"Old Flame, long time no see!" An elderly silver dragon greeted.

"Same to you! Same to you!"

"Suluth, you've resigned from being a dragon councilor, what are you coming back for? Over two thousand years old and still can't let go of that bit of power?" Another silver dragon said unkindly with a warning and rejecting tone.

"Don't worry! I'll be dead soon!" Old Flame didn't get angry at all, casually replying.

"Greetings, Lord 'Fire of Blaze Country'." This time the one greeting was a young red female dragon only seventy meters long and sixty years old, with a lace butterfly knot tied on her petite horns.

Old Flame smiled and bent down to pat the young dragon's forehead. She instinctively closed her immature eyes for a moment, the rough sandy paw touching the delicate smooth scales, giving a sense of the passage of time visually.

"Vivian, I remember you used to be Nana's little shadow. Now she has left here and mated with other dragons. Are you feeling lonely without your big sister around and crying in secret?"

The young dragon Vivian hurriedly shook her head: "No! No! Dad said Vivian has to be strong! I didn't sneak out to the dragon council at night to look at the moon and cry!"

...

The surrounding giant dragons fell silent. Raphael impatiently crawled over and said to Old Flame:

"Dear uncle, hurry and take me to find the dragon councilors of the Prulis faction to convene the council. What is there to say with this little thing?"

The red dragon's powerful aura, exceptionally husky physique, and the fact that he had slaughtered his own kind immediately caused the surrounding mass of giant dragons to turn colors and bid farewell involuntarily.

As for the young dragon Vivian, she was intimidated by the unrestrained brutality and bloodlust emanating from Raphael. Those gleaming white sharp fangs between his jaws, the crimson bloodshot eyes in his dark golden dragon pupils, and the ominous protruding horn all terrified her, freezing her in place.

"Dear nephew, you need not be in such a rush." Old Flame nonchalantly let one of his main wings droop down to protectively shield Vivian.

"The Prulis faction leader - the red dragon Herazanthos is a dragon full of ambition. The giant dragons around him often feel tremendous pressure. You are about to speak with him as an equal now, rushing in unprepared will easily put you at a disadvantage."

Raphael yawned and shrugged his shoulders, causing all four of his wings to stretch out as he said, "Is that so? Then I'd like to meet this fellow."

As a red dragon with an equally bad temper who was accustomed to using force to settle disputes, Raphael felt disdain from the bottom of his heart for these dragon councilors.

He had already tossed aside Old Flame's advice of "Don't underestimate the dragon council."

Old Flame shook his head, leaned towards the arrogant red dragon's head and whispered, "Vivian is Herazanthos's daughter."

?

Raphael narrowed one of his vertical pupils and cast a mischievous glance at the young dragon cowering under Old Flame's wing.

"What are you going to do?"

Sensing his nephew's gaze was somewhat untoward, Old Flame hurriedly shielded Vivian more protectively. "Hey! You're interested in an underage dragon? Have you no conscience? I remember you already have a mate!"

"I was just thinking about how Herazanthos treats his own daughter, based on this little crawler's demeanor that's just like Nana: pampered, meaningless obsession with cleanliness…"

Raphael twisted his serpentine neck around Old Flame's shelter, staring straight at Vivian as he asked with a teasing tone, "Little girl? Can you breathe dragon's breath? The kind that makes your enemies and prey scream in the utmost agony."

Vivian shuddered at this vicious red dragon, trembling her wings as she instinctively took a step back.

"Speak!" Raphael suddenly barked, and the young dragon hurriedly answered, "I…I've never breathed fire…that's very rude…"

Raphael turned his head disdainfully towards Old Flame. "Another dragon abandoning the ancient dragon beliefs."

Old Flame said awkwardly, "Actually, I'm not so good at dragon's breath either. Your father did delve deeply into researching how to control and utilize the energy within himself, so it seems he didn't really pass down much magical knowledge to you."

Just as Raphael was about to say something again, a loud roar suddenly came from afar: "Calamity Demon! Uluth! Get away from my daughter!"

A brilliant crimson red dragon flew over rapidly, scooping up Vivian from the ground. He carefully examined her body, relieved to find no issues for the moment.

"Good girl, go play with your little friends." Herazanthos shooed Vivian away, then turned back with an angry glare at the two red dragons. "Calamity Demon, you've finally arrived, but it seems you still don't understand the situation."

Herazanthos slowly walked forward, a powerful dragon's majesty slowly radiating outward. A dominating light shone from his dragon eyes.

Raphael instinctively narrowed his eyes slightly and tilted his head to dodge this formidable sense of oppression, but then he suddenly realized something was off:

"Why does my heart feel pressured?"

He studied Herazanthos carefully. Their outward forms were the same traditional red dragon physiques: thick sturdy limbs, solid bodies, large broad heads. But there was an intangible sense of authority.

"Magic? Or something else?" Raphael couldn't help but feel subjected to a kind of superior domination, which provoked his ferocity.

"Situation? I don't know what situation." He bared his fangs, staring straight back without any signs of compromise or tolerance.

"I only know you cannot refuse my demands."

Herazanthos glanced sideways at Old Flame next to Raphael, who was putting on a solemn silent appearance.

"So, what brings you here?" Herazanthos slowly raised his upper body, his long neck elegantly curved, wings spreading out at just the right moment, looking immensely imposing.

"Of course it's about making follow-up arrangements for the agreement we reached over a year ago. I want you to convene the council to discuss with me," Raphael said, planting his four limbs firmly on the ground and pointing his protruding horn at Herazanthos.

Upon hearing this, Herazanthos clearly frowned but then relaxed, saying in a casual mocking tone:

"I see, I thought you would go directly to Arnathus or Rochestre instead. Let me remind you, the dragon council is divided on your case. If you want to discuss support, many dragon councilors are likely to object."

He calmly suggested, "You could discuss with me privately first - just you and me. We in the Prulis faction can go ahead and do the work of swaying the other dragon factions for you, to get them to vote through aid for you."

Raphael inwardly cursed, "Uncle Old Flame was right, these guys just want to deal with me one-on-one, then use despicable plots to trap me!"

On the way, Raphael had been puzzled why he couldn't engage with the Prulis faction alone.

Old Flame's answer was: "That's because your power is not equal to theirs; whether material reserves or strength comparison, you are at a disadvantage. If you view yourself and them as two countries, then your dealings will inevitably greatly benefit the stronger party - this is the natural rule, no matter what happens it will lead to this result."

"So you have to stir up trouble, bring in the conservatives to dilute the Prulis faction's dominant position, and maneuver in the middle to gain benefits."

Now Herazanthos clearly did not want to convene the council, hinting for Raphael to engage privately.

With Old Flame's explanation beforehand, he naturally would not agree.

Seeing the red dragon in front of him extremely vigilant, unswayed at all by his "ancient dragon majesty" magic and determined to not back down like a white shark lurking beneath the surface ready to surge forth at any moment, Herazanthos couldn't help but laugh lightly and shake his elegant head. In a gracious tone he said:

"No problem, you are the lead player of this plan, all these details are up to you of course. However, I hope this is a decision you have made yourself, not rashly following the whispers of some other giant dragons, because the various factions and forces out there are all extremely cunning and devious - without sufficient wisdom you will have trouble dealing with them."

After saying this, Herazanthos turned to instruct one of the young dragons accompanying him: "Barov, please go notify the tower to prepare for all dragon councilors to convene a meeting. The topic is 'Regarding the plan to assist the Calamity Demon in further probing the other forces on the continent'."

"Yes! 'Crimson Lord'!" That young dragon answered crisply before flying away.

Herazanthos turned his head towards Old Flame again. "Old friend Suluth, sorry but you cannot accompany your nephew into the ring structure. You'll have to wait out here."

Old Flame heartily slapped Raphael's back. "No problem! I understand the rules! Little Raphael, you just go on in with him!"

Then he withdrew the paw that had gone numb from impacting Raphael's metal-hard shell, wincing slightly as he leaned over to the red dragon's head and softly instructed, "Don't forget our agreed coordination from before."

Raphael watched the inscrutable Prulis faction helmsman slowly turn around, lightly shaking his four wings like a dancing butterfly carried away by a gentle breeze, his mind continuously churning.

Hearing Old Flame's words, he gave a slight nod without turning his head, then kicked up a raging wind to follow after.

...

Arnold hung his head dejectedly, trailing behind his radiant father with no presence at all as he slowly entered the ring structure, lying down beside Arnathus's council seat.

Ever since being forced to lure Raphael in last time, he had fallen into endless self-reproach.

"Alas, Raphael abhors betrayal and broken promises the most. I hurt him deeply."

Arnold knew that after this incident, their precious friendship from childhood to youth to adulthood was over - evident from Raphael never seeking him out again afterwards.

"But at the time, Father pressured me so tightly, I had no way to refuse. If only I could have been more resolute then…"

He spent each day wallowing in self-blame, for a huge void had been carved out from the depths of his heart.

From a young age, he could be considered a model dragon. He strictly constrained himself according to draconic etiquette - never breathing fire, never eating nature's direct products but always twice-cooked first before consuming, excelling among his peers in studying and learning the draconic magic, while also loving cleanliness and never romping about recklessly.

But Arnold could not deny that all these so-called "graces" felt extremely hollow in his heart. Instead, it was the wild dragon Raphael who seemed more vividly real, leaving a profound impression deep within him.

Being with Raphael, that sense of not being bound by any rules, sharing common topics and compatible worldviews among peers, made him extremely happy.

Of course, part of the reason was also the matching characteristics between golden geckos and red dragons.

The other dragon councilors entered the arena one after another, some looking vibrant, others silent and frosty, but Arnold knew it had nothing to do with him.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"I'll see Raphael again, but I don't have the courage to even look at him." The extremely high moral sense instilled in Arnold from a young age filled him with enough shame to constrain himself, only able to curl up feigning sleep.

The conservative faction leader Hoholt slowly flew in and took his council seat, the black dragon Luben and green dragon Echiwo following closely behind.

Their faces were expressionless, impossible to tell if they were happy or dejected, tense or relaxed.

Herazanthos and many other Prulis faction dragons also gradually took their seats, their expressions quite different.

Some with foresight looked rather troubled, because the red dragon Raphael had not gone to seek help from Arnathus or Rochestre as originally anticipated, nor had he secretly contacted the Prulis faction in advance for discussions. Instead, he had directly come to the dragon council demanding aid.

With the addition of the conservative and Eiyeru factions, and the final binding decision being made here, any resolution passed could not be changed. This disrupted what had originally seemed a steady series of plans.

Dragons like Arnathus who had only joined within the last hundred years gradually grew confident, vowing to seize control of Raphael here and now and effectively manipulate him for their own use.

However, learning from previous experiences dealing with the red dragon, they would not be overtly overbearing but act with subtle snares.

After all the dragons took their council seats, Raphael as before flew down to the central main seat, with the presiding chair, his "old friend" the silver dragon Emersen, at his side.

"Long time no see. Your magic book was indeed not bad - it recorded many spells I've never even heard of before, and those insights were also concise, helping me avoid quite a few detours."

Raphael smirked wryly at the silver dragon in a mocking tone, showing none of the constraint and unease from his first time here, looking completely at ease.

Seeing Emersen's expression of not wanting to engage him, he added, "Oh right, are you healed up? I remember my laser breath seemed to have damaged the membrane of your wings. Can you fly normally now?"

Emersen shot Raphael a sidelong glance with his lowered long neck. "Those were just minor past events the Calamity Demon need not bring up again."

Then he straightened his neck and called out loudly, "Now all councilors are present! Let's begin discussions!"

Raphael suddenly stepped forward and pulled Emersen behind him, taking over the proceedings under the astonished gazes of the many dragon councilors. "This was supposed to be a transaction between myself and your dragon council. I am not one of you, so we have no need for this so-called presiding chair!"

Puffing a small burst of flames from his nostrils, he arrogantly declared, "Let's just start directly now!"

Then, with a sweeping horizontal motion of his steel tail, he forcibly drove the gaping silver dragon Emersen right off the dais. Planting his two huge claws firmly on the railings, he brazenly made his demands as the one in charge: "I expect humans to mobilize a million participants in the coming war to exterminate me! I hope you can provide sufficient support - rare minerals, even taking the field yourselves!"

Seeing the notoriously infamous dragon Raphael act so brazenly, openly disrupting the dragon council's order passed down for tens of thousands of years, even using soft violence to attack the current dragon councilor, his arrogance was probably excessive even in the eyes of his own parents.

But bizarrely, almost none of the dragon councilors took issue with this, none stepped forward citing rules to rally their colleagues to sanction Raphael - they all fell silent.

Keraunos showed no surprise or anger, coldly watching Raphael's rampant disruption, his left claw casually gripping the air near his head, the deep pondering light in his eyes indicating this Prulis faction leader was brewing some sort of scheme.

The elderly dragons of the conservative faction like Hoholt, Luben, Echiwo, etc. also did not grow angry, not even furrowing their brows.

"What does this mean?"

Observing these points, Arnathus was somewhat surprised.

Keraunos and the other Prulis faction dragons remaining unmoved was understandable - after all, Raphael was currently their vanguard pawn. As long as they could stabilize him and ensure he didn't totally lose control, accommodating a little breach of etiquette was no problem.

But the conservative faction should have extremely disliked the red dragon. Not picking a fight already showed remarkable restraint. Now, Raphael's actions were tantamount to defecating on the ancient council rules the conservatives vowed to uphold, yet they showed no reaction!

"Could it merely be because the insulted Emersen was a Prulis dragon? If our enmity with Hoholt and them has reached this point, then the dragon council may split apart into civil war within days!"

Arnathus couldn't help but feel apprehensive. He hoped for reforms in dragon society, but not terrible internal turmoil as a result.

Over the years, the Prulis faction had continuously used outstanding strategizing to subtly change draconic habits on minor matters, but never dared to truly force harsh shocks on the conservatives.

"Could it be that recent breakthroughs have made us overconfident and unable to accurately gauge Hoholt and the others' psychological bottom lines?"

Arnathus had to reflect, for the conservative dragons present were as calm as the dark tranquil sea before a storm, and he did not know what unimaginable energies of rebellion might be brewing beneath.

Arnold, lying beside him, seemed to sense something was amiss and hurriedly raised his head to scan the whole arena.

But the council could not remain frozen forever. With neither Keraunos nor Hoholt intending to speak, the Eiyeru faction dragons had to step forward:

"Calamity Demon, what makes you estimate there will be one million humans attacking you?"

"Moreover, as far as we know, the core human forces are only around one hundred thousand. The Morey Kingdom you dealt with before seemed to just be temporarily conscripted militias. They could not possibly mobilize a full-fledged million-strong army - your demands are baseless."

Raphael simply scoffed at these words.

After Old Blaze's explanations along the way, he had a general understanding of how the dragon council operated.

First was the outward attitude - Old Blaze said when he had first joined, the then-leader of the Eiyeru faction had cautioned him to always take a negative stance towards young dragons and wild dragons no matter what, regardless of whether their words made sense or not.

This was to maintain a false sense of high standing authority, the so-called "majesty."

Using this as a foundation, the dragon council could construct an internal hierarchical structure, using rules to restrain the dragons' immense power to facilitate conducting business.

So he was quite clear the Eiyeru faction had merely stepped out to bluff and stall, offering no real help to the progression of events.

"I think my time spent in the human world has been no short stint," Raphael answered word-by-word with a raised brow. "So my understanding of their displays of force and potential exceeds any of you dragons'. Don't use your experiences from the past few hundred years to judge them, and don't bother with that so-called joint forces regiment."

"I can assure you my stance is sincere. I have no regrets about attacking humans and occupying their kingdoms. At the same time, I will firmly defend everything I have seized!"

As Raphael spoke, his gaze shifted to Keraunos's council seat, looking up at those lofty golden dragon eyes as he declared:

"Indeed! No matter what, I will remain there and withstand all attacks from outside forces!"

"Splendid!"

Arnathus couldn't help but inwardly cheer.

"Too perfect! Even better than what I originally planned!"

He recollected over a year ago when he heard from Arnold about meeting Raphael and hastily formulated this plan to cooperate with Keraunos.

The Prulis faction had always lacked a reliable and effective force to support their theoretical doctrines, resulting in an inability to sway the rigid reality.

Failure to sway meant the triumph of the conservative faction controlling the largest, richest, and safest territories. They could only anxiously fret over the coming year's harvests and their own families' wellbeing.

For this reason, a willing, powerful dragon who could be controlled by the Prulis faction's advantages - resource domination - was extremely crucial. Raphael's current conduct perfectly met their requirements.

And as the one who proposed all this, Arnathus would naturally gain more voice as a result.

Finally unable to contain himself, Arnathus stood up and took a stance: "Excellent! Raphael, you've finally understood!"

He cast an ill-intentioned look towards the conservative dragons like Hoholt. "It's obvious the Calamity Demon has demonstrated its resolve through action! This will benefit far more than harm the entire dragon race's future, be it sovereign dragons or wandering dragons."

Then Arnathus shifted his gaze towards the Eiyeru faction dragons he had long curried favor with using gold coins and secret magical techniques, continuing:

"Such a rare and already fruitful endeavor should not fail for the laughable reason of lacking resources. As dragons basking in the new era's civilized radiance, we ought to support the Calamity Demon's continued efforts with our respective wealth."

"I personally believe we can start voting now. I'm confident any dragon with even a shred of foresight will support follow-up aid plans!"

Arnathus's tone was extremely confident, and Raphael also smiled and nodded at him, showing none of the conflict and hatred from a year ago, deeply reassuring the dragon language sage.

"Of course." His line of thought shifted as he looked again towards the conservative faction dragons.

"Some old dragons out of step with the times can cast dissenting votes and turn a blind eye, putting in no effort. We won't force you, but don't cause any incidents either."

Confronted by the warning glare of the Golden Dragon, Hoholt showed no other reaction. After a long silence, he finally spoke: "We can proceed to the vote now, Lord Wisdom of the Forest. Please fulfill your duty as the Speaker."

Arnathus felt like he had punched cotton. According to his expectations, the conservative elder dragon should have been gritting his teeth and ranting incoherently as the situation became increasingly out of control, or even violently resisting and making stern threats.

He had already worked out several contingency plans with his colleagues to prevent the other side's retaliation and escalation of force.

As for Raphael, there was no need to worry too much on that front. This greedy demon dragon would have no concerns as long as the benefits were generous enough and its fragile psychological security was not provoked. It was actually the easiest one to deal with.

However, neither the stubborn old Hoholt nor the ever-uncompromising and tough Luben and Egivorus showed any reaction. They simply passed their answer sheets written in advance to the young working dragons.

"What's going on?"

Arnathus felt that things were going far too smoothly, with neither Raphael's maneuvers nor the conservatives' reactions showing any signs of crisis.

"The old fellows got too angry? Or have they given up? If there's anything out of the ordinary, it's that Raphael actually came to the Dragon Council directly to demand that all dragon councilors declare their stance. I thought after Rochester and I delivered the goods to it last time, it would take the opportunity to negotiate further subsidies through me and our faction."

Just as he was puzzled by this bizarre smoothness, Emersen began to sorrowfully read out the votes.

This silver dragon was quite pitiful, as Raphael had no intention of letting it return to the main seat, its massive dragon body and four wings occupying a large space.

Its powerful and thick steel tail swayed vigilantly on the grounds like a python, ready to lash out at Emersen if it dared to approach.

Recalling the cruel beating by the red dragon in the past, Emersen could only swallow its grievances and loudly call out the votes along with the young dragons from the dark stands below:

"Draconic Sage, Arnathus, agree!"

"Azure Pearl, Rochester, agree!"

"Crimson Lord, Herazanthos, agree!"

As the vote proceeded, Arnathus still could not figure out any trickery involved. But then Emersen's trembling words almost made him and the Prulis faction dragons jump up.

"…Silver Twilight, Hoholt…agree?!"

Emersen could not believe its own eyes, repeating and double checking after the announcement, interrupting the vote counting.

But the information on the parchment was accurate - the complex draconic script combining pictures and code-like symbols meant: I, Silver Twilight Hoholt, approve further assistance to the Calamity Demon.

The Prulis faction dragons were dumbfounded, unable to immediately grasp the implication.

"Continue reading." Herazanthos's composed tone like an aristocratic gentleman resounded.

"Yes…" Emersen regained its senses and continued announcing:

"Obsidian Meteor Luben, agree!"

"Gilded Mirage Monck, agree!"

These were the rare remaining members of the conservative faction, all elder dragons around two thousand years old. Their offspring had been blocked from entering the Dragon Council by the various obstructive resolutions passed by the Prulis faction, or had defected to other factions like Arnathus himself. So these out-of-touch old dragons were even more stubborn and unstable than any other dragons.

Yet at this moment, they abandoned the order they had guarded for millennia.

"…Silver Dust Apogeus, agree!"

"Thirty votes in favor, zero against, the resolution passes."

Emersen announced the unbelievable result. According to the records, this was the second time all dragon councilors had agreed on an issue since the vote to declare war on the Orc Empire.

The atmosphere in the hall was deathly silent.

There were no heated debates, no imagined walkouts or threats of force - the actions of the conservative dragons far exceeded Arnathus's expectations.

"They compromised?" he couldn't help but think of this absurd possibility.

But that was impossible, because even if the conservatives put aside their prejudices and joined the plan now, they would get virtually nothing out of it, not even a taste of the soup.

Unless they were willing to invest several times more than what the Prulis faction had previously given Raphael, they would not be allowed in at all.

"Calamity Demon, now that the resolution has passed, you can specify what you want."

Herazanthos broke the silence, showing no surprise or doubt as he calmly stroked his crimson dragon chin in a rhythmic manner.

Raphael glanced around before releasing a large parchment map from his spatial ring.

He arrogantly beckoned to the young dragons below, instructing them after a brief whispered exchange. The young dragons then returned to the stands and entered a side alcove, soon emerging with over a dozen multifaceted crystals.

Hovering in the air, they allowed Raphael to spread the massive map on the main floor, straining to carry crystals larger than their own heads from various angles to aim downwards.

"Can you all see?" Raphael asked calmly.

The dragon councilors had already retrieved specialized crystal orbs from drawers beneath their seats.

Unlike communication orbs, this magic technology focused more on image detail and fluidity, without voice transmission. Every scratch, dent and bump on Raphael's scales could be seen clearly.

"What you are looking at is a map of all territories currently occupied by the Dragon Sovereign and myself," Raphael said in a steady, powerful tone.

"I anticipate the enemy will attack from three directions, possibly four." He had been contemplating these military affairs during his leisure time admiring the gold in the vaults of Erl.

"Of course, this does not concern you, and you need not worry about getting caught in this storm. What I want, or a certain short-term deficiency I cannot easily compensate for, is manpower - readily available large combat units."

"Sounds like quite the predicament," an aged voice responded to Raphael.

The pondering Prulis faction dragons turned to find the source. The silver dragon Hoholt was staring intently downwards.

"I know some of you have trained subordinate military forces composed of demi-humans, elves, goblins and such. That is what I want."

Hoholt nodded slowly. "This is quite difficult. The labor force in our domains has always been an extremely important resource, not some expendable commodity."

Then he changed tack, "But what in this world cannot be traded? Do not humans say even life itself can be used as a bargaining chip? If you can meet our terms, it is not impossible to negotiate."

The Prulis faction dragons watched in disbelief as Hoholt and Raphael smoothly advanced the proceedings step-by-step.

"Please stop!" Arnathus finally could not hold back anymore.

"Does the Draconic Sage have something important to say?" Hoholt turned to ask.

But Arnathus was at a loss for words.

He could hardly say "This is our Prulis faction's business, you conservatives are overstepping!"

Factions were not official rules - the Dragon Council outwardly remained a whole, appearing unbreakable to outside dragons.

There was nothing in the rules against Hoholt's actions. Arnathus could not accuse him.

"I…" Draconic Sage faltered, slowly realizing that the cunning conservatives must have secretly contacted Raphael beforehand to exchange interests.

"Lord Silver Twilight," Herazanthos intervened at the critical moment.

"I must remind you that our Dragon Council's public resource reserves are already stretched thin. The harvest was not good this year, and many colleagues have been complaining about possibly delaying payment of membership dues. You should take note of that."

He then closely watched the nine great conservative dragons for their reactions.