In the late autumn night wind, Qili Greyscale hunched over as he darted swiftly through the woods, like a ghost in the darkness.
By then, he had already left the territory of the Greyscale Kobold Tribe and entered the hunting grounds of the Moss Hide Gnoll Tribe.
At the thought of seeing that terrifying Gnoll Shaman again, Qili could not help but shudder.
If he had a choice, he would not have wanted to betray his own people, but he had no choice.
Awooo~!
The wolf howl shattered the silence of the night. Qili Greyscale immediately went on full alert, pulling something from his loincloth and gripping it tightly in his hand.
The howl had come from Dire Wolves raised by the Gnolls. They were the Gnolls' hunting companions, sentinels of the night, and the nightmares of the Greyscale Kobolds. If not for the item in his hand, he would never have dared approach.
After a while, pairs of glowing green eyes appeared in the forest ahead. They stared fixedly at the intruder, sending chills down his spine.
As the dangerous presence drew nearer, he hurriedly raised the item in his hand. It was a fang—or, more precisely, a wolf fang.
With the wolf fang in hand, Qili felt much bolder. Whether there was anyone in the forest ahead or not, he shouted, "Take me to see Lord Mosa!"
A Dire Wolf as huge as a fine horse silently emerged from the shadows and stepped into the moonlight. Its nose wrinkled, exposing its interlocking fangs, while foul-smelling saliva seeped through its teeth and dripped from its chin.
Fortunately, the Dire Wolf was controlled by a master. A Gnoll rode on its back, a whip hanging from his waist and a spear in his hand.
The spear flicked the wolf fang from the Kobold's hand into the air. The Gnoll caught it, brought it to his nose for a sniff, then tossed it back to the Kobold. He squeezed his legs around the Dire Wolf's flanks and turned away.
"Follow me."
After passing through the jungle, Qili followed the Gnoll Ranger to the Moss Hide Gnoll Main Camp.
The Moss Hide Gnoll Main Camp was built atop a low mountain. All trees within two hundred meters of the mountain had been felled, and large rocks and other obstacles had been cleared away.
Further in stood a log palisade encircling the foot of the mountain. Watchtowers were positioned at intervals along it, and the sentries atop them had an unobstructed view of everything around the tribe.
Led by the Gnoll Ranger, Qili Greyscale passed smoothly through the camp gate and entered the Gnoll tribe.
Like the Kobolds, the Gnoll tribe had countless filthy hide tents. Only near the center of the tribe, around the mountain peak, stood several houses made of wood and straw. These were the residences of the tribe's upper class.
At the very summit stood a spacious stone house.
By human standards, the stone house was merely passable, but by the standards of wilderness monsters, it was undoubtedly a magnificent structure.
After bringing Qili before the stone house, the Gnoll Ranger exchanged a few words with the guards stationed there. One of them opened the door and gestured for Qili to enter.
He waited for a while in the cavernous, dark hall of the stone house.
Creak~
An aged Gnoll entered, leaning on a cane with his back bent low. The tap-tap of the cane against the ground rang especially clearly through the silent stone house.
Qili Greyscale shuddered and lowered his head even further. He knew that though the old Gnoll before him looked frail and weak, he actually concealed immense power beyond ordinary comprehension.
"Speak. What did you see?"
"..."
A while later, in a dark underground chamber, the Advanced Stage Gnoll Arcanist—Mosa Moss Hide—stood respectfully with his hands at his sides, recounting the intelligence brought by the Kobold to the elf upon the Thorn Throne.
After hearing her subordinate's report, Olivia, the Green Dragon in elf form, curled her lips into a mocking smile.
"Developing agriculture to stockpile food, forging armor and training soldiers, brainwashing slogans and loyalty education. What an unprofessional little red whelp~."
That was right. In the eyes of orthodox Five-Colored Evil Dragons, Red Dragons truly were creatures who neglected their proper business.
Developing agriculture and stockpiling food?
What was the point of all that useless nonsense? It could not even be eaten—dragons liked meat. Was it all for those lowly wretches rolling around in the mud? Ridiculous. Would it not be better if those worthless vermin simply died?
Training soldiers and forging weapons?
A dragon's greatest strength was itself, not some mundane army. A great dragon merely needed to eat and sleep well, then draw power from its bloodline as time passed and grow ever stronger.
Brainwashing slogans and loyalty education?
That was even more absurd. Monsters worshipped the unmatched power of dragonkind. With sufficient strength to deter them, none would dare betray you. Without strength, everything was a castle in the air.
Seeing that his master was in high spirits, Mosa Moss Hide tentatively spoke up from the side. "Great Master Olivia, under your wise leadership, we have already uncovered the enemy's foundations. Your most loyal servant is ready to present you with a great victory. Give the order, and I will immediately bring that little whelp back to you bound hand and foot."
"No, cancel the attack plan." After giving it some thought, Olivia waved a hand.
After learning that she had gained another dragon as a neighbor, she had ordered her subordinates to plant spies and gather intelligence while preparing for war. Yet now that she knew of her opponent's plan to attack in winter, she was no longer in a hurry.
The desire for schemes and conspiracies ran deep in Green Dragon blood. Toying with an opponent in the palm of their hand excited and satisfied them far more than crudely destroying them.
"Since he will deliver himself to my doorstep, why not give him a surprise?"
Her opponent was merely a Juvenile Red Dragon, while she was a Young Green Dragon nearing adulthood. Even if Red Dragons were the foremost among the Five-Colored Evil Dragons, the gap between them was two full age categories. The Red Dragon had no possibility of victory.
In Olivia's eyes, victory was already within reach. She intended to savor the process.
"Ha ha ha~, I really want to see what expression that little Red Dragon whelp makes when he sees me~."
Just imagining the Red Dragon thinking victory was certain and brimming with high spirits, only for her to suddenly appear and shatter his beautiful dream, filled her with incomparable excitement.
"Surprise! Panic! Abandoning everything and fleeing in disgrace! Mm..."
"That will not do." Upon the Thorn Throne, Olivia muttered to herself, "A Red Dragon would make a fine enforcer. Capture him, tame him, and make him submit forever beneath the feet of the great Olivia."
I have an excellent plan. Once he reaches adulthood, I will have the Red Dragon wander around and lure those foolish Dragon Slaying Warriors over, and then...
"Oh ho ho ho ho ho ho ho~." Thinking of the most satisfying part, Olivia could not help but laugh aloud.
Mosa Moss Hide had long since grown accustomed to this. He had witnessed such scenes many times. Whenever he heard that kind of laughter, someone was bound to suffer misfortune.
Once his master's laughter stopped, he knew his task was about to arrive.
"Master, please grant your next instructions."
"Hold position for now. But we cannot let that unprofessional little whelp remain idle just like that." Olivia's lips curled into a teasing, sinister smile.