Red Dragon Monster Hunter Template.

Before, when they were scattered, they were able to survive by hunting various animals and gathering plant roots or fruits. But once they gathered together, their limited resources were simply not enough to support so many creatures.

This is why hunter-gatherer civilizations rarely develop large city-states, and it is also the main reason why evil races like goblins and gnolls are limited in their growth and expansion.

Like wolf packs, they will naturally split up once their numbers become too large and the surrounding food supply is insufficient.

Thor certainly wouldn't allow the guys he'd gathered to scatter again.

If that's the case, how can he obtain spiritual essence from them? He can't just do nothing all day and run from one end of the village to the other, collecting it from one small settlement after another, can he?

Fortunately, there was still some food stored in the newly subdued beastman camp, which could temporarily solve the immediate problem.

As evil beings transformed from humans, they are one of the few races that still retain the habits of trading and hoarding.

Whenever a caravan passed by, they would exchange local products and handicrafts from the wilderness for food, salt, and other necessities.

Now, these things naturally became Saul's property. However, after a quick look, he found that they were all coarse grains, and some dried meat made of some unknown kind that smelled strange.

He might have looked at something like this more when he first hatched, but now, even if you begged him to eat it, he would only feel disgusted.

Thor simply sent the old bear-man to negotiate with the leaders of the other evil creatures, to live off these "trash" for a while. As for how to distribute them, that would depend entirely on how strong their own fists were.

As long as there aren't too many casualties, he doesn't care at all if one or two die.

At this point, the corn and sweet potato seeds that had been extracted for the development of the boar people came in very handy.

Although the surrounding barren hills and mountains are infertile, they are not lacking in soil. With proper cultivation and modification, they can fully adapt to the growth of these two crops that do not have high requirements for soil.

In just a few months, after the first crop harvest, this humble territory will be able to become basically self-sufficient.

As for some evil creatures being purely carnivorous? They're just not hungry enough.

Subsequently, the creatures under Thor's command suffered a terrible fate. Instead of obtaining the blood and power they so desperately sought, they were forced to become serfs.

They never imagined that the sharp teeth and claws they used for killing would one day be used to move stones and dig in the ground, and a deep sense of humiliation welled up in their hearts.

But what good is further humiliation? The kobold, most loyal to Thor and skilled in mining, was appointed as overseer to supervise the work of his evil creatures.

Anyone who dares to slack off will be immediately whipped; if they dare to run away, they will be hanged next to the newly cultivated terraced fields as a warning to others.

Such brutal behavior, if it had happened in Saul's previous life, would probably have instigated a rebellion among his men and led to his overthrow.

But in a world where power belongs to the individual, even these thousands of evil creatures combined could not possibly be a match for Thor.

They could only endure it silently, their anger fueled by impotence.

The more frustrated they are, the more intense their emotions become, and the more spiritual essence Thor can obtain.

In this way, not only are the assigned tasks done, but the amount of spiritual essence produced also increases, making it a "win-win" situation.

This is the art of exploitation etched into the very bones of the evil dragon.

Chapter 101 The Caravan

As the saying goes, many hands make light work. If you don't push others, you'll never know how much ability they have hidden.

Of the thousands of evil creatures whose physical abilities were generally superior to those of ordinary people, apart from a few who were incorporated into hunting teams and responsible for going out to find prey, the rest were all sent to various hills to cultivate terraced fields.

Large amounts of gravel were piled up to form steps, soil from various places was collected together, and dry toilets were dug out, specifically for collecting excrement and composting.

These evil creatures are naturally undisciplined and do not have the habit of defecating in a fixed place; they will only relieve themselves wherever they are.

But ever since Saul issued an order—anyone who reports a fellow member for urinating or defecating inappropriately, and whose report is verified, can enslave that person for three days at will—the situation immediately improved.

In just a few days, the surrounding landscape has been completely transformed.

The kobolds, especially skilled at digging, even found a water source buried deep underground.

After consulting with Thor, he used his powerful, stored-energy heat ray breath to quickly blast out deep wells.

With this, the water problem was solved, and the entire camp was back on track.

Half a month after Thor arrived in the mountains, a caravan from the east finally arrived.

…………

The crisp sound of horses' hooves echoed across the wilderness, accompanied by the tinkling of bells.

A long caravan came up from behind the distant horizon, with more than thirty carriages lined up in pairs. The wheels left clear tracks on the ground, indicating that they were fully loaded with goods.

Mark stood on the shaft of the foremost carriage, his once-shiny chainmail now covered in a layer of gray-yellow dust from the desert winds. His right hand gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, while his left hand, with its rough knuckles, held a brass telescope, scanning the rolling low hills ahead.

He started traveling with his father as a merchant at the age of 10, formed his own caravan at 25, and ventured into the wilderness at 30. Now, nearing 50, he knows this long westward route like the back of his hand.

He knew that some gnolls and goblins were lurking near the valley they were about to pass through.

These vile and weak evil creatures are not worth fearing; the caravan's fifty-odd fully armed guards are more than enough to handle them.

But he was unwilling to waste his precious energy and arrows on these insignificant creatures, so he still intended to exchange some cheap jerky and food for passage, as he had done before.

Thinking of this, he turned his gaze to the back of the caravan, where several simple carriages were piled with dusty burlap sacks.

Transporting these worthless goods from the distant Blackthorn Harbor was quite an expense. This made him wonder if he should replace them with oats and beans for horses next time, which might save some costs.

As for eliminating the gnolls and goblins entrenched in the valley, Mark never even considered it.

In the wilderness, no territory remains empty forever. When gnolls and goblins die, other creatures will soon take their place.

Rather than dealing with unknown new creatures, it's better to pay a small price for peace of mind.

As I pondered, the distant mountains grew closer and closer, and a white column of smoke rose—a safety signal transmitted by the reconnaissance team roaming 3 kilometers ahead.

It seems this will be another uneventful transaction. Once I've earned enough money, my savings might be enough to buy a piece of land, build a farm and a mill, and live a comfortable retirement.

…………

The dragon's eyesight was far superior to that of ordinary creatures, and coupled with the high altitude of its lair, Thor spotted the caravan more than ten kilometers away, and could even make out its general layout and number of people.

There were a total of 32 vehicles, including 26 standard medium-sized carriages, 4 heavy carriages, 2 mule carts, 2 supply carts, and even a command carriage and a maintenance vehicle, making it a well-established large-scale caravan.

This is a good fat sheep. To avoid disturbing the approaching caravan, he summoned a squad of kobolds and began to give orders for his other creatures to hide.

Unaware of the danger, the caravan approached the valley step by step. A young man carrying a longbow looked curiously at the stepped carving marks on the low hills on both sides.

Mark, who was in the command carriage, also noticed the anomaly. His years of experience traveling in the wilderness made him inexplicably uneasy.

Gnolls and goblins cultivating the land? It seems highly unlikely. Has this canyon already changed hands?

This made him hesitate about whether to stop. The unknown is always particularly dangerous.

But stopping would mean the end of the business trip, and the losses from returning would be enough to break his heart.

Just as Mark hesitated and some of the experienced guards around him became wary, several gnolls with gray faces and dirt stuffed under their fingernails suddenly emerged from both sides of the valley.

Upon seeing these familiar monsters, the caravan members breathed a sigh of relief and couldn't help but make some jokes.

"I never expected that these gnolls would actually cultivate the land. Are they thinking of becoming farmers?"

"Should we provide them with some seeds? Like boiled wheat or something?"

These words immediately enraged the gnolls. Forced to dig for days, their claws were dulled, and now they were being mocked by these weak humans.

With a strange howl, more and more gnolls emerged from all directions.

Seeing this, Mark remained calm. He first calmly instructed the guards around him to remain on guard, and then shouted loudly.

"As usual, let us through, and the goods in the following trucks are yours!"

After he finished speaking, a guard stepped forward to untie the mules from the trailer, and the caravan prepared to continue its journey.

But they soon realized something was wrong. Usually at this time, the gnolls would have swarmed forward, fighting over the jerky.

But at this moment, they still silently surrounded them, their dim yellow eyes flashing with bloodlust, their drooling tongues hanging from the corners of their mouths, staring intently at them.

"Is it because they think we haven't given them enough? Have these stray dogs become so greedy? It seems we need to teach them a lesson and let them know they can't be too greedy."

Just as Mark was about to order the caravan to shoot a few gnolls as a warning, a loud roar suddenly rang out, and the surrounding mountains seemed to tremble.

A fiery meteor appeared in the distant sky, trailing a long, fiery tail, hurtling towards us.

A loud voice resounded through the sky as he laughed wildly and unrestrainedly.

"You ignorant fool, you think you can pass through my territory with this trash?"

Chapter 102 Toll Fees

The crimson shooting star magnified rapidly in the eyes of the caravan members, its wild momentum crashing over them like a tidal wave, causing their chests to tighten suddenly, as if their heartbeats were about to stop abruptly.

The horses and mules pulling the carts were gripped by immense panic, rearing up and neighing incessantly; a few particularly timid ones even stiffened, convulsing and collapsing to the ground.

"What is that?"

"It's a dragon! It's a red dragon! Run!!"

"It's too late, we're doomed..."

Upon seeing Thor's appearance, the entire caravan instantly descended into chaos.

Mark, the caravan leader who was standing on the shaft of the command carriage, felt a wave of dizziness and a strong bitterness welled up from the bottom of his heart. His legs went weak and he collapsed to the ground.

It's over! Everything is over! It's too late to escape now.

Not to mention that the horses are already in a state of chaos, frightened by the red dragon's fierce aura. Even if they were to obey orders and run away desperately, how could they possibly outrun a dragon flying in the sky?

Perhaps, from the moment they entered the Red Dragon's sight, the ending was already predetermined.

Mark's years of experience traversing the wilderness taught him that when faced with such an insurmountable danger, the best course of action is to give up resistance and never provoke the other party.

In this way, although all the goods would be lost, at least there would be a chance to save their lives.

Looking down at the chaotic scene below, Thor, suspended in mid-air, couldn't help but curl a sinister smile into his lips.

Seeing that the humans at the back of the caravan had turned their horses around and were desperately whipping them to escape, magic immediately gathered in his slightly open mouth.

A beam of orange-red and blue heat suddenly shot out. Although it had not been charged up and its power was greatly reduced, it was still far beyond what these human warriors, whose challenge level was only around one or two, could withstand.

The human hit head-on had his chainmail and inner leather armor pierced instantly; as Thor's head swung, the heat ray suddenly slashed left and right, leaving a scorching red line of death on the ground.

The horrifying scene made the others tremble uncontrollably, their hands gripping their weapons shaking, and they dared not make the slightest move.

A scorching wind swept down from overhead, and only then did they realize that the red dragon had an unusually large wingspan, and its overlapping scales, gleaming with a metallic sheen, were like an indestructible suit of armor, with flames burning all around it.

With a dull thud, Thor folded his wings and landed directly in front of the human caravan.

The flames burning on the soles of his feet scorched the ground, occasionally producing tiny crackling sounds, and wisps of blue smoke rose up, charring and melting the soil and sand.

"You want to leave as soon as you step into my territory? That's not how I treat my guests."

A deep voice came from Thor's mouth, and he slowly moved his feet, approaching the caravan step by step.

The merchants and guards immediately felt an immense sense of oppression and heat. Even from several meters away, their exposed skin felt a burning pain, and their metal armor began to scorch.

This discovery terrified them even more—such a horrific creature, let alone fighting it, would likely burn them alive just by standing next to it.

Seeing that the terrifying red dragon showed no sign of stopping, large beads of sweat had formed on the foreheads of the merchants and guards standing at the front.

Therefore, Mark, as the leader of the caravan, had no choice but to step forward and speak in a humble tone.

"Your Excellency Red Dragon, we were unaware that this was your territory. Please forgive our offense. We are willing to offer all our treasures as an apology."

The sudden sound caught Thor's attention. He turned his huge head slightly, and his molten gold pupils turned to the middle-aged man with gray hair.

This guy is quite pragmatic; as soon as he saw the situation was bad, he immediately tried to please them by offering his treasure to save his life.

Indeed, none of the merchants who could travel through the wilderness were fools.

That's fine, as a red dragon, he doesn't have much patience to begin with, and he's even less willing to waste time and breath on fools.

"Treasure? How much can you offer? I'll kill you all, and it'll all still be mine!"

These words sank Mark's heart, filling him with despair. He looked at the mocking expression on Saul's face, yet he still refused to give up the struggle.

"You should know that when we humans travel as merchants, we don't carry all our wealth with us. Even if you kill us now, you will only get a small amount of treasure."

"If you're willing to spare our lives, we promise to bring you even greater wealth next time we pass by."

However, even Mark himself found these words unconvincing. He put himself in the Red Dragon's shoes and knew he certainly wouldn't believe them.