Who Said Elves Are All Naive ?

Drake had no desire to be the center of the world's attention. If possible, he would have preferred to remain hidden, not as a demi-god dragon, but as a simple dragonling tucked away in the depths of the forest, preying on weaker creatures and ruling as a petty monarch of the mountains. His plan was to bide his time until he achieved divine strength, then to burst forth in glory. He believed this was the true path for a transmigrator: to quietly cultivate invincible power before making waves, not to be constantly fleeing for his life.

However, Drake knew such aspirations had to be shelved. He might not have to flee from hunters like other less fortunate transmigrators, who only turned the tables at the eleventh hour, but he couldn't avoid causing a stir any longer.

"Nimue, tell me, what is the current situation of the city?" Drake mused before posing the question calmly.

Since the permanent locator device could not be moved and had to remain within a kilometer of its designated spot, which was within the palace grounds, he had no choice but to turn what he had now named Dragon City into his base. And as with any base, it was imperative to govern and develop it.

Ideally, he would build up his own formidable force and army. His current guise as a demi-god dragon should deter the continent's powers from crossing him in the short term, but Drake knew better than to trust humanity's docile facade. Given enough time, they would certainly grow restless, perhaps sending small factions to harass his domain.

As a great demi-god dragon, it wouldn't do for Drake to personally respond to every enemy. That would drain his divine energy too quickly, risking exposure. Deploying his subjects or an army to counter any threats was the right royal strategy.

Take, for instance, his new servant, a seven-ring Magus he had scared witless. The man's strength was sufficient to handle much of the rabble.

"Your Majesty, presently, almost half of the Central... Dragon City has been destroyed by the great power you have displayed," Nimue replied cautiously, her mellifluous voice slightly faltering. It was humiliating for an elf to flatter shamelessly, to describe a massacre as a display of great power, and it filled Nimue with shame.

Yet, considering the dragon's slaughter of the human military and the city, along with his seemingly invincible strength, Nimue had to praise him against her conscience. She did not wish to anger the dragon with any disrespect that might provoke a similar massacre in the Forest of Mu En. Aside from the Queen, nobody in the Silver Moon Kingdom could withstand such an assault.

Even the Queen, she feared, might not be a match for this ancient dragon. Dragons were an unreasonable lot, achieving near-eighth-order strength at adulthood, capable of facing multiple peers solo. As they aged into ancient dragons, their legendary prowess only grew, enabling them to clash with demi-gods.

However, dragons didn't have limitless growth. No matter how long they lived, they couldn't ascend to demi-godhood on their own. Closeness to divinity was not so easily achieved, and dragons' inherent laziness meant they relied on past gains. Hence, demi-god dragons were a rarity throughout history.

This was why the appearance of a demi-god dragon left Nimue so astounded.

The Magus, who had just finished his gold-coin transport duties and overheard Nimue's sycophantic words, sneered inwardly. Even the so-called pure elves had to grovel before the magnificent dragon. His own behavior seemed trivial in comparison. He consoled himself with this justification.

Yet, he couldn't help but notice Nimue's beauty. If he could capture her, he thought, he would never sell her. She would be a treasured possession, capable of invigorating even the most elderly man.

His thoughts grew lecherous.

"Let it be destroyed, then. Only from the ruins can we rebuild..." Drake felt no remorse over his city's destruction; in fact, he considered it convenient, sparing him future troubles.

Although this world was filled with extraordinary powers, leaving gods aside, a legendary warrior or mage was akin to a superhero. But its civilization was incredibly backward, even less advanced than Earth's medieval era according to the AI. This world, Drake thought, was barbaric in its lack of sophistication.

From his vantage point, he had observed that the city's construction lacked any semblance of urban planning. It was chaotic, filthy, and, considering his accustomed modern city comforts on Earth, Dragon City left much to be desired.

Hearing Drake's words, Nimue misinterpreted them and sighed internally. Dragons truly were heartless towards their own subjects, and it was the human commoners who would suffer.

This made her even more cautious. She didn't want to antagonize this supremely terrifying dragon and have her people suffer as well.

"The most pressing issue facing Dragon City now," she said, "is that before abandoning it, the Church burnt nearly all the reserves in the city's granaries. With the current food supplies, we cannot support the daily needs of those who lost their homes. Even if the Silver Moon Kingdom were to provide some food, it wouldn't sustain the city for more than a few days."

"Our elven diet is different from humans', primarily consisting of fruits. And due to their short shelf life, we elves also have little in the way of reserves, especially during winter when many of us go hungry."

"The population is vital to a city. Without them, there can be no development or construction."

Nimue was eloquent, appealing to reason and emotion, underscoring the importance of the human population to avoid triggering Drake's draconic indifference or worse—a draconic solution to hunger through extermination.

She also preemptively closed off any expectation that the elves could provide more food by painting a bleak picture of her people's own struggles.

Though a common dragon might not be moved by Nimue's words, Drake, with his human soul, took note.

This elf was impressive, her silver tongue weaving persuasive narratives, proving that to hold office, one must indeed possess skill, regardless of race.

Beautiful, powerful, and far from naive—a potent combination of brains and brawn. Drake found himself increasingly convinced that Nimue was the perfect candidate to lay his eggs.