"Yes, that's probably what this look means. And it's not just this kobold. Among the clan monsters coming and going, there are many monsters who cast friendly eyes on them.
"There is always a feeling that we are friends. Well, if there were no enchanted iron chains to wrap us up into rice dumplings," the thief Osai, with beautiful short purple hair, complained.
The teammates nodded in agreement.
They were in a very strange mood at this moment. From the very beginning, when the mission was completed and it was even possible to obtain valuable large-sized space bag treasures, to being surrounded by a group of terrifying monsters and demons and surrendering in despair, to finally being escorted thousands of kilometers deep into the dark forest, the scenery was... beautiful, but it was a monster lair with groups of powerful monsters. They were cast various looks by a group of monsters coming and going.
If it weren't for the fact that everyone in the Wolf Adventure Group had experienced life and death and endured a lot of hardships, with this set of procedures, everyone would be stupid now.
While everyone in the Wolf Adventure Group was still immersed in all kinds of doubts, confusion, and suspicion of conspiracies and machinations, the clan monsters walking around started a commotion, and a large number of them fell to their knees at once.
The adventurers raised their heads and looked in the direction where the clan monsters were kneeling.
From two thousand-foot peaks and a mountain stream, a black dragon was gliding towards them. It should be said that it was a giant black dragon. Although these adventurers had never seen a black dragon in person, they all knew it. The skinny, forward-curved grey dragon horns, the shriveled grey and black dragon scales that clung to the bones of the dragon's face, the thick dragon bone skeleton all over its body, the short dragon wings that were basically only for decoration, and the bone spurs sticking out of the surface, were more ugly and ferocious than domineering.
The black dragon soaring in the sky before them had muscles that were even more exaggerated than the description of the red dragon in legend. It had huge and exaggerated dragon wings spread out and a majestic and fierce dragon head with four dragon horns. Black scales with golden spikes, all interpreting what the combination of power and beauty is.
The surrounding group of kneeling clan monsters had their eyes filled with enthusiasm, loyalty, and confusion towards the black dragon—the confusion of powerful and perfect creatures.
With a bang, some dust splashed up as the black dragon controlled its strength and slowly landed on the ground.
The shadow cast by the dragon wings, which had not yet been folded, shrouded everyone in the Wolf Adventure Group.
The terrifying dragon's might spread around at a near-constant speed and power—spreading and erupting with full force, it would cause mental and physical damage to those who were too weak.
*My appearance should be handsome, but I'm also kind, and I don't want to cause a group of family members to be injured and depressed after just one appearance.'
"Great work, guys. Now you are free to do as you wish," I said casually to the clan monsters kneeling on the ground.
The clan monsters stood up respectfully and quickly left.
Only the members of the Wolf Adventure Group were left, bound by enchanted chains and unable to move.
My eyes scanned them indifferently, and I used the magic-like spell identification technique.
Densely packed identification information was fed back to me.
"There is actually a senior warrior professional."
I turned my attention to the bearded middle-aged human at the head, feeling a little surprised.
No wonder the Sieglinde family asked for support from the Dragon Nest Monster Clan. With Roy and several family elders being held back and unable to come, the Sieglinde family was indeed unable to deal with this adventurous group, which had high-level combat power and four eighth- and ninth-level professionals.
After understanding the comprehensive strength of the Wolf Adventure Group, my original idea changed.
Originally, the way of dealing with this adventure group was to accept them as pawns and let them go to the Kingdom of Albit to develop and act as a peripheral information source for the Dragon Nest forces, so that the Dragon Nest would not lose sight of it without the Sieglinde family—a smear of darkness, knowing nothing.
But now, it seemed that the strength of this adventure group was quite good, and it would be a waste to simply use them to expand the sources of information.
"Since they are a wandering adventure group, let them continue to be an adventure group and do the business they are familiar with, so that they can play their greatest role," I thought.
After making a decision in my mind, I directly began to coerce and lure these adventurers.
Intimidation used absolute strength and appearance, while inducement used the power of dragon veins and future prospects.
But obviously, although there were many benefits to becoming dragonborn, not all adventurers wanted to be. After all, they would be servants of evil dragons, and there were always those who were too proud to accept that.
For example, the tall halfling spellcaster, Ryze.
The halfling race, known for their stubborn character, and the noble status of an eighth-level spellcaster, made him unwilling to become a servant of the evil dragon.
Even if it was a terrifying evil dragon, much stronger than an ordinary adult dragon.
As for rebels who were too arrogant to recognize their situation, I grinned and called over a goblin warrior who was hiding in a wooden house in the distance.
The two-meter-five-tall muscular goblin was stunned for a moment, then became ecstatic and ran over excitedly.
"May I have your name?"
"Great master, my name is Cuba." When he said these words, the muscles of the goblin warrior named Cuba were trembling slightly with excitement. The great Black Dragon King actually spoke to him. It was incredible.
I didn't pay much attention to the goblin warrior with trembling muscles. I gestured to the bound halfling spellcaster, Ryze, with my dragon claw, and said with a half-smile, "Do you like this type?"
Cuba glanced at the halfling Ryze, his eyes lighting up. He nodded and said, "Cuba likes it. This kind of thin-skinned and tender meat is the most delicious, and its breath is very strong. After eating it, Cuba will become more beautiful and powerful!"
"I don't mean eating, I mean playing," I snorted.
"Then Cuba likes him even more! I thought, Master, you wanted me to eat him. To be honest, I have never seen such a beautiful halfling, so I feel a little reluctant to eat him directly." Cuba scratched the back of his head honestly, expressing his sincere thoughts.
Beside him, Ryze, who was bound, had his eyes wide open, his body twisting wildly with excitement.
"If you like him, why don't you take him away and play? Didn't you see this cute little halfling acting coquettishly to you?" I joked, looking at the crazily struggling Ryze.
Although Cuba didn't understand what "acting coquettishly" meant, he had to obey orders. Excitedly, he stepped forward and carried the petite halfling spellcaster Ryze, who was only one meter tall, and ran toward the wooden house in the distance.
To prevent this green-skinned idiot from accidentally letting the halfling caster escape, I also spent some magic power to offset the magic in the opponent's body and planted a secret mark. Now, even without the shackles of the enchanted iron chain, it would be impossible for the halfling spellcaster to escape from Cuba's grasp.
Not long after, the lovely scream of the halfling Ryze rang out from the wooden house in the distance.
When the other adventurers saw the miserable fate of the noble and proud Lord Ryze, they all fell silent and did not dare to breathe.
It was absolutely terrifying! It was unimaginable how a 1.2-meter-tall halfling could collide with a 2.5-meter-tall muscular monster.
Would he really survive?
Probably. After all, he was an eighth-level spellcaster. Despite his seemingly fragile and delicate body, it had been strengthened by the continuous erosion of magic power over decades, giving him the physical strength of a fourth-order creature.
With fourth-order physical strength, even being violently struck by a steel mace wouldn't damage him easily.
With the halfling spellcaster's arrogant and stubborn heart finally broken, the other adventurers rushed to become my servants. Although most of them were already interested, they weren't as enthusiastic as they were now.
"I am so generous that I can even reward such a precious and lovely halfling spellcaster," I thought with a sigh.
After taking a look at this group of adventurers who had become extremely active, I did not accept them immediately. Instead, I called Skye and asked him to train the group of adventurers.
This group of adventurers was different from Skye and the Sieglinde families. Skye and the others were monsters whose lives were controlled by me, and they were sincerely loyal. The minds of the clan monsters under my command weren't that complicated. It was impossible and unnecessary for them to betray the clan, the leader, or the terrifying Black Dragon King.
As for the Sieglinde family, their leader Roy's life was controlled by me. Roy, a spellcaster who pursued interests, strength, and immortality, could not betray me unless he obtained something from someone else, but even he knew it wouldn't be the same. My side offered more benefits, and he also had to "break" the chain around his neck that controlled life and death. Otherwise, I'm afraid the most loyal person would be him.
As for the other core members of the Sieglinde family who had received the power of dragon blood?
The cohesion of the family is no joke. They are all grasshoppers on the same rope, and if Roy, a senior spellcaster, can give power to the family, can he not have any countermeasures to control it? Can you put your life in the hands of those family members who may betray you?
Don't underestimate the abilities of a senior spellcaster who is nearly a hundred years old and can still carry forward his family.
Many existences who claim to be evil may not act with the ruthlessness and cruelty of advanced spellcasters.
---
In the dragon's lair.
Sophia opened the enchanted treasure chest and took out the animal skins and scrolls that shone with a magical aura.
These animal skins and scrolls carry different levels of magical knowledge. There is everything from zero-tier magic to low-tier spells of the first and second levels, to mid-range spells of the third and fourth tiers.
These are all accumulated by the Sieglinde family's dedication over the past few years. Since the establishment of the Mage Tower, these spells have been concentrated in the tower for all Dragon Vein Warlocks to study.
"Roy, this guy is really careful." I swept through these spells and found that not only was there a wide variety of spells, but there were also some rare ones.
There are two basic requirements for making a hide or scroll that contains magical knowledge. One is to cultivate this magic to the highest level [Return to Nature], and the other is that the production materials must be able to carry the magic knowledge. The higher the magic knowledge, the rarer the materials required. For example, knowledge of forbidden spells often requires the use of legendary biological materials.
The second requirement is a little simpler, but the threshold for the first condition is undoubtedly very high. Tricks and low-tier spells are okay; except for some rare ones, most of them are sold in large quantities on the market. But when it comes to mid-tier spells, the difficulty of obtaining them increases linearly.
It has been almost seven years since I obtained the mage profession. Now, the mage level has reached the eighth intermediate level, but among the spells I have mastered, the only return-to-nature level spell is the second-tier water element strengthening technique.
There are four mastery level spells.
Although I have no talent in spells and cannot be called a genius, I have a good plan. Although I do not gain proficiency day after day, I occasionally give myself a holiday or two and enjoy the service of a maid dance of beast girls, but in summary, I'm still definitely diligent.
Of course, this is also due to the fact that I have learned a large number of spells, so I'm not particularly specialized. If I were specialized, there would be several spells that could reach the True Return level.
But among the spells that I have learned now, each one has its corresponding function, and it is not random learning.
"If you want to become a powerful mage, the road ahead is still long." I could only sigh silently.
A truly powerful mage must not only have reached a certain level but must also possess a vast amount of spell knowledge, and this spell knowledge must be refined and thorough. Even later, after accumulating enough spell knowledge, he can develop spells that are most suitable for him.
To put it more vividly, the improvement of the mage level is the improvement of the quality and quantity of spirit, magic power, and soul, while the magic is to increase the amplitude of the first three by three, five, ten, or even tens or hundreds of times, exerting a devastating effect.
Looking at the scrolls of magic knowledge displayed by Sophia, I picked, and finally chose three that I felt were useful.
They are:
Water Mirror Technique·Zero Tier Spell (Magic). Effect: Consumes magic power to create a mirror composed of water elements.
——The cost of learning this spell is low. It can be learned in just a few days. It doesn't require proficiency. Just get started. By then, I can look in the mirror at any time and watch the 'battle' scenes in real time through the water mirror. +1 for fun.
Understanding Languages·First-tier spell (lower level). Effect: During the duration of the spell, you can understand the literal meaning of the words you hear. You also understand the written words you see, but you have to get in touch with the surface of the written words.
——Although the dragon inheritance knowledge records the languages of many races, except for a few languages, such as dragon language, giant language, and common language, which are mastered at birth, the others need to be mastered through independent learning. Although it is not difficult to master the language, it is very troublesome, and the strength cannot be improved, so after seeing this spell, I became interested in learning it. It can also be regarded as a lazy spell.
Guarding Barrier·Third-tier spell (mid-level). Effect: Consumes magic power and sets up an invisible spell defensive barrier. The caster can freely enter and exit the barrier and can also mark his own allies so that they can enter and exit freely.
——Learning this spell is something I think is unsafe, considering that the Dragon Nest is basically undefended except for the dragonborn maid and the gryphon mine, especially now that there is black sarcoma. If this kind of thing is leaked, I estimate that if I'm not careful, the entire Taal plane would fall.
"Okay, put the rest away and take them back to the Mage Tower." I chose these three magic knowledge scrolls and signaled to Sophia that the selection was over.