Chapter 35: Assemble
After the trolls left, Belron approached Yongrong first, his expression a mix of surprise and hesitation. "Yongrong, are you subduing kin? At your age?"
"Yes, it just happened during the hunt, so I took the opportunity."
Yongrong, still pondering Holey's plan, answered absent-mindedly. After a moment, he came back to his senses, looked up at Belron and Hel nearby, and said, "You heard what the trolls said. How about it, want to join me on a trip to Rhino Horn Isle?"
"Rhino Horn Isle is outside our family's territory. Crossing the border is extremely dangerous," Hel reminded him. "This is an adventure."
"You're right, but risk also means reward. These trolls are important to me. Even if it's risky, I have to try."
Yongrong thought of the chains of power in the dragon skull and made up his mind. "Help me look for a dragonet whose dragon heritage includes a map of Rhino Horn Isle."
"Before learning about Rhino Horn Isle, you should address a more pressing issue," Hel said. "As you know, Lord Quis doesn't allow us to leave the courtyard, let alone go south."
"Don't worry about that. I'll persuade the dragonet feeder. You just find the map."
In truth, Quis had already left, and the young dragon in the backyard was just a false magical illusion, but Yongrong didn't tell Belron and Hel. The two young dragons might accidentally spill the beans to the dragon group, causing unnecessary trouble.
"Besides, we need to gather more companions."
As Hel said, this was an adventure. Yongrong knew it well, so he must be thoroughly prepared. The dragonets he took must return unharmed, or this private action would be exposed, angering the family's big dragons.
So he decided to call the dragonets who participated in the griffin hunt, along with Belron and Hel. These powerful dragons together were a force to be reckoned with, capable of self-defense in the wilderness unless they encountered a young dragon-level monster.
The first one he notified was "Bone Splitter," Posa Galaksu, the black dragon who was already part of Yongrong's group. Posa agreed quickly and went to find Hel to assess the risks and discuss the details of the action.
Both he and Hel were cautious, so they got along well. Yongrong was happy to see them discussing, which might help him identify and fix any gaps.
Then he found "Mountain," the blue dragon Oser. Oser's wounds had already healed, and he was currently sleeping in his nest. When Yongrong woke him up, Oser was still dazed and somewhat bewildered.
"Oser, you said you wanted to repay me. Now's your chance."
Yongrong left him with a straightforward message.
When he went to see Aisaria, Yongrong faced an unprecedented reaction, like breaking into a human kingdom to kidnap a princess. He encountered wary and hostile glances along the way, not just from green dragons but also from many of Aisaria's suitors.
"You didn't talk to Lord Quis about anything other than hunting, did you?" was Aisaria's first question upon seeing Yongrong.
"If I had betrayed you, do you think you'd still be here?" Yongrong knew what she was asking and shook his head. "I keep my promises. Don't doubt it."
Aisaria seemed relieved and relaxed. "I came looking for you a few times after you returned. Those two blue dragons you're familiar with always said you were with the feeder. I couldn't help but worry."
"What I discussed with Lord Quis is none of your concern," Yongrong smiled. "In two days, we're going to Rhino Horn Isle. Want to come? Don't tell anyone else."
"Because of those trolls?" Aisaria guessed immediately.
"Yes."
Aisaria looked anxious. "You really want to subdue them as kin? What about our plan?"
"Our plan?" Yongrong was momentarily confused. "What plan?"
"Don't play dumb," Aisaria bared her teeth. "You said after becoming a young dragon, you'd leave the family to become independent. Subduing kin now means settling in the wilderness. How will you leave the family? Yongrong, were you deceiving me? What are you really thinking?"
"Leaving the family is something I'll do in the future; subduing kin is what I'm doing now. They're not conflicting actions."
Yongrong narrowed his eyes. "Leaving the family to become independent doesn't mean becoming enemies with the family. You green dragons might not understand our blue dragon rules, but don't try to interfere with my thoughts. Blue dragons have better temperaments than red dragons, but only to a limit. Don't let there be a next time."
Aisaria stepped back and bared her teeth again, then closed her mouth and nodded. "I understand."
When he found Kazan, the red dragon was fighting one against four, roaring for his opponents to attack and hurling trash talk, like "Is that all the strength you have?" and "Even a hatchling could dodge such attacks," infuriating the several half-blood dragons across from him, their dragon breaths bursting continuously.
"Kazan," Yongrong called.
The red dragon turned, and upon seeing Yongrong, grinned and quickly defeated his opponents, swaggering over. "Don't call me by my name. From now on, please refer to me as the noble 'Inferno.'"
After bragging a bit, he chuckled. "You came at the right time, Yongrong. How about we fight in our super-limited state?"
"Let's fight when I get back. I need your help now," Yongrong gestured for him to come closer.
Kazan moved forward two steps. "What is it?"
"The one we met in Fang Valley isn't the troll clan's leader. They have internal problems, and the leader is an idiot hostile to Dragon Fort. I plan to kill him and seize the Bloodtooth clan's loyalty."
Yongrong hadn't been so detailed with the other dragonets, showing the level of importance he placed on Kazan. "We act in two days at Rhino Horn Isle."
"A lowly and despicable savage clan, can't you handle it yourself?" Kazan hummed.
"According to Holey's information, the target is easy to handle, but I'm worried about unexpected events, like traps or ambushes. It's best to use all available strength."
Yongrong was sincere. "Better safe than sorry."
"Should I praise your caution or mock your cowardice?" Kazan smirked. "Seeing you so scared, I'll reluctantly agree to go with you. But there's a condition."
"Name it."
"Next time there's a chance to subdue kin, let me go first."
"Deal."
Yongrong smiled subtly, realizing that although Kazan verbally dismissed the trolls as lowly, he was actually quite interested.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone