Red Dragon Monster Hunter Template.

That's what Mark thought anyway. After a conversation, before he knew it, he had somehow already agreed to the woman's request.

Watching the other person riding a dark blue mule, excitedly weaving through the caravan, Mark couldn't help but offer some words of advice.

"When you see that evil dragon, remember what I said: don't say anything, don't do anything, try your best to minimize your presence and don't attract its attention."

And another thing! You'd better dress up ugly and make yourself look even more slovenly, and from now on, you'd better not take a bath.

I've heard that the Red Dragon loves to eat young women. Although I've never seen it with my own eyes, I still want to be on the safe side..."

Mark kept babbling on and on. He couldn't explain why, but he just felt a fondness for this woman who had suddenly appeared, and couldn't help but talk more.

Fortunately, the other party did not show any impatience, and always had a gentle smile on their face, listening quietly.

After a while, Mark felt his lips were getting dry, so he stopped talking, took out his water bottle, took a sip, and then belatedly asked a question.

"Oh, right! I still don't know your name. My name is Mark, and I'm currently a wilderness merchant, starting from Blackthorn City..."

The woman nodded and answered in a soft voice.

“You can call me Alan, a traveling bard.”

Chapter 157 Reconstruction

After dealing with matters on the ground, Thor led a large group of his men back into the Underdark.

In just a few days, the effects of his previous remarks, coupled with the efforts of his gray dwarves and kobolds, have become clearly apparent.

The first group to come seeking refuge was a small cave-dwelling tribe.

This is a humanoid race that is about 1.5 meters tall, with lizard-like heads covered with rough, dark green or yellowish-brown scales, and strong bodies with sharp claws.

Because they have scent glands on their bodies, which release a foul odor when they are angry as a means of attack or defense, they are always surrounded by a stench, which is why they have never won Thor's favor.

But Saul kept his promise and accepted these men, treating them along with his own men as free labor and sending them to clean up the city's ruins.

The existence of these cave dwellers is like that of the first person to eat a crab; countless eyes are watching them closely from the shadows.

Seeing that they were unharmed, more creatures emerged, clamoring to submit to Thor.

Among them are dwarfs, petrified lizards, and kobolds from the Underdark, and many more.

Suddenly, Thor had a large number of men at his disposal, and he sent them all into the city ruins to work as laborers.

But it wasn't long before he discovered that although these creatures obeyed orders, they were all just going through the motions and slacking off.

After a moment's thought, Thor understood the reason—as evil creatures, they were almost all selfish and would not act without seeing any benefit. Naturally, they would not work hard without seeing a clear advantage.

Saul could certainly choose to use violence to coerce others, but that would cut off his path to recruiting more followers.

Let's give them some hope and whet their appetite with bait first.

Having figured this out, Thor immediately flapped his wings and took to the air, his body covered in flames, and descended towards the cave dwellers who had first come to his aid.

A tremendous tremor resounded, and as his massive body landed, a scorching wind instantly swept up.

Feeling the terrifying heat rushing towards them, all the cave dwellers couldn't help but feel a deep fear. Their pupils suddenly contracted, and they immediately knelt down on the ground.

Thor scanned the creatures, which resembled distant relatives of the lizardmen, and his gaze settled on the strongest one among them—if he wasn't mistaken, this guy should be their leader.

Then, he opened his mouth wide and roared in a loud voice.

"As the first race to come and seek refuge, the great red dragon has decided to bestow upon you my grace, thus demonstrating my generosity and mercy!"

A grayish-green seed emerged from Thor's fingertip and, amidst the surprised gazes of the cave dwellers, fell toward their leader.

This is the Seed of Power, a unique plant originating from the Monster Hunter world, and one of the most common consumables.

It can greatly enhance the user's strength in a short period of time, and its activated energy can also stimulate the user's body, bringing some permanent improvements.

Long-term use can significantly improve physical condition and has no side effects.

"Eat it, and you will gain great power."

A resounding voice boomed through the air like thunder. The chosen caveman chieftain, his heart pounding with excitement, caught the Seed of Power falling from mid-air.

A faint, fresh scent of herbs and plants wafted into its nostrils, and it immediately put it into its mouth.

A slightly spicy taste spread from the tip of the tongue. After being digested by the stomach and intestines, the swallowed kernels quickly turned into streams of heat that began to flow to the limbs and bones.

The caveman's muscles swelled at a visible rate, and his body quickly grew larger. His originally hunched back straightened involuntarily, and he felt a powerful force surging within him.

It clenched its fist in disbelief, a surge of intense joy welling up from the bottom of its heart. It immediately knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly to Thor, swearing its loyalty.

A throng of eager gazes immediately filled the surroundings, and many creatures couldn't help but regret why they hadn't been the first to step forward and pledge allegiance.

Some who considered themselves clever immediately started working hard, swinging their pickaxes rapidly in hopes of attracting Thor's attention.

Seeing that his goal had been achieved, Thor couldn't help but reveal a sinister smile.

Inside the cave, the clanging and banging sounds echoed continuously as the molten, pointed castles were reopened, their valuable contents looted and then rebuilt into new dwellings.

The excavated rubble was transported to a lava lake in one corner of the cave, where it was melted and shaped by the high temperatures to be remade into new building materials.

Every day, new evil creatures come to join them, and through their combined efforts, the abandoned dungeon begins to rapidly come back to life.

As the number of creatures gathered increased, the demand for various supplies naturally increased as well. This allowed some shrewd underground merchants to sense a business opportunity and begin to tentatively return with their goods.

As a red dragon with lofty ambitions, Thor is not like the other five-colored dragons, who have a morbid possessiveness for wealth.

Only wealth that circulates can accumulate like a snowball; if it is simply piled up in a vault, it will ultimately remain nothing more than shiny metal.

Therefore, Saul welcomed all the merchants who came to trade, and even offered them some partially renovated buildings as shops—of course, these were subject to taxes.

He collects a tax of 20% of the total value of all goods brought in from outside the country, regardless of whether they are sold or not.

He also collects a tax of 20% of the total value of all goods shipped out from here.

In other words, Thor would take half of any wealth circulating in this underground city. It sounds harsh, but it's actually much lighter than what the drow elves used to do.

You should know that in addition to the city entry fee, those black-skinned rats also charge a commission on transactions, protection fees, currency exchange fees, tithes from the temple, and all sorts of other miscellaneous fees. If you don't have a powerful backer, your goods may even be confiscated directly.

Saul didn't have the energy or time to manage these complicated matters, so he simply combined all the taxes into one, which actually allowed the merchants to earn more.

After tasting success, more merchants began to flock in. Some came from the depths of the Underdark, bringing various ores, magical materials, and mushrooms that were local specialties; others came from other parts of the surface, bringing food and various supplies that were scarce in the Underdark.

Because of the existence of magic, spatial equipment does exist in this world, but it is quite rare and only wealthy merchants can possess it.

When these wealthy merchants also sensed the allure of wealth and flocked to the site like sharks, the reconstruction of the entire abandoned underground city suddenly accelerated to a new level.

Chapter 158 The Returning Caravan

Thor realized that his influence on living beings was growing stronger. In addition to the mad dragon curse he actively conjured, the black mist that occasionally emanated from his body seemed to have a certain infectious effect on other creatures.

A large number of evil creatures came to join him, giving him ample manpower to allocate, so he recalled the kobolds and grey dwarves he had sent out.

Needless to say, the grey dwarves, as excellent blacksmiths and stonemasons, were naturally appointed as overseers by Thor to teach and supervise the other subordinates in rebuilding the abandoned dungeon.

The kobolds were treated as servants, with the stronger ones serving them personally and waiting for orders at any time.

After all, the red dragon's body temperature, which can reach hundreds or thousands of degrees, and the flames burning around its body, are not something that ordinary creatures can get close to. Only these little guys, who also have a thin layer of dragon blood flowing through their bodies, can barely endure it.

In such close contact, the kobolds inevitably became tainted by the black mist emanating from Thor.

At first, Thor didn't take it seriously, assuming it was just thick smoke from the high temperature. But he soon discovered that the kobolds who were responsible for serving him were starting to die frequently.

Those who survived had their dragon blood activated at an extremely rapid pace.

It was only then that he realized that the so-called Mad Dragon Curse did not actually require him to actively condense the curse seed; doing so would only accelerate the infection and intensify its severity.

His very existence, like that of the Black Devouring Dragon, is a massive source of curse, inevitably affecting any creature that gets close.

This is a mixed bag for Thor. The advantage is that he doesn't have to do anything while his subordinates' strength continues to grow; the disadvantage is that there will likely be a lot of casualties among his men.

Fortunately, the impact is not yet widespread; it has only manifested in the kobolds who serve him.

Kobolds are creatures with an extremely high reproductive capacity. Female kobolds can lay 4 to 6 eggs a year, which can hatch in 2 to 3 months. They are considered adults when they reach 6 years old, and even if there are casualties, their numbers can be quickly replenished.

Since following Thor, the first batch of eggs laid by those kobolds have already hatched.

The newborn puppy-headed humans inherited the advantages of reptiles, and could run and jump within hours of birth, achieving self-care.

Thor had seen these newborn cubs when he happened to pass by the kobold camp in the air.

Compared to their parents, their dragon blood has been further enhanced, their physique is more robust than that of kobolds of the same age, and the proportion of red scales on their bodies is extremely large, which is obviously due to the enhancement of the thin bloodline of red dragon in their bodies.

If they can continue to survive under Thor's command, and after hundreds of generations of reproduction, the concentration of red dragon blood in their bodies will continue to increase, and it is possible that all of them will awaken their dragon veins.

The appearance of the Mad Dragon Curse undoubtedly accelerated this process, compressing what would have taken thousands of years into a few decades or even a dozen years.

This discovery made Thor reconsider his role with these kobolds. He had initially only intended to use them as tools for handling various complicated matters, but now it seemed that they might become one of the main fighting forces in the territory in the future.

More importantly, as his territory expanded and his forces grew, Thor began to feel overwhelmed.

He needs talented people, not those newly surrendered creatures destined to be expendable, but those with sufficient strength, loyalty, and the ability to help him manage his territory.

Originally, the kobold only satisfied one aspect, and due to insufficient strength, he was unable to command the other evil creatures under his command. However, the appearance of the Mad Dragon Curse helped him make up for this shortcoming.

Therefore, he immediately decided to increase the intensity of their cultivation, such as giving them some dragon crystals and plenty of food to replenish the energy consumed by the drastic changes in their bodies caused by the infection of the Mad Dragon Curse.

The effect of this was undoubtedly significant, the most obvious being that the number of kobolds who suddenly died began to decrease dramatically.

…………

Thor lay quietly in his volcanic lair, most of his body submerged in lava, with only his sharp, blade-like back and two large nostrils visible.

A large amount of fire and earth elements emerged from the depths of the earth and were continuously absorbed into his body, promoting his growth and development.

As a juvenile ancient dragon, the Black Eclipse Dragon's power will continue to increase as it grows, until it eventually becomes the legendary Reincarnation Lord—the Celestial Reincarnation Dragon.

As Thor inherited all the power of this monster template, he naturally also inherited this potential for growth.

Since the successful loading, his basic physical attributes have been continuously improving every moment, and the dragon attribute energy in his body has increased greatly, making it easier to control.

But the most significant improvement was in his recovery ability.

After all, the black mist released by the Black Dragon in battle and daily activities originates from the scales that are constantly falling off its body. Given its sky-covering scale, it naturally needs a strong growth and recovery rate to support it.

However, this trait is unlikely to be used much by Thor, as his thick scales are not something that ordinary creatures can easily harm.

…………

The sound of flapping wings startled the sleeping behemoth. Its eyes opened, revealing pupils as if they were molten gold, and the surrounding magma began to boil.

A small, crimson figure flew down through the thick smoke of the crater and landed lightly on a protruding stone platform on the rock wall.

It is nearly 1.8 meters tall, with fine scales all over its body that look like burning flames. Its head is shaped like a miniature red dragon with a pair of swept-back horns, long limbs, and large wings on its back.

This is a dragon-blooded kobold with dragon scales, horns, and wings. Its challenge level is estimated to be around 7, which is higher than that of a young white dragon.

Among Thor's forces, only Tana possesses such a high concentration of kobold blood.

It must be said that its talent is indeed remarkable. Under the influence of the Mad Dragon Curse, it quickly took the final step. The swelling on its back burst open, its wings spread out, and it completely replenished its bloodline.

Even without Thor's appearance, if it had lived long enough, it probably would have accomplished something and become a legendary figure among the kobolds.

The increased strength made the newborn dragonborn even more respectful to Thor. It knelt prostrate on the platform and reported in a clear voice.

“Great Dragon Lord, one of the caravans that passed through here before has returned. They have brought enough treasure and wish to trade as you previously suggested.”

Chapter 159 Golden Dragon

Thor lifted his head from the lava, his photographic memory instantly reminding him of the promise he had made to those humans: to sell weapons mixed with dragon crystals and sparrowstone for three hundred gold coins each.

In fact, the existence of those merchants in the Underdark had already provided Thor with no shortage of ways to promote his name and make money, so he didn't need to pay attention to those caravans from the past.

But he held onto the idea that even a mosquito's leg is meat, and since he was bored out of his mind, he finally decided to go and meet her.

"Understood. Tell them to wait at the usual place."

"Yes, Your Majesty! Great Dragon Lord!"