Life is tough, so Honglong resorts to performing?

Chapter 132 Registration and Departure

"We haven't met before, right?"

Inside the special occupation registration room of the patrol station, Chief Gru casually handed the prepared registration form to the silver-gray-haired stranger in front of him and then spoke with some confusion.

For some reason, he saw a strange sense of familiarity in the other person's eyes, as if they should know each other.

As an expert in this field, he was certain that the other person's gaze indicated that they might know each other.
"It can't be that a child left behind after a one-night stand has come knocking on our door..."

Gru's mind raced as he began to wonder if he and this beautiful woman with her striking features and hair had a secret past...

"I think you should put those bad thoughts aside, it's just me."

As Loren filled out the form, he simultaneously channeled his magic and energy to restore his throat and produce his own voice.

"It's you. I remember I said that it would be best if we never saw each other again, right?"

Gru looked enlightened, trying to squeeze out a bit of authority from his already round and peaceful face.

But after a few attempts, he failed. Gru sighed and finally showed a calm and relaxed expression.

Perhaps because he had known the half-dragon before, he always felt a strange sense of familiarity with the red dragon brat in front of him.

Since it can't be installed, then let's not install it.

Although he hadn't met Loren many times, as a shrewd person who had seen news about the red dragon at the Emerald Leaf Rare Zoo on the Magic Crystal Network multiple times, he was naturally able to deduce, based on what he had seen and sensed, who the so-called Mr. Spark was who had suddenly appeared in the zoo.

It was clearly the little brat in front of him who had to disguise himself to go out.

The reason he didn't retaliate against the half-elf afterwards is also obvious. The red dragon settled down in Greenleaf City and found a job that required good interpersonal relationships, so he naturally wouldn't want to offend the half-elf race, which was the second largest population in Greenleaf City.

Looking back now, the words Honglong left him when he left the patrol station last time were quite interesting.

Is everything we're experiencing now a beginning or an end?
The recent upheavals in Cuiye City have left even this old man somewhat bewildered. There are too many powerful forces and influential figures involved, and the waters are so deep that he's considering resigning from his official post and returning home to continue running his pharmacy. Unfortunately, he can't bring himself to do it; he can't bear to give up his family business and the opportunities that might exist within it.

Fish only have a chance to come ashore when there are waves and wind; the bigger the waves, the more expensive the fish.

"I was forced by circumstances, otherwise I wouldn't have come to find you. By the way, do you think there are any flaws in my disguise?"

As Loren wrote with his head down, he casually asked a question. From his vague perception of psychic energy, he knew that the other party seemed to have noticed something.

"Your disguise was actually fine; I genuinely didn't recognize you."

Gru replied, and seeing that the little red dragon was still filling out the form with its head down without looking up, he continued to explain.
"But to me, the way a person looks at someone they know is different from the way they look at a stranger."

"The way you look at me is the kind of look you give someone you know, but I'm also pretty sure I've never seen you before, so I just find it strange."

Gru explained, but Loren was not satisfied with the answer.

"As the chief of the Lower District, you have met countless people in the entire Lower District several times. Can you really remember them all?"

"Of course not, I don't have that level of skill or memory."

Gru shook his head and spoke with a hint of pride.

"I can only perceive and distinguish."

"As the director, I must have some special skills."

As a low-ranking warrior, he was able to climb to his current position by virtue of his ability to read people's expressions and moods. This was the only ability that he felt was special and worthy of his praise.

"Amazing."

Loren continued filling out the form, adding a couple of compliments as he did so.

"Thank you. Although it is insignificant compared to the talents of your dragon race, I will still take it as a compliment."

Gru spoke softly, he could even guess what the little guy was thinking, nothing more than "Of course," or "That's really how it is..."

That's how the Red Dragons are. From true dragons to half-dragons, they all love to praise and flatter. As long as you go along with their praise, they're very easy to trick into revealing information.

He was stuck in his rank because he tricked his half-dragon friend into revealing some information he shouldn't have known at the time, which prevented him from ever breaking through to the fourth rank.

Looking back now, Gru still feels a little regretful...

"Okay, I'm done filling it out."

While Gru was still feeling melancholic, Loren handed over the completed form, which was filled with all sorts of downgraded military-grade spells, making Gru's heart skip a beat.

He really wanted to ask Xiao Honglong what he planned to do with all this knowledge, but past lessons made him hold back.

There must be a lot involved here, and these things, combined with the recent political upheavals in Cuiye City, seem to reveal something even more.

"I remember asking you a question before, and you answered me with a question."

Holding the form Loren had filled out, Gru hesitated before speaking.
"So, do you think this is the beginning or the end?"

Gru stared at the familiar stranger in front of him and asked.

"Well..."

Loren thought for a moment, but did not answer the other party directly.

What does he know anyway?

He's been busy with his own things lately, and getting entangled with the cultists of the Transcendentalists. What does the political situation in Greenleaf City have to do with him?

The only person he knew who could be involved in this kind of thing was the wood elf Denise, but they hadn't been in contact since they parted ways last time.
Loren thought to himself, but remained outwardly calm.

After all, they praised your dragon race's talent and wisdom, so it's good to give some response, right? Now we're somewhat of a well-known figure...

"Neither the beginning nor the end."

Loren gave a vague answer based on his own perceptions and experiences.

The powerful figure among those who suddenly appeared was most likely related to the changes in the upper echelons of Cuiye City. In comparison, I should only be a secondary target.

If the half-dragon she encountered was indeed from the Ye Ying family, then the relationship between the dragon and the wood elves might not be as bad as she had initially thought. Furthermore, the fact that she had obtained the personnel list from her meant that the real issue was the conflict between the dragon, the Blinkers, the wood elves, and some high-ranking officials in Greenleaf City.

Wait a minute, that makes sense.

A sudden inspiration struck Loren, and he unlocked some key points.

The collaboration between the Wood Elves and the Drow might become closer and deeper.

Perhaps I, a mere little red dragon in the zoo, am just someone they happened to be caught in the crossfire of, used as a cover for others.

Based on past experience, I expect more people will die soon.

Loren thought about it for a moment and felt that this route might be the reasonable one.

But in that case, would Denise's people be in danger?
Should I remind you?

After a slight hesitation, Loren rejected the idea of ​​taking the initiative to contact them.

Given Denise's family's power and status, such a pre-planned idea should have been presented to her by her advisors; having one more or one less wouldn't make a difference.

"We'll see if Aaron has any ideas about it then..."

Loren pondered for a moment, then changed his voice again, subtly adjusted his gaze, submitted the form, and left.

After Loren left, Gru pulled a form from his drawer. It was a leave application form. Submitting this form meant that he would be away from Greenleaf City for the next few months, going on vacation to a city further south.

No matter what happens in Cuiye City, or what new leadership is formed, I will always be an unreliable former official with no chance of advancement.

He stared at the leave application form, pondering Honglong's words and expressions, and finally made up his mind, picking up his pen and writing furiously.

"The aftermath of this storm is definitely not something someone like me can get involved in!"

……

Loren was unaware that his words had caused the director to flee immediately, abandoning his pursuit of further progress.

At this moment, he strolled down the street in human form, looking around and leaving all his previous thoughts behind, enjoying a rare moment of leisure.

Little Red Dragon ate and drank his way to the nearby vegetable market. Taking advantage of the discounts, he bought a considerable amount of vegetables and carried them with him before setting off for the buffer zone to see how many of his miners were still alive.

"Hopefully, there are still some people left, since I can use them again..."

Loren himself found it somewhat amusing.

How long has it been? His needs have changed again. The high-level magic crystal block that he thought would take a long time to fully digest is now almost completely melted...

"This really shows how technology changes lives."

Loren sighed, thinking that if so many new technologies hadn't emerged, he would probably still be living in a cave as a dragon's lair, eating meat with his eyes open and sleeping with his eyes closed, relying on his dragon talents to plunder and pillage.

Little Red Dragon traversed the streets and alleys, his new attire attracting the attention of many as he passed through the downtown area, including gangsters who cast greedy glances his way. Interestingly, however, none of them chose to make a move, much to Loren's disappointment.

If you don't steal or rob, how can I retaliate by killing you to earn some money to supplement my family's income, right?

"It seems the news of Zhuo'er's impending arrival has truly spread far and wide..."

The only thing that could make these scum from the lower city so obedient is the drow elf's inspection team, which is about to conduct a joint counter-terrorism operation with Greenleaf City.

Loren traversed the streets and soon arrived at the deserted streets on the edge of the city. A few steps further ahead was the buffer zone.

"Some things have changed, but some things have changed back..."

Loren smiled, took out the old-fashioned Tier 1 magic crystal armor from his abdomen again, inserted the power supply magic crystal block to start preheating, and obediently crawled inside, casting a spell to begin flying.

He doesn't intend to flaunt this new image as he did before, in order to prevent being recognized or having his behavior overlap with others.

My route is basically fixed. Last time I carried the magic crystal armor there, which was too arrogant. What if I left a deep impression on people and got recognized?
Of course, the most important reason is that the escape route of that cultist bishop would most likely include a buffer zone and wilderness, since these areas can block the signal of the magic crystal network.

If I get too arrogant and get caught by that guy who's overpowered and has a crush on me, I'm in for a world of hurt.

Better safe than sorry, huh, even I, the little red dragon, am sometimes this cautious!
Loren drove this old thing through the buffer zone, encountering many armored individuals along the way, and even his imitators, namely those who carried magic crystal armor or hovered in armor and paraded around.

They weren't attacked by anyone else in the buffer zone. Of course, their armor wasn't as bulky and useless as their older models, but this also indicated that the atmosphere in the buffer zone had been relatively relaxed recently, and people didn't need to be wary of each other.

"Something must have happened, but it probably has nothing to do with me."

Loren continued on his way, and soon arrived near the low-level magic crystal mine from his memory.

He removed his magic crystal armor, transformed back into his dragon form, cast an invisibility spell, and soared into the sky.

Inside the mine, Johnny Whitesha was counting his spoils, which he was about to hand over to the Red Dragon, his heart pounding with excitement.

"This time, just you wait and see, I guarantee you'll be satisfied, Lord Red Dragon."

Johnny felt uneasy about Red Dragon's absence last week, wondering if he had been abandoned. But in the following days, he combined Red Dragon's previous lessons with a conclusion that greatly encouraged him.

The red dragon is teaching him how a leader should truly manage subordinates and make them willingly submit; he's grooming himself as a confidant!
During their first encounter, the Red Dragon used his majesty to subdue everyone. During their second encounter, the Red Dragon's lateness aroused suspicion among the group, and through this suspicion, he established a new chain of trust that led to their submission to him.

In their third encounter, Red Dragon chose to give everyone a holiday and allow them to take their private stashes home, bestowing favors and benefits upon them, and expanding his circle by bringing in more workers.

Then, when everyone returned, the dragon lost contact again.

This time he didn't show up at all, because there was no wealth to collect and no food to bring.

The new miners had only heard about Lord Red Dragon's power and benevolence from the old miners. Over time, this power and benevolence were further amplified and made more mysterious through word of mouth among the veteran employees, whetting their appetites and arousing their anticipation and longing.

"And today is the moment to turn this expectation and aspiration into reality."

Johnny murmured, staring intently at the distant sky, trying to catch a glimpse of a majestic red figure appearing.

This time, we can't let some other brat beat us to it; he's the best subordinate for Lord Red Dragon here!

(End of this chapter)