Arrival

After ending the mental communication, Jose felt quite displeased. This was the first time a familiar had played a trick on him.

After a moment of thought, he let it go.

It was normal for merchants to seek profit. Moreover, the Boarman merchant wasn't a subordinate Dragonkin who worshipped dragons, nor was it a Harpy with a request for him. It became a familiar more out of necessity.

However, this incident also served as a reminder: a Familiar Contract wasn't brainwashing. While it could largely guarantee a familiar wouldn't betray him, it couldn't ensure they would wholeheartedly dedicate themselves to his cause.

To prevent familiars from slacking off, he would need to combine reward and punishment mechanisms, employing both strictness and leniency. This would foster a positive atmosphere among his familiars and maximize their individual value.

Jose gradually formed a plan.

Three days later.

Under the escort of the Harpy's aerial reconnaissance, the Boarman merchant, along with his newly assembled caravan, safely crossed the Triangle Plains and entered the Moduo Peak Forest. Strong Boarmen pushed wooden unicycles, forming a long line that weaved through the forest. The heavy wheels left tracks in the soft forest floor.

At the forefront of the caravan, the Boarman merchant, Hulk, glanced back at the unicycles loaded with grain. He then looked at the seven Minotaur blacksmiths, who were twice his size, and felt a surge of pride. He turned to the Kobold who was leading the way as ordered.

"Mr. Ergou, these unicycles are filled with high-quality barley that I specifically purchased as a gift for Master... Lord," the Boarman suddenly remembered Jose's instruction not to reveal his existence and quickly corrected himself.

"This batch of grain is enough for a hundred Kobolds to safely get through the winter. Will it be enough to cover your tribe's grain shortage?"

"Heh heh," Ergou continued walking, not even turning his head.

In the past, such a large amount of grain would have made him ecstatic and deeply grateful to the Boarman merchant. But now... it was merely a trifle.

At this thought, Ergou felt boundless reverence and gratitude towards Jose, as all these changes were brought about by the Red Dragon.

"Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Hulk. The Bloodtooth Tribe does not lack grain."

He paused, then thought that the Boarman merchant had good intentions. "However, barley is something we don't have here. My master will surely like it."

The Boarman harbored deep doubts about the Kobold's words.

The Great Plains, though primitive, still had commercial activity. The native inhabitants of the plains traded local specialties like animal furs for human grain. Although they suffered hunger in winter, starvation was rare.

The Gloomy Forest, on the other hand, was a truly primitive land. Dangerous Extraordinary Beasts, savage native tribes, and a complex natural environment deterred most merchants from venturing into the forest.

Every winter, a considerable number of monsters froze or starved to death in the forest. At times, wars even broke out. Regardless of the outcome, both sides always had something to cook after the battle.

Was this Kobold bragging?

Hulk subtly glanced at Ergou. Seeing the Kobold's calm demeanor, he didn't seem like he was lying. Hulk frowned.

He felt a sense of unease, realizing his gifts might not be as precious as he had imagined.

He had gone to such lengths to prepare these gifts because he understood that he had displeased his master last time. He was anxious about this meeting, fearing punishment, which led him to rack his brain trying to please Jose.

He looked back towards the middle of the caravan. In the center of the caravan was a different unicycle. It wasn't the unicycle itself that was different, but the cargo on it. Unlike the other unicycles laden with grain sacks, this one carried a large wooden box.

Seeing the wooden box, Hulk felt much more confident.

"This specialty from the depths of the Gloomy Forest is something no Red Dragon would dislike."

Led by Ergou, the Boarman group arrived at the Bloodtooth Mines, before the expanded cave.

Given that Boarmen couldn't see in the dark, Ergou ordered fire basins to be placed at intervals along the walls. In the flickering firelight, the Boarman caravan pushed their unicycles into the Bloodtooth Mines.

Catching a peculiar aroma, the Boarman Hulk twitched his nose. "It smells so good! What kind of oil is in these fire basins? I've never smelled anything like it!"

"As expected of a well-traveled merchant, that's pine oil. We've only started using it recently."

"Pine oil?" The Boarman merchant was confused. He had never heard the term "pine oil" before. "What is pine oil? Is it a new crop?"

"Ummm... It's difficult for me to answer your question. I can only tell you that these changes were brought about by that existence."

"I see."

When all the strange occurrences were linked to the Red Dragon, they became much easier to accept.

They arrived at Living Area Number One, where the goods were left. The accompanying Boarman caravan members were treated to hospitality by the Kobolds, while the Boarman merchant and the Minotaur blacksmiths followed Ergou deeper into the mines.

Passing through deep, dark tunnels, the group reached Living Area Number Four.

Crossing a faint magical barrier, Hulk heard the battle cries of training warriors. In the vast cavern, hundreds of Kobold warriors were sparring with cloth-wrapped weapons.

It wasn't practice! It was real combat!

Seeing a Kobold struck in the mouth by an opponent's whistling wooden club, spitting out bloody, broken teeth, the newcomer's brow twitched.

"Bleeding now is better than losing your life on the battlefield!"

"..."

"You! Are you not eating! Hit harder!"

Crack!

A Kobold, unnaturally strong, patrolled the training grounds. If he spotted anyone slacking off, he would whip them.

Seeing his brothers passing by with guests, the two brothers nodded slightly, acknowledging the greeting.

Passing through the training grounds of the ordinary warriors, the guests saw a unit clearly superior to the regular Kobold soldiers. The whistling sound of their weapons cutting through the air made their scalps tingle.

"They're all formal warriors!"

"There are nearly twenty of them!"

"I never expected this kobold tribe to be so powerful! No wonder they hired us!"

The minotaur blacksmiths whispered amongst themselves.

Hulk's shock was even greater, and he immediately upgraded his assessment of the Bloodtooth Kobolds' strength by a significant margin.

As a well-traveled merchant, Hulk was knowledgeable and understood the prerequisites for the mass production of warriors: sufficient food, preferably meat, to eat their fill.

In an era where a considerable portion of the populace struggled to get enough to eat, only the ruling power of a region could typically meet this condition. But the kobolds survived by foraging and hunting; where did they get so much food?!

After walking for a long time, the group arrived at Living Area Number Eight. They were dumbfounded to see kobold servants feeding young Petrification Lizards in pens with bright red meat.

It was known that adult Petrification Lizards were comparable to Intermediate Stage battle practitioners and possessed a powerful innate magic called Petrification Ray. If the Bloodtooth Kobolds could tame them, then in a few years, the Bloodtooth Tribe would have no rivals in the Triangle Plains.

As they entered the tunnel leading to Living Area Number Nine, everyone smelled a strong scent of sulfur. For some reason, Bill, the burly minotaur blacksmith apprentice, felt uneasy, his heart pounding as if a mouse had smelled a cat.

"Master Black Bull, I have a bad feeling about this."

PS:

1. Welcome new and old friends!

2. Asking for votes at the beginning of the month. Character likes, votes, check-ins, and posting to gain experience are all welcome. Thank you (ω`).

Thanks to waryer for the 500 coin tip.