Red Dragon, but chosen by all four gods

The next day, as expected, Macaros led his team to Bluewood Forest and met Heros, who was making the most of his time to learn magic.

"Young Master Heros, you should not have disobeyed your master's orders and left the Dragon's Nest without permission."

Seeing that Heros was alright, Macaros breathed a sigh of relief.

"Okay, I was wrong." Heros didn't argue; he was indeed in the wrong.

"I will inform my master about this matter."

Seeing this, Macaros didn't say anything more, but turned to look at Hill kneeling at the door:

"As for you, Hill, I am very disappointed in you for taking Young Master Heros away from the Dragon's Nest without permission."

Hill offered no explanation: "Once I've escorted Young Master Heros back to the Dragon's Lair, I will wash away my disloyalty with my blood."

Macalos let out a slight sigh. Every Dragonborn Guardian was handpicked by him; they were his students, the result of his hard work and dedication. He was unwilling to see this scene unfold.

"etc!"

Heros quickly stopped him, saying, "I wanted to come out and have fun myself, that's why I asked Hill to bring me out."

"Young Master Heros, Hill's mission is to look after your daily life in the Dragon's Nest. It is a serious mistake to abandon your post, let alone that she took the initiative to lead you away from the Dragon's Nest."

Macaros shook his head: "This shows that she doesn't place loyalty to her master above all else."

"That's because I told Hill that I could better resolve the unrest in White River Valley."

Macalos shook his head slightly.

Young Master Heros's attempt to plead for the Dragonborn Guard shows that he was only momentarily playful, and indeed, as his master said, he possesses a kind soul.

That reason is just too flimsy.

A fledgling dragon, just over a month old, who had only been learning history from me for a little over a month, possessed most of his knowledge from the inherited memories of the Golden Age.

What methods does he have for handling tribal conflicts?

It must have been a hastily made-up lie, yet Hill was swayed by such a reason. This is truly...

Seeing that Macalos remained unmoved, Heros gently tapped the stone table. Doda, who had been waiting outside the door, immediately understood and carried a cart of magic ore that had been prepared into the stone house.

Makaros asked, somewhat puzzled, "What's this?"

"This is magic ore that the Milha tribe mined from the deep rock mine."

"Young Master Heros has gathered the evidence for me... It's time to punish the tribes that have overstepped their bounds."

"No, no, no, Macalos, please take a good look at these magic ores."

Macaros frowned slightly; he wondered what secrets Heros had up his sleeve.

But he still came to the magic mine, waved his staff, and the elements in the magic mine immediately came to life, and magical light illuminated the entire room.

"A batch of high-quality magic ore. The miners did a good job, avoiding areas where elemental magic flows, thus preserving the magic very well."

As the steward of the Golden Dragon Court, Macaros gleaned most of the information with just a glance.

"It seems the Milha tribe possesses excellent mining techniques. It appears the initial plan for dividing the settlements wasn't entirely appropriate, but..."

"That's not all, Makaros, where do you think these ores came from?"

Macalos wondered: Didn't I just say it was the magic ore from the Deep Rock Mine?

"These were excavated from abandoned mines."

"An abandoned mine?"

"Yes, the mines that were abandoned by the Lortheran family can still yield decent quality magic ore in the hands of the Milha tribe, which shows that the Lortheran family is just a bunch of mediocre people."

Macaros nodded slightly: "If that's the case, this tribe does indeed have some value."

Upon hearing this, Doda, who had just finished transporting the ore and stopped at the door, felt a slight stirring in her heart. If this dragonborn leader could recognize the value of the Milhar tribe, then her clan would have a chance to break free from the shackles of the Galahren family and regain a territory.

But Macalos's next words immediately dampened her spirits.

"Even if they have some value, the authority of the Dragon Court is unshakeable. Those who disobey the Dragon Lord's orders must be punished."

Heros knew that some unique value alone was not enough to convince Macaros.

The Dragon Court has many territories under its rule, and the value of a few thousand people in the Mirha tribe is naturally insignificant compared to the overall order of the territory.

"Since they swore allegiance to their mother, yet violated order and crossed boundaries, they should indeed be punished."

Heros smiled. "But since they are part of the people under Mother's rule, their value must also be dedicated to the Golden Dragon Court."

"In that case, why not change the punishment to ordering them to continue mining the abandoned mines and send the proceeds directly to the Dragon Court?"

"this……"

"Anyway, they're mining the abandoned mines of the Lortheran family, which are no longer valuable. These outputs are a kind of supplement, aren't they?"

Macalos frowned and changed the punishment to hard labor, which wasn't exactly against the rules.

Moreover, there's no problem with sending the output directly to the Golden Dragon Court.

Seraria's magical rituals are extremely costly, and the magical materials accumulated in the treasury over the years are being rapidly depleted.

The output of magical materials in White River Valley has always been low, so it would be good to have high-quality elemental magic ore to supplement it.

What concerned him was that Heros seemed intent on altering the order in which the territory operated.

If we follow Heros's demands, the authority of the noble lords of each territory will be challenged, hereditary succession will be impossible, and the Dragon Court will have to adjudicate "worthwhile challengers" who emerge from various places more frequently.

Even challengers don't necessarily come from outside tribes; those from the lower classes within the original noble territory may also seek upward mobility.

Even if Macalos were to work himself to death, he still couldn't handle so many problems at once.

He was also responsible for the operation of the Golden Dragon Court, and his dragon descendants were all warriors who had no ability to handle this situation.

Hill's act of killing a nobleman on his own initiative sparked a prolonged turmoil in another territory, leading to a sharp decline in that territory's tax revenue.

"I have no right to decide this matter."

After a moment's thought, Macaros slowly spoke: "But since Young Master Heros has requested that we obey the Dragon Lord's son's orders, let's temporarily set this matter as punishment for the Milha tribe."

Where is the tribal chief?

"My lord, Dhoda, chief of the Mirha tribe, greets you." Dhoda entered the house with trepidation and knelt on the ground.

"The lordship of the Milhar tribe is temporarily revoked, but you may still reside in the Bluewood Forest. Three months later, you will personally deliver elemental magic ore to the Golden Dragon Court. At that time, the Dragon Lord will personally decide your punishment."

"Yes." Doda was unsure whether to be happy or sad, but she knew that this was all she could know, so she obediently left the stone house.

Heros smiled slightly; Macaros had essentially agreed to his request.

Since the territorial order cannot be shaken, then we should strengthen Heros's status as the "son of the Dragon Lord" and characterize this incident as a "special case" caused by Heros's youthful playfulness.

Other territories, lacking the special criterion of "son of the dragon lord," also find it difficult to make waves because of this.

As for abolishing the qualifications of noble lords, they were allowed to use the Bluewood Forest as their residence.

This is a kind of "punishment".

Originally, the Mirha tribe, as a tribe that surrendered after the invasion, was small in number and weak, and had almost no right to speak on equal terms with other noble lords.

This is even better. There's no need for dialogue anymore. Just go directly to the Lortheran family's territory to mine. If there's anything, just contact their superior, the "Golden Dragon Court."

As for the Dragon Lord's Judgment, Seraria couldn't be bothered with such matters of her territory; she was only focused on her true mission.

From the moment she established the Dragon Court, all territorial affairs were actually handled by Macaros.

As long as her beloved Heros speaks up, the "punishment" of one or two tribes is nothing.

Of course, Makaros has the right to obstruct this, but as I said before, it's nothing.

He was only loyal to Seraria and protected her interests. Whether Heros's behavior was playful or intentional, it did not harm her interests and even took into account the interests of the Dragon Court. This made Macaros not have much desire to oppose him.

"Makaros, although it's a punishment, their tribe's daily life is already in serious trouble. We can't let them die like this before they create value," Heros said in a good mood, continuing to make his demands.

Macaros now fully understood the little red dragon's purpose, and smiled helplessly:

"Understood. Since it is during the punishment period, I will have the Lortheran family take charge of the Mirha tribe's supplies until the Dragon Lord issues his ruling."

But fearing that the little red dragon might become overconfident and cause trouble again, Macaros solemnly said:

"Young Master Heros, I must remind you that the territories under the Dragon Court's rule are all the property of the master. Before the master bestows them upon you, please be mindful of the boundaries. Please do not proclaim the title of heir to the Golden Dragon Court any longer."

These were rather harsh words, but Heros didn't feel that he had overstepped his bounds.

This has nothing to do with good or evil; all true dragons cherish their private property.

Especially for evil dragons, it is common for them not to give their offspring a single gold coin, and some even make their offspring take on "parenting loans," forcing them to work like slaves until they reach adulthood.

Of course, in Heros's mind, Seraria was different from the other Dragon Mothers.

He gave a perfunctory reply, then changed the subject: "Since Macaros, you've agreed to my request, doesn't that mean I wasn't lying to Hill?"

Hill looked up blankly. Ever since Macaros arrived, she had been immersed in self-blame. In fact, she hadn't quite understood what Macaros had just said.

"Hill, since what Young Master Heros said is true, and you protected him from injury, your guilt can be mitigated, and there is still a possibility of redemption."

Macaros said coldly, "When you return to the Dragon Court, you will need to undergo a severe atonement."

Hilton was thrilled upon hearing this.

For all dragonborn connected to the dragon lord by blood, loyalty is their instinct.

After making a mistake, they instinctively hope to wash away the stain of infidelity with death.

However, if the verdict suggests that there is a possibility of redemption, it is less about escaping the death penalty and more about their loyalty being reaffirmed.

Heros felt a little guilty, because he had tricked Hill out of the room with his "gentle persuasion" and then made her suffer punishment; he felt somewhat remorseful.

I'll figure out a way to make it up to this silly dragon descendant when we get back to Dragon Court. After all, it wouldn't be convenient for me to have someone with a sharp mind watching over me.

After Hill left, only Heros and Macaros remained in the stone house.

The matter concerning the Milha tribe was merely a whim of Heros's; now, it was time to vent his anger.

Now, Heros plans to make a big deal out of the Galahren family's affairs.