Chapter 33: The Kobolds' Bear God
The next morning.
A faint, fish-belly white light was just spreading across the horizon. A cool morning mist enveloped the volcano, and the rocks, scorching during the day, still held the coolness of the night.
Livia was sleeping soundly in the lair. The fatigue from taking care of the hatchlings, subjugating servants, and training the troops for days finally began to dissipate in this moment of quiet.
However, just as she drifted into a light sleep, she was awakened by a sound outside the cave entrance—a sound that was both neat and noisy.
It wasn't a frantic scream or panicked running, but a chant full of extraordinary order and immense piety, drifting faintly into the lair, one call following another.
Livia slowly opened her eyes, a trace of morning grogginess still lingering in them. With some confusion, she propped herself up, brushed off the fine stone dust from her wings, and walked toward the entrance.
She wanted to see what these newly submitted Kobolds were fussing about so early in the morning.
Reaching the entrance and looking out, even the experienced Livia paused slightly.
Outside the lair, on the flattened clearing, forty-seven Kobolds were kneeling neatly on the ground, arranged in three perfectly orderly rows. Not a single one moved out of place or made a sound; all had their heads bowed, displaying the utmost reverence.
Leading them was the Kobold Chieftain. His back was ramrod straight, his hands raised high above his head, holding something exceptionally eye-catching.
It was a wooden club, about half a meter long, seemingly chopped down overnight. The rough bark hadn't even been fully stripped, and the edges still bore fresh cuts, with faint sap clinging to the surface.
Tied haphazardly to the top of the club with a few strands of coarse rope was a section of bone—clearly a leg bone, still smeared with pinkish shreds of meat. It was glistening and excessively fresh, attracting several flies that buzzed incessantly around it.
Livia was silent for three seconds.
A very complex emotion slowly welled up from the bottom of her heart.
The Chieftain's eyes instantly lit up terrifyingly when he saw Livia step out of the cave. He immediately raised the wooden club with all his strength, shouting loudly and piously:
"Great Dragon Queen! Please accept the most supreme reverence from us, the Kobold tribe!"
The forty-six Kobolds behind him immediately echoed in unison, their voices perfectly synchronized, causing the morning air to tremble slightly:
"Supreme reverence!"
Livia remained silent, slowly descending the steps until she stood before the group of Kobolds.
She lowered her head, her gaze falling upon the wooden club that was being treated like a treasure.
The club was indeed new; the cut was still moist. However, the craftsmanship was unbearably crude, crooked, and she could even spot a few tiny wormholes.
The bone was even less presentable: the meat shreds were fresh, the bloodstains not yet dry. If it hadn't been solemnly tied to the club, anyone would have thought it was just gnawed leftovers.
Seeing her staring at the scepter, the Chieftain immediately tilted his head up, his eyes full of pious self-praise:
"Dragon Queen, this is our scepter! It is the relic left by the former Bear God! Today, we offer it to you!"
Livia was silent for a second, then repeated slowly, emphasizing each word:
"The relic left by the former Bear God?"
The Chieftain nodded vigorously, as if stating something supremely sacred:
"Yes! This is Lord Bear God's remains! It is our tribe's most sacred treasure!"
Livia's gaze settled calmly on the bone smeared with meat shreds, and she pointed out in a faint tone:
"...This is a dog's leg bone."
The excitement on the Chieftain's face froze for a moment. He quickly lowered his head to look at the scepter in his hands, then rapidly raised it again. His expression remained utterly serious, without a hint of guilt:
"This is the remains of the Bear God. Although it looks a bit like a dog's leg bone, it truly belongs to the Bear God. We Kobolds would never mistake our own god's bone!"
Livia took a deep breath and patiently continued to ask:
"If it is the remains of the Bear God, why does it still have fresh meat shreds on it?"
The Chieftain looked down again, as if suddenly comprehending some great divine miracle. When he looked up again, his eyes were even more reverent:
"Perhaps... it is a miracle! The Bear God must have manifested! That is why the remains remain fresh!"
Livia looked at him quietly, observing his incredibly sincere eyes that showed no sign of joking. She then glanced at the Kobolds behind him, all equally pious and deeply convinced.
She finally stopped dwelling on the authenticity of the bone and instead asked:
"Where is your previous scepter?"
As soon as the question left her mouth, the excited expression on the Chieftain's face instantly stiffened for a moment, his eyes darted away slightly, and his tail nervously swept the ground.
"...A wild wolf snatched it away.", His voice dropped slightly.
"A wild wolf?" Livia raised an eyebrow.
The Chieftain shamefully lowered his head, his voice growing quieter, but he still confessed honestly:
"Last month, we placed the original scepter on the altar at the foot of the mountain to offer proper worship. Then, a pack of wild wolves came in the middle of the night and snatched the scepter away in one go. We chased them for an entire night, crossing several small hills, but we couldn't catch up..."
He suddenly looked up, his expression a mixture of grievance and urgency, terrified that Livia might misunderstand their intentions:
"But Dragon Queen, our devotion is real! Absolutely real! We knew you were coming, so we worked through the night to make this new scepter! We used the best wood and the best bone we could find!"
Livia lowered her head again, examining this 'top-tier craftsmanship' scepter.
The best wood—unpeeled bark, still with wormholes.
The best bone—so fresh it attracted flies.
She was silent for a very long time.
The next second, she extended a claw and gently took the crooked scepter.
The Chieftain froze completely, then erupted in unconcealable ecstasy, his eyes shining like two ignited little suns:
"Dragon Queen! You accepted it! You accepted our offering!"
The forty-six Kobolds behind him instantly burst into a chorus of neat and excited cheers, their voices echoing through the morning valley:
"The Dragon Queen accepted! Long live the Dragon Queen!"
Livia raised the scepter before her eyes, examining it closely at short range.
The wooden stick was crooked, and the dog's leg bone was tied loosely, risking falling off with the slightest wobble.
The meat shreds on the bone were beginning to dry slightly, and the flies still stubbornly circled nearby.
Holding this scepter, which could only be described as sloppy, she was silent for a moment, then temporarily set it aside, looking down at the still highly agitated Chieftain.
The Chieftain maintained his upward-gazing posture, his tone extremely solemn:
"Dragon Queen, from this day forward, you are our only God! A true God greater than the Bear God!"
The forty-six Kobolds behind him shouted in unison again, their voices filled with heartfelt worship:
"God!"
Livia was silent for three seconds. Looking at this simple and easily pleased group of Kobolds, she finally let out a soft sigh:
"...Fine."
As her voice fell, the Chieftain immediately prostrated himself, kneeling heavily on the ground with the utmost reverence.
All the Kobolds behind him followed suit, kneeling in unison. A sea of small brown heads pressed against the ground, their tails trembling slightly with excitement—the scene was both solemn and comical.
Livia looked at the Kobolds prostrating on the ground, and a question suddenly popped into her mind.
"The bear you worshipped before,"
she asked, "did it have any demands?"
The Chieftain raised his head, looking puzzled: "Demands?"
"For example, demanding regular sacrifices, or asking you to do specific things, and so on."
The Chieftain shook his head and answered honestly:
"No. The Bear God was already dead by then, so there were no demands. We just worshipped it for peace of mind."
Livia nodded slightly, her tone calm:
"Then I have no special demands for you either."
She paused and gave simple instructions:
"Patrol when you are supposed to patrol, mine when you are supposed to mine. Guard the territory well, and work hard. If you do well, you get meat and rewards; if you don't do well—"
She lightly raised a claw and casually drew a line on the ground near her feet.
"Sssshhh—"
The hard rock ground split open effortlessly into a deep, straight fissure, the cut smooth and level, extending several meters.
The Kobolds shivered in unison, not daring to breathe loudly.
The Chieftain nodded frantically, his tone extremely firm:
"Understood! Understood! We will definitely work hard! We would never dare to slack off!"
Livia said no more and turned to walk toward the interior of the lair.
After taking two steps, she seemed to remember something, stopped, and glanced back.
The crude scepter had been casually stuck by her into a rock crevice near the entrance. The wooden stick was askew, and the dog's leg bone on top was precarious, looking like it could fall off at any moment.
In the morning sunlight, the bone still reflected a slight greasy sheen, and the flies remained stubbornly hovering nearby.
Livia stared at the scepter for three seconds, made no further move to deal with it, and turned back into the lair.
In the main hall, the three little dragon hatchlings were already awake, waiting for her return quietly.
Kalendir was the first to approach with small, quick steps, his little face full of curiosity:
"Mother, what are they shouting outside? It's so noisy."
"Nothing,"
Livia replied faintly.
"I heard them shouting 'God'." Kalendir's ears were sharp, and he immediately caught the keyword.
Livia didn't confirm or deny, letting out a soft 'Mm.'
Kalendir's eyes instantly lit up, and his tail wagged excitedly:
"Are they shouting that Mother is God?"
Livia didn't answer, which served as tacit agreement.
Valerion also crawled over slowly, as usual holding a newly found stone in his mouth. He crunched down on it, and asked vaguely, looking up:
"What is a God?"
Livia thought for a moment and explained in the simplest, most direct way:
"It's a kind of... very powerful thing."
Valerion nodded as if he half-understood, let out an 'Oh,' and lowered his head to focus on chewing his stone, completely uninterested in the abstract title of 'God.'
Aetheriel was the last to approach.
Fine sparks flickered in his left eye, and faint arcs of electricity shimmered in his right eye. His little face was exceptionally focused, as if contemplating something important.
"Mother,"
he began, his voice clear, "those three Kobolds are still smoking."
Livia was momentarily stunned, not immediately understanding: "What?"
"The three from last night,"
Aetheriel explained seriously, "I climbed to the entrance just now to take a look, and they are still emitting smoke, a thin, constant stream."
Livia was silent for a second.
She looked down at the seemingly innocent hybrid little dragon before her, her tone slightly grave:
"When you electrocuted them, how much electricity did you use?"
Aetheriel tilted his head, thinking back seriously, his tone very frank:
"A little bit."
Livia stared at him, staring into his clear, harmless eyes, staring at the ceaseless sparks in his left eye and the flickering arcs in his right. Finally, she earnestly cautioned:
"Next time, use even less."
Aetheriel nodded obediently: "Okay."
He turned and crawled toward his northern section of the lair. After two steps, he suddenly stopped, looked back toward the cave entrance, a small hint of expectation in his eyes:
"Mother, the bone on that stick... can I eat it?"
Livia's movement paused.
She instantly recalled the scepter tied with a dog's leg bone, still attracting flies, and remembered the excessively fresh meat shreds on it.
Her tone was firm, and she refused without hesitation:
"...No."
A clear disappointment appeared on Aetheriel's face. He let out a soft 'Oh' before continuing to shuffle back to his own area on his short little legs.
Livia settled down in the center of the main hall, stretched out her body, and closed her eyes, intending to catch up on her sleep.
But outside the lair, the neat cheers of the Kobolds continued unabated.
"Dragon Queen! Dragon Queen! Dragon Queen!"
The voices grew louder and more excited with each repetition, filled with sincere worship.
Livia helplessly opened her eyes slightly and glanced out through the gap in the entrance.
All forty-seven Kobolds were still kneeling in place, repeatedly kowtowing toward the cave entrance. With every bow, they shouted 'Dragon Queen' in unison, pious and persistent.
The crooked scepter stood alone in the rock crevice, casting a long, comical shadow in the morning sunlight.
She stared at the scepter for a very long time.
Finally, she gently closed her eyes, no longer thinking about those strange rituals and the scepter, allowing herself to sink into peaceful sleep.
Before falling completely asleep, a thought slowly drifted through her mind:
Kobolds, as a species, were indeed... very easy to manage.