Chương 139: Reborn as the Dragon — Chapter 139 - Madwoman — The Conversation

"Master, are you wondering why these humans have become so obedient?" Bolikri was prostrate at the Black Dragon's feet, his tail wagging so fast it blurred into a smear.

"It's because we adopted a very beast-brained management approach with them."

"Beast-brained management approach?" Su Nian raised an eyebrow. Was that a new phrase derived from "humanized"? Bolikri really was a dog genius.

"That's right. Very beast-brained." Bolikri grinned, his dog-muzzle splitting into a smug, slightly obscene smile.

"In the days you were away from the Dragon's Nest, these humans started getting restless."

"They tried to escape. Several attempts. Grey Wolf and the monsters put them all down."

"To get them to work like they were supposed to, we monsters had a little meeting. We decided to add shit to their three meals a day." Three meals with added shit. What a magnificent phrase. Su Nian stared at Bolikri the way a man might stare at a three-headed hellhound that had wandered up from the Abyssal Plane.

"Elaborate." He wanted to know exactly how far his canine strategist had taken this, and whether there was room for improvement.

"As you wish, great Master."

"We adjust the amount of shit in each meal based on performance. Best performers get a fingernail-sized piece of dung pellet in their food. Just a little. Barely there."

"Worst performers get a whole plate of dung pellets and a tiny sliver of actual food on the side."

"If they refuse to eat, we make them finish every bite." At this, Kobold Chieftain Bolikri couldn't quite suppress his smug expression. This idea had been his from the start, after all.

"Those humans started throwing themselves into the fields trying to earn better food."

"By the second day, good performers were eating meals with only a little diluted runoff mixed in."

"By the third day, their food was back to normal. But the worst performers still got a full plate of dung pellets."

"Master, isn't that beautifully beast-brained?" The corner of Su Nian's mouth twitched. For a moment, words failed him. It was, genuinely, quite beast-brained. Just hearing about it made him want to gag. Leveraging the human fixation on fairness, not fearing scarcity, but fearing inequality. Combine that with competitive psychology and a clean reward-and-punishment system. Dress the whole thing up with the unique properties of Tyrant Stinkbug Dung Pellets.

If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it. The result: a genuinely ingenious management structure. Not beast-brained. Beyond beast-brained. This was depraved. And it was brilliant. Su Nian never stinted on praising his people when they earned it. He reached out and clapped Kobold Chieftain Bolikri on the shoulder.

"Good work," he said, grinning.

"This management system is genuinely advanced. I do have one suggestion, though. Add a beverage for the low performers."

"If they can't even farm properly, they must be run-down. Shouldn't we help them replenish their health?"

"As for what kind of beverage, do I need to spell it out?" Kobold Chieftain Bolikri had run with the Black Dragon long enough. His heart had turned the same shade of black as his master's. He understood immediately. His master really did see further than everyone else. And his heart was even darker.

"Great Master, leave it to me." Bolikri hauled himself up from the dirt, ignoring the ache in his shoulder, and thumped his chest with solemn conviction.

"This subordinate will personally select the monsters who've been running the hottest recently, collect their most pungent product, seal it in jars, and ferment it for three days. Once it reaches peak richness and bouquet, we'll bring it out to help those humans restore their vitality."

"Good, good." Su Nian's grin widened.

"A teachable dog after all." He was delighted. His subordinates were maturing. He didn't even have to explain himself fully anymore. They understood the shape of his intent, and then exceeded it. With people like this, why would his grand ambitions ever fail to materialize?

"What about the female mage? What's her situation?"

"The female mage..." Bolikri hesitated. He raised his furrowed brow and glanced sidelong at the Black Dragon, picking his words carefully.

"That female mage, Master should really see for yourself. Banana Wolf was actually scared that day. This human has gone completely off the rails." Even Banana Wolf, with his iron nerves, had been frightened? Su Nian's curiosity spiked. He genuinely wanted to see what state Meme Gogo had reached to accomplish that.

"Fine. Lead the way. This dragon will go take a look personally." Led by Kobold Chieftain Bolikri, the two of them, one dragon, one dog, arrived at the newly built dungeon in short order. The area was overgrown with weeds, bleak and desolate. The air hung thick with the smell of Tyrant Stinkbug dung. The dungeon had been constructed specifically for Meme Gogo. Nearly airtight. No sunlight reached inside.

"I want it, give it to me, hurry up~""Brother Banana Wolf, I want more~" The moment they reached the entrance, Su Nian heard it: a woman's voice drifting through the door, soft and wheedling and almost coquettish. He stopped. These words... what exactly was happening in there? Had his capable subordinate Banana Wolf developed some kind of biological relationship with this shameless Meme Gogo?

Su Nian steeled himself, already raising a claw to knock the door down and put a stop to whatever was going on inside, when the female voice added:"I want more Tyrant Stinkbug dung pellets~" Su Nian: "... ⊙ω⊙" So it was that wholesome. Apparently his own mind was the filthy one. Though Su Nian decided this wasn't really a problem. He was a Black Dragon. A dragon having filthy thoughts was entirely normal. He pushed the door open gently. A wall of stench hit him like a physical force. His brow pulsed.

Inside the dim cell. A gaunt, disheveled woman was wrapped around a large jackal-man, holding on for all she was worth. Meme Gogo. She had both arms locked around Banana Wolf's leg, clinging and pleading, muttering the same phrase over and over.

"Give it to me — I — I still want to eat — Tyrant Stinkbug dung pellets..."

"An. Noy. Ing. Let. Go. All. Gone. You. Ate. All. Of. It." Banana Wolf kicked his leg in disgust, trying to shake her off. He couldn't kick hard, he still remembered the master's standing order not to kill her yet, so each kick was restrained, ineffective, and deeply annoying.

"No, you have to have more. I want to eat more!" Meme Gogo's voice rose to a shriek, ragged and wretched, like something that no longer belonged to the living. The draft from the door caught her hair and swept it aside, baring her face. Once, it had been striking. Now it was chalk-white and streaked with filth the color of dried dung. Her eyes were flat and bloodshot, staring at nothing and everything at once. Even the toughest player would probably have a cardiac episode running into her in this state.

She had gone completely, irreversibly mad. Su Nian took it all in. He thought, quietly, that destroying a player might not always require killing them again and again to drain their respawn timer. Meme Gogo was still alive. But there was almost no difference between this and being dead. ➤ Next: Tear Gas