Chapter 10: Decision
In the chaotic battlefield, Amos slapped away the barbarian who tried to sneak up on him, followed by him swinging his tail at the chassis of a wagon riddled with countless holes. He lifted the carriage, along with the cargo, and directly smashed it at the defence line created by the barbarians.
The ambushers relied on the powerful lineup of mages and the physically strong army of monsters to suppress the team of barbarians to their deaths.
At that point, the barbarians' aggressiveness and their reputation as the most sturdy fighters in the north of Nordhill were put on display to its fullest: Amos witnessed a barbarian who had been disembowelled clinging to a jackal and slitting its throat before he died.
"Oh shit!"
Are they monsters or what?
Due to their bravery and lack of fear even in the face of death, they always stood tall.
However, there always comes a time when blood runs out.
It's almost time!
Seeing her side on the brink of victory, Salilina waited for her cubs to come back. But before they could get close, she shouted, "Retreat!"
With their advantage of flight, Salilina and the Necromancer flew up to the sky above the barbarian team. The icy-blue Dragon's Breath was brewing in her mouth. Though they didn't say anything, the threat was obvious.
Amos saw that the situation was not right and hurriedly retreated along with his siblings.
The army of monsters and mages had also left their opponents, and retreated into the dense forest, soon disappearing from the battlefield.
Severred and Oglesig attacked from a distance but didn't dare to go forward to stop them.
Severred opened his mouth and taunted, "Salilina, don't be in such a hurry to leave, stay and have more fun."
"Why? Are you waiting for Bertram to come? Are you going to greet me together?"
Salilina smiled contemptuously and threatened, "Old friend! I'll greet you when we meet again."
"You!"
"Talking is useless!" Oglesig stopped Severred, who wanted to continue fighting, and spoke flatly, "Salilina, if you dare sabotage the barbarians' plan to purchase food, I will kill you even if I have to return to my Lord in advance."
Salilina's complexion took a turn for the worst; her Dragon's Breath became even more violent, while the barbarians below were sweating coldly. In the end, Salilina calmed down, considered to have been acquiesced by Oglesig's words.
To be able to live till adulthood and become the Dragon Lord of the North Wind Icefield, Salilina had never been an impulsive dragon. On the contrary, she was more astute than most people. After weighing her gains and losses, she dismissed the idea of continuing to make things worse for herself.
Of all the Legendary Professions, the Legendary Priests were the most heaven-defying existences. Because returning to the embrace of their religion's God was supposed to be part of the priest's practice and was considered an act of devotion. In the Kingdom of God, they would be converted into a Believer or Divine Servant depending on their devotion in life, and be reborn again.
How terrifying was a desperate Legendary Priest? Please refer to them as living human bombs.
Salilina still had more than a thousand years to live, she didn't want to face a crazy Legendary Priest as of yet.
...
Five months later.
North Wind Icefield.
Salilina called all the young dragons in front of her and scrutinised them carefully.
"You are all my excellent children, especially you! Amos!... But weak young dragons, it's time for you to spread your wings and soar!"
Salilina talked endlessly, but in summation, what she truly wanted to say was this: Get out of here!
"These scrolls serve as parting gifts from me to you."
Amos took the bundle of magic scrolls and first expressed his deep feelings for his mother saying he would later find the opportunity to repay her and so on. The sentimental speech moved Salilina to no end. Then, he flew away from the cave with his brother and sisters.
Salilina looked at the distant Amos and other dragons and her previously touched expression turned solemn. She was accustomed to acting every time, after all, as an evil dragon lord, she would inevitably deal with all kinds of people from various factions and groups.
She was very optimistic about Amos's potential, he was physically strong and showed extraordinary wisdom and leadership skills during his Hatchling period.
After much deliberation, she decided to maintain a good relationship with Amos and invested with some magic scrolls which were useless to her. Otherwise, not to mention the parting gift, it would be considered nice if she didn't throw them out directly.
At first, Amos was also very surprised, as an evil dragon, he had received a farewell gift. After thinking for a while, he understood Salilina's true intentions, so he cooperated with her when she said those words.
But he didn't deceive Salilina, he was originally a person who would hold grudges and remember kindness, after all.
For young dragons, the environment of Nordhill was too dangerous.
Leaving the safe shelter, that was Salilina's cave. The wilderness was filled with countless dangers; powerful transcendent predators and adventurers among intelligent creatures might become instruments that put an end to their short-lived lives.
It could be said that the growth stage of dragons with the lowest mortality rate was the Young Dragon Stage. At this stage, the individual strength of a young dragon was weak, so the dragons that had just come out of the nest would stick together for warmth, which could also improve their overall ability to survive.
However, was there a target that was more valuable and easier to hunt than the weak young dragons?
There were a large number of professional young dragon hunters in Nordhill, and the hatchlings killed by the intelligent creatures account for almost half of the total number of dead young dragons every year.
...
The southern border of the North Wind Icefield.
The young dragons cast their sights on their elder brother; as true dragons with Inheritance, they were all well aware of their current predicament. Now, they could only rely on their wise and powerful elder brother to survive and give them some semblance of security.
Amos looked at the expectant eyes of his siblings waiting for his ideas and did not let them down. He stretched out his dragon claws to wipe away the snow on the ground exposing the cold icy surface underneath and used his claws on the surface to draw a simple map of North of Nordhill.
Pointing at the map, he said, "This is where we are now, at the foot of the Chogori Mountains, on the southern border of the North Wind Icefield."
Amos continued his analysis and said, "North of the North Wind Icefield is a large glacier in the forbidden area. Entering here with our current strength is simply courting death.
"The south of the Chogori Mountains is Sandonar... However, we are unable to resist the sharp blades of the barbarians' axes.
"The kingdom of Elans in the west is stronger than the barbarians, and that group of witches are too dangerous.
"To the east is the territory of another adult white dragon. By chance, if we are found by it, the best outcome would be enslavement; we can't bet on our luck."
"If you go south, across the Chogori Mountains, avoid the barbarians and head south-east. Then, after flying over the barbarians' territory, there lies an ancient forest: The Great Forest of Motto.
"Although the Great Forest of Motto is dangerous, it is still okay to pass through it. After crossing the Great Forest of Motto, we can reach the human coastal kingdom, a port city in the northernmost part of the Kingdom of Lowe: Bailey City.
"In the shallow sea area where food is abundant, has a warm climate, and there are no powerful predators, it is simply a paradise for us."
Unlike the dragon siblings who just ate or slept every day, Amos had an adult's soul and had been planning for a long time. He knew that this day would come sooner or later.
After much deliberation, he decided to head to the offshore area. Most of the powerful creatures in the sea were concentrated in the deep waters, so Amos could completely develop to adulthood in the shallow sea area where food was abundant, and then come out to face the bigger waves later.
"But before we set off, let's go pick something up first."
Amos took his dragon brother and sisters to the foot of an inconspicuous mountain in the Chogori Mountains, found the tree he had marked, and dug out a dimension bag from underneath it.
Five months ago, Amos had found this dimensional bag with the assistance of the system. He eliminated the spiritual mark of the previous owner and because he was worried that the pouch would also be confiscated by Salilina to help them "Keep it safe". So, he buried the pouch at the foot of the Chogori Mountains and had not opened it ever since.
Amos was very excited and was looking forward to the things inside the dimensional bag of the Godly Master.