'If this place is really the Underdark, then it's not bad.'
Caesar thought.
Previously, he had been surviving in the cracks between the Green Capital and the Northern Kingdoms, struggling to survive in the wind and rain. In the wilderness, even if the Black Dragon had a head full of plans and ideas, it was useless. There was no space for him to display his abilities.
There was no need to talk about how barren the land was. As long as the species there were even the slightest bit of use, they would be taken by other forces first. They would either be enslaved by the Green Capital or be won over by the humans. What kind of storm could a young Black Dragon possibly stir up?
Not to mention subduing the races and building up his forces, Caesar could not even live a comfortable life. Just taking the Stone Crow clan into his pocket took him a lot of effort, and he was very careful and vigilant in the process.
In the end, when he finally got better, Roy of the Northern Kingdoms interfered, making it difficult for the Black Dragon not to be angry.
But it was different now. In the Underdark, he had enough freedom to do whatever he wanted. This place could not give birth to a nearly legendary existence like the Mother of Poisons.
"Air."
Caesar sniffled and took a deep breath. Then, he said in surprise, "The oxygen content in this place is different from that in Eladia. The concentration is higher."
After obtaining the autonomous control unit, the Black Dragon could sense every detail of his body's reaction, and it was easy to distinguish the differences in the environment.
"The temperature is okay."
Caesar looked at the scattered Gnolls. "But it seems like there are changes almost every moment."
Then, he flapped his wings and found that the gravity was different. It was much more difficult to fly here than in Airadia, and it was much more strenuous.
Although the differences in each factor were relatively small, when these things were combined, they caused a lot of obstruction to foreign creatures.
Caesar keenly discovered that the Gnolls and Orcs' ability values had decreased by different degrees.
This was something that even Garl and Hogg, who were the leaders, could not avoid.
The only one who wasn't affected was the Black Dragon, that freak.
However, this was not a big problem. Caesar knew that both the Gnolls and the Orcs were not weak species. They all had the ability to survive in relatively harsh environments. Now, they just needed some time to adapt.
"Hogg."
Caesar ordered the Gnoll leader, who was constantly looking around. "You take the Gnolls to investigate. We need information about this unfamiliar area. Don't go too far. First, we need to figure out the situation within a kilometer."
"Focus on searching for water and food. You have to survive first."
In order to gather forces in the Underdark, one must first survive and take root in this place. Food and water were the two biggest problems that any creature had to face.
He did not send the little fellow. In the past, when they were in the wilderness, this kind of work was done by Luna. She was small in size and knew some low-level concealment tricks, so she was very competent for this task.
But this time was different. The Underdark was not the wilderness. There were too many unknown factors. The little fellow's ability to protect herself was quite weak. It was very easy for her to encounter danger.
Caesar also did not dispatch the Stone Crow clan's Orcs. Instead, he chose the newly joined Gnolls and let the Orcs find a place to rest first.
Speaking of selfishness, this was indeed true. But more than that, Black Dragon was still considerate.
The reason why he chose the Gnolls to carry out the mission was that they were relatively sensitive and would not be reckless like the Orcs. They would not directly kill the enemy when they saw them.
The wolf cubs knew how to judge the situation and how to protect themselves. They would even choose to retreat or escape when their strength was not enough.
Desertion was intolerable for the other Pentashade Dragons, but Caesar did not mind. Different races had their own natural characteristics. The key was how to use them. Such characteristics were beneficial for the Gnolls to carry out reconnaissance missions better.
At this stage, what the Black Dragon wanted was information, not blood.
As a newcomer, understanding the situation in the Underdark was the most important thing.
If the conditions were right, Caesar even felt that it was necessary to understand the specific ecology of the Underdark. Were the indigenous populations here scattered and fighting for themselves?
Or did they already have a ruler and established a stable pyramid-shaped social form?
This was very important to Caesar. It would affect his next judgment and decision.
However, these things could not be rushed in a short period of time. At least, it would take a period of contact with the indigenous populations to understand. Caesar also knew this, but he could not settle down.
If he planned slowly, step by step, and expanded the population with conciliatory means, even if there were no waves, it would take at least a few decades for him to completely control the Underdark, or even longer.
In fact, in Airadia, dragons that slept for decades were everywhere. This time was nothing to dragons. It could be said that it passed in the blink of an eye.
However, for humans, a few decades was enough for a baby to grow up, get married and have children. It was also enough for a young man to enter his twilight years and for a strong man to walk into his coffin.
Caesar did not want to wait until he made a comeback. When he returned to Airadia and found Roy, what he saw was an old man who was in a delirious state and was at the mercy of others. He might even face a lonely tombstone.
That would be a tragedy for Caesar. He could not accept it. Therefore, the Black Dragon only gave himself ten years. Within ten years, he had to completely rule the Underdark.
He could only use violent means.
If he chose the conciliatory plan, Caesar could not find any other way to subdue the indigenous races of the Underdark other than tempting them with benefits. As for benefits, he could not give them at all.
Even if the creatures of the Underdark coveted gold coins, the Black Dragon could not give them. His wealth was still buried in the settlement of the Stone Crow clan. It was the final payment from Roy for the last batch of Summer Grass Drinks. At that time, Caesar did not have time to use it or take it away.
He could only use violent means to tie them to his chariot.
As for the possible deception and betrayal, he had also thought of a solution. He decided to learn from them. Like Roy, he would force the other party to swear an oath of allegiance to him.
Other than submission and death, there was no third choice for the defeated.
"It won't work."
However, when he mentioned this plan to the Forest Fairy, the little one shook her head. "Caesar, are you a believer of the Evil Dragon Mother?
I have never heard you mention her name. "
"Tiamat?"
Caesar immediately recalled the appearance of the Five Dragon Queens that was engraved in his basic knowledge. He then shook his head.
"No. Does it matter?"
"You shouldn't call her by her real name. Of course it matters."
Luna jumped around on his head. "Your previous contract came from the God of Truth and Oath. He is a true good god. Even if you don't believe in him, you can still establish a contract in the name of this god."
"But gods are not the tools of mortals. They are watching us from the Divine Kingdom. A good god will never allow to use despicable means to force others to establish oaths."
Luna thought for a moment and continued, "The Pentashade Dragons believe in evil gods. But even if you are a fanatic of the Evil Dragon Mother, the Dragon Queen will not establish so many forced oaths for you. Otherwise, she will be jointly attacked by other good gods. The consequences will be very serious."
"No —"
Black Dragon let out a dissatisfied whisper. The skin on his forehead twisted into a ball. "If Roy can do it, why can't I do it?"
"What did Roy do?"
Seeing the expression on Black Dragon's face, the little fellow was curious. She had been sent away by Caesar that day, so she knew nothing about what happened after that.
So Caesar repeated what had happened, emphasizing that the soldier caught by Gall was neither a knight nor a rank. He was just an ordinary soldier.
That meant that Roy's entire army had signed an oath of allegiance that would not stop until death.
"Are you sure?" the little fellow frowned and asked again.
She shouldn't have doubted Black Dragon, but what Caesar said was too unbelievable. "It shouldn't be. There are a thousand people. No god would be willing to help him establish so many oaths."
"A god's favorite of a powerful evil god?
That's even more impossible.
An evil god would never betray his own interests for his believers. "
"Could it be that I'm too ignorant?"
Luna shook her head and muttered, "Moreover, isn't the punishment for breaking an oath a whipping of the soul?
How can it directly turn into pus and extract life?
There's no such terrible precedent. "
"No matter if it's a good god or an evil god, I've never heard of such a thing …"
After struggling for a while, the Forest Fairy still couldn't come to a conclusion. She was confused by Black Dragon and began to doubt her own understanding.