No kobold raised any objection to Jose's declaration that he would enslave their tribe. On the contrary, they were ecstatic.
Being enslaved by a true dragon was, to a certain extent, equivalent to being protected by one. With a true dragon's protection, disasters like three Petrification Lizards nearly driving the tribe to collapse would never happen again.
What?
Better dead than unfree.
Such a defiant declaration was merely a luxury born of an era when members of the same species had ample material resources. Dragons stood at the pinnacle of extraordinary creatures, and they had been unequal to lowly kobolds from birth.
Looking down at the mass of kneeling kobolds, Jose was very satisfied. "Who is the leader? Step forward!"
In truth, he had already noticed the strong kobold exchanging glances with Ergou. This kobold stood a head taller than ordinary kobolds, and his bulging muscles stretched the scales on his body taut like a skintight suit.
Sure enough, the Muscle-Bound Kobold stood up. He lowered his head and stared at the true dragon's toes to show his respect. "Great Master, I am the current chief of the Bloodtooth Tribe—Sorda."
"My servant, tell me. How many people does the Bloodtooth Tribe have now? How many warriors?"
"Reporting to Master, we have three hundred and thirty-two tribesmen. Excluding sixty-three children, all other kobolds, including the females, can take up weapons and fight."
Jose glanced over the kobolds still kneeling on the ground and found that all the adult kobolds were in their prime.
As for why there were no elderly kobolds, kobolds had always had a tradition of driving out their aged kin. It had nothing to do with conscience. Due to the long-term lack of food, elderly kobolds who had lost their value had to make room for newborns to survive.
He pondered for a moment. There was little use in bringing too many people into the narrow mines, especially with Kashi and himself here.
"Select twenty elite warriors and follow me to reclaim the mines."
The kobolds immediately erupted in cheers. Joy was also hard to hide from Sorda's face. Only Ergou, who had expected this, remained relatively calm, though he still clenched his fists in excitement.
Before long, the selection was complete. Ergou whispered a few words to Sorda, and Sorda promptly ordered their meager food supplies brought out and distributed among the chosen warriors.
Naturally, their little maneuver did not escape Jose's notice. He was increasingly satisfied with this follower of his. Ergou was meticulous enough to ensure the warriors ate their fill and restored their strength, which would greatly improve their combat power and reduce unnecessary casualties. It was also worth mentioning that Ergou called Sorda his older brother.
Soon, the twenty kobolds had wolfed down their food.
"Move out."
At Jose's command, the group set off.
Half an hour later, they arrived at a small hill covered in vegetation. The hill was roughly five hundred meters tall, and a hidden mine entrance lay near its base.
"Master, this is it!" Ergou pointed at the pitch-black hole, only half the size of a door.
With such a small opening, Jose's massive body naturally could not fit through. But he possessed Dragon Heritage.
Within Dragon Heritage was a spell specifically meant for situations like this—Body Shrinking Spell. Body Shrinking Spell could reduce the size of large creatures, making them as small as a cat at minimum. The exact limit depended on the dragon's own strength.
He rapidly chanted the spell, and his body visibly shrank until he was about the size of a tiger.
Jose irritably twisted his neck. To a dragon, the shrinking spell felt like putting on an undersized skintight suit. It was rather uncomfortable.
"Boss Jose, I..." Kashi pointed at the narrow entrance. His meaning was obvious.
Jose frowned. He had not considered this situation. "How about this? Kashi, go back and hold down the camp. I can handle three Petrification Lizards."
"Alright."
"Sorda, take your men inside and scout ahead. Find the Petrification Lizards."
"Yes!"
Kashi left, while Sorda led the warriors into the hole. Jose stretched at the entrance. It was his first time casting Body Shrinking Spell, and he needed to adapt to the changes.
His tail slammed into the ground, and he gauged the depth of the dent it left.
"My strength is only seventy percent of its peak, but my agility has increased."
He breathed out a mouthful of Dragon Breath and found that its attack range had been reduced by forty percent. He nodded in satisfaction.
After all, the range of Dragon Breath depended largely on a dragon's body length and physical strength. Jose's body length had shrunk by three times, yet Dragon Breath's range had only decreased by nearly forty percent. According to the spell parameters recorded in Dragon Heritage, shrinking one's body length by three times should normally halve the range of Dragon Breath. Clearly, his body was stronger than that of dragons his age.
"Ergou, lead the way."
"As you command."
Jose followed his follower into the pitch-black mine sloping downward. A layer of gravel covered the floor, and the stones made hissing scraping sounds beneath their feet.
The farther they went, the more spacious the mine became. By the end, it was almost large enough for a Red Dragon's true body to pass through.
This layout demonstrated the kobolds' unique survival wisdom. The narrow entrance was easy to defend and conceal, while the spacious interior served their needs for work and daily life.
"Master, this is only the outer section of the Bloodtooth Mines. The innermost area is even larger, and there are eight specially excavated living areas. Even if you moved in, you wouldn't find it cramped."
Noticing the true dragon looking around in surprise, Ergou spoke proudly. "Our Bloodtooth Tribe has existed for more than a hundred years. At its peak, we had as many as three thousand tribesmen and were the largest kobold tribe in the area. Back then, human merchants even traveled thousands of miles to purchase ore from us!"
"Then why did it decline?"
"Uh, eight years ago, the veins here were mined out. Only a few remnants of low-grade ore remained. Then the tribe split apart, and most of the tribesmen migrated away."
"I see." Jose was increasingly satisfied with the mine. A huge, inconspicuous, depleted mine—was there any more ideal residence?
At that moment, a kobold warrior came running from the distance.
"Master, we've found the Petrification Lizards. They're in Living Area Number One ahead."
"Lead the way."
"Yes!"
Following the kobold warrior, Jose arrived at the so-called Living Area Number One. Sure enough, just as Ergou had said, he would not find it cramped even if he lived there.
It was a massive circular space with a diameter of five hundred meters and a height of thirty to forty meters. The uneven ceiling looked as though it had been gnawed by dogs, and traces of ore still remained in the bluish-black rock. The entire area appeared to have been formed by hollowing out a rich ore deposit before converting it.
The ground had been leveled and processed, and it was covered in densely packed tents. The tents were made of wood, hemp rope, dirty cloth, and animal hides. They looked extremely old and were stained with grease.
Their targets—the Petrification Lizards—had settled down in the inner part of Living Area Number One.
At that moment, the three Petrification Lizards also noticed the intruders. They formed a triangular formation and faced the kobolds from afar. Their forked tongues occasionally flicked out, and their tails swayed uneasily. Their tongues had smelled danger.
Clearly, that dangerous scent did not belong to the kobolds.
When the three Petrification Lizards saw the dragon emerge around the corner, they grew even more uneasy. The muscles throughout their bodies tensed, their claws dug into the ground, and their breathing quickened like bellows.
While the Petrification Lizards observed Jose, Jose observed them as well.
Their huge six-meter bodies were thick and powerful. Their gray skin was dry and wrinkled like the creases at the corners of an old cow's eyes. Most noteworthy were the Petrification Lizards' eyes. Those pale gray eyeballs could fire rays that made their victims go rigid, hence their name.
"Three Petrification Lizards. One male and two females. A common family arrangement," Jose muttered, narrowing his eyes at his opponents.
Petrification Lizards were extraordinary creatures that were neither particularly powerful nor weak. Before an adult dragon, they were as harmless as cats. But Jose was not yet an adult dragon. He estimated that he could defeat two Petrification Lizards at once; against three, he could only fight them to a draw.
He decided to be cautious so he would not stumble in a ditch. He glanced at his twenty-two servants, including the kobold brothers.
A normal evil dragon would surely send his servants in as the vanguard and wait nearby for an opportunity. But that would result in heavy servant casualties.
Jose did not want to see casualties. He did not consider himself a good dragon, but he had principles.
Since they followed me, I had an obligation to protect my underlings' lives.
"Sorda! Ergou! Each of you lead ten warriors against one Petrification Lizard. You don't need to win—just hold them back. I'll deal with my opponent as quickly as possible, then support you."
"Yes!"
"The two females are yours! Go!" As he spoke, Jose dispelled Body Shrinking Spell, and his body rapidly expanded.
Thanks to Dragon Slayer Swordsaint for the 100-coin donation, Bulei Dragon for 500 coins, Yayla for 1,000 coins, and reader 20181013120332162 for 100 coins. (Students are not advised to donate. If student readers like this book, just read the official version and cast a vote. Rich readers... pretend I said nothing.)
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