The Red Dragon Just Wants To Do As It Pleases

Chromatic Dragons, especially Red Dragons—creatures with an extreme reverence for violence—inherently admire strength.

David knew, just by thinking about it, what a situation it would be. Showing up and claiming leadership of the entire clan armed merely with an Ancestor's Command Token—and one that had already lost its direct influence at that—was bound to cause trouble. He certainly didn't want to face a scenario reminiscent of a king reclaiming his position after thirty years, forcing David to deal with a resurgence. It was just like when he was still a young dragon; he had brazenly challenged the old Red Dragon Christoph, who had tried to take over his mother's territory. He knew getting any respect from the Red Dragon pirates in Sed Ponga's bandit nest would be a miracle!

Ephelomon could easily guess what David was thinking, so he watched David with a smile and asked, "You're afraid they won't recognize the Red Dragon King's Decree?"

David nearly rolled his eyes and smacked his lips, saying, "No, they will definitely acknowledge your Command Token. But whether they'll acknowledge me or not, I can't say. After all, I'm just a young dragon. A mature Red Dragon might attempt a challenge, but I couldn't possibly subjugate the whole of Sed Ponga by myself."

If he possessed such heaven-defying combat power, he could have personally dealt with the High Elves like Skanis who had usurped their homes. He wouldn't have needed to return to the Astral Plane to enlist outside help. At the same time, he warily tried to figure out what trickery this old dragon was up to. Fortunately, the old dragon didn't suggest the worst-case scenario: issuing a direct command to the Red Dragon descendants in the Astral Plane in his capacity as an ancestor of Sed Ponga. That would be akin to putting him on a spit over a fire. Well, not exactly—as a Red Dragon, he wasn't afraid of being roasted. But if he lost violence as a direct approach, those Red Dragons would most likely start scheming, pondering how to pay him lip service while plotting to stab him in the back.

Contrary to popular belief, Red Dragons weren't mindlessly rash creatures driven solely by instinct. They often acted that way because their inherent power allowed them to solve most problems with brute force—or eliminate those who posed the problems. It was like in the video games he played in his past life: if he could steamroll an opponent, there was no point in slowly building up his forces. In fact, Red Dragons had the largest head size among Chromatic Dragons, with a correspondingly substantial brain capacity. If one were to pour out half the magma supposedly filling their heads, their intelligence wouldn't be far behind that of Green Dragons. For this reason, virtually every Red Dragon that survived to adulthood was somewhat cunning. This cunning also meant they had likely orchestrated some miraculous comebacks from unfavorable circumstances during their youth. His mother, Pafila, born in a Brass Dragon Nest, was like that. His ancestor Christoph, enslaved by the Drow from a young age, was also like that. He, too, was like this, having been taken from his Dragon Nest as a Dragon Egg by Drow like Hiatt.

Once the path of violence became impassable, the minds of Red Dragons—which often appeared as sluggish as a crashed computer—would kick into overdrive. By that point, he would really be in for a hard time. He definitely didn't want to star in a Red Dragon version of a palace drama like the 'Legend of Zhen Huan'; that would be terrifying beyond belief.

And then he heard Ephelomon, the old cunning devil, give him a dreadful suggestion: "That's simple. If you can't beat the old ones, can't you beat the young? Just find an opportunity to take all the young dragons below the age of maturity hostage. Those old ones will at least be willing to listen to you obediently. Ah yes, you could also impregnate the young female dragons of the chieftain's lineage. Lay a bunch of Dragon Eggs in front of them, and Sed Ponga will most likely pinch their noses and recognize you for the sake of the eggs. Of course, if you're brimming with energy, impregnating the entire younger generation would earn you a commendation from me."

"..." David's brain practically crashed upon hearing such an audacious plan.

Fuck! This guy was actually encouraging him to impregnate his own descendants! What a beast... Wait a minute. He seemed to have automatically slipped back into human ways of thinking. Creatures on Blue Star avoided inbreeding because it could lead to an increase in genetic defects and a reduction in diversity, potentially culminating in a species' extinction. Yet, every coin had two sides. While inbreeding could increase genetic flaws, it could also heighten the likelihood of dominant genetic traits manifesting. This was why it also held a chance of producing geniuses, and why some nobles in ancient times, when genetics was still a nascent science, even used it to 'purify' their family bloodlines.

It was well-known that Dragon 'bloodlines' were freakishly strong compared to those of other beings. They were so potent that dragons could even bypass reproductive isolation barriers, continually creating new species. This meant that inbreeding wasn't taboo for Dragons. Firstly, given how prolific Dragons were, there was hardly any concern about their extinction unless the Multiverse itself was destroyed; their lineage would always find bizarre ways to continue. Secondly, inbreeding could maximize the preservation of 'Dragon Heritage' within their bloodline, increasing the likelihood of offspring awakening powerful talents. Even if they were unlucky enough to inherit draconic bloodline diseases—like the common Arcane Craving or Maze Lock Syndrome—such genetic ailments weren't necessarily considered defects in this magical world.

For these reasons, what was taboo for common creatures wasn't an issue at all for Dragons. So much so that he now faced the absurd situation of an ancestor urging him to 'purify' his own descendants' bloodlines.