Chapter 70: This Is All My Money! |
Money!
So much money!
Xia'er lay right down in this pile of gold coins, using her dragon eyes to continuously count just how many coins were here. Her heart was blooming with joy, and she couldn't help but want to roll around in it.
However, she suppressed this thought herself.
Hold back.
After all, she was the Master of the Dragon Flight, the Star Mist Dragon Lord!
But just one little roll shouldn't be a problem...
Xia'er thought to herself. The number of gold coins here wasn't huge; most were silver and copper coins. But the wealth piled up like a small mountain still made Xia'er feel a bit giddy, thinking that this was how a true dragon should be.
But after lying there for only a few minutes, Xia'er began to come back to her senses. She then started pondering some issues.
Dragon greed is carved into their very bones.
A dragon that doesn't like currency is definitely a high-level human Druid disguised with Polymorph.
This included Xia'er herself.
Xia'er's current thought was actually just one: to keep all this money for herself.
This is all my money!
But rational analysis suggested that hoarding it all would only cause discord and disloyalty within the flight, which wasn't appropriate.
Rewarding and punishing appropriately truly demonstrates the bearing of a genuine dragon.
"Ah."
Xia'er let out a long sigh of dragon breath, feeling somewhat troubled.
Even if she kept all this money for herself, Xia'er wouldn't let it rot in her hoard. She still needed to think of a way to convert these gold coins into something beneficial for herself.
Only by increasing her strength could she obtain more gold coins.
The Eastern Sea Port was truly a treasure trove, the most profitable place in the Karugu Highlands.
It was just a pity that Xia'er didn't plan to stay here permanently.
After all, in the conflict with the Dwarven Kingdom, Xia'er was actually in an advantageous position.
The Dwarves couldn't fly, and they were being pulled from the south by humans and Goblins, preventing them from focusing all their efforts on dealing with her. Even if they wanted to cross the sea to fight her, this 'Island Commando,' they would be soundly defeated at sea by the dragon flight, which held air and sea superiority.
But occupying the Eastern Sea Port would be different.
In an instant, she would go from having nothing to lose to having something to protect.
Could she really stay here and fight a battle against that Dwarf High King Jandres, who had already reached level 16?
Although Xia'er's strength had increased greatly now, and she wanted to find a true Paragon to fight, directly engaging Jandres was still too hasty.
"Next, it's about how to divide up these gold coins..."
After thinking about it, Xia'er decided to use her own draconic aura to suppress Tyrone, Tina, and the other dragons.
She felt very at ease with Saga and Disos.
As for Princess Valentina and the three young Blue Dragons under her command, she just wouldn't tell them.
They were foolish and had no clue about her plans anyway.
Kobold warriors filed in and, under Xia'er's icy gaze, began to work, trembling with fear.
They used crude wooden crates and sacks to sort and pack the mountain-like piles of gold coins, silver coins, copper coins, and glittering gems.
The clinking of gold echoed in the sealed treasury, like the most alluring symphony.
Xia'er coiled in a corner, her dragon claws unconsciously rubbing a few scattered gold coins. Her emerald pupils were fixed on her busy minions. Every movement was cautious under her draconic aura, fearful of angering the true dragon, not daring to commit any act of embezzlement.
The counting process was exceptionally swift.
The Kobolds used simple scales and containers left by the Dwarves to estimate, converting the piles of currency into a unified gold coin value.
Soon, a bold Kobold captain crawled forward, his voice trembling as he reported, "Great Master, the count is complete! Gold coins, silver coins, copper coins, and gems total thirty-three thousand gold coins!"
Xia'er's breath hitched.
Over thirty thousand gold coins!
This enormous sum was enough to arm an entire legion or purchase a genuine alchemical artifact.
Xia'er's draconic heart pounded wildly in her chest, the flames of greed almost breaking through her reason.
This was all her spoils of war!
But the next second, Xia'er came to her senses again and couldn't help but let out a long sigh. "The inherent vice of dragons."
Even a Green Dragon as clear-headed as herself had almost lost her mind. Xia'er could hardly imagine how other dragons would react.
"Take the Dwarf prisoners and prepare to leave."
Xia'er calmed her emotions and ordered these Kobolds to prepare to load the ships. As for herself, she soared into the sky, flying swiftly outside.
Xia'er spread her enormous emerald wings. Four massive shadows descended almost simultaneously onto the ruined plaza with heavy wind pressure, faintly surrounding her in the center.
"Xia'er! Hahaha!"
The Red Dragon Tyrone stepped forward first, his voice like rolling thunder, filled with the exhilaration of release and undisguised urgency. "Those Dwarf scum weren't even enough for a warm-up! Killing them was truly satisfying! But... hehe, I heard you found the Dwarves' little treasury?"
His huge head leaned in, almost touching hers. "Tell me, tell me, how much did we loot this time? Is it enough to fill my new lair?"
Tyrone shook his head, seeming to already be fantasizing about rolling around on a mountain of gold coins.
The Black Dragon Saga, following closely behind, appeared much more composed. He didn't lean in like Tyrone, just calmly observed Xia'er's expression and the surrounding environment. Kobolds were nervously transporting wooden crates and sacks filled with treasure out from a side passage of the treasury.
Saga's gaze swept over those crates before settling back on Xia'er. He didn't speak, but his quiet curiosity and assessing intent were clearly discernible.
The White Dragon Disos, as always, imitated Saga's posture.
And Tina was the most excited dragon of all. The other three dragons hadn't seen that overwhelming spectacle of gold coins, but she had!
What evil dragon, good dragon, neutral dragon?
As long as you give money, you can be whatever kind of dragon you want!
"Everyone."
Xia'er let out a breath and spoke. "Spoils of war, naturally, we have them. But here... is not the place to distribute them. Jandres's wrath could descend at any moment, and the human army might return. Our primary task is to safely return to the Royal Court with our victory and our gains!"
Her gaze swept over the four dragons again, lingering on Tyrone for a moment.
Saga almost immediately grasped Xia'er's meaning, giving a slight nod. "Xia'er is right. The Dwarves won't let this go easily. This is no place to linger."
Tyrone's massive head jerked violently as he nodded in front of her, but his dragon eyes were full of savagery. "Fine, but before that, we need to dig up the corners of every single house in this city! Make those lowly commoners hiding in their homes cough up all their hidden gold coins! And then..."
At this point, Tyrone excitedly opened his huge maw. "The few of us dragons together, use our Dragon Breath to plow the entire Eastern Sea Port from start to finish, burn it to bare ground! Make sure those Dwarf scum can't even find a single intact stone! Hahaha!"
Burn it to bare ground!
Hearing this, Xia'er looked out over the entire Eastern Sea Port and immediately issued a command. "We will stay a while longer. Have all the Frogmen, Kobold, and Lizardmen warriors search house to house! Confiscate all Dwarf property, capture the Dwarves to serve as slaves! If you encounter other races, especially humans, you must not harm a single hair on their heads. Do not burn any part of the city. Leave some severely wounded and disabled Dwarves, chain them up in the plaza, and publicly declare that we are transferring the governing authority of the Eastern Sea Port to the remaining humans!"
"I have heard that during the Dwarves' expansion in the past, they eliminated many Minotaur tribes. If the Minotaurs are willing to submit, bring them back with us."