Chapter 58 Sleeping
Cassius ordered Rump to cast several "Guardian Inscription" spells at the entrance of the cave.

Any creature that attempts to enter without permission will be harmed by the rune explosion. Once the spell is triggered, the intruder will be engulfed in fire, lightning, and strong acid.

He also arranged for his followers to take turns guarding the gate. In the future, there will be guards such as hobgoblins, bear goblins, lizardmen, etc. guarding the door continuously to ensure that the cave will never be disturbed.

All business done, Cassius came alone to the depths of the Giant's Mouth Cave, his wings folded loosely at his sides.

This place is close to the lava area, with hot white steam everywhere, strong fire elements in the air, and boiling magma gushing out on the ground.

This environment is a place of death for ordinary people, but it makes Cassius feel extremely comfortable.

The smell of sulfur and pumice on his body became stronger and stronger, which meant that the red dragon's body was eager to sleep and enter the next age stage. And this cave full of magma was the perfect place for him to absorb and store elemental energy while sleeping.

All true dragons are endothermic. Given their elemental nature, it would be nearly impossible for them to be otherwise, and dragons that wield fire literally get hotter with age.

Unlike most endothermic creatures, dragons have no obvious way to dissipate excess body heat. They do not sweat, and they rarely pant. Instead, a dragon's basal blood vessels extract heat from the bloodstream and store that energy.

Thus, in a sense, a dragon can be considered poikilothermic (since it can use environmental heat sources).

However, a dragon's metabolism and activity level do not change when deprived of an external heat source, and it is not slowed or forced into hibernation by exposure to cold.

“It’s time to sleep.”

Cassius sniffed the air and muttered to himself.

Since he came to Erezegei, he has been working non-stop to improve his own strength and rarely takes a long rest.

A real red dragon, apart from occasional robbery, brutal plundering, burning, killing and looting, spends the rest of its time eating and sleeping.

Dragons have a long lifespan and innate strength. A dragon can gain unimaginable strength just by sleeping.

This makes them extremely arrogant and lazy.

Despite their love of power, they rarely waste time pursuing power like ordinary creatures. This is due to their self-confidence and contempt for ordinary things.

"How can one imagine anything more magnificent than a dragon, the very epitome of creation?"

——Bheilorveilthion, the ancient red dragon.

But it was also thanks to the laziness and arrogance of the dragons that they were defeated by adventurers.

A "diligent" dragon like Cassius is considered an outlier among all dragon species, and in a sense, this kind of dragon is the most terrifying. A diligent evil dragon is enough to cause a global disaster.

"I don't know how long I can sleep like this."

"I hope that when I wake up, everything will be fine in Embernest."

"But the demon in the mountains has not been found."

"And my actions may have attracted the attention of the kingdom. If they send troops to attack..."

Cassius thought to himself.

He slowly lowered his body onto the warm ground, feeling the constant influx of underground energy.

"Forget it, go to sleep."

"Without strength, everything is just empty talk."

"Like a real dragon, it grows stronger while sleeping."

The red dragon curled up its body deep in the lava, slowly closed its eyes, and fell asleep like a real red dragon.

The violent fire elemental energy from all around him continuously poured into his body, entered his beating heart through his basal blood vessels, and filled every inch of his flesh and blood.

Cassius's huge body rose and fell slowly with his breathing.
Northwind Castle.

The basement of Lachman Castle.

It was dark and quiet everywhere, with the candlelight flickering on the wall.

A man in his fifties lay in a cold stone coffin.

The face was unnaturally pale, with two delicate tufts of mustache on the lips and a pair of silver-rimmed glasses on the bridge of the nose.

His hair was pure black and he wore a black and red robe with luxurious gold edges.

He is Brad Rackman, the current Duke of the Rackman family and the ruler of Northwind Castle.

He rarely appeared in public, except for that speech in the dark hall and when he was eating.

There were slight noises coming from the basement.

It was the murmur of bats and the sound of their wings flapping.

A woman with the same pale face and thin figure, wearing a dress with heavy pleats, slowly walked in and came to the front of the sarcophagus.

"Father."

The man in the sarcophagus slowly opened his eyes, and a rich scarlet color appeared deep in his pupils.

"What is it, Alexia?"

The woman lifted her skirt, bowed, and her voice was as cold as ice.

"The Eagle Guards brought back news that they found traces of tieflings in Storm Peaks. Those lowly animals have set up a camp there."

Brad's expression remained unchanged, he just said:

"Then send someone to kill them all."

"but."

Alexia's voice was hesitant.

"They seem to be protected by the Burning Embers Nest. The scouts we sent were killed by the dragons, and only a few escaped."

Duke Brad frowned slightly, and a hint of anger appeared on his pale face.

“It’s that again”

"That damn red dragon."

The Duke was very upset about the loss of his Eagle Guards. Each of these elite cavalrymen had cost the Rackman family thousands of gold coins to train. He considered Alger a useful tool, and the Duke even planned to transform him into his eternal loyal servant.

"Then you think you should go look for it."

"That lord."

Alexia observed the Duke's expression and asked tentatively.

"No, let's not engage in direct conflict with the Burning Embers Nest yet."

"Don't even bother summoning that wizard."

"We have no control over his power, and it will only bring disaster to us."

This answer was decisive and seemed to completely reject her proposal.

Duke Brad looked at the woman and said earnestly:

"Be patient, Alexia."

"I have granted you endless life, and as noble immortals, rather than despicable mortals like humans, we must learn to wait."

"Wait until I complete the Great Ascension."

“All problems will be solved.”

"Yes, father."

Alexia quickly replied respectfully.

Duke Brad licked his lips involuntarily, revealing his sharp teeth, and a rich scarlet color overflowed from the depths of his pupils.

"Alexia, when does the party start?"

"I'm a little hungry."

　I didn’t make it to the third round, so I can only say that I really failed, alas.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)