Chapter 68: The Dragon Court's Expanded Meeting
Seven days after Grimhild joined the Dragon Court, Livia decided to hold a meeting.
It wasn't an ordinary meeting; it was a full, expanded assembly.
The attendees—or 'beings'—were quite numerous.
In the center of the main hall, beside the Lava Lake, on a patch of ground scorched hot by flames, six heads were lined up—no, six Dragon heads, plus two non-Dragon representatives.
Kalendir Valeri Ansos squatted on the far left, his crimson scales glittering under the lava light. His forelegs were crossed over his chest, his tail flicked back and forth, and his face was plainly etched with the pride of the eldest son: 'I have status.'
Valerion Aetheri Eldir squatted next to him. His rotund body took up a large area, and he hugged three gemstones while waiting for the meeting to start—for him, meeting and eating could happen simultaneously.
Aetheriel Terry Ansos squatted behind Valerion, crackling with electricity all over his body, struggling to keep from short-circuiting. He controlled it for three seconds successfully; then another three seconds, also successfully; but when he reached the fifth second, there was a'snap' as he zapped himself. He jumped up with a yelp, landed, and then nonchalantly resumed his squat.
Mihariel Fanlenxiu Siaeser squatted beside him, clutching the small notebook that never left her possession. Her eyes sparkled as she scanned the assembly, her pen tip hovering above the paper, ready to record at any moment. Next to her squatted a rock—no, it was Valensius Grimhild disguised as a rock. The rock occasionally shifted slightly, proving he was still alive.
Next to the rock squatted the Kobold Chieftain. He had put on a new outfit today: his worn leather cap was replaced with a new worn leather cap, his beast-tooth necklace had three extra teeth, and he wore a strip of red cloth tied around his waist, which he must have picked up somewhere. It fluttered in the wind like a tattered flag.
Next to the Kobold Chieftain squatted the Fire Dwarf Representative. He was an old Fire Dwarf whose beard was longer than his face. His skin was dark red, his face covered in wrinkles, but his eyes shone like twin flames. He carried a large chest on his back, which clinked with various tools and blueprints.
Next to the Fire Dwarf Representative squatted the Fire Hawk King.
The Fire Hawk King wasn't squatting at all—it was standing. Its two talons gripped the ground, its wings folded, tilting its head as it observed this strange group of creatures, occasionally blinking.
Nine members in total.
Livia lay before them, her forty-five-meter body occupying most of the remaining space. Her tail was curled behind her, her head slightly lowered, her golden eyes sweeping over the group.
Silence lasted for three seconds.
Then she spoke, her voice like muffled thunder rolling across the heavens: 'Today we meet to discuss the next phase of our plan.'
Kalendir immediately puffed out his chest: 'Mother, let me speak first!'
Livia nodded.
Kalendir cleared his throat, trying hard to look like a mature and steady battle commander. His tail whipped harder, making a loud whooshing sound.
'I think the next step should be expansion to the north. There are iron mines, coal mines, and several Dwarf cities over there. Although the Dwarves can fight, our Dragon Court now has—'
He paused, counting: 'Mother, me, Valerion, Aetheriel, and the two newcomers—six Dragons in total! Fighting the Dwarves, we are sure to win!'
Mihariel raised her hand.
Kalendir glared at her: 'I'm not finished!'
Mihariel blinked: 'I just wanted to ask, when you counted the people, did you include Valensius?'
Kalendir froze and looked at the rock.
The rock moved slightly.
Kalendir was silent for a second: '...Fine, count him in.'
Valensius transformed back from the rock and muttered quietly, 'I can fight in the war...'
Kalendir: 'When you fight, you disguise yourself as a rock. What if the enemy steps on you?'
Valensius thought for a moment: 'Then, then they won't be able to step on me?'
Kalendir was speechless.
Mihariel scribbled furiously in her little notebook:
'Brother Kalendir proposes attacking Dwarf cities. Brother Valensius states he can participate, but his method of participation is disguising himself as a rock. Note: This tactic requires the enemy to be extremely blind.'
Aetheriel poked his head out from the corner: 'I can use electricity! To stun them!'
As soon as he finished speaking, there was a'snap,' and he jolted himself first.
Silence fell over the assembly.
The Fire Dwarf Representative coughed, stood up, and pulled a blueprint scroll from his chest, spreading it on the ground.
It was a design for a catapult.
'Dragon Queen,' he began, his voice hoarse but strong. 'We Fire Dwarves have researched for three years and finally built the third-generation Dragon Breath Catapult. Its range is eight hundred meters, and it can launch Dragon Breath fuel canisters. One canister can burn half a soccer field.'
He pointed at several key parts on the blueprint, his eyes shining: 'If you give the order, we can build twenty of these in a month. By then, never mind Dwarf cities or Human castles—we'll smash them all into ash!'
The Kobold Chieftain jumped up: 'Dig tunnels! Digging tunnels is better than catapults!'
He pointed at the ground beneath them: 'Underneath our Dragon Court, it's all volcanic rock. We Kobold have been digging for three years and have already dug twelve tunnels! The farthest one leads to a valley thirty miles away! If we dig for just one more month, we can reach under the Human cities! Then, we can pop out in the middle of the night, steal all their treasures, and leave them crying without tears!'
The Fire Dwarf Representative glared:'Steal? You fight by stealing?'
The Kobold Chieftain glared back: 'What's wrong with stealing? Stealing reduces casualties! You Fire Dwarves build catapults, and when you smash something, the enemy dies, but we might get hit too—during the last test firing, you smashed half your own forging workshop!'
The Fire Dwarf Representative blushed slightly: 'That, that was an accident!'
The Kobold Chieftain: 'An accident? You've had three accidents in three months!'
The two stared at each other, neither giving ground.
The Fire Hawk King watched from the side, tilting its head.
'Caw.'
A single cry.
The entire assembly quieted down.
The Fire Hawk King flapped its wings once, then let out a long, drawn-out series of 'Caw caw caw caw caw caw'—the sounds were varied in pitch and length, like it was delivering an important speech.
After calling, it squatted down and looked at Livia.
The entire assembly turned to look at the Kobold Chieftain.
The Kobold Chieftain was the only one who understood Fire Hawk language.
He cleared his throat and began to translate:
'The Fire Hawk King says: Aerial reconnaissance, dive bombing, bomb and run, let them fail to catch up.'
He paused and added: 'It says their Fire Hawks can patrol three hundred miles daily and report immediately upon spotting a target. During battle, first burn the provisions, then burn the barracks, and finally burn the city gates. Humans fear this the most—they fly in the sky, and the ground forces can't catch them; they can only stare helplessly.'
The Fire Dwarf Representative frowned: 'Burning provisions? Burning barracks? That's a sneak attack, not a frontal assault!'
The Kobold Chieftain nodded: 'Yes, it's a sneak attack. What's wrong with a sneak attack? If a sneak attack wins, that's all that matters.'
The two started arguing again.
Mihariel raised her paw.
No one paid attention to her.
She raised her voice: 'I have a proposal!'
Still no one listened.
She took a deep breath and looked at Kalendir.
Kalendir felt unnerved by her stare, coughed, and said loudly: 'Quiet, everyone!'
The assembly fell silent.
Mihariel stood up, holding her little notebook, and walked to the center of the open space.
'My proposal is this: Let them guess where we will strike next.'
She looked around the assembly, her eyes cunning.
'What do Humans fear most? They fear uncertainty the most. We spread rumors that we are attacking the north, then spread rumors we are attacking the east, then spread rumors we are attacking the west—let them guess, let them move their troops around everywhere. When they are tired from running around, we choose a direction and actually attack.'
She paused and added: 'If they guess wrong, they pay us. We can set up a betting pool called 'Guess the Dragon Court's Next Target Direction,' letting the nobles in Human cities place wagers. Whoever guesses right, we don't attack them; whoever guesses wrong, pays money for guaranteed safety.'
Silence fell over the assembly.
The Kobold Chieftain scratched his head: 'C-Can this really work?'
The Fire Dwarf Representative frowned: 'It's too complicated, isn't it?'
The Fire Hawk King tilted its head and let out a single 'Caw'—a single caw, meaning 'I don't quite get it.'
Kalendir asked directly: 'What does this have to do with fighting a war?'
Mihariel blinked: 'It has a lot to do with it. If we make them guess, they have to spend money to buy intelligence; if they spend money on intelligence, their money flows into our pockets; if the money flows into our pockets, they become poor; if they are poor, they can't afford to fight; if they can't fight, they can only wait to die—this is called economic warfare.'
No one understood.
But it sounded like it made some sense.
Valensius transformed back from the rock and spoke softly: 'I, I can help too...'
Everyone looked at him.
Valensius shrank his neck but still continued, "I can disguise myself as their King... trick them into opening the gates..."
Kalendil was stunned, "You? Disguise yourself as the King?"
Valensius nodded, and his body began to change color. Three seconds later, he had transformed into Kalendil's appearance.
The exact same crimson scales, the identical golden dragon horns, and the exact same expression that screamed, "I am the eldest son, I deserve respect."
Kalendil stared at his "self," his mouth forming an 'O' shape.
Valensius spoke, his voice also having changed to Kalendil's tone, "Brother, do you think this will work?"
Kalendil was silent for three seconds.
Then he turned to look at Livia, "Mother, when did he learn this?"
Livia didn't speak.
Mihariel wrote in her small notebook:
[Valensius's disguise skill has been upgraded: He can now imitate the appearance and voice of others. Note: Currently, he can only imitate Kalendil because he has been staring at him the most recently.]
Valensius reverted to his original form and whispered, "I... I can imitate others too... but I need to observe them for a few more days..."
The Fire Dwarf Representative's eyes lit up, "Then you can imitate the enemy general and make them kill each other?"
Valensius thought for a moment and nodded, "I... I should be able to..."
The Kobold Chieftain also grew excited, "Then you go to the human city, become the City Lord, open the gates, and we'll rush in directly!"
Valensius felt creeped out by their stares and took a step back, "I'll... I'll try..."
Mihariel raised a claw, "I have a supplementary plan. When Valensius disguises himself as the enemy general, he can also spread rumors that their King wants to impose new taxes, conscript troops, and steal their wives—let them cause chaos themselves."
Kalendil frowned, "Isn't that too insidious?"
Mihariel blinked, "War is inherently insidious. When you charge head-on and they shoot arrows at you, is that not insidious either?"
Kalendil was choked into silence.
— — — —
The discussion lasted for an entire hour.
The Kobold Chieftain insisted on digging tunnels.
The Fire Dwarf Representative insisted on building catapults.
The Fire Hawk King insisted on aerial bombardment.
Mihariel insisted on economic warfare + rumor warfare.
Valensius huddled in a corner, quietly saying that he could do it.
Aetheriel raised his hand three times in the middle, wanting to say he could use electricity to help, but each time before he could speak, he shocked himself. The third time, he directly electrocuted himself unconscious and lay twitching on the ground.
Valerion hadn't spoken from beginning to end, focusing on gnawing on gems. After finishing three, he started on the fourth.
Kalendil initially wanted to preside over the situation, but later realized he couldn't manage it at all—these guys were all saying their own things and none would listen to the others.
Finally, everyone looked toward Livia.
Livia was lying down, eyes closed, appearing to be asleep.
Silence.
Three seconds.
Five seconds.
Ten seconds.
She opened her eyes and swept across the room.
Her gaze first landed on the Kobold Chieftain.
The Kobold Chieftain puffed out his chest.
Livia spoke, "Digging tunnels, after three years, how many times have you buried yourselves?"
The Kobold Chieftain's chest deflated, and he whispered, "...Seven times."
Livia looked toward the Fire Dwarf Representative.
The Fire Dwarf Representative answered quickly, "Building catapults, after three test fires, we collapsed the forge workshop once and killed two Fire Dwarves—but we revived them all later!"
Livia paused for a second and looked at the Fire Hawk King.
The Fire Hawk King said, "Caw."
Livia looked toward Mihariel.
Mihariel blinked and voluntarily spoke, "My plan doesn't require test firing or digging holes; it only requires brains. It won't hit ourselves or bury ourselves."
Livia looked toward Valensius.
Valensius flinched and whispered, "M-my plan might result in me getting killed... but I'll disguise myself and escape..."
Livia withdrew her gaze.
The entire room held its breath.
Three seconds later.
"The Fire Hawk plan is approved."
The Fire Hawk King was stunned for a second, then puffed out its chest and let out a "Caw"—a double caw, meaning "I strongly agree."
The Fire Dwarf Representative jumped up, "Why?! It only squawked a few times! I spent three years drawing up my catapult blueprints!"
Livia looked at him.
"It didn't mention burying itself while digging tunnels."
The Kobold Chieftain shrank back.
"It didn't mention collapsing its own foot while building a catapult."
The Fire Dwarf Representative was choked into silence.
"It didn't mention wasting time making people guess riddles."
Mihariel blinked and wrote in her small notebook: [Mother says my plan wastes time. Note: I disagree, but I dare not say so.]
"It didn't mention getting exposed and killed while in disguise."
Valensius silently disguised himself as a rock.
The Fire Hawk King stood tall beside them, accepting the gazes of the entire assembly.
Then it looked at Livia and called out again:
"Caw caw caw—caw caw caw caw—"
The Kobold Chieftain translated, "It says the Fire Hawk reconnaissance team needs to expand its roster; fifteen isn't enough, it needs at least thirty."
Livia nodded.
"Approved."
The Fire Hawk King flapped its wings and flew out of the cave entrance to relay the orders.
The Fire Dwarf Representative wilted, squatting on the ground, clutching the roll of blueprints and refusing to let go.
The Kobold Chieftain also wilted, squatting on the other side, muttering, "What's wrong with digging tunnels? Digging tunnels is tradition."
Mihariel scribbled furiously in her small notebook, a smile playing on her lips.
Valensius continued to masquerade as a rock, motionless.
Kalendil looked at this one, then that one, and finally looked at Livia.
"Mother, what about me?"
Livia looked at him.
"You are responsible for integration."
Kalendil was stunned, "Integrate what?"
Livia said, "Tunnels, catapults, bombing, rumors. Use them all."
Kalendil's brain spun for three seconds before he reacted.
"S-so, this is my plan?"
Livia didn't answer; she closed her eyes and lay down.
Kalendil stood in place, his expression shifting from confusion to excitement, and from excitement to smugness. He puffed out his chest, his tail whipping around with a 'whoosh,' sweeping a cloud of dust over Mihariel.
Mihariel wiped her face and wrote in her small notebook:
[Kalendil Brother's tail is very annoying. Note: But he is the eldest son, so I tolerate it.]
— — — —
It was late at night.
The main hall quieted down.
The Kobold Chieftain led his kin back to continue digging tunnels—even though the plan was rejected, digging tunnels was the Kobold' instinct; they felt uncomfortable if they didn't dig.
The Fire Dwarf Representative carried the blueprints back to the forge, still muttering on the way, "My catapults were clearly very powerful."
The Fire Hawks had already set out for reconnaissance; one or two faint "caws" occasionally drifted from outside the cave entrance before disappearing into the night wind.
Six heads were crowded in the main hall, each lying down in their own spot.
Kalendil lay on his exclusive rock slab, his eyes still bright, clearly still contemplating the matter of "integration."
Valerion lay beside him, already asleep, still hugging half a gnawed gem.
Aetheriel lay in the corner, having just woken up, looking bewildered, clearly not yet recovered from being electrocuted unconscious.
Mihariel lay next to her small notebook, using the light from the Lava Lake to write today's summary:
[Dragon Court Enlarged Meeting Minutes:
· Kobold Chieftain proposed digging tunnels (Rejected)
· Fire Dwarf Representative proposed building catapults (Rejected)
· Fire Hawk King proposed aerial bombardment (Approved)
· My proposal (Economic Warfare) was called a waste of time by Mother
· Valensius Brother's proposal (Disguise) was deemed potentially fatal by Mother
· In the end, Kalendil Brother is responsible for integrating all plans
Note: Kalendil Brother's tail is really annoying.]
She finished writing, closed the notebook, and yawned.
Beside her, the rock Valensius was disguised as shifted slightly, leaning against her.
Grimhild lay next to Livia's tail, eyes open, staring at the ceiling.
He stared for three seconds, and the ceiling showed no reaction.
He turned toward the Fire Elemental next to him.
The Fire Elemental was moving stones, then carried another stone into the kitchen.
He stared for three seconds, and the Fire Elemental showed no reaction.
He turned toward Livia.
Livia's eyes were closed, but the tip of her tail twitched once.
Grimhild stared intently at the tip of that tail.
The tail tip twitched again.
He blinked and extended a small hand, trying to grab it.
He missed.
The tail tip retracted.
He continued staring.
After three seconds of staring, the tail tip stretched back out and swayed in front of him.
He reached out to grab it again.
He missed.
He continued staring.
One person and one tail began a silent contest of wills.
Livia kept her eyes closed, a very faint arc on her lips.