Volume 10: Thunder and Wind
Chapter 1: An Unexpected Joy
Just as Komer was preoccupied with figuring out how to deal with the visitors from the kingdom, the arrival of a delegation from the southern barbarians brought him yet another surprise.
Looking at the pair of young dragons before him, each no taller than a meter, Komer tried hard to conceal his overwhelming joy, pretending to be indifferent. To be honest, he had never expected the barbarians to give him these animals, which were unique to the Cordillera wasteland. In the eyes of these barbarians, earth dragons were treasures of their tribe. He had initially demanded a high price for such an item, but to his surprise, they actually brought him two young dragons. Though it was less than he had asked for, it was still enough to make him deeply grateful to these barbarians.
Although these earth dragons were far less powerful compared to the dragons in magical beasts, they still bore the name “dragon” — they were true dragons, the undisputed kings among animals. Under the careful control of several barbarian warriors, the two little ones remained relatively calm, but in their new environment, their curiosity and wariness made them keep staring around with their fist-sized red eyes. Their brownish skin gave them a healthy and robust appearance. Their heads had not yet fully developed into the fearsome shapes of adult dragons, but the beginnings of horns were already visible. Their dragon whiskers, resembling the sparse hair of young humans, still seemed immature. From time to time, they showed their teeth, which, though not yet fully grown, appeared extremely sharp. Their scarlet tongues kept licking outside their lips, as if they were always hungry. The scales from their necks to their bellies resembled natural armor, with palm-sized scales arranged in swirling patterns that covered their necks, chests, and abdomens tightly. Their thick backs were prominently raised with a cleverly shaped depression in the middle, perfect for one or two people to sit on — a natural seat. Their strong hind legs, with bulging muscles, showed their power, while their front claws, though not as robust as their hind legs, were still deadly weapons.
Suppressing his joy, Komer walked over to the two young dragons. After examining them carefully, he couldn’t help but want to touch their smooth skin, but their wary eyes and threatening postures made him laugh silently.
“My lord, please do not approach them casually—it’s extremely dangerous. These two young dragons were hatched less than two months ago, and they are highly vigilant and vengeful. Be careful lest they hurt you.” Recognizing Komer’s intentions, the burly man who brought the dragons was Komer’s old friend Volen. He had gone to such lengths to gift these two young dragons as a sign of goodwill from his people and tribe. If these untamed young dragons hurt Komer, it would be a huge loss.
“Is that so? I find these two little guys quite cute. They aren’t as dangerous as you say.” Komer smiled faintly, his eyes fixed on the two young dragons, which stared at him with wary and fierce gazes. He channeled magic within him, his eyes flashing with intensity, and his aura suddenly changed. Even the orc guards and barbarian messengers around him felt as though their lord had transformed into someone entirely different—seemingly unapproachable and radiating immense authority that separated him from everyone else. Volen, who was closest to Komer, felt it even more acutely. An invisible pressure forced him to take two steps back; he even felt an urge to worship him. He couldn’t believe why he suddenly had such strange thoughts until he saw how the two young dragons reacted.
Under Komer’s gaze, the two young dragons became panicked, as if they had seen something terrifying. Their behavior changed continuously with the shift in Komer’s aura, and they now resembled two lambs ready for slaughter. Only when Komer’s aura changed again did they lift their heads and gaze at him with awe. At that moment, Komer casually stroked their heads, even gently pinching one of them on its newly developing dragon horns.
The group of barbarian warriors stared blankly at what was happening before them. How could this be?! They simply couldn’t believe that someone could touch those two young dragons so casually, as if they were their keepers. Even their most familiar keepers or tamer wouldn’t dare to touch their horns lightly, let alone these two young dragons. For dragons that hadn’t yet fully adapted to the outside world, any behavior that stimulated them could provoke an attack, and their horns were their weakest and most precious parts—even the slightest touch could trigger furious biting. Yet now, these two dragons were bowing their heads in submission before these mortals they had met for the first time, even sticking out their tongues to lick their palms as a sign of near-submission. It was truly a miracle! Two of the barbarian soldiers even rubbed their eyes vigorously in confusion, trying to confirm they weren’t seeing things. The entire scene seemed like an invisible performance to enhance Kommer’s presence.
Only Volen had some understanding of what was going on. He knew that this lord had once again demonstrated advanced magic before him and his men. Although he didn’t know why the two young dragons had become so docile, the overwhelming pressure emanating from them earlier wasn’t directed at him, yet he had instinctively avoided it—clearly a sign of magic in action. It was astonishing that even creatures like earth dragons, regarded as divine beasts in his own tribe, were bowing in submission before this man. This filled Volen with frustration, yet it also gave him greater hope for the mission he had come on.
Volen was right. Komer was indeed using his refined mental magic—“Pressure”—in front of the two young dragons. This was a mental magic that relied entirely on mental power, requiring not only a high level of mental strength but also strict demands on the caster’s mental state and understanding. This improvement came after Komer acquired Kenifer III’s source of magical power and his magical knowledge system, combined with some mental magic books obtained from Damorlensk Fortress. Compared to the basic mental magic “Pressure” he had known before, this advanced version was vastly more powerful and difficult to master. Komer intended to test whether this mental magic would work on non-human beings. According to his reasoning, any animal with a certain level of intelligence and thinking should be affected by his magic. Sure enough, the two young dragons obediently submitted in the face of his powerful mental presence. Seeing even the once-arrogant dragons yield to him gave Komer the urge to feel as though he could rule the continent at will—though this was only a fleeting moment, especially since they were just young earth dragons.
Finally, Komer withdrew his hand from stroking the dragons and slowly dismissed his mental magic. This advanced mental magic was extremely draining and not suitable for long-term use. Moreover, applying “Pressure” to these two young dragons, for whom Komer had high hopes, for too long could suppress their innate fierce temperaments. While this might aid in taming them, it could also affect their natural combat strength. Komer preferred to train them in the same way barbarians trained earth dragon warriors, so that he could have his own force of earth dragons capable of operating in the Homer region and the Kingdom of Nicossia, even if it was just a small one.
Wolen carefully observed Komer’s expression. It was clear that Komer liked these two young dragons very much, but he seemed somewhat dissatisfied, probably because of their small number, which worried Wolen a bit. He knew this northern neighbor had great demands. Last time, he had asked the alliance to form a squad of earth dragon warriors for him, which required at least five to seven adult earth dragons. This request not only sparked debate within the Jiarong tribe but also caused a huge stir within the alliance. A few tribes that hoped to obtain northern food resources and permission to unlock weapons sooner offered limited support, but the leaders of the vast majority of tribes firmly opposed it. In their view, if the most powerful military force of the mountain people, such as earth dragon warriors, fell into the hands of mortals, the mountain people would lose their military advantage over them and would eventually become slaves to the mortals.
The tribes that offered limited support believed that the mountain people were currently surrounded and blocked by mortals and other races, making it extremely difficult for them to move forward. Under such circumstances, they would inevitably become more and more isolated and weaker.
Although the Cordillera Wasteland was rich in resources, it had two fatal weaknesses that strangled the mountain people like nooses. The first was a severe shortage of food. Even in years of good harvests, the food produced in the Cordillera Wasteland was only enough to meet 70% of their needs, forcing them to rely on smuggling and hunting to make up the difference. In normal years, the gap was even larger.
Although smuggling alleviated many of the mountain people’s difficulties, they gradually realized that these smuggling groups actually had secret agreements with the countries and forces that imposed blockades on them. These agreements ensured that they would never allow the mountain people to accumulate enough food reserves. Each shipment of smuggled food cost a fortune and was only sufficient to meet basic needs. And when they tried to smuggle in more food, no matter how high the price, those smuggling groups would refuse for various reasons.
And once a famine struck, the mountain people had to find every means possible to mobilize all their resources and seek food through various channels. During such times, the ordinary people and other races, nations, and forces in the surrounding areas would turn a blind eye, allowing smuggling groups to import food and reap huge profits. Yet even so, the recurring famines every three to five years still caused immense losses to the mountain people—not only consuming a large amount of funds spent on trading for minerals and special products but also resulting in the death of many elders, women, and children from starvation. This recurring disaster meant that the total population of the mountain people not only failed to grow but even gradually declined, posing the biggest problem for all tribes within the alliance. It seemed there was only one way to break this cycle: waging external wars to seize lands suitable for growing food. For hundreds of years, wars between the mountain people and other races had mostly revolved around this reason. Every time this happened, the ordinary nations across the continent and other surrounding races would unite without exception to fight against the mountain people. These battles, with such a huge disparity in strength, always ended with a crushing defeat for the mountain people, bringing them only endless humiliation and suffering.
With such experiences, the Mountain People’s Alliance seemed to have no other choice but to silently heal their wounds, powerless to do anything as they watched their population gradually decline—until new rulers appeared in the remote lands to the north, bringing about some changes.
For the mountain people, apart from food as their fatal weakness, their backward production techniques and the blockade of strategic resources were also major constraints on their survival and development. All races, nations, and countries strictly prohibited the transfer of important production technologies to them, such as mineral processing, iron smelting, and manufacturing. It was precisely because these technologies could not reach the mountain people’s region that they remained in a primitive and backward state, unable to compete with other races in any aspect. This was also the main reason for their repeated failures in wars. Although their armies had strong troops and exceptional individual skills, they still ended up losing.
A myriad of thoughts surged through Volen’s mind like a tide. His current mission to the Caucasus was not merely about giving away two young earth dragons as a mere gift; however, under these circumstances, he could not reveal his true intentions yet and could only wait for the right opportunity.
“Lord, it seems these two young dragons truly have a special bond with you. If it were anyone else, these dragons would have been furious long ago, but seeing them so gentle and obedient when they see you is truly pleasing.” Volen’s words sounded insincere, but under such circumstances, he could only use such hypocritical remarks to cover up his true feelings.
Komer could sense an indescribable complexity in Volen’s words. He understood the conflicting emotions Volen must be feeling at that moment. Volen was considered quite insightful among the barbarian tribes, and this visit was likely not so simple after all. Any hidden motives would probably only become clear once Volen revealed his purpose.