Chapter： 166 The Red Dragon's Invitation
After furiously scolding its minions, the Red Dragon glared angrily at Brian. Its minions were trembling with fear, unable to withstand Brian's Dragon's Might, and thus were of no use.
Realizing that close combat was not an option, the Red Dragon began to chant spells, attempting to use magic to turn the tide.
It seemed that the Red Dragon could not accept being easily defeated by Brian and wanted to see if it could reverse the situation with spells.
Meanwhile, Brian no longer wanted to tangle with the Red Dragon.
As the Red Dragon chanted its spell, Brian also began to chant, with waves of magical energy surging within him.
A burst fireball appeared in front of Brian within a few breaths, its dark red surface flickering with dangerous, dim light.
On the other side, the Red Dragon stared at the burst fireball, its eyes filled with astonishment.
Clearly, its spellcasting speed was slower than Brian's. By the time Brian had completed the burst fireball, the Red Dragon's spell had not even begun to take shape.
Normally, True Dragons rely mainly on their physical prowess in combat during adulthood, and they do not know many spells, nor are they very advanced.
As a Red Dragon that loves destruction and violence, the spells it used also belonged to the school of evocation. Seeing Brian construct an evocation fireball so quickly, it couldn't help but feel a sinking sensation and hastened its chanting.
Brian looked at the burst fireball floating and slowly rotating in the air, then grinned at the Red Dragon.
Whoosh!
Under Brian's control, the burst fireball traced a beautiful arc and flew straight towards the Red Dragon, landing on it in an instant.
Boom!
A deafening explosion sounded.
The shockwave and the ensuing flames lifted the Red Dragon's massive body, leaving a deep trench dozens of meters long on the ground before it finally came to a stop.
Thanks to its high immunity to fire damage, the flames and high temperature of the burst fireball did not affect the Red Dragon much. This creature could bathe in lava, after all.
However, the burst fireball's damage mainly came from two aspects: the explosive shockwave and the high-temperature flames.
Although it was not afraid of the flames, the powerful shockwave shattered some of its scales, and the concussive force penetrated its muscles, making the Red Dragon feel a nauseating churn in its internal organs.
The spell it was preparing was interrupted, and the mana backlash worsened its internal condition.
Lying sprawled on the ground, the Red Dragon panted heavily, with sparks flying from its mouth. It struggled to stand up, but the mana backlash and the internal shock made it feel quite uncomfortable.
Gazing warily at Brian, the Red Dragon's overheated mind finally cooled down.
"You're not a Silver Dragon. What kind of dragon are you?"
"You can use Frost Breath and fire spells. When did a freak dragon like you appear around here?"
The Red Dragon had dealt with Silver Dragons often. After the actual fight, it vaguely sensed that Brian was not a true Silver Dragon, so it asked directly.
Brian thought for a moment and said, "I'm a chromatic dragon like you."
This answer was not problematic.
The Red Dragon was stunned for a moment, then snorted flames from its nostrils and sneered, "You can use Frost Breath. Are you one of those disgraceful White Dragons?"
"You're lying. I don't believe it. No White Dragon looks like you."
"Fine, if you don't want to say, then don't. Why did you invade my territory for no reason?"
Dragons are highly variable creatures, and aberrant dragons are not uncommon.
Some dragons believe that dragon beasts are the result of extreme degradation and thus cannot bear the Dragon Heritage.
The Red Dragon thought Brian was an aberrant dragon, especially with those four impressive dragon horns it envied, which didn't look like something an ordinary True Dragon could have, along with the strange black scales embedded in his silver dragon body.
A few gusts of hot wind blew past, and the Red Dragon unconsciously swished its tail, its face wary as it awaited Brian's response.
Brian remained expressionless, his voice deep as he said, "The Principality of Mocha is under the protection of my Dragon Wings, yet you have repeatedly plundered the wealth and people of the Principality of Mocha while I was away. This is a provocation against me."
"I have come to your territory to demand that you return the wealth you have plundered from the Principality of Mocha and to ensure that you will not trouble the Principality of Mocha in the future."
After agreeing to the tribute, as long as the Principality of Mocha remains, it can continuously provide him with wealth.
Once the Principality of Mocha becomes more prosperous, Brian can further increase the tribute fees.
He could not allow other dragons to take advantage of the situation.
The Red Dragon swished its tail, its face full of suspicion.
"What are you talking about? I've been raiding the Principality of Mocha for half a year now, and I've never heard that these insignificant humans are under the protection of a True Dragon."
Half a year... good grief.
The Principality of Mocha really did bring back a guardian... Brian thought to himself.
Thorn Grand Duke had told him about the Red Dragon's general situation. He knew that the Principality of Mocha had initially invited the Red Dragon for assistance in battle, but after discovering that the high-ranking mages of the Principality of Mocha were all dead and its strength had weakened, the Red Dragon had mercilessly shown its fangs and started plundering under various pretexts.
It would go there when it was in a good mood and also when it was in a bad mood.
Its reasons for demanding money were varied and absurd, making Thorn Grand Duke's veins bulge with anger whenever he recalled them.
Even flying over the Principality of Mocha and being seen by the people below was a reason for it to charge Thorn Grand Duke, claiming that seeing the noble visage of a True Dragon required payment.
There were also ridiculous reasons like charging for breathing the same air as a True Dragon.
But due to the dire situation, the Principality of Mocha had no choice but to meet its demands, paying to avoid disaster.
The Red Dragon wasn't stupid; to avoid pushing the Principality of Mocha to the brink, it never demanded too much at once, giving them some breathing room.
Once or twice was manageable, but it kept targeting the Principality of Mocha, and over time, the accumulated wealth it extorted was substantial.
Without sufficient strength, dealing with an Evil Dragon would only lead to a miserable outcome, just like the Principality of Mocha.
"Now you know. Whether you were aware of it before is irrelevant."
Brian narrowed his eyes, speaking in a firm, unquestionable tone.
The Red Dragon re-evaluated Brian for a few seconds, then gradually showed a look of realization.
It exhaled a few puffs of hot air and said, "We're both True Dragons. I know why you're here; you took the money from the Principality of Mocha and were invited by those humans to deal with me, right?"
It glanced in the direction of the Principality of Mocha and snorted heavily.
"Hmph, these insignificant, fragile humans always resort to such tactics."
Then, the Red Dragon looked at Brian, seemingly forgetting the beating it had just received, and with an excited smile, it invited, "Since we're both True Dragons, why don't we join forces and wipe out the Principality of Mocha, plundering all the wealth from these lowly creatures?"
