Evil Red Dragon

While the farm was under construction, Kula was also thinking about how to further enrich their supplies.

"The successful cultivation of the Fireheart Flower proves that our environment is beneficial to certain magical plants."

He said to Kargath, who came to report the situation:

"But a single species is far from enough. We need more types of magical plants for potion making, as well as reserves of some magical materials."

Kargath listened attentively:

"Great Shaman, would you like to try planting other magical plants?"

"yes."

Kula gestured for Kargas to come closer:

"I have some magic plant seeds. You can try planting one. They're in the cabinet."

Kargas took several small cloth bags from the bedside table, each with a name written on it in charcoal:

Dream Orchid, Tranquil Fruit, Silver Dandelion...

"These are commonly used magical plants with high daily demand. If we can successfully cultivate them, they will become our sustainable resources."

Kargas took the seed bag and said excitedly:

"I will definitely try my best."

Carrying Kula's expectations and various magical plant seeds, Kargath returned to the Fireheart Flower planting area next to the experimental field and cultivated several new small plots of land.

He carefully prepared the soil according to the different habits of the magical plants.

Some were mixed with more ordinary soil to lower the temperature, some had special fertilizers added, and others were deliberately placed in locations far from the lava pool.

After sowing, Kargas spent most of his time at the experimental field, carefully observing and recording the changes in each seedling.

For the first few days, things seemed to be going well.

The tender shoots of the silver dandelion are the first to break through the soil, their pale silver color shimmering in the sunlight.

The calming fruit also sprouted two small round leaves.

"It's grown!"

Kargas excitedly ran to tell Kula.

Kula was also very happy:

"Continue to observe and pay attention to the needs of different magical plants."

However, the good times did not last long.

A week later, problems began to emerge.

First, the leaves of the silver dandelion began to turn yellow and curl up, and no matter how much watering or shading Kargas did, he could not stop this trend.

In just three days, all the silver dandelions withered completely.

Next up is the calming fruit.

Its growth completely stops, the leaves no longer expand, the stems become thin and fragile, and they will break with the slightest touch. Its development is extremely slow, far below the normal rate.

The Dream Orchid, however, completely stopped spreading, and the original patch lost its luster.

"How could this happen..."

Kargath watched anxiously as the magical plant withered day by day, trying every method he knew, but to no avail.

He had to find Kula again to report the bad news.

After listening to the detailed description, Kula remained silent for a long time.

This was the first time he had encountered this situation; in the past, he either couldn't grow any crops at all, or the yield was pitifully low.

"Dig up the withered silver dandelion, soil and all, and let me see it."

Kargas did as instructed.

When he brought a half-withered silver dandelion along with the clod of soil around its roots to Kula, Kula observed it carefully for a long time.

"There is no problem with the soil."

Kula first ruled out soil factors:

"The proportions you mixed are just right."

He had Kargas wash the silver dandelion and then carefully examine its root system.

Look here.

Kula pointed to the tip of the root system:

"These tiny red spots... are traces of elemental erosion."

"Elemental erosion?" Kargath asked, puzzled.

"It seems that there is a high concentration of fire element in the environment."

Kula explained:

"This is nourishing for fire-attribute magical plants, such as the Fireheart Flower, but it is poison for magical plants of other attributes."

He sighed:

"Silver Dandelions are magical plants with life attributes; they cannot adapt to this environment filled with fire elements."

"While absorbing water and nutrients, the root system inevitably absorbs fire elements from the environment, eventually leading to its own collapse."

Kargath suddenly realized, but then felt frustrated:

"Does that mean we have to give up on planting other magical plants?"

Kula pondered for a long time, then slowly shook her head:

"At least in the core area, the fire-attribute environment has a fundamental suppression effect on magical plants of other attributes, unless we can change the nature of the entire Dragon Domain, but that's impossible."

He looked out the window, his gaze fixed on the distant border of the Dragon Realm.

"However, we can try a different approach."

Kula suddenly said:

"Since it doesn't work within the Dragon Realm, how about we try it outside of it, like we did with the breeding farm?"

Kargath's eyes lit up:

"You mean, to establish a dedicated magical plant cultivation area outside the Dragon Realm?"

"Exactly."

Kula nodded:

"Although the environment at the edge of the Dragon Domain will still be affected to some extent, it should be much better than the core area. We can choose more resilient varieties to try planting first and gradually accumulate experience."

"I'll go prepare right away!"

Kargath has rekindled its hope.

"No rush."

Kula called out to him:

"First, finish the records at hand, and keep detailed records of the entire process of each magical plant from sowing to withering, including the changes every day. This data will be very useful in the future."

"Yes, Great Shaman!"

After Kargas left, Kula fell into deep thought alone.

The characteristics of the Dragon Realm are a double-edged sword.

It provides protection, suitable temperatures, and an environment beneficial to fire-type creatures, but it also limits the development of territorial diversity.

Both the breeding farms and the magical plant cultivation had to be moved outside the border, which meant that manpower needed to be dispersed and the defense pressure increased.

"Master, what are your plans after you wake up?"

Kula gazed at the Chifeng Mountains outside the window and murmured to herself.

He knew that these were questions that ultimately needed to be decided by Alecto.

Until then, all they can do is lay a solid foundation for their territory under the existing conditions.

Spring in Chifeng passed slowly amidst busyness and hope.

Dragon's Flame Grass spreads across the southern slope like flames, Fire Heart Flower sways gracefully in the experimental field, and herds of blue sheep thrive in the newly built breeding farm.

Everything seemed to be thriving.

Meanwhile, another red dragon was stirring.

Oliveira fell asleep shortly after Alector.

The location she chose was a small nest that she had dug herself inside the original dragon's nest.

She slept much longer than she had expected, and when she was awakened by a strong feeling of hunger in her stomach and the faint signs of restless energy coming from the outside world, the season had already changed from deep winter to early summer.

"Ugh... I'm so hungry..."

Olivera's drowsy eyes first saw the stone wall, which was glowing red from the lava.

She blinked, and her memories gradually returned—the beast tide, the ambush, her brother's serious injury and rage, Kula's near death, her brother devouring the beast's corpse and sinking into the lava, and then she fell asleep too.

My stomach rumbled even louder.

Oliveira struggled to her feet, shaking her stiff neck and wings.

She looked down at herself; she had grown a bit bigger, her scales were shinier, and her magic had increased.

But for Oliveira, there was only one real feeling at that moment: hunger!

She staggered out of her little nest and came to the main hall of the dragon's nest.

This place was ravaged beyond recognition by the battle between Alektor and the Digivice, as well as the subsequent outbreak of the Dragon Realm.

Today, the rock face still bears traces of glass-like remnants from melting and then solidifying, the ground is uneven, and only a few corners still have scattered fragments of gold that have not been completely melted.

Oliveira sniffed. Was her brother still asleep under the central lava pool? She couldn't sense him.

"I need to find something to eat..."

Oliveira muttered to herself and flapped her wings to fly out of the nest.

The sunlight poured down, carrying the sultry heat unique to summer.

Oliveira squinted, adjusting her eyes to the light, before being captivated by the sight before her.

The fiery red dragon flame meadows spread out like carpets, interspersed with other crops.

In the distance, she could see small black dots of orcs and trolls moving about, and could faintly hear shouts of labor and training.

Further on the flat ground, there appeared to be livestock enclosures.

The size of the campsite has also increased significantly.

The new log houses are arranged in a staggered pattern, and a sturdier wooden fence has been erected around them.

"The changes are huge..."

Oliveira was somewhat surprised, and at the same time, her stomach began to protest again.

She decided to solve the problem of food first.

Oliveira spread her wings and glided towards the camp.

Hunting is out of the question.

Her enormous figure immediately drew attention.

"Lady Oliveira is awake!"

"It's Lady Oliveira!"

The nearby orcs and troll warriors were initially startled, but upon recognizing her, they all put down their work and bowed respectfully.

Soon, Gru and Goron arrived after receiving the news.

"Lady Oliveira, what can I do for you?"

Gru remained as composed as ever.

Goron also bowed respectfully.

"Hmm, just woke up, hungry. Bring me all the food, fresh stuff!"

With Alector gone, Oliveira became queen.

"Okay, please wait a moment."

Gru immediately signaled his men to hurry to the farm, slaughter the cattle and sheep, and bring them back.

Oliveira lay sprawled on the open ground in the center of the camp, her tail slapping the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust.

The orcs and trolls around them kept a careful distance, but couldn't help but steal glances at the awakened red dragon.

Although Oliveira was much smaller than Alecto, her bright red scales still shone brightly in the sunlight, and she exuded an undeniable dragon's might.

Soon, a dozen strong orc warriors dragged over ten orcs that had just been slaughtered from the ranch.

Blood splattered everywhere, Oliveira's nose twitched a few times, and her vertical pupils suddenly lit up.

"Hurry, hurry!"

She urged, her claws easily digging several furrows in the ground.

Goron personally stepped forward and carried the ibex carcass to Oliveira.

Oliveira lowered her head without hesitation, easily tearing open the fur and bones, and began to feast.

Gru stood aside, silently observing the adult.

Oliveira has indeed grown in size.

It is about eight meters long from head to tail, nearly three meters tall at the shoulder, and its wingspan is estimated to be over fifteen meters.

Although it is far from reaching the standard of a young dragon, it has grown significantly larger than before it fell asleep.

However, what surprised Gru even more was the faint sense of threat emanating from Oliveira.

How long has it been? Wouldn't it be that if Lady Oliveira goes into a few more slumbers, she'll be able to subdue me?

"Does the Great Shaman Kula know that Lady Oliveira has awakened?"

Gru asked the messenger beside him in a low voice.

"We've already sent someone to inform them; they should be arriving soon."

Just then, Kula appeared, being pushed along by Kargath.

Oliveira had just swallowed the last large piece of mutton, licked the blood from the corner of her mouth with satisfaction, and looked up to see Kula.

She let out a loud burp, which sent up a burst of sparks.

"Kura! You're not dead yet!"

Oliveira exclaimed in surprise.

Kula stopped in front of Oliveira:

"Thanks to my master, I survived by sheer luck. It's wonderful to see you wake up safely."

"Where's my brother? I can't sense his location. Is he still asleep?"

Oliveira turned her head to look at Chifeng.

"Yes, the master is still asleep; it's been almost four months."

Kula replied:

"However, this deep sleep is beneficial for injury recovery and growth, so please don't worry."

Oliveira snorted and slapped the ground with her tail again:

"I know! Who's worried about him! I was just asking."

She turned her neck and looked around at the obviously expanded camp:

"Speaking of which, this place has changed quite a bit."

Kula immediately began to give a detailed report on the developments over the past few months.

He knows everything about the successful cultivation of fire stamens and the reconstruction of the breeding farm.

Oliveira was completely overwhelmed and quickly called for a stop:

"Alright, alright, I know you guys worked really hard!"

Kula stopped the report at the right moment.

He understood that Oliveira had no interest in these matters; red dragons naturally disliked lengthy details.

Oh, Master, there's more.

He then shifted the conversation to a topic that Oliveira might be more interested in.

"Lady Oliveira, your awakening comes at just the right time. Although the development of the territory is on the right track, it also faces new challenges that require your strength and wisdom."

"Strength and wisdom?"

Oliveira's vertical pupils lit up.

"Yes, yes, that's right! I am the embodiment of power and wisdom."

After eating and drinking her fill, finding some fun was exactly what she wanted, not to mention that she was also pleased by Kula's flattery.

She said eagerly:

"What challenge? Is it another blind monster causing trouble?"

Kula shook her head:

"It's not an external enemy, at least not for now."

He explained to Oliveira in a more concise way the previous issue of fire element suppressing other elemental magical plants, and mentioned the idea of ​​trying to establish a planting area outside the Dragon Realm.

"So, those delicate little grasses can't survive on their own, and we have to go outside to plant them?"

Oliveira pouted, somewhat impatiently:

"Troublesome! If you ask me, wouldn't Dragon Flame Grass and that Fire Heart Flower be enough for you? Anyway, I don't need these things."

"In the long run, this is necessary, sir."

Kula patiently explained:

"Different magical plants have different uses. Tranquilizing fruit can be used to make potions that soothe the mind and promote deep rest, which is beneficial for warriors' recovery."

"Dream Orchid and Silver Glow Dandelion are the basic ingredients for many recovery potions and magic concoctions. Relying solely on fire-attribute resources will keep our potion-making and other skills at a rudimentary stage, and the development of our territory will stagnate."

The words "restoration potion" resonated with Oliveira.

The scene of Alecto's wounded and unconscious state is still vivid in my mind; if only a more effective healing potion had been available then...

She shook her head, dismissing the slightly weak thought, but she did take some of it to heart.

"Okay, okay, you have a point." (O)

Rivera scratched her chin with her front paw: "So what are you planning to do now? Set up a plot of land outside and send people to guard it and cultivate it?"

"That's the initial plan."

Kula nodded: "But we need someone of sufficient stature to occasionally check on any potential troubles, especially in the early stages of planting, when the fragile seedlings need time to grow."

Oliveira understood; Kula wanted to give her something to do instead of letting her wander around the territory all day.

She didn't mind; patrolling the territory was one of the dragon's instincts, and besides, it was a good opportunity to stretch her muscles.

"Hmph, looks like they can't do without me."

Oliveira raised her head and said smugly:

"Alright, I'll take care of this. Tell me where to mark the land, and I'll fly over there to check it out whenever I have time. If anyone dares to cause trouble, that'll be a good opportunity for me to have some extra food."