Baby Dragon Observation Log 5: The Great Dragon Battle

August 27, 3178 of the Dragon Calendar
Operation Little Dragon Progress: 10%
Darkening is an art form.
Mastering the timing of darkening, controlling its duration, and letting the surrounding creatures feel the majestic tyrant aura radiating from within...
Ah, dragons who haven't reached my age will probably never understand.
Comprehending the meaning of dragon life too early is also a form of solitude~

When I merely entered a light state of darkening, Linde was already won over heart and soul, begging me to withdraw my divine power.
Hmph, unable to withstand the pressure of my dark power, huh?
That is only to be expected.

The clay-baked chickens made by the burrowing dragons are delicious—crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, exceptionally flavorful, and after eating, you still want to suck the oil clean from your claws.
The only minor flaw is that the spices they put inside the chicken include Sichuan peppercorns.
This seed of trickery, whose trap is only realized upon biting into it, spares no one—not even a seasoned master gourmet like myself.
When I become the Dragon King in the future, I will issue an order to gather all the Sichuan peppercorns in the world and plant them together, forcing those evil dragons who commit misdeeds to eat Sichuan peppercorns three times a day.
Thinking about it this way, it actually has its perks.
As long as the one eating the peppercorn isn't me, isn't that fine? Hee hee.

To this end, inside the clay-baked chicken I packed for Linde, I purposefully stuffed seeds of trickery one by one at regular intervals, ensuring that no matter which angle he started eating from, he would have an unforgettable experience...
Just thinking about the expression on his face back then makes all the trouble and hard work worthwhile.

Misdeeds accomplished, heh heh, let's go harass Linde first to lower his guard.
Just as I expected, after teasing him with chicken bones, he gave me a stern and exasperated lecture.
At times like this, he was completely defenseless. As long as I seized the opportunity to pull out a chicken and pretend to make peace, Linde would definitely fall for it.
And then I would get to see his distorted expression, teeth bared and wincing from the numbness.
Born a mastermind, I am so sorry ⌓‿⌓.

What I didn't expect, however, was that such a flawless plan failed.
I was on the second floor, but Linde seemed to have already ascended to the third.
He told me to save it for myself when I got hungry at night, because he needed to go with the old tribal chief to visit other alliances to resist the dragons together, and draw up a combat plan overnight.
Hey, this isn't the time to be showing concern for me!
Doesn't this just make me look like a sneaky, failed little villainous idiot?

However, I knew the importance of the big picture, so instead of making a fuss, I accompanied him to unite the other tribes.
The process went far more smoothly than we had imagined. Most of the tribes in this river valley region had almost been eaten out of food by the red dragons, and whether they could survive the upcoming tribute period later this year was already a question.
It should have been a bountiful autumn, yet every dragon wore a worried expression on their face.
Upon seeing our arrival and recognizing us as the great heroes who defeated the red dragon, they still brought out their very last provisions to host us, despite their own internal hardships.

Of course we didn't take them.
Not a single melon or fruit from the grassroots dragons; we only do practical things for dragons.
That has always been my starting point.

To become the Dragon King, one needs the unanimous recognition of all dragons of a certain pure-blooded lineage, as well as meeting the strength threshold.
And the Dragon King I want to become is not limited to a single clan, but recognized by all dragons across this entire continent.
Just as gems are not confined to a single color, the Gem Dragon King should also be the Sovereign of All Dragons, embracing all rivers and possessing boundless tolerance!

If I relied solely on myself, this path would likely be extremely difficult.
Fortunately, there is Linde. I watched him attentively listen to the grievances of the tribal chiefs, comfort them, analyze the situation, and figure out how to utilize the advantages of different dragon species.
A tiny wave of emotion stirred in my heart: Linde is gradually adapting to this new world he has arrived in.
The young human is growing step by step...

When we finished visiting the last tribe, it was already late at night.
Linde asked me if I had finished the chicken, and if not, to share a bite with him.
Tremblingly, I retrieved the clay-baked chicken from my spatial gemstone.
Wuu wuu wuu, I've wronged you...
I hope he survives.

——————
August 28, 3178 of the Dragon Calendar
Operation Little Dragon Progress: 50%
Ruined. Everything is ruined.
Linde hasn't spoken to me since he woke up in the morning.
Wuu wuu wuu...
Was it really necessary just because I couldn't hold back my laughter last night and joked that his swollen lips looked like the feathers of a flamingo?
Well, it could also be because he's too busy to chat with me.

None of us anticipated that the power of unity would be far greater than we imagined.
The ores that Linde originally had to mine all by himself were now being delivered to him in a continuous stream, batch after batch, under the command of the old burrowing dragon chief.
He only needed to tinker with the rails on his workbench without even having to go to the site himself; with just a single command, the earth dragons would arrange and splice the tracks according to his instructions.
Meanwhile, under Sirona's command, the wyverns became countless new pairs of eyes.
Terrain exploration, route reporting, and monitoring the red dragon palace for any unusual movements were no longer tasks restricted to just the three of us.
Linde and I now had ample time to ponder the combat plan against the red dragon.

Resources, intelligence, development...
Troublesome matters for a few individuals like us were solved effortlessly in the face of collective strength.

No dragon is dead weight. As long as their innate advantages are brought into play, everyone can shine and radiate heat.
It's just that your light might be brighter, and mine slightly dimmer.

"Many hands make light work, while an unjust cause finds little support," Linde said to me. "All we can do is live up to their expectations, push our advantages to the absolute limit, and crush the red dragon."

At the same time, I gained a new realization.
To let yourself live, you must also let other dragons live.
If you only want to live yourself and don't let other dragons live well, the dragons are going to blow up on you.

Every working dragon had a light in its eyes; they all believed that we would defeat the red dragon and welcome a life of happiness and peace.
And we will never let them down.

——————
August 29, 3178 of the Dragon Calendar
Operation Little Dragon Progress: 100%
I successfully advanced to the fourth tier!
After gorging myself these past few days, combined with spiritual enlightenment, advancing felt as natural as a river forming a channel.

For some reason, when Linde learned that I had leveled up, his brow furrowed instead, and he seemed somewhat unhappy.
I asked him why, and he told me: shouldn't a dragon's advancement come with some special celestial phenomena?
What on earth? Advancing just means stepping over a very high threshold and undergoing many internal bodily changes.
What does the cosmos have to do with it?

He patted my head and said that when I advance to a high-tier dragon, he will personally arrange some extraordinary phenomena for me.
Whatever floats his boat.

Right now, not only do I feel my body brimming with terrifying power, but I've also unlocked two new gemstone forms.
Just waiting to put them into practical use.

Everything is ready, except for the red dragon.
Words are useless; this battle will be a victory!
Operation Little Dragon, charge!

Besides that, Linde also taught me a super-powerful spell; I just need to shout it out to win with a single strike.
Hee hee.
I'll try it out when the time comes.