The Red Dragon Just Wants To Do As It Pleases

Dragons do not necessarily become more talented the longer they sleep, but sleeping for a lengthy period usually means the dragon had a more substantial 'accumulation' before hibernation. This accumulation during hibernation allows them to receive more knowledge from the Dragon Legacy, whether actively or passively. After all, most ordinary dragons end their hibernation like bears waking from winter sleep—depleted of body fat and roused by sheer hunger. Yet for someone like David, who was still in his wyrmling stage and managed to sleep for seven years straight, Nifadora could not recall ever seeing such a case, nor had she heard of it in the Dragon Legacy.

This duration was essentially within the realm of an adult dragon, like David's mother, the Crimson Calamity Pafila. After all, a young dragon doesn't have many seven-year periods to squander in such a manner.

The David before her, though he appeared nearly skin and bones, had a skeletal frame that was subtly nearing the size of her own as a young Green Dragon. Red Dragons are naturally larger than their other Chromatic Dragon kin, reaching the size of large creatures even as wyrmlings, but witnessing it firsthand still evoked an inexplicable sense of amazement.

This is the natural disparity.

And yet, the Red Dragon before her was an anomaly even among the already exceptional Red Dragons—a genius among geniuses.

"Seven years..." David also heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing this number.

It was somewhat beyond his original expectations, but considering that his five years as a hatchling had mostly passed in sleep, it didn't seem all that shocking.

"Wait, seven years, doesn't that mean I'm already..."

David mumbled to himself, twisting his head to survey his severely emaciated body.

Nifadora, by his side, congratulated him with a face full of smiles and overwhelming emotion, "Yes, congratulations, Prince David Uthos, 'young and promising' indeed."

David, too, cracked a smile and said, "Yes, I guess I finally am a Junior Dragon."

Fifteen years have passed since I was transported to this world.

But before he could indulge in more reflection, his stomach, previously emptied by a blast of Dragon Breath, began to rumble with the protest of muffled thunder. He then heard Nifadora, the Green Dragon, speak, "I have already ordered my subordinates to prepare a lavish luncheon. You can enjoy it whenever you're ready."

"Let's have it now. I am indeed hungry. Nifadora, you always understand dragons so well."

With a Green Dragon housekeeper like Nifadora arranging everything so meticulously, David suddenly thought, Having such a capable and resourceful follower is truly a blessing.

"It is what a follower ought to do." Hearing the rare praise from David, Nifadora's entire plump dragon body quivered and swayed with laughter.

Even Mofei, the White Dragon following behind, felt a little dizzy at the sight. His expression resembled that of an innocent young man gaping at a stunning beach volleyball girl in a bikini.

"Eh?!" The Drow Mage, the only one left behind and seemingly forgotten by the dragons, looked up in confusion. As he watched his Dragon Lord leave with the others, he panicked, unsure whether to follow or stay put where it was presumably safer.

Elsewhere, in a temporary base far from the volcano within the Dragon Nest, David's mouth resembled an Abyssal Depths, devouring an array of roasted products hastily prepared by a Jackalope People 'Cooking Squad' Nifadora had urgently summoned.

**Gluttony**

While this semi-charred food would have been considered a first-class carcinogen before his transmigration, now, as a Red Dragon, it was his favorite. It was an ingrained dietary habit, deep within the bloodline of Red Dragons. It was much like how humans, despite evolving in a few thousand years into an industrial information age with abundant food yet constant worries about health issues, still harbor a special affection for high-calorie fats.

Only when the hunger in his belly subsided did David ask with some curiosity, "Where are Lizrite and Rosinde? Why haven't I seen them?" In his memory, Lizrite, a typical Red Dragon, would likely have been bustling about the moment he woke up.

Nifadora, evidently anticipating this question, immediately adopted a 'deeply concerned and fearful' demeanor to explain, "That is another matter I need to report to you, Your Highness. In the second year of your slumber, we discovered that the task you issued to capture hatchlings has become virtually... unfeasible due to various factors..."

At this, David couldn't help but lick his serpentine tongue.

Damn it, he'd caught three in the month before he left, which led to the illusion that 'wild hatchlings' were easy to capture.

But now that I think about it, the 'capture process' for Lizrite, Fulatimir, or Nifadora wasn't so easily replicable. Ordinary bait-and-trap tactics couldn't restrain Lizrite, who was prone to Gluttony, for even a second. If they hadn't been tracking her for over half a month and hiding nearby, she would have escaped long ago. Moreover, without me, none of my subordinates could handle a wrathful young Red Dragon. The latter two felt more akin to the proverbial 'Jiang Taigong fishing'—only those willing would take the bait.

But that's to be expected. Aside from White Dragons, which are more beast-like, the newborn hatchlings of the other four Chromatic Dragons possess intelligence comparable to that of an adult human. They are not easy prey.

They're not exactly stray cats, after all.

On the contrary, the motley collection of dragon beasts the Drow Spellcasters had captured were more like 'stray cats.'

However, David was still somewhat unwilling to let it go. Just as his newly awakened mind raced, he heard Nifadora continue, "And that same year, Hiatt's merchant ship encountered pirates.

"Apart from her own escape using an Aquatic Lung Herb Potion, the twenty-three Barbarian sailors on board were all lost, along with the ship and cargo.

"So I took the liberty of having Lizrite and Rosinde board two merchant ships, one belonging to Hiatt and the other to Alianna, to maintain our maritime trade."

Hearing of such losses, David slapped the roasted meat he was holding with his tail onto the table and exclaimed, "They have some nerve! They dare to plunder our merchant ships? Have you found out who did this?"

Nifadora immediately nodded in response and said, "The main perpetrators were a band of Drow who had fled from the Gloomy Region. According to Hiatt's judgment, one of them is likely a former matron of Spider Nest City named Naferutali. She now leads a band of Drow who survive by piracy at sea and has several strongholds in the Luwalden Kingdom. They also secretly control a count's territory and are not easy to deal with."

"Oh, Drow, huh? That's not surprising," David mused to himself, his tail tip immediately picking up the still-warm roasted meat from the table and heating it with his Dragon Breath as he ate.

Indeed, it's not surprising.

After all, it was his fiery "Wrath of Tiamat" that had blasted Spider Nest City to smithereens, creating the 'Well of Miracles' by punching a skylight through the earth's crust. This allowed the long-oppressed Drow a massive opportunity to flee to the surface. In essence, he had opened this Pandora's box himself, resulting in 'endless calamities.'

On the other hand, it was partly due to him that the destruction of 'The Seventh Fleet' and Spider Nest City led the High Elves to significantly downsize their navy under pressure.

Without the High Elves' maritime cordon, and seeing those Barbarian pirates living it up with plunder, the fleeing Drow were naturally eager to join the fray and get a piece of the action.

Also, because he had 'claimed home turf' in Dewensen, and with the pressure from his moniker 'Crimson Calamity,' it became the natural course for those fleeing Drow to move to the southern Central Earth.

It truly felt like destiny.

David silently noted the incident and Matron Naferutali's name for future reference before setting the matter aside to inquire about something else, "How much is being spent each month on this horde of dragon beasts in the camp? With the current model, can we sustain it?"

He knew that although these dragon beasts were far inferior to True Dragons in terms of capability, when it came to eating, they might not consume any less.

But Nifadora's response left David completely dumbfounded. "In the first year, the average monthly cost of raising each dragon beast hatchling was about 220 Dewensen gold.

"But in the fourth year, after we brought back the second clutch of White Hatchling Dragons, things started to change. These dragon beasts have limited intelligence and survival skills in the wild. However, they lack the Dragon Might that frightens animals. Under the guidance of Mofei and Kraidian, they have slowly learned to hunt in groups, much like lion prides.

"Since then, our camp's food supply has become self-sustaining, even producing a surplus.

"Furthermore, the dragon beast dung samples Hiatt sent to Your Highness's father have been preliminarily deemed to have developmental value.

"Although the potions produced from them as substitutes only have a quarter of the original potion's potency, the side effects are also greatly reduced. This is particularly true for the Anger Potion. Not only warriors but also Mages can consume this downgraded version and achieve effects similar to the Courage Potion, such as stimulation and improved focus for spellcasting.

"According to feedback from Lord Attilicia, this type of secondary potion is very popular within Dewensen's circle of Spellcasters and is often used by many of them for spellcasting practice.

"In the absence of a large-scale war, its market potential may even surpass the original Anger Potion.

"So, according to Lord Attilicia's wishes... he hopes that we... can continue to increase our investment in raising dragon beasts.

"This is also the main reason I have tacitly allowed the dragon capture plans to continue."

Hearing this, David was completely stunned. The leftover bone from his meal dropped into the campfire as he wore an incredulous expression. "This actually works?"

**Greed**