manynovel Page 51
Page 51
Judging solely from their physical characteristics and habits, the Falins closely resemble a relatively slender race of later dragon descendants. In fact, they might very well be the direct "ancestors" of later dragon descendants—evolving from individual individuals into a population within a hundred years is not a strange occurrence in the world of the Kingdom of Heaven.
The unique birth process of the Magic Scale determines that they cannot have any common habits. The habits of each Magic Scale are determined only by the sorcerer family that gave birth to it and are influenced by the environment in which they grow up.
In other words, it's only natural that a mages born into a sorcerer family in human society would enjoy human forms of entertainment—the nobles of Waterdeep clearly regarded the crew of the Iron Dawn as such.
Chapter 137
The Dharma Scales, because that's how the Dharma Scales in Waterdeep are.
The preferences of kobolds raised in human society were applied to them, and it actually worked? What's going on...? What kind of entertainment do kobolds need? In short, it's only continuous, meaningful work for the growth of the entire tribe!
Could the House of Purple Silk really provide this kind of "entertainment" for kobolds?
Is the entertainment industry in Waterdeep really that developed? Casalos was starting to doubt Dragon Life, so he enhanced the mental link to see what this kobold was up to.
"Uh, how could I forget about that..."
"What?" Taona asked after hearing Casalos's mutterings.
"It's nothing, I didn't know the House of Purple Silk offered this kind of service..."
In the perception of the mind link, the half-dragon dog-headed man stood in a dark dungeon filled with all sorts of strange instruments of torture, gripping a leather whip and cracking it with ferocious force, whipping several scaleless, ugly "humans" bound to an X-shaped frame with their limbs shackled, making them scream in agony. Its severe sadistic tendencies, inherent in its evil nature, were fully unleashed.
Those instruments of torture seemed to have undergone special magical treatment, capable of inflicting extreme pain on the victims without causing excessive harm, and even carrying a slight healing effect, allowing the kobolds to enjoy themselves even more.
“It’s a pretty common service. Many nobles enjoy this kind of thing. Don’t worry, many of those service providers are followers of the God of Suffering. Providing this kind of service in pleasure houses is a mutually beneficial arrangement. Just like priests of the God of Love often mingle there serving customers.” After listening to Casalos’s description, Toona explained it as if it were nothing out of the ordinary, then changed the subject: “What, you like it too? I’m open to it…”
Casalos shook his head speechlessly, his movements becoming much gentler, which made Goron chuckle.
"You just said you forgot? Don't your kobold servants mistreat other slaves in your territory?"
"Well, they're very busy in their territory. I don't have many slaves in my territory, so there's not much free time or opportunity for these alternative forms of entertainment."
Upon careful consideration, it turns out that apart from a few colorful dragons, Casaloz's dragon territory really doesn't have many slaves. Although the Iron Dragons aren't benevolent dragons, their neutrality doesn't really favor the form of rule involving "slaves."
The kobolds' sadistic tendencies are primarily directed towards the slave class. Ironically, the only slave class in Dragon Territory is the dragon they worship most, so it's perfectly normal that they never exhibit similar behavior in front of Casalos. This kind of sadism is not a necessary form of spiritual comfort for the kobolds; it's merely a manifestation of their evil nature. In the kobolds' spiritual needs, it's far below the worship of dragons and meaningful work, especially work that serves dragons.
The reason the kobolds revealed their evil nature this time is probably because Casalos temporarily "deprived" them of their "right" to serve and work for dragons. It seems that kobolds are born with a psychological constitution that leads to problems if they can't work wholeheartedly... Who knows what the coastal wizards were thinking when they came up with this setup? In the real world, this characteristic is practically a deliberate choice to make dragons with ideals and ambitions cherish them.
Casalos, who was increasingly pleased with himself, thought about how the newly discovered kobold tribes in the snowy grasslands could expand the loyal dog population of Dragon Territory by almost five times after a few years of training. He had already reaped considerable benefits even before formal trade negotiations had begun.
“I’ll send some kobold servants to serve you. They’re really obedient and useful.” After thinking for a moment, it added, “Don’t worry, I’ve sent dragon vein warlocks who can use shapeshifting spells and such. As long as you teach them to adapt to life in Waterdeep, they won’t cause you any trouble.”
56. Publicity
"The dragon is in the city! The dragon is in the city!"
Messengers scurried through the streets and alleys, bringing the latest news to the ordinary people of the glorious city.
"Really? The dragon is coming into the city?" Many people still can't believe that the dragon that came in a magnificent ship is really going to enter this crown of the North, the glorious city of Faerûn: "Weren't we under the protection of the Agharon Barrier? How could this be?"
Amidst the excitement and thrill, the general public felt mostly worry and fear. They invited each other to take to the streets, blocking them and whispering among themselves as they discussed the matter.
"Hey, it was only allowed to come in because the lords and wizards permitted it, so that it wouldn't be affected by the dragon-proof barrier."
"Why? The dragon has entered the city. Won't it wreak havoc? Won't it eat us? Have the lords abandoned us and sold us to that dragon as food?"
Thanks to the colorful dragons, dragons have a really bad reputation on the continent of Faerûn.
"Pah, pah, what are you thinking? Who told you dragons only cause destruction and eat people? This dragon, like those merchants, is here to do business with our Deepwater City... Stop shouting and listen to me!" The answerer, who seemed to know a lot about the inside story, quieted the people around him, then took out a book from his pocket to show everyone, cleared his throat, and began his "speech":
"It seems that your understanding of dragons is too limited and one-sided. No problem, I have a book about dragons written by the legendary bard Varo. I will explain it to you now, and you will be able to understand dragons!"
On this continent of Faerûn, where we reside, there are three main subspecies of true dragons: Metal Dragons, Gem Dragons, and Chromatic Dragons. The differences between them are as vast as the differences between us and trolls. The rumors you've heard about those dragons wreaking havoc and devouring people are actually the work of the evil Chromatic Dragons…”
Similar scenes unfolded throughout Waterdeep, from the noble-filled castle district to the opulent seaside district and the chaotic, impoverished port district. Almost simultaneously, these same guides, armed with a "legendary bard's work," began educating the common people of Waterdeep about the basics of Faerûn's true dragons. Undoubtedly, these were all "plants" hired by Casalos—strictly speaking, perhaps not really planted, as this was essentially a public, open-air dragon education lecture.
Well, Casalos's crazy days of driving big trucks are over, it's time to think about doing something more productive.
The nobles of Deepwater City and the Lords' Alliance dragged their feet for two whole weeks before finally settling on a venue for their negotiations with the dragons at the Grand Market. It would only take the mages of the Black Staff Tower a few days to build a large enough, high-standard meeting center using magic; most of the time was actually spent on endless meetings and discussions between the nobles and the Lords' Alliance.
These guys have done plenty of business with dragons, and trading with otherworldly merchants who arrive in magic ships is commonplace for them. But other dragons or otherworldly merchants who come to Waterdeep know to keep a low profile. Casaloz's ostentatious approach is truly unprecedented.
How to provide a reasonable explanation to the common people, appease their emotions, and get them to accept the fact that a dragon is negotiating with Waterdeep, are all complex matters that require the de facto rulers of Waterdeep to consider and formulate administrative measures to avoid causing new chaos... In Casalos's view, the rulers of Waterdeep are just bored.
On a land like Faerûn, dragons are nothing rare; they are everywhere. Due to the existence of Kingslayer Star, dragon madness regularly descends upon the area surrounding the Fallen Star Sea, causing countless disasters—primarily due to the colorful dragons.
Fear stems from the unknown. Metal dragons' general self-discipline and secrecy make them difficult for ordinary people to know about, while the disasters caused by chromatic dragons are widely known, which leads to the fear of dragons among the general populace.
As rulers, they publicly explained and popularized information about dragons to their subjects.
Chapter 138
Providing accurate knowledge about dragons will help people understand the differences between them and become familiar with them, which will greatly reduce their fear of dragons and make normal communication with them much easier.
Even in Waterdeep, the most open and tolerant city on the continent of Faerûn, dragons must shed their dragon forms and disguise themselves as different humanoid creatures to live there normally. Casalos couldn't say whether this was due to the outdated and corrupt thinking of the ruling class or the inherent nature of the true dragon race of Faerûn, but he felt that perhaps he could slowly change all of this.
The incompetent nobles had no idea—perhaps unwilling to use open communication to get the common people to accept the existence of the Waterdeep dragon—that they would rather suppress the news and violently drive away residents from the surrounding area than reveal the truth about the dragon's impending arrival in the city. Casalos was forced to take preemptive action.
Let's first make the hundreds of thousands of permanent residents and tens of thousands of transients in Waterdeep aware of the differences between dragons, and accept that a dragon has openly opened its first shop in Waterdeep. This will be the first step in changing the public's perception of the true dragon race in Faerûn.
If even the most tolerant city of Waterdeep cannot accept this fact, how can it expect the mainstream humanoid society of Faerûn to truly accept dragons as members of society in the future?
"You mean, this dragon won't cause trouble in the city or eat us, but instead it will open a shop in the city to sell dragon products?"
"Yes, the first shop on the continent of Faerûn run by dragons will open in our glorious city!"
As residents of the Crown of the North, the inhabitants of Deepwater City were already accustomed to and deeply proud of the various firsts of the Glorious City. Now, with another honor added to their list, they were indeed even more proud.
"Oh no, that's not quite accurate. In fact, there have long been many businesses run by dragons in Waterdeep, it's just that no one knew about them before. Does anyone remember the common habits of the many subspecies of metal dragons that I just introduced, such as gold dragons, silver dragons, song dragons, and steel dragons?"
"Shared habits... it seems like they can transform into our likeness?"
"Yes, but not entirely! They can transform into our likeness, and they like our society and civilization. They transform into our likeness to integrate into our lives without disturbing us... Yes, yes, there are many such dragons in the Glorious City. They hide among us and have become our neighbors, friends, and even relatives... Oh, friend, don't rush. Of course, I know what happened a few years ago, but it was actually a misunderstanding..."
The author says:
Author's Note: I coughed until I became an idiot.
57.Ghost
The accident that happened in Deep Water City a few years ago was somewhat related to Tao Na.
Toona has faithfully served the dragons of Waterdeep as a mediator, an envoy between humans and the city, and a regular source of news. She is a guide and central figure for the dragons residing in Waterdeep, helping them manage affairs. She is also an effective advisor to the Waterdeep Lords' Council. As an ancient dragon who roams the streets and navigates the social circles of the nobility, Toona's keen senses often allow her to uncover hidden threats overlooked by the lords. She frequently advises the lords of Waterdeep, often in different guises, to directly use magic to attack forces attempting to overthrow their rule, especially those that also threaten the dragons, such as the Dragon Cult's spies.
It can be said that Tao Na was the mediator between the rulers of Waterdeep and the Hidden Dragons. It was her existence that allowed the Hidden Dragons to coexist peacefully with the rulers of Waterdeep for decades. From a human perspective, dragons are not a good-tempered species. With hundreds of thousands of people in Waterdeep, even the best-hidden dragons can often be provoked.
Whenever such a thing happens, Tao Na always handles it promptly and perfectly, satisfying both the dragon and Deepwater City.
However, driven by her intense desire for a mate, Toona wasn't always in Waterdeep. During one of her "trips" to the Moonshadow Isles, some people in Waterdeep once again provoked a hidden dragon. Lacking a mediator, the minor conflict naturally escalated into a violent clash, followed by the intervention of the Waterdeep Watchers. Unaware of the truth, the Watchers, guided by universal human values and logic, naturally viewed the provoked dragon as a troublemaker… Then the dragon revealed its true form, and the Watchers were doomed.
The fact that a dragon was hidden in Deep Water City was thus exposed to the public.
In order to appease the common people, the Lords' Alliance publicly vowed to find and "drive away the dragon hiding among us," hence the name Waterdeep, which means "the city of dragons."
Of course, the Lords' Alliance, including the Secret Lords, knew very well that they could not do what they claimed to do.
More than three centuries ago, the famous adventurer Lanretha Schiade flew over the palace of Waterdeep and leaped from the back of a dragon atop Waterdeep Mountain to receive a hero's welcome. However, her dramatic display of power also caused great fear among the people of Waterdeep, prompting the legendary Archmage Agharon, the first Lord of Waterdeep and founder of the glorious city, to create a permanent legendary spell, Agharon's Dragon Barrier, which was placed within Agharon's Tower to prevent most dragons from storming Waterdeep.
Agharon's Dragon Barrier is also known as the strongest barrier against dragons in Waterdeep.
The question is, could Waterdeep three centuries ago be the same size as it is now? Perhaps in the memories of the people of Faerûn, it is, but that is merely a romanticized memory and a distortion of legend; the truth is not always so perfect. The area covered by the dragon-proof barrier is roughly the castle district and part of the port area of present-day Waterdeep; dragons can still come and go freely in other areas.
Even within the area covered by the dragon-proof barrier, there are many hidden dragons unknown to the dragon wizard Marel. Before he accepted Agharon's dragon staff, the exact number of dragons in Waterdeep who had been granted long-term or permanent access by the staff's wielder, and the total number of dragons hidden within Waterdeep, were facts that even the dragons themselves couldn't ascertain.
Built on the ruins of an ancient elven city, Waterdeep is shrouded in the Kingslayer Shield, free from the ravages of dragons, making it a desirable habitat for benevolent or neutral dragons seeking refuge.
Besides, the lords aren't fools; they know perfectly well that the benefits of "hidden dragons" to the city far outweigh their harms. "Driving away the dragons hiding among us" is something that can be done with empty slogans; anyone who actually wastes time and energy on it is probably up to no good.
The common people may not know, but their lords are unaware of how many times the Dragons of Waterdeep have thwarted and repelled the conspiracies of the Dragon Cult, the Zantalin Order, and the followers of Bane against Waterdeep.
The Hidden Dragons of Waterdeep have contributed so much to the glory of the City of Glory, yet they are now burdened with infamy among the common people. The Hidden Dragons themselves may not care, but this is something Casalos absolutely cannot tolerate. Before the fall of the Iron Dragon Clan, the Iron Dragons regarded all True Dragons as proud members of the True Dragon Clan. They considered themselves leaders of the True Dragon Clan and were willing to take action for them.
Now, it also wants to try to vindicate the hidden dragons of Waterdeep City!
This is a necessary prerequisite for the future in-depth cooperation between Dragonlord and Deepwater City, and even for Dragonlord to replace it.
"It's a misunderstanding! Those dragons hiding among us have been secretly protecting the safety and prosperity of the Glorious City. Without them, the Glorious City would have had a hard time surviving many of the calamities it has faced."
"Let's not talk about anything too far back, you all know about the explosion at the Rest of the Dead a few months ago, right? That wasn't some alchemical accident at all. Listen to me..."
Casalos's hired accomplices seized the opportunity to share with the onlookers various rumors they had gathered from Toona about the "hidden dragons secretly guarding the glorious city," eliciting a cacophony of exclamations and gasps of surprise. The Deepwater City guards, dispatched to the streets to "maintain" order, failed to spot any "rioters" who might potentially storm the port.
Chapter 139
Seeing groups of commoners surrounding the mediocre bard who had appeared out of nowhere, listening to his story, they joined in the conversation out of boredom.
These shills gave one presentation, which couldn't change many of the residents of Deepwater Town's deep-seated views on the dragon, but that didn't matter.
In the future, more and more excellent bards will compile and revise more exquisite and popular poems, and day after day, they will persistently spread the stories of those mysterious yet close-knit dragons in Waterdeep, gradually changing the people of Waterdeep's views and impressions of dragons... At this moment, only the Lord of Waterdeep, who received the report, and a few wise men sensed something unusual.
A ghost, a ghost of the Age of Dragons, roams Waterdeep.
A few of the dragons involved actually mingled among the crowd, listening to their own stories with great relish. The pride imprinted in their dragon souls meant they would never feel embarrassed by praise.
In the port area, Casalos, in his adult dragon form, swaggered off the ship and boarded a lavishly decorated, magically reinforced temporary carriage. With two squads of Waterdeep guards and griffon riders leading the way, he traveled along a temporarily widened stone road to the Grand Market Hall in the castle district, where he officially began trade negotiations with Waterdeep.
The author says:
Author's note: I was coughing so badly that I couldn't sleep for more than four hours in the past two days. I took all the medicine I was supposed to take, did nebulizer treatments, and was sucking on loquat syrup and licorice tablets. It was absolutely awful.
58. Two formal meetings
The negotiations went very smoothly, after all, the business between Casalos and Waterdeep was not a real commodity trade.
Dragon Territory actually only has a population of a few hundred. Even with the convenience of magic, which enabled bizarre industrial production, its excess capacity is just a drop in the ocean compared to a "city-state kingdom" like Waterdeep with a population of millions.
Casalos was able to receive such preferential treatment in Waterdeep mainly because of its public appearance as a true dragon and its rare dual identity as an otherworldly merchant piloting a magic ship.
The greater significance lies in the fact that this will be a major milestone in Waterdeep's trade expansion—with Casalos leading the way, those truly visionary dragons who are interested in commercial wealth but unable to change their ways have found a channel to begin formal trade with the Glorious City. The lords of Waterdeep must have recognized this, which is why they bestowed such high-level treatment upon Casalos.
Casalos chose to trade with Waterdeep City this time, and the goods were all rare "otherworldly" items that had undergone advanced magical industrial processing. The target audience was the wealthy aristocracy who had nowhere to spend their money, making it a clear high-end luxury goods industry.
No spells were needed; simply basking in the sun and inserting a crystal would project the image recorded by a memory spell onto a crystal plate. Or there were tinderboxes, no bigger than two fingers, decorated with exquisite gilded reliefs, which released small flames unaffected by strong winds when the lid was opened. And there were also countless other gadgets, such as gold pens engraved with dragon patterns, which could fill tubes with ink and write for a long time. All of these were very popular among nobles and wealthy merchants.
Many of their daily tasks could finally be completed without their dependence on mages. Mages were notoriously proud, and nobles who hired them for their services inevitably had to endure their unpleasant demeanors—the noble lords couldn't very well spend ages striking a flint to light their cigarettes themselves; that would be too undignified. Casalos, however, wasn't worried about offending the lower-level mages employed by the nobles.
Even apprentices, possessing wondrous magical powers, wouldn't be well-received if their daily tasks involved activating obscene images, lighting cigars for nobles, or performing an automatic ink-dipping trick on a quill pen. These goods also served to liberate the low-level, non-combat mages employed by the nobles, allowing them to return to their proper roles.
You should study, research, and take risks. Why be a mage who just wants to coast along all day? Wouldn't it be better to become a warlock?
As the crown jewel of the North, Waterdeep City subtly guides the trends of the Forgotten Realms. Casalos believes that once these trinkets from Dragonlord become popular among the nobles of Waterdeep City, they will quickly evolve into necessities for the Forgotten Realms' nobles to display their status. Dragonlord's industries can then expand throughout Forgotten Realms, and the identity of the otherworldly merchant, Goron Ratambirol, will become a figure welcomed by major cities in Forgotten Realms. This will make Casalos's future travels across the continent much easier, and the construction of Forgotten Realms' intelligence network will be much more readily available.
Following the public discussions, Tauna, now back in her dragon form, brought her six staunch allies from Waterdeep to the agreed-upon location outside Waterdeep for her first formal meeting with Casalos.
To gain the friendship of these dragons, Casalos, with unwavering willpower, briefly overcame his inherently stingy nature and generously gifted them six magical short swords forged from gold and red dragon fangs. These items would be dispensable to most dragons, but for the Waterdeep City dragons, who mostly remained in human form, they were quite formidable magical weapons, greatly enhancing their safety in human form. Thus, Casalos made a good first impression on the six dragons.
This meeting was merely a formality, intended for Toona to announce that her small group had gained another helpful member. Therefore, she did not reveal that she and Casaloz had become husband and wife; otherwise, it would be hard to say how effective Casaloz's small gift would have been.
At least the male ancient bronze dragon Ohmora Sedar "The Thinker" and the male mature toothed dragon archmage Ramosadar "Shaving" definitely had some other feelings for Toona. Otherwise, it would be too strange for them, with their top-tier strength, to be willing to become Toona's free henchmen. What dragon would be so willing to make such selfless sacrifices for another dragon?
Ohmora was far larger than Kenneth, the other bronze dragon Casalos had ever seen. Its scales were a deep, dark bronze with bluish-black stripes around the edges. Its pupils, once emerald green and vertical, had become faintly luminous emeralds, their gaze seemingly capable of seeing through everything. The scent of the sea lingered around it. As serene as its name suggested, it gave Casalos the impression of a wise and righteous elder.
It may have sensed that Casalos and Toona's relationship was unusual, but showed no reaction. Given the nature of bronze dragons, the Thinker wouldn't have reacted much even if it knew Casalos had become Toona's consort.
Courtship and mating among the Bronze Dragons were always deliberate and courteous affairs. They remained together for life, and after the death of their first mate, the other often refused to seek a new one. As an ancient dragon that had lived for nearly a thousand years, it may have already had mates and offspring. After all, while Bronze Dragons could transform into humanoid forms and infiltrate humanoid societies, they were far less bizarre than the Song Dragons. They had their own social networks, and their populations were widely distributed throughout Faerûn, making it easy for them to find suitable mates.
The Thinker likely viewed Toona as a promising junior, while his assessment of Casalos was more like that of an elder choosing a spouse for his children—although Toona was also an ancient dragon, she was several "lifetimes" younger than the Thinker.
Fortunately, Shaving's senses weren't that sharp, and it didn't notice Casaroz and Toona exchanging glances at each other. Otherwise, it probably would have jumped out to duel Casaroz, who is the "comedic clown" of the Chaos faction.
Like all toothed dragons, Razor is covered in hard, gray-brown armor mixed with bone plates. Its eyes gleam with a bright red light, and its head is covered with small, sharp horns and thorns. Sharp bone spikes protrude from its joints, resembling protruding dragon teeth, hence its name. Its tail splits into a pair of large, scythe-like bone blades. Although its wings are short, they allow it to...
Chapter 140
Its flight ability is somewhat clumsy, but its bulging muscles are strong and powerful, and its explosive speed when it flaps its wings and charges forward a short distance is unparalleled among the true dragons.
59. Hidden Dragons
Toothed dragons are undoubtedly masters of close combat among the Faerûn dragons; every part of their bodies is a deadly melee weapon.
These creatures have reached the pinnacle of melee combat, possessing an innate ability to increase damage output. With this ability, the damage inflicted by a Fanged Dragon is treated as if it were caused by a creature one size larger. That is, even at a small size, their innate weapons can unleash the melee power of a medium-sized True Dragon; and at a large size, their base melee damage can rival that of a colossal dragon…
They don't even possess the breath weapons typical of true dragons; instead, they have the ability to permanently absorb the target's constitution when they bite—like Casaroz's flames, this is an ability that can grow indefinitely. Regardless of how disgusting this ability might be in a single battle, the more battles a Fanged Dragon experiences in its lifetime, the stronger its constitution becomes. Don't be fooled by the fact that Fanged is currently only in its prime; based on Casaroz's own experience with constitution growth, and considering its size and robustness, it may already possess a constitution comparable to that of an Ancient Gold Dragon.
Moreover, Tooth Shaving possesses a level 17 mage rank, making him one of the most powerful and spellcasting true dragons in Faerûn.
Casalos decided it was best not to provoke this guy for the time being; this chaotic and silly guy wasn't someone you could reason with.
First, establish a good relationship with it. Later, when our strength increases, we can think of ways to eliminate the conflict. For example, find it a few suitable female Athena dragons as mates... Like the Song Dragon, the Fang Dragon is not a native true dragon directly created by the Nine-Headed Dragon God, but a new true dragon subspecies born on the continent of Faerûn by certain coincidences in later generations. Their population has huge congenital defects.