Chapter 876: Forced Conquest

There was no twist to the events.

Another secret dragon-slaying battle came to an unceremonious end.

The severely wounded grey cast iron dragon could no longer control its body, lurching uncontrollably as it plunged toward the ocean, its body covered in gaping wounds.

No one could provide it with supplies.

Compared to Liszt constantly feeding the invisible dragon with potions, its treatment was pitiful—and its fate was no better. By the time it crashed into the sea, the grey cast iron dragon could no longer struggle, helpless as Acheronides ensnared it in swirling seawater, leaving it only able to wheeze faintly.

"That was rough," Liszt remarked casually, tossing a few potions into the invisible dragon's mouth before having Bard grab the grey cast iron dragon's tail and drag it up.

They flew toward a scattering of jagged islets up ahead.

Thud!

The massive body of the grey cast iron dragon was dumped onto the rocks, partially submerged in the shallows. Acheronides' whirlpool of water still coiled around it, keeping it from lashing out—with creatures like dragons, one could never let their guard down. A moment of weakness could just mean it’s gathering strength.

"Hah!"

Fire Drake Rio landed majestically on another rock, swaggering with pride for delivering the final, fatal blow to the grey cast iron dragon.

Fire Dragons were naturally combative, and defeating an adult grey cast iron dragon far larger than itself, and it was absolutely thrilled.

"Whoo-yeah!"

The invisible dragon was the most triumphant of all. The victories in these successive dragon-slaying battles were all thanks to its innate abilities. Yet, unlike Rio, it didn't show off, quietly standing by Liszt's side as he climbed onto the grey cast iron dragon with sinister plans.

Acheronides smiled faintly, also pleased at capturing the grey cast iron dragon. Sea demons loved dragons, and the more dragons Liszt had, the happier she was.

As for Liszt himself—

He walked along the steel-like scales toward the dragon's Tooth Platform. With the grey cast iron dragon fully subdued and restrained, the next step was straightforward: forcing it into submission. Turning the grey cast iron dragon into his fourth dragon would massively expand his territory's iron reserves.

The value of iron was almost as valuable as gold and silver, and for a nation, it was especially crucial.

Moreover, the combat prowess of an adult iron dragon was precisely what Liszt urgently needed. With an iron dragon, he could meet dragon hunters in open combat instead of relying on sneak attacks from his still-young invisible dragon and Fire Drake.

"What the—?"

Just as he reached the grey cast iron dragon's spine, he suddenly noticed several raised scales. Peering through the gaps, he saw a man curled up inside. He pried the scales open and got a clear look—a figure in elaborate armor, motionless.

Their face was pale, lips purple, with only the faintest trace of breath remaining.

"This must be Duke Piero Grey Iron, the Grey Iron Duke, right?" Liszt pulled the man up, checking his breathing, as if envisioning a mountain of dragon coins beckoning him.

Capturing a duke—he wouldn’t be freed without a spirit bug as ransom!

Seizing the unconscious Duke Piero, Liszt bound him with mana-suppressing shackles and tossed him at Acheronides' feet. "Acheronides, watch him closely. This is a big shot who can fetch us a spirit bug."

"A spirit bug? Wonderful!" Acheronides cheered—she had long wanted to study one.

Piero was just an unexpected bonus.

Liszt continued climbing the grey cast iron dragon's body, searching for the Tooth Platform. However, it was tightly sealed beneath steel scales, impossible to pry open.

Frowning, Liszt strode to the dragon's head, looking down at its eyes filled with unwillingness. "Grey cast iron dragon, you understand wind-speech, don’t you? Open the Tooth Platform. Become my dragon!"

Grr…

The grey cast iron dragon snorted a puff of hot air from its nostrils, responding with disdain.

"Do you want me to kill you?" Liszt glared and shouted, unexpectedly, the grey cast iron dragon remained unyielding even at this critical moment, still defiant.

"Roar!"

The grey cast iron dragon let out a roar, as if saying death before surrender.

Despite repeated threats and negotiations, Liszt couldn't change its stance—it refused to open the Dragon Tooth Platform. Frustrated, he walked to the platform's location, trying to force his way through the scales and mount it. However, the scales there were too tough. Even the Frostbite Dragon Slayer Sword only sparked against them, leaving no mark.

After struggling for a while, dusk fell.

There was still no way to pry open the scales covering the Dragon Tooth Platform.

He then had Bard and Leo claw at the scales, leaving them bloodied, yet the sealed platform remained inaccessible. The grey cast iron dragon's eyes were resolute, a mute defiance, seething with hostility as it endured the pain and impending death.

Dragons are proud by nature, and few could be truly broken.

The grey cast iron dragon was no exception. From its gaze, Liszt saw the hopelessness of his task. To overpower it would mean knocking it unconscious, but its willpower was astonishing. Even if he managed to mount it, the mind duel would be unwinnable against a dragon resolved to die.

After a long pause,

"Grey cast iron dragon, I respect your stubbornness, but do you really think this will stop me from making you mine?" He stared into its cold, defiant eyes. "I initially wanted to conserve resources, but now, I’ve decided to go all out for you!"

With that,

He produced a rainbow-hued fruit from his spatial ring: "You’re worth a Milon Mind Fruit... Leo, Bard, force its maw open!"

"Uiiya!" The invisible dragon glanced at Liszt with knowing eyes—it had once witnessed him wrapping a Milon Mind Fruit in roasted beef and offering it to its mouth.

Leo, meanwhile, studied the fruit with vague recognition. But without dwelling on it, and after Liszt promised three months of double doses of potions, it eagerly joined Bard in wrenching open the dragon's locked jaws with their claws.

Liszt swiftly tossed the fruit down its throat.

The Milon Mind Fruit slid down the grey cast iron dragon's throat.

He then directed Bard and Leo to hold its jaws closed, preventing it from vomiting the fruit out. Moments later, the dragon's eyelids grew heavy, its gaze turning dazed—a sign of drowsiness. Soon after, the previously unyielding dragon closed its eyes and began snoring deeply.

At the junction of its neck and body, blood-streaked iron scales slowly unfurled, revealing the hidden Dragon Tooth Platform.

Under the twinkling stars of the dark night,

Liszt's cool demeanor gave way to fiery anticipation as he stepped into the platform's sunken bone crevices and sat down.

Boom!

In that instant, the world transformed.

He entered the grey cast iron dragon's mental realm—a strange realm like a blacksmith's forge, with a volcano as the furnace and boulders as the anvil. A young iron dragon hefted a colossal hammer, striking red-hot metal, while opposite it, a towering knight guided the process with a smaller hammer.

Clang!

The small hammer struck the anvil.

Thud!

The large hammer pounded the glowing metal.

But the scene didn’t last long. As Liszt arrived, the young dragon collapsed, shackled in prismatic bonds. The knight suddenly turned—a stern-faced man in his prime, now glaring coldly at Liszt.

With a metallic ring, he drew his knightly sword.

But just as he prepared to attack, multicolored chains coiled around him, immobilizing him completely. He could only watch as Liszt, wielding a fiery bone sword formed from smoke, approached unhurriedly.

"The mental imprint of the First Dragon Knight?" Liszt chuckled.

Swinging the fire-attribute Frostbite Dragon Slayer Sword, he bisected the knight without hesitation. (https://) *Dragon Taming* solely represents the views of Bai Yuhan. If any content is found to violate national laws, please report it for removal. https:// is committed to providing a healthy and green reading platform. Thank you!