The Great Rift

The familiar led the way, and Jose ducked into the tunnel at the end of Living Area Number One.

Inside the deep tunnel, Ergou explained as they walked, "Master, we are now heading to Living Area Number Two. It is still in use."

"The tribe's population isn't large, so Living Area Number Two isn't full. We've utilized the extra space to create an incubation base using dried grass collected from the Great Prairie."

That's right, kobolds, like great dragons, are oviparous. Female kobolds can lay eggs twice a year, with each clutch containing between four and nine eggs.

Generally, almost all eggs hatch successfully, but the survival rate is less than forty percent. Diseases, starvation, and competition from their own kind are all obstacles in the growth path of kobold young.

"I wonder how many eggs were ruined by Petrification Lizards before," Ergou sighed wistfully.

Exiting the tunnel, the view opened up dramatically. It was a giant space, about the same size as Living Area Number One. Half of the space was occupied by kobold tents, and the other half was covered with dense piles of dried grass. In each pile was a small indentation, holding kobold eggs about the size of a fist.

Unfortunately, most of the grass piles had been trampled and collapsed by large creatures, and the eggs within had vanished. Some grass piles still had broken eggshells, but there was no sign of the young kobolds that should have hatched.

Jose, using his height advantage, scanned the area. Judging by the number of intact grass piles, eighty percent of the Bloodtooth Tribe's kobold eggs had been destroyed. However, it wasn't a major problem. With sufficient food, the lost numbers could be quickly replenished.

Seeing the giant Red Dragon arrive, a kobold soldier who had been searching among the grass piles walked over, cradling a kobold young about the size of a cat.

The kobold soldier approached Jose, lowering his head. "Master, we found a few little ones hiding in the grass piles. They were fortunate enough to escape the terrible enemies, but they couldn't escape starvation. This young one is the only survivor."

Jose glanced at the small kobold. Newly born kobolds were a tender, pale pink overall. Their nascent claws and scales were semi-transparent crystals, making them look rather cute.

However, its eyes were closed, its breathing was weak, and its heartbeat could stop at any moment.

Beside him, Ergou frowned. "It's beyond saving. This young one has lost consciousness and cannot eat."

Female kobolds have no secondary sexual characteristics, and newborn kobolds do not require milk. Like great dragons, they consume eggshells for nutrients and can then eat food. However, a comatose young one couldn't feed.

"Throw it away."

"Wait," Jose said, stopping the kobold soldier who was about to turn away, and taking the young one from him.

"Meeting me is your good fortune."

As he spoke, magic surged from his dragon claws, mixed with wisps of blood mist. Dust-like dragon blood seeped into the kobold young's skin. The young one's body temperature rapidly rose, turning its skin a lobster-red and emitting steam, but its heart beat more vigorously.

Watching this scene, the kobold soldier beside them was filled with envy and jealousy, wishing he could be in the young one's place.

Ergou looked on with a complex expression. "Lucky little one."

"Take him down."

The kobold soldier quickly took the young one, and Jose and Ergou continued their tour.

However, Living Area Number Two differed slightly from Living Area Number One. There were four tunnels leading to other areas, located in the north, south, east, and west.

"Heh, so it's a network structure. I thought it was a chain structure."

Although Ergou didn't understand the exact meaning of "network structure" and "chain structure," he could grasp some of it from the literal meaning. "It is indeed a network structure, as wise as you are."

Jose glanced askance at his familiar.

Never mind, he thought. His 'wise' is just literal. This world is still quite pure; a chrysanthemum is still just a flower...

Jose saw a kobold soldier carrying several young kobold corpses disappear into a nearby tunnel and felt a bit curious. "Where are they taking the bodies?"

"To be discarded. Living Area Number Three has a Great Rift where waste like excrement and mine slag is thrown," Ergou said, letting out a sigh of relief. Just a sideways glance had made him feel immense pressure.

Accompanying the lord is like accompanying a tiger.

Jose was unaware of his familiar's inner thoughts but was more interested in the Great Rift he mentioned. "Let's go see."

"As you wish."

After walking for a while, the dragon and his servant arrived at Living Area Number Three. Compared to areas one and two, area three was much more dilapidated. It was likely uninhabited after the Bloodtooth Tribe split.

More than exploring the history of the Bloodtooth Kobold Tribe, Jose was more interested in the Great Rift. The Great Rift was located on the edge of Living Area Number Three, a fissure in the ground. The width of the rift varied from half a meter to two meters.

Jose went to the widest part of the rift and looked down from above.

It was deep! Extremely deep!

The visible depth alone was over two thousand meters. Further down, his vision was blocked by irregularly protruding rocks, but he could see a hazy red glow, the light emitted by magma deep within the earth's crust.

"What's going on with this rift? Have you explored it?"

"Respected Master, I heard that when this rift was first discovered, the tribe explored it, but found nothing and many people died. The Chieftain at the time regarded the rift as an ill omen and forbade the tribesmen from exploring further. I don't know anything more."

"Alright," Jose said, sticking his head into the rift. He felt the airflow.

"There's wind, so it connects."

Determining the wind direction, he looked towards the source of the wind. Unfortunately, the rift's surface was not a smooth cut; it was covered with irregular protrusions. In wider sections, it was wide enough for Jose to pass through, while in narrower sections, it was only as wide as a finger.

He sniffed, trying to analyze the scent molecules carried by the wind, but the sulfurous smell of the underground lava interfered with his sense of smell. He didn't gain much, only analyzing a unique plant scent.

A plant scent completely different from surface plants – dark, with a faint hint of decay…

"Could it be connected to the Black Forest in the Underdark?" Jose muttered to himself.

The possibility was high!

The Underdark was one of the most mysterious and dangerous regions on the Tydanore Continent. It consisted of numerous vast caverns connected by tunnels. The largest of these caverns was like a miniature reflection of the surface, containing terrains such as hills, forests, lakes, and underground rivers.

The vast Underdark was home to a rich variety of species, no less abundant than those on the surface, most of which were evil, such as the well-known Dark Elves, Gray Dwarves, Beholders, Mind Flayers, Kuo-toa, and so on.

The Black Forest was one of the native ecosystems of the Underdark. It received no sunlight year-round, and the dark energy eroded the forest, twisting the plants into forms completely different from surface plants – twisted, dark, and carrying a scent of decay.

Few people liked the Black Forest, aside from deviants and necromancers, because the plants within were poisonous to life.

As a result, the most common method for subterranean civilizations was to burn the Black Forest to the ground. If the Black Forest remained unburned, it meant it hadn't been discovered by intelligent races, or at least hadn't been developed.

Jose's eyes flickered.

The undeveloped Underdark presented both opportunities and risks.

Legend had it that the Elven Dynasty, which once dominated the continent, originated from the Underdark after fortunate elves unearthed ruins of a lost ancient civilization.

Some profited, while others suffered. A human kingdom once discovered an undeveloped part of the Underdark and, without proper reconnaissance, rushed in. The consequence was the release of a plague curse sealed underground, bringing ruin to the entire nation.

The Underdark was that dangerous, yet that alluring.

"Your ancestors made a wise choice to stop exploring."

Jose turned and left. He wouldn't touch this rift until he was an adult.

"We continue."