The original Frost Giant tribe, now one of Garon's territories, was bustling with various creatures working diligently to mine the white crystal veins.
Minotaur slaves pushed heavy mine carts filled with waste rock, transporting the debris from the mine to other areas where it wouldn't obstruct the mining operations.
Natural shamans among the slaves, under the supervision of Winter Wolf overseers, utilized the power received from their worshipped spirits of nature to control the earth and stone, gradually deepening the mine and creating an extensive network of tunnels.
The most loyal lackeys of the dragons, carrying pickaxes and shovels, carefully extracted white crystals from the mine walls.
In the mine, there were torches only about every hundred meters.
Both the Kobolds and Minotaurs possessed dark vision, so this sparse lighting was sufficient for their needs.
After the white crystal encased ores were mined, the natural shamans, with their strong control over earth and stone, dispersed the outer shell to extract the translucent white crystals inside.
Finally, winged Kobolds flew towards Garon's dragon nest, adding the white crystals to Garon's storage.
"Bark! Hurry up, you big oafs!"
A Minotaur slave, weary from long hours of labor, slowed down a bit while pushing the waste cart.
A Kobold with a whip immediately lashed out at him.
The Minotaur grunted under his breath, not retaliating against the weaker Kobold's lashings.
Compared to the Minotaurs' muscular devil-like physique, the Kobolds were as frail as chicks, and their full-force whip could only leave a reddened mark on the Minotaur's skin, causing a slight sting but no real injury.
"You brainless fools, unwilling to submit to the great true dragon, becoming slaves is your fate!"
The whip-wielding Kobold enjoyed the feeling of bossing others around.
Though weak, it could whip much stronger Minotaurs who could crush it with a single slap.
The Minotaurs remained silent, reciting some doctrinal beliefs in their minds.
Seeing no reaction from the Minotaur, the Kobold bared its teeth, huffed a few times, and raised its whip again for another strike.
However, just as it lifted the whip, before it could swing, the aura of the true dragon suddenly spread, descending over the snowy mountains.
The Kobold paused, its expression changing from fierce to obsequious towards Garon.
The other Kobolds did the same, kneeling on the ground and expressing their respect to the silver dragon in the sky in their crude Dragon language.
Although Garon had grown significantly, the Kobolds remembered the aura of the Eternal Dragon well and wouldn't mistake it. Seeing such a drastic change in Garon's size in such a short time, they were fervently devoted, as if witnessing a legend.
"Ah, great Eternal Dragon, bark, your wings cover the sky."
"Your growth is so rapid, even the mother of evil dragons would take notice."
"The brilliance of the sun pales in comparison to you, bark."
"Your Kobold subjects, bark, wish to kiss your toes, expressing our utmost loyalty."
...
Garon: ...
Although it wasn't his first time hearing Kobolds' awkward Dragon language, he couldn't help but feel uncomfortable.
If these creatures weren't such skilled miners and would serve dragons wholeheartedly in the absence of stronger true dragons worthy of their allegiance, he definitely wouldn't accept such beings as his subjects.
The Kobolds knew their Dragon language was displeasing to true dragons, largely because it sounded terrible.
But they couldn't change it; Dragon language was against their physiological structure, and they had forcibly learned it to follow true dragons. Being able to barely speak it was already their limit.
"Which true dragon ancestor came up with the Kobold race?"
Garon shook his head imperceptibly, in awe.
Dragons indeed have eyes for beauty, able to see beauty in many different species.
But no matter how he looked, Garon couldn't appreciate Kobolds.
Their disproportionate features, rat-like tails, and patchy scales confirmed to him that they were an ugly race.
And there's a saying on the Noah Continent: when a dragon thinks you're ugly, you're truly beyond redemption.
"Enough!"
Garon commanded in a deep voice.
His dragon aura silenced the Kobolds, who were incessantly flattering him in their grating Dragon language.
"From now on, pay your respects to me in your hearts, do not speak them out loud!"
Garon's voice was deep and unquestionable.
The Kobolds looked at each other, kneeling on the ground, finally bringing silence to the scene. However, to Garon's dismay, although they stopped their awkward Dragon language, they couldn't help but make involuntary barking noises.
It was difficult to change the natural tendencies of a race with commands.
Seeing their reverent and fervent gazes, it was clear they were following Garon's instructions, expressing their loyalty and awe in their hearts, but the barking sounds involuntarily hummed out.
Garon withdrew his gaze from the Kobolds.
He stayed for a few seconds before swiftly flying into the dragon nest near the peak of the snow mountain.
This dragon nest was a bit smaller than the one at the ice cliff, quite cramped for his current size, with his wings touching the walls if not carefully folded.
Yet, entering such a small dragon nest, Garon's face was filled with joy.
Reflected in his platinum dragon eyes were clusters of white crystals.
Due to the elemental gathering effect of the magical gems placed together, the surrounding elemental energy was exceptionally active, especially the water element, which was so rich that icicles formed on the ceiling above the white crystal pile.
Garon took a deep breath.
The cold air mixed with rich elements condensed into a white frost, which he inhaled.
His spirit immediately invigorated, like drinking a refreshing cola on a hot summer day.
"These white crystals amount to more than the total of all my other magical gems combined."
Garon squinted his eyes, stepped forward, and grabbed a handful of white crystals.
The translucent crystals in his palm glowed faintly, unbelievably beautiful.
After hesitating for a few seconds, Garon picked up three white crystals, his face showing a mix of pain and anticipation.
Then, with a decisive look, he threw the white crystals into his mouth, swallowed them with a gulp, and sighed in relief.
"Ah, that feels good."
Cold frosty air exhaled from Garon as he breathed.
He closed his eyes, feeling the white crystals dissolve inside him, turning into a tide of cold magic power, emanating from his stomach and flowing to his limbs.
It was as if invisible soft hands were gently massaging every cell, relaxing the muscles and easing the mind.
Unfortunately, with Garon's current body, the magic power of these three white crystals was almost immediately depleted. To experience the feeling of secretly eating white crystals as a newborn, he would need dozens of high-quality white crystals at once.
Better yet, the gradual approach of a thousand-year-old ancient white dragon mother would make it even more thrilling.
After storing all the mined white crystals into the dimensional space, Garon left the dragon nest.
He planned to bring these magical gems back to the ice cliff, adorning his mountain of treasures. The more magical gems and precious metals accumulated, the stronger the elemental attraction effect.
In the dragon nest at the ice cliff, the elemental light was almost materializing.
Even ordinary people entering would feel exceptionally comfortable, as if everything in their vision was haloed.
"Lord Garon!"
A rough voice called out from the nearby dense forest.
Garon turned to see two slender, huge serpent dragons.
The dark green-scaled, thorn-spiked, fierce-looking Coldwood Serpent Dragon was about thirty-five meters long, while the pale, rugged Stone Tomb Serpent Dragon, with a hint of light red on its body, was about thirty-three meters long.
Among serpent dragon species, just like true dragons, different types have certain power disparities at the same age.
The Coldwood Serpent Dragon was slightly stronger than the Stone Tomb Serpent Dragon, but not by much.
The strongest serpent dragon species, the Rock Mountain Serpent Dragon, possessed the strength to fight red dragons of the same age, sharing the same fire attribute.
"Your size...changing from super-large to giant in such a short time is truly astonishing."
The Coldwood Serpent Dragon, flicking its snake-like tongue, along with the Stone Tomb Serpent Dragon, twisted their bodies and flew out of the dense forest to meet Garon.
"Ulbeis, how do you feel about this serpent dragon lady?"
Garon asked with a smile, believing himself to be a good, worthy lord, even arranging spouses for his followers.
"Hmph, it's alright, I guess. Its scent of tomb decay makes me nauseous, but since there are so few of our kind left, I won't be picky."
The fierce-faced Coldwood Serpent Dragon glanced at the Stone Tomb Serpent Dragon with slight disdain.
Its ideal mate was a Coldwood Serpent Dragon.
Garon's expression darkened.
The Stone Tomb Serpent Dragon, detecting the Coldwood Serpent Dragon's mocking tone, immediately roared lowly, baring its fangs and biting without hesitation. Its fangs pierced the dark green scales and flesh.
The Coldwood Serpent Dragon glared, decisively biting back, claws tearing violently.
For a moment, pale and dark green scales flew chaotically, and blood rained from the sky.
Garon, watching this scene, was somewhat speechless.
They fought fiercely at the slightest provocation, leaving no room for mercy, using breath attacks and spell-like abilities, inflicting numerous bloody wounds on each other.
"These creatures will go extinct sooner or later."
Garon silently judged.
Serpent dragons were crude, brutal, and barbaric towards weaker beings and those of similar strength. Even among mates, they hardly had deep feelings, barely tolerating each other's personalities.
Both serpent dragons were seeking mates out of a desperate need to reproduce.
Even together, it didn't mean they would tolerate each other's temperaments.
"Stop!"
Seeing them about to seriously injure each other, Garon shouted.
But the two enraged serpent dragons, lost in their fury, didn't hear Garon's voice and continued to fiercely attack each other in the air, mercilessly.
Garon's expression darkened, and he vanished from the spot.
The next second, the silver dragon appeared beside the entangled serpent dragons, his left and right claws striking their heads hard.
Thump! Thump!
With two dull sounds, the dark green and pale figures were sent flying, crashing heavily into the snow below, creating a wave of white.
The two serpent dragons, hundreds of meters apart, staggered up from the craters, shaking their heads, looking dazed.
To calm these naturally fierce and impulsive creatures, Garon didn't hold back.
If not for the serpent dragons' physique being comparable to true dragons, their heads would have been smashed to pieces.
As the dizziness in their minds gradually faded, the Coldwood Serpent Dragon and Stone Tomb Serpent Dragon looked up at the silver dragon in the sky, then glared at each other, finally ceasing their combative intentions.
"Ulbeis, I brought you a mate of a different serpent dragon species, not for you to fight and kill each other!"
Garon scolded the Coldwood Serpent Dragon.
The Coldwood Serpent Dragon shrank its neck, avoiding Garon's gaze, muttering, "I'll restrain myself next time."
The Stone Tomb Serpent Dragon's vertical pupils stared at the Coldwood Serpent Dragon, huffing heavily, its expression hostile, "If not for Lord Garon here, I would have skinned you."
The Coldwood Serpent Dragon became furious, but under Garon's watchful eye, reluctantly lowered its head again.
Garon frowned, looking at the Stone Tomb Serpent Dragon, sternly saying, "You too, if you can't stand each other, just complete reproduction and then separate."
The Stone Tomb Serpent Dragon wasn't Garon's loyal follower.
It followed Garon here with the same reproductive intention as the Coldwood Serpent Dragon and had previously stated it would leave after conceiving dragon eggs.
Although the Stone Tomb Serpent Dragon could survive in the main material world, it preferred places with many undead creatures, like the Bone Wastes.
Hearing Garon's words, the two serpent dragons exchanged glances, then bid farewell to Garon, burrowing into the dragon nest below the dense forest, striving to reproduce quickly to escape each other.
Soon after, a Winter Wolf stepped out, shaking its head at the direction the serpent dragons had left.
"Master, they've fought at least ten times during this period, each time ending up covered in wounds."
The Winter Wolf spoke in Common.
This Winter Wolf was one of the original members of the Wolfheart Clan.
Garon looked at the Winter Wolf, smiled, and said, "I'm aware of what the Wolfheart Clan has done, quickly bringing all intelligent tribes within a thousand miles under my command. You've done well."
The Winter Wolf lowered its head, wagging its fluffy tail, "Serving you is an honor for the Wolfheart Clan."
After a pause, the Winter Wolf raised its head, hesitating, its paws unconsciously scratching the ground.
A few seconds later, under Garon's shadowy dragon wings, the Winter Wolf slowly said, "Master, the Wolf Evil chieftain is facing some trouble."
"He hopes to solve it alone, without bothering you, but it's nearly impossible. The Wolf Evil chieftain doesn't want to disappoint you, but it will only lead to meaningless greater casualties."
Garon's expression remained calm, slowly saying, "The Wolfheart Clan is my subject, all the Winter Wolves and their packs under it are my treasures."
"Meaningless casualties are not what I wish to see. Tell me, what happened."
___________________
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