Chapter 358 - 108: Submission
Chapter 358: Chapter 108: Submission
Although Everton didn’t say why, Robson had a pretty good idea.
At the edge of the swamp, some of the mud was already starting to harden.
This was the effect of the Magic Array that Robson had Falan cast before he left for Wild Mountain.
The entire swamp had begun to solidify. It was obvious the dragon had sensed this and understood Robson’s intentions.
Although Everton didn’t understand Magic, he knew the changes in the swamp were definitely Robson’s doing.
When Robson first mentioned hiring a Legendary Mage, Everton hadn’t been afraid, just as Robson hadn’t been afraid of Everton calling upon a legendary-tier magical beast.
They both knew those were just empty threats, the kind of thing that would only fool a naive little girl like Huang Na.
But when Everton felt the swamp changing, he immediately panicked. This was real, happening right in front of him. At the current rate of solidification, the swamp would no longer be a place he could live in ten years at most.
Ten years. It wasn’t a long time, but it wasn’t short either.
For a dragon of Everton’s level, ten years might be just the length of a single hibernation.
Besides, that was assuming it would take ten years. What if Robson "upped the dosage" and shortened it to just one month?
"So all those insults you hurled at me before... were those just a joke too?"
"A joke... haha, of course, it was all a joke.
Down in the swamp, I often hear my soldier brothers recounting your great deeds. Ah, if you had only told me about all this sooner, I would have submitted long ago.
You are just..."
Listening to Everton’s flattery, Robson couldn’t help but laugh.
In the continent’s culture, red dragons had always been synonymous with hot tempers and arrogance.
A red dragon like the one in this swamp was a true rarity.
His attitude had done a complete one-eighty the moment he realized Robson had a way to deal with him. He even stopped calling his guards "Peasants" and started calling them his "soldier brothers."
"Since it was all a joke, why don’t you come on up? We can have a proper chat. To be honest, I’m quite curious about dragons," Robson said, looking toward the swamp with a chuckle.
"Hey, my young friend, I think talking like this is just fine. Why don’t we get to know each other better? Maybe work out a Magic Contract or something?
Just think about it. In the future, you could lead your army into battle riding a dragon. How magnificent would that be!
I’m a full-grown dragon. My power is nothing like that little girl’s. What do you say, my friend? Give it some thought?"
Robson laughed.
’So the dragon is still afraid I’ll capture him, dissect him, and sell the parts for cash.’
In fact, the dragon’s fears were not unfounded. If he really did come out just like that, that was exactly what Robson planned to do.
If he were still at Sunset Fortress, the allegiance of a dragon would have been an absolutely irresistible temptation for Robson.
But unfortunately, Lord Robson was now in the Affleck Domain. And especially with Huang Na around, the combat power of a single dragon was next to useless.
Not that it was completely useless. It would be pretty good for intimidating people or as a flying mount.
But compared to tens of thousands of Gold Coins, Robson could completely ignore such minor benefits.
"How about it, my friend?
I know you’ve probably been misled by some rumors out there—that we of the Dragon Race are treasures from head to tail, and can be sold for a good price.
But you have to think this through. Dragons aren’t that easy to catch. Many of my brethren have chosen to take humans down with them by self-destructing.
Those humans ended up dead or wounded, and they got nothing in the end. All that hard work for nothing. That wouldn’t be good, would it?
Besides, if you need money, you don’t have to capture me. There are so many opportunities in the Demon Beast Mountain Range. I know that place like the back of my hand..."
Everton continued to coax him persuasively.
That part was true. The most critical reason why dragons, or rather, high-level magical beasts, were so difficult to capture was precisely this: they might self-destruct when faced with a life-or-death situation.
Of course, that also depended on whether the individual had the fortitude for it. Self-destruction was far more painful than a normal death.
Everton’s words made Robson pause and think.
’Should I take the gamble?’
At this rate, if Falan "upped the dosage," the swamp would soon become uninhabitable, and the dragon would be forced to come out.
If he came out and self-destructed, Robson wouldn’t be left with absolutely nothing, but his profits would be greatly diminished, and he’d lose men as well. If the dragon *didn’t* self-destruct, then he, Lord Robson, would truly hit the jackpot. Over ten thousand Gold Coins would be enough to cover the domain’s expenses for more than half a year, and many projects could be greenlit immediately.
As Robson considered this, he made his decision.
"Alright then. Signing a contract is also an option.
As it happens, I have one right here. Why don’t you take a look?" As he spoke, Robson retrieved a Magic Contract from his Space Ring and tossed it into the swamp.
The contract floated on the swamp for a moment before sinking into the muck.
"This... my friend, aren’t these terms a little harsh? I mean, we’re buddies now, this isn’t necessary, is it?"
Before long, a voice came from the swamp.
The terms were, of course, harsh. There are many kinds of Magic Beast Contracts. The one Robson had given the dragon was what those in the business basically called a slave pact.
"You don’t agree?" Robson raised an eyebrow.
"If you don’t agree, I’ll just have my men set up the Magic Array. Go ahead and self-destruct if you want." With that, Robson turned to leave.
"Hey! Wait! Let’s just delete this clause, alright? The family binding... that’s not really necessary, is it? I can guarantee that if your descendants are ever in trouble in the future, they can come find me, Everton, and I’ll give it my all! But to be eternally loyal to your family... that might be a bit much, don’t you think?"
It seemed the dragon was truly desperate now.
Before, no amount of persuasion worked on him, but now he was willing to accept even such harsh terms.
For Robson, the family allegiance clause wasn’t that important in the first place.
Everton’s greatest value, besides helping Lord Robson show off his might, lay in something else: the Demon Beast Mountain Range!
Just as Everton had said, the Demon Beast Mountain Range was a massive treasure trove with countless profits to be extracted.
Robson had included this in the contract as well: Everton had to answer any of Lord Robson’s questions truthfully.
The Demon Beast Mountain Range was of great importance to Robson.
For one, his Soldiers needed Magical Beast Meat to level up.
For another, the various materials from the Demon Beast Mountain Range could also be sold for money.
As the saying goes, you live off the mountain when you’re by the mountain. If he couldn’t sell a dragon, he’d just sell something else.
With Everton, a local dragon, on his side, Robson’s future efforts to develop the Demon Beast Mountain Range would be much easier.