Chương 41: Reborn as the Dragon: — Chapter 41 - Tyrant Stinkbug

While the Sakura Island players were busy daydreaming, Su Nian was teaching his minions new cultural knowledge. Last session, the minions had come to understand the saying:"If one learns the Way in the morning, one can die content in the evening." They had applied it beautifully in practice, producing the glorious track record of not a single discovered player making it out alive. Su Nian was deeply gratified.

He had encouraged them all to keep up the good work, grow bigger and stronger, and achieve new heights of glory. In the spacious meeting cave, every Gnoll sat in the front four rows with heads held high and chests out, backs perfectly straight. Worth noting: each one held a Spearboar raised above its head with both paws. Their muscles bulged and strained under the load.

While they bore the weight, the Spearboars' hides were getting a workout of their own, toughening up nicely, which would only make them more delicious later. A win-win. Willpower and strength, trained simultaneously. Behind them stood a cluster of Kobolds. These ones had rigged a Blackwater Python as a barbell, a live adult Blaze Rabbit lashed to each end, and were grinding out clean-and-jerks. Every single one of them had that indomitable gleam in their eyes.

As for the Cockatrices, they hung from the cave ceiling like a colony of bats. By now, this was nothing to them. In fact, they had come to love it. They spent their free time hanging upside down from trees, and these days they hunted tree-dwelling prey at will. No more eating dirt every day.

"Everyone's here?!" Su Nian grinned — the kind of grin that had nothing friendly in it — and blew a sulfur-scented smoke ring. His voice was stone grinding on glass, undercut by a low engine-like drone. Every struggling minion in the room straightened up the moment they heard it. That was the master's voice. Cruel. Evil. Absolutely magnificent. Just hearing it made their blood run hot. Su Nian was sprawled lazily on his side across the stone dais, one dragon claw propping up his chin.

His other claw rested gently on top of Anna's head. His wings were folded around her, using her as a living armrest while keeping her pressed flush against the scales on his chest.

"Brother... Anna is... a little hot..." She was cocooned almost entirely in black dragon wing, like something tucked into a very warm, very large swaddling cloth. Her soft little hands lay against his broad chest. Her fair, rosy face was squished against it whether she liked it or not. She could hear his heartbeat, steady, powerful, and the heat radiating off him was making her head swim, her cheeks flushed a deep pink.

"Hot is good," Su Nian said.

"Keeps you from catching a cold. Slurp~" He had absolutely no intention of letting her go. If anything, he pulled her tighter, then dragged his large tongue in a long lick across her soft little face. Dragons licked their treasures and their gold. It was just instinct. The same way certain dogs loved to lick their favorite big bones. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

"Ah~" Anna wriggled and squirmed in his arms, her whole body flushing pink with embarrassment, which only encouraged him further.

"prprprprprpr~" He was concerned, really. Genuinely. He was worried his little treasure would catch a chill. That was why he had to stay close. Anna's constitution was fragile to begin with. What if she got sick? After a little while of this, when his little treasure was making soft, pleading noises and begging for mercy, Su Nian finally relented and shifted his gaze to the assembled minions.

"I've gathered you here to teach you new knowledge."

"The Master said: A gentleman who is not serious will not command respect."

"Polikli. You've got a decent head on your shoulders. Tell me what you think that means." The named Polikli took a deep breath, wobbled out of the ranks with his custom barbell trembling overhead, and answered between ragged gasps:"Great master... I believe the meaning... is that we should eat more. Grow heavier and stronger. So we become more intimidating."

"Ohohohoho!" Su Nian threw his head back and laughed, the sound rolling through the cave and shaking the walls.

"Not bad. More insight than Grey Wolf. But you're still only halfway there."

"Here is the real meaning: if you want to win, when you hit someone, you hit them until they are dead. Nothing less will establish our reputation."

"So remember this, all of you — every time, without exception. If you can swarm them, never fight one-on-one. If you can kill them, never hold back. Is that understood?!"

"Understood!" A chaotic chorus of howls, barks, and cackles filled the cave. Su Nian shook his head. Right now, the only reason these minions understood a word he said was because of the Dragon Tongue. Getting them to learn the continent's Common Tongue would be... a much bigger problem. Language was still an obstacle.

"Grey Wolf. Have you found the Tyrant Stinkbug?" He set the minions back to their workout and turned his attention to the Gnoll chieftain.

"Master. Found. Brought." Grey Wolf spoke, then immediately stuffed two wads of cloth up his nostrils. He reached into his leather pouch and withdrew a cloth bundle. A dark green smoke was already leaking out of it. Grey Wolf's eyes were watering. He opened the bundle anyway. Inside lay a black beetle, all four limbs removed, roughly the size of an adult man's fist. Its pitted body was still writhing. The dark green smoke was seeping directly out of it.

The Tyrant Stinkbug didn't appear anywhere in the dragon bloodline's inherited knowledge. Dragon ancestors recorded everything worth eating, everything worth mating with, and everything dangerous. This creature apparently qualified for none of those categories. Su Nian leaned in with curiosity. The stench hit his nostrils like a fist. He recoiled with a violent sneeze, spraying dragon saliva across Grey Wolf's face. How to describe the smell?

Imagine socks worn every single day for six months without washing, soaked in a puddle of water. Then take that sock-water and mix it with urine, feces, and several days of fermentation. Then stir in a dead mouse. That was approximately it. Reportedly, the Tyrant Stinkbug had no natural predators. It was even carnivorous, specializing in hunting birds that flew within two meters overhead. Any bird that dived to catch one would be knocked unconscious by the stench in an instant, becoming its next meal instead.

And as anyone could tell you, carnivore droppings are pungent. The Tyrant Stinkbug's droppings were ten times worse than the creature itself. This was the gift Su Nian had prepared for the Sakura Island players. Players felt no pain? Eating too much caused them to burst? No problem. Each feces pellet was only about the size of a pinky fingertip. But concentration was the essence of quality.

The aftertaste was long and lingering, guaranteed to leave the Sakura Island players utterly unable to forget the experience, so taken with it they'd forget they ever had a home to return to.

"Good. Take it away. Catch more of them, raise them in captivity, collect their droppings daily, and keep a steady supply ready. These are critical assets for future disciplinary use." Su Nian covered his nose with one claw and beat his wings hard to drive the stench away. The little girl tucked against his chest had already started frowning.... Meanwhile, five hundred miles from Sakura Island's No. 1 Newbie Village, at Sakura Island's No. 6 Newbie Village.

Star Ring Archmage Meisente had been leading the imperial army away from the royal capital for some time now. The journey had been rough, broken roads, rattling carriages, endless miles, and it had worn this frail mage down considerably. Their warhorses kept the pace moving, and they had already reached the middle of the plains. A village appeared ahead. Meisente decided they would stop there for the night and rest. Tomorrow's march could wait until morning. ➤ Next: Magical Exchange — Words Unspoken