In Dragonkin culture, if Garros were to introduce himself to other Dragonkin...
His more formal name would be:
—Gallos Ignas.
Dragonkin true names are very long, and in formal introductions, the middle names are often omitted, using only the combination of the beginning and the end.
Iron Dragon Sorog and Garros shared the same ancient surname, and a similar Bloodline flowed within their bodies.
It was four years older than Garros.
When Garros was two years old, the six-year-old Sorog was exiled from the territory by the Iron Dragon Mother.
And among the several siblings...
Garros felt that, besides himself, the smartest one was Iron Dragon Sorog.
Even at a young age, it understood PUA; it constantly used verbal belittlement on Garros to make him follow its lead, and even during its exile, it secretly tempted Garros, trying to get him to leave the Iron Dragon Mother's protection and survive in the wilderness with it.
It tried the 'Dragon Taming Art' from the Iron Dragon Legacy on Garros.
For the grand dream of forging a Dragonkin Empire, it used Garros as its first practice subject.
Besides verbal belittlement, it would also use inducements, such as using shiny stones dug from the sand to pretend they were magic gems to tempt Garros, or making empty promises.
The idea was good.
However.
Although it was much smarter than Samantha and Gordon, it was ultimately just a few-year-old Young Dragon at the time; its little tricks and schemes were completely transparent to Garros.
Sorog was keen on winning Garros over and making Garros follow it.
No matter what method it used, however, it ultimately only earned a look from Garros as if he were looking at a moron.
After a few seconds of silence...
Garros blinked and looked toward the northern direction of the Quenchfire Highlands.
"Could this Iron King be Sorog?"
He muttered to himself.
Although it couldn't be fully determined yet.
However, with the same title and the identity of a young Iron Dragon, these two factors appearing together meant there was a ninety percent chance it was Sorog.
"If it's Sorog, then things just got interesting."
Garros vaguely remembered the words Sorog had left behind after being firmly rejected when it tried to secretly entice him to survive in the wilderness together upon being exiled by the Iron Dragon Mother.
"Garros! My foolish, pitiful, and weak younger brother!"
"If you are lucky enough to survive and walk before me..."
"When we meet again, you will find that the wings of the great Iron King already blot out the sun."
"At that time, you will humbly beg, longing to follow the great Iron King, and I shall mercilessly, coldly, and cruelly reject you! I will make you regret today's decision to your very core!"
Thinking of these words...
Garros looked down at his physique, strong enough to surpass a Red Dragon's, the muscle definition clearly visible through his scales, and his massive, majestic wings that looked like peerless weapons.
The Red-Iron Dragon couldn't help but grin, a pleasant smile playing on his lips.
He was looking forward to Sorog's reaction upon seeing him; the expression would surely be quite spectacular.
Garros would suppress negative emotions that affected his judgment, but he was no machine, nor was he someone without desires. He had a bit of vanity, sometimes wanting to show off and harvest a sliver of pleasure from the stunned gazes of other dragons.
"Anyway, first I must confirm the Iron King's identity."
Garros asked the Gnoll Haken more detailed questions, becoming increasingly certain that this Iron King was indeed his long-lost brother, Sorog.
"My Lord! As your minion, Ugo is willing to serve as the vanguard and fight for you!"
"Even if the opponent is a powerful Dragonkin, as long as you order the start of the war, Ugo will not have any fear!"
The Ogre Ugo eagerly expressed his loyalty.
Garros unhurriedly waved a claw and said playfully, "No rush, I have things to confirm first."
He said to Ugo, "Do not act rashly. Stay in the camp and prepare to receive the main force of the Bone-Chewing Warband."
The Ogre nodded heavily.
Immediately after, Garros picked up the Gnoll scout leader with a single claw, flapped his wings, and soared into the sky, flying toward the northern part of the Quenchfire Highlands under the cover of night.
The dragon's shadow soon swept past the cliff boundary and flew dozens of kilometers further. After crossing dense jungles, Garros looked as far as the eye could see and spotted a great river winding across the surface, its end invisible in the distance, nearly splitting the ground in two.
Estonia Great River.
It ran through almost the entire Serel Wilderness and was the primary source of water there; several rivers in Garros's territory were its branches.
The Thousand Snake Scars was a land trade route.
The Estonia Great River was a waterway with frequent trade caravans and cargo transport, used even more frequently than the land route of the Thousand Snake Scars.
Many important nodes along the river were built with embankments and dams, guarded by heavy troops.
Garros shook his claw, waking the Gnoll who had fainted from fear of heights.
"Ah! So high!"
The Gnoll tucked its tail, let out a scream, and fainted again.
Considering that Gnolls rarely looked down from high altitudes and might not be able to distinguish directions or locations, Garros circled briefly, then descended to the top of a relatively high hill before waking the Gnoll again.
The moment it woke up, the Gnoll wanted to scream.
However, when it met the Red-Iron Dragon's calm and deep eyes, its voice got stuck in its throat, not daring to come out, so much so that its face swelled from holding it in, and it coughed violently several times.
"Point out the direction of Stony Beach."
Garros said.
The Gnoll tremblingly extended a claw and pointed toward a branch of the Estonia Great River.
"Here, over here."
Carrying the Gnoll, Garros took to the sky again, slowing his speed and concealing his presence as he flew in that direction.
Soon, he hovered among the clouds, looking down.
A branch river about ten meters wide reflected before his eyes, and on both sides of the channel were beaches dotted with gravel; the figures of Gnolls and Kobolds, along with scattered tents and campfires, could be seen on one side.
This was Stony Beach.
"Where is your lord's lair?"
Garros shook the Gnoll awake again and asked.
"Underwater! The Iron King likes to reside at the bottom of the river!"
After replying, the Gnoll fainted again due to its fear of heights.
Likes to reside at the bottom of the river?
Garros narrowed his eyes, scanning the river channel below.
The rapid current tore the moonlight to pieces, tinged slightly yellow and somewhat turbid; there seemed to be quite a bit of silt at the bottom, looking unremarkable.
"I'm afraid it's not because he likes it, but to hide his figure and conceal his presence,"
Garros thought.
What Iron Dragon would like to nest at the bottom of a river? Iron Dragons preferred dry and hot environments and naturally disliked water, much like Red Dragons. Garros also naturally hated water; he knew very well that unless forced by circumstances, a normal Iron Dragon would never reside in water.
His gaze swept over the Gnolls and Kobolds, totaling no more than five hundred.
Garros sniffed.
Although he hadn't seen the Iron King with his own eyes, he was already certain that the other party was his brother Sorog. Dragonkin were very sensitive to the scents of other Dragonkin, and he could smell a faint, familiar scent in the air.
Due to the current and the distance, the scent was very faint.
Normally, if he were just passing by, Garros wouldn't have cared or even noticed it.
But now that he was certain an Iron Dragon was here, he calmed his mind and sensed carefully, quickly catching the scent of an Iron Dragon.
Without a doubt, it was Sorog's.
Instead of descending immediately to meet Sorog, Garros's eyes flickered with other ideas as he turned back toward the Quenchfire Highlands.