Chương 50: Reborn as the Dragon: — Chapter 50 - Capture Humans, Plant Potatoes

Grey Wolf and Bolikri flinched at the Black Dragon's roar. They had no idea what they'd done wrong, but they were smart enough not to say so. They pressed themselves flat against the ground, rolled sideways, and went to sulk facing the wall. Their expressions said everything their mouths couldn't. Pure, wronged misery. It was the master who had ordered them to do it. They hadn't wanted to, either. Cold. Hard. Unpleasant. But a master's command was divine decree.

Forget a crocodile, even if it had been a Fire Elemental Lord, if the master said do it, you did it. Even if it turned you into a turkey. Su Nian gave the two pouting monsters a cold glance, then shifted his attention back to the two female Rock-Armored Crocodiles lying in the dirt. They were a picture of devastation. Thick stubby claws scratched weakly at the ground. Snow-white bellies faced the sky at an angle that managed to be both pitiable and strangely coy.

Their misty eyes brimmed with shame and indignation, and, if you looked closely, the glitter of actual tears. Su Nian shook his dragon head and sighed inwardly. The world was cold. Beasts had no decency anymore. He turned to go comfort the male Rock-Armored Crocodiles. They were all belly-up, perked to attention. Su Nian: "...... (? \_?)" Crocodiles shouldn't. At least, they really shouldn't. Maybe they were into this sort of thing?

He quietly concluded that the Rock-Armored Crocodiles were probably fine and didn't need comforting.

"Rock-Armored Crocodile leader. Get over here." The leader had been frantically grinding itself against the sand. The instant it heard Su Nian's voice, it shuddered, rolled upright, and scrambled over.

"From now on, your name is Rekton. It means 'Butcher of the Desert.' Try not to disgrace it."

"Master, why not 'Butcher of the Swamp'?" Su Nian's dragon face twitched. He raised his claw and knocked it against Rekton's skull three times, solid, rhythmic thuds, and roared:"I name you what I name you. Shut your mouth."

"Now. Are there any yellow, round plants in the swamp? The kind that grow in clusters?"

"Wuwu..." Rekton whimpered, dragged his head out of the dirt, shook it slowly, and thought.

"Master might be describing the Dung Ball Fruit. They're buried pretty deep though. Want me to dig one up?" If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Su Nian stared. Dung Ball Fruit. What in the hell. Who looked at a plant and decided to name it that? Some depraved elder with an obsession? He swallowed his complaints, waved one tired claw, and sent Rekton off to dig. Rekton returned shortly, hauling a cluster of tubers in his jaws and dragging himself back onto the bank.

They were far bigger than any potato Su Nian had seen on Earth, basketball-sized, lumpy, caked with mud. The resemblance to their name was, unfortunately, accurate. He had no idea how they tasted. Curious enough to find out, Su Nian sliced one open with a claw. The inside was pale yellow and starchy, fresh and dense, practically glowing with appetite appeal.

"Bugs Bunny. Come." Bugs Bunny rose to its feet, straightened up, and waddled over on two legs, feet splayed wide, heading for the Black Dragon with complete dignity.

"Breathe fire." Bugs Bunny obeyed. Its throat made a series of clicks, the precise sound of an old flint lighter struggling to catch, and after a few sputtering attempts, a jet of flame finally bloomed out.

"Good. Don't stop. When you're running low, rotate your underlings in." And so, at the edge of the Silvermoon Swamp, under the baffled stares of a gathered crowd of monsters, a strange and solemn scene played out. A Black Dragon, four meters long with a wingspan of seven or eight, held a yellow tuber on one claw and rotated it slowly over an open flame. Beside it, Fire Rabbits stood in an orderly queue, each one stepping forward in turn to contribute its fire, then falling back to the end of the line.

Su Nian could have built a proper fire with dry branches, of course. He was mainly doing this to develop his subordinates' capabilities. It had nothing to do with being lazy. When the potato looked done, he reached into the system shop and pulled out salt and cumin, dusting them across the surface with practiced sweeps of his claw. The smell hit first. Rich, savory, roasted warmth rolled outward from the Black Dragon in waves, washing over every creature in the vicinity. The monsters' eyes went wide.

Drool collected. Not one of them had ever smelled anything like it. [Bolikri Favorability +2] [Grey Wolf Favorability +2]... [Rekton Favorability +8] Su Nian looked around, mildly impressed. A bunch of gluttons. Just watching him cook bumped their numbers up. At this rate — if he kept feeding them well day after day — getting them all to 100% loyalty would be embarrassingly easy.

"Want some?" He speared the finished potato on one claw and passed it slowly under the nose of every monster in the inner circle. Every head swiveled to follow. Eyes blazed. The nodding was so frantic it looked like a collective medical episode. The potato completed its circuit and returned to Su Nian's mouth, where he tossed it back and swallowed.

"Delicious." He narrowed his eyes and chewed slowly, savoring it. That flavor. He hadn't tasted it in what felt like forever. And this version was better than anything from his previous life, richer, softer, with a crispy skin carrying just a hint of salt. The monsters watched the potato disappear and looked devastated. Then they looked at their Black Dragon boss, expression somewhere between bliss and smugness, and felt even hungrier than before.

Su Nian finished, let his dark golden eyes move across the crowd, and bared every tooth in his skull.

"Hehehe... From now on, this plant is called 'potato.'""You all want roasted potatoes. There are plenty here — but we'll eat through them eventually."

"Do you know how to make the supply last forever?" The monsters exchanged looks and shook their heads. Bolikri and Grey Wolf were quiet, their eyes sharp and thoughtful.

"We capture humans. We put them to work planting potatoes. Then the potatoes never run out." The eyes around him turned red. Every creature in the crowd was breathing harder. They looked like they were already moving.

"And one more thing: if we don't enslave those humans outside Silvermoon Forest, they'll come and take the potatoes from us." WHOOSH! A gust of wind cut through. The killing intent was thick enough to feel, pressing against the air until it warped.

"So." Su Nian raised his dragon head. His black wings spread wide. His shadow fell across every monster in front of him, long and absolute under the desert sun.

"You know what to do." One voice broke first. Then another. Then all of them, creatures of a dozen species and as many tongues, roaring the same thing with one accord:"Capture humans! Plant potatoes!" They didn't share a language. They didn't share blood or kin or kind. But in this moment, they shared one belief, one purpose, one unshakeable resolve. ➤ Next: KFC Crazy Thursday