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Gold coins trickled from the corners of the red dragon’s mouth as the chimera watched from outside the cave. In its greedy gaze, there was not only a sense of loss for its treasures but also a fleeting glimmer of resentment—though it dared not show this emotion before the dragon.

Cassius noticed but paid it no mind, even feeling a sense of satisfaction at asserting dominance.

For such chaotic and evil creatures, kindness was futile; the chimera could never be truly loyal. The moment an opportunity arose, it would seek to overthrow him and take his place.

As an old saying from his past life went, “They fear power, not virtue,” which was fitting for this creature.

The red dragon’s only choice was to exploit its strength and maintain his own dominance, ensuring it remained a subordinate, with no chance to rise above him.

[Metal Scales upgraded to max level (5230/5000)]

[New Trait Acquired: 【Gilded Scales】]

【Gilded Scales】 Ac +3, Constitution +1

[You have absorbed an excess of golden elements; the flowing gold adheres to your scales and the depths of your heart.

You may activate 【Golden Sheath】, causing the gold within you to coat your scales, greatly enhancing your armor value and altering the appearance of your scales to gold.]

“Able to turn my scales golden?”

Cassius suddenly had some intriguing ideas.

In his memories, no golden dragons roamed Anzetta.

Could he possibly…

Either way, having more life-saving tools was always welcome, and the red dragon was quite pleased.

Ignoring the chimera’s resentful gaze, he ordered it to continue leading the way through the Giant’s Maw cave.

“Is it endless?”

Cassius mused.

The place was far more extensive than he’d expected, with several deep recesses, making it seem less like a natural formation and more like the work of dwarven craftsmen.

Ahead, a narrow passage emitted waves of hot steam, with small splashes of magma—comforting sights for the red dragon.

“Keep moving forward.”

Cassius signaled for the chimera to lead the way.

But the cautious beast whimpered, refusing to venture further.

“Master, hot…dangerous.”

“Will die.”

It had submitted to the dragon to save its own skin.

It didn’t want to lose its life to the magma, as it lacked the red dragon’s resistance to fire.

“Strange place.”

“But with such intense elemental reactions, I’ll explore when I’m fully prepared.”

“Let’s call it the Bottomless Cave for now.”

After a moment’s thought, Cassius decided to leave it for now. After all, he was still only a young red dragon.

He was barely able to rule this wild land, let alone face unknown creatures underground. If he encountered something advanced, like a beholder, he wasn’t confident he could win.

“You can leave.”

“Thank you, Master.”

Relieved, the chimera exhaled deeply.

It ran back to its treasure stash without delay, eagerly transferring the remaining hundreds of coins.

Ignoring its nearly broken wings, it flew unsteadily to the other side, seeking a place to bury its prized possessions.

“Typical of a dragon-blooded creature.”

“So greedy.”

Cassius shook his head in disdain.

Thus, Cassius claimed the outer caves of the Giant’s Maw as his first lair, sealing the inner passages with rocks for now.

The chimera was sent to a small cave on the opposite cliff to serve as the red dragon’s guardian and caretaker.

Cassius felt he’d been generous; he’d let the chimera keep some savings, hadn’t he? Plenty of companies didn’t offer such benefits…

“Prestidigitation!”

With the spell, a one-cubic-foot area of the cave cleaned up, and the stench of blood disappeared.

The red dragon worked like a janitor, using magic to scrub the cave bit by bit.

“This dumb beast really trashed the place. In a cultivation novel, this would be a ‘blessed cave,’ but it turned it into a slaughterhouse,” Cassius muttered as he surveyed the bloody remains.

Ahead lay another pile of bones, and as he prepared to clear it out, he noticed a skull with goat-like horns.

This skull didn’t seem too old—just a few weeks, with bits of flesh clinging to it and flies buzzing around.

Judging by its humanoid shape and a broken tailbone, it was likely a tiefling.

Tieflings were human-descended, roughly human-sized.

However, their infernal heritage marked them with horns, a four- to five-foot tail, monochromatic eyes, and varied skin tones.

Tieflings often gathered in human towns, and while not inherently evil, they faced distrust and prejudice.

Cassius pondered for a moment, recalling a mission thread from his previous life: “It is a tiefling…could it be the batch from 【Tragedy of Northwind Fortress】?”

【Tragedy of Northwind Fortress】

[Northwind Fortress, also known as Kowanas Fortress, lies at the edge of the Northern United Kingdom, bordering Storm High Cliffs. It houses over 30,000 residents, including more than a thousand tieflings, under the rule of Count Rackman.]

[A hundred years ago, the elderly Duke Brad Rackman, tormented by the ravages of time, struck a pact with a dark necromancer and transformed himself into an immortal vampire. Recently, he awoke, agreeing to sacrifice a thousand lives within ten years to the necromancer to achieve his ascension.]

[In the following months, many residents mysteriously disappeared, with no bodies found. Duke Rackman seized the moment to deliver his infamous “Bloody Speech,” blaming the “devil-born” tieflings, claiming they sacrificed humans to devils.]

[A “righteous” slaughter ensued, as enraged citizens stormed the town, dragging unsuspecting tieflings to the pyres, branding them devil’s accomplices and burning them alive.]

[The former guard captain, tiefling paladin Mezrorash, resisted to the death, escaping the Duke’s soldiers and leading 300 survivors north to Storm High Cliffs, where they established the tiefling refuge, the “Broken Home.”]

One of the main quests for players in the early stages was to ally with the tieflings, expose Duke Rackman’s true nature, and slay the brutal vampire.

Northwind Fortress was also the primary “hub city.”

“Could the tiefling refugee camp be nearby? Maybe I could leverage this quest line…to seize Northwind Fortress.”

This was the players’ main city; gaining control of it would grant influence over the players. Knowing the value of players from previous expansions, Cassius saw immense potential benefits.

With this in mind, Cassius summoned the chimera, pointing to the remains on the ground and asking:

“Where did you encounter these creatures?”

The chimera approached, sniffed the bones with its lion head, and answered, “Horned humans…not tasty.”

Cassius glanced at the chimera’s injured wings, which seemed incapable of long flights.

He decided there was no need to rush. His forces were still insufficiently strong; he could recruit the surrounding creatures first.

“Return and rest.”

“Yes, Master.”