Ashen Dragon

After speaking, he deliberately released a Divine Arts to isolate the sound, enveloping the two in a thin black mist.

Duca glared at him before complaining, "But you guessed it right, these are all going to be sent to the Dragon Breeding Pool as fodder."

"That damned human Duke won a battle in the North, angering the Lord of the Rot Swamp, and now wants to send a great army to punish, so the demand for breeding Dragon Beasts surged, and the target for the consumables needed to breed them fell entirely on us."

"Damn it, our town didn't have many people to begin with, let alone with people hiding all over the place, now they're even taking women to make up the numbers. If we keep catching, there'll be no one to serve us!"

"In a few days, we also have to offer gold and silver treasures worth at least five thousand Gold Coins. By then, even if we flip over the floors of those poor wretches' homes, we won't find enough!"

At this, Duca became even more furious, stomping hard on the ground, causing the wood plank to make a "crack" sound as it snapped, nearly letting his foot get stuck in the swamp.

Duca, vexed and frustrated with nowhere to vent his anger, slapped Leiden across the face, leaving a clear red mark on his right cheek.

"Damn it! Can't you be careful?!"

Leiden covered his face but kept smiling like nothing happened: "My lord, I sincerely apologize. We're almost through this swamp, and you can have a rest there."

Even though his heart was filled with dissatisfaction, Leiden definitely couldn't bring it out, after all, Duca was a "Dragonborn" one Level above him.

This was the lineage system of the Dragon Worshiper Church, clearly divided levels, strictly hierarchical, with Duca's blood purity, even killing him on the spot would concern no one.

And any act of rebellion from him would mean being thrown into the Dragon Breeding Ground and doomed to a death sentence as consumables.

Fortunately, after that slap, Duca vented most of his anger, just waving his hand impatiently: "Get lost, get lost."

Not far ahead was the edge of the swamp, and they could seize the opportunity to rest for a while, gather their energy, so they could continue traveling.

As for the commoners behind them?

In the eyes of the cultists, they weren't even considered human, but sacrifices, consumables to be thrown into the Dragon Breeding Pool.

Three days ago, Duca, under the pretense of "looking for servants for the noble giant dragons", conducted a grand capture in the town, intending to send these commoners all the way to Lin Ying City.

Due to the thick mist above the swamp, the cultists couldn't see the path ahead, but they saw several vague figures emerging in the fog, tall and short, blocking directly in front of them.

Leiden whispered a reminder: "My lord, it's said there have been many rebels around here lately, we should be cautious..."

"Stop the nonsense!"

Duca's face turned stern as he pulled a Dragon Claw Staff from his robe sleeve, pointing it at those blurry figures, and shouted: "Who are you? We are the convoy heading to Lin Ying City! Carrying out the mission of the Lord of the Rot Swamp!"

Other cultists also shouted vigorously: "If you know what's good for you, get out of the way! Or don't blame us for being ruthless!"

However, what responded to them was a rather sharp roar, and the mist ahead gradually dispersed, revealing the true forms of the figures enveloped within.

Bright crimson scales, golden vertical pupils, sharp claws and fangs, a slender tail...

Feeling the overwhelming sulfur scent, the faint Dragon's Might, Duca's pupils shrank into needles, cold sweat streaming down his forehead, secretly thinking this was bad.

That was actually a dragon!

And not just any dragon, it was a Red Dragon, the most revered and powerful among the five-colored dragons! Although this Red Dragon was only the size of a horse, appearing rather immature, it should just be a young dragon, but definitely not one their low-bloodline Dragonborn could afford to provoke.

Moreover, being the one to "initiate" provocation, if this Red Dragon were to kill him, the Dragon Worship Church would likely not utter a fart.

Duca looked behind the Red Dragon, seeing several Dragonborn humanoid creatures, including a female wizard with dragon horns, a Berserker covered in scales, and a Knight leading a Bipedal Wyvern——each of them had a higher degree of Dragonification than he did!

Having such powerful Dragonborn as servants, this young Red Dragon's status was definitely not low!

Given this, if the other side did not use a Transformation Spell...

Without the slightest hesitation, Duca fell to his knees with a thud, looked up at the Red Dragon, and cried out for mercy: "Oh noble and powerful Red Dragon, it is we, who were blind to your greatness, who have offended you!"

Before he could finish speaking, the cultists behind him also knelt down in unison, and even the commoners followed suit, prostrating fearfully on the ground.

After all, it was well known that Red Dragons were the most brutal and insane of the five-colored dragons, and they could end up as the dragon's snack without a chance of a proper burial.

"Despicable scum! Only now do you realize that?"

The Red Dragon on the other side sneered, walking over leisurely to step on Duca's head with its dragon claw, slamming his face harshly into the ground: "Who allowed you to lift your head and gaze upon me? Scum?"

The sharp dragon claws pierced Duca's scalp, causing blood to gush from his head, the intense pain striking from above, yet Duca found it only natural, without shame, even showing a smile.

This familiar insult, the arrogant tone, the posture of treating him as garbage—this Red Dragon in front must be real!

The young Red Dragon, or Mantou, was taken aback, and reluctantly let go of its claws, stepped back a few steps, and thought to itself: Could this be a masochistic pervert?

All Duca's body floated above the ground, with his forehead pressed against the dirt, saying in an ingratiating tone, "Master Red Dragon, we are willing to follow your orders, may we know your name?"

Did he really enjoy being stepped on?

Listening to Duca's tone, Mantou felt a tingling sensation on his scalp and angrily shouted, "Lowly human, do you deserve to know my name? Gou Dan, hit him!"

Upon hearing these words, Singo's mouth twitched slightly, but he suppressed the urge to thrash Mantou and rushed in front of Duca, gathering all his strength, and kicked him in the stomach.

"Pff—"

Duca flew backward, spouting a mouthful of blood, rolling several times on the ground, nearly crashing into the crowd of commoners.

"Gou Dan, well done."

Mantou nodded with satisfaction, sweeping his oppressive gaze around, saying, "Did you see that? This is the consequence of defying me!"

Beside him, Summer Night Autumn Rain took a step forward, with a cold voice, "Our master is the offspring of the great Ancient Red Dragon of the North, here by the decree of Her Majesty the Dragon Queen. From now on, you must follow his orders. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Master."

Everyone, looking at Duca with a mouth full of blood, hurriedly nodded in agreement.

Far away, Duca felt cold inside, as if falling into an ice cave. Is this Red Dragon trying to get rid of him?

No, he must survive! It was hard to become a Dragonborn, enjoying power and fortune in town; how could he die casually here?

He has to please this Red Dragon!

With this thought, Duca's expression turned frantic, and he crawled up using his hands and feet, grabbed a nearby woman, and dragged her by the wrist forward.

"You, what are you going to do?" The woman struggled incessantly.

But Duca, as a Dragonborn, had far more strength than the woman, dragging her forcibly to the front and flinging her before the Red Dragon, shouting:

"Master, it's her! This damned female human pointed you out, causing us to mistake you for an enemy!"

Duca grinned maliciously, "Well then, as punishment, let her become your food! It would be this scum's honor."

"No, Master!"

"Not me! I didn't!"

The woman knelt on the ground, tears streaming, crying to defend herself, but no one spoke for her.

In the hearts of the cultists, she was already a completely dead person.

Duca's mouth curved into a cruel smile—he had already envisioned the scene when the woman's flesh is torn apart by sharp fangs and the Red Dragon feasting heartily on the gruesome, bloody corpse.

Until then, the brainless Red Dragon, once sated, would surely forget about the previous unpleasantness, and then...

Soon, a hot air stream rushed towards him.

Duca raised his head in shock, only to see dazzling fire reflecting in his eyes, "Wait, Master, aren't you—"

"Boom!"

A thunderous crash sounded as a massive fireball hit him directly on the head, engulfing his skull, leaving only a charred headless corpse.

Duca just died like that!

The cultists were hugely shocked, their hearts trembling, instinctively looking towards the source of the fireball.

Not far away, the female Dragonborn magician had a cold expression, with wisps of black smoke emanating from her outstretched palm.

"I have said..."

Mantou, transformed into the Red Dragon, swept a fierce look across the trembling cultists, his voice icy cold, "I don't like others making decisions for me. Do you understand?"

Facing the charred headless corpse, the cultists gulped down their saliva, nodding repeatedly.