Ashen Dragon

Lakede knelt on the ground, his whole body trembling violently, with a mixture of fear, anxiety, and wild joy inside him.

Duca was dead just like that, and by holding onto the leg of this juvenile Red Dragon before him, he could naturally become the highest-ranking person in this cult group.

Then he could become a true Dragonborn, with a noble status, a long life, and immense strength!

Just like the former Duca!

And what did this Red Dragon need? He needed someone to help him manage the team and cover up Duca's death from the Church.

After all, with the greed of giant dragons, even the loss of a single silver coin would set them ablaze with fury.

With this in mind, he hesitated only for a moment before gritting his teeth, summoning all his courage, and crawled forward, dragging Duca's headless corpse to throw it into the swamp.

Soon, the piranhas and crocodiles in the swamp came swarming, greedily devouring the still warm corpse, infused with Dragon Blood.

Lakede knelt on the ground and carefully said, "Great Dragon, Duca of Black Forest Town was attacked by the Rebel Army and fell into the swamp by accident. You had nothing to do with it; I will report it truthfully to the Church."

"By the way, my name is Lakede, the adjutant of this team."

Not far away, the juvenile Red Dragon nodded, satisfied, "You're clever enough; from now on, you will replace this scum as the transport team's leader."

Kneeling on the ground, Lakede's face was full of joy, and he cried out with excitement, "Thank you for your blessing, Great Dragon! I am willing to become your most loyal servant!"

"Rise."

The juvenile Red Dragon glanced at him and said calmly.

Lakede quickly stood up and glanced at the woman, who was trembling all over and almost fainting from fear, hesitating, "My lord, what about this woman..."

"Let her return to the team, and do not act without authorization," the juvenile Red Dragon instructed.

"Yes, my lord."

Lakede led the shivering woman back to the team, then returned to the forefront of the team to lead the way for this "noble Ancient Dragon's Son."

Then, he ordered the cultists to bring the best wine and roast meat, serving the juvenile Red Dragon at his side for his enjoyment, and even presented the looted gold and jewels to the young dragon.

Mantou walked in the middle of the team, enjoying the cultists' meticulous service, feeling extremely comfortable, and thought to himself:

"Is this what it feels like to be above others, no, above dragons?"

"One word, awesome!"

For a moment, he even had the impulse to join the Dragon Worship Church, thinking that the treatment toward Dragonborn was too good!

But soon, his interface notified him — it was a message from Singo.

Singo: Mantou, take this opportunity to extract some intel from that cult NPC, and have them speed up their actions.

I'm Going to Eat Mantou: Why? My loyal servant Gou Dan~ [smirk emoji#]

Singo: Get lost, and don't forget that you needed a form solidifying scroll to maintain the dragon form. If the spell wears off after two days, we're done for.

Natural War Maniac: Mantou, am I also your loyal servant? What name will you give me? [cracking knuckles#]

I'm Going to Eat Mantou: No, no, War Maniac Bro, I'm just about to gather intel [dry laugh#]

Summer Night Autumn Rain: Not off yet?

Mantou closed the team chat awkwardly and put on a proud face, quietly calling out: "Lakede."

"My lord."

Upon hearing this, Lakede quickly approached, bowing and waiting for orders.

Mantou glanced at him, letting out a puff of white smoke from his nostrils, "I have some questions for you."

Upon hearing this, Lakede took out a wooden staff and cast the sound-isolating trick, responding with a fawning smile, "My lord, speak, I assure you, I won't hold back anything."

"Why are you transporting these humans to Lin Ying City?"

"They are all sacrifices," Lakede said softly, as if worried the other hadn't understood, and continued to explain:

"Only by sacrificing enough souls, flesh, and wealth will the great Five-Colored Dragon Queen and Dark Lady bless us, allowing more Dragon Beasts to emerge from the Dragon Breeding Pool."

"You may not know, but recently, some arrogant humans have started a rebellion in the North, wanting to overthrow our Dragon Worship Church's rule. The Lord of the Rot Swamp has commanded us to collect more sacrifices to create a Dragon Beast Corps strong enough to sweep across Seleucis."

"It's truly despicable."

Mantou casually scolded, inwardly cursing the cultists using humans as sacrifices and the cruel, tyrannical giant dragons.

Lakede agreed indignantly, "Yes, these humans are extremely vile, wanting to overthrow the rule of dragons!"

Though their thoughts were worlds apart, their words coincided.

Mantou pondered for a moment and then asked, "Who is the current overseer of Lin Ying City?"

Lakede responded, "It's Lord Gottfried, a powerful Ancient Green Dragon and one of the many offspring of the Lord of the Rot Swamp. Do you wish to see him?"

Mantou glanced at him and said coldly, "That's none of your concern."

Lakede immediately lowered his head, "Apologies, my lord, I was presumptuous."

Mantou, however, switched the topic again, "But... do you want to become a Dragonborn?"

Lakede suppressed his excitement and said, "Of course, my lord. What do you need me to do?"

Ordinary humans can only undergo the baptism in the Dragon Breeding Pool and receive Tiamat's blessing to become Dragonborn; the requirements are extremely strict, typically requiring the offering of vast treasures to gain such an opportunity.