Chapter 126: Dogman Canyon

"You should be content, You," Aiksuuri said, crawling out of its lair. "I don’t have Magic that powerful. If it weren’t for my teacher, you’d still just be a skull."

"Even having a body temporarily is already pretty great."

"As for you all," the young Black Dragon turned its head to look at Ron and the others, "I’ll go with you."

"Want to see the treasure the Green Dragon left behind?" Ron wasn’t surprised by Aiksuuri’s decision. In fact, it was stranger that the dragon had held out this long. "There probably isn’t much treasure left, though. After all, who knows how many years have passed."

’The self-proclaimed owners of the Delusional Land have come and gone. If there was ever anything good there, it would’ve been carved up long ago.’

"It’s not that easy," Aiksuuri snorted. "Giant Dragons are the most powerful creatures in the world. As we age, our power continues to grow. This power isn’t just reflected in a Dragon Race’s individual strength; it can even affect our lairs and the surrounding environment."

"An old Green Dragon... I’d wager its lair is stronger than you lot. It’s not so easy to just empty it out."

"But more than that, I’m worried about the other dangers you might encounter..."

The Young Dragon once again left its lair, crossing the nearby swamps and jungles and following the river downstream. The surrounding landscape gradually grew drier.

Jagged rock walls rose on both sides, adorned with strange, yellowish-green crystals, forming a sunken canyon between them. When the wind blew, a strange, sorrowful tune could be heard whistling from the holes in the surrounding cliffs.

"What is this place?" Victoria asked, glancing around warily. "It doesn’t look natural."

"Of course not," the young Black Dragon said, approaching the crystals on the rock wall with a look of reverence and sticking out its tongue for a lick. "See these crystals? They’re from the Strong Acid breath of a powerful Red Copper Dragon from long ago. It shaped its territory into this form, and the marks left by its attacks against invaders have yet to fade, even to this day."

"A Red Copper Dragon? Aren’t there a few too many Dragon Race members around here?" Sera reached out and touched the weathered rock wall. "Are you really sure?"

"My teacher confirmed it," Aiksuuri said, shaking its body. "That Red Copper Dragon lived for a long time after abandoning her lair. She took the form of a Dragon Descendant Minstrel and traveled the world, finally dying on Avernus during a planar-crossing adventure with her companions. My teacher’s friends retrieved her body and buried it."

"As for her abandoned lair... nowadays, it’s—"

"GUKAA!!!"

From atop the rock wall, a cry that sounded almost like a Dragon Roar, but with a strange pronunciation, rang out. Following the cry was a bright ball of fire. It exploded less than ten meters in front of Ron and the others, and the massive Fireball it produced nearly engulfed them.

The heat wave slammed into Ron, pelting him with searing hot sand and stone fragments. He could barely keep his eyes open, let alone react.

"Kobolds stopped being cute the moment they learned how to cast Fireball Magic..."

In a daze, Ron heard Aiksuuri mutter something. The dragon’s words then quickly transformed into a low, majestic roar. Having learned a bit of second-hand Dragon Language from Silvia, Ron could just barely make out what it was saying.

"Don’t attack! Not an enemy! It’s me!"

"Gah? GAGA GOO-GAH!"

Aiksuuri’s roar quickly received a response. From the caves high up on the rock wall, small creatures with lattice-patterned, reddish-brown scales emerged one after another. One of them, which had a strip of red cloth tied around its head and was holding a wooden staff, was particularly conspicuous.

Kobolds. These smallest of the Dragon Creatures had a name that didn’t fit their actual identity in the slightest. Ron couldn’t even remember how the name had been translated in his previous life.

But in reality, they had absolutely nothing to do with dogs, dog heads, or the Desert Death God. They were a species of small, cold-blooded, egg-laying, scaled, communal reptiles that had an inexplicable connection to the Dragon Race.

The Kobolds firmly believed they were created by Tiamat from the blood of the Dragon Race, and the proof was their own reptilian appearance, as they considered themselves a Dragon Species. They could indeed speak a broken form of the Dragon Language, and certain individuals could even use a Dragon Roar.

"Great Aiksuuri!"

That special Kobold led the others sliding down the rock wall, prostrating themselves before Aiksuuri. Even though Aiksuuri was still a Young Dragon, to them, it was already a behemoth.

"We thought you were those invaders. We didn’t realize it was you, gah..."

"I pardon you," Aiksuuri said, magnanimously raising a claw and gently placing it on the special Kobold’s back. "And while I’m at it, let me introduce you. This is my ally, Ron, whom I mentioned. You should respect them as you respect me, for they possess power as great as my own."

"We obey your command—"

"Ron, this is Morlo. He is one of the two Flame Shamans in this group of Kobolds. Their Chieftain and the other Flame Shaman were injured, so he is temporarily in charge of the entire tribe."

Ron greeted him, but he noticed that this Morlo’s attitude toward him was far from the utter reverence he showed Aiksuuri. He even revealed a hint of disdain from time to time—even though these Kobolds had once helped the trading post drive out Carolina’s bandits at Aiksuuri’s direction.

"You don’t have scales," Silvia whispered. "It would be better if you were a Dragon Descendant, but to them, humans are just a type of hairless monkey."

"By the way, Flame Shamans aren’t the kind of Shamans who can use Divine Magic. They’re actually the Sorcerers of the Kobold tribes. Their Deity is imprisoned, so using Divine Magic is next to impossible for them."

"Great Aiksuuri, we know not why you have come this time. How may we serve you faithfully?"

After standing up, Morlo looked up reverently at Aiksuuri, completely ignoring Ron and the others. "We will do everything in our power, gah!"

"I do need you," Aiksuuri said, lowering its head to look down at them. It was clear the dragon was enjoying this treatment. "Where are the exact remains of that Green Dragon?"

"Past the canyon, there’s a giant banyan tree. It’s so thick it would take dozens of us to surround it!" Morlo described, gesticulating as he spoke. "Please, follow me! It is my honor to lead the great Black Dragon!"