The Northern Lands

Jose was a man of action. Each returned to their lair, dug up their buried treasure, and then the two dragons soared into the clouds.

Under the cover of thick clouds, they flew from dawn until nightfall. As the moon hid and the stars faded, the two dragons finally reached their destination—the border region where the Karakoram Mountains, the Gloomy Forest, and the Northern Great Plains met.

This border region wasn't a case of mountains pressing against forest, but rather a vast transitional area of low rolling hills. "Low" here was relative to the Karakoram range; in truth, they weren't that short, with elevations ranging from four hundred to a thousand meters.

Because the peaks were spaced apart by stretches of flat ground, from a distance they looked like trees rising from the earth. This area was thus named—Moduo Peak Forest.

"Moduo Peak Forest. Finally here."

Flying in the sky, Jose glanced down at the Moduo Peak Forest below, then raised his head to gaze into the distance. He spotted a white ribbon on the land. Straining his eyes, he still couldn't see the end of that ribbon—it was the lifeline of the northern Tydanore Continent: the Volga River.

The Volga River originated from the melted snow of the Karakoram Mountains. Along the way, streams converged into a river, passing through the Gloomy Forest on its journey to the sea. Countless tributaries branched off, running through most of the northern lands, nurturing all life there.

The Northern lands were a broad geographical concept, roughly divided into four parts: the northern human kingdoms in the south, the Karakoram Mountains and the Gloomy Forest lying side by side in the middle, and finally the vast Northern Great Plains.

The Northern Great Plains, a famously wild and untamed region of the continent, covered an area larger than the Karakoram Mountains and the Gloomy Forest combined, accounting for nearly half of the entire northern territory.

Matching its vast expanse was the diversity of races on the plains: Barbarians, Orcs, Minotaurs, Boarmen, Centaurs, Gnolls, Goblins, and a host of other tribes lived and fought on this land.

From ancient times to the present, the flames of war on the plains had never been extinguished.

Now, with human forces represented by merchant guilds meddling in the mix, the situation on the great plains grew increasingly murky and unpredictable.

The waters of the Northern Great Plains ran deep. For now, Jose had neither the will nor the ability to wade into them.

To avoid blundering into other supernatural beings, the two dragons found a towering peak in the Moduo Peak Forest and lay down back-to-back with his white dragon underling to rest.

The next day, Jose was woken by noise.

He poked his head out from behind the rocks and looked toward the distant plains. A chase was unfolding on the grassland.

The pursuers were Centaurs, about a dozen of them. The pursued was a Kobold—just one.

Centaurs, as the name suggested, had the upper body of a human and the lower body of a horse. They were a common native race on the plains, skilled in running and archery. Their superior mobility and archery talent made them like roaming cavalry, swift as the wind.

Using their racial advantages, Centaurs engaged in the business of plunder and slaughter on the plains, becoming a nightmare for many other races.

Jose felt a bit puzzled. Why would Centaurs chase down a Kobold?

Centaurs were swift bandits, that was true, but Kobolds were cave-dwelling creatures. Their racial specialty was mining, and their homes were winding, narrow tunnels. Tall Centaurs couldn't possibly squeeze into low Kobold burrows. Logically, the two sides should have kept to themselves.

Though puzzled, the facts were right before his eyes. He didn't dwell on it and continued observing the battle.

The Centaurs gave relentless chase, and the Kobold ran full tilt toward the Moduo Peak Forest.

It was undoubtedly a smart choice. The forest had many obstacles that would limit the Centaurs' mobility.

Unfortunately, when it came to running speed, a two-legged Kobold could never outrun a four-legged Centaur. Sooner or later, the outnumbered Kobold would be caught, and the consequences went without saying.

Jose decided to save this Kobold.

Kobolds were cave-dwelling creatures skilled at mining. They most likely knew of mine locations, and mines were the ideal dwelling for red dragons. Moreover, as lower-order dragon descendants, Kobolds had reverence for true dragons etched into their genes. They were weak and easy to control, making them perfect servants for a young dragon.

Though he'd made the decision to help, he didn't act immediately.

Aid in dire need was better than adding flowers to brocade, and saving someone from the brink of death was even better than that.

Roar!

The Centaurs caught up to the Kobold. Just as they were about to close the encirclement, Jose stepped out from his hiding spot and let out a stirring dragon roar.

"Kashi! Together!" With that, he spread his wings and launched into the sky, gliding toward the battlefield from above.

His wings sliced through the air, wind howling past his ears. He stared at the panicked Centaurs below, dragon breath gathering in his throat.

"Dragon!"

The Centaurs screamed and scattered in all directions, kicking up trails of dust across the plains.

Dragons were a creature widely present in the legends of all intelligent races. No matter the color, no matter good or evil, they all shared one trait—power, an overwhelming power that ordinary beings could not match.

Seeing two dragons flying toward them, the terror in the Centaurs' hearts was unimaginable. They only wished their parents had given them more legs as they bolted at full gallop.

But if scattering and running worked, evil dragons wouldn't be called evil dragons.

Crossing over a kilometer in a dozen breaths, Jose caught up to the fleeing Centaurs. A cone of blazing dragon breath rained down from the sky, effortlessly turning the plains-roaming bandits into burning corpses.

Like a brat roasting ants with a magnifying glass, the weak, helpless Centaurs fell one after another.

Under the twin dragons' slaughter, soon only the last Centaur remained in sight.

Jose stopped his breath, flapped his wings, and chased after the galloping Centaur.

The wind from his dragon wings sent chills down the Centaur's back. The fierce plains bandit despaired in the dragon-shaped shadow. A final surge of bloodlust made him turn and draw his bow.

But the Centaur's prized archery was a joke before a giant dragon. The arrows struck the hard dragon scales without even leaving a white mark. Seeing the broken arrows, the Centaur nearly lost all will to run.

A dragon claw descending from the sky grabbed the ashen-faced Centaur and lifted him into the air. Jose carried his prey back, then dropped him from a height of six stories, right in front of the stunned Kobold.

Thud!

The Centaur crashed onto the grass. Blood flowed out, and his body twitched slightly.

Jose folded his wings at ten meters up, letting gravity take him. With a thunderous boom, his nine-meter-long massive body hit the ground. His iron-like dragon claw slammed down on the twitching Centaur, ending his wretched life for good. Bright red blood seeped from under the claw, soaking into the soil and pooling in the low spots.

Of course, Jose wasn't some pervert who enjoyed killing. The reason he'd grabbed the Centaur and executed him in such a shocking manner was to display power and intimidate the Kobold into submission.

But it seemed the plan had hit a snag—this Kobold showed no reaction at all.

"They didn't immediately kneel in worship—could it be that my entrance was off?"

Somewhat disgruntled, he looked down at the Kobold, two streams of white smoke snorting from his nostrils and blasting onto the Kobold's head.

Stimulated by the external force, the Kobold mechanically raised its head, its gaze traveling from the densely scaled dragon belly up the long dragon neck, finally settling on the majestic, domineering dragon head. The crown-like dragon horns deeply shook its soul.

Seeing the Kobold's gaping mouth and stunned expression, Jose realized it wasn't that his entrance was wrong, but that the Kobold was too terrified to react yet.

Thud!

The Kobold, snapping out of its daze, went weak in the knees and knelt to the ground.

Thanks to Dragon Slayer Swordsaint for the 100 coins, waryer for 100 coins, Pinecone Oak Tower for 100 coins, and Book Friend 202004212242388152 for the 15-coin tip.