"This place makes me feel nostalgic, but it feels quite different from my memories."
Inside the massive Dragon nest, where the surrounding rock walls were covered with a layer of polished metal plates that glimmered with a cold, hard luster, Garros coiled on the ground in a relatively relaxed posture.
When he was still a Wyrmling, he often felt that this Dragon nest was vast and cavernous, seemingly boundless.
But now, returning to his old home, he only felt that the place had become rather cramped; although it could still barely accommodate his now-colossal Physique, it no longer felt spacious in the slightest.
"Garros, after you left my territory, what exactly did you encounter to have achieved such tremendous growth?"
Opposite him, the Iron Dragon Mother Leticia did not immediately ask Garros about the specific areas in which he wanted to cooperate, but instead turned the topic to Garros's own experiences.
She clearly wanted to first deeply understand the story hidden behind this offspring's incredible growth journey.
She waved her massive claw.
Some trembling dependents standing in the distance immediately sprang into action, continuously serving a stream of carefully prepared delicacies, plump and juicy fruits, and fragrant wine stored in huge stone barrels... all to entertain the powerful Red-Iron Dragon.
"It was nothing more than experiencing a bit of wind and frost."
Garros responded with a calm tone, then calmly selected some trivial past experiences that he did not intentionally hide the value of, and briefly recounted them to the Iron Dragon Mother, including some inconsequential adventures, friction with certain factions, and the acquisition of some resources.
Time passed quietly amidst the low-pitched conversation in dragon language.
After listening attentively for a moment, Leticia's massive Dragon pupils flashed with a thoughtful light as she said, "Your experiences sound even richer and more convoluted than I imagined."
She paused, changing the subject, and her gaze became sharp.
"However, you seem to have not told me the most critical part."
"What exactly did you rely on to grow into this... incredible state? The experiences you just mentioned are not enough to shape your current appearance and power."
Those unique characteristics Garros possessed, as well as his incomparably powerful attributes, could not be shaped by just a few convoluted experiences.
"Mainly relying on my own day-to-day sweat and unremitting efforts."
Garros answered this way, as if stating a simple fact.
He paused slightly and added, "Of course, this is inseparable from the special talent brought by the hybrid Bloodline of Red Dragon and Iron Dragon; I possess a Physique that allows for rapid growth, which cannot be compared to other Dragons."
He briefly summarized the root of his power.
"Samantha and Gorton... I remember they left the territory with you back then. Do you know their current situation?"
The Iron Dragon Mother suddenly changed the topic and asked.
Seeing Garros's changes so earth-shattering, she couldn't help but feel a strong curiosity about the current status of the other two offspring who left at the same time.
"At first we did go our separate ways, but later, due to various coincidental Opportunities and common interest demands, we reassembled, formed the Ignas Dragon Flight, with me as the core, advancing and retreating together."
Garros told her frankly.
Hearing this, the Iron Dragon Mother couldn't help but be stunned again.
Unlike Metallic Dragons, who are relatively united by nature and prone to forming cooperative relationships, most five-colored Evil Dragons have extremely strong territorial awareness, are all arrogant, and almost all like to be the sole ruler themselves, never willing to be subordinate to other Dragons or any creature.
A stable Evil Dragon group is a completely different concept from a Metallic Dragon group.
This undoubtedly means that in this Evil Dragon group, there must be an absolute leader who is powerful enough in strength, wisdom, and prestige to make other Evil Dragons sincerely admire and even willingly submit.
And this leader is obviously the Garros before her eyes.
The Iron Dragon Mother Leticia's assessment of Garros in her heart couldn't help but rise another level.
If she knew that this Dragon Flight even included Metallic Dragons and the extremely rare Planar Dragon, she would probably be even more shocked beyond words.
"Although far inferior to me, their current strength is already stronger than the vast majority of Dragons of the same age."
Garros evaluated simply, without describing Samantha and Gorton's specific situation in great detail.
After briefly exchanging some more information, the conversation between the two entered the main topic.
"Now the Lothern Federation is caught in a civil war, and its control over the Serel Wilderness has weakened significantly, so much so that the situation here is changing rapidly, and factions are shifting frequently."
"This is the perfect Opportunity for us Dragonkin to take the chance to rise and expand our influence."
Garros's voice became solemn: "However, Opportunity always coexists with risk. To truly rise in this chaotic wilderness, one will inevitably face countless challenges and deadly dangers."
"In this situation, having a reliable and powerful alliance is crucial."
He looked straight at the Iron Dragon Mother and said in a deep voice: "And you, my mother, I hope that in the future, when facing those powerful enemies we cannot handle alone, we can become each other's most solid reliance, assist each other, and fight side by side."
A powerful and trustworthy ally, especially one with infinite potential and astonishing strength like Garros, is exactly what Leticia desires in her heart.
She naturally dislikes being subordinate to any Dragon, but as an Iron Dragon of the lawful alignment, she does not reject cooperation in a way of equality and mutual assistance.
Leticia fell into serious thought, her massive Dragon head slightly lowered, her gaze flickering slightly.
A moment later, she slowly raised her head and said: "Garros, I have personally experienced your powerful strength, and I am very willing to reach a cooperation with you."
"But now there is a realistic problem. Cooperating with me will very likely also bring you a huge trouble."
"I will first tell you this specific situation, and whether or not to choose to form an alliance with me, you will judge and decide for yourself."
Her voice paused, and then her tone became exceptionally grave.
"[Mountain-Burning Wings], [Frenzied Flame Bloodflame] — the adult Red Dragon Gorthax, he is a thorough disaster, the source of chaos and destruction, and also the existence that currently causes me the most trouble."
Speaking of this, her gaze swept over the prominent features of the Red Dragon on Garros's body.
She seemed to hesitate for a moment, but still continued to say to the Red-Iron Dragon, who still had a calm expression: "And he... also has another identity —"
"— — He is my biological father."
Garros calmly took over her words, his tone without any fluctuation.
Leticia's voice stopped abruptly, and a trace of obvious astonishment flashed in her massive Dragon pupils.
"How did you know? I am certain that I have not mentioned anything about Gorthax to you, or to Samantha and them. Have you already made contact?"
Garros shook his head slightly.
"I have never had any contact with him."
He answered: "It's just that from some other channels, I have heard some related rumor fragments, and combined with my own situation, it is not difficult to infer my blood relationship with him."
Leticia nodded slowly, accepting this explanation.
"Since that is the case, then you should know better than anyone how dangerous and unpredictable he really is."
Her voice carried deep wariness: "He is the model of the chaotic evil alignment, the Red Dragon among Red Dragons, the Evil Dragon among Evil Dragons, violent and bloodthirsty, and, he has also awakened a quite rich ancestral Bloodline, which makes him basically invincible among the same Rank. Below the Legendary Rank, there are only a handful of existences that can confront him head-on."
Invincible among the same Rank?
Garros was noncommittal about this point.
Although he prefers and is better at fighting against those of higher Rank, as of now, he has never encountered any opponent who can defeat him at the same Life Level, or even barely fight him to a draw.
He has not failed to win when fighting against those of higher Rank either.
Of course, he would never underestimate the Red Dragon Gorthax because of this; on the contrary, he would take him more seriously because of his own example.
"Before you came here, I was also seeking an alliance to join forces to deal with Gorthax."
Leticia's voice carried a hint of helplessness: "But the results were not ideal. Those potential partners were either afraid of his power or thought there was no profit to be made."
She looked at Garros, her gaze complex: "Forming an alliance with me means that sooner or later, you will encounter Gorthax head-on."
"Although you are unimaginably powerful, at the current stage, you are absolutely not his opponent. And given his insane nature, he will never have any consideration for your Bloodline kinship; on the contrary, he might be even more excited because of your uniqueness and potential."
After a few seconds of silence, she seemed to have made up her mind and said: "After knowing all these situations."
"Garros, do you still insist on your initial idea and want to form an alliance with me?"
She had already anticipated the hesitation or even direct rejection that the other party might show.
After all, few Dragons are willing to actively provoke such a terrifying lunatic.
However, what she never expected was.
The Red-Iron Dragon's eyes narrowed slightly, and not only did he not shrink back in the slightest, but a cold, sharp gleam flashed across his eyes.
"Facing a powerful enemy that one cannot handle alone, one should seek trustworthy allies, gather strength, and use the many to attack the few."
"My idea of forming an alliance will not change because of this."
Between Dragonkin with similar Bloodlines, it is easier to perceive and discover each other.
In fact, as early as the first time he learned from the Golden Dragon Alberto that Gorthax was also active in the Serel Wilderness, Garros had already faced a problem similar to that of the Iron Dragon Mother.
As long as he tries to develop his influence in this wilderness, sooner or later he has to consider the possibility of encountering Gorthax.
And given Gorthax's well-known chaotic and insane personality, once the two encounter each other, the ending will likely not be pleasant.
If possible, Garros would prefer to strike first and solve this huge potential trouble before Gorthax actively comes to his door.
He has always preferred to take the initiative to attack rather than passively meet the enemy.
This time, coming to meet the Iron Dragon Mother, he did not expect to get detailed information about Gorthax again, and was surprised to find that the Iron Dragon Mother's idea coincided with his own, both wanting to solve this common threat first.
For him, this was undoubtedly an unexpected surprise.
Immediately, Garros roughly explained to the Iron Dragon Mother his wariness of Gorthax, as well as the thought deep in his heart of striking first.
"Do you know Gorthax's current movements? Or... do you have any way to lure him to a specific location?"
Garros asked.
If an ambush could be set in advance and superior forces gathered to surround and attack, it would undoubtedly greatly increase the probability of defeating that crazy Red Dragon.
"I don't know."
Leticia shook her head, her tone also carrying helplessness: "No one knows what that lunatic is thinking in his head."
"His thinking is extremely chaotic, with no logic or patterns to follow."
"Although he has occupied a territory, he rarely stays there honestly himself, always wandering around, creating destruction according to his own preferences or whims."
She pondered for a moment and added: "However, he once came to my territory before and killed many of my dependents; perhaps he will come again."
Hearing this, Garros nodded thoughtfully.
Since there is a possibility that Gorthax will come here again, if he really appears next time, perhaps the Iron Dragon Mother can be asked to try to delay him for a period of time while quickly gathering forces.
This is undoubtedly an excellent Opportunity to hunt him down!
Immediately, he and Leticia began a more serious and in-depth conversation.
The two discussed in detail the specific matters of cooperation, how to share resources, how to exchange intelligence, and most importantly — how to jointly deal with the huge potential threat of Gorthax.
Meanwhile.
In the depths of an unknown, dark, and damp underground cave somewhere in the Serel Wilderness.
A figure shrouded in a wide black robe, with an indistinguishable face, was holding its breath and staring at a transparent crystal ball floating in front of it.
On the smooth surface of the crystal ball, a prosperous town scene was clearly reflected.
Human merchants and various strange alien monsters were rubbing shoulders, bustling, full of vitality and energy.
This is the real-time scene of [Ximu Territory].
"So many, such vivid Souls... and even, there are Dragons mixed among them."
Under the black robe, two points of eerie green ghost fire jumped and flickered in what should have been the eye sockets, revealing unmasked greed.
Several years ago, he enslaved a powerful Vicious Beast to test Ximu Territory.
Although the Vicious Beast was torn to pieces by The Dragon Flight, he also learned a little about the power level of those Dragons.
A pale, bloodless palm, seemingly composed only of bone, stretched out from the robe sleeve and held up the crystal ball.
"If I can harvest and devour all these Souls, I might have a chance to return to the Legendary Domain."
"Descendants of the Holy King of the Kingdom of Lothern. When the time comes, I will make you wish you were dead."
Under the black robe was a Lich, a high-level undead transformed from a Legendary Necromancer, who had been dormant in the Serel Wilderness for hundreds of years, and now, with the turmoil of the situation, was preparing to emerge.
PS: Don't forget to give Power Stones!