Red Dragon, but chosen by all four gods

"Move faster, you damn lazybones! Fill three packs tonight and get out of here. If there's a patrol, smash their skulls!"

A rough and urgent voice rang out. Although it was in the common language, it had a unique accent. The speaker spoke very fast, with syllables mixed and stuck together, accompanied by a nasal buzzing.

This squad member was also much taller than the average person, with a broad, protruding jaw, pointed ears, and pale blue veins running down his arms and neck. He was very strong.

Heros was crouching atop the hill, looking down at the small team digging for elemental magic ore in the abandoned mine.

He only needed to sniff the scent carried on the wind to confirm that this squad was indeed the turbulent tribe with troll blood.

"Hill, we haven't reached Bluewood yet, have we?"

"Yes, young master, it's still a day's journey to Bluewood Forest. This is Deep Rock Mine."

"Which family does this place belong to?"

Hill scratched her head; she was always only responsible for following orders and fighting, and couldn't be bothered to remember anything else.

Inanna spoke up, adding, "This place belongs to the Lortheran family, and they are quite arrogant. Originally, a third of Bluewood Forest belonged to the Lortheran family. Therefore, after the Dragon Lord settled the turbulent tribes in Bluewood Forest, they harbored great hatred towards these tribes and have been constantly causing trouble since their settlement."

"Bluewood Forest only has wood and lacks important mineral resources. The troll tribe can only survive there and cannot develop. The Lortheran family controls most of the mineral resources in White River Valley, so they are naturally willing to suppress the troll tribe. Therefore, if that tribe wants to survive, they will have to fight the Lortheran family sooner or later."

"As long as conflicts arise between the tribes below, François, as the agent of the entire White River Valley, can profit from the balance."

"However, the Dragon Lord settled them in the Bluewood Forest because of François's suggestion. That old man is very good at stirring up tribal conflicts."

Heros glanced back at the wolf girl, who spoke eloquently, suggesting she had done some research on the Bluewood Forest before setting off.

She's not very old, probably only fifteen or sixteen. It must have taken her a lot of effort to figure these things out.

It seems she really wants to cause trouble for her father.

Catching her really saved a lot of trouble; otherwise, with an illiterate man and a mentally challenged man in tow, he would have had to rely on himself for everything.

"Since we've met here, that's perfect. Hill, go and capture the leader, but don't make a scene."

……

One of the tribesmen slipped while carrying magic ore and accidentally spilled it. The scattered ore hit the back of the pack animal, causing it to cry out in pain.

The young man in the lead immediately raised his hand and lashed him hard with his whip.

"Fool! Keep your paws under control! If you hurt the pack animals, Mother will nail you to the frame and bleed you dry, you understand?"

The beaten man rubbed his arm, muttering but not daring to argue back, and hurriedly went to collect more magic ore.

The young man in the lead looked around again to make sure there were no other problems before walking out of the mine.

He was about to set off to return, and he needed to hear the results of the scouts' investigation.

But as soon as he stepped into the bushes, he felt a sudden pain in the back of his head and then lost consciousness.

……

A moment later, at the top of the hill.

The young man was tied to a tree, and his mouth was gagged with his own leg bindings.

This scene seemed familiar to Inanna.

She glanced back at the little red dragon, and after receiving a signal from him, she ripped the gag out of the young man's mouth and slapped him hard across the face.

Stimulated by the pain, the young man slowly awoke.

Inanna took a deep breath and prepared to begin questioning as Heros had requested.

However, as soon as the young man opened his eyes, his gaze was drawn to two larger baby dragons.

"Dragon... dragon..." The young man's voice trembled slightly, "Evil... sob sob sob."

Inanna quickly covered his mouth, but it was too late.

Heros said unhappily, "Hill, give him a lesson he'll never forget. First, gag him and don't let him make a sound."

……

"These two noble dragons, and this powerful dragonborn warrior, have come from the Golden Dragon Court. To quell the unrest in your tribe, you must not speak offensively again, understand?"

"Yes, I will answer the question posed by the esteemed envoy of the Dragon Court."

The young man's voice was very hoarse, as if every word he spoke caused him unbearable pain.

This is understandable, since Heros had ordered that no sound be made, Hill simply shoved the leg wrap into his throat, and he almost suffocated.

However, such torture alone cannot destroy a Milhah’s offspring.

The Mirha tribe adheres to a tribal supremacy, prioritizing the survival of the tribe above all else, and would rather die than betray the tribe.

He was willing to answer because of Inanna.

Now he understood why Inanna had covered his mouth in the first place.

Moreover, Inanna's distinctive wolf ears and tail made him realize that she was from the Galahren family.

The young man actually had some goodwill towards the Galahren family, who had advised the Dragon Lord to accept the tribe's surrender.

In addition, there was a dragonborn warrior covered in golden scales present.

He had once met a dragon descendant of the Dragon Lord, whose family had been decimated by half its members, mostly warriors.

Although he found it hard to understand why the legendary evil dragons would come to the Golden Dragon Court, especially since they were clearly two young fledglings.

But when Inanna began to ask questions, he still obediently answered them.

The reason for asking Inanna to question her was simple: what kind of boss does the work personally?

This is inconsistent with the identity of a true dragon, and even more so with the identity of the successor of the Golden Dragon Court.

Anglu can't even speak, and Hill only knows how to fight, so it's difficult for both of them to understand what Heros means.

Now that I've got a handy wolf girl, I'm naturally going to make good use of her.

While Inanna was asking questions, Heros was also observing the young man.

He was able to lead a team to carry out the important mission of stealing resources from the territory of rival families.

They weren't nobles, but their status wouldn't be too low either.

However, his attire was far inferior to Inanna's. He wore a poorly made half-body leather armor, which was practically just a single piece of leather, without even a few decent pieces of fabric.

This shows that the tribe's standard of living was indeed very poor.

Inanna's questioning ended quickly.

The young man's name was Mokailo Mirha. Just as Inanna had said, after the entire tribe was granted the Bluewood Forest, they were suppressed by most of the families and lords of White River Valley and were completely unable to conduct trade.

Lacking raw materials and tools such as minerals and cloth, they could not complete most of their production, planting, and animal husbandry work by relying solely on the cheap timber from the bluewood forest.

If things continue like this, they won't even be able to support the tribe's children, let alone pay the taxes of the Golden Dragon Court.

Left with no other choice, they had to risk defying the Dragon Court by stealing resources from other territories.

It's worth mentioning that this wasn't entirely theft.

This mine is an abandoned mine left behind by the Lortheran family. The remaining magic ore is hidden deep inside, making it difficult for their people to mine.

But the Mirha tribe is strong enough and has inherited unique mining skills, so these abandoned mines have great value to them.

That's why, after conducting reconnaissance, they decided to risk stealing the magic ore.

Upon hearing this, Heros interjected, "The Lortheran family has always been involved in mining; don't they possess sufficient mining and smelting technology?"

"The Lortheran family considers themselves descendants of noble elves, obsessed with art, and the least skilled at mining and smelting," Inanna replied matter-of-factly.

Heros was taken aback: "What?"

"The production of magic ore can easily strengthen a tribe, so it must be placed in the hands of a family that is not good at using it. This way, François can ensure the stability of the entire White River Valley."

Seeing that Heros still seemed somewhat confused, Inanna continued:

"Moreover, the large-scale smelting of magic ore will turn the entire territory gray and gloomy. Most nobles are unwilling to let their territories become like that, so they united and gave this territory to the most uncooperative Lortheran family."

"..."

Upon hearing this, Heros was speechless for a moment.

After a moment, he understood.

With the protection of the Dragon Lord, these lords and nobles resolved their minor disputes on their own, while major disturbances were suppressed by the Golden Dragon Court.

Enjoying life naturally becomes the top priority.

As for whether this is in the best interests of the Golden Dragon Court... who cares?

In any case, compared to other territories, the consistently stable White River Valley is even worthy of praise.

At this point, Heros could no longer contain himself.

"Mokello".

"Your Excellency, the True Dragon, what are your orders?"

"Take us down with you. I'll go back with you. I want to see your lord."

"...Yes." Faced with the request from the Golden Dragon Court envoy, Mo Kailuo was also somewhat uneasy, as he did not know whether his tribe would anger the Dragon Court.

But neither he nor his tribe had the power to resist.

Unable to survive elsewhere, they crossed the sea and their invasion of Baihe Valley as a whole tribe was a desperate measure.

The Golden Dragon Lord's wrath caused his tribe to lose most of its warriors, leaving them only able to wag their tails and beg for mercy before him.

"Young Master Heros," Hill said nervously, "wasn't it said to be handled secretly? We can't show our faces."

"I've changed my mind. I'll wait for Macalos in the Bluewood Forest. Nothing here is in Mother's best interest!"

Hill wanted to say something more, but Heros had already spread his dragon wings, flapped them, and flew towards the mine at the foot of the mountain.

I can't stand it anymore! This feudal system is so damn backward. We might as well have some kind of centralized system!