funbook-pk Chapter 100 Development
Chapter 100 Development
Thor suddenly spat out a burning tongue of fire, predominantly orange-red, with the outer flames turning a dazzling blue-white.
The Rathalos monster template not only makes his control over fire more exquisite, but also makes the temperature of the flames he breathes soar, so hot that they seem to be able to melt everything.
Before the ratmen could react, they were engulfed by the raging flames. Their tattered black robes couldn't even last a second before turning to ashes; their fur sizzled like meat being fried.
"Ouch! That hurts! It hurts so much!"
"Help! Don't kill me!"
"Please, please let me go!"
A sharp scream tore from the ratmen's throats as they frantically thrashed their limbs and rolled on the ground, desperately trying to extinguish the flames engulfing their bodies.
However, this blue-white flame seemed to have an extremely strong adhesiveness, and no matter how much they struggled, it was to no avail. It even used the fat and protein in their bodies as fuel, burning even more fiercely.
In just a few breaths, these ratmen fell completely still, but the flames on their bodies continued to burn quietly, crackling and popping from time to time, filling the air with the smell of burning.
The surrounding beastmen, witnessing this terrifying scene, couldn't help but swallow hard, quickly lowering their heads and not daring to even breathe, for fear that their gaze would displease the powerful red dragon.
Even the seasoned bear-man, who had seen it all, felt a chill run down his spine. Having spent years traversing the paths of the wild and living among the spirits of various wild beasts, he possessed a unique way of perceiving things.
In his spiritual vision, these flames not only burned the ratmen's bodies, but also ignited the faint magic within them.
This means that if ordinary living beings do not have a corresponding way to deal with it, they will be burned relentlessly by this flame as soon as they come into contact with even a tiny spark, until they are completely reduced to ashes.
The pervasive fear in the air, beneath Thor's gaze, manifested as fleeting fragments of essence, providing further clues.
This made him grin with pleasure. He glanced at the trembling beastmen around him and spoke.
"You lowly bastards, you're lucky. Anyone who dares to defy my life should be killed without mercy."
But since I had just arrived in this territory and didn't have any slaves to use, you had the chance to escape with your lives.
Now, you have two choices: either submit to me and serve me for life, or be burned to ashes!
The deep dragon roar echoed in the air. The beastmen, who had just witnessed the miserable state of several ratmen, dared not have the slightest thought of resistance.
One by one, they hurriedly knelt down on the ground, banging their heads heavily against the ground, desperately begging for mercy.
Even the old bear-man felt his knees go weak. He suppressed his humiliation and knelt down as well, no longer daring to be negligent in the slightest.
Any act of conquest brings pleasure to the red dragon's bloodline; the more unwilling the other party appears, the more delighted Thor feels.
As for whether they would betray him, he didn't care at all.
Regardless of whether they hate him, resent him, or even plot revenge, their intense emotions will transform into spiritual essence, accelerating the rate at which his strength increases.
As long as one remains strong and does not give one's subordinates any hope of a successful betrayal, their loyalty will always be guaranteed.
This is also the way most dragons control their creatures—simple, brutal, yet exceptionally effective.
The only loyal followers Thor truly deserves his investment of effort in cultivating are those he personally selects and trains. Currently, only the kobolds can barely be considered half-loyal; the rest are merely expendable resources to be exploited for his spiritual essence.
…………
Kobolds, gnolls, beastmen, and all sorts of other evil creatures—even Thor himself doesn't know exactly how many creatures he has under his command, only roughly a thousand or so, and the territory he controls spans hundreds of kilometers in radius.
With a large population, a host of problems arose, the most critical of which was the food shortage.
Before, when they were scattered, they were able to survive by hunting various animals and gathering plant roots or fruits. But once they gathered together, their limited resources were simply not enough to support so many creatures.
This is why hunter-gatherer civilizations rarely develop into large city-states, and it is also the main reason why evil races like goblins and gnolls are limited in their growth and expansion.
Like wolf packs, they will naturally split up once their numbers become too large and the surrounding food supply is insufficient.
Thor certainly wouldn't allow the guys he'd gathered to scatter again.
If that's the case, how can he obtain spiritual essence from them? He can't just do nothing all day and run from one end of the village to the other, collecting it from one small settlement to another, can he?
Fortunately, there was still some food stored in the newly subdued beastman camp, which could temporarily solve the immediate problem.
As evil beings transformed from humans, they are one of the few races that still retain the habits of trading and hoarding.
Whenever a caravan passed by, they would exchange local products and handicrafts from the wilderness for food, salt, and other necessities.
Now, these things naturally became Saul's property. However, after a quick look, he found that they were all coarse grains, and some dried meat that smelled strange and was made of some kind of meat.
He might have looked at something like this more often when he first hatched, but now, even if you begged him to eat it, he would only feel disgusted.
Thor simply sent the old bear-man to negotiate with the leaders of the other evil creatures, to live off these "trash" for a while. As for how to distribute them, that would depend entirely on how strong their own fists were.
As long as there aren't too many casualties, he doesn't care at all if one or two die.
At this point, the corn and sweet potato seeds that had been extracted for the development of the boar people came in very handy.
Although the surrounding barren hills and mountains are infertile, they are not lacking in soil. With proper cultivation and modification, they can fully adapt to the growth of these two crops that do not have high requirements for soil.
In just a few months, after the first crop harvest, this humble territory will be able to become basically self-sufficient.
As for some evil creatures being purely carnivorous? They're just not hungry enough.
Subsequently, the creatures under Thor's command suffered a terrible fate. Instead of obtaining the blood and power they so desperately sought, they were forced to become serfs.
They never imagined that the sharp teeth and claws they used for killing would one day be used to move stones and dig in the ground, and a deep sense of humiliation welled up in their hearts.
What good is further humiliation? The kobold, most loyal to Thor and skilled in mining, was appointed as overseer to supervise the work of his evil creatures.
Anyone who dares to slack off will be immediately whipped; if they dare to run away, they will be hanged next to the newly cultivated terraced fields as a warning to others.
Such brutal behavior, if it had happened in Saul's previous life, would probably have instigated a rebellion among his men and led to his overthrow.
But in a world where power belongs to the individual, even these thousands of evil creatures combined could not possibly be a match for Thor.
They could only endure it silently, their anger fueled by impotence.
The more frustrated they are, the more intense their emotions become, and the more spiritual essence Thor can harvest.
In this way, not only are the assigned tasks done, but the amount of spiritual essence produced also increases, making it a "win-win" situation.
This is the art of exploitation etched into the very bones of the evil dragon.