In the deep underground dungeon, Karon, who never paid much attention to the concept of precise time, had blurred his own sense of time. However, the daily feeding schedule and the cheers from above the gladiatorial arena helped him grasp the passage of time.
Half a month had already passed, and his sub-brain nodes had grown from one to six.
But the time required for the latter nodes to develop grew longer, consuming most of the accumulated heart energy.
The nutrition in Karon’s body was also gradually falling behind, no longer as abundant as the food in the Dragon Nest Territory, with only the fixed ration of three meals a day.
Now the Red Dragon’s body had become a bit thinner, although its frame was still large, it was clearly a skinny dragon.
However, the dragon race does not advocate slimness as beauty, and Karon also prefers himself to be more mighty and robust. That way, he possesses greater deterrence and the beauty of strength.
Fortunately, the six sub-brain nodes that had fully developed and formed had connected to form a sub-brain node group, which was barely enough to take on the tasks Karon assigned to his sub-brain.
And the Pick Elf brought some good news to the Red Dragon.
"According to what you said, this Emperor of the Imperial is incredibly powerful, even the official apprentices accepted by advanced mages need to apply and report to the Imperial’s administrative department. Being a bit domineering is good."
The slit pupils of the Red Dragon flickered with lively flames in the shadow under its wings, it seemed that the Emperor of the Imperial had an excessively strong desire for power, wanting to suppress all the forces within the Imperial.
"Except for the direct loyal nobles and mages to this emperor, most other nobles and mages belong to the Neutral Faction, this explains a lot, no one wants an unshakable iron curtain looming over their heads," the Red Dragon said while looking at the elf seated in his palm.
No wonder that squinting mage Hughes had once hinted that he could help Karon. It seems that the squinting mage was the eyes planted in the Loyal Faction by the Neutral Faction, and did not want the emperor’s power to grow further.
If the growing dragon group were successfully absorbed by the emperor, it would be a terrifying increase in power. So it seems, Will Clarence and his family should be loyal to the emperor’s faction.
The Red Dragon squinted its eyes, many things and opportunities needed to be observed through Hughes to become apparent to him. Gently, he said, "You’ve worked hard, Riven, and I’ll need to trouble you to meet with the high-tier student of that neutral mage and tell him I need to meet with him, maybe there’s a deal he’d be very interested in."
"However, don’t go to him personally, just have someone else deliver the message."
"Okay, but I need to get a good nap first," the petite elf lay in the warm palm of the Red Dragon, let out a long yawn, and then gradually fell asleep.
The Red Dragon also habitually placed his broad hand flat on the ground, then selected a comfortable position with his head, resting it on his other claw, closed his eyes, and quietly fell asleep.
As Karon gnawed and swallowed the last bone of the whole pig delivered early today, the squinting mage already stood at the doorway of the dungeon, observing the Red Dragon’s every move.
"Long time no see, Red Dragon. I knew you were a smart giant dragon," the squinting mage had an air of confidence, as though he held all the aces.
Karon squatted down, folded the wings covered with fine scale armor beside him, and with crimson pupils looked at the mage whose face always had a mysterious smile, somewhat displeasedly said, "Hey, mage, can you speak with your eyes open."
The squinting mage Hughes was instantly stunned, his eyes widening in surprise: "What the (bleep), are my eyes really that small?"
Karon did not answer the mage’s question, a trace of a smile flashed through the crimson slit pupils, then, with a serious tone, he shifted the topic, "Tell me, mage, what ways do you have to help me."
Phew, Hughes let out a breath, habitually squinting again, and shook his head, "If you had agreed to cooperate earlier, we could have intercepted you in advance. As long as you voluntarily signed a contract with me, even the Emperor of the Imperial would have to acknowledge this fact."
"But now the emperor has already taken control of the dragon group’s allegiance, he intends to tame you and that Red Dragon as his most powerful war tools to protect the royal war beast, even my teacher, the Holy Sanctuary Grandmaster mage, can’t retrieve your allegiance."
Karon was very aware of the mage’s plans, claiming to help, but in fact, wanted to subdue him, then use him to control the dragon group’s power.
However, upon hearing the emperor’s decision, he couldn’t help but surge with anger, a jet of fire spewing from the Red Dragon’s nostrils, his deep voice echoing down the empty corridor, "So mage, did you come here just to mock me?"
The squinting mage shook his head, "For balance, the Emperor of the Imperial allows the nobles to freely select the other juvenile dragons after their defeat, as long as they can sign a contract with the juvenile dragons, the Emperor of the Imperial will also recognize the juvenile dragons’ allegiance."
"I’ve come here this time to persuade you to encourage the Blue Dragon and the Green Dragon to sign contracts with our faction of mages. We respect the opinions and rights of the giant dragons more than the Emperor of the Imperial, and the juvenile dragons will also gain corresponding freedom; we are the better choice."
"Heh, you cannot bring me any help, but dare to ask for mine?" The sparks from the Red Dragon’s breath became even more intense, he stood up, his ferocious head stretching towards the iron door made of fine steel, staring straight at the mage,
"Are you willing to be suppressed by the emperor’s authority for so long? I’ve heard that you honorable mages have to report a large magic experiment to the Imperial’s related administrative departments."
The squinting mage maintained a smile on his face, spreading his hands nonchalantly, "What can we do? The Emperor of the Imperial not only possesses supreme strength himself but also has the support of countless nobles and legion warriors."
"We mages just prefer to research some magic, it doesn’t matter whether we’re suppressed or not, after all, we’re not those nobles who prioritize power over life."
Karon smirked inwardly, because every mage required resources beyond calculation. Not to mention those fearsome magic materials, merely the magic potions and various magic gem crystals that assisted in a mage’s cultivation were something that a smaller noble could hardly afford.
Not to mention these high-tier mages, behind each mage, there must be one or more nobles supporting, able to afford the consumption of a mage. It appeared that neutral mages and neutral nobility might still be a bit unclear about the situation from within, but from the outside, he was not confused.
The pursuit of interests is something that cannot be changed by anything, the Red Dragon’s voice lowered, imbued with a tempting strength, revealing the massive white fangs of the giant dragon,
"What if, I mean if, one day the dragon group accidentally escaped and unintentionally slaughtered all those loyal to the Emperor of the Imperial nobles, what kind of accident would that be?"
The smile on the squinting mage’s face finally disappeared, taking in a cool breath, "Red Dragon, this might be an idea, but I cannot call the shots on this matter. I need to go back. Perhaps next time I return, I’ll bring the news you’ve been expecting."