed.

With the commotion below, one group of dwarves did not go protect the cargo. Instead, they hunched their shoulders, lowered their heads, and silently pressed toward the checkpoint. On the other side of the checkpoint, the Gray Dwarves waiting to receive the goods were also stirring restlessly.

"Something's not right."

Xilong said, "Wait. They're too low down—I can't see clearly."

"What isn't right? Hey? Why have you climbed onto me? Get down already. Don't think that just because you beat me, you can—"

Kेलaili hurriedly began wriggling his body.

"When I worked at the logging camp, I saw that after the Gray Dwarves delivered timber to the valley entrance, they had to hand it over to the garrison. Lineage rules state that Ochre Valley is strictly forbidden from contacting the outside world. Whether Gray Dwarves or Kobolds, none may leave the valley for their entire lives. Is that right?"

Xilong said.

His solemn tone made Kelaili freeze, and he forgot to struggle. "I don't know, but what does that have to do with anything?"

"Taking advantage of the chaos, they switched people."

Xilong raised his head in indication. "Several dwarves from Ochre Valley slipped out, exchanging places with some Gray Dwarves delivering goods who came in."

Kेलaili's expression shifted slightly. He was clever and extremely wary of short-lived races. Hearing Xilong say this, he instinctively propped himself up with his forelimbs and raised his head to observe more carefully, while Xilong used the opportunity to stand even higher.

"It seems the Gnolls are not as capable as imagined. They can't even spot people being smuggled across the border." Kेलaili's voice sank.

"I've been to the Gnoll camp. They aren't checkpoint guards or lackeys—they're a garrison force, elite enough to be called the best."

Xilong pondered for a moment. "Even we can see the dwarves exchanging places from here. How could it happen right under their noses without them noticing?"

"You mean they allowed it? Have they been bribed?" Kेलaili asked.

"I don't know how much it would cost to bribe a garrison, but the Gray Dwarves in Ochre Valley probably can't afford that price."

Xilong said, "This is not as simple as smuggling people."

"A few Gray Dwarf laborers aren't worth many gold coins. The reason they bribed the garrison was because those Gray Dwarves carried intelligence about Ochre Valley, wasn't it?"

Kेलaili thought for a while, then murmured, "Someone wants to know our intelligence. Judging by how smoothly those fellows worked together, this is probably not their first time. The only question is whether those behind it are the great clans of the Lost Wilderness, or foreign enemies—the Tagoma Kingdom or the Bloodridge Tribes."

They both nodded without prior agreement. Their conversation flowed smoothly; they barely needed to explain anything to each other. With only a round of mutual deductions, they had sketched the rough outline of the matter.

"I need to tell the Feeder about this." Xilong said.

"Telling the Feeder is right, but to be honest, I've wanted to turn around and bite you this whole time. My build makes that impossible, so could you get off me now?"

Kेलaili was somewhat irritated.

"Alright."

Xilong lightly leaped down. A Cobalt Dragon's back was broad to him, and it made an excellent place to stand and look at the scenery.

He casually patted Kelaili's shoulder blade, signaling him not to mind it, then asked curiously, "I heard the Cobalt Dragons are collectively observing silence. Why has a Cobalt-Blue Overlord like you come out instead? You said you were waiting for me. Did you have something to say?"

"I lay down for half a year before, and lately I've been hungry all the time. I really couldn't keep observing silence any longer."

Kेलaili sounded a little embarrassed as he continued, "I heard you snatched some meat from the gathering grounds at noon, so I came to ask whether there was any I could eat."

"You didn't contribute, and we're not Cobalt Dragons. We definitely won't give you a share for nothing."

Xilong spoke bluntly. Then he looked Kelaili over for a while. Wanting to pull him into their group, he asked:

"There's been a rumor lately saying all the hatchlings should simply submit to Ladon and ask him to distribute all the food. You're the Cobalt-Blue Overlord. What do you think?"

"I agree."

Kेलaili answered in a muffled voice, "Because I was the one who proposed it."

"Looks like you really are starving."

Xilong was somewhat helpless. "We're going to the gathering grounds to snatch food again tomorrow. If you really want meat, join us. What do you say?"

"Mm..."

Kेलaili pondered for a moment. "We could try it."