The following morning began under a completely clear sky. As soon as I finished breakfast with the women, one of the castle servants approached the table.
"His Majesty is waiting for you in the main hall."
I nodded and stood up.
"Let's go."
Everyone decided to accompany me. We left the dining hall and followed the long corridors of the castle. Along the way, I observed the architecture of that place again. The walls were made of enormous blocks of dark stone, while massive pillars supported the ceiling. Large windows allowed us to see much of the surrounding mountains.
When we arrived at the main hall, the king was already waiting for us.
Beside him was the princess, who greeted us with a polite smile.
"Good morning."
"Good morning."
The king crossed his arms.
"I imagine you're curious to see the lands."
"I am."
He slowly walked toward a huge table where there was a map of the Dragon Kingdom.
He completely unfolded the map and pointed to a region located between several mountain ranges.
"These lands belong to you."
I carefully observed the location.
It was a very extensive area.
There were mountains, elevated plains, small rivers, and some regions covered with vegetation.
At first glance, it seemed like an excellent territory.
"It really is a huge area."
The king nodded.
"It's larger than many human cities."
I continued analyzing the map.
"So what's the problem?"
He smiled slightly.
"You noticed quickly."
"If these lands were really that good, there would be no reason to point them out like this."
The king nodded.
"Exactly."
He placed one hand on the map.
"Despite being vast, these lands have never really been productive."
I frowned.
"Why?"
"The soil."
I looked at the map again.
"The soil?"
"Yes."
He began to explain calmly.
"The mountains contain an enormous amount of mana. In many places, this ends up completely altering the composition of the land."
Liriel showed interest.
"So mana directly affects fertility?"
"In some cases."
She moved closer to the map.
"Interesting."
The king continued.
"The soil in these regions is extremely difficult for growing ordinary food."
Lyannis also watched attentively.
"Not even resistant vegetables?"
The king shook his head.
"Very little."
The princess added.
"A few plants can grow naturally, but most simply die before reaching maturity."
I continued listening.
"So you practically don't grow food?"
The king laughed.
"Not in the same way humans do."
That piqued my curiosity.
"How does the dragon people's food supply work?"
He pointed to other areas of the map.
"Our diet has always been different."
"In what way?"
"Most of our people live off hunting."
Scarlett crossed her arms.
"Hunting?"
"Yes."
The king smiled.
"Dragons have always been excellent hunters."
The princess continued the explanation.
"There are several species of animals in the mountains."
"Such as?"
"Giant boars."
"Mountain wolves."
"Wild goats."
"Some smaller magical beasts."
She paused briefly.
"A large part of our people's food comes from these animals."
Rai'kanna commented.
"That makes sense."
The king nodded.
"Our culture was never based on agriculture."
Liriel seemed increasingly interested.
"What about grains?"
"We import small quantities."
"And fruits?"
"Those too."
I looked at the map again.
"So practically this entire region has never been able to produce wheat."
"Exactly."
Lyannis thought for a few seconds.
"That explains why there are so few cultivated areas."
The king confirmed it.
"Even when we try to plant something, the land rarely responds as we expect."
I continued reflecting on all of that.
The high concentration of mana.
The altered soil.
The difficulty of producing food.
Everything seemed to be connected.
I immediately remembered Liriel's Purification Magic.
I looked at her.
She noticed my gaze.
"I think we're thinking the same thing."
I smiled.
"I think so too."
The king raised an eyebrow.
"What are you imagining?"
I looked at the map again.
"Maybe there is a way to solve this problem."
He seemed curious.
"Solve it?"
"Maybe."
The princess also moved closer.
"How?"
It was still too early to draw conclusions.
"First, I need to see the lands personally."
The king crossed his arms.
"That's a prudent answer."
I continued.
"I don't like creating expectations before seeing the place."
He nodded.
"I think the same way."
For a few more minutes, we talked about the administration of the lands.
The king explained that I would have the autonomy to make decisions.
I could build new structures.
Hire workers.
Develop the region in whatever way I deemed most appropriate.
He also mentioned that few dragons showed interest in that area precisely because of the difficulties with the soil.
That explained why he had decided to give it to me.
When the conversation ended, he looked at all of us.
"The time has come."
"Shall we go?"
I nodded.
"Of course."
We left the castle together.
As soon as we crossed the enormous main gate, I noticed that several guards were already waiting outside.
But the king simply raised one hand.
"That won't be necessary."
The soldiers bowed.
Then something impressive happened.
The king's body once again began emitting an intense reddish light.
His human-dragon form quickly disappeared.
Within a few seconds, a gigantic red dragon completely occupied the space before us.
Even though I had already seen that transformation before, it was still impressive.
He lowered his body slightly.
"Climb on."
I looked at the women.
Scarlett smiled.
"This trip will be interesting."
One by one, we climbed onto the back of the enormous dragon.
The princess remained nearby, watching everything.
Before taking flight, the king looked at me.
"Prepare yourself."
"For what?"
"To see the lands that, starting today, will be under your responsibility."
A few seconds later, he spread his enormous wings.
With a single thrust, he left the ground.
The castle began to fall behind as we flew toward the more distant mountains.
As we gained altitude, an immense stretch of land appeared before my eyes.
I still didn't know exactly what I would find in that place, but I had the feeling that the region held far more challenges than the king had told me so far.