Chapter 223 - The Giant Dragon Prone to Mental Illness - Part 1

As soon as Blood Claw had left, Martial Monk Flind approached Gaven and bowed deeply, saying, "Leader, although the main threat of the Black Reaper has been eradicated, a secondary menace has escaped.""Secondary menace? What secondary menace?" Gaven asked in confusion.

"Yenogu’s Poison Fang! I have just searched through the corpses of the jackalweres, and I did not find the body of Yenogu’s Poison Fang from the Black Reapers," Flinn replied. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novᴇl(ꜰ)ire.ɴet

"Yenogu’s Poison Fang? What is that? A profession related to Yenogu, or a demon?" Gaven was hearing this name for the first time.

"Some jackalweres, after being sacrificed to Yenogu, not only do not die, but instead become possessed by demon spirits, turning into the Chosen of Yenogu. They obtain a very special ability to hunt and sacrifice enemies and then feed the flesh and blood of those enemies to ordinary hyenas. Those hyenas will undergo a terrifying transformation, just like the first jackalweres created by Yenogu, and grow into a jackalwere, an original jackalwere..."

Before Martial Monk Flind could finish his explanation, all those present changed their expressions, immediately realizing the terror of this Yenogu’s Poison Fang.

With just one Yenogu’s Poison Fang, it wouldn’t take long for it to recruit a new jackalwere army through the hyenas in the wilderness.

In the west of the Rocklands, the Goblin Margins, there are two creatures that are most abundant, goblins and hyenas.

The vassal troops brought by the Black Reaper from the Hobgoblins, half of them came from the Goblin Margins.

Gaven hastily asked, "Master Flinn, is there a way to track down this Yenogu’s Poison Fang?"

"That is exactly what I plan to do. After purifying Nord, I seem to have gained a special ability. I am particularly sensitive to the presence of demons, especially that of Yenogu. I can use this sense to track them over long distances. I now wish to take my leave from you, Lord, and your lady, to pursue the trail of this demon and prevent it from causing greater chaos," Martial Monk Flind answered.

An expression of realization appeared on Gaven’s face, and he nodded, "Master Flinn doing so is not only a blessing for us but for all good people. Of course, we cannot stop you. I just want you to remember one thing, if you encounter something you cannot resolve alone, please come back to us. We will certainly provide all the help we can."

This was the decision Gaven had weighed in his mind.

Flinn knew the jackalweres best, so it was most appropriate for him to pursue the hunt.

Moreover, Gaven himself was no longer lacking high-end close combat forces like he was a few months ago.

Having Flinn by his side wasn’t particularly beneficial, nor was his absence a significant loss.

"Thank you, Lord. If needed, I will definitely come back." After the Jackalwere Monk respectfully bowed, he left without looking back, leaving Gaven feeling as if he had brushed off all concerns and tucked away his achievements and fame with a detached, free-spirited air.

That was how monks should be.

After arranging everything at the Black Reaper Camp, Gaven finally had a moment to summon the young Red Dragon down and questioned with an air of authority, "Tell me, what exactly happened?"

It was clear that the young Red Dragon had pondered his excuses in advance and spoke with righteous indignation, "Lord, it wasn’t that I truly wished to surrender. I merely feigned surrender, planning to attack their main force from behind when they let their guard down, or to deal directly with their leader. Little did I expect that these scoundrels would set a trap during the exchange, so despicable and shameless. Fortunately, you, Lord, had the forethought to be prepared. Otherwise, I would have had to stake my life today..."

"That’s not what I’m asking," Gaven said coldly. "I’m asking why you made such an important decision without reporting it, without asking for permission? Why did you decide on your own?"

"This...," the young red dragon’s eyeballs whirled rapidly as he racked his brains for a suitable reason.

The gleefully mischievous young Red Copper Dragon chimed in, "That’s not hard to guess, he surely wants to hog the Jackalwere’s commission for himself."

"Nonsense, I did not, how could I possibly do such a thing?" the young Red Dragon vehemently denied.

"If that’s the case, what are we waiting for?" Aivensa tittered, "I just heard that these Jackalweres had prepared ten treasure chests. When we were at the scene earlier, we only saw four, so where are the other six? Shouldn’t we go and retrieve them?"

Feeling as if his heart were being pierced by countless knives again, the young Red Dragon gritted his teeth and said, "Let’s go, I’ll take you to retrieve them."

Under the personal guidance of the young Red Dragon, the remaining six treasure chests were quickly excavated.

Along the way, the young Red Copper Dragon couldn’t resist sarcastically jabbing at Roderick’s heart, indulging in her favorite pastime.

Compared to his usual furious roars, the young Red Dragon’s demeanor was unusually subdued, seeming very dejected as he weakly lifted the treasure chests from the temporary treasure cave.

Lord Virginia pulled Gaven aside and whispered, "Something’s not right."

"What’s not right?" Gaven, immersed in the joy of his gains, looked puzzled.

"The Red Dragon is off. If you don’t change the way you treat him, he will eventually become sick," Lord Virginia seriously warned.

"Sick, can Giant Dragons even get sick?" Gaven’s face was filled with disbelief, as if he were listening to a fantastical tale.

The young Red Dragon’s life force was incredibly resilient, which he had witnessed himself.

Trapped under a cliff for more than half a month, without food or drink, and even bleeding, he was still lively and bouncing around.

Now, with plenty of good food and drink provided, how could there be a chance of getting sick?

"Giant Dragons rarely fall ill physically, but that doesn’t mean they can’t mentally, especially those who have lost their treasures. The chance of them falling sick greatly increases," Lord Virginia, who clearly had more knowledge about Giant Dragons than Gaven, patiently explained, "When someone talks to you about Giant Dragons, what’s the first thing you think of?"

"Isn’t that obvious? Treasure, of course, Giant Dragon Treasure! A Giant Dragon without treasure, wouldn’t that be a very strange thing?"

"Exactly, you too understand that it’s a very strange thing, right? Isn’t Roderick in such a situation now?" Lord Virginia guided gently, "Hoarding, collecting, guarding treasures, these are lifelong actions of all Giant Dragons. It’s their innate instinct, their greatest purpose in life. By doing what you’re doing, you’re stripping away most of the young Red Dragon’s purpose of living. If it goes on like this for long, problems are sure to arise."

Upon closer reflection, that did indeed seem to be the case.

Those slaves, once heavily exploited, also tended to develop mental issues.

And that was to say nothing of a proud Giant Dragon.

Even though bound by the Soul Totem, the young Red Dragon couldn’t rebel, but it didn’t prevent him from being passive-aggressive in his work, or even, as Lord Virginia had suggested, developing a psychological ailment.

"Many thanks for the reminder, I understand what to do now."

"There’s no need for such formality with me."

With a plan in mind, Gaven returned to the disheartened young Red Dragon and said, "Given your unauthorized actions earlier, as punishment, all treasures will be confiscated. However..."

Taking a strategic turn in the conversation, he continued, "Given your bravery in battle, as a reward, you may keep two of the chests as your personal treasure..."

The young Red Dragon, whose morale had exploded and who felt his life was henceforth bleak, revived his spirits immediately upon hearing this, as if he had been injected with a shot of adrenaline.

The sky turned bluer, the air fresher, and his entire existence was filled with hope and sunshine.

Although ten chests had turned into two, it was still better than none.

Seeing the young Red Dragon regain vitality, Gaven knew this tactic was effective and continued, "From today onward, you may retain one-fifth of the spoils of war, provided that there is no repeat of this incident. Otherwise, not a single coin will be given to you. As for the treasure, you may keep it, but only if it’s given by me. You cannot simply take it. Do you understand?"

"I understand," Roderick nodded repeatedly.

"What about mine? What about mine?" the Young Red Copper Dragon hopped over asking eagerly, obviously wanting to claim a portion of the treasure as well.

"Yours?" Gaven glanced at her slyly and said, "If you’re willing to forgo your war commission, you can freely choose any two chests."

This one certainly didn’t have the mental affliction that plagued the Giant Dragon; her hoard was already amassing wealth, and a substantial part of the treasure scavenged here would ultimately make its way to her vault.

"I’d rather not," Aivensa turned and walked away, huffing, "Miser."

The agreed-upon war commission was definitely worth more than the value of two chests of treasure.

However, this Young Dragon had a foreboding feeling that something was off.

Compared to her, the deal given to the young Red Dragon was too cheap.

In future, when only one dragon was needed...

Gaven, being the smart one, would surely choose the other over her.

No, she had to keep a close watch on Gaven in the future to prevent such a scenario.

Gaven had no idea that Aivensa had such a strong competitive spirit, thinking so much from a mere consolatory reward.

This was something he was pleased with.

With a rival in the mix, the Young Red Copper Dragon’s terms could be tightened a bit. Often, they could practice competitive appointments.

Of course, expecting Aivensa to enjoy the same treatment as Roderick was impossible, for their circumstances were different—the latter being a semi-slave after all.

But some conditions and matters to which Aivensa previously could not agree might gradually become acceptable to her.

Riding was the most evident example.

After handing these treasure chests to Blood Claw for transport with the main forces,

the two men and two dragons flew directly to the garrison location Gaven had chosen on the rudimentary map for on-site inspection. They circled the Dragon Oak Territory along the High Road several times before finally pinpointing the most suitable location.

This spot was closer to Eagle Cliff Town.

As the settlement progressed, a road from Eagle Cliff Town to the High Road would inevitably need to be built.

Seizing this opportunity, Gaven finalized the broad outline for this road.

The Blood Claw Garrison Town was positioned at the junction between this road and the High Road, atop a slope with an incline of about sixty to seventy degrees, perfectly overseeing the area.

Another advantage of building the garrison here was that

the food supplies coming from Spring Bud Forest could be transported directly through the Dragon Oak Portal in Eagle Cliff Town, circumventing Tear Lake Valley.

This meant that, for the time being, there was no rush to construct the road leading to Tear Lake Valley.

Compared to the road to Eagle Cliff Town, the one from Tear Lake Valley to the High Road was tougher to traverse and more challenging to build.

In the Tear Lake Valley direction, until greater developmental value was discovered there, Gaven had no immediate plans to build the road, which served as an indirect form of protection for that area.

It took Blood Claw and his troops ten days to reach the location designated by Gaven.

Not because the distance was great—it was no more than fifty kilometers from the Black Reaper Camp to the garrison site, and a forced march would have completed it in less than a day.

The reason for the lengthy travel was Gaven’s new order, which required not only guiding them to the specified location but also reorganizing this motley army and securing at least one month’s supply of food.

To give Blood Claw ample convenience, Gaven had all Stelina and the others recalled.

Though this army had sworn allegiance to Gaven, the outside world remained unaware, and to all onlookers, they were still part of the Black Reaper.

Until they arrived at the garrison and formally underwent reorganization under Gaven and the Dragon Oak Territory, their actions were unrelated to Gaven and the Dragon Oak Territory.