Under the Red Dragon

The entire reception hall was filled with the scent of sandalwood, a fragrance that brought a sense of tranquility. However, to the nose and eyes of the brass dragon Hollister, the overwhelming aroma of the hall was the glittering scent of those golden darlings.

Greed is inherent to dragons. Even ancient dragons who have lived through extremely old age and have managed to overcome some of the flaws of their draconic nature to a certain extent, cannot avoid the primal desires that come from their powerful bloodline, desires that are more intense and profound than those of ordinary races.

Some primordial dragons possess the strength to challenge legends on their own, relying solely on the power of their draconic blood. If they also transcend the limitations of legend, they can even rival powerful demigods in the Prime Material Plane.

Logically, such powerful dragons should possess enough strength and wealth to embark on the most direct path to godhood within the true dragon heritage—becoming a dragon god.

However, even in the universe that has existed since the most ancient times, the total number of true dragons who have ascended the divine ladder using this method does not exceed the fingers on one claw.

This is because these dragons cannot resist or abandon their racial nature. The vast majority of them do not even consider attempting it.

However, the idea of accepting benefits proposed by the adult brass dragon Hollister was not solely driven by his nature, although this dragon probably couldn't distinguish which factor was more dominant.

But metallic dragons are accustomed to this kind of behavior. As long as they don't admit it, they can always stand on the moral high ground.

However, the brass dragon Hollister felt that even if countless years passed, and even if he forgot many of the things he had experienced, he would still remember the gaze of the ancestral red dragon before him.

In those dark golden pupils, there was not a trace of draconic violence or impatience, only a calm green lake, so still that the brass dragon Hollister could only see his own reflection in the other's pupils, and no other color.

The ancestral red dragon's eyes seemed to shine, but it was only the light reflecting everything outside.

Even for a dragon, this blatant coveting of his wealth did not cause any mental fluctuations in the red dragon.

"It seems that this Red Monarch is an existence with an unyielding will, and even the nature of a dragon cannot affect his judgment in the slightest," the brass dragon Hollister mused silently.

Dragons who have grown to adulthood are not fools, just like the gods in the sky.

From an outsider's perspective, they may seem extremely foolish at times, but these ancient beings are not foolish, only stubbornly biased.

This is a common ailment of powerful and ancient beings because they are powerful, so they believe that their actions are flawless.

And adult brass dragons, as long as they do not fall into some kind of obsession when thinking, their wisdom is sufficient to rival the most outstanding scholars among the short-lived races.

The brass dragon Hollister had already realized that the ancestral red dragon's avoidance of the handling of the gold dragon Obilash clearly represented his most obvious attitude.

As the ancestral red dragon moved past that most important topic, a sandalwood box carved with an exquisite flame dragon head appeared between the red dragon's claws.

The box itself, made with extremely meticulous workmanship and materials, could fetch several gold coins in the southern Rose City, sold to those merchants who specialize in delivering gifts to nobles.

Karon revealed his fangs, smiling as he placed the precious box with its strange fragrance in front of the adult brass dragon Hollister.

"Logically speaking, the Golden Empire should attach more importance to the arrival of the envoy dispatched by the Good Dragon Alliance, treating him with great respect and holding a banquet for the court."

"However, now is the initial stage of the empire's establishment, and even dragons like us, who should be soaring in the sky, are shackled by heavy affairs, let alone the courtiers who wholeheartedly share the worries of the empire,"

"Therefore, please forgive any shortcomings in the hospitality."

The adult brass dragon Hollister automatically filtered out the red dragon's polite words. The dragon's innate ability allowed his claws to easily estimate the weight of the box without even using magic, knowing that it was filled with the glittering darlings that all dragons loved.

Seeing this, Karon smiled and slightly raised his claws, signaling Hollister to open the box and take a look.

The brass dragon knew that the other party would not act without purpose. Ordinary gold would not cause the dragon emperor who ruled the entire empire to make such a gesture.

So the adult brass dragon grinned, carefully using his toe claws to push open the lid, which would feel quite heavy to ordinary people.

Instantly, a brilliant, dazzling, and scorching golden light shone out, causing the brass dragon's breathing to become slightly heavier.

These were gold coins with workmanship and purity worthy of a merchant's collection, and the patterns and words on the coins were particularly pleasing to the brass dragon Hollister.

The front of the coin was a delicately textured dragon head, carved with the unique appearance of Karon Gogelmora, the founding emperor and supreme ruler of the Golden Empire, adding some extra allure to the already attractive gold coin.

The surrounding pattern of the exquisite gold coin was a series of dragons with different scales, flexible and ingenious, their mouths and tails interlocked, encircling the majestic and beautiful dragon head in the center.

On the back of the coin was a line of common language in patterned, twisting letters: "May this world shine like gold, may civilization be passed down like a flame!"

The adult brass dragon Hollister sighed and couldn't help but praise, "This is not a gold coin, this is a perfect work of art and the best collector's item, it has transcended the value of the gold coin itself."

In any world, different countries and organizations, based on their credibility, influence, and comprehensive strength, issue currencies that have different value measurements, even if they are gold coins of the same specification.

Generally, the currency issued by stronger countries and organizations has a greater value than that of other countries and organizations.

Although the Golden Empire has only just entered the stage of the Ekaania Great World, the orc kingdom is well aware of the strength of the dragon empire.

And the Golden Empire's declaration to the Orc Kingdom is still causing an uproar in the Orc Kingdom's Council of Elders.

From a comprehensive strength perspective alone, the gold coins issued by the Golden Empire are sufficient to equal the monetary standards of other countries.

Moreover, dragon territories have always been known for their abundant mineral resources, and the gold coins they mint are purer and of better quality than those of other countries and city-states.

Most importantly, there was Karon's statement.

"This is the first, and will be the last, commemorative edition of the master model gold coin issued by the Golden Empire," Karon said with a smile, revealing his thick, long fangs. He deliberately lowered his voice and said, "Limited edition within the empire, no, the entire world. This is also a treasured edition issued to commemorate the empire's birth."

The adult brass dragon Hollister's dim pupils instantly lit up. He grinned and said, "Then I must put these works of art in my treasure vault for collection. This is a testament to civilization, and the passage of time will only give it more value and meaning."

"Oh, heavens, thank the goddess of wealth, I feel like I want to show them off to others, but I don't want those vulgar hands and eyes to see my treasures,"

The brass dragon Hollister joked contentedly, but the goddess of wealth in the brass dragon's mouth was not that unlucky one who was said to have fallen into a swamp in the abyss and was forced to go to sea.

Among dragons, there is also a goddess of wealth belonging to the dragon race, that is, the dragon god placed by Karon in the Pantheon of Dragons—Estherabos.

This dragon god is a lesser deity of draconic wealth, and her appearance is a dragon shimmering with many colors, just like the shining scales of the Golden King Karon Gogelmora.

Although the goddess of wealth Estherabos represents the dragon's innate desire to acquire wealth and power, she does not have the stigma of greed like Tiamat.

The dragon god Estherabos advocates that dragons should have an inherent need to collect and protect their treasure vaults, and this dragon god cannot tolerate any kind of theft by her followers and worshipers.

However, if these thefts are carried out in the name of establishing a treasure vault, she will often deliberately turn a blind eye.

It can only be said that this dragon god's principles and standards, like Karon's own tamed blood of evil dragons, only work when they need them.

Therefore, this dragon god is quite popular among neutral dragons, and even some chromatic dragons like to steal in the name of this goddess. If they are caught by other dragons, they will only get a beating at most.

The brass dragon Hollister rarely counted the gold coins in the box, and this box, which was a bit small for a dragon, contained only two hundred gold coins, but even ordinary gold coins were enough to satisfy a dragon.

The former silver dragon Valkyrie Chris Diana sold her freedom for two thousand gold coins. And some dragons who have grown to the old or even ancient dragon stage are proud and vain of having hundreds or thousands of gold coins and gems inlaid between their scales.

Not to mention this kind of collector's item whose value is no longer limited to the gold coins themselves.

And Karon, although his wealth is enough for him to easily give more gold coins and wealth, five hundred, eight hundred, or even one or two thousand, are just a tiny part of his vast treasure vault.

But dragons, like humans, possess an almost insatiable greed and desire, and their appetite will grow larger and more insatiable as they gain more.

Therefore, Karon needs to grasp a degree, so that he can show his generosity without causing the other party to develop more greed, because in Karon's view, there may be many opportunities to meet or cooperate with this adult dragon in the future.

The delighted adult dragon happily accepted the gift and hid it in his dimensional magic bag, then secretly rubbed his somewhat uncontrollable toe claws and said, "Noble Karon Gogelmora,"

"Your generosity allows me to see your generous and beautiful virtues. The ancestral gold dragon Obilash proposed the challenge exclusive to ancient dragon lords—the Scarsheet War—at your founding ceremony,"

"In my opinion, your willingness to show mercy is enough to demonstrate your tolerant character. You must know that there is almost no concept of success or failure in the challenges between ancient dragon lords, only the results of victory and death."

Karon listened quietly to the words of this adult dragon. In the red dragon's view, things that can be done with gold coins are all small things. In Karon's view, greed is actually a beautiful driving force, as long as it is useful.

"But some guys in the Southern Good Dragon Alliance don't really understand your virtues as clearly as I do. They are trapped in their own stubbornness and don't know enough about the dragons in the north."

The adult brass dragon Hollister reminded in a solemn tone, "'Golden Flash' Mogsah Rabic, this powerful gold dragon Earl, is not only the de facto Earl of the human kingdom of Fadley, but also one of the leaders of the Southern Good Dragon Alliance."

"Although we all respect this wealthy, powerful, and charming adult gold dragon, Mogsah Rabic is not the most powerful in the Good Dragon Alliance. Even in the 'Dragon Crown Council,' there are more powerful adult gold dragons and silver dragons than him."

"But these leaders on the surface still listen to the opinions of the most powerful council elders in the most critical decisions. Some of these dragons' ages can even be traced back to the distant ancient times when various races began to rise on the earth."

"Although they do not participate in the daily management of the Good Dragon Alliance, they control the most important voice," the adult brass dragon Hollister said softly, looking at the ancestral red dragon with a calm expression.

"Most importantly, the grandfather of the ancestral gold dragon Obilash, the father of 'Golden Flash' Mogsah Rabic, is one of the most powerful elders. Even in the entire 'Dragon Crown Council,' he occupies an extremely important voice. Skolita, that is the name of that powerful one."

Karon nodded, his expression unchanged. He had long anticipated these situations. The relationship between metallic dragons was no worse than he imagined.

"However, no matter what organization, there will be different factions," the brass dragon Hollister's dim pupils lit up slightly.

"Just like the hawk and dove factions in those human kingdoms, I belong to the more moderate faction that tends to reconcile,"

"I can try to say some good things for you after I go back to report, but the ancestral gold dragon Obilash, even with the excuse of recuperating in the empire, cannot be delayed for too long. You must make a careful decision."

The ancestral red dragon laughed and said, "Thank you for your kindness. It was a pleasure talking to you. I think we should be able to get along well and become friends."

Karon handed out another box from between his claws. In the red dragon's view, this adult dragon does things after receiving money and has good credibility. He is a cooperative friend relationship worth trying to get along with.

"What I just sent out was the empire's goodwill and welcome etiquette to the envoy, and this is a gift that I personally give to a friend. Although it is not precious, it can be regarded as expressing my heart."

Hollister was stunned for a moment, then accepted the gift and nodded slightly, "It is also my honor to have a friend like Your Majesty."