A biting cold wind swept through the entrance of Boulder Fortress, and the chill emanating from the cracks made the goblin guards sneeze uncontrollably.
“Damn it, it’s really cold…”
“Yeah.”
The goblin next to him agreed, rubbing his reddened nose, but accidentally scratching a long mark on his face with his claw.
“Ouch!”
The goblin let out a cry of surprise.
Blood drops flowed out, but quickly congealed.
After several months, many of the dependents of Ember Nest had already shown “dragonization” characteristics; although these changes were not as strong as their leader’s, they still exhibited some unique traits of a Red Dragon.
For example, the occasional sparse scales, sharpened claws, frills on the ears, and a preference for warm or even hot climates…
The Red Dragon, long dormant in the cave, was like a giant radiation source, influencing and transforming all the dependents within Ember Nest through Bloodline Blessing.
Ke Xiu Si was still lying on his side in the cave, his massive body slowly rising and falling.
After the weather turned cold, as a Red Dragon who preferred warmth, he was very reluctant to go out, preferring to stay in the cave, eating and sleeping all day like any native Red Dragon of Erezergai.
Ke Xiu Si stretched lazily, slowly opening his eyes: “But some things still need to be done.”
He softly called out in dragon language:
“Chimera—”
The three-headed monster immediately flew out of a cave in the rock wall, obediently prostrating itself before Ke Xiu Si like a loyal dog, awaiting its master’s command.
Since receiving the “Bloodline Blessing” last time, this unruly beast had become exceptionally docile, making Ke Xiu Si feel somewhat unaccustomed to it.
Ke Xiu Si continued in dragon language: “Take me to find those Tiefling.”
“What?”
But then he saw all three of the Chimera’s heads tilt in confusion.
The Red Dragon was speechless for a moment, then picked up an old, horned skull from a corner of the cave and threw it in front of the Chimera.
“Take me to find these people.”
The Chimera’s lion head leaned in and sniffed carefully, then said in still unfluent dragon language:
“Horned, human, not tasty.”
Ke Xiu Si said impatiently: “It’s them, take me there.”
Seeing this, the Chimera immediately lay down obediently, indicating it would follow the command.
“Yes, master.”
It then let out a low growl and flapped its wings, flying up.
The Chimera flew out of the warm cave, leaving the vast Giant Valley, and ascended into the high altitude where snow and wind raged.
Ke Xiu Si followed closely, flying through the snowstorm.
In an open space shielded by layers of mountains, many crude tents were pitched on the snow, and not far away, a spacious cave was brightly lit, surrounded by walls roughly piled with stones—this was the refuge the Tiefling called the “Dilapidated Home.”
The Tiefling with long horns on their heads and reddish skin lived here.
The mountains could protect them from being discovered by pursuers, but they could not help them withstand the severe cold and snow.
The Tiefling were still wearing ragged clothes in the bitter cold; men braved the wind and snow to chop trees and firewood in the forest, women lit bonfires in front of the tents, roasting game obtained from hunting, and children also picked up dry branches and withered grass nearby, adding fuel to the bonfires, doing what they could.
Several injured Tiefling were arranged in the warmer cave, wrapped in several layers of animal skins and grass velvet, but these measures still could not prevent their breathing from becoming weaker and weaker, their eyelids trembling and about to close.
“Meizhuolashi, if this continues, we won’t survive the winter.”
“The injured are almost gone, we have to go to a nearby town.”
A woman’s voice, hoarse from the cold, came.
The Tiefling called Meizhuolashi turned his head.
His rugged face bore burn marks, and his tall body was covered in blood-stained armor, with many indented marks from impacts.
At this moment, his tone was heavy: “Leiruisha, you still harbor illusions about those humans.”
The female Tiefling shook her head in excuse:
“No, I didn’t…”
Meizhuolashi roughly interrupted her, his tone gradually intensifying:
“Those pitchforks, those stakes, those burning houses, those naked corpses hanging at the city gates, the cheers and curses of the townspeople, haven’t they made you understand their true nature?”
“This is humanity, Leiruisha.”
“If we go to any town now, we won’t be greeted with fine wine, only ruthless expulsion—and pursuit by the old Vampires’ lackeys.”
Leiruisha’s voice trembled, with a hint of a sob: “They just don’t know the truth, but maybe, maybe we can resolve this misunderstanding, explain to them…”
“You should understand how humans view us, child of the devil.”
His ice-cold black eyes seemed to pierce her soul, and the sudden seriousness in his voice also stunned her.
Meizhuolashi continued:
“One person is curiosity, two people are a conspiracy.”
His tone paused.
“Three people are a curse.”
“When all of them were incited to wield their butcher knives against us, there was no longer any misunderstanding.”
After Meizhuolashi finished speaking, he no longer paid attention to the sobbing Leiruisha, but silently wiped his blood-stained silver sword.
His weathered face was reflected on the polished blade.
With horns curved like a ram’s, pure black eyes with no visible iris, sharp canines, and reddish skin, he generally still looked human, but his devil bloodline still left a clear mark on his appearance.
“What a naive fellow.”
Meizhuolashi involuntarily recalled his past life, a memory intertwined with pain and suffering.
In Northwind Fortress, as a child, he was often stared at and whispered about because of his identity as a “devil descendant,” always enduring violence and insults on the streets, always seeing distrust and fear in the eyes of others.
But he still had human friends he could trust.
This was a kind of fortune.
And also a cruel fate.
The genuine care from his companions allowed the former Meizhuolashi to retain kindness and trust in his heart.
He thus joined the city guard, becoming a Paladin at a young age, swearing an Oath of Redemption—
Paladin of the Oath of Redemption confront evil creatures, hoping to lead their enemies from darkness to light, using violence only as a last resort.
And unless doing so clearly saves other lives, they will never kill their enemies.
The young Tiefling believed that anyone could be redeemed, and that all people could walk the path of benevolence and justice.
Meizhuolashi believed he could correct all prejudices against his devil bloodline through acts of kindness, and he seemed to have been moving towards that goal.