Several days later, the news that the Rosinde Clan's most elite hunting party had been nearly annihilated, with only a single Winter Wolf carrying young Rosinde back to the clan, shocked the entire Rosinde Clan and spread throughout all the tribes around Katjana at the fastest speed.
Since Rosinde was comatose with a high fever and delirious, he and the Winter Wolf, the only other party present, naturally had no way to explain to the silent crowd:
They hadn't even engaged in combat before that despicable and shameless Red Dragon triggered an avalanche with its roar alone.
This also incidentally blew 'that dragon's' threat level sky-high.
Some Barbarians who had not yet encountered it even accused the High Elves of concealing intelligence.
They argued, how could a dragon capable of easily annihilating Rosinde's hunting party be *merely* a juvenile Silver Dragon.
It had to be at least an adolescent Silver Dragon!
But this didn't stop the Barbarian tribes who had accepted the 'Dragon Hunting' task from seizing the opportunity to demand a higher price from the equally contemplative High Elves.
This blatant breach of contract was naturally met with an outright refusal from the High Elves.
It wasn't that they were concerned about those inherently worthless scraps of metal, but rather a matter of principle and established consensus.
Once certain boundaries are broken, it's very difficult to return to how things were.
However, to prevent these Barbarians from shirking their duties in battle, the High Elves made a concession while keeping the original trade agreement's bottom line intact:
They were willing to provide alchemy potions and healing support, as long as the Barbarians continued to assist in the Dragon Hunting.
But this situation quickly underwent a complete change following an important piece of information brought back by a Scout.
"Are you certain? In the name of the Elf King," the High Elf officer said sternly, looking at the Scout.
As if affirming something crucial to life and death.
"I swear upon the name of the Elf King, I have been tirelessly tracking that Silver Dragon for nearly half a month, and up to now, at least two groups of Barbarians of the North have clashed with her, even injuring her! But, I have not sighted any other Silver Dragons in the vicinity!"
A knowing smile—'just as I expected'—spread across the Elf officer's lips as he murmured, "Good, those two groups of Barbarians of the North haven't encountered any reprisals lately..."
Hearing this, the Elf Scout also grew visibly excited and offered his congratulations in advance, "Your Excellency Yevgeny, it seems your deduction is correct. It is a juvenile Silver Dragon that has, for some reason, become separated from its kind—perhaps even a child manipulated by the Crimson Calamity Pafila! We now hold the moral high ground!"
Yevgeny, having obtained the desired result and seemingly unable to wait another moment, commanded decisively, "Relay my orders! Withdraw all Moonshadow Assassins stationed with the Barbarian clans, assemble the entire army, and prepare to move out!"
"This Silver Dragon, I Yevgeny..."
"Will claim it!"
"Yes!"
「...」
One week later, David, who had woken up hungry again after finishing his beef bento, scratched the tip of his tail in his earhole, then slapped his forehead and decided to return to the Katjana Valley for another buffet meal.
He was confident that this time no one would be waiting there for him.
After all, as the saying goes, one can be a thief for a thousand days, but no one can guard against a thief for a thousand days!
Pah! I'm not a thief. I'm simply going to accept a gift from Mother Nature.
Those yaks are wild! What right do you have to claim them just because you say so?!
Hell, I could fly up, take a dump in a circle, and then declare this my territory!
Having given himself a mental lecture from the 'Eagle Empire Colonization Handbook,' David stuck his rear out and exited the cave once more.
However, this time, just as he neared the entrance to the mountain range, a volley of arrows rained down, striking him squarely in the face.
Positioned upwind and high in the air, nearly a hundred meters above the ground, the barrage of arrows, their momentum largely spent, posed little threat to him.
He twisted his body repeatedly to dodge several of the more powerful shots, simultaneously swatting away unavoidable ones with his claws. Tilting his head, he caught an arrow flying straight at his face, bit it in two, and spat it out.
Feeling rather proud of his slick maneuvers, David shot a displeased glance at the Barbarians below, who also seemed to realize they had targeted the wrong dragon.
Just as David was about to make a hasty retreat, sensing danger, his body gave a slight shiver. He looked down and was stunned to see an arrow lodged precisely in his cloacal vent.
However, due to its insufficient force and the reliable defense of the large scales covering his cloaca, it hadn't penetrated, merely getting stuck in the crevice between two scales.
The damage wasn't severe, but the humiliation was intense.
*Wrath*
With a SNAP, a silent David snapped the arrow shaft in two, spitting the completely deformed arrowhead out from his vent.
Gazing at the group of Barbarians of the North, who were jubilantly celebrating their 'magnificent feat,' David took a deep breath. His abdomen swelled rapidly, and then a blinding, conical torrent of flame erupted forth, accompanied by a roar that echoed throughout Katjana:
"Go shoot your own damn horse!!!"
"ROAR?!!!"
In an instant, the Southern Foothills of the mountain range, once blanketed in snow, were set ablaze by the Red Dragon's fury. The scene filled with agonizing cries, transforming it into a hell on earth.
The next moment, the Red Dragon, having been ambushed and now retaliating in kind, entered a berserk state.
Then... he tucked in his wings and charged straight in.
「...」
The wildfire had erupted suddenly. The rage-filled roar accompanying it was even more formidable.
So much so that a group of High Elves, engaged in the most critical stage of their hunt just a few kilometers from the blaze, were all stunned into stillness.
"What's happening over there?" Yevgeny asked, her brow furrowed.
A Moonshadow Assassin landed on a tree branch, his pointed ears twitching, and answered with some trepidation, "Judging by the sounds... it seems another Dragon has arrived... and is clashing with the Lisen Clan."
"What...? Another Dragon?! Now, of all times?"
Darkness seemed to cloud Yevgeny's vision; she felt as if all her meticulous preparations for this hunt were sinking into a lightless Abyss.
It wasn't just Yevgeny, the highest-ranking officer present; all the High Elves who heard this news turned deathly pale.
The feeling was akin to primary school students bullying a pretty classmate, only to suddenly learn she wasn't an orphan. Instead, she was likely the daughter of an internationally renowned multinational corporation with which their parents' company had dealings. Furthermore, her father, the chairman of the board, was at that very moment speeding to the school gates in a custom-built, bulletproof Olga limousine—the kind designed by Russians for their own president. Simultaneously, upon receiving a single phone call, her influential family members from various prestigious fields were dropping everything. They were even now summoning renowned journalists, who were scrambling onto Gulfstream private jets, converging on the school from every corner of the globe.
Her legs trembled involuntarily, and an overwhelming urge to urinate surged through her.
It's all over!!!
But soon, news brought by another Scout made her forcibly suppress the urge:
"Your Excellency! We have confirmed it. It's just a Red Dragonwhelp that was passing by, angered by the overreacting Barbarians."
"..." Yevgeny.
"..." The High Elves.
A mixture of speechlessness and residual fear washed over Yevgeny. She lightly adjusted her military attire, attempting to feign composure, but still couldn't stop herself from cursing, "A bunch of idiots! They nearly scared me to death!"