Another half a month passed, and snowflakes began to fall in the sky over Stormwind Highlands.
Boulder Fortress already stood majestically at the entrance of Ember Nest, blocking all invading creatures.
The Goblins, not very resistant to the cold, built simple camps in the valley, huddling together for warmth, while the Ogres had slightly better treatment, occupying several large caves and sleeping soundly within them.
Ke Xiu Si was also dormant in Giant Mouth Cave; at this moment, he was boredly yawning, exhaling sulfurous hot air, filling the cave with smoke.
Red Dragons are naturally fond of warmth, and the geothermal heat in the cave made him reluctant to leave.
Several Wyverns shamelessly rested at the mouth of the cave, ostensibly to guard the entrance and protect their master, but in reality, they were also basking in the cave's warmth.
But the Red Dragon, seeing their eagerness, turned a blind eye.
Langpu, on the other hand, specifically found a warm, secluded cave to use as a library, spending his days studying his books, and complaining to Ke Xiu Si every day about why the Goblin army was so weak that they couldn't plunder new books from human merchant caravans.
“Ow—”
A Wyvern circling in the sky let out a howl.
That sound meant—someone was coming.
Ke Xiu Si's spirits lifted, and he slowly stood up on all fours, shaking his wings, then walked out of the cave and flew into the sky.
For the past half-month, he had either been sleeping or studying spells in the cave.
As for food, the Earth Goblin led a group of elite hunting parties to besiege several mammoths, and even sent one specifically to Giant Mouth Cave.
The Red Dragon truly had everything handed to him.
Just as he was feeling quite bored, worrying about having nowhere to expend his excess energy and destructive urges, trouble came knocking on its own.
The Wyverns, huddled together at the cave entrance, saw Ke Xiu Si wanting to leave and immediately scrambled up in trepidation, respectfully lowering their heads to make way, then closely followed behind him.
But when Ke Xiu Si flew to the valley entrance and looked down, seeing the uninvited guests in front of Boulder Fortress, he became somewhat unenthusiastic.
Below the city gate was a group of skinny, small humanoid creatures, about a hundred of them.
Their bodies were covered in scales, ranging in color from dark brown to black, and their heads were a mix of dragon and canine, with two small, light-colored horns on their foreheads—these were Kobolds, burrowing reptilian humanoids who often worshipped Evil Dragons as demigods.
And this group of Kobolds was clearly not in good condition; many had wounds and bloodstains on their bodies, and they were huddled together in panic below the city gate, making noisy sounds.
Ke Xiu Si could tell it was dragon language, but coming from their mouths, the sound was like noisy dog barks.
“It’s, it’s the Great Dragon!”
“It really is a Dragon!”
Until one Kobold laboriously lifted its head, saw the Red Dragon in the sky, and let out a startled cry.
“We are saved!”
Immediately, all the Kobolds instantly knelt in heaps like devout believers encountering a miracle, muttering indistinct dragon language.
“Boom—”
The Red Dragon descended with a roar from the sky, sending the thin snow in front of the city gate scattering.
“Why have you come? (dragon language)”
Under the pressure from the depths of the bloodline, the Kobolds remained kneeling, not daring to look up.
After a long while, a slightly sturdier Kobold pushed aside its kin and laboriously walked out.
It threw itself at the Red Dragon’s feet, opening its mouth with dog-like dragon language, its voice even carrying a sob: “Great Dragon, we have come to seek refuge with you—”
The Red Dragon coldly looked down at the small creature before him, seemingly able to crush it into paste with just a slight movement of his body.
These Kobolds were said to have a trace of dragon blood in them and naturally loved to seek refuge with Evil Dragons, but their strength was truly weak, and with Goblins as substitutes, their utility to him was truly not great.
Seeing the Red Dragon unmoved, the Kobold secretly raised its head, its expression extremely sad: “All of our kin were eaten by that monster; only this many of us are left, and we felt your powerful might, so we all came to seek refuge with you.”
Upon hearing the Kobold's so-called “monster,” Ke Xiu Si finally showed a glimmer of interest.
“If I take in you weak Kobolds, what can you bring me?”
The Kobold, seeing a turn for the better, rolled its eyes and quickly said: “Gold! We can bring you a lot of gold!
“Our entire original tribe lived in the mine, enslaved by human smugglers to dig for gold for them. We are familiar with everything there, we know the direction of the veins, and we also know where the most gold is.”
The Kobolds behind him also quickly agreed.
“Yes, yes.”
“That’s right, I can dig up gold as big as my head every day.”
“Great Dragon, you must take us in.”
Ke Xiu Si’s interest grew stronger.
Gold is hard currency everywhere; with enough gold, he would have confidence in obtaining all sorts of contraband from humans, including but not limited to weapons, equipment, and magic books, thereby rapidly expanding his influence.
If he couldn't buy it, it only meant not enough gold had been offered.
Moreover, there was also the so-called “monster” in the Kobold’s story.
Ke Xiu Si continued to press: “What exactly is that monster you speak of?”
Upon hearing this question, an expression of unconcealed fear immediately appeared on the leading Kobold’s face, and the group of Kobolds behind him also erupted in a clamor, some even crying out of fear.
The Kobold leader first patted his chest to calm himself, then slowly began: “Master, you must believe what I am about to say.”
The Red Dragon did not dwell on his address, merely nodding slightly.
The Kobold seemed still immersed in terrifying memories, speaking in an immersive tone: “That was truly a very terrifying beast; its body was bigger than, than a small hill, and its mouth was also very, very big, bigger than a cave, able to swallow ten Kobolds in one gulp.”
As it spoke here, its voice couldn't help but tremble slightly.
“In the mine, it was everywhere like a shadow; no matter where we ran, that monster could find us. There were originally over seven hundred people in the tribe, and they, they were all eaten by it, not even spitting out the bones.”
The Kobold seemed to have lingering fears.
“I painstakingly managed to bring out over a hundred of my kin from the secret passages of the mine.” At this point, it finally let out a long sigh of relief.
After it finished speaking, the Kobolds behind it were all so scared they huddled together, not daring to make a sound.
“Is that monster you speak of bigger than me?” the Red Dragon asked with interest.
Cold sweat immediately broke out on the Kobold leader’s head; for a moment, it didn't know how to answer.
In its memory, the Red Dragon was the most arrogant and most brutal creature; perhaps a slight offense in a single word could lead to one’s death without burial.
“Tell me the truth,” Ke Xiu Si said impatiently.
“Y-yes,” the Kobold stammered in reply, even closing its eyes.
“What is your name?”
“Jin Ya.”
Not waiting for the expected claws, the Kobold leader immediately let out a long sigh of relief, a fawning smile appearing on its face, revealing the particularly conspicuous gold tooth in its mouth.