Beneath the Red Dragon-Chapter 195 - 77: Enslavement

The sunrise cast a golden hue on the vast swathes of green forests at the foothills, piercing through the dense foliage to imprint tiny patches of light on the black soil.

The morning breeze, cool and crisp, rustled the leaves, dispersing the mist clinging to the treetops, while a cacophony of birdsong filled the air.

The village where Centaurs and Kobolds, among other Dragon's Beloved, resided beneath the mountains was still asleep, save for a few watchful Sentinels roaming quietly, alert.

Clang, clang, clang clang clang,

Suddenly, a commotion echoed down from the mountains, reminiscent of a Giant dragging chains through the mist-laden heights, the sound of metal grinding against stone reverberating.

Occasional roars of anger pierced through the dense clouds, akin to the Giant's low growls, upon closer listen resembling the Giant Dragon's deep, thunderous snarls.

This disturbance was akin to the daily tolling bell of the high-standing bell tower in the Golden City, awakening the tranquil village at dawn.

In a flash, the slumbering villages came to life, with Centaur Warriors, half-naked, emerging from their homes to stretch the muscles trained nightly for combat.

Kobolds barked excitedly as they scurried out of their low wooden lodges, the new generation physically more robust than those before.

Their vitality exceeded that of the past, prompting them to dart around energetically early in the morning.

And over at the Green-skinned Goblins' camp, although Goblin Bang Bang had yet to produce a steam engine or Magic Furnace quickly.

The resources from the Dragon Group Territory continued to pour in intentionally, with a few clever goblins being favored by the Giant Dragon, who were busy assembling the Dragon's commerce troupe.

These evident changes elevated the status of Green-skinned Goblins, who were no longer seen as mere inferiors, gradually recognized as ordinary members of the territory.

Furthermore, under the Kobolds' iron and blood discipline, these Green-skinned Goblins learned to adhere to order, no longer as chaotic as the Wild Goblins.

In the Ogre Camp, however, humans led a troop of Giant Dragon Sentinels and whipped every able-bodied Ogre Slave out at dawn.

These ogres, mingled with other enslaved races, worked daily to build castles for the Giant Dragon.

At the mountains' base, smoke rose, accompanied by an increase in voices.

In the distant river expanse, windmills and irrigation waterwheels installed alongside fields creaked and turned lazily in the morning breeze.

Diligent humans were already laboring amidst the newly cultivated lands, even more industrious than Dragon's Beloved.

After harvesting wheat and grain crops, they also needed to prepare the fields and plant new seeds.

The climate here remained warm and unfrozen year-round, allowing two to three annual harvests, even on the land reclaimed in the first year.

Yet, the farmers aimed to convert their former lands into rice paddies to cultivate a newly introduced grain crop from the remote Southern Continent, rice.

This grain was presented by a merchant from the Southern Continent.

According to the reward treaty previously announced by the Giant Dragon Territory, the merchant exchanged two bags of grain seeds for over three hundred pounds of gold.

The warm, water-abundant River of Gold region on either side proved to be the ideal location for cultivating this grain crop.

Nearby fields, farmers, bare-chested and sweating like raindrops, swung their hoes to dig the ridges.

The women, slightly more modest, still exposed their arms and rolled up their pant legs high.

When they grew tired, they took a break, gathered on the field ridges, regardless of gender.

The women drew out prepared gourds or water sacks, took a big swig before passing them to their men, beginning to chat and laugh.

"Hey, Yi, how much grain did your family harvest this year? I saw your wheat grew excellent,"

A dark-skinned farmer wiped his sweat, laughing as he asked a blonde, short brown-bearded farmer.

"Haha, it's the first year, the soil's still fresh. We harvested three hundred pounds of wheat per acre, totaling around eighteen hundred pounds of grain for all our land this year,"

The blonde, short brown-bearded farmer Saiding replied with a smile, satisfaction gleaming in his eyes.

The first year of reclaiming the land, much time was spent on land preparation.

With two laborers in Saiding's household, they managed to cultivate three acres of land suitable for planting within the first year.

Yielding three hundred pounds per acre meant harvesting nine hundred pounds of wheat per season.

In the first year, only two seasons could be planted, resulting in the rightful harvest of eighteen hundred pounds of grain.

"Heh, my family's harvest isn't much different, just half an acre more than yours, haha,"

The dark-skinned farmer burst into laughter; regardless of social class, comparisons came naturally, even among farmers.

Yet, the joy of harvest and anticipation for the future remained paramount.

"Well, it's hard to say this season. They're changing lands to paddies, reconfiguring everything into rice fields. Not sure if it'll outperform wheat yields,"

Though Saiding voiced concerns, his expression betrayed little worry.

"Don't fret. We're not obligated to surrender food for now. Whatever happens, life's much better now compared to before. In my opinion, these Dragons are way superior to those bloodsucking Nobility lords,"