Beneath the Red Dragon

Although it wasn’t performed by a Red Dragon personally, lacking much of the power, under the transformative magic of the Ancestral Red Dragon, even an unprepared Giant Dragon Lord might not be able to escape.

If such a Magic Treasure were lost in Achilles’ hands, the consequences would be unimaginable.

But the Ancestral Red Dragon cast a spell on Little Achilles and confidently told Achilles that with its magic enhancement, he could easily beat those young dragon cubs.

Thus, Achilles came back battered and bruised.

Without the intent to start a fight, those evil dragon cubs would hesitate, only daring to taunt Achilles verbally, considering his status as the Emperor’s adopted son.

Once Achilles initiated the fight, those young dragon cubs wouldn’t be as polite, for that’s how the order among the Dragon Group is established.

Achilles didn’t realize that the Ancestral Red Dragon had enhanced him with a version of the spell it had improved using the Prophet of Anticipation skill, providing foreseeing effects and real-time feedback on combat techniques; but that’s all it did.

So the boastful Achilles, who claimed he could take on ten, was mercilessly beaten by the crowd of young dragons.

When an enraged Little Achilles went to protest to the Ancestral Red Dragon, he was again persuaded with a few words from the Red Dragon. Thus, Achilles, with a second spell enhancement, proudly continued to challenge those young dragons.

This time, Achilles got wiser; he only challenged one young dragon at a time.

The result, however, was no surprise; without a legacy, Achilles was beaten again. Fortunately, this time the Ancestral Red Dragon gave this little fellow a persistent healing Medical Magic so that Achilles wouldn’t be left with bumps all over his head.

When Achilles went to protest to the Ancestral Red Dragon again, the Ancestral Red Dragon thumped its chest and promised that, as per the rule of thirds, this time it would bestow Little Achilles with a truly "powerful" magic, guaranteed in the name of the Emperor of the Imperial.

So Achilles believed the Red Dragon once more; however, Achilles became smarter, knowing he should first practice the effects of the magic the Red Dragon enhanced.

When Achilles transformed into a small giant, twice as tall and eight times as heavy as before, he felt full of strength and confidence.

So, as expected, Achilles was beaten up again.

The Giant Transformation Spell indeed enabled Achilles to contend with those young dragons. However, the magic enhanced by the Ancestral Red Dragon required magic power and energy supplied by Achilles himself.

Achilles only appeared formidable for thirty seconds, not even finishing his fiery revenge speech before deflating. Through these lessons, Achilles learned a profound truth.

Before getting into a fight, don’t talk too much. Moreover, never easily believe what others say.

While the Ancestral Red Dragon nestled in its castle digesting its gains, providing a good education for the next generation of the Imperial, other Giant Dragon Lords were equally busy. But these lords were caught up in busy affairs.

Thunder Doss, newly promoted to Deputy Governor of Administration of the Imperial, gritted his teeth, buried in a mountain of administrative documents, while finding time to oversee the education of newly arrived Blue Dragon Species.

Bronze Dragon Alina, with Thunder Lord Doss’s help, should have had much more leisure.

Yet the Ancestral Red Dragon gave Bronze Dragon Alina another crown of power; the ever-expanding Imperial needed an independent tax inspection department.

Being well-versed in such work, Bronze Dragon became the first choice; what more could Alina say, as she had long been accustomed to it.

Occasionally, in rare free moments, Alina would whimsically imagine perhaps the Ancestral Red Dragon should use high-level transformation skills to turn itself into an ox or horse to be more fitting.

What surprised everyone was that the head of the tax inspection department, besides the chief, White Dragon Gomot, was Ancestral Golden Dragon Oblash as the deputy.

As the Southern Good Dragon Alliance’s envoy, Adult Silver Dragon Fluo reached a compromise with the Imperial, the Golden Empire and the Southern Good Dragon Alliance issued a statement.

Ancestral Golden Dragon Oblash merely came to study at the Golden Empire, admiring the culture created by the Dragon Group, thus willingly staying within the Imperial.

Meanwhile, Black Dragon Lord Rosani, who just took the position as the chief of the Imperial Court of Justice, was busy catching rats throughout the Imperial territory.

Ocean Dragon Naxson, in charge of the laws, recently started collaborating with Steel Dragon Midir.

But it wasn’t a dragon-to-dragon collaboration; rather, it was akin to a conspiratorial alliance.

The cause arose from the Vampire Species from the Forest Kingdom.

These Vampire Species, accompanying the trade exchanges between the Golden Empire and the Forest Kingdom, gradually became active within the Imperial territory.

Perhaps the many-blooded races within the Imperial attracted these Vampire Species, hence, without daring to violate the Imperial laws, these Vampire Species would daily send servants to purchase much blood from the gray areas of each city.

This led to many races in each city voluntarily selling their blood daily, in exchange for some shiny things.

Steel Dragon Midir was occasionally taken aback by such sights.

This conduct is impermissible; such actions by the Vampire Species are almost indistinguishable from tax evasion and illegal activities.

So Steel Dragon Midir sought out Ocean Dragon Naxson, and the two dragons hit it off immediately. When the Steel Dragon, in charge of the Commercial Trade Department, needed to formulate policies and related laws, he would consult with Ocean Dragon Naxson.