Chapter 10: Tribute

179, 180, 181...

Linde counted the blocks of wood he had collected and placed them into the chest he had crafted. He was almost up to three stacks, which should be enough for the time being. After all, a chest only had 27 slots; while the variety of items was currently low, once he started filling it with miscellaneous goods, space would become tight. It was worth noting that while he could carry the chest in its miniature form, he had to restore it to its full one-cubic-meter size to view or retrieve its contents.

I'll rest for a bit and then round it up to 200, Linde thought. He had a touch of obsessive-compulsive disorder regarding round numbers, much like how he insisted on setting his alarms to the exact hour. If he had a task to do, starting at 28 or 29 minutes past the hour felt wrong; waiting until the 30-minute mark gave him a sense of order and punctuality.

He leaned against a tree trunk, watching Victoria chasing butterflies not far away. That creature had promised to help him stack the wood, but after doing half the work, she found it dull and boring, eventually making an excuse to slack off. Seeing her clumsy attempts to catch even a butterfly, Linde couldn't help but shout:

"Hey! You're a dragon, for heaven's sake! Can't you even catch a butterfly?"

"Catching it would be boring. Not catching it is what makes it fun."

"Pah, you slacker dragon!"

"Huh?"

Ignoring the confused look from the dim-witted dragon, Linde checked his reputation panel. He had purchased a translation skill yesterday and had forgotten how many points he had left.

[Reputation Level: 1 (35/500)]
[Current Reputation Points: 25]

That didn't seem right. When did he suddenly get so many points? He checked the detailed log and found that he had received two consecutive ten-point reputation increases recently. One of them was unique, with an additional note:

[Collected fragmented information about the Chrono-Dragon Ottotaslav]
[Reputation Points +10]

This reminded Linde of the system's initial explanation of how to gain reputation: [Subjugating dragons, increasing your understanding of dragonkind, and emotional interaction with dragons can all grant reputation points.]

I should ask Victoria more about her history later. For now, I'll finish this last bit of work and then go look for a nearby mine or something similar. With the plan settled in his mind, Linde rolled up his sleeves and got to work. As he hammered at the large tree with his wooden pickaxe, he could hear the crisp sound of birdsong—it was quite pleasant. He was halfway through digging when he didn't notice the birdsong becoming much shriller.

Until the tree came crashing down, a cyan figure darted toward his head at lightning speed.

"Hiss..."

His head was suddenly pricked by something sharp, the pain causing Linde to instinctively cover his skull.

"Tweet-tweet-chirp!"

An unknown creature, looking like a bird with features somewhat resembling a peacock, flew around his head, occasionally jabbing him with its sharp, slender beak.

"What the heck?" Linde swatted at it. When his peripheral vision caught sight of the bird's nest on the ground, a realization struck him. Uh oh, it seemed he had dismantled someone's home.

Victoria, who had been playing nearby, noticed the commotion and hurried over. Upon hearing the strange creature's cries, her expression darkened; she grabbed the bird and ran to a corner.

"Chirp-chirp-chirp, chirp!"
"Cheep-cheep?"

Linde stood there like an outsider, watching the magical creature communication session in the corner. After a while, Victoria returned with the strange bird. It seemed they had reached a conclusion.

"What is it saying?" Linde asked.

Victoria didn't answer his question immediately, instead staring at him with a strange look: "So you couldn't understand it? I thought you were so good-tempered that you didn't get angry even when she was cussing you out so viciously."

"I..." Linde opened his hands, wanting to demonstrate his linguistic flair to the bird, but considering the negative influence on the young dragon, he held back. I'll say it when Victoria isn't around.

"Pah, I have a broad mind and never fret over such trifles. By the way, do you prefer bird meat spicy or numbing?"

"You clearly care a lot!" Victoria rolled her eyes and explained, "Don't be in such a rush to eat this Butterfly Dragon. She has her reasons."

"Uh, because I tore down her house?"

"No, a nest can be rebuilt. That's not what she's angry about. She's angry because you smashed the amber she had painstakingly collected to offer as tribute."

"Tribute?" Linde asked, curious.

Victoria began to explain in detail. It turned out that the lord of these mountains was the red dragon living at the peak—the same one that had flown overhead earlier. Every sentient creature within its territory, whether dragon, half-dragon, or other creatures related to dragon bloodlines, had to pay regular tribute to continue living there.

The tribute cycle was every three months. Every season—spring, summer, autumn, and winter—they had to present their most precious item to the bully. If the red dragon was unsatisfied, it would swallow the creature offering the tribute in one gulp.

With less than a month left until the summer tribute deadline, this Butterfly Dragon, having had her offering destroyed by Linde, was unlikely to find a suitable replacement. Therefore, she was essentially as good as dead.

After listening to Victoria, Linde frowned. "Is the tribute mandatory every time? Even if one missed a turn, it shouldn't notice, right? After all, there are so many tributes."

"You're thinking too simply," Victoria replied. "The Butterfly Dragon said the red dragon might not remember the faces of those who bring tribute, but it remembers perfectly well who doesn't show up. The dragons around you will report you; they’ve all paid their tribute and can't stand the thought of anyone getting away with it. If you try to flee, they will capture you themselves and present you to the red dragon to show their loyalty. The red dragon even exempts the whistleblowers from a year of tribute."

That’s truly realistic, Linde thought to himself. The weak don’t think of huddling together for warmth or resisting oppression; instead, they harbor the deepest malice toward other weak ones, holding a "if I can't have a good life, neither can you" mentality. They never stop to think that if the red dragon shortens the cycle or raises the standards, it’s still them—the dragons—who will suffer. The tyrant remains high above, while their spines only grow more curved.

Linde had no interest in being a savior, but using the tribute as a chance to enter the red dragon's palace was a rare opportunity.

"And all the dragons paying tribute must personally place their items into the red dragon's treasury. The red dragon is so confident because no dragon dares to snatch anything from its vault..."

Hearing this, Victoria's mind began to churn. As a treasure hunter, boldness and courage were indispensable. At that moment, she and Linde locked eyes, both reading a different meaning in the other's gaze.

"Since the red dragon is so powerful, how could anyone daring to pay tribute possibly take its treasures?" Victoria said with a straight face.

"I agree. Surely one can only offer treasures; there is no such thing as taking treasures from a wicked dragon," Linde said with a serious expression.

The man and the dragon nodded at each other, both desperately suppressing the laughter welling up in their hearts.