Chapter 330: War Reparations

The battle between Bronya and the human legends proved immensely instructive for Muria. This red dragon, who had seen countless battles in her youth, didn't give the legends a chance to fight back from the moment she engaged.

The four low-tier legends didn't even get a chance to attack before they were incapacitated by Bronya. It was a stark demonstration of how formidable a red dragon skilled in spatial magic and with a strong physique could be.

Without the ability to lock down space, formations were meaningless against Bronya. She could appear anywhere she wished and deliver lethal blows to the human legends.

If not for the fact that legends are a step above mere mortals, none of the seven would have survived.

As for the hastily assembled gold and soul-tier combatants, Bronya simply ignored them. Their attacks were mere nuisances to her, barely felt, while her attacks on them were deadly.

The strength of a red dragon is among the greatest in the world of Erathia, surpassed only by deities, epic beings, and other entities that should not exist.

The original plan of the seven human legends was to use their armies to defeat Bronya's monster tribes and then surround her. But they had not anticipated Bronya's audacity or strength, as she burst into their camp unprepared and humiliated them in front of a million soldiers.

Below the level of legends, it is almost impossible to defeat one, but with enough numbers, it is possible to influence the outcome of battles among legends.

However, when the gap is too large, the effect of an army becomes meaningless. Clearly, the number of gold and soul-tier combatants from the three duchies was insufficient to bridge the gap between the human legends and Bronya.

What followed was straightforward. Bronya decisively defeated the military forces of the three duchies with overwhelming force, determining the outcome of the war. Nucalan, Nosoxi, and Mozeli surrendered.

Had Bronya killed these seven human legends, the three duchies would have effectively ceased to exist as countries, for a country without legends is not a country at all.

But Bronya did not kill them. It was too difficult; defeating and killing are different matters. Bronya could have killed about half of the human legends, but likely three or four would have escaped.

Such legends, with great resentment from a national obliteration, would be a constant source of trouble. Bronya, indifferent herself, had to consider her monster tribes. Legends seeking revenge without restraint can be a real headache for a dragon.

Moreover, the seven human legends had no intention of killing Bronya; their ultimate goal was merely to expel her. That was all the ambition of these three duchies. Therefore, being raised by a gold dragon, Bronya did not deal a lethal blow.

However, though she did not kill, compensation was still necessary. As the defeated, Nucalan, Nosoxi, and Mozeli signed a series of unequal treaties at the negotiation table.

In addition to compensating Bronya with approximately 210,000 square units of elemental crystals, each year the three duchies must pay tribute to Zaychik with about 3,000 square units worth of elemental crystals in food, slaves, metals, and various other resources.

During the negotiations, although Muria was present, he did not participate. He quietly watched as Bronya bled these three human duchies dry, turning them into a major blood source for Zaychik, without any intention of pleading on their behalf.

For these three duchies, Muria had only one comment: "They brought this upon themselves." They had initiated the war despite Bronya not provoking them, and now that they were defeated, they naturally had to pay the price. This was only right.

In the obsidian palace standing in a lake of lava, Muria watched Bronya excitedly rolling around on a mountain of gold coins, somewhat unable to understand why such a powerful ancient red dragon would be interested in gold, a metal almost useless to her.

"Muria, you really resemble your grandmother. But she only adopted me, a single dragon, while you've raised over a hundred dragons. You're preparing for the epic path, aren't you?"

Hearing Bronya's words as she rolled joyfully on the mountain of coins, Muria felt a bit embarrassed. His dragon-raising wasn't his original intention; it was arranged by the mother of gold dragons, and at that time, he didn't even know about the existence of epics.

"Um... sort of..." Muria replied sheepishly. Knowing the ways to become epic, he indeed invested more effort into these dragons, hoping they could become assets for his future.

"Bronya, the war is over, I can take my dragons away now, right?"

"Technically, I shouldn't keep the dragons you've expended effort to raise," Bronya said, rising from the gold pile and looking down at Muria. "But now, I want to ask you to leave one dragon with me."

"Auston?" Muria's gaze shifted to a scrawny red dragon sneakily picking up coins scattered around due to Bronya's rolling, his mouth twitching at the embarrassing sight.

"That one?" Bronya glanced at Auston with obvious disdain in her eyes. "He's useless now, you can take him away anytime. I need you to leave Renata here."

"Renata?" Muria frowned. A red dragon with outstanding leadership skills was extremely rare among dragonkind. He was reluctant to leave her with Bronya.

"I should have made myself clear," Bronya said, scratching her head upon seeing Muria's troubled expression. "I just want Renata to help me manage Zaychik temporarily. I don't have the energy or time to do it myself. If you need her later, you can call her back anytime."

"Temporary management?" Muria looked surprised. "Just like during the war? You want Renata to manage all the monster tribes that want to follow you?"

"Exactly!" Bronya pulled a heap of coins under her chin and rested her formidable dragon head on it. "I don't have the energy to manage them. Once Renata leaves, it won't be long before they return to their original state of chaos, and I don't like that."

"..." Muria remained silent, needing to think it over. This didn't sound too bad.

"Muria, Renata has exceptional command and managerial skills. Do you have the space to let her utilize these talents right now? Taking her away now would be a waste of her abilities."

"Let her choose for herself!" After a slight hesitation, Muria said, "Whatever she decides, I won't interfere and will support her."

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