Ergou accompanied them all the way, and Jose visited the remaining fourth to eighth living areas. Except for the fifth living area that had spring water, the rest of them were abandoned and not worth mentioning.
“Is there anywhere else we haven’t been to?”
“There are only some abandoned tunnels left. These tunnels were excavated by our ancestors after the mine’s resources dried up. Oh right!” Ergou remembered that there was still a place they had not gone to, so he asked, “There is also the mine where we excavated inferior iron ores. Does Master want to take a look?”
“Let’s go. As the owner of this place, I need to know every corner of the territory.”
The entrance of the mine was located in the eighth living area. The tunnel was dug according to the size of the kobolds, so Jose had to shrink himself to get in.
After passing through the long and narrow tunnel, the master and the servant arrived at the hollow mining area. There were dark red spots on the walls of the mining area. This was the iron ore mine that the kobolds relied on for survival.
The ground of the mining area was covered with diamond-shaped slag. There were also some pickaxes, shovels, and other tools scattered around.
Jose stepped into the mine.
“Eh?!”
He sensed the abnormality on the ground and hurriedly bent down to dig up the ore slag underneath. He placed his dragon claws on the ground and felt the unusual temperature.
There was geothermal heat here!
Anyone who had studied geography would know that the tectonic plates floated above the magma layer like a ship floating above the water. But the underground magma was not as flat as a surface of water.
In the crust, some matter had a high melting point, while some matter had a low melting point. The matter with a low melting point would be melted by the high temperature over a long period of time, forming an underground cavity. Under immense pressure, the molten lava would rise up and form an underground lava lake.
The hot springs and geothermal heat originated from this kind of lava lake that was usually closer to the surface. In other words, there was lava below the mine.
Jose was in a good mood. The Red Dragons had fire-attribute affinity, and living in a place rich in fire elements such as geothermal heat for a long time would greatly benefit his growth.
This was a perfect residence!
“Revered Master, back then, it was because we discovered that there was a lava lake below that our ancestors had no choice but to give up on continuing the excavation. Now, we can only excavate these inferior iron ores here, but they are all trash.” Looking at the barren mineral vein, Ergou was a little disappointed.
“Don’t be discouraged, my servant. I have found a new vein of ore.”
It had to be said that a dragon’s treasure-seeking talent was truly heaven-defying. During the patrol earlier, Jose could feel the rhythmic movement of the ore vein. That unique sensation made the dragon fascinated.
“East of the sixth living area, diagonally down thirty degrees. Dig in this direction, and you’ll find what you want.”
Ergou suddenly remembered that dragons were all treasure-seeking experts, and his face showed genuine joy.
“Oh great master! You are truly the blessing of the blood-tooth tribe!”
Jose replied, “No need to stand on ceremony. The minerals, the wealth, the blood-tooth tribe — you included — are all mine to begin with.”
After strolling around for a while more, he felt that he had more or less understood the situation of the mine.
“Let’s go back. The people outside should be back.”
The master and servant turned around and walked towards the first living area. From afar, they could hear the noise of people talking. They happened to see the tribesmen outside returning.
Jose stood at the edge of the first living area and looked down at his followers.
The kobolds, who had stayed behind to guard the camp, poured in through the tunnel mouth. They dragged their families with them, with smiles on their faces. They talked as they walked, and their barking was a cacophony.
The kobolds were intelligent creatures. They could use the common language and a small bit of the dragon language. Language ability was one of the main reasons why they were recognized as an intelligent race.
However, the kobold’s civilization was too primitive. Their accessories were made of animal bones and teeth. Most of them were unclothed: less than thirty percent of the kobolds wore animal skin aprons or loincloths.
It was worth mentioning that kobolds wore clothes not to hide their shame, but to show their status. In their eyes, clothes were more valuable than jewelry.
Upon seeing the Red Dragon, Soda and four kobolds walked over with roasted food and presented it with both hands. “Master, please try the food cooked by the kobolds.”
Jose took the piece of meat that had been pierced with a wooden stick and sniffed it. It was the petrification lizard he had just killed. Judging from its shape, it was the most delicious thigh meat. He took a bite. Compared to the semi-raw meat cooked by dragon breath, this primitive barbecue was very delicious.
“Not bad. You’re very attentive.”
Upon receiving his master’s affirmation, Soda was delighted and bowed. “Please enjoy your meal. More food is still being cooked now.”
Jose tilted his head and looked at the distant fire. There was a circle of kobolds roasting meat by the fire. There was also a stew pot placed on the fire, and white smoke was coming out of the pot.
He walked over curiously and opened the lid of the pot. A fishy smell of steam rose from it. Then, he saw the food in the pot — barley, petrification lizard internal organs, and some unknown plant stems and vegetable leaves.
He could hear the surrounding kobolds swallowing their saliva. Clearly, the food had been prepared for them.
Jose put down the pot lid and said calmly, “Soda, tell me about the food situation in the tribe.”
“Most of our meat reserves have been spoiled by the petrification lizards, but don’t worry, Master. I’ve already sent people out to hunt. Even if the warriors have to risk their lives, they will ensure a sufficient supply of meat.”
Obviously, Soda had misunderstood.
However, he could not be blamed for this. There had never been a dragon that cared if its servants were full. The dragon was a cruel conqueror who only cared about its own enjoyment. When it was hungry, it could even fill its stomach with its servants.
However, the transmigrator could not be so cold-blooded. He could not sit by and watch his little followers starve while he enjoyed himself, let alone use them as food.
His thought was simple. Of course I want to eat meat, but my servants need soup at least.
He asked a more direct question. “How much food does the tribe have left? How long will it last you and your people?”
Soda froze for a moment before he realized that his master was concerned about the tribe’s food reserves. He was touched as he replied, “Don’t worry, Master. The petrification lizards only eat meat. The grains that were stored in the past are all intact. It’s enough to last the tribe for two months.”
“What about two months later?”
“In two months, we…” Soda’s voice became softer.
Indeed, two months later, the blood-tooth kobold tribe would have no source of food. They had already fallen out with their trade partners — the gray-tailed centaur tribe. Naturally, they could not use ores to trade for food like they did in the past, and the food they obtained from hunting and harvesting could not support so many kobolds.
The worst thing was that in two months… winter was coming!
In the past, many tribesmen would starve and freeze to death every winter when the snow sealed the mountain. Furthermore, this year, they had fallen out with the centaurs and lost their main source of food. One could imagine how miserable the blood-tooth mine would be this winter.
Would they have to go to war with the gnolls again? On the one hand, the resulting casualties would reduce the food consumption of their tribe, and on the other, they could use the corpses of their enemies and even their own dead comrades as food.
Soda shuddered at the thought.
Jose finished the roasted meat in one bite and dropped the stick.
“From now on, the inferior ore mine is renamed the ninth living area. I will be staying there. Ordinary kobolds are not allowed to enter. You can come to me if you need anything. As for my brother, the White Dragon, bring him to the fifth living area. He’ll like the spring water there.”
Then, he turned around and walked towards the petrification lizard nest. He took out the lizard eggs from it and disappeared into the tunnel.
Returning to his lair that had geothermal warmth, he set the lizard eggs down and examined his new home. If nothing unexpected happened, he would have to live here for a long time.
“First of all, in order to avoid having to use the Body Shrinking Spell every time I return home, I have to widen the tunnel a little, then expand the lair a little. Finally, I have to prepare some emergency escape tunnels. At least two, preferably three.”
As soon as he made this plan, he began to transform his new home.
The dragon claws were very efficient at excavation although the workload was heavy. He worked for three days before he was satisfied with his new home.
At this moment, the appearance of the inferior ore mine had changed drastically. It had turned into a huge underground space with a diameter of 100 meters. The ceiling of the cave had been transformed into a circular dome, and the ground had also been leveled.
There were three emergency escape tunnels. Two of them were on each side of the cave and were dug diagonally upwards until one could see the tree roots above. The third tunnel was dug straight down into the lava lake underground. As a last resort, one could directly lift up the stone slab there and jump into the lava lake to seek refuge.
“I can finally sleep in peace now.”
He patted his dust-covered dragon claws and lay down in the center of the cave in satisfaction.
Due to the geothermal heat, the ground was very warm and comfortable.