Gris was still quite interested in this White Dragon who would occasionally come up with new and novel things.
"Yes, Lord Gris."
Several Kobolds led Gris to the temporary game room, where various subjugated monsters had gathered, with enthusiastic shouts echoing non-stop.
"Bomb! What are you waiting for?"
"No, do you even know how to play? You're terrible at this."
...Seeing the lively scene inside, Gris walked towards the table with the most monsters gathered.
After pushing aside a Minotaur, the Minotaur voiced a dissatisfied reprimand.
"Who is it! Who's pushing and shoving here? Watch out, I..."
Before he could finish cursing, the Minotaur quickly shut his mouth upon seeing who it was.
With a thud, the three-meter-tall Minotaur knelt on the ground, trembling as he spoke.
"I... I've seen Lord Gris..."
The commotion here attracted the attention of the monsters. Upon seeing who had arrived, they all knelt down.
"We've seen Lord Gris!"
Gris passed through a group of monsters and walked up to the round table. Scattered across the table were some wooden cards, with numbers marked on them.
With curiosity, he sat on a stool and asked a nearby White-Scaled Goblin.
"What is this thing?"
"In reply to Lord Gris, this is a form of entertainment invented by our master. The master has named it 'happy fight nobles'..."
Seeing that this White Phosphorus Goblin was about to start explaining from the beginning, Gris raised his hand to stop him.
"Stop. Just tell me how to play."
"Yes, Great Lord Gris."
The White Phosphorus Goblin gathered his thoughts and spoke again.
"Hmm... the rules are quite simple. There are 55 cards in total, but usually only 54 are used. Different game modes use different numbers of cards."
"The most powerful card is the Big Joker, which represents our most powerful master. The second most powerful card is the Little Joker, symbolizing the mighty Lady Friel. The third card is the Flower Card, which is highly versatile and can transform into any card below the Big and Little Jokers..."
The White Phosphorus Goblin explained the rules to Gris. At first, Gris didn't understand, but after hearing it a few more times, he grasped it.
"Sounds just so-so. Let's give it a try."
...Two months later.
Two massive merchant fleet sailing ships docked on the eastern coast of the Yesupu Continent.
A middle-aged man with a thick beard looked at the continent right before his eyes and couldn't help but take a deep breath of air.
The air by the sea always carried a mix of dampness and a salty, fishy smell, but this merchant, who had traveled for many years, felt that the air here was incredibly refreshing at this moment.
"Oh~ What a delightful scent this is. It truly brings me joy."
Just after expressing his admiration, he couldn't help but sigh again. Turning to look at some Adventurers and Mercenaries suffering from seasickness, Art felt his heart bleeding.
These were all the helpers he had hired to capture that City-state, and they had cost him quite a few gold coins.
But what he found most unbearable was that the fee for a single Gold Rank Elite Mage was as high as ten gold coins, and that didn't even include maintenance costs!
Yet this also made him envious. If he had magical talent, he too would be a lofty mage lord, with a status far higher than his current one.
"Sigh, I hope this venture pays off big, otherwise it'll be a total loss."
Such is the way of merchants—once they catch a whiff of a business opportunity, they won't easily let go.
Two years ago, when Art first brought those special scales back to the Wolf Supercontinent, they were beloved by various Adventurers and mages, selling out quickly.
By the God of Wealth, Art had never sold anything so popular before. Even the captured Half-Orc and Half-Orc slaves weren't this well-received.
Last year, when he returned to the Yesupu Continent, he began observing and discovered that the strongest in that City-state was only Silver Rank. That's when he finally bared his fangs.
As they say, the greater the waves, the more valuable the fish. He exchanged many white scales, made a profit back home, and then used eighty percent of his wealth to hire these Mercenaries and Adventurers, numbering over three thousand.
What really annoyed him was the Elite Mage. Hiring him was purely a precaution, to avoid any unexpected incidents.
Moreover, after this deal, he didn't plan to leave just yet. He also intended to go to the Whit Kingdom to capture more Half-Orcs and Demi-humans.
After all, the Whit Kingdom, though called a kingdom, was actually composed of countless tribes, which gave him an opportunity to exploit.
But for now, Art wasn't planning to head directly to that gold-filled City-state. Instead, he intended to let these Mercenaries and Adventurers rest properly, as their current condition was truly terrible... Three days later.
Medusa led Liya, Gelina, and two other charming Snake-girls to the outside of the Dragons Lair where Jona Velli and the others were sleeping.
Without entering, they knelt and bowed outside the cave.
"Great Master, that merchant fleet... has arrived."
As soon as the words fell, the surroundings fell into silence. Moments later, a pair of crystal-blue dragon eyes suddenly opened inside the cave, followed by fiery-red vertical pupils.
A disdainful chuckle was heard.
"Hehehe, they're quite punctual. Have you arranged everything as I instructed?"
Medusa replied respectfully.
"In reply to the master, the entire White Crystal City has been prepared according to your instructions."
"Good. Then let's wait and see."
"Remember, do not attack first as long as they haven't bared their fangs."
"Yes, Great Master."
After reporting, Medusa and the others left the area. Before leaving, Liya couldn't help but glance into the cave once more.
Her gaze naturally caught Jona Velli's attention. The crystal-blue dragon eyes met hers, and Liya was so frightened she turned and ran.
All of this was seen by Friel. For some reason, she felt slightly irritated, and her voice came through, tinged with coldness.
"Why not attack directly?"
Facing Friel's inexplicably cold tone, Jona Velli was puzzled but patiently explained.
"Ultimately, all of this is just my speculation about human nature, without any concrete evidence."
"What if they simply want to trade with us? If we mistakenly kill them, we'd cut off this sole trade connection. The economy of White Crystal City would then stagnate, making it difficult to progress."
The fiery-red dragon eyes narrowed slightly, as if trying to see through Jona Velli.
Jona Velli felt a chill down her spine. After all, as the eldest of the Five-Color Dragons, the Red Dragon's gaze was still too intimidating.
Jona Velli shrank her neck.
"Why are you staring at me like that?"
After a moment, Friel spoke leisurely.
"You don't resemble a Five-Color Dragon at all, especially not a White Dragon."
Jona Velli's heart tightened. Friel continued.
"Talking with you, I find your strategies, foresight, and even your way of thinking are very much like a human's."
"Hehe, I am the White Dragon Jona Velli. How could I be compared to those inferior short-lived species?"
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