Thousand-Faced Dragon

Chapter 87 Tranquil Grass

"To free the kobolds from the dragon's control? Impossible!"

When this issue was raised, it undoubtedly received a series of negative and incomprehensible responses.

Not only because the topic is so incredible and so difficult, but also...
"What's the point of this project?"

In this matter, Kuku not only has no allies, but also no one with whom he can communicate and understand.
Over the long years, he made some friends, many of whom frankly advised him to give up.

"This kind of folly is as foolish as preventing birds from flying or fish from swimming." In the eyes of the world, it is the nature of kobolds to be enslaved by dragons.

“From the time the kobolds first appeared, they have been like this for countless years. You may be an exception, an outcast, but isn’t it a bit too arrogant for one person to try to change the habits of an entire race?” These words were harsh, but Kuku knew they were true; he was indeed quite arrogant.

It's relatively friendly to say directly that something is impossible or meaningless.

Most spellcasters basically ignored it, or even treated it as a joke. The "stupid kobold" gradually became Kuku's nickname in the high-level mage world.

"It's possible. How could there be absolutely no chance? Kobolds aren't born slaves!"

"I want to try, even if it's destined to fail."

"It's okay if we fail. Just leave some of the results behind and pass them on to those who come after us."

"We have successfully gone against the tide, and there will always be another person who goes against the tide."

"Yes, even if it's just to offer some help to the next frontline worker, we should give it a try."

But while all outsiders denied it, the Kukus affirmed it.

He is not alone, he has never been alone.

Despite the fact that many high-level spellcasters have condemned the project to death, the Kukus are eager to try it.

You could say this is another instance of the kobolds' unfounded overconfidence, or you could say it's the time traveler's foolishness, but since Kuku wants to do it, let him do it.
"It failed. The ability of prophecy was of no help whatsoever; we couldn't find any guidance from fate."

"Curse-removing spells are completely useless; judging from the feedback, the kobolds are perfectly normal."

"What if we introduce other factors?" Many libraries offer only one failed start after another.

At his peak, Kuku was a mage tower in himself, a team of experts composed of dozens of archmages from various fields.

Inside his mage tower, there were dozens of rapidly busy "Kuku," who used puppet avatars to learn and conduct various related experiments. Kusla's technology had already matured in that era; it was simply being used again.

The Kuku team works overtime every day, and none of the researchers are considered top-notch.

Compared to other research groups, their greatest advantage lies in the genuine trust and cooperation among themselves, and the direct, heartfelt exchange and collaboration of knowledge.

Kuku may never be at the top in any particular area, and may only be third-rate or even mediocre in a single field, but when it comes to joint research to overcome difficulties, he is almost invincible.

Many studies do not require high talent, but rather sufficient knowledge accumulation and countless trials and errors.

Soon, through continuous trial and error, he found the key points.

"The focus must return to the field of dragons. We need dragon scholars, more and better dragon scholars."

To solve this problem, we must go back to the kobolds' origins, to those ancient behemoth dragons.

In order to acquire the relevant abilities, several more Kuku became dragon specialists. Even within dragon studies, there are many different subcategories. It took Kuku more than ten years to accumulate knowledge in this area.

However, Kuku and his team still haven't made any substantial progress.

Finally, one day, they realized the crux of the problem.

"The power of blood ties does not rely solely on observation."

"We need to get involved, we need to get involved."

"The best test subject is still yourself."

At this time, even though Kuku was a dragon-blooded kobold, he had already entered old age, which was also the stage when his bloodline power was at its strongest.

There are rumors that dragon vein sorcerers can transform into dragons by expanding their bloodline to its limit. This is not a rumor, but very few sorcerers have actually taken that step.

In a sense, that is also the end of a mortal's life. Temporarily activating bloodline to become a dragon for combat is relatively easy, but the success rate of permanently becoming a dragon is extremely low, which is equivalent to the evolution of the entire species.

But Kuku had no choice. He needed a longer lifespan, the vision of a dragon, and the fulfillment of his long-cherished wish.

"Great evil dragon! Great evil dragon! Great fire dragon! Waaaaah!" However, this one is a true dragon vein that has existed for hundreds of years, and has an extremely rich reserve of knowledge about dragons.

One day, the kobold Kuku disappeared, and the multi-headed red dragon Kudraken appeared in the world.

But this dragon was quite strange; it not only talked to itself all the time, but also frequently cursed itself for no reason.

The most outrageous thing is that he also likes to hang out with weak creatures like kobolds!
Normally, kobolds aspire to be vassals of dragons, but to dragons, kobolds are nothing.

Their greatest value lies in serving as miners and cleaners for digging underground tunnels. However, most dragon territories may not have mineral deposits, and even if they do, they are often too lazy to mine them themselves.

Why not just grab the finished product directly? Why bother digging out the raw ore for deep processing?

A large red dragon actively recruiting kobolds? Instantly, its lair was overwhelmed by the surging kobold tribe.

"How ironic, I've become the very thing I despise." Kuku sighed and could only continue his experiment.

Now, the dog-headed people who used to refuse in every way are cooperating completely.

He became the enslaver of his own race. Large numbers of kobolds mutated under his control, and warlocks and warriors were "forced" to undergo arduous training. It is said that powerful kobold tribes capable of hunting wyverns emerged during his reign.

Finally, one day, he found the answer.

“Factors, elemental factors, dragon factors. Dragons are not flesh and blood creatures; they are factors, the fundamental building blocks of the world.”

"Because it is a factor, it can merge with most life forms. The so-called dragonborn and sub-dragons are the mutations of ordinary life forms after they have obtained the dragon factor."

"Because it is a factor, it can be divided infinitely. If it is divided into small enough parts, wouldn't it become the weakest and smallest dragon?"

His conjecture was not wrong; the answer actually lies in the dragon.

"The kobold is indeed a dragon! A dragon! But only a drop of dragon blood!"

Finally, after analyzing the genes of countless dragons, whelps, dragonborn, and mutant kobolds, Kuku found the answer.

The kobolds are indeed true dragonborn, sharing many similarities with dragons.
The difference lies in both quantity and quality.

The Kuku have determined that the rumors about the origin of the kobolds are mostly true, and that they are products of "dragon blood".

If a true dragon is a colossal beast, then a kobold is merely a drop of blood or a single cell.

So, isn't it natural for cells and blood to seek out their original form and yearn to become whole?
The more Kuku studied it, the closer it got to the essence of a dragon.

"They, the Great Evil Dragons, are not merely physical behemoths; they are magical beasts, aggregates of elements." Every drop of the dragon's blood contains the essence of the elements.

They are the particles that make up the world, and the source that drives the tides of elements.

The relationship between dragons and kobolds is, in a sense, the relationship between "elemental lords" and "ordinary elemental creatures".

This is like the ocean to a drop of water; it inherently has the privilege of command.

Or rather, the beast and the herd of beasts that received its blood.

These conjectures have finally been verified, with irrefutable and irrefutable evidence.

He used his own blood to create a batch of kobolds. Watching those lively little creatures respectfully serve him, Kuku felt nauseous.

Their own race was merely a creation of magic, a doll that someone else could casually mold.

"What should I do?" Should I continue? Is it even possible to continue?

Can a child disobey its father? Can a cell defy the whole? The possibility of artificial insemination is not zero, but it is infinitely close to zero.

"We need to control our instincts! Control our instincts!"

His research then ventured into an even more radical realm, as he attempted to help races rid themselves of their own nature and bloodline.
In the end, he succeeded, and he failed.

He added a stronger special dragon factor, creating the strange kobold branch called "Dragon-Winged Long-Tailed Man," who do not respond to the call of their bloodline. If these large demi-humans, who now live in the mountains and purgatory and start at two meters tall, can also be called kobolds.

In a sense, he could be described as the man who single-handedly created a race.

Incidentally, it is said that the legendary kobolds of purgatory are also related to it.

"There are two ways to get rid of one's natural instincts: one is to reduce the concentration of bloodline and suppress the dragon nature; the other is to introduce another attribute to cause it to mutate."

The former is extremely difficult, like trying to turn sugar water into plain water. But if you add coffee powder to sugar water to make it into sweet coffee, the difficulty is much lower, which is why the Dragon Wing Long Tail tribe exists.

However, he still failed.

"Why refuse? Perhaps you will become a little strange, but more perfect, wise, and powerful."

His efforts were met with outright rejection; those who had successfully transformed into dragon-winged long-tailed people even attacked him directly.

"Evil magic! What have you done?!" He, who used to be a kobold, could not accept that his face now resembled that of an ugly elf.

"I can't feel the dragon anymore! I can't feel the dragon anymore!" With her bloodline severed, she drew her sword and chose to commit suicide.

"Ah! I'm not a dragon anymore, I'm just a monster!" More "knives" roared at their benefactor.

Faced with those enraged new life forms and the kobold tribe they led, the multi-headed dragons, which could have easily destroyed them, fled.

They fled like stray dogs.

It flew on, crying sadly. "They don't need it, they don't need it."

At that moment, Kuku felt that his life was a joke. If they were born wanting to be enslaved, why should he liberate them?

He recalled the initial assessment others had given him as "arrogant."

"Am I too arrogant? Don't I have the right to make decisions for them?"

If they despise so-called freedom, why should we give it to them?

He was depressed for a very long time, even falling into a deep sleep for at least several decades.

"Perhaps, what needs to be saved is not the body, but the mind." Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind during his sleep, and he was awakened.

If there are truly living beings, should they be enslaved from birth? Could it be that they willingly become slaves to dragons because of the inheritance in their blood, or because their elders have taught them to do so?

Many young people go astray when they are young, but don't they eventually come back to the right path?
Perhaps, even if someone has already been brainwashed, they can still change if they are exposed to enough ideas and knowledge.

And so, the multi-headed dragon disappeared again, and a "dog-headed man" traveled the world.

It was originally called "the meddlesome Kudraken".

He continued to visit the tribes of "evil creatures" in the wild lands, but this time he was not there to learn magic, but to spread magic and knowledge.

Most life craves power, and he is able to give it.

The wise men in a community are often eager for knowledge and wisdom, and they are able to give it to others.

He would even impart "common sense" knowledge, such as simply wanting to repair a house or collect more fruit.

But this time, he had no preconceived notions; he simply observed what they would do after acquiring these things.

He taught the bandit races, as they were known to the world, how to cultivate crops and craft; he taught the centaur bandits how to raise livestock and manage the weather; he taught the ogre tribes other recipes; he taught the kobolds how to tame dragons—there were too many to list.

Some succeeded, but most failed.

Some tribes became villages, some towns became fortresses, some ideas sprouted, and some mutated.

This time, he simply witnessed it and recorded it.

At some point, he seemed to have come to terms with things and was no longer just concerned with the kobold tribe.

Perhaps in his eyes now, the kobolds are just some of his former kind.

He is willing to give advice to anyone who is willing to ask.

He didn't know how far he had traveled, how many disciples he had taught, or how much knowledge and magic he had spread. When he was inexplicably called the kobold sage, he just smiled sheepishly.

Has anything changed?
“No, the world is too big.” He took a deep breath and continued his journey.

He already knew that the kobolds were beyond saving. When they didn't feel their suffering and were eager for their enslaved lives, they were naturally beyond saving.

"Intelligent life has the possibility of choosing its future; only by saving itself can it be saved. I will save others when they ask me for help." He kept moving forward, perhaps simply because he didn't want another race to see enslavement as an honor.

Not long after, a turning point arrived, and someone actually asked him for help.

"Sage, can you help cure Blood Frenzy?" This time, many people were asking for help.

Blood Frenzy is a common disease among beastmen, often appearing in carnivorous races such as wolves, tigers, and leopards.

Those who fall ill will transform into man-eating beasts, with their partners often being the first victims. Once this happens, it is very difficult to turn back.

Ultimately, it's because the bloodline of the "beast" exists in their bodies, and it can be activated unintentionally.

“This is not a disease, it’s a regression,” Kuku realized. It was actually a product of the activation of their “beastly” nature.

Suddenly, he became interested.

Aren't these beast-like humans, driven by instinct, exactly the same as the kobolds? But they are trying to change; they are rejecting their own nature!
As mentioned before, is "weakening blood ties/instincts" also a way to get rid of one's nature? Perhaps, this time we can try it too.

However, it is still too difficult.

It's not entirely impossible; as someone who primarily cultivates alchemy, he can concoct magical potions to suppress animalistic instincts.

"However, this cost..." He actually had similar results when he was studying the kobolds, and now he's just bringing them out.

Long-term use of this potion could bankrupt even the wealthiest archmage, and this potion that suppresses animalistic instincts naturally needs to be controlled over a long period of time.

So he tried to reduce costs. He vaguely realized that if he could suppress his bestial nature for a long time and pass it down stably, the chances of his offspring exhibiting bestiality and bloodlust would naturally decrease.

Perhaps, one day, it will disappear completely.

This is similar to transforming a wolf into a dog, but it's also like curing a genetic disease; all it takes is time and effort, and unfortunately, neither of these things is valuable to Kuku.
"The potion has been improved to the point where it cannot be improved any further, but the three main ingredients are still too expensive."

"If we don't have the materials, then let's make them. Let's use the methods of alchemists, herbalists, and druids to cultivate these herbs from scratch, improve their reproductive capacity, and reduce their costs."

Kuku understood; this was likely a task that would take at least a century to complete, and perhaps only he could accomplish it.

His army of Kuku has grown to include druids, apothecaries, and gardeners. This archmage, who did not participate in the bloody battle between heaven and hell, spends all his time dealing with meadows and fields.

"The cost is only one-tenth of what it used to be." The potion has already been modified to the point where it cannot be modified any further.

But that's still not enough.

To truly eradicate the diseases that may affect all members of this ethnic group, the cost of this medicine needs to be as cheap as weeds.

“Then let’s really cultivate it into a weed,” Kuku said.

“Yes, let’s do it together, no matter how long it takes.” But this time, it wasn’t just the Kukus who responded.

Unbeknownst to many, he has attracted a large number of researchers and followers.

Under the call of the sage "Kuddraken," countless people, including pharmacists, druids, life mages, and archmages of various schools, have dedicated half their lives to this project.

The project's final product, the "Blood Frenzy Healing Potion," has long since moved beyond just healing Blood Frenzy beastmen.

It can help the barbarians of the Northland rid themselves of rage and ferocity, the dragonborn rid themselves of their bloodlust and dragon madness, the ogres rid themselves of their cannibalistic habits, and the dwarves—too many who are unwilling to submit to their nature and instincts—yearn for this salvation.

“We must complete it,” said the great sage Kudraken.

"To reduce costs, it's best to concentrate its efficacy on a simple herb, one that can grow as freely and cheaply as a weed."

Others might think this is wishful thinking, but Kuku thinks it's possible.

It's nothing more than an almost endless cycle of breeding, hybridization, and selection. Before he knew it, he had become a great druid and could do it all by himself.

He has time, or at least, he thinks he does.

Did he ultimately succeed?
He didn't know that he died on the way, in the interdimensional war brought about by the rampant demonic tide.

"Don't kill me, I'm almost done, almost done." These are said to be the sage's last words.

The butchers mocked his weakness, how easily a top archmage could die, how dull a dragon's claws could be. They proudly donned his dragon skin. In the end, however, these men met a bad end.

Kuku is dead.

However, his "Tranquility Grass" project does not seem to have stopped.

After the war, someone should carry on his research.
"Go! Ask around for me! Do they have any 'Blood Frenzy Healing Potion'?" Kuku, who had just recovered, was very anxious.

"No, what is that? I've never even heard of it." The shop assistant delivered the most devastating blow.

It's hard to say what Kuku's feelings were when he woke up again and heard that the medicine he had worked so hard for all his life was gone.

Ask him, "Do you have Tranquility Grass?"

In what state of utter despair and with what last glimmer of hope did he ask that question?

"Tranquility Grass? It's worthless. It's everywhere in the suburbs. If you want some, just grab a handful yourself."

At that moment, he was overjoyed from the bottom of his heart, which even greatly increased Rean's satisfaction level.

"I succeeded. In my life, I have finally succeeded once."

"That's enough, that's enough."

For the first time, I felt fulfilled in the life of "the most humble greatness".

When the numb Rean awoke from his dream, he hesitated.

Finally, he asked the question.

"The medicine you invented is gone, your name seems to have been forgotten, and even that Tranquility Grass is worthless. Is that really okay? Or, I can help spread the word for you."

However, Kuku didn't care at all.

"No. Foolish! For a doctor and researcher, the happiest moment is when you discover that the medicine you invented has disappeared. It means I've cured it! Forever! The medicine is no longer needed!"

Suddenly, Kuku changed the subject, revealing that what he longed for was always ahead.

"Moreover, it has not disappeared. Now, its partially revised formula includes 'Ice-Calming Potion' to cure berserk offspring syndrome, 'Sleeping Potion' to treat manic insomnia, and 'Tranquility Potion' to tame wild beasts."

"Ha, my success has become part of history and civilization. What could be more satisfying than that?"

"By the way, new research, new research, I don't have much time left. You have to help me get it done, help me get it done!"

(End of this chapter)