Chapter 31: Training and Roast Suckling Pig
Three days later.
At the foot of the volcano, at the entrance of the rocky canyon, forty-seven Kobolds knelt in a neat row, not daring to breathe.
Livia squatted on a large, protruding rock, looking down at the group of newly subjugated subordinates.
Kobolds indeed resembled dogs in some ways—pointed ears, long noses, bodies covered in fine brown scales, and a slender tail dragging behind them. They were not tall; even the tallest one only reached Livia's ankles. When huddled on the ground, they looked like a pile of round, breathing potatoes from a distance.
The one standing at the very front, acting as the Kobold Chieftain, wore a crooked, tattered leather hat and a necklace strung with beast teeth. When he looked up at Livia, his eyes were wide, his pupils trembling uncontrollably, and his voice quivered uncontrollably:
"Gr-great Dragon Queen... you, you summoned us, do you, do you have any orders?"
Livia was silent for a second.
Dragon Queen.
This title was new to her, quite fresh.
"Starting today, you will undergo training," she said calmly. "From now on, you will be responsible for patrolling around the lair, mining, and guarding the territory. Do well, and you will be rewarded; do poorly—"
She paused deliberately, then casually swiped a claw across a millstone-sized rock beside her.
That hard rock split perfectly in half without making a sound.
The Kobolds below shivered in unison, their bodies shrinking by half.
The Chieftain nodded his head like pounding garlic: "Understood! Understood! We will train hard! We will work desperately! We would never dare to be lazy!"
Livia nodded slightly, then turned her head to look behind her.
Three little dragon cubs were lying side by side on the edge of the giant rock, their six eyes unblinking, all staring at the kneeling Kobolds below.
Kalendil's eyes were the brightest, like two small flames: "Mother, are they our servants?"
"Yes."
"Then they will all listen to us?"
"Yes."
Kalendil's tail instantly shot up high. He turned his head triumphantly and casually spat a small puff of fire at the Kobolds below: "Hey! You! Listen up! From now on, you'll listen to me!"
That small wisp of fire grazed the Chieftain's tattered hat and just happened to ignite the tip of a nearby Kobold's tail.
That Kobold yelped and jumped up, desperately rolling on the ground to extinguish the fire. After three rolls, the fire was finally put out.
Kalendil was stunned for a moment, then quickly pulled his head back, pretending nothing had happened.
Livia gave him a faint glance.
Kalendil immediately defended himself in a low voice: "...I, I already sprayed lightly."
Livia ignored him.
Valerion lay on her other side, a stone always in his mouth, crunching it with relish, completely indifferent to the farce unfolding below. His eyes were half-closed, looking as if he could fall asleep at any moment, as if the entire world consisted only of the stone in his mouth.
Aetheriel squatted at the very edge, tiny sparks flickering in his left eye and blue electric arcs shimmering in his right, quietly and intently staring at the group of Kobolds. After a few seconds, he turned his head to Livia, his tone docile: "Mother, can I go down and play with them?"
Livia warned sternly: "...No discharging electricity."
Aetheriel looked down at his small claws, where almost imperceptible tiny electric arcs were flickering. He immediately looked up, a sincere expression on his face: "I didn't discharge anything."
As soon as he finished speaking, an uncontrollable tiny electric arc "pop" shot out from him, accurately hitting Kalendil's tail nearby.
Kalendil yelped and jumped up, half his fur standing on end: "You shocked me!"
Aetheriel looked down at his claws, his expression utterly innocent: "It wasn't me."
"It was you!"
"It really wasn't me."
"Your claws are still smoking!"
Aetheriel quickly hid his claws behind his back, maintaining his innocent expression: "They're not smoking."
Livia took a deep breath.
Enough, if they keep this up, they'll tear the house down.
She stood up from the giant rock, leaped lightly, and landed steadily in front of the group of Kobolds.
The Kobolds were so frightened that they simultaneously took a large step back, hastily clearing a clean space in the middle.
"Today, the first lesson," Livia began. "Dragon breath attack."
She turned to the three cubs on the giant rock: "All of you, come down."
Kalendil was the first to jump down, landing with his head held high and chest puffed out, his tail almost reaching the sky. He swept an arrogant gaze over the Kobolds, looking just like a general inspecting his soldiers.
Valerion was the second to jump down. He didn't land steadily and sat down with a "thump," kicking up a cloud of dust. He got up, calmly patted his bottom, and continued to chew on his stone.
Aetheriel was the last to jump down. He tripped over his own feet, doing a clumsy little somersault in mid-air, and landed face-first. He got up, his face covered in dust, sparks in his left eye and electric arcs in his right, his expression still as innocent as if he hadn't been the one who just fell.
Livia was silent for a second.
Too lazy to bother.
She pointed to a huge rock standing a hundred meters away: "That is your target."
The target rock was about three meters high and two meters wide, with a flat surface, which she had specifically chosen as a training target in advance.
"The three of you, take turns demonstrating your breath attacks," she said, looking at Kalendil. "You first."
Kalendil puffed out his chest and walked forward with small, quick steps.
He took a deep breath, and his small chest began to expand. Tiny sparks emerged from the gaps in his scales. The surrounding air was distorted by the high temperature, which rapidly increased.
All the Kobolds stared at him with wide eyes. Two timid ones instinctively took another step back.
Three seconds later, Kalendil suddenly opened his mouth.
A thick column of flames erupted with a roar!
It wasn't scattered flames, but a sharp column of fire condensed into a straight line, vivid red with a dazzling golden glow at its edges. It shot straight towards the giant rock a hundred meters away, precisely hitting the bullseye—a white circle he had drawn earlier with his claw.
"Boom!"
The spot where the giant rock was hit instantly exploded, sending shattered stone flying everywhere. The flames erupted in a huge burst of fire on the rock's surface. After the fire dispersed, a half-meter-diameter charred crater was left at the bullseye, with faint wisps of smoke still rising from its edges.
Kalendil closed his mouth and turned his head triumphantly to look at the Kobolds below.
The Kobolds were stunned for a second, then erupted in a chorus of excited shouts.
"Good!"
"So powerful!"
"Little Dragon Prince is mighty!"
Kalendil's tail was practically in the sky, his nostrils flared, and his eyes narrowed into a smug little slit.
Livia nodded slightly and looked at Valerion: "Your turn."
Valerion slowly walked forward.
He still had half a stone in his mouth, chewing a bit every two steps. When he reached the designated spot, he swallowed the remaining stone, then looked up at the giant rock.
He took a deep breath.
His chest began to expand.
The surrounding air subtly vibrated.
Three seconds later, he opened his mouth—
There was no dazzling flame, only billowing dense smoke furiously gushing out.
Black and gray, interspersed with a few scattered dark red sparks, it spread out overwhelmingly, instantly shrouding the entire training ground so that nothing could be seen. Livia only heard a violent coughing from the Kobolds in front of her, mixed with chaotic screams.
The dense smoke slowly dispersed after more than ten seconds.
When visibility was restored, the Kobolds had collapsed in a coughing fit.
The three closest ones were directly suffocated unconscious, lying on the ground with their eyes rolled back, smoke still continuously rising from their mouths. The rest were all squatting on the ground, coughing hysterically, tears and snot smearing their faces.
Looking at the target giant rock, it was still standing perfectly in place.
It was merely covered in a thick layer of soot; otherwise, there was no damage at all.
Valerion stood still, looking at his "achievement" with a bewildered expression. He turned to Livia, asking in confusion, "Mother, where's my fire?"
Livia was silent for three seconds, then truthfully told him: "You sprayed smoke."
Valerion looked down at his mouth, then up at her: "Why?"
"...Probably ate too many stones."
Valerion thoughtfully said "Oh," then bent down to pick up another stone from the ground, put it in his mouth, and continued to crunch away.
Livia took another deep breath and looked at Aetheriel: "It's your turn."
Aetheriel walked forward steadily.
He stood still, sparks gently flickering in his left eye, electric arcs softly shimmering in his right. He stared at the giant rock, observed it intently for three seconds, then turned to Livia, his eyes sparkling: "Mother, I want to perform a new trick."
Livia was a little uneasy: "...What new trick?"
"You'll know once you see it."
He turned back and took a deep breath.
The sparks in his left eye suddenly brightened, and the electric arcs in his right eye began to flicker wildly. Two distinct energies intertwined within his small body. Flames and lightning simultaneously emerged from the gaps in his scales, one red and one blue, coiling around each other, emitting crisp crackling sounds.
The next moment, he opened his mouth.
A blue-white electric arc shot out first, striking directly at the center of the giant rock. With a "rumble," a deep crack was split into the hard rock, and shattered stones clattered down.
Before the electric arc had fully dissipated, he immediately spewed a stream of fire. The flames followed the crack opened by the electric arc and drilled directly into it, igniting something within the crack, like some kind of flammable mineral buried inside.
"Bang—!!"
The entire giant rock exploded.
It didn't explode from the outside, but violently burst from within, sending shattered stones flying wildly in all directions. The largest piece even flew over fifty meters, landing with a "clang" and creating a small crater. Flames and lightning leaped back and forth among the exploding debris, maximizing the visual effect.
The Kobolds were stunned for a moment, then once again erupted in a chorus of cheers.
But the cheers only lasted for a third of a second before suddenly stopping in unison.
Because they saw in horror that behind the shattered giant rock, three Kobolds were squatting, watching the show.
These three Kobolds were now charred black all over, their fur standing on end, smoke rising from their mouths, and their eyes wide open. They remained motionless in their original squatting posture, like three freshly baked charcoal sculptures.
The tip of one of their tails was still burning, a small flame flickering.
The entire scene fell silent for three seconds.
Then, the three charred Kobolds simultaneously opened their mouths and all spat out three puffs of black smoke.
Thankfully, they were all still alive.
Livia stared at the three charcoal-like little fellows for three seconds, then slowly turned her head to look at Aetheriel.
Aetheriel stood still, sparks in his left eye, electric arcs in his right, his expression clear and innocent, as if he hadn't been the one who had just blown up the rock and stunned the Kobolds. He turned his head to Livia, his eyes sparkling, clearly conveying: "Praise me quickly."
Livia opened her mouth, then closed it, then opened it again.
After a long while, she squeezed out a phrase with a poker face:
"...Extra meal tonight, roast whole pig."
The eyes of the three charred, still-smoking Kobolds instantly lit up.