Chapter 9: Site Selection
On the third day of her new lair's opening, Livia had already explored every nook and cranny of the volcanic crater, inside and out, top to bottom, until she knew it better than her own claws.
The crater had a total depth of nearly four hundred meters, with the lava lake situated at the three-hundred-meter mark. The bottom of the lake was connected to even deeper magma chambers, keeping the temperature perfectly stable. For a Red Dragon, soaking in it wasn't torture; it was a top-tier indulgence—a natural magma spa that was constant in temperature, health-promoting, and scale-beautifying, even more comfortable than the lava pools in the Dragon Mother's lair.
The inner walls were riddled with natural cracks and depressions, some shallow and some deep, like natural storage rooms. She chose the largest and most secluded crack, located twenty meters above her perching platform. Thirty meters inside, it ended in a natural cave of nearly fifty square meters. With a level floor, smooth rock walls, and no loose stones or insects, it was a bedroom practically tailor-made for her.
On the first day, she brought in a large pile of clean beast bones and dragon bone fragments, spreading them on the ground as a mattress with just the right amount of firmness.
On the second day, she chiseled out several pieces of self-illuminating fire-attribute ore and embedded them into the cave walls. They glowed faintly in the dark, serving as natural nightlights—no fire needed, and no fear of burning down the nest.
On the third day, she set her sights on the red stones at the edge of the lava lake—natural gemstones formed from solidified magma. They were translucent, vivid in color, and high in hardness. She pried them loose and piled them in a corner; they were both beautiful and served as a reserve of treasure.
While it wasn't exactly a luxurious palace, for a young Red Dragon who had just left the nest, this was a top-tier configuration: a fully furnished one-bedroom with a viewing balcony, its own hot spring, and maximum security.
On the fourth day, Livia finally officially activated the Dragon Nest System's Territory Perception.
A clear circular map immediately unfolded before her eyes, centered on her crater with a radius of one hundred kilometers, visible at a glance.
The map was clearly marked with different colors:
Red—Large magical beasts, dangerous;
Yellow—Medium magical beasts, can be fought or avoided;
Green—Small minions, harmless;
Blue—Water source;
Purple—Mineral deposits.
She examined them one by one.
There were three red dots in total: a Lava Giant Python to the east about seventy kilometers away, Bronze-rank; a Stone-Winged Demon nest to the west fifty kilometers away, with three individuals, all Bronze-rank; and a Balrog Larva to the south eighty kilometers away, Iron-rank, not much of a threat.
The Stone-Winged Demons were what Livia was most concerned about.
Typical aerial bandits that moved in swarms, they were fast and had sharp claws, specializing in ambushing lone wyverns. The Dragon Mother had repeatedly warned her in the past not to fly too high for fear of running into them. Now, it turned out they had spawned right at her doorstep fifty kilometers away. If she didn't deal with them, she wouldn't feel at ease whenever she left home.
Looking further down, a blue dot actually existed—forty kilometers to the west, labeled [Underground River Outlet].
In this godforsaken place where there was nothing but magma and ash, the presence of cool water was practically a miracle.
There were five purple mineral deposits: sulfur, saltpeter, iron, copper, and even one labeled [Unknown Crystal Mine]. Livia could almost imagine that if Sephira saw this map, she would be so excited she'd take off on the spot and burrow right into the mineral vein to settle down.
After a moment's thought, she decided not to rush into a fight and instead go check out that water source first.
Having only drunk hot magma, hot air, and hot spring water for fifteen years, she desperately missed a sip of something cold.
Livia spread her wings, leapt from the crater platform, and flew toward the west.
Half an hour later, a deep canyon appeared ahead, its walls straight and steep, the bottom pitch black.
She lowered her altitude, flying slowly against the rock wall until she found a protruding rock where she could barely land. She touched down, folded her wings, and began to climb down the wall bit by bit.
After climbing down nearly two hundred meters, she finally hit the bottom.
The canyon floor was very narrow, only about a dozen meters wide. The ground was no longer monotonous volcanic ash, but was covered in a thin layer of green moss.
Livia froze on the spot.
Green.
True green.
In this land forsaken by fire, there were actually normal plants.
The sound of dripping water came from ahead—drip, drip—crisp and quiet.
She walked forward a few steps, rounded a small bend, and the water source finally appeared before her eyes.
From a crack in the rock wall, clear water seeped out bit by bit, falling into a small pool about two meters in diameter below. The water was shallow and clear, so much so that the pebbles at the bottom were visible. Moss and a few stalks of grayish-green grass grew by the pool, appearing exceptionally gentle in this land of dead silence.
Livia crouched down, extended her tongue, and took a gentle lick.
Cold.
A refreshing cold, not bone-chilling or unpleasant, but a coolness that traveled from the tip of her tongue straight to her heart.
It had been fifteen years.
This was the first time she had drunk something that wasn't scalding hot.
Livia simply lay down and submerged her entire mouth in the water, drinking her fill until her belly was slightly bloated. Only then did she lift her head in satisfaction.
As she looked up, she happened to see a small thing shivering behind a rock on the opposite side of the pool.
She focused her gaze.
A Kobold.
It was barely larger than her claw, with two small horns on its head, a long face, and large eyes. Its nose twitched as it stared fixedly at the massive Red Dragon with eyes full of terror.
The system panel immediately popped up:
[Creature detected: Kobold (Miner)]
[Threat Level: None]
[Suggestion: Ignore or drive away]
Livia didn't move, just quietly watched it.
One person and one dragon stared at each other for ten seconds.
The Kobold's nerves finally snapped. With an "Awoo," it turned and ran in a panic. In its haste, it tripped over a stone and fell flat on its face. It scrambled back up and vanished behind the rocks in a flash.
Livia didn't chase it, nor did she drive it away.
She didn't even have the interest to lift a finger against such a non-threatening little thing.
She lowered her head to take two more sips of cold water, memorized the location, turned to climb back up the rock wall, and flew back to her crater.
The moment she landed on the platform, Livia was stunned.
The previously empty platform now held a neatly stacked pile of items—iron ore, copper ore, and sulfur blocks, all sorted and piled into square stacks like carefully prepared offerings.
Her heart stirred, and she looked down toward the edge of the lava lake.
Below, dozens of tiny figures were busily scurrying about.
Carrying crude stone pickaxes and small baskets, they were hammering away at the rock walls. They loaded the chiseled ore into baskets, formed a line, and climbed up the wall. Upon reaching the crack to her bedroom, they dumped the ore inside, then headed back down with empty baskets to continue mining.
They were all Kobolds.
The terrified Kobold from earlier was now leading its tribe to work for her.
Livia gently flew down and landed in front of them.
All the Kobolds instantly froze, their movements locking in place. They didn't even dare to breathe loudly.
The leader—the one who had tripped earlier—fell to its knees with a "thud" and began kowtowing vigorously, its head hitting the ground with loud thumps.
The system panel popped up again, this time with text that made the dragon ecstatic:
[Detected Kobold tribe proactively swearing fealty]
[Current tribe size: 47]
[Estimated stable daily output: Approx. 50kg Iron Ore, 30kg Copper Ore, 10kg Sulfur]
[Accept fealty?]
Livia stared at the lines of text, her heart blooming with joy.
Forty-seven free miners.
No need to provide food, housing, or wages.
Every day she could just lie there and collect ore; resources would come to her door automatically.
Wasn't this much more comfortable than going out to fight and kill herself?
Without hesitation, she confirmed in her mind: [Accept]
The lead Kobold snapped its head up, its small eyes shining like lightbulbs. It let out a string of shrill, gibbering cheers.
The system automatically synchronized the translation:
[Kobold Language: "The Great Lord of Fire has accepted us! We shall mine for you for the rest of our lives! We offer you everything!"]
The other Kobolds joined in the cheering, their voices high and shrill, sounding like a meeting of little mice.
Livia couldn't be bothered to listen to their professions of loyalty. She gently spread her wings, flew back to her platform, and lay back down, looking down at the busy little miners below.
She felt like laughing now.
When the Dragon Mother kicked her out of the house, she probably thought Livia would be wandering the streets, struggling to survive.
Who would have thought that on the third day after leaving the nest, she would pick up a tribe for free, acquire a fully automated mine, and embark on a path of winning at dragon life while doing nothing.
Just then, the Lair Upgrade System officially activated, and the panel clearly displayed:
[Current Lair Level: Primary]
[Conditions to upgrade to Intermediate Lair:]
1. Accumulate 1,000kg of various ores
2. Successfully hunt 3 Bronze-rank magical beasts
3. Obtain 1 Dragon Egg (Can be self-produced or plundered)
Livia's gaze stopped firmly on the third condition.
Obtain 1 Dragon Egg.
Self-produced, or plundered.
Self-produced?
She looked down at her own body.
A female dragon, twenty-two years old, just reached adulthood, physiological functions fully mature.
She remained silent for a long, long time.
Below the crater, the Kobolds were still hammering away at their mining, the sounds crisp and cheerful, full of working enthusiasm.
The lava lake rolled quietly, sparks flickering.
Livia looked at her own reflection in the lake's surface and sighed softly, murmuring to herself in a voice only she could hear:
"System, you really are in a hurry."
There was no response.
Only the continuous, industrious sound of mining:
Clang, clang.
Clang, clang.
Clang, clang—