Ashen Dragon

Chapter 59, 5 years

The snow on Stormy Ridge accumulated and covered the ground, then melted into water, again and again.

In the blink of an eye, five years had passed.

Five years, for a long-lived race like the giant dragons, might pass in the blink of an eye, but for short-lived creatures like humans and goblins, it was enough time for their whole world to undergo massive changes.

What happened during these five years?

First, the number of retainers in the Ashen Nest increased sharply, with its territory continually expanding.

Creatures like kobolds and lizardfolk, which lay eggs, could produce a dozen eggs in one clutch. Meanwhile, live-bearing creatures like goblins were not to be outdone, with an incredibly rapid reproduction rate that could birth seven or eight offspring in a year. This high reproductive rate was a significant factor in the survival of these weaker races in the wild.

Soon, Dragon Valley could no longer accommodate them all.

The retainers had to expand outward.

Now, the territory of the Ashen Nest encompassed the entire Stormy Ridge. Many tribes were conquered and absorbed, and dozens of valleys and caves became the dwelling places of the retainers. Only the most elite and powerful family members could reside in the core of Dragon Valley, receiving the unconscious blessings of the Red Dragon.

Living in Dragon Valley was regarded as an honor.

Even the valley itself had been renamed "Dragon Valley."

In the Ashen Nest, there were currently three chimeras, forty-one bipedal wyverns, sixty-five ogres, four hundred sixty great goblins, three hundred seventy lizardfolk, two hundred four half-goat people, and an uncountable number of goblins and kobolds.

Conservatively estimated, their numbers had reached tens of thousands.

There were also many newly-subjugated minor tribes like the serpentfolk, war lizards, and orcs, who were not listed individually since they paid protection fees only.

Secondly, the entire Stormy Ridge had become the "pasture" and "minefield" of the Ashen Nest.

The great goblins had a long history of beast taming. Like some more civilized races, they used laborers such as cattle and horses to transport goods and weapons over long distances.

They communicated using trained crows and had fierce wolves guard prisoners and protect their camps, and the great goblins of the Ashen Nest did the same.

Under Dolores's leadership, the goblin faction, including great goblins, goblins, and bugbears, intentionally started raising large herbivores like woolly mammoths, aurochs, and giant rhinos, providing ample meat for the retainers. They even began breeding land dragons from the tundra, though there were only three so far.

These enormous creatures would become valuable assets in battle and transportation.

Ramp primarily controlled the ogres, kobolds, lizardfolk, and other retainers.

The numerous goblins and kobolds had now established a massive underground mining network, continuously transporting metals and elemental ores into the valleys.

These metals were smelted in underground furnaces and forged into crude weapons for the army's use. The elemental ores were stored in the Red Dragon's cave as an energy reserve.

However, these creatures were difficult to manage and often tried to escape with gold if there was any lax supervision, so Ramp assigned a considerable number of lizardfolk and ogres as overseers.

During this time, Ramp still served as the steward of the Ashen Nest, approving all matters, even those involving the goblin faction.

Despite Dolores's frequent attempts to undermine and scheme against him in secret, any actions involving her faction still had to be reported to Ramp.

They maintained a facade of peace, ensuring the basic internal order of the Ashen Nest, as none wished to incur the Red Dragon's wrath due to internal strife.

They awaited each other's mistakes, hoping to report their failures to the Red Dragon upon his awakening and seize the opportunity to bring the other down.

Meanwhile, clashes and conflicts between the lower-ranked goblins, kobolds, ogres, and others were countless. Such incidents occurred almost daily, becoming increasingly normalized.

"When the master awakens, he won't stay in that position for long,"

Dolores often told her closest subordinates.

Additionally, the Ashen Nest's interactions with humans became more frequent.

Sgurr Town served as a puppet under the actual control of the Ashen Nest. The "friendly trade" caravans, led by Hart, continuously supplied the Ashen Nest with human-made armor, weapons, and books through trade.

Perhaps due to the bounty orders, almost every few months, ambitious but overconfident adventurers, dreaming of slaying dragons, recklessly ventured into the Ashen Nest.

Ramp welcomed these uninvited and rude guests with what he considered warm hospitality—turning their heads into necklaces and hanging them at the entrance as decoration.

The Ogre Mage commonly lamented why the Red Dragon prohibited him from eating intelligent creatures, as it had been a long time since he savored such "little snacks."

Ramp even captured several who claimed to be nobles, extracting a considerable ransom from their families, or even forcing them to hand over a few spell scrolls before releasing them, significantly enriching his collection of spells.

In fact, the rapid expansion of the Ashen Nest had already drawn the attention of human forces in the Northern Countries.

Not only the Duchy of Rackman but also the Grand Duchy of Boske farther south and the continental-wide organization of justice, the Harpist Alliance, had dispatched scouts to investigate the area, though most scouts never returned.

In the absence of Cassius's awakening, Ramp harbored grand ambitions of world conquest but dared not recklessly start a war with other nations without the Red Dragon's permission.

Thus, while small skirmishes occurred, the Ashen Nest had yet to engage in direct confrontation with any major human force.

Cassius remained in deep slumber for a full five years.

When a True Dragon slept, its intrinsic magical nature caused significant impacts on the surrounding environment. A White Dragon's slumber would cover the ground in frost, a Blue Dragon's slumber would turn the earth into sand, a Black Dragon's slumber would turn forests into swamps, and a Red Dragon's slumber would turn everything into lava.

Cassius did just that, filling the cave with lava.

During this time, whenever the Red Dragon stirred or felt uncomfortable, it produced loud sounds, causing scalding white smoke to emanate from the cave entrance, spurting magma, and even burning several great goblins guarding the entrance.

This overwhelming power aroused both fear and reverence in the retainers.

Meanwhile, Cassius unconsciously released "bloodline gifts."

This influence expanded increasingly in scope and intensity, and now nearly all the retainers in Dragon Valley had transformed into Dragon Vein Creatures, exhibiting distinct Red Dragon characteristics.

The nearby adventurers regarded these creatures as the most dangerous, earning them the fearsome reputation of "evil dragon minions," which no one dared provoke lightly.