Reclaiming the Mine

For Jose's declaration of enslaving his own tribe, not a single kobold raised an objection. On the contrary, they were overjoyed.

Being enslaved by a true dragon was, to some extent, equivalent to being sheltered by one. With a true dragon's protection, vicious incidents like the one where three Petrification Lizards nearly drove the tribe to collapse would never happen again.

What?

Give me liberty, or give me death.

Such declarations full of rebellious spirit were merely a luxury product of the same species in times of abundant material resources. Dragons stood at the pinnacle of supernatural beings, born unequal to the lowly kobolds beneath them.

Looking down at the vast crowd of kneeling kobolds, Jose was very satisfied. "Who is the chief? Step forward!"

In truth, he had already noticed the strong kobold exchanging glances with Ergou. This kobold was a head taller than the average one, his muscles bulging so much that the scales on his body stretched taut like a skintight suit.

Sure enough, the Muscle-Bound Kobold stood up, his head lowered as he gazed at the true dragon's toes to show respect. "Great master, I am Sorda, the current chieftain of the Bloodtooth Tribe."

"My servant, tell me how many people the Bloodtooth Tribe has now. How many warriors?"

"To answer master, we have three hundred and thirty-two tribesmen. Excluding sixty-three children, the rest of the kobolds, including the females, can take up arms and fight."

Jose swept his gaze over the still-kneeling kobolds and noticed that all the adults were in their prime.

As for why there were no elderly kobolds, kobolds had a long-standing tradition of driving out their aged kin. This had nothing to do with conscience; due to chronic food shortages, elderly kobolds who had lost their value had to make room for newborns.

He pondered for a moment. In the narrow mine tunnels, bringing too many people would be useless, especially with himself and Kashi around.

"Pick twenty elite warriors. Follow me to retake the mine."

The kobolds immediately erupted in cheers. Even Sorda couldn't hide his joy on his face. Only Ergou, who had anticipated this, remained relatively calm, though he clenched his fists in excitement.

Soon, the selection was complete. Ergou whispered a few words to Sorda, who then ordered the meager food supplies to be distributed to the chosen warriors.

Their little scheme naturally didn't escape Jose's notice. He grew even more satisfied with this follower. Meticulous thinking—letting the warriors eat their fill to replenish their strength—would greatly boost the group's combat power and reduce unnecessary casualties. Another point worth mentioning was that Ergou had addressed Sorda as "brother."

Soon, the twenty kobolds wolfed down their food.

"Move out."

With Jose's command, the group set off on their journey.

Half an hour later, they arrived at a small hill covered in vegetation. The hill was about five hundred meters high, and at its base lay a hidden mine entrance.

"Master, it's here!" Ergou pointed at the pitch-black cave, about the size of half a door.

Such a small cave naturally couldn't accommodate Jose's massive frame, but he had the Dragon Heritage.

Within the Dragon Heritage, there was a spell specifically for this situation—the Body Shrinking Spell. This spell could shrink a large creature's body down to the size of a cat, depending on the dragon's own strength.

He rapidly chanted the incantation, and his body visibly shrank until he was about the size of a tiger.

Jose twisted his neck in discomfort. The shrinking spell felt to a dragon like wearing a tight suit—a bit unpleasant.

"Boss Jose, I..." Kashi pointed at the narrow entrance, his meaning clear.

Jose frowned. He hadn't considered this situation. "Alright, Kashi, you go back and guard the camp. I can handle the three Petrification Lizards."

"Got it."

"Sorda, take your men inside to scout. Find the Petrification Lizards' location."

"Yes!"

Kashi left, and Sorda led the warriors into the cave. Jose stretched his body at the entrance, still getting used to the changes from casting the Body Shrinking Spell for the first time.

He slammed his tail against the ground and estimated the depth of the dent left behind.

"Strength is only seventy percent of my peak, but agility has increased."

He spat out a breath of dragonfire and found that its attack range had shortened by forty percent. He nodded in satisfaction.

It was worth noting that a dragon's breath range largely depended on its body length and physical strength. Jose's body length had shrunk by three times, yet his breath range had only decreased by nearly forty percent. According to the spell parameters recorded in the Dragon Heritage, a threefold reduction in body length should have halved the breath range. Clearly, his physique was stronger than that of other dragons his age.

"Ergou, lead the way."

"As you command."

Jose followed his follower into the dark, sloping mine tunnel. The ground was covered in a layer of gravel, and stepping on it produced a crunching sound as stones rubbed against each other.

The deeper they went, the larger the mine's interior became. Eventually, it was spacious enough for a red dragon's full body to pass through.

This layout showcased the kobolds' unique survival wisdom. The narrow entrance was easy to defend and conceal, while the large interior was necessary for production and daily life.

"Master, this is still just the outer edge of the Bloodtooth Mines. The deepest part is even larger, and there are eight specially excavated living areas. Even you wouldn't feel cramped living there."

Noticing the true dragon looking around in surprise, Ergou spoke with pride. "Our Bloodtooth Tribe has been passed down for over 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 would travel a thousand miles to buy ore from us!"

"Then why did it decline?"

"Well, eight years ago, the ore vein here was mined out. Only some low-grade remnants were left. Then the tribe split, and most of the clansmen migrated away."

"I see." Jose grew more and more satisfied with this mine. A massive, inconspicuous, depleted mine—could there be a more ideal dwelling place?

Just then, 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. As Ergou had said, even he wouldn't find it cramped living here.

This was a massive circular space five hundred meters in diameter, with a height of thirty to forty meters. The pockmarked ceiling looked as if it had been gnawed by a dog, and the bluish-black rock still held traces of ore. The entire area seemed to have been hollowed out from a rich mining vein and then repurposed.

The ground had been leveled and was densely packed with tents made of wood, hemp rope, dirty cloth, and animal hides. They looked ancient and were stained with grease.

The group's target—the Petrification Lizards—had made their home deeper inside Living Area Number One.

At that moment, the three Petrification Lizards also spotted the intruders. They formed a triangular formation, facing off against the Kobolds from a distance. Their forked tongues occasionally flicked out of their mouths, and their tails twitched uneasily. Their tongues had caught the scent of danger.

Clearly, that dangerous scent did not belong to the Kobolds.

Seeing the dragon emerge from the corner, the three Petrification Lizards grew even more restless. Their muscles tensed, claws digging into the ground, and their breathing quickened like bellows being pumped.

While the Petrification Lizards observed Jose, Jose observed them in return.

Their six-meter-long bodies were thick and powerful, their gray skin dry and wrinkled like the crow's feet around an old ox's eyes. What was most notable, however, were the Petrification Lizards' eyes—those pale gray orbs could shoot out rays that stiffened their victims, earning them their name.

"Three Petrification Lizards, one male and two females—a common family unit," Jose muttered to himself, narrowing his eyes as he stared at his opponents.

Petrification Lizards were a supernatural species that fell somewhere in the middle of the food chain. Before an adult dragon, they were as harmless as kittens. But Jose was no adult dragon. He estimated he could take on two at once, but three would only result in a draw.

He decided to be cautious, lest he capsize in a ditch. He glanced at his twenty-two servants, including the Kobold brothers.

Following the typical evil dragon's approach, he would send his servants to charge ahead while he waited for an opportunity on the sidelines. But that would lead to heavy casualties among his followers.

Jose didn't want to see casualties. He didn't consider himself a good dragon, but he had his principles.

"Since they're following me, it's my duty to take responsibility for my underlings' safety." That was his thinking.

"Sorda! Ergou! Each of you lead ten warriors to handle one Petrification Lizard. You don't need to win—just hold them off. I'll take down my opponent as fast as I can and then back you up."

"Yes, sir!"

"Leave the two females to you! Go!" With that, Jose canceled the Body Shrinking Spell, and his body rapidly expanded.

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