The panel unfolded before Ke Xiu Si.
【You breached others' minds with your words, achieving the accomplishment 【Eloquent】.】
Achievement: 【Eloquent】
"My tongue can be a thorny rose, or a sword dipped in poison; it depends on your own choice—from a certain unnamed demon of hell."
Obtained Passive Trait: 【Artful Speaker】
Persuasion +6, Deception +4, gained additional spell 【Suggestion】.
You are a rare Artful Speaker; you rely on words as your greatest asset. Your eloquence can make anyone Walking Through Fire for you, your sophistry can cover up all crimes, and your words can twist right and wrong, plunging the entire world into chaos.
【Suggestion】
2nd-level Enchantment Spell
You magically influence a creature you can see within range and suggest a course of activity to it (your Suggestion must be worded in such a manner as to make the course of action sound reasonable).
"A pretty good passive trait. It will be very useful in certain situations."
This was Ke Xiu Si's evaluation.
Although it wasn't of much use in combat, it's always good to have many skills; it would come in handy one day, not to mention it also came with a rather rare 2nd-level spell.
The sudden invasion by the Eagle Guard caused no small loss to the Ember Nest, which was still in its nascent stage.
According to Langpu's statistics, a total of two Drakes, seven Ogres, eighty-six Goblins, and ninety-five Kobolds died. The injured were countless, and even the Chimera was severely wounded and temporarily unable to fight.
This also put Ke Xiu Si on alert.
The Goblins and Kobolds were fine; with a little effort, hundreds of new ones would be produced next year, and he would even have to find a way to significantly reduce the population.
However, the loss of Drakes, which had considerable combat power and long reproductive cycles, made Ke Xiu Si's heart ache a little.
Moreover, if he hadn't returned in time this time, the losses would probably have been far greater.
This was not a good sign.
Yes, compared to the speed of Ke Xiu Si's power growth, the quality of Ember Nest's dependents was already falling behind. The result might be: in the future, the Red Dragon would just finish a battle, and before he could rest, his lair would be wiped out by the enemy.
Thinking of this, Ke Xiu Si looked at the special ability "Bloodline Blessing" on the panel.
【Bloodline Blessing】
【You are a born leader, capable of influencing creatures within your territory with your powerful aura, and able to perform rituals with your blood to create Bloodline Dependents.】
【After the ritual is complete, the oppression from deep within their bloodline will cause them to completely submit to you, and even their descendants will become your eternal dependents.】
"Spending a bit of blood to create a batch of loyal and reliable dependents seems like a good deal."
Ke Xiu Si thought.
Thinking of this, Ke Xiu Si let out a long, echoing roar, signaling all dependents to gather in the spacious area of the valley.
"Roar—"
This was the first large-scale gathering of the Ember Nest.
The Red Dragon personally notified them, indicating that something major was happening, and the leaders of each dependent group took it extremely seriously.
Langpu instructed the Ogres to maintain discipline, Dolo put on his majestic leather armor, Jin Ya wiped his scales, and even the Drakes roared softly, not knowing what they were communicating.
Suddenly, the entire Ember Nest became lively. Only necessary guards were left in various places; the other dependents poured out of their nests.
Thousands of monsters of various shapes and sizes packed the entire valley, making it impassable. They were crowded, noisy, and even rubbing against each other—for example, the Goblins and the Kobolds.
As equally numerous and weak races, they were also very much at odds with each other. The Goblins considered themselves to have arrived earlier, as veteran contributors to the Ember Nest, while the Kobolds believed they were more closely related to their master, and those Goblins were merely cannon fodder.
"Goblins, get out of the way!"
"This is our spot!"
"You're late, so you have to stand at the back!"
A few slightly taller Kobolds blocked the way, chattering away.
The Goblins were furious and wanted to push their way through, but the Kobolds also swarmed forward.
"Go, don't block our way!"
The Goblins made way, and the Earth Goblin leader Dolo spoke from behind.
Several strong Goblin guards nearby directly stepped forward and kicked them several meters away.
Although the status of ordinary Goblins was low, the great strength and cunning of the Earth Goblin and Goblin were undeniable, and they were also the primary managers of military and construction affairs within the Ember Nest. Even the Kobold leader Jin Ya feared him greatly.
Several Kobolds, seeing this, left resentfully, not daring to say anything.
The Lizardmen arrived with their tribe.
There were more than fifty of them, much taller than Kobolds and Goblins, similar in size to humans, and looking like a combination of an upright lizard and a crocodile. Most carried primitive wooden spears, shell shields, and other equipment, showing that they possessed considerable strength.
However, they were new to the Ember Nest and didn't even have a stable foothold, so they dared not easily conflict with other tribes.
This was the "Black Tooth" Lizardmen tribe that joined when the Red Dragon entered the underground.
They originally lived in an abandoned cave and had fled there due to the disaster of the Green-Footed Dragon Snake. Because the Red Dragon was out, they were temporarily taken in by Langpu, who was managing the lair at the time, and thus had not yet received the Red Dragon's certification.
Their leader had not even formally met the Red Dragon, only witnessing the Red Dragon's majestic presence in battle, which solidified his resolve to submit.
The Lizardmen leader's name was Ake.Longfang, named for his dagger-like teeth.
Unlike ordinary Lizardmen, his strong and sturdy body was over two meters tall. His head had a high, prominent fin, brightly colored like a crown, which was a manifestation of Lizardmen strength and also a tool to attract mates.
In his hand, he carried a trident made of crocodile bones—a symbol of a tribal leader.
However, at this moment, the Lizardmen leader seemed uneasy; he was still unsure if this powerful Red Dragon would accept him.
He subconsciously looked at the Lizardmen Shaman Koda.Blackscale beside him. He was an elderly Lizardmen, hunched, with slightly cloudy eyes, and a black scale on his chest.
"Koda, can we settle here?"
The Lizardmen Shaman did not answer, only smiled meaningfully and pointed behind him.
Several strong Lizardmen were carrying heavy boxes, surrounded by guards.
And a glimmer of gold peeked out from the cracks in the boxes—they were filled with various gold artifacts, some plundered from human caravans, others dug up in caves, representing years of savings for the Black Tooth tribe.
"You can always trust a Red Dragon's greed."
The Old Shaman softly spoke an ancient proverb.