Trivial Matters

In the dragon's lair, there was one more elf. Jose's life didn't change much; he ate what he ate, slept what he slept. The elven pursuers he had originally worried about never showed up.

The days passed like this, and in the blink of an eye, five days had gone by.

These five days were peaceful, with no major events. At least, that's how it was for Jose. But for the kobolds, something earth-shattering and far-reaching had happened.

A kobold had received a reward from the great True Dragon and become a Dragonkin, envied and revered by all.

If a warrior with outstanding achievements had received this reward, it wouldn't have been enough to cause such a strong shock among ordinary kobolds. The key was that the one who received this honor was an underage child.

The reason this child was rewarded was that he had discovered a new food – chestnuts.

On the peak of a high mountain, while collecting pinecones, an inconspicuous green prickly ball caught the kobold child's attention. Pinecones that seemed inedible hid edible pine nuts, which gave him inspiration.

Curiously, he peeled off the outer shell, revealing the brown nut inside. He cracked the nut open and found that the kernel inside was also edible, just like the pine nuts.

Excitedly, he reported the news to the leading captain. After layers of reporting, the news eventually reached Jose's ears.

After careful consideration, Jose rewarded the kobold child by making him a Dragonkin, thereby creating an upward incentive to encourage ordinary kobolds to explore the unknown and become self-reliant.

Without any behind-the-scenes push, the news spread like wildfire among the ordinary kobolds.

In a primitive society where the strong prey on the weak, only the strong deserved respect. Ordinary kobolds had always thought that only the strong deserved the favor of True Dragons, but the appearance of the little kobold Dragonkin shattered this fixed mindset.

In the following period, many kobolds, in order to become Dragonkin overnight, transformed into Shennong, tasting hundreds of herbs. As a result, there were several incidents of food poisoning.

Seeing the miserable state of the poisoned individuals, this trend of tasting herbs slowed down slightly, and Jose's objective had been achieved.

In the empty dragon's lair, the burning brazier emitted a bright light, dispelling the darkness.

Ergou walked in with two kobolds. The two kobolds were also carrying a large basin filled with the newly discovered food – chestnuts.

Compared to pine nuts, chestnuts were larger, and one tree could support more people, making them more practical. Jose had listed them as a key development project, and methods for processing and preserving chestnuts were also key areas of exploration.

Ergou walked up to the sleeping Red Dragon, placed the large basin in front of him, and bowed: "Master, according to the method you gave us, we stir-fried the chestnuts with sand. Here is the finished product."

Jose glanced at it. The stir-fried chestnuts were reddish-brown. Because a little pine oil was added during the stir-frying process, they looked glossy. A cross-shaped notch was made on them with a small knife, revealing the golden kernel inside, emitting an enticing aroma.

Seeing the Red Dragon wave its claws, Ergou bowed and retreated.

"Tilly."

In the vine hut, the resting Elven Maiden heard the call, rubbed her sleepy eyes, and yawned as she came out.

In these few days, the Elven Maiden had initially adapted to cave life and found her place in kobold society.

Just as Jose had thought, as a Druid apprentice, Tilly possessed solid foundational knowledge of plants, making significant contributions to the cultivation and animal husbandry that the kobolds were exploring.

In addition, she also understood herbalism and used her herbal knowledge to treat some sick kobolds, which earned her the respect of almost all the kobolds. Even Ergou's opinion of her had changed considerably, manifesting as him proactively meeting the little elf's needs regarding food.

"Oh, is this the newly discovered food?"

The Elven Maiden, who had just woken up, saw the large basin in front of the Red Dragon and walked over. After a few days of interaction, she was no longer afraid of this peculiar Red Dragon.

Indeed, in Tilly's mind, Jose was a peculiar being, and not just a little bit.

First, there was his sleep schedule. Like all dragons, this Red Dragon was prone to sleeping, but unlike other dragons that slept for days, he was awake for about eight hours each day.

Secondly, regarding familiars, through communication with the kobolds, she learned that pine nuts and mushrooms were all created by the Red Dragon. Moreover, she hadn't seen the Red Dragon lose his temper with anyone during these days, which was a miracle for a cruel and ill-tempered Red Dragon.

However, Tilly wouldn't think she was facing a well-behaved good dragon because of this.

The large-scale trained army and the never-extinguished furnace of the Minotaur blacksmith all indicated that the Red Dragon was preparing for a war. Her conversation with Ergou directly confirmed her thoughts.

"This is a newly discovered food, its name is chestnut," Jose pushed the large basin towards the little elf.

Tilly was flattered.

Mr. Dragon is quite kind-hearted, actually calling me to wake up to eat delicious food.

Her nimble fingers peeled off the hard shell, revealing the glossy golden kernel inside. She put the kernel into her mouth, and it melted upon biting, with a soft, sweet, and mouth-watering texture.

Delicious!

The Elven Maiden narrowed her eyes, her face showing enjoyment.

Jose's face darkened, and he questioned, "I asked you to peel it for me, why did you eat it yourself?!"

Tilly: ???

"Objection!"

"Objection overruled, this is also part of the job."

Finally, the weak and outnumbered Elven Maiden succumbed to the tyrannical power of the Evil Dragon BOSS and became a tool for peeling.

"Damn bad boss, heartless," Tilly muttered softly as she peeled.

After peeling one nut, she glanced at the resting Red Dragon with her peripheral vision. While the Red Dragon wasn't paying attention, she swiftly popped the peeled nut into her mouth, chewed it gently, and showed a satisfied expression.

Earned another one~.

Although Jose had his eyes closed, the Elven Maiden's swallowing sound was so obvious, but he was too lazy to expose her.

In fact, the reason Jose made the Elven Maiden his tool was not because he was lazy, nor was it a twisted pleasure of exploiting employees; it was because a dragon's claws were really unsuitable for such tasks.

While Jose was leisurely enjoying the Elven Maiden's service, the half-month training also concluded. Kobold warriors from various tribes returned, which was part of the plan.

After the trained kobold warriors returned home, the remaining half of the warriors would come to the Bloodtooth Mines to repeat what their predecessors had experienced: warrior training and loyalty indoctrination.

By the time the second batch of kobold warriors finished their training, winter would also be upon them.

After surviving half a winter with ample food, it would be time for Jose to exterminate the Moss Hide Gnolls and unify the Moduo Peak Forest. Following that, he would turn his attention to the Triangle Plains...

Amidst the fervent training sounds of the kobolds and the clanging of the minotaurs' smithing, everything proceeded in an orderly fashion according to plan.

However, what Jose didn't know was that a kobold, having finished its training and returned to the tribe, snuck out of the mines under the cover of darkness and ventured into the unknown jungle.

PS: The "Lurking in the Woods" arc has concluded, and a new chapter begins. That's all for today, see you tomorrow.

Thanks to the four readers, 悱恻迷廊 for 100 coins, Yayla for 500 coins, 却也枉然 for 500 coins, and 小胡子萌 for 100 coins, for their tips.