Lord: I can see loyalty.

Tianci Liu's new work is here! Cola Novels is the first to update it on the entire network!

The flying monkey bat leader stopped at the end of the mountain path, its blood-red eyes staring at the huge crack in front of it, a low gurgling sound coming from its throat.

"That's enough for now. I can only take you this far. Any further, and our master will burn us all together."

Vio nodded and said nothing more.

The leader turned around, and his black figure quickly disappeared into the clouds. The other flying monkey bats also dispersed, leaving Vio alone standing in front of the crevice.

The mountain wind howled from the depths, carrying a biting chill and a strong smell of sulfur.

He took a deep breath, his knightly aura slowly unfolding, blocking the oppressive feeling outside, and then stepped inside.

The passage inside the crevice was darker than the last time I came, and the claw marks and burn marks on the rock walls on both sides seemed to be deeper, as if something had recently lost its temper.

The ground was covered with a layer of fine black gravel, which made a rustling sound when stepped on.

The smell of sulfur in the air was so strong it was almost suffocating, and the temperature was rising higher and higher. With every step forward, you could feel the heat wave hitting you.

Vio's forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat, but his breathing techniques kept him calm and clear-headed.

The passage suddenly opened up at the end, revealing a huge cave.

The dome is so high that you can't see the top, and the surrounding rock walls are inlaid with countless luminous crystals, illuminating the entire cave.

In the depression in the center of the ground, the red dragon was curled up with its eyes closed, as if it were sleeping.

Its dark red scales gleamed with a metallic sheen under the light of the crystals, and each breath caused the cave to tremble slightly. Its wings were folded over its back, and the wing membranes trembled gently in the heat.

Vio didn't deliberately slow his pace; he simply walked into the cave at a leisurely pace.

The boots made a crisp sound as they stepped on the gravel, which was particularly clear in the empty cave.

The red dragon's ears twitched, and its eyelids fluttered slightly, but it did not open them.

"...It's you again? Human." Its voice was deep and resonant, echoing like muffled thunder in a cave. "You've come to steal my things again?"

Clearly, it recognized Vio by his scent.

Vio stopped ten steps away from the dragon head and looked up at the pair of golden vertical pupils that were slowly opening.

"I'm not here to steal anything, I'm here to discuss cooperation."

The red dragon narrowed its eyes, a hint of murderous intent flashing in its vertical pupils. It exhaled two streams of hot air from its nostrils, carrying the scent of flames, and its tone carried a hint of sneer.

"Cooperation? You, a weak human, want to cooperate with a true dragon?"

Vio did not back down.

"You live here all by yourself... no, all by yourself, don't you get bored? Those flying monkey bats bring you food and water, but you're trapped on this mountain and can't go anywhere."

"Trapped?" The red dragon sneered. "It's just that there's nowhere in this world worth my time, so I'm too lazy to bother. Otherwise, what could possibly trap me?"

"And what about the army in the North?" Vio's voice was calm. "The Golden-Maned Griffin family is gathering its forces. Once they take the South, their next target won't be you. You think this mountain can stop a thousand troops?"

The red dragon slightly raised its eyes.

It stared at Vio for a long time, a faint, elusive light flickering in its golden vertical pupils.

Finally, its gaze fell on Vio's back.

There, Vio's hand was discreetly breaking off a piece of dragon scale magic stone from the rock wall and stuffing it into the leather pouch at his waist.

He also plucked a few more dragon blood grasses with a dark red sheen from the rock crevices and put them away.

"What are you doing?" Red Dragon's voice suddenly rose.

Vio paused for a moment, but quickly resumed his actions, showing no sign of guilt on his face, and said with a cold laugh.

"It's nothing, just checking the quality of the ore here for you."

"lay down."

"Don't worry, I'm only taking a little..."

"lay down!"

The red dragon's roar shook the cave, and rubble tumbled down from the ceiling.

It suddenly stood up, spread its wings, and its wing membrane was more than ten meters wide, blocking out the light above the cave.

A blazing flame gathered deep within its throat, and its golden vertical pupils were filled with fury.

"Not only do you dare come back to steal my things, but you also dare to make me—the Draenei—the great red dragon!—serve as a henchman in your war?"

Its roar grew louder, and cracks began to appear on the cave walls. "Who do you think you are? A weak human! One breath of my dragon's breath and I can burn you to ashes!"

Vio didn't back down, but simply watched it quietly. "You said the same thing last time, but I'm perfectly fine."

A hint of annoyance flashed in the red dragon's eyes.

It certainly remembered what happened last time; the human had used a magical artifact to block its dragon breath and then escaped while it was stuck in the crack.

That was probably the most humiliating moment in its more than two hundred years of life.

"Last time I didn't want to chase!" The red dragon opened its huge mouth, a red tide surged up, and scorching flames spewed out!

Vio quickly raised his magic shield, and the purple magic shield instantly unfolded, blocking the flames.

Flames crashed against the shield like giant waves, one after another, creating a deafening roar, but Vio's feet seemed rooted to the spot, remaining completely still.

The flames finally stopped.

The purple light on the Demon Feather Shield dimmed slightly, but it remained intact. The red dragon exhaled fire, its golden vertical pupils filled with rage and shame.

"Damn it..."

Vio peeked out from behind the shield, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Sorry, your dragon breath doesn't seem to work on me."

The red dragon was completely enraged.

It stopped using its dragon breath and pounced directly at the enemy! Its enormous claws slammed down with a whooshing sound, powerful enough to smash a castle to pieces!

Vio dodged to the side, and the giant claw slammed into the ground, sending rubble flying and leaving a half-meter-deep crater.

Another claw swept over immediately, and Vio jumped to dodge, while simultaneously thrusting out the Demon Feather Sword, leaving a shallow sword mark on the back of the red dragon's claw.

"It's faster than last time?" The red dragon's voice was filled with surprise. It retracted its claws and stared at the tiny wound.

Although it was just a minor scratch, the fact that it could be injured shows that this human's strength far surpasses that of an ordinary Grand Knight.

"I told you, I'm here to discuss cooperation." Vio sheathed his sword, his breathing still steady. "You're here alone, waiting to die. Join me, and you'll get more food, more territory, and—what you crave: real combat."

The red dragon remained silent for a moment, its golden vertical pupils fixed on him, as if it were thinking or observing.

Then, its body swayed slightly, and it let out a weary sigh.

The battle was too tiring for it.

It was lazy by nature, usually too lazy to even move, and relied entirely on those flying monkey bats for sustenance. That burst of energy just now had already consumed a lot of its strength.

"Get out." The red dragon curled up again, closed its eyes, and said, "Get out of my lair before I change my mind."

Vio did not move.

"You'll agree sooner or later."

"roll!"

Vio looked at him, a slight smile playing on his lips.

He didn't say anything more, but simply slung the Demon Feather Shield over his back and turned to walk out of the cave.

After taking a few steps, he stopped and looked back at the red dragon that had already closed its eyes.

"I'll be back," he said again. "Then you'll change your mind."

Red Dragon didn't answer, but only made an impatient nasal sound.

Vio quickened his pace and stepped out of the crevice. A mountain breeze swept over him, carrying a cool scent that dispelled the smell of sulfur from his clothes.

He stood on the mountain road, gazing at the southern horizon, but out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at the panel of the red dragon.

[Status: Thinking, Conflicted, Tempted]

"It seems only a matter of time before I can persuade this red dragon," he said softly, then reached into his leather pouch, touched the dragon scale magic stones and dragon blood grass, and nodded in satisfaction.

I've received the item.

Although he couldn't directly persuade the red dragon, at least he let it know that he was not a minor character who could be easily dismissed.

Next time we come, the result might be different.

He turned around and walked down the mountain.

Behind them, in the clouds and mist of the Longkou Mountains, the faint sound of a red dragon breathing could be heard.